BajaNomad

County mayors meet with Baja California counterparts

woody with a view - 9-13-2008 at 11:38 AM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080913-9999-1m13b...

Border waits and trade top agenda
By Sandra Dibble
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

September 13, 2008

SAN DIEGO – From Tijuana to San Diego, from Tecate to National City, more efficient border crossings and greater binational collaboration are critical to the growth of communities on both sides, their mayors said yesterday.

The occasion was the 18th annual economic summit of the South County Economic Development Council, where three Baja California mayors joined five San Diego County counterparts in a panel discussion on the future of the binational region.

Sharing the dais of a conference room at the San Diego Convention Center, the eight mayors stressed their interdependence on a broad range of issues, including trade, infrastructure, the environment and water.

“The largest issue for all of us is the border wait,” San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said. “It impacts our economy, our global competitiveness, because we are one region . . . it affects our relationships, because we share families on both sides of the border.”

For Baja California, the clogged border crossings have meant fewer U.S. tourists, and that has affected communities such as Rosarito Beach, which is heavily dependent on California visitors. While the North American Free Trade Agreement has been a boost for trade and industry in Baja California, “it has not benefited the tourism industry,” Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres said.

Sanders and Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox urged a binational terminal for A.L. Rodríguez International Airport in Tijuana, allowing U.S. passengers to check in before crossing the border to catch their flights in Mexico.

Ensenada Mayor Pablo Alejo Lo'pez Núñez urged better cross-border planning, saying combined efforts could turn the region into the world's third-largest economic region.

National City and Tecate have used their sister-city relationship to grow closer in recent months, their mayors said, laying the groundwork for further cooperation.

“There have to be strong personal relationships,” said National City Mayor Ron Morrison, saying he has been meeting frequently with Tecate Mayor Donaldo Peñalosa. “We have to break down the walls. A lot of the walls are between people, and it's up to us as leaders to say, 'The walls are going to come down,' ” he said.

woody with a view - 9-13-2008 at 12:08 PM

Quote:

For Baja California, the clogged border crossings have meant fewer U.S. tourists, and that has affected communities such as Rosarito Beach, which is heavily dependent on California visitors. While the North American Free Trade Agreement has been a boost for trade and industry in Baja California, “it has not benefited the tourism industry,” Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres said.


all that decapitation stuff and cartel violence is not having any effect, whatsoever!!!

CaboRon - 9-13-2008 at 05:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody in ob
Quote:

For Baja California, the clogged border crossings have meant fewer U.S. tourists, and that has affected communities such as Rosarito Beach, which is heavily dependent on California visitors. While the North American Free Trade Agreement has been a boost for trade and industry in Baja California, “it has not benefited the tourism industry,” Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres said.


all that decapitation stuff and cartel violence is not having any effect, whatsoever!!!


Crime has nothing to do with it...

It is all about the wait times at the border ....

As long as Mexico tries to hide the truth ....

We will keep hammering on this issue.....

More Denial .... More Lies ....

And on top of that .... really poor customer service :lol::lol:

They just don't get it , do they ????????

CaboRon

DianaT - 9-13-2008 at 06:00 PM

Crime and other things may affect lots of people, but it is the long waits at the border that really affect our decisions.

When we return from Bahia Asuncion, we come back through Tecate---just really prefer it. Five minutes and would rather be driving the extra miles than waiting in that awful line.

But, when we are back in the USA, what keeps us from going to dinner, or shopping in Tijuana or Rosarito is the wait times. We think about it, we talk about it and then decide not to go.

When we lived in Calexico, we went back and forth to Mexicali VERY often---just for dinner, a haircut, some pottery, etc.

So for some of us, what was said in the article rings very true.

Diane

wilderone - 9-15-2008 at 10:30 AM

For starters, the border crossing problem is a federal issue.

"Ensenada Mayor Pablo Alejo Lo'pez Núñez urged better cross-border planning, saying combined efforts could turn the region into the world's third-largest economic region"

It's thinking like this that stymies real problem solving.
What is cross-border planning? What plans to do what? What region? San Ysidro? Chula Vista? San Diego? Tijuana? Ensenada? "Third largest economic region"? Who is first and second and third now? "largest" in what sense? Numbers of people? Land valuation? Business income? What are the specific goals? Is that what is wanted and needed - a large economy? What about low density, urban planning, low crime, clean, educated and adequately paid labor, adequate sewer and clean water and aesthetically pleasing? There are immediate concerns that need to be addressed before any kind of "large economy" can be pursued - once that is defined.
Just nonsensical talk - I'm sure they had a nice lunch though.

Sunds like trouble: "'There have to be strong personal relationships,' said National City Mayor Ron Morrison, saying he has been meeting frequently with Tecate Mayor Donaldo Peñalosa. 'We have to break down the walls. A lot of the walls are between people, and it's up to us as leaders to say, 'The walls are going to come down,' " he said.

There isn't even adequate regular public transportation to the Tecate border. And there are two - count 'em two - US Customs kiosks, which are a result of a multi-million dollar recent renovation. How's that for planning and forward-thinking.

Bureaucracy. A day late and a dollar short. And a dollar misspent.