Chula Vista declared a local emergency over this crisis, and that was the right call. But a declaration is not a plan, and it has not yet delivered relief to our residents. Today, the County's Air Improvement Relief Effort provides free air purifiers to affected families in Imperial Beach and nearby San Diego neighborhoods, but Chula Vista households are not eligible, even though our own city has documented sewer gas odors reaching southwest Chula Vista. As mayor, my first step will be to work with the County and the Air Pollution Control District to expand that program into the Chula Vista neighborhoods closest to the river, prioritizing homes with children and seniors, and to bring air filtration to city recreation centers and other community spaces where families gather.<\/p>
Second, I will push to expand air quality monitoring in those same neighborhoods and publish the data in real time, in plain language, so any resident can check it on their phone. Third, I will protect our first responders: Chula Vista firefighters and police officers work in these conditions every day, and they deserve clear exposure protocols and proper protective equipment. Finally, accountability: every federal and binational project has a promised completion date. I will post those dates on a public city dashboard and bring responsible agencies before the City Council when schedules slip.<\/p>
If a project is on time, residents will know it. If it is not, residents will know exactly who is responsible.<\/p>","answer_2":"
As a school board member, I know what it means when children lose outdoor time because the air or water is not safe. Kids should not lose their childhood to a crisis they did not create. As mayor, I will invest in three areas. First, clean-air community spaces: I will work to upgrade air filtration in recreation centers and libraries in the neighborhoods most affected, so families have safe places to gather, learn, and play when conditions are bad. Second, safe places to be outdoors: Chula Vista has new bayfront parks and the Living Coast Discovery Center, and I will work to expand youth programming and environmental education at those sites, in partnership with our school districts and Southwestern College, with free transportation so west-side kids can take part.<\/p>
Parks and Recreation will follow a clear standard: when conditions are bad, we move programming rather than cancel it. Third, support for the outdoor and recreation businesses losing customers through no fault of their own, including small relief grants and faster city permitting so red tape never adds to their losses. I will aggressively pursue state, federal, and regional funding for these investments, because South Bay families should not have to pay twice for a crisis they did not cause<\/p>","answer_3":"
The mayor of the county's second-largest city carries real weight at SANDAG, in Sacramento, and in Washington, and I will use it. South Bay communities are strongest when we speak with one voice, so I will work to keep Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, the City of San Diego, and the County united behind shared funding priorities, and I look forward to working hand in hand with Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, who has led on this issue for years. On coordination, the data exists, but it is scattered across federal, state, county, and Mexican agencies.<\/p>
As a technology executive, I have spent my career making systems work together. I will advocate for a single public data portal so residents, researchers, and officials all see the same information. On oversight, I will hold regular public updates at City Council on the status of every major infrastructure project. Infrastructure promises only mean something if someone keeps checking.<\/p>","answer_4":"
For decades, decisions about the Tijuana River have been made far from the people breathing its air. That has to change. As mayor, I will create a standing South Bay community advisory group that includes residents of the most affected neighborhoods, representatives of the Kumeyaay and other Tribal communities, environmental justice organizations, local businesses, and youth, with real seats at the table for young people rather than a one-time listening session. Meetings will be held in the evenings, in affected neighborhoods, with Spanish interpretation.<\/p>
Most importantly, the community will help decide how progress is measured. Residents know better than any agency whether conditions are improving, and they should help set the goals and review the results.<\/p>","submitted_order":6},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tijuanarivercoalition.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidate_response\/1518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tijuanarivercoalition.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidate_response"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tijuanarivercoalition.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate_response"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tijuanarivercoalition.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"race","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tijuanarivercoalition.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/race?post=1518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}