PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

 

Contact: Marlyn Carrillo, mcarrillo@sdchamber.org  or (619) 544.1301 

 

WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE HERE 

 

CHAMBER-LED DELEGATION CHAMPIONS SAN DIEGO REGION PRIORITIES IN WASHINGTON, D.C. 

 

More than 170 business and civic leaders from San Diego region are advocating for infrastructure, trade, healthcare, workforce development, and sustainability 

 

SAN DIEGO (April 17, 2023) – A group of more than 170 business and civic leaders—the largest to date—from the San Diego region are in Washington, D.C. working to advance issues critical to business growth, the creation of jobs, and the economy. It is the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 15th annual “Mission to Washington, D.C.”  which brings delegates to the nation’s capital for three days.  

 

"San Diego is about as far as you can get from Washington. It’s important that our representatives and federal agency leaders hear directly from us about the projects and policies that uniquely affect business and the people living and working in the Cali-Baja region," said Jerry Sanders, President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. "These annual in-person meetings make a real impact, especially when we have a group of more than 170 delegates from both sides of the border coordinated and aligned in sharing San Diego’s priorities."  

 

“San Diego has taken its rightful seat at the table in the national conversation, which has resulted in more federal resources to tackle the big issues facing our region: homelessness, housing affordability, infrastructure, public safety, binational relations, and climate,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “I’m grateful to the San Diego Regional Chamber for convening business and civic leaders year after year to advocate for our priorities with a unified voice to deliver results for San Diegans.” 

 

“Investing in our local community infrastructure and promoting economic prosperity for the binational region are among my top priorities,” said Nora Vargas, Chairwoman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “Leaders at the state and federal level need to know that San Diego County is a beacon for innovation, research, international trade, technology, and small businesses, not to mention hosting the largest naval fleet in the world. I’m honored to be an ambassador on this trip for our amazing county, showing national leaders why investing in San Diego is an investment in a prosperous future for all.” 

 

“Federal funding is critical for the Port of San Diego to keep goods and supplies moving efficiently, bolster tourism and hospitality, and help ensure our nation’s military readiness,” said Chairman Rafael Castellanos, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “We have critical cargo and cruise terminal electrification and major maintenance projects. However, few federal funding programs are targeted for ports. We look forward to accessing additional infrastructure dollars to advance more projects that will benefit the San Diego region, California, and the country.” 

 

“Caltrans has been proud to steward projects and provide oversight - on behalf of the State of California - on infrastructure and multimodal efforts that benefit the communities we serve, both in San Diego and Imperial County. In working with our partners at the local level, our joint efforts have resulted in significant federal funding to ensure we take our transportation priorities from design to shovels in the dirt,” said Gustavo Dallarda Caltrans District 11 Director. “Our region is already benefiting from the INFRA Grant that is moving the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry forward. This binational build will benefit freight and families, on both sides of the border.” 

 

A key priority for this year’s trip is advocating for federal funding for regional infrastructure projects. The binational delegation – including San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas – will meet with federal government officials and agency representatives from a variety of departments including the EPA, Department of Transportation, Customs and Border Protection, Department of State, Housing and Urban Development, and several others. The delegation will share priorities around border infrastructure and staffing, coastal resilience, Community Development Block Grant funding, U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program, and many more key regional issues.  

 

Delegates will have the opportunity to meet with the entire San Diego Congressional Delegation, Mexican Ambassador to the United States Esteban Moctezuma, Rep. Adam Schiff, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, and tour the Pentagon. 

 

In full, the three-day agenda includes meetings covering areas such as infrastructure, transportation, defense and veterans, national security, binational collaboration, education and childcare, and regional workforce development.  

 

Additional key priorities for the delegation include addressing regional progress in   

  • healthcare,  

  • transportation,  

  • housing and urban development,  

  • tourism and hospitality,  

  • cross-border trade,  

  • military and veterans, 

  • and energy, water, and sustainability issues.  

 

Delegates will meet with: 

  • Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma 

  • Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-30) 

  • San Diego Congressional Delegation including Reps. Issa (CA-48), Jacobs (CA-51), Levin (CA-49), Peters (CA-50), and Vargas (CA-52) 

  • U.S. Senator Chris Coons (DE) 

  • Lael Brainard, Director of the National Economic Council  

  • Casey Durst, Executive Director, Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

  • Jesse Cross-Call, Deputy Director of External Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services 

  • Zach McRae, Special Policy Advisor, and Alexis M. Pelosi, Senior Advisor for Climate, in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

  • Former Congressman Jeff Denham 

Additional notable delegates: 

 

  • San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer 

  • San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera and Councilmembers Raul Campillo, Joe LaCava, Kent Lee, Marni Von Wilpert, Monica Montgomery Steppe, and Stephen Whitburn  

  • Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre  

  • Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner  

  • Ambassador Carlos Gonzales, Consul General of Mexico in San Diego  

  • President & CEO of the Port of San Diego, Joe Stuvyesant, and Port Commissioners Castellanos (Chairman) and Michael Zucchet  

  • Gustavo Dallarda, Caltrans District 11 Director 

 

Additional media and b-roll are available here. 

 

The San Diego Regional Chamber is the only Chamber to lead annual binational delegation trips to the U.S. and Mexico capital cities. As the largest member-supported business organization in San Diego’s binational region, the Chamber serves as the leading voice for the business community and presents a united effort on the community’s behalf. The largest local chamber on the West Coast, the San Diego Chamber represents more than 2,000 businesses and an estimated 300,000 jobs. 

 

About the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce: The San Diego Regional Chamber is the hub for connections and collaboration among the regional business community and uses that clout to advocate for public policies and candidates that support economic growth and the creation of jobs for all businesses. As the largest local Chamber on the West Coast, representing more than 2,000 businesses and an estimated 300,000 jobs, the San Diego Regional Chamber is working to make the San Diego region the best place to live and work. For more information, please visit SDChamber.org or call 619-544-1300. 

 

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REPS. VARGAS AND AGUILAR COMMEND HUD FOR MAKING DACA RECIPIENTS ELIGIBLE FOR FHA LOAN

Last Congress, the Representatives sent a letter to HUD urging the agency to affirm Dreamers’ eligibility for FHA-backed mortgages

Washington, DC (January 22, 2021) — This week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program beneficiaries are eligible for mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), reversing a Trump Administration policy that made DACA recipients ineligible for the program.

The decision comes after Reps. Juan Vargas (CA-51) and Pete Aguilar (CA-31) led several efforts urging Secretary Ben Carson and HUD to reverse the original interpretation of the policy and reaffirm DACA recipients, or Dreamers, as eligible participants. Their efforts to overturn the Trump Administration’s policy change included a letter co-authored with Senator Bob Menendez that directed HUD’s Inspector General to open an investigation into whether the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act in its decision to deny FHA-insured loans to DACA recipients.

"Dreamers are working, tax-paying Americans and have every right to own a home. For years, I have been urging Secretary Ben Carson to reverse HUD's newfound interpretation of policy—which had changed to block DACA recipients’ access to FHA loans under the Trump administration—and reaffirm DACA beneficiaries’ eligibility to apply for FHA mortgages," said Rep. Vargas. "I’m pleased to see that HUD has rightfully extended this eligibility to our Dreamers."

“Dreamers have established their lives here and deserve the chance to buy a home like every other American. The Trump Administration’s policy of denying DACA recipients FHA loans was a shameful and discriminatory excuse to further advance Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. Now, under the leadership of the Biden Administration, HUD is doing the right thing by recognizing that Dreamers deserve access to this critical resource and the dream of homeownership,” said Rep. Aguilar.

Rep. Vargas serves on the Financial Services Committee and had an opportunity to question Secretary Carson in 2019. Both Reps. Aguilar and Vargas are Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Vargas represents California’s 51st Congressional District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, all of Imperial County, and California’s entire U.S.-Mexico border. Vargas was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 and is currently serving his fifth term in Congress.

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