SAN DIEGO — William Briggs, deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, traveled to Imperial Beach on Tuesday to hear directly from small business owners about the economic impact of the ongoing Tijuana River pollution crisis, framing the visit as a fact-finding mission ahead of potential federal action.

Briggs convened a roundtable at the invitation of Imperial Beach Mayor Mitch McKay alongside local business owners, city officials and representatives from Neighborhood National Bank and the Small Business Development Center network. The visit came approximately two months after both EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler made a joint visit to the area.

“I’m here as part of the administration’s continuing effort to listen to this issue, make sure that we’re aware of it, and to hear directly from small businesses today,” Briggs said.

Following the roundtable, Briggs joined the delegation for a visit to pollution sites along the Tijuana River corridor, including the Saturn Boulevard hotspot — a stretch of the river on the U.S. side where sewage and industrial waste is aerosolized into harmful gases, including hydrogen sulfide, and carried by the wind into surrounding communities.

During discussions, business owners described years of sustained revenue losses they attributed to the pollution crisis.

Mike Hess, owner of Mike Hess Brewing, said business at his Imperial Beach location is down roughly 28% from its 2022 peak and that the declining numbers have had consequences beyond the local market. He said 25 banks declined to finance a separate expansion project in Los Angeles after flagging the brewery’s IB performance.

“The problem that we’re having isn’t marketing our businesses to locals,” Hess said during the discussion. “Everybody knows where we are, 7-Elevens and restaurants, et cetera. The problem is reputational damage across the country that’s causing people from not just Arizona, but Chicago and New York, whoever, that are not coming because of the sewage.”

McKay told Briggs the city has experienced nearly four consecutive years of beach closures, with the Tijuana River currently flowing at approximately 42 million gallons per day. He said an estimated 200 billion gallons of sewage-contaminated water have passed through the area over the decades.

Sandi Crosby, president of the Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce and a local real estate broker, said property values in the city are down an estimated 12 to 15%, describing Imperial Beach as the only beach community in California where values have declined in recent years.

“When I offer IB as an option for someone who wants affordable beach property, their answer is, ‘Absolutely not, I cannot put my family at risk,’” Crosby said.

Several business owners pushed back on the prospect of loan-based relief, saying additional debt would be untenable given suppressed revenues. The consensus across the table was that resolving the pollution itself — not financing — was the primary need.

“Loans are not going to be an option for some of these smaller businesses because they’re already choking as it is,” said Katy’s Cafe owner P.J. McCandless. “We’ll just see more casualties.”

Briggs acknowledged the scope of the problem but stopped short of announcing specific programs or timelines.

“I will not be the last administration official here addressing this issue,” Briggs said. “I guarantee you that.”

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