San Diego leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., this week for their annual advocacy trip on behalf of the region's economy, just as the Trump administration's tariff threats shook global financial markets.

Follow the money: The San Diego region imported $61.6 billion in goods in 2024, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

• The region exported $32.4 billion of goods the same year, OEC estimated.

The big picture: The $250 billion CaliBaja regional economy relies on the linked economic relationships between San Diego and Imperial counties in the U.S. and communities from Ensenada to Mexicali and Tecate in Mexico.

• That includes not just the nearly 60,000 people who cross the border for work every day, but also an estimated $70 billion in cross-border trade, according to the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Driving the news: Jessica Anderson, interim CEO of the Chamber, which organizes the annual binational delegation, said this year's visit comes at a pivotal time and that the impact of tariffs would be a theme of their meetings.

• "We have a great task ahead of us, to turn into an opportunity what is right now uncertainty," said Ana Santana, a Mexican congresswoman from the state of Baja California who is on the trip

Between the lines: Gov. Gavin Newsom is fighting back against Trump's tariffs by having the state pursue its own global trade deals to exclude California-made products from retaliatory tax hikes.

• While Newsom can't broker tariff deals with other countries, he can negotiate with international private companies and persuade them not to target the state's goods and industries, the Sacramento Bee explained.

What they're saying: After Trump's announcement, Newsom warned of "major disruptions to cross-border supply chains" in the California-Baja mega-region, including San Diego, affecting semiconductors and aerospace and automotive products.

State of play: Financial markets had a third consecutive tumultuous day after President Trump's announcement last week of sweeping tariffs and his threat of levying more against China, while opening the door to negotiations with other nations.

Zoom in

These tariffs will likely raise prices on everyday necessities like food, clothing and cars – and Americans will have less money to pay for them, Axios' Emily Peck writes.

By the numbers: American households could face an average 2.3% "pay cut," or decrease in disposable income, which translates to $3,800 a year, according to a widely cited estimate from the Yale Budget Lab.

Tell us: How are you changing your spending habits?

• Business owners: How is your business being impacted?
• Are you adjusting retirement plans?
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🌎 An international student's visa was revoked at SDSU, following actions at UCSD and other California campuses, Kate reports.

🪷 Encinitas City Council is considering removing specific planning documents requirements to make it easier for the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple to develop or renovate its coastal properties like the meditation gardens. (Union-Tribune)

📚 The pandemic hit rural San Diego school districts hardest, and they've been the slowest to recover. (Voice of San Diego)

It's Election Day in the South Bay, whatever that means in a race where the vast majority of voters will cast a ballot by mail, and more than 50,000 people already have.

Why it matters: It's the primary for the special election to fill the vacancy left by former Supervisor Nora Vargas' abrupt resignation last year.

• Unless one candidate breaks 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to a July runoff election.
• With the vacancy, the five-member board is stuck at a 2-2 partisan stalemate, leaving some to argue the county should delay adopting a budget until the seat is filled.

State of play: Chula Vista Mayor John McCann is the lone, high-profile Republican in the race, leading to conventional wisdom that he's likely to advance through the primary.

• Outside groups have spent millions of dollars for and against Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and San Diego Councilmember Vivian Moreno, both Democrats, vying for the other spot in the runoff.
• Chula Vista Councilmember Carolina Chavez, another Democrat, is also in the race.

What we're watching: When Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe was elected in a 2023 special, the outcome was clear on election night in both the primary and runoff.

• Unless the race is extremely tight, candidates are likely to declare victory or concede as well before the Registrar's May 8 deadline to certify the results.
• Votes mailed by Tuesday will count as long as they're received by April 15. Thirteen vote centers are open across the district.

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Ice cream can be therapeutic, especially when it's free or for a good cause.

Driving the news: Ben & Jerry's annual free cone day is Tuesday, and the two shops in Seaport Village are offering unlimited scoops of any flavor from 10am-9pm.

• They're taking donations, which will all go to The Monarch School in Barrio Logan. It's the nation's only K-12 school exclusively for unhoused youth, serving about 300 students experiencing homelessness and their families.