DATE:
April 9, 2024
24
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
IN SUPPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA WATER QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROTECTION ACT, SENATE BILL 1178 (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
For decades, the pollution in the Tijuana River Valley has impacted South Bay communities and is now impacting San Diego County's coastal communities to the north such as Coronado, San Diego's Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and Del Mar. With increased poor air quality, sewage leaks, waste, plastic pollution, sediment, and trash, it is evident that these environmental issues should be viewed as a pressing crisis.
That is why the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors (Board) declared a local proclamation regarding the environmental crisis due to transboundary pollution on June 27th, 2023 (16). This was a result of the continued contamination to the nearly 70 miles of coastlines, beaches, and San Diego communities.
There has continued to be advocacy and legislation regarding this issue at the local, state, and federal levels. In the winter of 2024, after discussion with federal officials, experts, local representatives, and the public about their efforts to address cross-border pollution, California State Senator Steve Padilla introduced an important piece of legislation that aims to mitigate this issue.
Senate Bill 1178 (SB 1178) would require large corporations of 2,500 or more employees doing business in California to publicly disclose their wastewater discharges that can result in contamination of California watersheds. The measure also directs the State Water Resources Board Control Board (SWRCB) to create the "California Water Quality and Public Health Impact Surcharge" which will quantify the costs of mitigating that contamination. The County's support of State Senator Padilla's bill demonstrates that we take this water pollution crisis seriously and will also inform large corporations that accountability matters in San ...
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