CORONADO, Calif. (KGTV) — Students from Coronado High School are heading to Sacramento Tuesday to fight for change regarding sewage issues in San Diego County's South Bay.
The Stop the Sewage Club is the largest student-run club in the Coronado Unified School District, with more than 80 students.
During their trip to the state Capitol, the students will meet with assembly members, state senators, and the lieutenant governor.
They are lobbying for two bills right now:
- Assembly Bill 35, which would help unlock funding for fixes to wastewater infrastructure in the South Bay
- Senate Bill 58, which would update hydrogen sulfide standards in California
For students like sophomore and Imperial Beach resident Kleber Tuoala, the fight is personal.
"I get to take action myself so I can ensure that this problem is actually getting solved so that when I grow up, my kids will have a healthy life, and they can experience the beach in a way that my younger siblings never got to do," Tuoala said.
In its three years, the club has hosted protests against the ongoing crisis, hosted community engagement events, and worked with local and state officials to advocate for change. Managing Director Sean Wilbur said these trips give students a chance to be a voice for the community.
"We knew that people had a responsibility to go make their voices heard, and students should be no different than that," Wilbur said. "This was our way of giving students a platform and an access point to that".
While this may be a high school club, they invite the community to join their efforts. The club operates as a non-profit. Donations are a big support system for the clubs. If you'd like to learn more about their events and how to donate, click here.
"These kids are tomorrow’s voters, and they will make their voices heard. This problem WILL get fixed, and the river diversion will happen," Faculty Advisor Laura Wilkinson Sinton said.
Adam Campos covers the South Bay and Education for ABC 10News. If you have a story idea, email him at adam.campos@10news.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
