he border is an economic engine of San Diego; each year more than 45 million personal vehicle passengers and 15 million pedestrians enter the state from Mexico. More than eight million trips are lost due to congestion each year in the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the busiest port in the world. In the San Diego region, this translates into a revenue loss of more than $1 billion.
California Senate Bill 397 proposes the creation of an enhanced driver's license, which would facilitate travel at San Diego's border crossing by authorizing the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue radio frequency identification-enabled documents. This enhanced driver's license would eliminate the need to "key in" travelers and would translate into an expected 60% faster processing times than manual queries. Decreasing border wait times can claim lost revenue and economic vitality into our region.
This bill is anticipated to be before the Senate Appropriations Committee at the end of June. With the direct positive impact this bill could have on our region and economy, it is imperative that the State Legislature hear from the City of San Diego as soon as possible.
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