California AJR 16: Relative to a national uniform poll closing schedule.

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 Bill Text - AJR-16 Tijuana River: transboundary flow pollution.

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 AJR-16 Tijuana River: transboundary flow pollution.(2025-2026)

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AJR16:v99#DOCUMENTBill Start

 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

 Assembly Joint Resolution

No. 16

Introduced by Assembly Members Alvarez and Jeff Gonzalez
(Principal coauthor: Senator Padilla)

June 19, 2025

 Relative to the Tijuana River. 

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AJR 16, as introduced, Alvarez.
 Tijuana River: transboundary flow pollution.

This measure would urge the United States Congress and the President of the United States to fully fund the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Infrastructure Solution for the Tijuana River due to the ongoing impacts on public health, the environment, and the local economy caused by transboundary flow pollution. The measure would urge the United States Congress and the President of the United States to take additional specified actions to address ongoing transboundary flow pollution.

Digest Key

 Fiscal Committee:
 NO 

Bill Text

WHEREAS, The Tijuana River flows from east to west from Mexico into California and drains into the Pacific Ocean through the Tijuana River Estuary, and for decades has experienced an increased discharge of trash, sediment, and wastewater generated in Mexico that, as a result of sewage infrastructure inadequacies, has created recurring and worsening pollution problems for the County of San Diego and the southern California coastline; and

WHEREAS, The extent of the transboundary flow pollution has been studied for decades and 2017 research by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography attributed 34,000 annual illnesses to water quality pollution along the City of Imperial Beach coastline in the County of San Diego, and linked up to 76 percent of bacteria in the City of Imperial Beach’s air to transboundary flow pollution; and

WHEREAS, Data from medical clinics in the City of Imperial Beach shows a significant increase in cases of diarrhea and other intestinal problems during significant transboundary flow pollution events; and

WHEREAS, The City of San Diego has declared a continued state of emergency since 1993 as a result of the escalated discharge of raw sewage from the City of Tijuana, Mexico, that has caused numerous health problems, including headaches, rashes, infections, and breathing problems; and

WHEREAS, The City of Imperial Beach has declared a continued state of emergency since 2017 as a result of the escalated discharge of raw sewage from the City of Tijuana, Mexico, that has caused numerous health problems and significant beach closure days at the City of Imperial Beach, including 101 days in 2018, 243 days in 2019, 295 days in 2020, and 246 days in 2021, and the southernmost portion of the Imperial Beach shoreline has been closed since December 8, 2021; and

WHEREAS, The beach closures have had a direct effect on the surrounding communities due to decreased tourism, patronage of local businesses, and opportunities for youth recreation and camps, and are negatively affecting property values; and

WHEREAS, The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District has deployed air monitors in the communities surrounding the Tijuana River Valley that have recorded levels of hydrogen sulfide above standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency; and

WHEREAS, On June 27, 2023, the County of San Diego declared a local emergency due to the public health, environmental, and economic impacts of the transboundary flow pollution disaster; and

WHEREAS, In October 2024, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the County of San Diego completed the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response survey that found that the ongoing sewage crisis is disrupting the lives of the population surveyed in south County of San Diego, including, among other things, by decreasing outdoor activities for more than 70 percent of the population; and

WHEREAS, On August 30, 2018, the Legislature approved Senate Joint Resolution 22 to urge the federal government to take immediate action to adequately address transboundary flow pollution in the Tijuana River Valley; and

WHEREAS, Former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra initiated a lawsuit against the United States Section of the Internation