Planning for Freeway Closures, Other News from Sen. Blakespear

Greetings!

On Friday‚ Dec. 5‚ law enforcement closed down both sides of the Interstate 5 freeway near Del Mar Heights Road for eight daytime hours as they dealt with a man who threatened suicide.

I commend law enforcement for saving a life that day. Unfortunately‚ the extended freeway closure wreaked havoc across the region‚ disrupting the lives of tens of thousands of people who unexpectedly got caught in traffic for hours.

People entered the freeway system without knowing there was a closure and then got stuck there and couldn’t get off; the local streets became choked with standstill traffic; and the ability to manage other emergencies was severely impacted due to this gridlock. Ambulances were stuck in traffic with lights and sirens‚ medical providers couldn’t get to work‚ many missed flights‚ parents were late to pick up their children from child care or couldn’t make it to work on time‚ vital appointments like critical doctor’s visits were missed and more.

Communities near the freeway closure became unnavigable‚ as overflow traffic spilled into neighborhood streets.

This incident illustrated both how dependent we are on I-5 and our freeways – and also how crucial it is for authorities to have a workable‚ dynamic response plan and communicate about it to the public‚ when a freeway is closed for hours. There needs to be a clear priority to get freeways back open‚ and we need improved coordination among agencies and better communication and road management in real time. Traffic control around emptying stadiums is one example of how we manage thousands of drivers in the same location for a discreet period of time.

The Dec. 5 incident was the third full freeway closure within the last 60 days. The other two were around Camp Pendleton and Oceanside‚ heading into Orange County.

I penned a letter‚ supported by fellow San Diego elected officials‚ to request answers to questions raised by the closures. It was sent to Caltrans‚ the California Highway Patrol and the San Diego Police Department. I appreciate that SDPD has already sent a response‚ sharing that the department is doing “a comprehensive after-action review” and will have more to say after that is complete. They also recommended infrastructure changes that Caltrans could undertake to improve freeway safety and reduce incidents like the one on Dec. 5.

When a major transportation artery is closed‚ whether that’s the freeway‚ the railroad line‚ or lanes of a highway‚ it has profound negative rippling effects across our region. It’s imperative that we limit closures of our transportation networks as much as possible and we manage them with an eye toward broader public safety goals‚ when they do occur.

The San Diego Union-Tribune pointed out that law enforcement in other parts of the country have used more aggressive tactics in situations similar to Dec. 5 to resolve similar crises much more quickly. We should learn from that.

More media coverage

• KPBS: Local‚ state leaders ask questions about recent freeway closures in San Diego County
• NBC7: Officials demand answers after repeated shutdowns of Interstate 5

I held a press conference this week with San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava (in photo‚ on right) and Assemblymembers Tasha Boerner and Laurie Davies to highlight this important issue.

Last week I held a joint state legislative hearing with the Senate Environmental Quality Committee‚ which I chair‚ and the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee about the Tijuana River Valley pollution problem. We met at the Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla.

I learned a lot about the longstanding Tijuana River Valley sewage pollution problem and what state and local agencies are doing about it in a recent legislative hearing I held. The sewage is coming from Mexico and it’s poisoning California residents.

This is an international environmental crisis that deserves the full attention of the Legislature. California has long been a national leader in environmental stewardship and policymaking‚ and we pride ourselves in that. What is happening in the Tijuana River Valley undermines everything California stands for.

It’s outrageous‚ and due to its international nature‚ we know the federal government must take the lead. Still‚ state and local governments can do more.

San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre‚ who represents the area‚ gave us an overview of the magnitude of the pollution‚ noting that over 200 billion gallons of sewage has flowed into the region since 2018. Many panelists provided valuable information and expressed their frustration with how long the problem has persisted and how difficult it has been to fix.

One of the more disturbing elements is how the sewage becomes aerosolized when it flows rapidly‚ as seen in the photos below. The upstream solution is to treat this wastewater and sewage closer to the source. But the city‚ county and state could work together to reconfigure how this hot spot flows through the culvert so that the air pollution isn’t so severe.

As I told reporters after‚ it’s important for this environmental catastrophe to be a top priority for the entire legislative delegation of San Diego County and for us to find ways to work with all the governments and agencies involved to reduce‚ and one day soon eliminate‚ this damaging flow of sewage coming from Mexico.

Visiting the Tijuana River’s foul-smelling‚ heavily polluted “hot spot” at Saturn Boulevard in Imperial Beach for myself‚ and talking to the media about it.

On December 15‚ a few days after the hearing‚ the federal government announced a new binational agreement that will invest in several projects to reduce untreated wastewater and sediment being discharged in the Tijuana River Valley. This is another milestone after years and years of advocacy by leaders‚ like Supervisor Paloma Aguirre‚ former Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina and so many more.

MEDIA COVERAGE
You can see a recording of this legislative hearing by going here and then clicking on the watch link for the date 12/11/2025.

• San Diego Union-Tribune: State officials meet to discuss sewage crisis. Residents want solutions. ‘Don’t talk about it; help us.’
• CBS8: State Senator tours Tijuana River Valley for first time‚ calling sewage crisis ‘Truly revolting’
• CalMatters: The U.S. is committed to cleaning up Tijuana River pollution. Will California follow through?
  
  

I recently presented a check to the City of Oceanside for Oceanside Museum of Art’s planned historic renovation and expansion project. Pictured (left to right) are Oceanside Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce; Oceanside City Manager Jonathan Borrego; OMA Executive Director Maria Mingalone; Allyson Handley‚ President of the OMA Board of Directors; myself; Kristi Hawthorne‚ Director of the Oceanside Historical Society; and Oceanside Mayor Esther C. Sanchez.

I was delighted to secure $3.59 million in state funding this year for the City of Oceanside and Oceanside Museum of Art’s (OMA) planned historic renovation and expansion project.

The museum‚ which has been fundraising for the project for just under two years‚ will now be able to move forward with plans to restore the exterior of the city’s historic Fire Station 1 to its original 1929 Irving J. Gill design while extending the museum’s campus to a full city block and creating an inviting new gateway to the Oceanside Civic Center.

OMA’s historic renovation project is truly deserving of state support‚ and I am happy I could help make it a reality. This investment will not only expand access to the arts for local residents‚ improving the quality of life for the community‚ but will continue the growth and development of downtown Oceanside into a center for culture and tourism.

Said Oceanside Mayor Esther C. Sanchez: “This historic renovation represents everything we value in Oceanside — preserving our cultural and historic heritage while building our future. Arts and culture are essential to building vibrant and economically resilient communities. By investing in institutions like the world-class Oceanside Museum of Art‚ we’re creating the kind of destination where people want to live‚ work‚ and visit. That’s exactly the type of economic development that benefits everyone in our diverse community. Senator Blakespear’s commitment to securing this funding demonstrates the kind of partnership between state and local government that delivers real results for Oceanside residents.”

Said Maria Mingalone‚ OMA Executive Director: “OMA was started as a dream by a handful of volunteer citizens over 30 years ago. This generous grant is a huge part of the next transformative chapter in OMA history‚ and will help to define North County’s cultural arts future‚ creating a lasting legacy of historic preservation‚ creativity‚ and civic pride.”

MEDIA COVERAGE

• San Diego Union-Tribune: ‘Momentous time:’ Oceanside Museum of Art and city sign new agreement
• Coast News: Oceanside Museum of Art to expand into former Fire Station 1

With (left to right) Oceanside Mayor Esther C. Sanchez; Jayme Timberlake‚ Coastal Zone Administrator for the City of Oceanside; Nick Sadrpour‚ Senior Coastal Scientist at GHD; Elise Wetherell‚ Management Analyst for the City of Oceanside; and Elisa Arcidiacono from Townsend Public Affairs.

For decades‚ Oceanside’s beaches have narrowed because construction of the Oceanside Harbor and Camp Pendleton Boat Basin disrupted the natural flow of sand along the coast‚ reducing sediment supply and accelerating erosion.

In response‚ the city has placed sand on its beaches through dredging and nourishment projects‚ but this has not kept pace with ongoing losses‚ and more erosion is coming with projected sea level rise.

The city and residents have grown increasingly concerned that vanishing beaches threaten public access‚ tourism‚ surf culture and coastal infrastructure such as roads‚ seawalls and utilities.

I recently visited with city officials to better understand the coastal challenges they are facing and the RE:BEACH program the city has launched. This project is a coastal resilience initiative focused on restoring and retaining sand along the city’s eroding shoreline. It uses an innovative pilot design intended to be scalable to other parts of the coast if successful.

It’s exciting to see the city’s commitment to the project and how it is progressing. These are the types of dynamic solutions we need to counter coastal erosion and the other impacts of climate change.

In 2023‚ the Legislature passed SB 125‚ which created the Transit Transformation Task Force. It was directed to deliver a vision and plan for bolstering public transportation across the state. It came up short.

Transit agencies across California are facing massive structural deficits and operational incongruities. We need bold thinking‚ and bold action‚ if we want to keep public transportation running and growing to meet the needs of California.

Unfortunately‚ the recently released Transit Transformation Task Force Final Report did not deliver the thoughtful‚ transformative‚ actionable plan the Legislature asked for. Instead‚ it reiterates the problems we have long understood — without offering new solutions or reforms to solve them.

Without strong state leadership and a willingness to rethink how we fund‚ govern and operate transit‚ we risk letting these systems fall off a cliff into obsolescence. We simply cannot allow that‚ when better-performing transit is essential to meeting our climate‚ mobility and public health goals.

We must meet this moment with the seriousness and urgency it demands. As a member of the Senate Transportation Committee and Chair of the Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency‚ I will be exploring and advocating for the reforms needed to keep public transportation operating and viable.

My staff and I gathered (picture above and below) to discuss our priorities and how to best serve the residents of Senate District 38.

It’s important that my staff understand the issues and concerns of the residents I represent in northern San Diego County and south Orange County.

That’s why I brought them all together for a team-building day at the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center in Cardiff. I am here to serve you‚ and so it’s crucial that everyone on my staff understands what that means.

With three offices – one in Carlsbad‚ one in Laguna Hills and one in Sacramento – and nearly 20 staff‚ I want to make sure we’re all working together for Senate District 38. I am proud of the dedication of my team and the seriousness in which it takes the responsibility to serve you.

Visiting with constituents at my Holiday Open Houses in Carlsbad (left) and Laguna Hills (right).

I was happy to host Holiday Open Houses at my district offices in Carlsbad (Dec. 9) and Laguna Hills (Dec. 10). Thanks to everyone who came out‚ and especially to those who contributed to our toy and coat drive for needy children. I enjoyed visiting with all those who attended‚ answering your questions and discussing what I am working on.

Have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

Thank you for your support. I am honored to serve you.

In partnership‚

Email me at Senator.Blakespear@Senate.ca.gov
Call my Carlsbad district office at (760) 438-2005
Call my Laguna Hills district office at (949) 598-5850
Call my Capitol office in Sacramento at (916) 651-4038