Related Articles
-Editorial
A group of nearly 90 business and community leaders from San Diego and Baja California, including Mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas, traveled to Mexico City to champion U.S.-Mexico relations and advance issues critical to the success of the binational business community.
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 17th annual Binational Delegation to Mexico City included a list of priorities to advance the border region. While in Mexico’s capital, the binational group met with Mexican leaders and government officials to help strengthen economic and diplomatic ties and discuss opportunities for collaboration in border infrastructure and environmental projects.
“The Chamber is very proud to have led this binational delegation to Mexico City for the 17th year. Our mission is, and always has been, clear: collaboration between nations is not a choice; it’s an imperative,” said Jerry Sanders, President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. “At the heart of Mexico’s vibrant capital, we aim to build bridges of opportunity and collaboration that will benefit both the San Diego and Cali-Baja regions. Together, we unlock the potential that lies in our partnerships, fostering economic growth and quality of life for our border communities.”
“San Diego is a proud binational region with deep connections to Mexico,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “Throughout the year, we work to strengthen our U.S.-Mexico ties, and over the next few days, we bring this united voice to the nation’s capital to address issues like immigration, cross-border pollution, and reducing border wait times.”
“As a proud Fronteriza and the first Latina Chairwoman in the County of San Diego’s 200-year history, I’ve had a lifelong commitment to emphasize the importance of the binational relationships between the U.S. and Mexico and the people that make up our region,” said Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “We must prioritize some of the shared challenges in our binational region for the network of infrastructure along our border, including critical projects at Tijuana River Valley and East Otay Mesa. We’re tirelessly working with partners on both sides of the border to make sure our shared priorities align and advance together. Mexico is our cultural and economic partner. Together, we unlock countless opportunities for trade, investment, and growth, benefiting the entire binational community. Competing globally here in the Cali-Baja region means leveraging each other’s strengths. With Mexico, we combine talent, resources, and innovation to build stronger and healthier communities.”
“My goal is to have the Delegation Trip strengthen the bi-national commerce relationship and to promote business investment opportunities in the City of Chula Vista and the San Diego Region. Mexico is the largest trading partner with the United States, and we need to work together to create security, prosperity, and improve the quality of life in the San Diego-Tijuana Economic Region,” said Chula Vista Mayor John McCann.
The delegation represents a diverse mix of San Diego and Baja-based industries, organizations, and elected officials, including:
- San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria
- San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas
- Baja Secretary of Tourism Miguel Aguiñiga
- San Diego Councilmembers: Vivian Moreno and Marni von Wilpert
- Tijuana City Councilmembers: Juan Carlos Hank and Rogelia Arzola
- City of Chula Vista Mayor John McCann
- City of Chula Vista Council members Carolina Chavez and Andrea Cardenas
- City of Coronado Council member John Duncan
- Ambassador Carlos Gonzales Gutierrez Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego.
Delegates met with a variety of Mexican federal agencies and representatives with the goal of strengthening the California-Mexico economic and diplomatic relationship, conveying support and appreciation for binational efforts to address transboundary pollution impacting the Tijuana River Valley in the region and inquiring about funding resources to advance border infrastructure and efficiency and how the Chamber and the private sector can support.
During the trip, delegates also met with:
- Members of the Mexican Senate to discuss opportunities to strengthen bilateral relationships.
- Roberto Velasco, Chief Officer for the North America Unit, Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs
- Secretary of Tourism Miguel Torruco Marques
- Commissioner Adriana Resendez, Mexican Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC)
- Salvador Lopez, Chief Environmental Officer, NADBank
- José Gutierrez Ramirez, Engineering and Binational Affairs Manager, National Water Commission (CONAGUA)
- Dr. Francisco Garduño Yáñez, Commissioner, National Institute of Migration (INM)
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is the only chamber that annually leads binational delegations to the capitals of the United States and Mexico. As the largest business organization on the West Coast, and supported by its members in the binational region of San Diego and Baja California, the Chamber serves as the primary voice of the business sector and represents a united effort on behalf of the community.
