Study: Tariff rollout leaving San Diegans with financial stress, loss in public trust
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House Wednesday April in Washington Photo by Mark Schiefelbein AP As a tariff war continues to escalate under U S President Donald Trump a scrutiny by a local nonprofit highlights the adverse effects South Bay residents say they ve suffered due to the levies The Asian Business Association Foundation conducted a three-week survey of more than residents in San Diego County s District and of those who responded informed a decline in their financial situation Another explained that the April tariff announcement had a negative impact on their households The assessment identified a pattern among small businesses as well as Latino and Asian communities in which respondents stated they faced obstructions in access to masses services and a loss of trust in institutions all while also facing a decline in economic stability This month Trump implemented a tariff on imports from all countries with higher rates for nations the administration claimed had high obstacles to U S imports He also imposed a tariff on Chinese imports with an exception for certain electronic devices A graph showing survey results on which costs cause the the bulk financial stress among San Diego residents from District Image courtesy of Asian Business Association Foundation California joined the effort to halt the new tariffs by filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday For foundation president and chief executive Jason Paguio the examination serves as a call in not a call out By bringing these issues to light he hopes their organization can raise awareness and inspire change within the area We required to be able to use it to bring procedures makers small business owners and neighbors back to the same table to align what s felt with what s funded Paguio mentioned Initiative should begin where the pressure begins at the REM check the grocery run and the business counter This is really how we required to position this The organization focused on South County he stated because bureaucrats were concerned that what was happening in the area which includes the U S -Mexico territory line might be a signal for what s coming in the region Although these are resilient regions resilience shouldn t mean invisibility he reported So a lot of the businesses that we institution are adapting quietly and absorbing more risks than a lot of us realize Graph revealing District San Diego resident s growing mistrust in Trump s executive orders following the April tariff announcement Graph Courtesy of Asian Business Association Foundation As District gears up for the July runoff special balloting between Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre South Bay residents are raising their voices and urging personnel to address the gaps caused by tariffs within their communities To learn about more studies conducted by ABAF visit their research website for Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander studies here or follow them on Instagram at abasandiego
