![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/77494e28410a3c91e72062e0ea38ec47.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A Southern California official and resident have had it with the heinous stench and sewage crisis<\/a> from the pollution of the Tijuana River and have called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to do something about it.<\/p>\n San Diego County Board of Supervisor Paloma Aguirre called on the governor to declare a state of emergency and stop the pollution coming from the Tijuana River into the county\u2019s south bay, calling it the worst \u201cworst environmental disaster in the United States,<\/a>\u201d which she said is \u201cbeing met with silence\u201d from him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are breathing in toxic gases, and we can\u2019t wait any longer,\u201d Aguirre said in a video posted on Instagram<\/a>. Please declare a State of Emergency for the Tijuana River crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cHydrogen sulfide\u2014a toxic gas\u2014is fouling our neighborhoods. At 4500 ppb (parts per billion), we aren\u2019t just smelling a rotten egg odor; we are breathing in a gas that causes immediate sickness. \u201c<\/p>\n The SD official added, \u201cOur children are waking up with headaches, our seniors are struggling to breathe, and our families are prisoners in their own homes.\u201d<\/p>\n Aguirre then questioned why the governor had failed to help them after declaring 52 other state emergencies, when \u201cpollution from the Tijuana River south San Diego drives hydrogen sulfide levels 150 times above state standards deemed safe for humans.\u201d<\/p>\n A teacher on TikTok Jessica Figueroa said \u201cit feels like hell,\u201d and invited Newsom to experience the hell she said they\u2019re enduring.<\/p>\n \u201cI can literally taste it and I can feel my body being physically ill from this horrific stench.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here to speak for all the people that live in the South Bay because we can no longer take the stench,\u201d the educator said. \u201cThe Tijuana River crisis has gotten out of hand this week. Every day I woke up with a headache. I went to sleep to smelling that stench.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI closed all my windows and I can\u2019t sleep. The stench is horrific\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s affecting our babies, our students, the elderly. I can\u2019t teach. The smell literally lingers into my classroom, and it\u2019s disgusting. I don\u2019t feel comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe students don\u2019t feel comfortable. It\u2019s, it\u2019s just ridiculous. We\u2019re human. We cannot be taking in this air. We are getting polluted daily because of all the toxic gases that are up in the air from the Tijuana River sewage crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n In a second post, Aguirre said the county had declared the problem an \u201cemergency 22 times\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and reached out multiple times to the governor asking him to do the same.<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \u201cWe can\u2019t keep passing the buck to another country even if they\u2019re the source. Thank you @aerosol88<\/a> for sharing your data and fighting alongside us.\u201d<\/p>\n The data provided in the post showed the amount of exposure to the toxic H2S(Hydrogen Sulfide) gas the South Bay has been dealing with over the last few months, with it skyrocketing to 4,500 ppb. The state standard she said is 30ppb.<\/p>\n Tara Gallegos, Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s Chief Deputy Director of Communications, told the Post, \u201cIn July, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin committed the Trump administration to\u00a0\u201ca permanent, 100% solution\u201d\u00a0\u00a0to\u00a0the Tijuana River.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d recommend you reach out to the EPA on the status of this commitment, which was frankly long overdue. This is an international issue under the jurisdiction of the federal government, not the state. Look no further than the\u00a0wastewater treatment plant\u00a0responsible for the TJ River: it\u2019s a federal facility, making the federal government directly responsible for both the infrastructure and the fix,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Gallegos continued, \u201cWe understand the frustration of this community \u2013 because we are frustrated too \u2013 and we urge the federal government to take action quickly to help address the impacts of their failed infrastructure and get this community the help it needs, now.\u201d<\/p>\n The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also responded to The Post\u2019s response for comment, insisting that this is a major priority for President Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cMoving at TRUMP SPEED, the Trump Administration negotiated and signed two historic new agreements with Mexico \u2014 the Memorandum of Understanding in July 2025 and Minute 333 in December 2025 \u2014 committing both sides to speed up project timelines and take additional actions to prevent this crisis from reoccurring down the road,\u201d the statement began.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition, we completed a 100-day expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, which prevents an additional 10 million gallons per day of raw sewage from reaching U.S. waters, and slashed 12 years off project timelines of U.S. and Mexico-side project timelines. This has been a top priority for President Trump and Administrator Zeldin, and they will not rest until the raw sewage flow from Mexico is stopped for good,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n In 2022, Newsom vetoed a bill that would\u2019ve allocated $50 million to help clean up the Tijuana River, FOX5 San Diego<\/a> reported at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was supposed to stop sewage flows and trash coming across the border,\u201d Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina said. \u201cUnfortunately, Gov. Newsom vetoed that legislation and funding.\u201d<\/p>\n During a recent state of the city address, current Imperial Beach Mayor Mitch McKay said he was looking for help from the feds, CBS8 reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOur community has endured record beach closures, and the consequences are felt by residents, businesses and visitors alike,\u201d McKay said.<\/p>\n The federal government is also aware of the problem<\/a>, with the EPA recently speaking about the problem and how President Donald Trump\u2019s administration is 100% determined to find a solution.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Trump EPA has been working every day at implementing the permanent, urgent 100% solution to the decades old Tijuana River raw sewage emergency,\u201d Zeldin said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe agreement we signed with Mexico last year includes reduced timelines and additional necessary Mexico-side projects at no added US taxpayer cost. As these projects are completed in 2026 and 2027, with one project slated for 2028, Americans will be finally crossing the long-awaited finish line of this crisis and nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n
California Post Sports Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, X<\/a>
California Post Opinion<\/a>
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!<\/a>
California Post App: Download here!<\/a>
Home delivery: Sign up here!<\/a>Page Six Hollywood: <\/a>Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n