By Chris Jennewein
SAN DIEGO — In this ugly political season, with insurgent politicians on both sides talking barriers — from walls to tariffs — San Diego has an opportunity to show the rest of America how to succeed by building bridges.
With Republican Donald Trump calling for a mighty wall along the Mexican border, and Democrat Bernie Sanders seeking to end most trade agreements — especially the one between Mexico and the United States — San Diego’s tolerant, bi-national, free-trade stance is a shining example of positive thinking. America as a whole would benefit from it.
Consider the the following recent developments that encourage cooperation and economic growth:
- Uber’s launch last week of its first ever cross-border service between San Diego and Baja California. The rapidly growing ride-sharing company didn’t pick Seattle-Vancouver or Detroit-Windsor because there’s much more economic opportunity here, on the border Trump wants to close.
- Last Saturday the first segment of State Route 11 opened. This will be a four-lane highway that will eventually lead to a third port of entry after San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. Most big border cities have one crossing; San Diego needs three because of all of the two-way truck traffic.
- The Cross Border Xpress bridge to the Tijuana airport that opened in December, allowing San Diegans to park in the U.S. and take a flight out of the region’s underutilized airport. The Wall Street Journal wrote approvingly of the bridge earlier this month.
- In April, more than 350 corporate investors will meet in San Diego to learn about opportunities for investing on both sides of the border at the World Forum for Foreign Direct Investment.
As the CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, former mayor Jerry Sanders, put it recently: “They’re talking about building walls, while those who live and work here are building bridges.”
Or as Mayor Kevin Faulconer said during Uber’s announcement: “People around the world are hearing about our cross-border relations with Tijuana.”
Even the San Diego region’s most conservative voices understand the value of building bridges. Rep.Duncan Hunter, the first Congressman to officially support Trump, wrote a week later, in an op-ed published in USA Today, that the billionaire developer’s plan to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants “is not within the scope of possibility.”
Why don’t San Diegans want a bigger wall and higher tariffs? Because in a competitive, innovative global economy, openness and a willingness to change are more important.
San Diegans don’t want old-fashioned factory jobs. They want high-paying positions in biotech, software and advanced manufacturing — jobs that are growing here as workers in Tijuana take the less-skilled work.
Both sides benefit from the trade. Tijuana residents are moving up to better opportunities just as San Diegans are. The North American Free Trade Agreement, which Sanders so vehemently opposed as a senator, has led to a better life for all of the 6.5 million people in the CaliBaja region.
San Diego was the only American city included in the National Geographic Channel’s acclaimed series on the “World’s Smart Cities.” Building bridges was a major reason.
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Chris Jennewein is editor and publisher of Times of San Diego, which trades news and comments with San Diego Jewish World as part of the agreement among members of the San Diego Online News Association. Comments intended for publication in the space below must be accompanied by the letter-writer’s first and last name and city and state of residence. (city and country for those outside the U.S.)