Gypsy Jan - 8-2-2012 at 01:48 PM
From The San Diego Union Tribune
By Sandra Dibble
SAN DIEGO - "More than halfway through his three-year term, Tijuana Mayor Carlos Bustamante sees challenges ahead for his city of more than 1.6
million residents: increasing tourism, improving the city's image, decreasing congestion at the San Ysidro border.
But he's also been taking heart from the positives: a drop in violent crimes, progress on a transportation plan, and his friendship with San Diego
Mayor Jerry Sanders.
Bustamante on Tuesday met privately with U-T San Diego Publisher Douglas Manchester and Vice Chairman & CEO John Lynch and then sat down for a
question-and-answer session with a U-T reporter.
Q: As a fellow member of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), you supported the candidacy of president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto. What can
he do for Tijuana?
A: Help me with the infrastructure of Tijuana - transportation and rebuilding the streets of the city. When I came, 93 percent of them were destroyed,
and I plan to leave with 60 percent of them fixed.
Q: You have mentioned public transportation as one of the city's biggest challenges. The city is planning two main rapid-transit bus routes that would
be fed by smaller routes. The intitial investment is $120 million for the first 10.5-mile route linking the San Ysidro border with El Florido in
eastern Tijuana. The costs are to be shared by the federal government, the municipal government and the private sector. What can you share with us
about this?
A: Transportation in Tijuana is a chaotic situation, but we are now in agreement with the transportation people (bus and taxi company owners and
unions.) After thirty years, we will have a completely different transportation system. By the time I leave office, we'll have Route One completed.
Q: As owners of Tijuana's 422-rooom Grand Hotel, your family has been directly affected by the drop in tourism to the city from 2008 through 2010. Are
you seeing a turnaround?
A: Tourism is improving. The hotel occupancy rates are 15 points over 2009 and 2010. Weekdays it's domestic, from Mexico City, Guadalajara and
Monterrey, they're coming to do business. (With the growing popularity of the city's Xoloitzcuintles soccer team), you can't imagine how many Mexican
Americans are coming back. A lot of new restaurants are being opened. You see a lot more activity in Tijuana. It's all tied to security, people feel
secure to go out at night, the whole concept has changed.
Q: Your predecessor, Jorge Ramos of President (Felipe) Calderón's National Action Party, was a strong supporter of the military taking a lead role in
fighting drug trafficking groups in the region. Where do you stand on this?
A: The cooperation that we have with the army has been fantastic. The army has been key. We have to continue until we're more comfortable and the
economy improves more.
Q: A top concern of Tijuana's business community has been talk that the Mexican federal government plans to shut down the current southbound lanes
into Mexico at San Ysidro. Mexico's Foreign Relations Ministry has stated that it plans to close these lanes with the opening of the El Chaparral port
of entry later this year, routing vehicles through an interim roadway. The fear is that this approach will create lengthy waits to drive into Mexico.
What can you tell us about this?
A: (Baja) Governor (José Guadalupe) Osuna told me that that President Calderón is not going to shut them down. I have to go with what the governor
says. I don't think it really will be closed. I think it's good if we can have both entrances - Puerta Mexico, and El Chaparral.
Q: You have had a strong relationship with San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. How do you transform this into a working agenda?
A: We talk on the phone a lot, and we get together. San Diego and Tijuana can complement each other on tourism... (Baja California) is going to have
its first convention center (straddling Tijuana and Rosarito Beach) completed in March. We can complement each other by having some people bused down
and use our installations and vice-versa. Tijuana police and San Diego police are very strongly related.
Q: You were born in National City and graduated from University of San Diego. What does San Diego mean to you?
A: I've always been back and forth into San Diego. I think it's the nicest city in the U.S."