Police Training Course Concludes
The official police training courses, which included “Atención a la ciudadanía” (Assisting the public), was also attended by administrative personnel of the Office of Public Safety.
Police Chief Alfredo Pérez Hernández explained that the training of officers shows the commitment the City Government has to not only equip the officers with tools, but to also provide professional training in the area of human interaction with citizens and visitors to improve security in our communities.
A total of thirty-six officers completed the police training prepared by the police training office ICAP (Instituto de Capacitación y Adiestramiento Policiaco), and another twenty-six administrative personnel attended the course “Atención a la ciudadanía” (Assisting the public). The course was taught by Verónica Mota Manteca; she encouraged the police officers and administrators to improve their careers, by continuing their education. She insisted that it was the best is in which they could help improve public relations and the community.
The Certificates of Completion were awarded on the 15th of August at the Playas de Rosarito City Hall. The event was presided by José Luis Anaya Bautista, Director of the ICAP, who spoke of the challenge the current crime rate poses for the authorities and the need to train and equip the officers and personnel.
“The continuation of training, such as this, is in response to the call for better security from the citizens of Playas de Rosarito,” said Anaya Bautista.
He added that one of the pillars for officers’ ability to perform their task is good equipment. But he also noted that professional training is also an important factor for their improved performance. “Nothing is gained if the personnel is not properly trained to confront the criminal element,” said the Director of ICAP.
He also explained that the Municipal Police force is usually the first to confront criminal acts related to organized crime, which is the responsibility of the federal authorities. The officers need to be prepared and trained when confronted with cases of gun or drug trafficking or kidnapping; cases which are turned over to federal investigators.
“It is my belief that municipal police agents need training regarding federal crimes that relate to organized crime, even if they are under the jurisdiction of federal officers. It’s not a matter of competition but rather of collaboration, which can be achieved, with training of local police officers,” he emphasized.

Mining Project at Colonet Cancelled
The Federal Government cancelled the nearly 32,000-hectare coastline project headed by the Lobos Grupo Minero. Within that landmass is the 3,000 hectares that are planned for the Punta Colonet Port development. The cancellation was due to the Grupo Minero Lobos not complying with prescribed timing of paperwork regarding mining the coastal waters at Punta Colonet, which was at odds with the freight megaport development.
The Federal Government began proceedings for cancellation of their concession in May of 2007 and gave the Grupo Minero Los Lobos sixty days to appeal if they were in disagreement. The government did not receive a response, which led to the cancellation of their permits to mine for titanium on the coast of the southern portion of Ensenada’s Municipality.
The titanium-mining permit was the first of its kind for exploring and mining off Mexican coastal waters due to a law that was passed during the previous administration.
The megaport project at Punta Colonet was put on hold for nearly two years, while the mining concern Los Lobos made feasibility studies for mining titanium, which was never completed.

Tourism Info Center for “La Bufadora”
The tourist site “La Bufadora” (The Blow Hole), located southeast of Ensenada, is going to receive an investment of three million pesos for promotion and to build a tourist information booth near the popular tourist attraction.
The trust fund for the building, according to Rocío López Gorosave, would be for the next twenty-five years.
The Ensenada City Government will retain a property measuring 248 square meters, which is currently owned by Carmen and Ana León for the tourist information building. The plan includes a lookout-tower, rest rooms, and tourist oriented information areas. Construction of the tourist center will take place in several phases, as more resources are available in the future for its continuation.

Donation to Benefit Indigenous Populations
The National Commission for Indigenous People’s Development CDI (Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas) granted $355,000 pesos to eight organizations whose intent is to improve the individual and collective standard of living of native populations of the region. Eight non-profits that provide services to the native populations will share the donation, benefiting 4,029 indigenous people for services such as Civil Registry, native people’s rights, migrant rights, women’s rights, agrarian justice, human rights, release of native people from prison and to protect natural resources.
Other activities that the donation will enhance are training of translators, legal aids, skills training, diagnostics, legal defense, assessment and investigation.
The associations that will benefit are: Centro Estatal de Asuntos Indígenas (State Center of Indigenous Affairs), Ciclismo de Ensenada (Ensenada Cycling), Asociación de Mixtecos de Valle Verde (Valle Verde Mixtec Association), Organización Manos Unidas (Joined Hands Organization), Fondo del Frente Nacional Indígena y Campesino, (National United Indigenous and Farm Fund), the non-profit Por Ti, A.C. (For You), Comunidad Indígena Misión Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine Indian Mission Community) and Asesoría Social Integral, A.C. (Comprehensive Social Assessment). All of the projects these organizations are non-profits that support and provide legal justice for the populace of the indigenous people of Mexico.

Agreement for Exchange of Security Related Information
The City of Tijuana, California State University San Diego and Xochicalco University of Tijuana have signed an agreement of collaboration that aims to share and exchange information related to security and education for all the parties that are participating.
Tijuana Mayor Kurt Honold Morales explained that the agreement consists of sharing information with the available technology utilized by the Command and Control Center (Centro de Control y Mando), the Municipal Police, C-4 and the Universities on both sides of the border.
He pointed out that the cameras that are located at the International Border would provide video and images that are also being recorded by the authorities of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They will be used to observe incidents that take place in those areas.
California State University San Diego would offer the technology necessary for an early natural disaster warning system in case of storms, wind, earthquakes, landslides and more, by installing monitoring equipment at strategic locations throughout Tijuana.
Mayor Honold Morales added that the agreement with the Xochicalco University allows students studying technology an opportunity to learn and apply their knowledge using the tools of the Command and Control Center.
The University would also share the information gathered with the SSP and the Municipal government for security enhancement projects that the students may develop.

New Shopping Center
A new concept for a shopping center that includes offices and condos is likely to be built where the old Toreo de Tijuana (downtown bullring) was located.
The owners of the property have a tentative idea for a project similar to ones now popular in the U.S. and Europe, a concept which has not been explored much here as yet.
The initial investment for the project is estimated at $120 million dollars. In the long run it would generate savings since resident’s workplace would be near home, as well as shopping, all within easy reach.
The land where the Toreo de Tijuana was once located consists of approximately 23,000 square meters and rumored to be a space for a Wal-Mart or Home Depot. It seems, though, that the owners (Grupo Peñoles) are thinking of a “Mixed-Use” concept for the property.
This mixed-use concept would be the first of its kind in Tijuana, though there is one similar on Sanchez Taboada Blvd. If this project were to be built on the old bullring site, it would spark development of “communities” such as this in other neighborhoods of the city, would diminish traffic and reduce overall pollution.

Foreign Donations Made Easier
In order to help non-profits accept donations from foreign entities, the federal tax agency SAT (Sistema de Administración Tributaria) is implementing a program called Firma Electrónica (Electronic Signature) that aims to improve the time it takes nearly 600 agencies to accept donations from abroad. There have been documented cases in which it has taken six months to a year, depending on the donation, to process donations. This new tool will help expedite these donations in a fast and efficient manner.
Once the Electronic Signature program is in place, all the social and civic non-profits under the banner of the OSC (Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil) would be able to apply directly to the SAT by way of their Website on the Internet. Once at the site, they can fill-out the appropriate forms and are then saved on the site’s database.
The procedure is simple and consists of registering with the OSC. The donating agency would fill-out an online application and on subsequent visits to the site, the database will auto-fill the information from data gathered on the first visit to the SAT.
When agencies register with the Firma Electrónica Website they will be assigned a password for secure entry to the Website. For more information, visit the Internet site www.sat.gob.mx.

Dam Water Level Very Low
The water level at the Abelardo L. Rodríguez Dam (Presa) is only at 21% of its capacity, according to figures of the Baja California National Water Commission (Comisión Nacional del Agua en Baja California).
The maximum capacity of the dam is 92.3 million cubic meters. It is currently only storing 20.2 million cubic meters of the vital liquid. This drastic low level at La Presa has occurred during the last eight months. From January to August of this year the water level went down 47% more than in 2006.
Up until August of 2006 the average level of water at La Presa was 40.2 million cubic meters. But it is currently at 21.5 million and, according to the agency Conagua, the level is quickly diminishing.
Tijuana uses 3,800 to 4,000 liters of water per second, of which only 100 liters come from La Presa Rodríguez. The remainder of Tijuana’s water comes from the Presa (Dam) El Carrizo located in Tecate as well as from aquifer wells in the Rio Zone of Tijuana.
La Presa’s low volume is low due to last year’s shorter than normal rainy season. There simply has not been enough rain to fill it for over a year. The dam was built only to capture rainfall to supplement the water from aquifers of the city.
If Tijuana depended on the water from La Presa, it would only last for two months. It would be nearly impossible to process and make it potable as the level of pollution would make it difficult and expensive to treat.

Avenida Revolución in Need of Renovation
Business organizations along Revolution Avenue are asking the Municipal Government for support in helping revert the street toward one hundred percent tourist-oriented commerce. They contend that tourism is down because of the prevalence of pharmacies and other businesses unrelated to tourism. Another issue they are concerned with is land use; they would like to limit the number of pharmacies and bars, replacing them with restaurants that would encourage tourists and their families to frequent the area.
Business leader representatives announced that an agreement is forthcoming between City Hall and Revolution Avenue businesses that is similar to one between the City and the maquiladora association (Asociación de la Industria Maquiladora de Otay). That agreement stipulates a certain percentage of tax revenue be destined for funding of specific projects. In the case of Revolution Avenue, the resources would help with funding tourist police officers, maintenance of plazas, as well as other support equipment.
Historically, Revolution Avenue was famous for burros painted like zebras, margaritas and the enormous colorfully painted paper flowers. It was a classic tourist destination where families came to eat and shop for folk art or “curios.” Now the avenue consists of businesses without any touristic merit and it leaves a bad impression for the visitor that comes over to get a glimpse of “real” Mexico.

New Auto Insurance for Baja Residents in California
Since nearly fifty-percent of the vehicles that operate in Baja California have California plates, the State of California Department of Auto Insurance granted National Unity Insurance Company the ability to offer U.S. insurance coverage to American citizens who reside in Mexico.
National Unity Insurance Company will begin offering the liability insurance SRC (Seguro de Responsabilidad Civil), available in Mexico for vehicles that are registered in California.
In the past this was not possible because liability insurers in Mexico were not able to send electronic data to the DMV.
Though some insurance agencies had offered this service, they have since found that they have no coverage in the U.S., as they are not regulated. This could have serious consequences when their subscribers may be involved in an accident and find out they are not covered there.
The California DMV now requires insurance companies to send their client’s information electronically and only from those companies that have been pre-approved by the State of California. In order to obtain these insurance services, the person buying insurance must prove residence in Mexico and provide a DMV issued California driver’s license for their verification.
National Unity Insurance Company has the experience in the insurance industry for more that twenty years and is classified as “A.M. Best of U.S.A.” as an Excellent Grade company. It holds the number two position on the list of the twenty-five most successful companies in the trade.

New Haven: A Sister City
New Haven, the third largest city in Connecticut, helps its immigrant community by listening to their concerns and prohibits its police force from questioning them about their immigrant status.
While many other cities throughout the United States seek ways in which to get rid of undocumented immigrants, the city of New Haven, home of Yale University, embraces their presence.
The city council, most consisting of Democrats, passed a law by a 25-1 vote to provide State IDs for the undocumented immigrants that would allow them to open bank accounts and for other services, which were in the past denied because they required a driver’s license or a State ID.
Supporters of the program explain that this is the first law of its kind in the U.S. that allows the nearly 15,000 undocumented immigrants in the State to become an integral part of their community. Now that they can open bank accounts, they will not need to be carrying large sums of cash, which had made them easy targets by thieves in the past.
The approval of the New Haven law is in contrast to the more that 90 cities or counties in the U.S. that have proposed and passed laws that prohibit landlords rent to the undocumented, fine businesses who hire them and train their police forces to enforce compliance of federal immigration laws.
The New Haven city council also approved a donation of $250,000 from a private foundation to pay for the equipment and materials needed for creating the identification documents needed to implement the law.
The approval of the new identity documents, which began in July, is a positive note especially for those immigrants who have lost loved ones due to the Border Patrol.
The identification document movement was supported by immigrant rights groups and will help undocumented immigrants’ civic participation in New Haven. This does not mean that they will receive any other special treatment, though.

Cars Stolen in Mexico Found in San Diego
There is sophisticated binational criminal activity taking place as regards security. Nearly five hundred vehicles that were reported stolen in Mexico have been recovered in San Diego. Many of them were used for transporting contraband or for people-smuggling across the border.
Many of them were seized when caught with contraband. Others had been abandoned in shopping centers throughout southern California.
The object of this security effort is to avoid allowing cars from Mexico that get registered in the United States and end up with the original owners with legal California documentation.
According to the San Diego County Highway Patrol offices, they have noted an increase of illegal movement of vehicles on both sides of the international border. In addition to using the vehicles for contraband, others are sold with another identity after being modified or “remodeled” in shops or junkyards on the U.S. side of the border.
The border criminals have created a lucrative business of selling cars that are stolen in Mexico to a lucrative market just north of the border. During 2006 the Border Patrol seized more than 4,000 vehicles that came from Mexico and valued at almost $6 million dollars.
In the past two months, the agency was able to locate 77 vehicles with U.S. registration inside Mexican police impound lots. They were located due in part to the cooperation between Mexican authorities and the California Highway Patrol. Since it is a serious problem, the two agencies have decided to continue the program on both sides of the border.

APTM Elects New Board of Directors
The non-profit Association of Migration Procedure Professionals APTM (Asociación de Profesionales en Trámites Migratorios, A.C.) hosted a ceremony to announce the new Board of Directors on the 18th of August. The event was presided by Rosarito Mayor Antonio Macías.
The outgoing Chairwoman, Elizabeth Carvajal, gave an emotional speech in which she referred to her tenure as an educational period, which included a lot of work for the community as well as their association. She also gave recognition to their outstanding members as well as to members of the community.
The new incoming Chairwoman, Francisca Sánchez, made a commitment to continue the work for the group’s goals and interests that would benefit the entire membership.
The new Board of Directors for the years 2007 to 2009 are the following: Francisca Sánchez, President, Rosella Hernández, Secretary, Ernesto Grijalva, Treasurer and Alicia Tello, Public Relations.
Members of the real estate associations AMPI and APIR as well as the director of the Foreign Residents Assistance Office were present at the event.

Fresh Local Lobster Season
September 15th marks the beginning of lobster season on the Pacific coast. Fishermen with permits are preparing their traps for the upcoming season and sale of the crustacean from the Baja California waters.
The lobster fishermen place specially made traps on the ocean floor with lure that attracts and traps the lobster. Estimates point to a catch of nearly the same number this year as last season, which was of around 300 tons of lobster.
The majority of the lobster is destined for export, though in the past few years the domestic market has grown, and lobster is now considered a regional delicacy. The national market for lobster is on the increase.
There are seven organizations that have authorization to trap lobster and their combined effort produce three hundred tons in a season that runs from September 2007 to February 2008.

New Desalination Plants for the Region
Four desalination plants are being considered for Baja California for the purpose of converting ocean seawater for possible use as potable water for human consumption or industrial use.
The aim of the project would be to desalinate seawater for the benefit of humans. Initially, four plants are being considered, though it is not known where they will be located in Baja California. The water obtained from the experimental desalination plants would be sold to tourist-oriented complexes or investors interested in purchasing potable water extracted from the ocean.
Mexico City’s National Autonomous University UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) launched a call for proposals for projects under the banner “Impulsa, desalación de agua de mar con energías renovables” (Promote desalination of seawater with renewable energy sources). The call went out to several universities and scientific investigation colleges of Baja California. Baja California’s Autonomous University UABC (Universidad Autónoma de Baja California) is interested in participating and has signed an agreement of cooperation with UNAM. There is currently one desalination plant operating in Playas de Rosarito, which belongs to the electric agency CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad).

Independence Day
The United State celebrates Labor Day in September and Mexico also has an even more important celebration this month, which is 197th Anniversary of Mexico’s Independence that will take place on the 16th of September. The celebration begins the evening before at eleven in the evening with the reenactment of the “grito” (literally “yell” or pronouncement), by the friar from the City of Dolores, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
Streets are closed to traffic, everyone dresses colorfully, the streets are decorated and with food stands, there are folk dancers and parades with children dressed in old-fashioned costumes, emphasizing the many important figures of Mexican history.
The streets are blanketed with vendors with carts waving green, white and green flags that can be purchased in different sizes. Many sizes and applications of flags are available, from small desk stands to enormous wind undulating flags that are proudly and traditionally set up in front of homes during the patriotic celebrations.
There are also many beauty queen pageants celebrated in City Halls and, of course, Mexican delicacies to enjoy.
The 16th of September is an important celebration for the Mexican people as it represents the effort and fighting it took to become independent, which is appreciated until today in the entire nation.

Evangelical Community Parades with the Message: “Christ Is Alive”
The Playas de Rosarito Evangelical Community paraded down Benito Juárez Blvd. on the morning of August 18 with the message “Christ Is Alive.”
Many of the participants, nearly five hundred, congregated near the Rosarito Beach Hotel and paraded to City Hall. They were joined by floats and decorated trucks as well as groups of dancers that also participated in the praise of Christ.
“We’re celebrating ‘Christ Is Alive,’ which we celebrate on a daily basis and today we are parading to invite all citizens to join us and discover the word of God and join us in the worship of God,” declared Pastor José Hugo Garza.
“All Christians are followers of Christ and each year we gather to celebrate and honor our Lord,” added the Pastor.
Nearly forty evangelical churches participated in the parade, which ended up at Rosarito’s City Hall patio. A Christian band played for the crowd that gathered after the parade.
Karen Ciprés, a member of “Refugio Emmanuel,” explained that she participated, as many of the other young people, to praise God and to invite others from Rosarito to do the same; to get closer to Christ,” she declared.
The Evangelical Christian Community each year in August sponsors this parade with the aim of spreading the message to residents listening along the route.
One of the banners displayed in the parade was a message for the Municipal Government, which stated that as Christians “to please implore calm and peace again for the city of Playas de Rosarito,” according to Francisco Jiménez, a member of the Christian community.
Mario Castillo expressed a family oriented message to accept Christ who died and resuscitated to give all our families hope. “We invite everyone to accept Jesus of Nazareth,” he expressed.
The Evangelical Communities “Cristo La Roca,” “Torre Fuerte” and “Ríos de Agua Viva” were just a few of the congregations that participated in the parade and festivities that even the hot sun could not quell the cheer and joyfulness that nearly five hundred came out to deliver their message along Benito Juárez Blvd.

Fireman’s Day Celebrated
A great song and dance throughout the State of Baja California were the festivities on August 22nd celebrating Fireman’s Day. Members of Fire Departments celebrated with religious services, parties, get-togethers, music, food, gifts and many acts of recognition of firefighters all over the State. Fire Departments are the most credible of the public service agencies and the least favored when it comes to government budgets.
The “tragahumo” (smoke swallowers), as they are sometimes called, are on duty 24-hours per day, every day of the year. They perform many duties, such as responding to accidents, fighting fires, rescuing cats from trees and tending to the many needs of its citizens.
“They risk their lives every day. It’s only fair that we honor and recognize their service to the community,” Olivia del Corral, from the FRAO (Foreign Residents Assistance Office, commented.
According to the Playas de Rosarito Fire Chief, Héctor Castelán Medina, much of their equipment they utilize for firefighting and rescue is donated by fellow fire departments from our neighbor State of California.