{"id":483919,"date":"2026-10-03T13:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T13:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/483919\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T13:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T13:14:10","slug":"imperial-beach-mayor-council-candidates-weigh-in-on-tijuana-river-crisis-cost-of-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/483919\/","title":{"rendered":"Imperial Beach mayor, council candidates weigh in on Tijuana River crisis, cost of living"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imperial Beach voters will decide races for mayor and two City Council seats in the Nov. 3 general election, as the city continues to confront the Tijuana River sewage and pollution crisis that has dominated local politics.<\/p>\n

Mayor Mitch McKay is seeking a full term against Karl Bradley, a retired public administrator. In District 1, Jose A. Lopez Eguino, a South Bay Union School District board member, faces Steve Berry, a small business owner. In District 3, Councilmember Mariko Nakawatase is unopposed after O\u2019mar Diallo withdrew from the race last month.<\/p>\n

In the interest of consistency, each candidate was asked the same three questions covering the sewage crisis, development and revenue generation, including the Palm Avenue corridor project, and the rising cost of living. Each was also given the chance to raise an additional issue.<\/p>\n

Lopez Eguino and Berry did not respond to several requests to answer the questionnaire.<\/p>\n

Diallo, in a Sept. 20 letter to the city clerk withdrawing from the race, cited \u201cpersonal and professional considerations\u201d and his \u201cassessment of the present and anticipated leadership environment within the City.\u201d He wrote that \u201ceffective service on the City Council requires more than a commitment to public service. It also requires the right timing, a constructive working environment, and a reasonable degree of compatibility with both the current and potential future leadership of the City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor
\n\"MitchMitch McKay is running for Imperial Beach mayor in the Nov. 3 general election. (Mrs. Katie Nietes Photography of Imperial Beach, CA)
\nMitch McKay<\/p>\n

McKay, 68, was elected to the District 3 council seat in 2022 and now serves as mayor \u2014 a position he was appointed to in 2025 after previous mayor Paloma Aguirre won a special election bid for the county Board of Supervisors. He attended Southwestern College and San Diego State University.<\/p>\n

McKay said the transboundary sewage crisis has been a major focus of his time in office, citing four years spent building relationships with federal, state, county and international officials, including a prior term on the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission Citizens Forum Board from 2019 to 2022. He cited recent meetings with Sen. Scott Peters, Sen. Steve Padilla, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and IBWC Commissioner Chad McIntosh, among others.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Source Control\u2019 of the Tijuana River is paramount to claim any 100% solution to beach closures in Imperial Beach and Coronado long-term,\u201d McKay wrote. He said U.S.-side infrastructure projects expected to be complete by the end of 2027 \u201ccan significantly help,\u201d but a lasting fix depends on Mexico meeting its Minute 328 and 333 commitments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am extremely disappointed with the outgoing Governor and his blatant disregard in addressing the issue head-on,\u201d McKay wrote, adding that the federal administration \u201care making progress \u2014 but more is required.\u201d He said the city has formally asked that a renegotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement\u00a0 include funding, through a toll, tax or tariff, for Tijuana River Valley restoration.<\/p>\n

On revenue, McKay said the city\u2019s general fund is limited to property tax, sales tax and hotel tax, all declining amid the crisis. He cited a March 31 roundtable with U.S. Small Business Administration Deputy Administrator William Briggs and said a meeting with a new regional director is set within 10 days to pursue forgivable \u201cImpact Zone\u201d loans.<\/p>\n

He pointed to the upcoming Palm Avenue Masterplan, which he said will bring road and pedestrian improvements, upgraded signage and landscaping \u201cto help create a more pleasant overall shopping experience for residents and our visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

On cost of living, McKay said he would not support a \u201cregressive\u201d sales tax increase affecting the South Bay\u2019s more than 700,000 residents, citing the city\u2019s 2024 Renters Protection Ordinance.<\/p>\n

\"KarlKarl Bradley is running for Imperial Beach mayor in the Nov. 3 general election. (Colin Scharff, Evinco Strategies)
\nKarl Bradley<\/p>\n

Bradley, 70, a retired public administrator with a background in construction inspection, is making his first run for office.<\/p>\n

Bradley said the mayor \u201cneeds to be a vocal advocate for the community,\u201d calling transboundary pollution \u201can existential issue that impacts every aspect of life in IB.\u201d He said he supports completing work outlined in USIBWC\/CILA minutes 328 and 333, along with two county Board of Supervisors proposals: a funded project addressing hydrogen sulfide gas at a \u201chot spot\u201d near Saturn Boulevard, and a proposed supplemental treatment plant contingent on a countywide sales tax increase on the November ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201cState, federal, and local governments must provide funding not only to build and upgrade facilities to eliminate sewage spills but also for ongoing maintenance and operational costs,\u201d Bradley wrote. As mayor, he said he would demand greater transparency from the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, a joint U.S.-Mexico body, and push for the agency to reinstate its Citizens\u2019 Forum, which he said has not met since June 2025.<\/p>\n

On development, Bradley said reopening the city\u2019s beaches is a top priority, noting events like Portwood Pier Plaza\u2019s Powwow and Symphony by the Sea draw outside spending. He said the city has no budget for business promotion and no business improvement district, and called the Palm Avenue Complete Multimodal Corridor Project an opportunity to \u201cfacelift\u201d the corridor, though some business owners have raised access concerns during construction.<\/p>\n

On cost of living, Bradley said most pressures stem from federal economic and foreign policy, which \u201ca small town mayor has little ability to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs mayor, I will urge state and federal legislators to reverse policies making our region and our country too expensive for all of us,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

His additional issue was public safety, saying the fire department is understaffed, recruits are paid 33% less than counterparts elsewhere, and the city\u2019s Sheriff\u2019s Department contract is its largest single expenditure.<\/p>\n

District 1<\/p>\n

Lopez Eguino and Berry are running for the District 1 seat. Neither responded to several requests to answer the questionnaire by deadline.<\/p>\n

District 3
\n\"MarikoMariko Nakawatase is running for Imperial Beach City Council, District 3, in the Nov. 3 general election. (Christian Koszka, FreeTime Productions LLC)
\nMariko Nakawatase<\/p>\n

Nakawatase, 31, is the District 3 incumbent and a small business owner who works as district director for county Supervisor Joel Anderson. She holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in philosophy and pre-law and a master\u2019s in public administration.<\/p>\n

Nakawatase said she has represented the city in Washington, D.C., advocating for coordination among local, state and federal agencies, and supported efforts to secure a state of emergency declaration that \u201cfell short with the Governor\u2019s office.\u201d She said she opposes an added tax on residents to address the crisis, writing, \u201cthe money, labor, and efforts need to be seen with our southern neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she has pushed for the IBWC to restore its public forum and called for \u201cmore accessible public dashboards, regular project updates, and proactive notifications about sewage flows, air quality, and beach closures.\u201d<\/p>\n

On development, Nakawatase said the city should examine its permitting process to help small businesses and attract businesses that \u201cmeet the everyday needs of our residents,\u201d work she said is already underway with the local Chamber of Commerce. On the Palm Avenue corridor, she said improvements should address pedestrian safety, bicycle access and lighting while keeping existing businesses accessible during construction.<\/p>\n

On cost of living, Nakawatase said the city should look at housing incentives for young families, seniors and working professionals, along with permitting timelines and business fees that get passed on to consumers. Her additional issue was reviving the city\u2019s business improvement district and farmers market, and eventually exploring an off-leash dog beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love if more people interacted with the government, and hope to stand as an inspiration for younger people to get involved,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Imperial Beach voters will decide races for mayor and two City Council seats in the Nov. 3 general…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":483920,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[1400,7,929,181,23,100,74,84,76,75,3055,1696],"class_list":["post-483919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-2026-elections","tag-california","tag-imperial-beach","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-south-county","tag-top-stories-sdut"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/483920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}