SAN DIEGO — San Diego residents are calling for more funding to maintain flood control channels, after the worst storm in 87 years overwhelmed neighborhoods last month. People spoke Wednesday before the San Diego Budget and Government Efficiency Committee, asking to allocate more money to storm water maintenance.
“We had people that work night shifts that were sleeping at the time, who woke up to water literally touching the top of their queen beds. Women sleeping with their babies that were trapped and couldn't get out,” said Rachel Clark, who lives next door to the National Ave. bridge in Mountain Center.
Before and after photos showed the city cleaned out the Chollas Creek channel on the north side of the bridge in September 2022.
But Google Earth images taken before last month’s flood, showed the south side of the bridge was overgrown and clogged.
“We are talking about trees growing in these channels, palm trees, shrubbery. And we're not talking about little weeds growing in the concrete,” said State Assemblyman David Alvarez, (D) Chula Vista.
Alvarez sat on the city council from 2010 to 2018. He said everyone knew the flood channels needed to be maintained but funding was never enough. The city council even did a study that concluded maintenance would make a difference, Alvarez said.
“Even if you say, okay, it was a rain event like we've never seen before. The work should have still been done to prevent the level of damage that occurred,” Alvarez said.
Now two weeks after the storm, the Chollas Creek channel south of the National Ave. bridge has been cleared out.
The city said an emergency declaration allowed crews to move in fast and clear the debris. Something Alvarez said could and should have been done years ago.
“We're talking about complete devastation and loss of hundreds of homes, vehicles and all the property inside the homes. And so, to the extent we could have prevented that even a little bit to help a few folks, I think we owe it to the public to do that,” said Alvarez.
The city council could ask voters to support a plan that would impose a new tax to fund repair and maintenance of flood channels. It might be a hard sell to convince homeowners who don't live in a flood zone to support the measure, which would require a two-thirds vote.
WATCH RELATED: Chollas Creek flood maintenance was 'not recommended' and delayed