Log from visit on Mon 4_21

I went to the area where they are building behind Monument Rd about 1 mile west of the I5, behind the water treatment plant. I audio recorded some of it. Some of the log below is transcribed and some is summarized. My main goal for this trip was to see if they have change the hours that they start working.


The taxi driver dropped me off about 100 yds from the breakfast truck at about 6:50am where all the workers were eating breakfast. I walked up and the breakfast truck lady recognized me.
“Hola, Buenos Días Cómo está?” She was very friendly and we chatted a bit. I said good morning to the workers as well. One of them said good morning back. Quite a few recognized me, I could tell.
Señora: Tenemos el Breakfast Burrito el Breakfast Torta con Chorizo, el Breakfast Sandwich on Wheat bread
Me: El Breakfast Sandwich.
Señora: Trabajas aquí ahora?
Me: No, Estoy aqui observando nada más. ¿Siempre entran ellos a la misma hora?
Señora: Si, tengo que llegar antes de las 7 porque entran a las 7.
There was a short conversation between the Señora and one of the workers in Spanish. He was obviously Latino. I couldn't hear what they said.

I walked away to go eat my sandwich. Sitting on a rock on the road and started reporting by voice what I was seeing.

“Some of them said Good morning. That was cool...Looks like it’s pretty much the same as when me and Nathan came here and when I came last week [see video below taken 3 weeks ago for reference] . I’m thinking, I don’t know, I might be a little annoyed if were them too I think. Somebody observing them doing their job. It’s nothing personal against them but...”

truck drives by makes my voice inaudible. Silence for a bit and then you can hear the PA system in the background for a school in Tijuana. Me talking but hard to hear. Something about how I felt a little like an annoying nosy guy and how I wouldn’t mind being honest with them. Felt uncomfortable because it was so difficult to be friendly.

“7:54 the first vehicle headed out. Darn thing keeps dying on me [talking about audio software]... Now a couple more have pulled out.”

After that the recording didn’t work. I stayed around til about 8:15 and by the time I left there were three vehicles headed up the hill and a couple more started up. from 7-8, they were all working/preping their vehicles and chatting a bit, couldn’t hear the conversation and the part I did record, my own voice was barely audible due to the loud machinery. There were around 15 operation vehicles. There seemed to be parked without a worker. There were around 20 to 25 military personel/construction workers. There were three B&B rental equipment water trucks, and one B&B utility truck. There 13 POVs parked. I saw 3 SUVs driving in and out of the area with DHS plates. One went up into the hills before the construction vehicles. I assume to survey the area. There was one civilian truck that drove up just when they were starting to go out. He just drove right in. There were two guys in the truck and one was pointing out the window like he was showing the other the area or something about it. They went right through the access gate and one of the tractors actually had to stop to let him go by. They drove around like they owned the place. Made me think they were contractors. Fits with what Jim said that contractors will be taking over in June.
One of the SUVs stopped and asked me what I was doing there. I told him I was just observing. He kept asking me who I was with and I kept telling him no one. I told him, to be honest, I’m against the fence and I’m observing what’s going on. I wanted to be honest, I didn’t feel there was any reason to hide it. I already know what the plan is. He told me to leave the area.
“Why? isn’t this a public road?”
“Yes, but you just told me you’re against the fence”
“Well, that’s just an opinion. I don’t plan on doing anything except observing.”
“Alright. No problem then.”
I guess I can understand why he wanted me to leave if I’m against the fence. I might do something to interrupt the operation or something, he was probably thinking.
I observed a little longer and then went to another area near there where a lot of the vehicles were going. It was another parking area. Maybe kind of a base. There a great deal of old vehicles with windows broken out that looked abandoned, a few nicer looking ones and a couple civilian type vehicles with DHS plates. While I was standing on the public road, a van full of Army guys drove by and went in there. I also saw some of them picking up trash in the fenced off area later on.

As I was leaving a Navy guy asked me if he could do anything for me. I told I was just observing. He said "ok just checking have a nice day."

I was filming the water treatment plant on my way out and five BP guys on quads drove up and questioned me a bit and asked me for ID. Said they didn’t see me come in. That happens a lot where they don’t see me come in and then question me on the way out. I think maybe it doesn't get relayed from one shift to the next.

Video 4/10 form Tijuana side. The only difference I've noticed today and last week from the video 3 weeks ago, is that there has been a cement culvert completed on the side of the approximately 200 ft wide road that is emphasized here in the video.