Steve Hilton is running for California governor and has made the cross-border sewage flowing through the Tijuana River Valley a central issue of his campaign. He visited the river, posted footage, and says he will act immediately to stop raw sewage and toxic pollution if voters put him in office.
Hilton visited the Tijuana River Valley and recorded what he calls a long-running contamination crisis that he blames on cross-border sewage and Mexican industrial runoff. He shared footage from that trip and used blunt language to describe water flowing into U.S. waters.
In the video Hilton does not mince words: “Today, we’re going to show you what’s going on with this unbelievable, disgusting scandal that’s been going on for 35 years here in San Diego, right at the border, the Tijuana River,” he stated in the video. He points to the water and calls it a public-health disaster, arguing state leadership has been asleep at the wheel while this problem gets worse.
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Hilton says the flow into the ocean is not just unsightly, it is dangerous. “The water that’s flowing there,” Hilton said, pointing toward the river, “that is raw sewage, human sewage from Mexico coming into our country, our state. And then it’s flowing out into the ocean.” Those words are meant to shock and to force a reassessment of how the border pollution has been handled so far.
He also draws attention to the impact on military readiness and local recreation. “Our Navy SEALs are swimming in raw sewage from Mexico,” he stated, using the example to underline risks to national security and to Americans who use regional beaches. That claim is meant to highlight how contamination doesn’t stay in one place; it follows currents and people.
Hilton points to visible white foam and links it to persistent contaminants, calling it evidence of industrial poisoning. He told viewers the foam comes from “forever chemicals” and “toxic waste” from plants across the border, adding a layer of urgency to what might otherwise be dismissed as periodic overflow or storm runoff. “It is just an absolute disgrace,” he added, summing up his outrage.
He accuses California’s current leadership of failing to press for effective action at the border and of allowing the situation to fester for decades. Hilton frames the problem as one that requires immediate state intervention rather than endless finger-pointing, and he promises a different approach if elected. “If this isn’t an emergency, I don’t know what is.’”
On policy, Hilton vows to use executive power on day one. “I will, on day one, declare a state of emergency for this outrageous situation,” he says, signaling an aggressive posture that would push more resources and attention toward cleanup and mitigation. The declaration would be his first step before moving to secure funding, federal cooperation, and expedited fixes.
His campaign message combines environmental concern with border enforcement themes, arguing that fixing a chronic pollution source requires pressure on both sides of the line. He wants immediate action to stop raw sewage and the industrial discharges that create persistent chemical contamination, and he insists that state leadership must force practical solutions rather than pass blame.
Local researchers and public health discussions have already raised alarms about toxins in the valley, and Hilton leans on those findings to make his case. Reports of dangerous air and water contamination are part of the broader picture he uses to justify declaring an emergency. He says past responses have been too slow and too tangled in bureaucracy to protect residents and coastal users.
Voters will have to decide whether a hard-edged, executive-first approach is the right answer for a problem that crosses jurisdictions and borders. Hilton’s pitch is that a governor who will act decisively is precisely what the state needs to stop sewage from flowing into beaches and to hold anyone responsible to account. The stakes he lays out are health, safety, and respect for California’s coastline.
Beyond promises, the campaign will be watched for how it plans to coordinate with federal authorities, local agencies, and international partners to make fixes stick. Hilton’s demand for a swift state emergency declaration sets a tone of urgency and accountability, and it frames the pollution as a solvable crisis if officials are willing to prioritize it.
Whether voters respond to that urgency or prefer a different strategy will help shape the next chapter of how California confronts cross-border pollution. For now, Hilton has made the Tijuana River crisis a signature issue, and he is pushing the state to stop tolerating what he calls an outrageous, decades-long problem.
