San Diego, CA

How tariffs could impact San Diego’s regional economy

Published

11 months ago

February 4, 2025

How tariffs could impact San Diego’s regional economy

Above: Nexstar Media Wire video on what tariffs are.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — President Donald Trump agreed Monday to delay the tariffs on Canada and Mexico as the leaders of the United States’ closest neighbors negotiated over illegal immigration and drug trafficking strategies.

Trump agreed to pause the 25% tariffs, which were implemented Saturday, for 30 days. However, the financial threat of the tariffs and a potential trade war still looms over CaliBaja, the largest economic zone along the U.S.-Mexico border in which San Diego County lies.

“We know that this will be a volatile period for the North American supply chains that enable this region to compete globally. We have been here before,” said Dr. Nikia Clarke, the chief strategy officer for San Diego Regional Economic Development Center, in a statement to FOX 5/KUSI Tuesday. “Here in San Diego, from medical devices to semiconductors and consumer goods, our supply chains are so integrated that 40% of what we import from Mexico was made by American workers in the first place.”

She added, “Our job in this moment is to be agile and creative in helping firms of every size—who have played by the rules and made significant investments in this country and its neighbors—to navigate uncertainty, continue to reach their customers and suppliers, and maintain jobs and supply chains in our most critical industries.”

CaliBaja is comprised of San Diego and Imperial counties plus six Mexican cities in Baja California (Ensenada, Mexicali, Rosarito, San Quintin, Tecate and Tijuana).

According to a study by the University of San Diego’s Ahlers Center for International Business in 2022, CaliBaja has a regional GDP of $250 billion and an estimated $70 billion in cross border trade flows.

The study used a “Location Quotient (LQ)” methodology to identify high performing industries in the region. LQs compare the concentration of an industry nationwide versus within a specific geographic location, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2018, there were more than 33,000 firms across 70 different industries in CaliBaja that met the “High LQ” threshold of 1.5 or above. Together, these firms employed 657,598 individuals.

Furthermore, the study found much of the CaliBaja’s manufacturing capability was from the Mexican side. In 2018, Tijuana had 41 industries with a High LQ and Mexicali had 49, while San Diego had 35.

Manufacturing of audio and video equipment, medical equipment and supplies, and semiconductors or other electronic components are among the key industries in the region, the study showed.

Alan Gin, an economics professor at the University of San Diego, told FOX 5/KUSI last week (before the pause went into effect) Trump’s plan to implement tariffs could violate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement signed in 2020.

“The worry is that if the U.S. goes against this agreement, that other countries in the future would be wondering what’s the value then of having some agreement with the U.S.,” Gin said.

For now, it remains unclear just how much these industries will be affected by Trump’s tariffs when the 30-day pause period ends and how much those impacts will be felt across San Diego County.

The Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce will host a free emergency webinar Friday for businesses to discuss legal challenges and next steps regarding the tariffs. The webinar will take place between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.

Despite the 30-day pause on tariffs imposed on Mexico and Canada, the 10% tariff on China went into effect Tuesday as planned.

Source link

Click to comment

San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Sung-Mun song

Published

8 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Padres roster review: Sung-Mun song – San Diego Union-Tribune

SUNG-MUN SONG

Position(s): Third base, second base
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2026 opening day age: 29
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 194 pounds
How acquired: Signed as a free agent in December 2025
Contract status: A four-year, $15 million deal will see Song make $2.5 million in 2026, $3 million in 2027, $3.5 million in 2028 and $4 million in 2029 if he does not opt out of last year; Half of his $1 million signing bonus is due in January 2026 and the other half in 2027; There is a $7 million mutual option for 2030.
fWAR in 2025: N/A
Key 2025 stats (KBO): .315 AVG, .387 OBP, .530 SLG, 26 HRs, 90 RBIs, 103 runs, 68 walks, 96 strikeouts, 25 steals (144 games, 646 plate appearances)

STAT TO NOTE

.214 — Song’s isolated power in 2025, a career high as he prepared for a jump to the majors. Isolated power measures a player’s raw power (extra bases per at-bat) and Song had a .190 OPS in 2018, in his third year as a pro in Korea, before it dropped to .101 in 2019 and then a career-low .095 in 2023. Hitting 19 homers pushed Song’s isolated power to .178 in 2024 and then a career-high 26 homers push it even higher in 2025.

Idle — Drafted by the Heroes in 2014, Song debuted in the KBO the following year but didn’t become a regular until 2019. A drop-off in production — he had an .884 OPS in 78 games in 2018 and a .597 OPS in 103 games in 2019 — was followed by losing the 2020 season and a chunk of the 2021 season to military service obligations. Then three straight sub-.700 OPS seasons forced Song to rethink his approach to professional baseball, especially in the face of the likes of Ha-Seong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee and Hyeseong Kim generating big-league buzz. Song started with weight training and nutrition. A hitting coach also helped him with balance, pull-side power and the ability to catch up with the sort of fastballs that seem to dog Korean players when they arrive in the States. It all added up to a breakthrough year in which Song paired 19 homers, 104 RBIs and 21 steals with a .340/.409/.518 batting line. To prove it was no fluke, Song followed up his 2024 season with another strong effort that solidified his wish to try his hand in the majors. The ensuing, four-year, $15 million deal that Song signed with the Padres in December cost his new employer a $3 million posting fee to be paid to the Kiwoom Heroes.

2026 OUTLOOK

Like Kim before him, Song appears to be joining the Padres as a utility player with the hope that he blossoms into more as he gets comfortable in a new country and league. Song had experience in Korea at third base (500 starts), second base (149 starts) and first base (38 starts). Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller even mentioned outfield reps in passing as he assessed how Song could help the Padres in 2026.

Former KBO player Sung-Mun Song shakes hands with Padres vice president of amateur and international scouting Pete DeYoung after signing a contract with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Saturday. (Photo by Armond Feffer/San Diego Padres)

ROSTER RANKINGS

24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy

Source link

San Diego, CA

Poway removes hundreds of trees to make city safer

Published

20 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Poway removes hundreds of trees to make city safer

Drivers traveling through the city of Poway may have noticed a dramatic change to the landscape. Since September, more than 1,400 trees — many of them eucalyptus — have been removed as part of the city’s hazardous mitigation grant project aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving public safety.

Poway is spending roughly $3 million on the effort, which focuses on removing trees that are dead, dying or considered dangerous. Much of the cost is being reimbursed by FEMA. Officials say the project is designed to make emergency evacuation routes safer while improving the overall health of trees along major roadways, rights-of-way and open spaces.

“I was relieved that there were some efforts being put into improving our resiliency to wildfire in our community,” said Poway Fire Chief Brian Mitchell.

Mitchell said spacing out trees can slow the spread of a wildfire and prevent roads from becoming blocked during an emergency.

“That certainly has the potential to block our first responders from accessing somebody’s house in the middle of an emergency,” Mitchell said.

City leaders also point to storm safety as a key reason for removing hazardous trees under controlled conditions rather than risking falling limbs or entire trees during severe weather.

“I don’t want to be driving down that street and just a random limb just happened to collapse, you know, just hit me,” said Poway resident Dawn Davis.

Davis said she also worries about the threat the trees pose to nearby homes.

“I don’t want anybody’s homes here to be damaged, either by them or fire,” Davis said.

A Poway spokeswoman said a certified arborist evaluated nearly 6,800 trees in Poway. About 2,800 invasive trees were recommended for removal.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.

Source link

San Diego, CA

Aztecs land twin transfers from Michigan State to bolster offensive line

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Aztecs land twin transfers from Michigan State to bolster offensive line

The front of the Fowler Athletic Center at San Diego State includes a pair of double doors that open from the inside out. Replacing them with revolving doors would seem appropriate, given all the comings and goings nowadays.

SDSU had two dozen football players — including five starters on the defense — enter the NCAA transfer portal, which opened Friday. The first wave of candidates to replace them visited over the weekend.

And by Sunday afternoon, SDSU announced its first two signings. It was a package deal.

Sophomore offensive linemen Charlton and Mercer Luniewski are Michigan State transfers from Cincinnati. And twins.

Charlton Luniewski’s social media says that he goes by “Big Chuck,” although Mercer is listed as an inch taller and 13 pounds heavier at 6-foot-6, 320. Mercer is also, by the way, 45 minutes older.

Charlton profiles at guard and Mercer at tackle, though SDSU typically works players in multiple spots to find the ideal fit. The twins are expected to challenge for spots on the two-deep if not the starting O-line, which lost three starters to graduation.

The twins were highly recruited two years ago out of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, where they also competed in track and basketball. They have three years of eligibility remaining.

The Luniewskis were among a dozen transfer recruits who visited SDSU over the weekend. Commitments have come from half of them. More recruits are scheduled for the coming this week as the Aztecs look to replenish the roster.

SDSU also received a commitment Sunday from Nate Henrich, a 6-6 edge from Division II Gannon University in Pennsylvania. Henrich had six tackles at Gannon, but he is viewed as having high upside with good size and length. He could provide needed depth at a position where the Aztecs lost four players to the portal.

SDSU also expects commitments from Oregon State edge Kai Wallin, Portland State safety Isaiah Green and College of the Sequoias wide receiver Marshel Sanders.

Wallin is a 6-5 senior from Sacramento who played in nine games this season (seven starts) for the Beavers, making 17 tackles with one sack and four quarterback hurries. Green, a 6-1 junior from Oxnard, had a team-high 101 tackles at Portland State. Sanders is a 5-11 junior from Fresno who had 70 receptions for 929 yards and four touchdowns.

Bostick back

SDSU wide receiver Jacob Bostick announced on his social media Sunday that he is returning for the 2026 season.

His post read, in part: “Excited to get back to work with my coaches and teammates.”

Bostick had 11 catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns over six games before suffering a season-ending knee injury during practice six games into the season. He anticipates being ready to return by fall camp.

Source link