BORDER ODOR — There have been plenty of harsh words exchanged on the campaign trail about the crisis of migrants crossing the southern border, but little or no mention of an issue that has raised a stink along the California coast. Sewage is flowing from Tijuana, Mexico, into the Pacific Ocean, bringing a trail of contamination that has forced cancellation of military operations, closed beaches, upended the local economy and sent the mayor of a California beach town to the hospital after the foul odor made her feel like she was having a heart attack, Ry Rivard reports. “I’m a surfer. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre. “So, I don’t think it’d be a far-fetched idea to think that this is related to the exposure of these gases, right? And if it’s happening to me, it’s happening to dozens, if not hundreds of people that are being exposed to this.” Even as Trump has mentioned border problems in nearly every campaign appearance this year, he’s barely touched the issue. Neither has Harris since she became vice president. There’s plenty of blame to go around, and part of it lies with a failing treatment plant in San Diego. California politicians have been trying to solve the problem for 40 years — almost too long to be declared an emergency. In efforts to address the issue, past local officials have done everything from trying to dam the Tijuana River to go to court to compel federal intervention to meeting with Rudy Giuliani during Trump’s time in the White House. Trump did talk about ocean sewage during a visit to the border in 2019, but he spoke in a way that made it seem like he was blaming homeless people and the Los Angeles subway system for the problem. Even with an emerging bipartisan push in Congress to solve the problem, the fix will be years off: Infrastructure improvements will need hundreds of millions of dollars and increased cooperation between U.S. and Mexico officials. “The U.S. government has to put a lot more pressure on Mexico,” said Phillip Musegaas, head of San Diego Coastkeeper, one of the region’s most influential environmental organizations. TECH MONEY — California State Sen. Scott Wiener, the San Francisco progressive behind a landmark climate law, is expected to cruise to reelection today — with some help from a company that stands to benefit from the measure. We reported earlier this fall that Persefoni, a carbon accounting firm that's expected to see a boost in business from the law compelling large companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions, established a campaign committee to help fund Wiener's all-but-certain bid to win a third term. The committee has raised $45,000 — all from Persefoni itself — and it has spent more than $40,000 on billboard advertising, legal and accounting work and campaign consulting. It's a drop in the bucket in the more than $785,000 Wiener has raised overall, with backing from SEIU, Walgreens, General Motors, the California Restaurant Association and the California State Council of Laborers. But it could be a part of longer-term play: A tech company putting money behind Wiener signals that the industry isn’t all against him, even though he sponsored artificial intelligence legislation that drew criticism from Silicon Valley. Tech industry support could be important for Wiener, who is said to have his eye on succeeding Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi in Congress. Persefoni declined to comment. But a company spokesperson previously told POLITICO that the committee was created for "climate leaders to support" Wiener's bid and that his "track record supporting climate issues within California speaks for itself.” Wiener spokesperson Erik Mebust said that it's unlawful for the campaign to coordinate with Persefoni since it's an independent expenditure but that Wiener "welcomes support from any groups dedicated to climate action.
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