Local Leaders Rally for Measure B as Only Path to Fix San Diego’s $8 Billion Tijuana River Sewage Crisis

Following New County Report, Supervisors Aguirre and Lawson Remer, Alongside Local Business Leaders, Urge Passage of Measure B to Catch Toxic Sewage and Protect San Diego from a $500M Annual Economic Toll

SAN DIEGO—Today, the Yes on Measure B campaign made the case for passing the November initiative following a new county report revealing the Tijuana River sewage crisis costs San Diego $500 million a year and up to $8 billion over two decades. Joined by Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer, former Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina and business leaders, the coalition highlighted Measure B as the essential solution to fund critical U.S.-side infrastructure.

The county report, conducted by ECONorthwest, called for substantial infrastructure investments as a permanent solution for the sewage crisis. Measure B would fund the infrastructure plans—the Tijuana River Capture and Cleanup Initiative—recently passed by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in a bipartisan vote. The plan would design and build a U.S.-side treatment system to intercept sewage and pollution before it hits our coastlines. 

“For years, the Administration and Sacramento have treated this crisis as something that could wait,” said Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. “Now we know exactly what waiting costs. It costs billions of dollars, it costs thousands of jobs, and it costs the health of the poorest families in this county. Measure B is how we take the bull by the horns and start fixing it ourselves.”

“Measure B is our best opportunity to stop the Tijuana River toxic sewage flows. Every day we fail to solve this crisis, San Diego is losing 1.4 million dollars in economic activity,” said Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. “That is money not being spent in local businesses, not supporting jobs, and not circulating through our communities. We need to protect our economy, our people, and our environment by investing in infrastructure on our side of the border that can capture polluted river flows, clean the water, and keep it off our beaches.” 

Former Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina noted that recurring events he brought to the city—such as the Dempsey Holder Ocean Festival and Surf Contest—have vanished due to ongoing sewage pollution, stripping the local economy of hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost tax revenue.

“We're losing money. We're losing hope, and that's why it's more important than ever to support the county's new proposal under Measure B,” said Dedina, also the executive director of WILDCOAST.  “We need every tool in the toolbox, all the infrastructure that we can build, and we need the county to manage it because we can't trust the federal government in the United States, nor the Mexican government to have our best interests at heart.” 

Businesses that once thrived in Imperial Beach are now reeling from the ongoing sewage crisis. Alonso Gonzalez, planning director for Pacifica Companies, noted that while their Pier South Resort originally sparked a wave of local investment, the escalating pollution has severely eroded that momentum.

“We raised the bar for seafront hotels in the South Bay. But we struggled to maintain occupancy. The restaurants struggled to stay in business, and that is 100% because of the impact that we're taking to our reputation as a destination,” said Gonzalez. “That's important to the South Bay, that's important to the entire county, and we need to take a stand and we need to take a strong position in supporting Measure B and standing up for our neighbors and our economy.” 

Measure B is a citizen-led initiative on the November 2026 ballot designed to protect local healthcare coverage, public health programs, 911 emergency response, and combat the Tijuana River sewage crisis. Measure B is endorsed by community advocates and labor including Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Coast Keeper, and San Diego County Firefighters CAL FIRE Local 2881, and First 5 San Diego. For more information and a full list of our endorsements, visit www.voteyesonmeasureb.org. 

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