The San Diego City Council has announced plans Wednesday to sue the federal government over millions of gallons of raw sewage that poured into the Tijuana River.
City Councilmember David Alvarez said that the City of San Diego will join forces with the cities of Chula Vista and Imperial Beach, along with the Port of San Diego, in taking the first step to prevent sewage spills in the future.
The decision by Mayor Jerry Sanders to cut off free trash collection for about 14,200 San Diego households by canceling deals struck decades ago has angered residents who say they are being discriminated against because of where they live. Councilman David Alvarez, whose district has about 1,400 residences that will lose service, said he’s concerned about senior citizens in mobile-home parks that will be affected.
Read MoreThe city of San Diego is creating the county’s first donation program to help low-income people pay their water and sewer bills, which have risen rapidly in recent years. “I’m so pleased that this program that I have strongly advocated for over the last few years will finally be made available to the public,” Councilman David Alvarez said.
Read MoreCommunity members have complained for decades about San Ysidro's infrastructure. Old and inadequate streets and the absence of sidewalks and pedestrian pathways were mentioned in the community plan when it was revised in 1990. Since taking office in early December, Councilman Alvarez says most of the calls he’s received from San Ysidro residents have concerned infrastructure. “This is supposed to be the international gateway— America’s front door —but look around at the sidewalks and the streets,” he says. “No one really feels like it’s a gateway. How could they?”
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