Senate Passes Sen. Blakespear’s Bill to Protect Workers from Tijuana River Valley Pollution

SB 1046 ensures workers have appropriate training and protections when working outdoors in areas affected by the pollution

SACRAMENTO – The Senate on Wednesday passed legislation by Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear, D-Encinitas, to protect workers from ongoing pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.

SB 1046 would set safety standards for workers exposed to hazardous, transboundary pollution that crosses the California-Mexico border. The Tijuana River transports millions of gallons of untreated wastewater, including sewage and industrial waste, from Tijuana into California every year. This decades-old problem has plagued the South Bay coastline with more than 1,300 consecutive days of beach closures.

“The untreated wastewater pouring into the Tijuana River Valley is poisoning the water, air and surrounding soil and endangering the health of all who come near it,” Sen. Blakespear said. “It’s crucial that we ensure that any workers forced to be exposed to the pollution are adequately protected.”

SB 1046 directs CalOSHA to develop workplace standards for minimizing exposure to transboundary pollution, including adopting requirements for personal protective equipment, hazard communication, incident reporting and trainings. 

The guidelines are to be developed with input from communities exposed to the pollution as well as lifeguards, park rangers, local governments, labor unions, air districts and academic experts. 

Research shows that pollutants from the Tijuana River’s contaminated water aerosolize, entering the air and causing health impacts in nearby communities. The contaminated air can contain high levels of hydrogen sulfide, a dangerous, odor-causing gas. Heavy rain and flooding, which has become increasingly common due to climate change, make it worse.

Exposure can result in gastrointestinal illness, skin infections and respiratory and neurological disorders. Workers in the Tijuana River Valley have experienced headaches, fatigue, nausea and bloody noses.

In December, Sen. Blakespear held a joint state legislative hearing with the Senate Environmental Quality Committee‚ which she chairs‚ and the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee to explore the Tijuana River Valley pollution problem. Afterward, Sen. Blakespear visited a pollution “hot spot” in Imperial Beach.

In February, Sen. Blakespear participated in a roundtable discussion held by two federal agencies – the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Small Business Administration (SBA) – to better understand the problems created by the pollution and what can be done about them.

The bill passed the Senate on a bipartisan 38-0 vote and goes next to the Assembly for consideration. 

SB 1046 is sponsored by SEIU. Sen. Blakespear worked closely with SEIU Local 221, which represents more than 13,000 workers in San Diego County, to develop the legislation. 

Sen. Blakespear represents Senate District 38, which covers northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.