July 21, 2022
We had some options for this top spot. Including the fate of Twitter (just give us the edit button and let’s all move on with our lives, please), lots of resignations abroad, really insane space photos that got published this week, but…. We had to go with this season of Married at First Sight being filmed in San Diego. Because, duh.
First Top Gun (one and two!) and now Married at First Sight? We made it y’all!
Business Updates
The US economy saw inflation hit 9.1% in June, the highest rise in the Consumer Price Index since November 1981. Insane gas prices are a big factor in the inflation figure, and undoubtedly making you cranky.
€1 = $1. Pressures on the euro finally grew so strong that on Wednesday it briefly dipped below parity with the U.S. dollar–something we haven’t seen since 2002.
San Diego’s hottest club is: Frontwave Arena. Frontwave Credit Union purchased the $9M naming rights for the indoor sports and entertainment complex coming to Oceanside in 2023, the next home of the San Diego Sockers pro soccer team. Oside Arena Management Group is partnering with Sudberry Properties to develop the city-owned El Corazon property.
Legislative Updates
Federal:
Now entering the building: NDAA. Check out the 650 proposed amendments here. (JK, don’t.)
Senator Elizabeth Warren is leading a charge for the IRS to create its own, free, online tax filing service. California’s Katie Porter introduced the House version of that policy. We’re skeptical.
Gina Raimando and Lloyd Austin, the Secretaries for Commerce and Defense, sent a letter to Congress to warn them of the problems faced by the country should they not vote on the CHIPS act (which you will recall is the semiconductor bill since the chip shortage is really getting in the way of our app-based-life). TL;DR: CHIPS act is necessary so that investment happens domestically as producers are thinking about where they operate and there are security considerations since these little guys are significant to technology and surveillance.
Begrudgingly, here’s your update on the Build Back Better 5.0 situation (which will now just go by “reconciliation”): slimmed down bill proposed by Dems possibly has traction. Republicans are not happy, with McConnell tweeting a threat that if the Dems try to move on reconciliation, ain’t no way he gets behind USICA (a big bill targeting competition with China that also has chip language in it). However, we’ve got conflict elsewhere with some in the House saying that if taxes increase there’s gotta be a revisit of SALT. And of course, there’s little margin to lose votes so it’s still in who knows territory.
Kind of related: some are now calling the reconciliation bill “Build Back Manchin” and we find that humorous and wanted to share. Especially because his role remains v important in this whole thing.
More booster shots are coming. Biden officials are planning to allow all adults to receive a second COVID booster shot, as cases and hospitalizations have surged over the last few weeks. About 67% of all Americans have been fully vaccinated against the virus, but only 34% percent of eligible Americans have received a first booster dose, according to federal data.
Earlier this week, the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held a hearing on “Ending Veteran Hunger: Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Food Insecurity.” Led by Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), the hearing focused on improving the screening process for veteran hunger and how government agencies and nonprofits can adapt and streamline access to resources like SNAP. A livestream of the proceedings can be found here.
International:
The lead trade negotiators for the USMCA countries met in Vancouver last week to cover critical issues such as stopping imports of Chinese goods produced by Uyghur slave labor, climate investment (including Mexico’s energy policies), and efforts to settle a longstanding dispute with over softwood lumber tariffs as the cost of building materials spikes in the U.S.
Exciting news for the San Ysidro Ports of Entry… CBP will be starting a SENTRI reservation pilot program by the end of July where pedestrians in the 4:00 AM to 8:00 AM time frame will be able to use the CBP One App to cross at a specified time. This program aims to optimize the use of CBP agents using a sophisticated aI system and make the crossing experience more efficient for travelers.
After declining the invite to join the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, President Lopez Obrador met with President Biden on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed on reaffirming their partnership in addressing inflation, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, migration, and the surge of fentanyl trafficking. In addition, President Obrador pledged to spend $1.5 billion over the next two years to improve “smart” border technology.
Biden is a busy man this week. He arrived in Israel on Wednesday to start his tour across the Middle East, welcomed by newly minted Prime Minister Yair Lapid. He will be meeting with Israeli leaders to further strengthen military cooperation to combat the threat of Iran and other military proxies in the region. Biden will also be meeting with Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas in East Jerusalem, where a donation of $100 million will be made to aid the Palestianian Health System. Lastly, Biden will fly out to Saudi Arabia to urge Arab countries to keep oil supply high as gas prices are high and seek that all of the leaders pressure Russia to end the invasion into Ukraine.
Japan’s former Prime Minister, Abe Shinzo was fatally shot last week by Tetsuya Yamagami, former member of the Japanese Navy. Yamagami stated that his actions were driven by Shinzo’s involvement with the Unification Church, whom he blamed for his mother’s bankruptcy.
The National Water Commission of Mexico (CONAGUA) has declared the beginning of a state of emergency due to severe drought across the country especially in the states of Baja California, Nuevo Leon, and Guerrero. In response, the commission reported that industrial and agricultural areas may voluntarily provide third parties with partial or total use of water concessions.
We wanted to remind you of CBP’s mobile application that serves as a single portal to a variety of CBP services. CBP One™ is available for travelers to request an inspection of biological and agricultural products upon their air arrival into the U.S., brokers/carriers/forwarders to make appointments for the inspection of perishable cargo, travelers to apply for and view their I-94s and permission-based use for International Organizations (IOs) to verify the status of individuals in CBP Programs. Click here to learn how to use it.
Join us on August 16 for our next IBA forum featuring a conversation on innovative advancements in clean energy and regional strategies to aid businesses to a low-carbon transition. We also want to hear from you on what topics, issues, and initiatives you would like us to focus on for upcoming forums.
State:
Governor Newsom formally established a New Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC) to closely work with state agencies, community partners, and ethnic media to mobilize efforts for the State’s most pressing issues. (We’ve got some ideas…) The 2022-2023 budget allocates $65 million for the new Office to manage urgent outreach and prioritize funding for community based organizations.
Kinda quiet, but that’s because the state is on recess until August. Shhhhhhh.
Local:
We’ve got a housing-filled local section for you this week: First up, in the CIty of San Diego, the 2022 Annual Report on Homes was released and showed that we’re pretty darn far behind in meeting our state appointed housing goals. Further, recent research notes that the lack of affordable housing causes homelessness, with San Diego County ranking 8th in the highest homlessness per capita rates in select U.S. counties. There’s hope for the future though, especially since San Diego has recently passed some of the most pro-housing policies at all income levels in the state.
A recent study shows that San Diego college graduates are not staying in San Diego after graduation even though the institutions are amongst the most prestigious institutions. Why? Data shows that there are not enough job opportunities for San Diego students and housing is too expensive for the new generation of talented students going into the workforce.
UC San Diego plans on opening a 1,300 room development by Fall 2024 which will help address the demand for housing on campus. The university received a $100 million influx of in-state funding for the Pepper Canyon West Living and Learning Neighborhood designed to house transfer and upper division students.
Get that money! MTS was awarded a $33.5 million state grant, supporting city goals to transition to a zero-emission bus fleet, expand the 12th & Imperial Transit Center in Downtown, and improve Orange Line trolley stations.
San Diego Pride is returning back to in person after two years, with all its events programmed such as the popular Hillcrest Parade that draws more than 350,000 people and a two day festival in Balboa Park. This year’s theme will be “Justice With Joy,” to celebrate all aspects of Pride but also all the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ Community. Happy celebrating everyone!!
In National City, development of parcels of land located downtown are being considered for redevelopment. Current plans have priorities being focused on student housing, mixed use properties, or some combination of the two.
San Diego Community Power (SDCP), the local renewable electricity provider, is hosting two virtual Business Listening Workshops to hear from our local businesses and business owners regarding your business needs and challenges, what discussions you’re having around energy, energy trends you’re seeing and your evolving energy needs, how climate change is impacting your business, concerns, around electricity, and the kinds of customer programs that can help meet your needs. SDCP will be offering two workshops to ensure we hear from as many local businesses as possible:
- Thursday, July 21st 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM – Registration
- Thursday, July 21st 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Registration
Upcoming City of San Diego Public Input Opportunities:
- Build Better SD, the citywide fee proposal to provide a more equitable funding approach for public spaces and facilities, is expected to be heard at City Council later this summer. Learn more here. If you have any questions, please contact Chamber staff – Angeli Calinog.
- The City of San Diego will be kicking off its economic development strategy planning. Contact Lauren Cazares for additional information or to be engaged.
Upcoming County Public Input Opportunities:
- The County’s revised Transportation Study Guide (TSG) for vehicle miles traveled (VMT) will be heard at the Planning Commission on July 22. The Chamber has been involved in business group stakeholder discussions through the VMT implementation process. If you have any questions, please contact Angeli Calinog.
- The County is hosting a series of workshops on the proposed strategies and measures of their Climate Action Plan update. A workshop focused on Agriculture & Conservation will be held on July 19. To learn more and to find the dates of future meetings, click here.
- The next Regional Decarbonization Framework public meetings will take place on July 26.
Upcoming Hearings
- The San Diego City Council will meet on July 18 at 2:00PM and July 19 at 10:00AM.
- The County Board of Supervisors will meet on July 20 at 9:00AM and will be held virtually (no in-person participation will be allowed!).
- The City of San Diego’s Planning Commission will meet on July 21 at 9:00AM.
- The County of San Diego’s Planning Commission will meet on July 22 at 9:00AM.
Capital Opportunities & Resources
- Round 2 is open for the County of San Diego’s $2,500 grants for microbusinesses (five employees or less) operating within the County.
- The city of La Mesa recently announced a small business program aimed at promoting economic development in the city. The La Mesa Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (LEAP) will give recipients up to $20,000 dollars for startups who stay in the city.
- Applications for micro-enterprise home kitchen operations (MEHKOs) in the County of San Diego can be found here.
- The California Dream Fund has micro grants up to $10k available for entrepreneurs and small business creation.
- The California Rebuilding Fund is offering small businesses with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees loans up to $100,000. Learn more and apply here.
- Businesses can reach out to their nearest Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which has developed the Small Business Survival Resources Guide. SBDC can help with applying for COVID-19 relief, guiding you through available resources, and assisting with cash flow concerns, supply-chain interruptions, workforce capacity, insurance coverage, and more–all at no cost.
Future Chamber Meetings (Virtual) & Committee Actions
Transportation & Land Development Committee
Our next meeting will be on July 19, 8:00am via Zoom.
Sustainability & Industry Committee
Our next convening will be on August 4, 8:00am via Zoom.
International Business Affairs Forum:
Our next forum will be August 16 from 10-11am via Zoom.