San Diego Business Leaders Clash with Labor Over Sacramento Trip

Chamber's ties to immigration detention center operator spark backlash from labor groups

Feb. 6, 2026 at 11:23pm

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San Diego's business executives traveled to Sacramento this week to advocate for policies that make housing easier to build, but their visit was met with opposition from labor leaders. The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council urged local councilmembers to not attend the San Diego Regional Chamber's annual event in Sacramento after the chamber shared a job posting for positions at an immigration detention center operated by The GEO Group. The labor council said the chamber's ties to the detention center operator should have consequences, including potentially impacting political endorsements.

Why it matters

The clash between San Diego's business and labor groups highlights the ongoing tensions and diverging interests between the two powerful political forces in the region. The chamber's focus on housing reform and environmental deregulation often puts it at odds with labor's priorities around worker protections and social justice issues.

The details

The San Diego Regional Chamber is a key political organization that advocates for the region's businesses in Sacramento and Washington. Business leaders and elected officials join the chamber's annual trip to the state capital to discuss its legislative priorities. However, this year's trip was met with opposition from the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, which urged local councilmembers not to attend over the chamber's sharing of a job posting for positions at an immigration detention center operated by The GEO Group, a private company that runs numerous ICE detention facilities. The labor council said the chamber's ties to the detention center operator should have consequences, including potentially impacting political endorsements.

  • The chamber shared the job posting for the Western Region Detention Facility last month.
  • The chamber removed the job listing from its website and newsletters shortly after the backlash.

The players

San Diego Regional Chamber

A key political organization that advocates for the region's businesses in Sacramento and Washington.

San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council

A labor organization that advocates for the region's thousands of hotel and hospitality workers and has become a dominant political force in local campaigns.

Brigette Browning

President of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.

The GEO Group

A private company that operates numerous ICE detention facilities across the country.

Lorena Gonzalez

President of the California Labor Federation.

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What they’re saying

“I think if the chamber is going to behave like that, there should be consequences. We also said that if people were looking for the chamber's endorsement in the political process, that we would weigh that heavily in our endorsements.”

— Brigette Browning, President, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council (Voice of San Diego)

The takeaway

The clash between San Diego's business and labor groups underscores the ongoing tensions and diverging interests between these two powerful political forces in the region. While the chamber focuses on issues like housing reform and environmental deregulation, labor groups like the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council prioritize worker protections and social justice concerns, leading to frequent conflicts over policy priorities.