SAN DIEGO — Some of the bills introduced at Tuesday night's meeting range from rental protection to improving college education for binational residents.
In Imperial Beach, one of the biggest issues the community demanded Assemblymember David Alvarez make a top priority is the water pollution affecting their beach.
Imperial Beach families spent their evening expressing their concerns affecting their community.
While homelessness and skyrocketing rent are affecting many people, people here also want something done to keep their coastline clean.
“Oh what the residents are most concerned about is the cross border pollution,” said Patricia Flowers, a resident present at the town hall.
For decades, Imperial Beach has been dealing with cross border pollution coming from the Tijuana River.
Alvarez, who represents the 80th district, highlighted one of his bills that requests more state funding to build a new sewage treatment plant in the South Bay.
“My job as a representative for this area is to make sure the state capitol or our governor also buys into this idea that California can be part of this solution because we still need more resources to come down here,” said Alvarez.
Another bill would allow binational community college students living in Tijuana to pay in-state tuition.
Just this week he was at the State Capitol with the Lowriders Coalition from National City to help promote a bill that could lift the cruising ban statewide.
“Currently the law says they cannot engage in this very cultural and very appropriate activity of cruising in our community,” said Alvarez.
He supports lifting the ban because it's a discriminatory policy mainly affecting minority communities.
The bills are still in the early stages and need to be reviewed by committee before going up for a full vote.
WATCH RELATED: Proposal could allow Tijuana college students to pay in-state community college tuition (Jan. 2023).