News & Updates

Community Partner: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Community Partners

October 21, 2020

When you or someone you love hears the words “you have cancer”…It’s one of the darkest moments in your life. In case you didn’t know, cancer hasn’t been cancelled.  In fact, cancer patients need The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society now more than ever.

The LLS mission is simple: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families—serving as the voice for all blood cancer patients.

LLS is at the forefront of the fight to cure cancer and is also the largest funder of cutting-edge research to advance cures. More than $1.3 billion has been invested in research to date (approximately 30 million has been invested in local San Diego research institutions). LLS leads in advancing breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine. This research saves lives.

These revolutionary new treatments originally discovered through blood cancer research are now being used to treat many other types of cancers such as bone, brain, breast and ovarian cancers.

How do are these breakthroughs funded? 

It is the aim of LLS to bring light to the darkness of cancer through their annual Light The Night campaign, an experience that brings survivors, those who have lost loved ones and the general community end to cancer together to celebrate and remember. This year, Light The Night will be held virtually in San Diego on Saturday, November 7th at 7:00 PM.

Light The Night is an excellent way to bring your company, employees and friends and family together for a great cause. Join in this event by starting a team, or join as an individual and raise funds support the end to cancer.

Sign up here: https://www.lightthenight.org/events/san-diego

LLS is ready to help support and guide you toward success.

Contact Kathlene Seymour, Kathlene Seymour, Executive Director for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at 858-427-6648 or via email.

Baja’s New Solar Plant to Help Bridge Energy Gap

InternationalNewsPolicy

October 21, 2020

The State of Baja has awarded a bid for the development of a photovoltaic power plant. NextEnergy will sign a 30-year contract to provide the state its own supply of electricity. The state’s current 3,040-megawatt demand often causes energy and water deficits, especially during the periods of high temperature, forcing it to rely on private companies and volatile prices. Deficits have further increased this summer due to a greater percentage of individuals working and studying from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The solar plant project is estimated to decrease the energy deficit by 20-30 percent and help reduce electricity bills across the state.

Border Restrictions Extended

InternationalNewsPolicy

October 21, 2020

The temporary restrictions on non-essential travel across the shared ports of entry between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico will remain in place for an additional 30 days, extending to November 21.

The Chamber has called for the restrictions to be lifted as businesses across our region, and in particular, small businesses, have shouldered the bulk of the impact of these restrictions. The toll these restrictions are taking on small business is overwhelming and an increasing number of businesses are closing their doors permanently. An effective way to mitigate the spread of this disease across our border is a coordinated binational effort around social distancing and mask wearing.

Changes to U.S. H-1B Visas

InternationalNewsPolicy

October 21, 2020

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced changes to the H-1B visa program which will:

  • significantly limit the number of jobs that qualify for the program and the degrees that qualify an applicant;
  • require employers to increase wages for H-1B workers; and
  • shorten the length of visas for certain contract workers.

Visa programs, such as the H-1B, support skilled workers, research, and investment while allowing employers to fill gaps in their workforce and remain globally competitive. The Chamber issued a letter to the administration in support of visa programs and highlighting the impact on our economy.

Mexico’s Economic Reactivation

InternationalNewsPolicy

October 21, 2020

The Mexican Federal Government recently signed an agreement of collaboration with the private sector to advance a joint economic reactivation plan including 39 multi-sector projects which represent a $13.9 billion investment. Mexico’s Secretary of Treasury Arturo Herrera stated new projects will be carefully reviewed and incorporated into the agreement as they move forward with the economic reactivation plan. The list of projects includes the Otay Mesa East Land Port of Entry (Otay II), which is scheduled to begin construction on the Mexican side of the border in December 2021.

SD Chamber Welcomes Tijuana’s First Female Mayor 

InternationalNewsPolicy

October 21, 2020

Karla Ruiz, formerly Tijuana’s Secretary of Education, was sworn in as Mayor of Tijuana in place of Arturo Gonzalez who has taken a leave of office to focus on his campaign for Governor. Ruiz is the first female mayor in the city’s history. She joins three other female mayors leading Baja municipalities: Mayor of Tecate Zulema Adams, Mayor of Rosarito Araceli Brown, and Mayor of Mexicali Marina del Pilar Avila, making four of the five Baja municipalities under female leadership.

The Chamber looks forward to working with Mayor Ruiz and supporting her administration as we continue our work to facilitate and strengthen cross-border commerce and reactivate our binational economy.

Upcoming elections for governor and local offices across Baja, will take place in June 2021.

County of San Diego to Create a New Climate Action Plan

NewsPolicy

October 21, 2020

After a series of lawsuits charged at the County’s 2018 Climate Action Plan, the Board of Supervisors voted to create a new plan. This is significant as the CAP will dictate development guidelines and provide the foundation from which other policies that impact businesses (including mobility decisions, transportation, infrastructure investments, and financial systems to pay for new programming) will be developed. The new plan is expected to take about two years to develop.

City Updates Municipal Code to Improve Housing Production

NewsPolicy

October 21, 2020

Earlier this month, the City Council unanimously approved a package of code updates championed by Mayor Faulconer. Notable among these are: updates to the Chamber-supported density bonus program; increases the opportunity for homeowners to establish accessory dwelling units on their properties, and; the creation of mixed-use zones that will help to create enhanced areas where the live/work model can thrive.

Voter Turnout To Hit Record High

NewsPolicy

October 21, 2020

While Election Day is November 3rd, it may be more accurate to think of that day as “election end.” As demonstrated this year, early voting and mail-in voting continues to grow in popularity (and of course, is the result of COVID in many cases). Two weeks after ballots were mailed out, 1.5 million had been returned, demonstrating a record return rate in the state that is being mirrored throughout the country. As of Monday, 355,000 ballots had been returned in the County of San Diego. While the higher-than-normal voting rate is expected to hold through Election Day, it remains to be seen exactly how that will impact election results.