Otay Mesa, CA

The latest port of entry could open in 2026 instead of late 2024. The project manager on the U.S. side said they are working overtime, hoping to open it before then.

July 6, 2023 3:14 PM PT

The much-awaited Otay Mesa East border crossing project, also known as Otay II, could take longer than previously announced.

It is now estimated that the newest port of entry could open in 2026 instead of late 2024. However, the project manager on the U.S. side said they are working around the clock in hopes of opening it before then.

Last Friday, the San Diego Association of Governments, known as SANDAG, and Caltrans — agencies in charge of the Otay Mesa East project — were granted $140 million from the California Transportation Committee for the project.

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The cash infusion completes the funding strategy for the $1.2 billion project, said Mario Orso, project manager with Caltrans.

The delay is due to discussions with federal agencies regarding roles and responsibilities for the maintenance and operation of the port of entry, Orso said. Once those take place, the design phase can begin.

“We already hired designers, we have the funds available for construction, and now we are waiting for the green light by Customs and Border Protection and the General Services Administration to officially begin designing the port of entry,” said Orso, who added that Caltrans is waiting to sign an agreement with both agencies.

Two years ago, California and Mexico signed another agreement to work together to deliver the project by the end of 2024.

On the U.S. side, a freeway connector has already been built, and last year, authorities celebrated the Otay Mesa East groundbreaking.

Orso said Caltrans is currently working on site preparation, architectural matters and technology implementation, including a new system to measure border wait times.

Last week, Mexican officials gave a progress update in which they indicated that they will complete their part by December. The construction is overseen by the National Defense Secretary of Mexico.

Late last month, Gen. Raúl Manzano, an engineer for Mexico’s Secretary of National Defense who is coordinating the project in Baja California, said that work is nearly 30 percent complete.

An elevated viaduct is being built in Tijuana to connect the new border crossing. The project’s investment is around $330,000.

Manzano acknowledged that the initial stage of the project was slow due to the right-of-way clearance. “We won’t stop anymore, this is now 24/7 work,” he added.

Baja California’s governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila, highlighted the progress that has taken place in the last few months and said that she would like Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to inaugurate the site on Mexico’s side. López Obrador’s tenure ends at the end of 2024.

In 2020, López Obrador included the Otay Mesa project under an infrastructure plan to reactivate the economy after the pandemic.

Carlos González Gutiérrez, consul general of Mexico in San Diego, emphasized the coordination on this project between both countries.

“I think that Mexico and the United States need Otay II to get completed as soon as possible, to first strengthen our binational trading capacity, to reduce the emission of toxic gases and, finally, to reduce crossing waiting times,” he said.

However, he noted that setbacks may occur.

“We understand that if, because of various reasons, it cannot be completed on the originally planned date, these things happen, and the important thing is that both governments are dedicated to finishing it as soon as possible, and finishing it well,” he said. “I believe we are on the right track.”

The new crossing will feature five passenger vehicle lanes and five more for commercial trucks, with the option for these to be interchangeable depending on time and demand.

Unlike the other ports of entry, such as San Ysidro, a toll will be required when exiting the inspection booth on the U.S. side. The money collected will be divided between Mexico and the United States.

According to authorities, the toll will guarantee an average waiting time of 20 minutes.

The advisory now includes Imperial Beach, Silver Strand south of Fiddler’s Cove, along with southern portions of the city of San Diego, including the neighborhoods of Nestor, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro

By Emily Alvarenga,

Tammy Murga

Aug. 25, 2023 Updated 4:56 PM PT

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The water service provider that issued a boil-water advisory Thursday after a water line tested positive for E. coli in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary said Friday that the water system likely is not contaminated.

Still, residents in the affected areas were asked to use boiled or bottled water until test results are confirmed, said California American Water spokesperson Brian Barreto.

San Diego County officials expect the advisory to remain in place through the weekend.

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California American Water customers in Imperial Beach, Coronado’s Silver Strand — south of Fiddler’s Cove — as well as a small portion of Chula Vista and certain parts of neighborhoods within the city of San Diego, including Nestor, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro, were among those affected, according to a map included in the company’s alert.

Both the Sweetwater Authority — the public water agency serving west Chula Vista, National City and Bonita — and Otay Water District — serving parts of Chula Vista and Otay Mesa — confirmed Friday their customers are not affected by the boil-water advisory.

Residents can enter addresses online at sdcwa.org to find out which water district provides services to their respective homes.

“We do not have any indication that the water in our system is contaminated,” Barreto said during a news conference Friday. “We believe that the contamination site where we had the E. coli positive sampling is an exterior environmental issue at this time.”

The advisory was issued after water at a sampling location on Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach tested positive for E. coli Thursday, indicating the drinking water system could be contaminated with human or animal waste.

The bacteria can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches and other symptoms, county health officials said. It may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems.

However, Barreto said the sample was taken externally at the water faucet and that it is unlikely that E. coli got into the water system because the system is pressurized, causing contaminants to flow away from it rather than into it.

The utility is working to confirm through additional testing that the water supply is clean, Barreto said.

Sampling was conducted Thursday and will be done again today, and results are expected Friday and Saturday, the company’s spokesperson said. If both tests are negative, the boil-water advisory will be lifted.

Barreto spoke during a news conference held early Friday morning by state Sen. Steve Padilla, whose district includes parts of southern San Diego County, to announce that the senator had secured $3 million for a new sewage detection test.

At a different news conference held later the same morning, county Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas said the water utility is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the problem.

In order to lift the advisory, Vargas’ office said that the water utility needs to test the system. Depending on findings, chlorine flushing may be necessary, and final approval rests with the state.

Vargas said the county will continue to work closely with the company and state, and will notify the public as things progress.

Hilary — the first tropical storm since 1939 to directly hit San Diego County — caused at least 2.3 billion gallons of untreated wastewater to flow down the Tijuana River as of Friday morning, according to U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission data.

Sewage drifting north from Mexico isn’t new for South Bay beach communities, but typically only results in water contact closures of beaches.

Imperial Beach’s shoreline has been closed every day this year. Aguirre, the city’s mayor, said it is unlikely to reopen before the rainy season begins again in November.

Coronado shorelines were also closed this week due to bacteria levels that exceeded state health standards.

County officials said California American Water’s system has 17,219 service connections, which account for about 106,000 residents impacted by the boil-water advisory.

Aguirre said information was sparse Thursday and reported that many residents had contacted the city after having difficulty getting answers from the various agencies involved with the advisory.

Vargas on Friday called on the state Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water to work with the utility to provide the community with up-to-date information.

The San Ysidro School District decided to close schools Friday out of an abundance of caution. The district’s schools receive water from the city of San Diego water agency, which has not been affected, so schools are expected to reopen Monday, said district spokesperson Cristina Inzunza.

The Chula Vista Elementary and Sweetwater Union High school districts chose to remain open. Both took preventive measures, such as shutting off water, except to toilets, as well as setting up hand-washing stations and providing hand sanitizer and bottled water to students.

San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality officials advised restaurants and other food facilities in impacted areas to discontinue operations if they hadn’t already done so.

Many businesses in affected communities seemed to have heeded the advisory by closing up shop, leaving several shopping centers empty, or scrambling to accommodate their customers.

“Our general manager just went out to grab prepackaged items so we can do less food handling for customers and bottled water so they can brush their teeth,” said Serenity Shorkey, an employee at Hampton Inn & Suites on Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach. The hotel and others nearby, including the Lowes Coronado Bay Resort on Coronado Bay Road, spent Friday adjusting for what was expected to be a sold-out weekend.

Grocery stores in Chula Vista’s southwest region said foot traffic picked up Friday as people looked to stock up on bottled water. Araceli Lepe, who works at a car wash in Imperial Beach, said business was “super slow. We recycle our water but I think people are just scared to get near water right now because of the notice.”

The county’s Office of Emergency Services will be working with impacted healthcare facilities, restaurants and other businesses to safeguard the public. Facilities can contact county health duty specialists at (858) 505-6900 for assistance.

County health officials advised residents in affected areas to boil water for at least three minutes, which will kill the bacteria, and let it cool before using it.

Residents are also encouraged to use bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice.

Dr. Eric McDonald, interim director of the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, emphasized that tap water is OK for other uses, like showering and hand washing, but should not be ingested.

No illnesses had been reported related to the event as of Friday, county officials said.

California American Water is providing one case of bottled water per household for impacted residents. Cases can be picked up at the company’s Operation Center at 1025 Palm Ave. in Imperial Beach. The utility is working to set up additional water distribution locations in Coronado and in the city of San Diego, Barreto said.

Residents can sign up for emergency alerts at alertsandiego.org for updates. Information will also be available via the SD Emergency app.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection are available via the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

LA MESA —

La Mesa leaders have rejected a sprawling apartment complex in the western part of the city after critics raised concerns about the size of the structure and its lack of affordable housing.

The Alvarado Specific Plan would have included up to 950 units throughout four buildings.

Proponents touted its proximity to mass transit and said the project could help address the region’s housing crisis, but council members felt the complex, which would have been among the city’s largest, had more downsides than it was worth.

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“This sets a real bad precedent if something like this moves forward,” said Councilmember Jack Shu. “We’d really let developers have their way without providing the kind of amenities that the city needs.”

The council voted 4-1 to reject an appeal of a decision made last year by the planning commission, which also turned down the project.

The lone vote in favor of moving forward was from Colin Parent, who tried unsuccessfully to give city staffers more time to negotiate design changes.

He also raised the possibility that the developer may sue.

The site is located at 7407 Alvarado Road, between Interstate 8 and a trolley line, and it currently hosts an RV park.

The approximately 12 acres are owned by Reza Paydar, with Paydar Properties, Inc. He told the council that he planned to spend years on this proposal and wasn’t looking to sell the property.

Negotiations with the city began five years ago.

The buildings could have been as high as eight stories, with the bottom three reserved for parking. Student housing would have been included.

Much of the area has been repeatedly hit by flooding, and project representatives said new construction and landscaping could make the land both prettier and safer.

While there would not be subsidized units that qualify as “affordable housing,” the proposal included everything from studio apartments to two-bedroom spaces that would rent at local market rates, said David Witt, a project consultant. This would not be a “luxury” complex, he added.

The plan also called for new sidewalks and a bike path and could eventually include charging stations for electric vehicles, proponents said.

Seven members of the public spoke in opposition, repeatedly citing a lack of affordable housing as a concern.

A city consultant and a La Mesa staffer said the plans lacked key details and they faulted the developer for not doing more community outreach. While some changes had been made, other asks were ignored, said Director of Community Development Kerry Kusiak.

“We’ve not had very much cooperation from the applicant, in terms of many of the things that we think were very reasonable requests,” Kusiak told the council.

Project supporters responded that a complex like this was new to the city, meaning there weren’t many precedents to follow. The debate also raised longstanding questions about how easy the city is to work with, as an outside review found La Mesa moved slower than its neighbors when issuing permits.

Every city in California is required to provide a certain amount of housing, known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. Kusiak said La Mesa could still meet its goal without Alvarado.

The plans were developed by architects at the Dahlin Group, which has offices around the country and in China.

The developer can re-apply at any time with updated plans, according to La Mesa’s city attorney.

A series of passport fairs will take place at 17 post offices in San Diego, San Bernardino and Imperial counties.

LA MESA, CA — Passport fairs are slated this weekend at several San Diego area Post Offices, including in La Mesa, ahead of the summer travel season.

The events are part of a series of passport fairs that will take place Saturday at 17 post offices in San Diego, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

"Now that COVID-19 concerns have declined and nations are welcoming back travelers, many Southern California residents are eager to get out and see the world," San Diego Postmaster Justine Valadez said in a statement. "We encourage our customers to plan ahead and get their passport applications in now. The U.S. Passport Agency's processing time for new passports is longer than usual due to extremely high demand."

Postal employees at each participating location will accept applications for new U.S. passports during the events on a first come, first serve basis. Registration is not required.

Applicants are advised to complete their DS-11 new passport application in advance, print it out and bring it with them unsigned, along with an acceptable passport photo, fees and documents. Fees can be paid with cash, debit cards or money orders.

Find out what's happening in La Mesa-Mount Helixwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The purpose of these events is to make the process of applying for new passports easy for our customers," Valadez said. "A lot of people, especially those with schoolchildren, don't have the time during the week to visit a post office to submit their passport applications."

Passport fairs in San Diego County:

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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego woman who worked as a case manager in an office within the Department of Homeland Security is facing charges for allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with a detainee at the Otay Mesa Detention Facility.

Shantal Hernandez, 36, appeared in federal court Thursday, August 10 after being charged with sexual abuse of a ward.

The complaint says Hernandez was employed at the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, an independent sector within DHS that oversaw immigration detention centers and handled complaints about potential violations of prison standards or other misconduct by DHS or contract personnel.

Hernandez's duties were to manage the complaints of ICE detainees in various detention centers in the San Diego area.

According to the U.S. Attorney Southern District of California's Office, the investigation against Hernandez began when ICE agents received information that she had been spending an unusual amount of time with a detainee identified as I.K.N. at the Otay Mesa prison.

ICE agents say they gathered phone records from the prison and learned that Hernandez and the detainee had a significant number of sexually explicit phone calls and communicated electronically.

The complaint alleges the two of them talked about an ongoing relationship and Hernandez told I.K.N. she recorded a video of one of their sexual encounters. This prompted agents to execute a search warrant, where they found a video as such.

“The alleged conduct cannot and will not be tolerated,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “Those in a position of authority over immigration detainees must be held to the highest standard.”

“Hernandez’ main purpose as a DHS OIDO case manager was to promote safe and humane conditions within immigration detention,” said Jeffrey Gilgallon, special agent in charge for the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

“However, she allegedly abandoned that oversight role, instead using her position to engage in prohibited sexual activity with an ICE detainee in one of our detention facilities. OPR is fully committed to enforcing ICE’s zero-tolerance policy against sexual abuse in our detention facilities and aggressively pursuing those DHS employees who violate the law, no matter their role or title.”

Hernandez is scheduled to attend court again on Tuesday, August 15 at 10 a.m. for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt.

If convicted, Hernandez can face up to 15 years in prison with a $250,000 fine.

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