For years, broken sewage infrastructure in Tijuana has spewed raw filth into the Tijuana River and then the Pacific Ocean, forcing regular closures at local beaches from the border to Coronado. Yet the U.S. and Mexican governments show a baffling disinterest in fixing a genuine public health crisis. Anything that shakes this lethargy is welcome.
That's why San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer deserves kudos for publicly urging the City Council to join the lawsuit filed in September by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board against the Trump administration over its failure to address the toxic effluent coming from Mexico onto our shores. Faulconer believes that federal mitigation efforts may be near and that the lawsuit may force federal officials to act. The city has a Feb. 11 deadline to join Becerra's suit. Given the general lack of progress in solving this problem with calm appeals to reason in Washington, D.C., and Mexico City, this decision should be a no-brainer for council members.
The Becerra suit is seen as more likely to produce quick results than a similar suit filed by Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego. But Faulconer and the council should consider joining that suit as well. The more pressure, the better.
