March 2026: Desmond Voted Against His Own Proposal After Democratic Supervisors Added An Amendment Expressing Opposition To Federal Policies That Worsened Housing Costs, Such As Tariffs On Construction Materials. According to Voice of San Diego, "Supervisor Jim Desmond ultimately voted against his own proposal to aid first-time homebuyers after Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer made amendments. The amendments gave county staff direction to oppose federal policies that increase housing construction costs and study their impacts. Lawson-Remer called out tariffs on construction materials and rising costs tied to military conflicts, among other concerns. The item passed with votes from the board’s three Democrats." [Voice of San Diego, 3/26/26]
Desmond Claimed He Voted Against His Proposal To Study Helping First-Time Homebuyers Because His Colleagues “Loaded It Up With Politically Motivated Amendments That Had Nothing To Do With Housing.” According to a post on Jim Desmond’s Twitter, "The San Diego County Board of Supervisors just amended my proposal to simply study helping first-time homebuyers in the unincorporated area — and I was forced to vote against my own item. Why? Because my colleagues loaded it up with politically motivated amendments that had nothing to do with housing. They turned a straightforward request to study homebuyer assistance into a political statement. Rather than let a poisoned version move forward, I pulled my support. The median home price has hit $1M. A family needs to earn ~$244K/year to qualify. Median household income? ~$113K. 9 out of 10 families can't afford to buy. Home prices up 30%+ in five years. Incomes up less than 10%. San Diego is now the 3rd least affordable metro in the nation. Housing affordability shouldn't be a political game. The teachers, nurses, firefighters, and young families being priced out of our community deserve better than gotcha politics." [Twitter, @jim_desmond, 3/25/26]
HEADLINE: “How Trump's Tariffs Ricochet Through A Southern California Business Park” [Reuters, 1/9/26]
HEADLINE: “How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses And Ports” [Cal Matters, 4/23/25]
HEADLINE: “California Farmers Brace For Consequences As Trump’s Tariffs Bring Economic Upheaval” [Los Angeles Times, 4/13/25]
Experts In Real Estate Expressed Concern That Tariffs Would Further Disrupt The Real Estate Market In Southern California. According to the LA Business Journal, "Trump’s tariff policies have already caused upheaval for local businesses, and now the country’s heightened situationship with tariffs will further disrupt L.A.’s real estate market, according to experts across development, manufacturing and finance. ‘This is a very shifting landscape for (many) American companies,’ said Ken Calligar, chief executive and founder of manufacturing firm RSG 3•D. ‘And that creates a huge amount of uncertainty which creates a disincentive to invest and grow your business.’" [LA Business Journal, 3/2/26]
Tariffs Were Complicating Rebuilding Efforts Following 2025 Wildfires In Southern California. According to the LA Business Journal, "Along with the poor timing with regard to the steel industry’s recovery, tariffs also complicate rebuilding following last year’s wildfires. Tariffs aside, given the massive need to rebuild versus the availability of labor, Jeff Fishman, founder of Carthay-based JSF Financial, said that alone will cause higher pricing for those rebuilding. Then, when you throw tariffs into the equation, the overall construction costs surge even higher. Additionally, the constant bait and switch of tariffs – both in terms of the legality and the exact percentages – makes planning arduous." [LA Business Journal, 3/2/26]
HEADLINE: "‘It’s Scaring The Crap Out Of Me’: How Trump’s Tariffs Are Colliding With Rebuilding Fire Ravaged L.A." [Los Angeles Times, 4/17/25]
San Diego Restaurants Struggled With Increased Tomato Costs Caused In Part By Tariffs. According to NBC San Diego, "No matter how you slice 'em, tomatoes cost a pretty penny these days. ‘Right now, it's a lot of vegetables, not just tomatoes, but tomatoes are insane,’ exclaimed Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria co-owner Luren Hodson Lefty’s is one of the San Diego area restaurants feeling the pinch. According to the consumer price index released last week, a pound of tomatoes costs an average of $2.26 in March. That's a 15% jump from the month before, and a 23% increase compared with a year ago. Hodson says that 23% leap has translated into a massive cost increase for her restaurant. She showed NBC 7 a box of tomatoes she said that went from $27 to $80 in just the past few months. Part of that sticker shock is due to a deep freeze in Florida and rainy weather in Mexico, which both contributed to a shrunken crop size. Tariffs also played a part. Most of San Diego's fresh tomatoes come from Mexico, which was hit last year with a new Trump administration tariff of 17%." [NBC San Diego, 4/20/26]
San Diego Regional Chamber Of Commerce Interim President And CEO Said Tariffs Would Have A “Very Direct Impact On The Cost Of Living For Your Average San Diegans.” According to KPBS, "The Trump administration has caused some tariffs. However, the tariffs against China have increased. China in fact, has turned around and is retaliating against the United States with its own tariffs. It is targeting American companies, including four in San Diego: Cubic Corp, Source Intelligence, Kratos Defense, Firestorm Labs. Describe the effect of this trade war on these local defense companies. Anderson: Oh, it's massive. I mean, this has the potential to be truly devastating for our economy as a whole. We're concerned about the auto industry as well. You know, it's the 90-day pause is certainly encouraging, but again, it's following the bouncing ball and that ping pong effect of what's going to come tomorrow. So we're not just concerned about the tariffs on China, we're concerned about tariffs as a whole. Whether it's the auto industry, the construction industry. This will all have a very direct impact on the cost of living for your average San Diegans." [KPBS, 4/15/25]
Desmond On Rising Gas Prices As A Result Of The War In Iran: “No Pain, No Gain.” According to an interview with Jim Desmond on Real America’s Voice, "DESMOND: You know, Iranian want freedom, Iranians do not want to be under these, under the thumb of these regimes And I may take, you know, no pain, no gain. So it's unfortunate the oil prices are going up, but I do believe this is a spike. And President Trump is right: once we are able to get rid of their nuclear capabilities, oil prices will come down again." [Real America’s Voice, American Sunrise, 3/9/26] (video)
Desmond Admitted That Gas Prices Were Rising In California Because Of The War In Iran. According to an interview with Jim Desmond on Real America’s Voice, "DESMOND: ‘We’ve seen our gas tax, our gas prices have been $4.50 and above and that’s where we started, now we’re going up because of the spike here because of the war." [Real America’s Voice, American Sunrise, 3/9/26] (video)