DATE:
October 8, 2024
12
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
EXPANSION OF EMERGENCY AIR QUALITY AND IMPROVEMENT RELIEF:TitlePROCUREMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF AIR PURIFIERS RELATED TO THE TIJUANA RIVER POLLUTION CRISIS AND A-72 WAIVER (DISTRICT: 1)
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OVERVIEW
For decades, South County communities have endured significant impacts from transboundary pollutants, including sediment, trash, and raw sewage that flow across the border into the Tijuana River Valley and neighboring areas like Imperial Beach, Nestor and San Ysidro. The combination of inadequate aging infrastructure and increasingly frequent climate-related emergencies has resulted in severe environmental, economic, and property damage from persistent cross-border sewage pollution and contaminated ocean waters.
Recognizing the urgency of this crisis, I have led the charge to secure relief for impacted communities. Under my leadership, the Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency on June 27, 2023, and directed staff to pursue all available federal and state funding sources. I have also spearheaded efforts to collaborate with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as stakeholders, to develop projects and innovative solutions to address the root causes of pollution.
As part of these efforts, I secured funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide an additional disbursement of California Air Resources Board (CARB)-certified air purifiers for the Emergency Air Quality and Improvement Relief pilot program in collaboration with the San Diego Air Pollution Control District (APCD) and the County of San Diego. This funding is for the purchase of air purifiers, for eligible participants of the County's pilot program. This pilot program, originally approved by the Board on June 4, 2024 (19), provided air purifiers to impacted residents to mitigate the odors caused by sewage flows in the most affected communities.
On September 12, 2024, as a member of the APCD Governing B...
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