San Diego, CA

San Diego County Supervisors vote to continue emergency on border pollution

Published

4 months ago

September 12, 2024

San Diego County Supervisors vote to continue emergency on border pollution

The county Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to continue a local emergency declaration due to U.S.-Mexico transboundary pollution, but not without first hearing from South Bay residents who pressed for more action.

The board first approved an emergency proclamation in June 2023 in response pollution and sewage flowing across the U.S.-Mexico border.

“We’re doing everything possible as a public health care agency to protect the wellness and safety of our residents,” board Chairwoman Nora Vargas said during the board’s meeting Wednesday.

Dr. Ankita Kadakia, interim county public health officer, said her office has asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Public Health to investigate the impacts of cross-border pollution. Kadakia said the county immediately deployed its hazardous response team in response to reports hydrogen cyanide in the air.

Kadakia said she couldn’t emphasize enough how concerned both the county and state are about the quality of life for South County residents.

“No one should be living in those conditions,” Kadakia said.

The board’s vote followed a Tuesday news conference in which Vargas said the air quality in the area does not pose a public health threat, despite foul odors from the Tijuana River Valley and elevated levels of gases.

“I want to reassure everyone that this is not an imminent threat, and it’s safe to be outside and attend school,” Vargas said. “Our county experts are actively gathering public health data and conducting research to provide the most accurate information.

“It’s unacceptable that South County residents have to worry about whether it’s safe to go outside,” she added. “I’m fighting every day to address the root of this issue, but for now, you can trust the data — we’ve got your back.”

During a public comment period Wednesday, supervisors heard from South County residents, some of whom said environmental conditions had caused them and family members to become ill.

Bethany Case, who lives in Imperial Beach, said she and her husband have discussed moving. Case said she often suffers headaches and gastrointestinal problems, with no known cause.

She said Vargas’ news conference Tuesday disgusted residents, and was in opposition to detailed studies by other institutions.

“We’re drowning, and you’re worried about your career, and I can’t wrap my head around that,” Case told her.

One man, who lives in Imperial Beach, said the county has not demonstrated that the air is safe to breathe for children, the elderly, or immunocompromised people.

“First, we are told not to go into the water, then we are told not breathe, and then yesterday, we’re told to breathe,” he said.

Another Imperial Beach resident, who said he has brain cancer, said the air quality is harming his children.

“I’m a worried dad, you guys,” the man said. “I don’t what to do, except to advocate.”

The man suggested the Federal Emergency Management Association also get involved.

“You can’t just test once, and say it’s OK,” he added.

Sarah Davidson, an official with the Surfrider Foundation, said there are dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air.

“This is the single-most public health and environmental justice emergency in the county right now,” said Davidson, who added an urgent response from the county is needed. “We implore all of you on the board and all of us in this room to find the courage to ask ourselves what more we can do, and then to do it.”

Vargas said that had the county not declared an emergency last year, no funding would be available to tackle pollution problems in the border region. She added the issue probably wouldn’t have happened if the affected area were north of Interstate 8, saying the South Bay community doesn’t have all the resources it should.

Vargas said the county wants to work with UC San Diego and San Diego State University on pollution research, and that’s why she and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer established a committee to share information.

Vargas added that the county is trying to find more money for air filters, and she’ll keep fighting for other resources.

“You can keep coming up here and telling me I’m not doing enough,” she told audience members. “I get it.”

Lawson-Remer thanked people for showing up and speaking out.

“You’re right to be mad,” she said. “I’m mad, and we just have to keep fighting.”

A key to improving environmental conditions is to fix the Punta Bandera wastewater treatment plant, located in Tijuana, said Lawson-Remer, who added she was recently in Washington, D.C., to ask for more resources. Lawson- Remer said she’s happy there has been progress on the Mexican side in terms of fixing the wastewater plant, and hopes it can operational by December or January.

Supervisor Jim Desmond said while he appreciates the local task force, it’s the county’s congressional delegation that needs to push for federal help “and give us the funding so we can open our beaches up.”

It’s a travesty that some beach areas have been closed for over three years, Desmond added.

On Monday, San Diego’s congressional contingent reiterated their call for a declaration of a state of emergency after high levels of hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide —which can have a rotten egg smell — were reported by researchers in the watershed.

In response, the San Diego County Hazardous Incident Response Team and researchers from San Diego State University tested the gas levels on Monday, after which they determined “the data does not indicate any immediate public safety concerns,” according to Vargas’ statement.

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San Diego, CA

Annie Crowell Kuzminsky

Published

8 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Annie Crowell Kuzminsky

OBITUARY

Anne (Annie) Kuzminsky, beloved wife, mother, and sister passed away peacefully surrounded by her family, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 63.

Annie is survived by her husband Larry, her son Steven, her daughter Charlotte, her son Jack (Alex), her siblings Steven (Liz) Crowell of Houston, Texas; her brother Richard (Allison) Crowell of Pacific Palisades, California; her sister Karen (Gary) Wagner of Manhattan Beach, California; and her sister Catherine Crowell of Omaha, Nebraska.

Annie was born in Altadena, CA to James and Alice Crowell and grew up in San Mareno, CA. She attended college at Santa Clara University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Annie then moved to San Diego, CA where she met and married Larry Kuzminsky in 1989.

While residing in San Diego, Annie worked for several years with the accounting firm of KPMG and obtained her CPA. She next worked for First National Bank for several years before leaving to spend more time with her children and work part time for 20 years as a consultant for Madison Square Properties. Annie was not tempted by the corporate ladder and received satisfaction from her work relationships and doing her job well.

Annie loved being a mom and raising her three children. She helped out at the elementary school, and later enjoyed going to the many soccer games, baseball games, and track meets they participated in. Annie also loved animals. As a teenager she talked her parents into having a dog (Mitsy) and cats (Spido and Dido). More recently Annie enjoyed fostering kittens which inevitably led to the adoption of several of them. Aside from pets, one of her more memorable experiences was a safari trip to Africa.

Annie’s favorite place was the family house at Capistrano Beach. She had many fond memories of get togethers there with college, work and neighborhood friends. During family trips, she enjoyed watching the kids play, walking on the beach looking for glass, and seeing the beautiful sunsets. It was a great place to relax.

Annie had a great laugh and was one of a kind in the best way. Her moral compass was set to “true north” of caring and doing right. Annie was always her authentic self and her friends and family loved her for it. She was a realist but had a knack for looking on the bright side. That was her strength, but the cancer took all she had. She has earned her rest but will be greatly missed.

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San Diego, CA

Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi ruled out vs. San Diego

Published

15 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi ruled out vs. San Diego

The Gonzaga men’s basketball team will be without two players for Wednesday night’s matchup against San Diego at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Michael Ajayi and Jun Seok Yeo were ruled out for the game against the Toreros due to illness, per the school.

Ajayi is coming off a 15-point outing in the Bulldogs’ 96-68 win over Loyola Marymount last Saturday. The 6-foot-7 senior is averaging 6.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Ajayi made 12 consecutive starts before coming off the bench against Portland and LMU.

Yeo, a 6-foot-8 junior, has appeared in eight games this season, averaging 3.9 minutes in those contests. He scored a season-high eight points in Gonzaga’s 113-54 victory over UMass-Lowell. Yeo also scored five points in just three minutes against Bucknell.

Gonzaga hopes to be fully healthy for an impending matchup against Washington State set for this Saturday at the Kennel (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET).

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San Diego, CA

Israeli military recovers body of at least 1 hostage in Gaza

Published

23 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Israeli military recovers body of at least 1 hostage in Gaza

Israeli soldiers recovered the body of a 53-year-old hostage in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza, the military said Wednesday, and the army was determining if another set of remains belongs to the man’s son.

The discovery of Yosef AlZayadni’s body comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining hostages in Gaza and could halt the fighting. Israel has declared about a third of the 100 hostages dead, but believes as many as half could be.

Yosef and his son Hamzah AlZayadni were thought to still be alive before Wednesday’s announcement, and news about their fate could ramp up pressure on Israel to move forward with a deal.

The military said it found evidence in the tunnel that raised “serious concerns” for the life of Hamzah AlZayadni, 23, suggesting he may have died in captivity.

Yosef AlZayadni and three of his kids were among 250 hostages taken captive after Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people.

AlZayadni, who had 19 children, worked at the dairy farm at southern Israel’s Kibbutz Holit for 17 years, said the Hostages Families Forum, a group representing the relatives of captives. AlZayadni’s teenage children, Bilal and Aisha, were released along with most of the hostages in a weeklong ceasefire deal in November 2023.

The family are members of the Bedouin community, part of Israel’s Palestinian minority who have Israeli citizenship. The traditionally nomadic community is particularly impoverished in Israel and has suffered from neglect and marginalization. Palestinians make up some 20% of Israel’s 10 million population, and millions more live in Gaza and under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank.

Eight members of Israel’s Bedouin minority were abducted in the October 2023 attacks.

Yosef AlZayadni appeared on a list of 34 hostages shared by a Hamas official with The Associated Press earlier this week who the militant group said were slated for release. Israel said this was a list it had submitted to mediators last July, and that it has received nothing from Hamas.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is “very close” and he hopes “we can get it over the line” before handing over U.S. diplomacy to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration later this month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed sorrow at the news of AlZayadni’s death, and said in a statement he had “hoped and worked to bring back the four members of the family from Hamas captivity.” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier said the bodies of both Yosef and Hamzah AlZayadni had been recovered, but the military said the identity of some remains were not yet determined.

The Hostages Families Forum said the ceasefire deal being negotiated “comes far too late for Yosef – who was taken alive and should have returned the same way.”

“Every day in captivity poses an immediate mortal danger to the hostages,” the group said in a statement.

Many of the families fear their loved ones’ fate is at risk as long as the war in Gaza rages on. Israeli forces are pressing their air and ground war against Hamas, and on Wednesday, Palestinian medics said Israeli airstrikes killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip, including two infants and a woman.

An Associated Press journalist saw four of the bodies in the morgue at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, among them a 4-month-old boy. Israel’s military says it only targets militants, accusing them of hiding among civilians.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has since killed over 45,800 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. It does not say how many were fighters, but says women and children make up over half the fatalities. The military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Israel has destroyed vast areas of the impoverished territory and displaced some 90% of its population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.

The fighting has also spilled over into the broader Middle East, including a war between Israel and Hezbollah now contained by a fragile ceasefire, and direct conflict between Israel and Iran.

Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have targeted shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year and recently ramped up missile attacks on Israel, saying they seek to force an end to the war in Gaza. And on Wednesday, the U.S. military said it carried out a wave of strikes against underground arms facilities of the Houthi rebels.

___

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.

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