Author: Brian White

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. — After more than 1,000 consecutive days of beach closures, small businesses in Imperial Beach say they are still struggling to recover from the ongoing sewage crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border.

On Tuesday, U.S. Small Business Administration Deputy Administrator Bill Briggs visited the area, touring contaminated flood zones in the Tijuana River Valley and meeting directly with local business owners.

“This is sewage from Tijuana, straight untreated for the most part,” IB Mayor Mitchell McKay told Briggs during the tour.

The visit is part of a broader federal effort to address the decades-long cross-border pollution problem, which has impacted water quality, public health, and the local economy. Briggs pointed to the Environmental Protection Agency as the lead agency working with Mexico on a solution.

“The EPA’s the lead on it right now and they have the MOU with Mexico, and part of that is ensuring that Mexico is working and doing its part,” he said.

Briggs also took part in a roundtable discussion near the Imperial Beach Pier, where he heard directly from small business owners about the ongoing challenges they face.

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“My heart goes out to them,” Briggs said. “It’s important, I’m trying to understand how their business may or may not have been impacted. I want them to succeed.”

At that meeting, business owners described the economic toll of prolonged closures and declining tourism.

“We’re hopeful that there’s relief, but I’d rather have it fixed than have a loan,” said Ceci Menichini, owner of IB Hair & Tan. “We’re losing out on tourism, our clients are moving away. People don’t want to come here because it’s a health risk now.”

Others say the impact extends beyond beachfront businesses. Lee Gray, owner of a local gym, said the lack of beach access has changed the character of the community and driven customers away.

“People came down here for the beach, we’re in Southern California, but now that it’s closed, business has been impacted,” Gray said. “So many businesses have been going out of business because we don’t have the foot traffic for it.”

For some, the visit brought cautious optimism but also frustration.

“It does give us some hope,” Menichini said. “We kind of feel like we’re being forgotten and that nothing really is being done about it because it’s been going on for so long.”

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While federal officials say efforts are ongoing, no specific relief measures or timelines were announced during Tuesday’s visit. Business owners say they appreciate the attention but are still waiting for meaningful, lasting change.

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