Like most environmental groups, the San Diego chapter of the Sierra Club is navigating an increasingly rocky road.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s concern regarding President Donald Trump rolling back environmental protections and cutting funds.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s frustration that despite warnings and actions, the world\u2019s nations are still emitting more global-warming greenhouse gases, accelerating the impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n
There are shifting alliances in California, where some Democratic leaders often seen as allies of the environmental movement are seeking to loosen the restrictions in the landmark California Environmental Quality Act and rein in the California Coastal Commission.<\/p>\n
Locally, the Sierra Club in San Diego, while experiencing modest growth, is struggling with demographic changes while moving to connect with groups that typically haven\u2019t been priorities, particularly in South County.<\/p>\n
Into this walks Mark West, the new director of the Sierra Club\u2019s San Diego chapter as of May 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very trying time to say the least,\u201d said West, a former member of the Imperial Beach City Council who has a lengthy resume of involvement with community, business and environmental organizations throughout the region.<\/p>\n
West said the San Diego chapter will remain concentrated on local matters, for the most part.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think we are in a unique time to continue the work we are doing and not staying too focused on the national scene,\u201d he said in an interview last week.<\/p>\n
Having said that, he acknowledged that \u201canything that happens nationally trickles down to California and then on to San Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n
For example, people might not think Trump\u2019s sweeping cuts at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would have a direct impact on environmental organizations. West said it does.<\/p>\n
He said a lot of philanthropic efforts are shifting to fill the USAID void, putting more pressure on fundraising for environmental groups and other nonprofits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s causing a ripple effect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He suggested there\u2019s a broader dynamic at play for environmental groups, and not just because of Trump\u2019s election.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pendulum definitely has swung very far to the right when it comes to the environment,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
On the ground, West has several goals for the local chapter. One of them is a greater focus on air and water pollution in South County, an area he is intimately familiar with given Imperial Beach is the area most affected by the near-constant cross-border sewage spills from Tijuana.<\/p>\n
West noted the Sierra Club chapter has a distinct North County group<\/a>, but no counterpart in South County.<\/p>\n South County has the worst air pollution in the region and West said the club is seeking to work more closely with the local Air Pollution Control District to address some of the sources \u2014 he specifically mentioned activity at warehouses.<\/p>\n He thought a turning point for public concern about ocean pollution came when the county enacted more strict water testing, resulting in Imperial Beach beaches being closed virtually every day. Beaches to the north along the Silver Strand and in Coronado also experienced more closures, though far less frequently.<\/p>\n \u201cThat really underscored how bad it is,\u201d he said of the new testing standards.<\/p>\n Then came the study<\/a> by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography that gave scientific backing to what local residents had been complaining about for some time: The sewage spills are fouling the air.<\/p>\n West applauded what \u201cseems to be a resurgence of wanting to do more\u201d on border sewage. He acknowledged the efforts by local leaders that paved the way for getting $600 million in the pipeline to fix and expand the international border sewage plant.<\/p>\n