When students from across South Bay boarded buses and an airplane for Sacramento in January, they weren’t heading on a typical field trip.
They were going to lobby lawmakers — armed with personal stories, policy briefs, and a message they believe can no longer be ignored: the Tijuana River sewage crisis is a regional public health emergency, and California must step in.
The effort was driven by youth leaders connected through the Coronado High School “Stop the Sewage” Club, aka STS, and Youth Circle, a coalition of South Bay students working alongside the Tijuana River Coalition, all supported by StopTheSewage.org, a nonprofit that has helped elevate student voices on the issue…