San Diego City Council unanimously adopts emergency declarations after public comment on storm and cross‑border sewage

The San Diego City Council on April 22, 2025, voted unanimously to adopt consent items that included a declaration of a continued local emergency for the Jan. 22 winter storm and a continuous state of emergency related to raw sewage affecting the Tijuana area.

The items were adopted on a motion to accept staff recommendations that was moved by Councilmember Moreno and seconded by Councilmember Elo Rivera; the clerk called the roll and the motion passed 9–0.

Public commenters addressed the two related emergency declarations during the allotted public‑comment period. Blair Beekman thanked the council and urged officials to be “honest and accountable” about what went wrong during the January storm, saying that clearly explaining causes and mistakes would help the community and other levels of government to trust local leaders. Beekman also addressed cross‑border sewage concerns, saying Tijuana “wants to practice desalination” and noting that, according to Beekman, SANDAG has information about filtration projects in the region.

Another commenter, Cesar Javier, framed the items in terms of human survivability, saying, “We can never defeat nature. We could only protect us,” and urged the council and city officials to focus on long‑term, science‑based solutions for suitable housing and neighborhood resilience.

Councilmembers did not pull the consent item for separate debate. After public comment, Councilmember Moreno moved to adopt staff recommendations for the consent agenda; Councilmember Elo Rivera seconded and the council approved the motion unanimously, 9–0.

The meeting concluded with two adjournments in memory honoring Eloise Battle, credited by councilmembers with leading efforts to preserve Tekalote Canyon, and Anne Ledford Evans, recognized for civic and business leadership in San Diego. The meeting notice listed the next regularly scheduled council meeting as Monday, 05/12/2020.