Merger Creates Baja’s Real Estate Powerhouse

Ensenada is Emerging as Mexico's Wine & Gourmet Capital

'Vino-Tourism' by Steve Dryden
 
Varivision de Baja California, a cable TV station in Ensenada, Mexico, began filming a unique new series in November featuring the wineries and gourmet culinary establishments in this region. The Grapevine is a promotional adventure show featuring an in-depth investigation into Mexico's wine and food cultures. Cable TV 8 producers decided to add some local flavor for their viewers by creating a bilingual program on wine and food awareness by offering Spanish and English hosts with bilingual subtitles to reach each specific audience, and to build a bridge of understanding between the two cultures.
 
Every show features a different winery matched with a local restaurant, offering the audience an educational insight into wine and food pairing.  The real "stars" of The Grapevine are the winemakers, chefs, and other members of our regional wine and food cultures. Currently showing on Cable TV 8 is part one of the series containing footage of Roganto Winery and El Rey Sol restaurant.
 
Ensenada has been the "Sleeping Beauty of the Pacific" for many years, which makes it a real treasure in the eyes of lucky beholders. Our secret is that we're blessed with near-perfect weather, affordable cost of living, an abundance of fresh produce and seafood with numerous international chefs blending it together into culinary delights of great quality.
 
Due to the proximity of the wine country many local chefs are extremely good at matching premium Mexican wine with gourmet creations. This is the second key element for the new feature show series. During each show the hosts and crew visit a winery, interview winemakers, select a wine that they appreciate, and venture off to a local culinary establishment that carries the wine. The hosts and film crew go behind the scenes into the kitchen (with help from the chef) to bring alive the art form of creating gourmet cuisine while pairing it with premium wine.
 
Varivision Cable TV 8 generously offered local communicators and promoters a stage to perform on with an opportunity to tell the many unique stories about our wine and food cultures. General manager Lorenzo Cardenas Zertuche, business partner D. L. Streets Johnson, and operations manager Keith Cossairt Maillie of Cable Channel 8 are committed to producing shows using local talent harvested from people residing in the neighborhood. They didn't have to look far in their talent search due to the fact that our region is blessed with an abundance of chefs, gourmet culinary establishments and winemakers that are supported by a large number of wine and food lovers. The timing for this feature show is perfect as Ensenada quietly emerges into the wine and food capital of Mexico.
 
The Spanish speaking host of the show is winemaker Veronica Santiago, with English language hosting by wine writer Steve Dryden.
 
Host Veronica Santiago fills the gap with her Spanish dialog and English subtitles, enhanced by her Masters' degree in Enology.  She's currently an assistant winemaker for Vinisterra Winery. In addition, her studies in the artisan wine and food cultures of Australia, Europe, Napa Valley and her native Mexico give her an in-depth view into the dynamics of the international wine and food industries.
 
In June of this year Veronica will host a special production within this series entitled "Wine Country Women of Mexico." In the meantime, she's managing her own vineyard in San Antonio de las Minas, with plans to create artisan wines that reflect the terroir of the family ranch, express the essence of the grapes, and are influenced by the hand of the artist. 
 
One important revelation observed while filming this show is that we've discovered real people (with dedication and passion) are actually shinning stars amongst us. This is the premise and message of the series on Mexican wine and food. You won't find any Hollywood makeup here, just the plain truth of simple living.
 
The emerging Mexican wine industry is unique in that most of the operations here are individually and family owned businesses. In a wine world that is quickly becoming globalized with corporate ownership, we're still small and personal here in Baja California. That fact makes this region special because many winery owners, grape growers and vineyard managers actually depend on the income from their operations to support their families, and they take great pride in what they create.
 
What we get in Mexico are handmade wines from dedicated artisans versus wines that are over-manipulated, mass-produced and mass-marketed. We've proven that wine is not limited to the wealthy, that real people have a right to enjoy drinking and making wine, and we can produce high quality wines on a grassroots level. Winemakers in Mexico have blended old world methods with modern technology, financing this on limited budgets.
 
The Grapevine will feature any winery and culinary establishment in Baja California that wants to be acknowledged on the show. This is an inclusive community service for the regional wine and culinary industries without any fees. Channel 8 allows public access (at no cost) for those who produce interesting content.
 
Despite the fact that we have a limited local audience, we're taking this program around the world via friends, family and networking. Join us in our grassroots effort in telling our story to wine and food lovers everywhere. For interested readers who are not hooked into Varivision Channel 8 in Ensenada, who need information on how to receive copies of the show, or if you want permission to broadcast this show, please contact me directly.  In addition, we are looking for sponsors or advertisers willing to make a minimal investment to help pay for the cost of our productions and to promote this region in a positive manner.

For more infomation, contact Your Baja Connection at www.yourbajaconnection.com

Private hospitals prepare for medical tourism boom, Medicare

The rising cost of health care in the United States is forcing an increasing number of U.S. citizens to turn their sights on Mexico for expert and cost-effective medical attention.

Research done by the Association for Private Hospitals in Jalisco reveals that of the 21.5 million tourists who visited Mexico in 2006, about 160,000 – mostly Americans – came for medical attention.

“We hope to increase medical tourism by seven percent each year, a goal we believe is easily attainable,” says Dr. Dagoberto Garcia Mejia, the association’s president and the director of the Lomas Providencia Hospital in Guadalajara.

The Jalisco state government also sees the benefits from promoting medical tourism and recently announced it would be investing 4.35 million pesos to bring private hospitals up to the standards required for certification by the Joint Commission International (JCI), an institution that accredits hospitals in Canada and the United States.

Although the health sector here is regulated and certified by the Mexican General Health Commission, the task of getting JCI certification for Jalisco’s private hospitals is of prime importance, says Garcia.

“One of the main reasons for pushing for certification is that the North American Free Trade Agreement obligates the Mexican medical system to be on a par with the United States and Canada, allowing for the free flow of patients from border to border and for fair trade, much like in other economic sectors.”

But there is another huge reason for this interest in JCI certification and that is Medicare.

According to Paul Crist, the founder and president of Americans for Medicare for Mexico (AMMAC), a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Medicare coverage to seniors living in Mexico, of the 800,000 American citizens living in Mexico approximately 200,000 are over 60 years old and thus are at or near eligibility for Medicare benefits.

Crist, a former senator’s aide in Washington and now a hotel owner in Puerto Vallarta, says if Medicare is extended to Mexico, the program would only work with health care providers approved by JCI.

He revealed that ten hospitals in Mexico have JCI accreditation but another 23 are seeking approval. Among those already approved are the American British Padre Hospital and the Santa Fe Hospital in Mexico City and the Christus Muguerza Hospital and the Hospital Tec de Monterrey in Monterrey.

All Jalisco’s private hospitals are still seeking JCI accreditation.

The approval of Medicare would greatly benefit hospitals such as Christus Muguerza, a Texas chain that now has seven hospitals under construction across Mexico.

“Christus Muguerza stands to be a big player in the future,” says Crist. “They have the advantage because their headquarters is in Texas, which gives Medicare a bit more confidence in the quality service they are going to provide.”

Interestingly, Crist says Mexican hospital accreditation standards match JCI’s requirements in almost every respect.

“We are now asking that Medicare do their studies to accept Mexican accreditation instead of the JCI accreditation,” he says. “Then there will be plenty of hospitals that can be Medicare providers.”

Since he founded AMMAC last March, Christ has lobbied 85 members of the U.S. Congress and prepared a 34-page proposal in which he outlines the pros of making of extending Medicare to Mexico.

“Medicare is now spending 6,700 dollars per year per beneficiary in the United States. For the same care in Mexico, my estimate is that it will spend only 3,400 dollars, which translates to a very substantial saving.”

In a recent interview with Forbes magazine, David Warner, a professor of health care policy at the University of Texas at Austin and a specialist on Medicare in Mexico, stated that an in-depth pilot project is needed to better understand the economics, determine whether Mexican heath care meets Medicare’s quality  standards and determine if the payment system is sufficiently free of fraud.

According to Forbes, the U.S government is concerned that creating a Mexican medical exemption might be too complicated and costly to implement and would open the door for Americans in other countries.

Crist figures that if Medicare were accepted in Mexico, the 64 percent of American retirees currently flying back to the United States for expensive care would opt for treatment nearer their homes, cutting Medicare overall costs by a minimum of 22 percent.

Though Crist remains positive of Congress’ response to his lobbying efforts, sympathetic legislators have also said that this year they have too much on their plate and that it would be politically wiser to introduce a stand-alone Mexico-Medicare bill next year.

Rosarito-Ensenada Bike Ride To Top 20 Million Mile Mark This Sept. 26

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---Now in its 30^th year the Rosarito-Ensenada 50-Mile Fun Bicycle Ride will surpass 20 million total miles covered with its Sept. 26 event.

About 5,000 riders are expected for the festive scenic ride, much of it along a coastal route from Rosarito to Ensenada, said ride organizer Gary Foster.

During the past 30 years since 1979, the iconic twice-yearly event has been held 52 times and almost 400,000 riders have participated, Foster said.

“This great anniversary edition of the ride will be as festive as years past, both for our many riders and the thousands of people who come to view the event and cheer on the participants,” Foster said.

Added  Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres, whose city hosts the event: “The ride is one of the signature events for Rosarito and this region of Baja. It attracts excellent people and creates a great atmosphere. We’re greatly looking forward to it.”

Participants can register online for $45 through www.BetterSignUp.com, or they can register on the day of the event for $50 at the Rosarito Beach Hotel. More information is available at www.RosaritoEnsenada.com as well as www.rosarito.org

The Rosarito-Ensenada ride has been called the Original Party on Wheels. Revelers in costume roll along, tossing candy to children along the course. Beach cruisers strap boom boxes to their handlebars.  Parents tow children.

Racing teams form pace lines, trying to beat the official record of 1:52:54 set in April of 2007. Other participants just ride for the enjoyment and atmosphere.

Transportation packages from the United States are available, Foster said. Tour companies transport riders’ bicycles at no extra charge, and because the buses return to the United State through the rapid SENTRI lane, cyclists avoid a wait at the border.

Many hotels offer special rates and are participating in the Border Fast Pass program which can cut border waits by half, especially on the weekends, Foster said.

The Finish Line Fiesta is free for participants and spectators, overlooking the Ensenada harbor with panoramic views of the cruise ships at sunset. Live rock-n-roll, jazz and salsa plays into the night while local chefs serve their best.

Massage therapists are available to work out every knot, and there will be a lot
of celebrating with ice cold beer and award-winning wines from Baja’s wine country, Foster said.

Shuttles are available on the event course from the finish line to the start line before and after the event. So if participants stay in Rosarito Beach, they can take the shuttle back to Rosarito after the event.

“The corridor from Rosarito Beach to Ensenada is safe for tourists, and Baja remains a beautiful and affordable destination for travel with friends and family," Foster added.

Foster said that this recent e-mail from a frequent ride participant summed up the spirit of the event: “Thanks for another great experience! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve done this ride since the early 1990’s. All I know is they keep getting better!”

MEDIA CONTACT:              Ron Raposa

                                                ronraposa@hotmail.com

The New Global Economic Reality

Real estate opportunities in Mexico! How to prosper & avoid the coming storm and prolonged economic stagnation in the USA.

First: A reality check on Mexico
Mexico is in a unique position to reap many of the benefits of the decline of the US economy. In order to not violate NAFTA and other agreements the U.S.A. cannot use direct protectionism, so it is content to allow the media to play this protectionist role. The U.S. media – over the last year – has portrayed Mexico as being on the brink of economic collapse and civil war. The Mexican people are either beheaded, kidnapped, poor, corrupt, or narco-traffickers. The American news media was particularly aggressive in the weeks leading up to spring break. The main reason for this is money. During that two-week period, over 120,000 young American citizens poured into Mexico and left behind hundreds of millions of dollars.

Let's look at the reality of the massive drug and corruption problem, kidnappings, murders and money. The U.S. Secretary of State Clinton was clear in her honest assessment of the problem. "Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent the weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians," Clinton said. The other large illegal business that is smuggled into the U.S.A. that no one likes to talk about is Human Traffic for prostitution. This "business" is globally now competing with drugs in terms of profits.

It is critical to understand, however that the horrific violence in Mexico is over 95% confined to the three transshipping cities for these two businesses, Tijuana, Nogales, and Juarez. The Mexican government is so serious about fighting this, that they have committed over 30,000 soldiers to these borders towns. There was a thoughtful article written by a professor at the University of Juarez. He was reminded of the Prohibition years in the U.S.A. and compared Juarez to Chicago when Al Capone was conducting his reign of terror capped off with The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. During these years, just like Juarez today, 99% of the citizens went about their daily lives and attended classes, went to the movies, restaurants, and parks.

Is there corruption in Mexico? YES !!! Is there an equal amount of corruption related to this business in the U.S.A.? YES !!!. When you have a pair of illegal businesses that generate over $300,000,000,000 in sales you will find massive corruption. Make no mistake about the Mexican Drug Cartel; these "businessmen" are 100 times more sophisticated than the bumbling bootleggers during Prohibition. They form profitable alliances all over the U.S.A. They do cost benefit analysis of their business much better than the US automobile industry. They have found over the years that the cost of bribing U.S. and Mexican Border Guards and the transportation costs of moving marijuana from Sinaloa to California have cut significantly into profits. That is why over the past 5-7 years they have been growing marijuana in State and Federal Parks and BLM land all across America. From a business standpoint, this is a tremendous cost savings on several levels. Let's look at California as an example as one of the largest consumers. When you have $14.2 billion of Marijuana grown and consumed in one state, there is savings on transportation, less loss of product due to confiscation and an overall reduction cost of bribery with law enforcement and parks service people. Another great savings is the benefit to their employees. The penalties in Mexico for growing range from 5-15 years. The penalties in California, on average are 18 months, and out in 8 months. The same economic principles are now being applied to the methamphetamine factories.

FOX News continues to scare people with its focus on kidnapping. There are kidnappings in Mexico. The concentration of kidnappings has been in Mexico City, among the very rich and the three aforementioned border Cities. With the exception of Mexico City, the number one city for kidnappings among NAFTA countries is Phoenix, Arizona with over 359 in 2008. The Phoenix Police estimate that twice that number of kidnappings goes unreported, because like Mexico 99% of these crimes were directly related to drug and human traffic. Phoenix, unfortunately, is geographically profitable transshipping location. Mexicans, just like 99% of U.S. Citizens during prohibition, go about their daily lives all over the country. They get up, go to school or work and live their lives untouched by the border town violence.

These same protectionist news sources have misled the public as to the real danger from the swine flu in Mexico and temporary devastated the tourism business. As of May 27 2009 there have been 87 deaths in Mexico from the swine flu. During those same five months there have been 36 murdered school children in Chicago. By their logic, if 87 deaths from the swine flu in Mexico warrants canceling flights and cruise ships to Mexico, then close all roads and highways in the USA because of record 43,359 automobile related deaths in the USA in 2008.

What is just getting underway is what many are calling the "Largest southern migration to Mexico of people and real estate assets since the Civil War" A significant percentage of the Baby Boomers have been doing the research and are making the life changing decision to move out of the U.S.A. The number one retirement destination in the world is Mexico. There are already over 2,000,000 US and Canadian property owners in Mexico. The most conservative number of American and Canadian Baby Boomers who are on their way to owning property in Mexico for full or part time living in the next 15 years is over 6,000,000. Do the math on 6,000,000 people buying a $300,000 house or condo and you will understand why the U.S. Government is trying to tax this massive shift of money to Mexico through H.R. 3056. The U.S. government calls this "The Tax Collection Responsibility Act of 2007". Those who will have to pay it are calling this the EXIT TAX.

Mexico: A better economic choice than China
Another large exodus from the U.S.A is high paying skilled jobs. The job shift in automobile sector, both car and parts manufacturing, is already known by most investors. In the last few months as John Deere and Caterpillar have been laying off thousands of workers in the U.S.A., and hiring equal numbers in Mexico. The most recent industry that is making the shift is the aerospace manufacturers. In the city of Zacatecas there is currently a $210 million aerospace facility being built. With the 11 U.S. companies moving there, it is estimated to provide over 200,000 new high paying jobs in the coming years. One of the main factors for the shift in job south to Mexico instead of China is realistic analysis of total production, labor and delivery costs. While the labor costs in China are 40% less on average, the overall transportation costs and inherent risks of a long distance supply chain, and quality control issues, gives Mexico a distinct financial advantage.
Mexico's real economic future

Mexico has avoided completely the subprime problem that has devastated the U.S. banking industry. The Mexican banks are healthy and profitable. Mexico has a growing and very healthy middle and upper middle class. The very recent introduction of residential financing has Mexico in a unique position of having over 90% of current homeowners owning their house outright. U.S. banks are competing for the Mexican, Canadian and American cross border loan business. It is and will continue to be a very safe and very profitable business. These same banks that were loaning in a reckless manner have learned their lesson and are loaning here the old fashioned way. They require a minimum of a 680 credit score, 30% down payment, and verifiable income that can support the loan. In most areas of Mexico where Baby Boomers are moving to, with the exception of Puerto Penasco (which did not have a national and international base of buyers), there is no real estate bubble. The higher end markets ($2-20 million) in many of these destinations are going through a modest correction. The Baby Boomers market here is between $200,000 and $600,000. With the continuing demand, that price point, in the coming years, will disappear.

The other major area where America has become overpriced is in the field of health care. This massive shift of revenues is estimated to add 5-7% to Mexico's GDP. The name for this "business" is Medical Tourism. The two biggest competitors for Mexico were Thailand and India. Thailand and India's biggest drawback is geography. Also recent events, Thailand's inability to keep a government in place and the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai, have helped Mexico capture close to half of this growth industry. In Mexico today there are over 56 world class hospitals being built to keep up with this business.

Mexico is currently sitting on a cash surplus and an almost balanced budget. Most Americans have never heard of Carlos Slim until he loaned the New York Times $250 million. After that it became clear to many investors around the world what Mexicans already knew: that Mexico had been able to avoid the worst of the U.S. economic devastation. Mexico's resilience is to be admired. When the U.S. Federal Reserve granted a $30 billion loan to each of the following countries Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, and Brazil, Mexico reinvested the money in Treasury bonds in an account in New York City.

According to oil traders, Mexico's Pemex wisely as the price of oil shot to $147 a barrel put in place an investment strategy that hinged on oil trading in the range of $38-$60 a barrel. Since the beginning of 2009 Mexico has been collecting revenues on hedged positions that give them $90-$110 per barrel today. Mexico's recent and under reported oil discovery in the Palaeo Channels of Chicontepec has placed it third in the world for oil reserves, right behind Canada and Saudi Arabia.

The following is a quote from Rosalind Wilson, President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce on March 19, 2009. "The strength of the Mexican economic system makes the country a favorite destination for Canadian investment".

Mexico, with the world's 13th largest GDP, is no longer a "Third World Country", but rather a fast growing, economically secure state, as the most recent five-year history of its financial markets when compared to the U.S.A.'s financial markets suggests.

Impact of U.S. Media in Mexico without context and insufficient analysis

Quick Escape: Savor a perfect weekend in Ensenada

Buried under the rubble of home improvement projects and work deadlines, my husband John and I needed a break, a quick getaway that would refresh and replenish us.

Searching for sun and sea, relaxation and a little stimulation, we decided to head to Ensenada.

Our late Friday morning 90-minute drive was a breeze. The ocean sparkled beside us all the way, an enticing fusion of azure blue and seafoam green.  Breathtaking vistas beckon around every bend, from bucolic scenes of cattle grazing on a hillside to dramatic, craggy cliffs reminiscent of Big Sur.

We stopped at km 84 on the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road, a viewing spot that some call El Mirador (the observation point), though it isn’t actually labeled as such. A cluster of cheerful, sherbet-toned concrete structures, all angles and curves, highlight a magnificent view of the coastline and the uninhabited Todos Santos Island 12 miles offshore.

Continuing on to Km 103, we arrived at a shimmering oasis amid a lineup of industrial-looking buildings.

Casa Natalie

Casa Natalie, in the El Sauzal area just outside Ensenada, is excellently situated between town and the Ruta de Vino (Wine Route) of the Guadalupe Valley.

When owner Marco Novelo says “Mi casa es su casa,” he isn’t kidding. With the help of San Diego architect Perry Jacobs, he converted his private oceanfront home, named for his 16-year-old daughter, Natalia, into an intimate luxury boutique hotel.

The inn opened in  February, 2006.  Currently there are seven suites; the plan is for a grand total of 16.

“I see a lot of stress in life,” says Marco, whose family has been in the hotel business since 1941. “People need to slow down, have a place to relax and not worry about anything. We’re offering top service. I want you to feel at home, like you’re at a friend’s house.”

We got just that kind of warm, jovial welcome from chef Luis Carvajal, an expansive man, quick to laugh, happy to cook and dying to know what guests think of his creations.

His food is wonderful and obviously prepared with love. Forget your diet; no unadorned fare here, though the complex sauces never overpower the dish. Don’t miss his mango shrimp, avocado omelette and filet mignon with pistachio sauce. The table settings are vibrantly colored, and the immaculate wood kitchen is in plain view; one could probably hop in and help Luis chop.

Every suite is spacious, with a comfortable four-poster bed.

Myrna’s classy touch

Extraordinary care has gone into every design detail. Marco’s wife, Myrna, an interior designer, chooses each item, and she has impeccable taste. The floors are travertine, the walls dimensional, textured concrete or cantera stone.

In every suite, there are four-poster Heavenly beds, romantically draped with diaphanous white curtains. Each room has a different look, with wood furnishings, beautiful decorative objets, stunning vessel sinks and contemporary bath fixtures. It’s a lovely combination of modern and organic, all done in soothing earthtones. Only the striking, woven-rope Indonesian chairs are not created by Mexican artisans.

Each room is named for an indigenous plant; ours was Cactus. It’s a standard room; all the others are suites. (Sandra Bullock favors the Presidential Suite.)

Ours was the smallest room, but its view was spectacular, and we had our own table, chairs and umbrella on the grass just outside the door.

The infinity pool stretched to forever...

The infinity pool was steps away, and when we sat in the water, the edge of the pool met the horizon; it looked as if we could swim to the end of the world.  Instead, we lounged on the double-sized outdoor beds, packed with pillows and draped with gauzy curtains. Deliciously decadent.

Casa Natalie is designed for privacy, serenity, and adults only. (Families might try Marco’s other venue, Las Rosas, less than a mile down the road. The inviting pink-and-green inn has 48 rooms and two infinity pools.  And don’t miss the Sunday brunch there; it’s diverse and delicious.)

Start at the spa

We started our stay at Casa Natalie with spa treatments. We couldn’t get the advertised simultaneous ‘Massage Duet,’ since there was only one (on-call) masseuse available. Still, our massages were excellent, as was my caviar facial, a yummy experience — but the first time I’ve ever had a mask that covered my eyes and mouth; I felt mummified as it hardened.

Marco plans to expand the spa, adding a sauna, steam room and gym. “I’m taking it slow,” he says. “This is my dream, and I want to get it right.”

Guadalupe Valley

Eventually, we tore ourselves away from luxuriating - and ventured out to the Baja wine country.

Armed with maps, we got on the scenic Ensenada-Tecate Road (#3), but had a heckuva time finding various vineyards, most   inadequately marked.

L.A. Cetto Winery was easy to find. It’s one of the largest producers in the area a half-million cases a year). After an informative 20-minute tour and explanation of the wine-making, our handsome, articulate guide, Gilberto, took us to the tasting room.

We were delighted when he brought out the reserve, a Viognier called Don Luis Cetto, with its light, fresh taste, both fruity and dry, which he described as “chispitas … small sparks. When I drink it, there’s a tingling in my palate.”

L.A. Cetto’s 2004 Petite Syrah and 2001 Private Reserve Chardonnay have received international awards.

A wine critic from L.A. told me that when she first visited Ensenada in 2005, there were 15 wineries; now there are 27. Baja wines are competing with the best of the best worldwide. No trip to Ensenada would be complete without a vineyard visit.

Every August, the valley celebrates its annual Fiestas de la Vendimia. Savvy travelers know to book accommodations well in advance for the 17-day festival.

Downtown Ensenada

Our forays into downtown Ensenada focused on shopping and eating. We love Manzanilla, an informal place where the food is fresh, surprising and brilliantly paired with wine.

We searched out the un-advertised seisveintitres (623), owned by well-known vintner Hugo D’Acosta of Casa de Piedra Winery. It apparently doesn’t need the advertising; the place was booked solid. The chichi nouvelle Mexican food was variable, the service extremely attentive, the ambiance fantastic: high-tech, high-end, sleek, modern and minimalist.

One of my favorite Ensenada discoveries is a mega-talented young jewelry-maker, Cristina Rendón Calabú, who twists treated copper wire in exciting three-dimensional shapes, creating outrageous, awe-inspiring designs. I was thrilled to find her creations at Spirit Gallery on Lopez Mateos.

Equally unique, Galeria de Pérez Meillón displays magnificent earthenware by indigenous artists, including the Pai-Pai and Kumiai Indians of Baja, and the incredibly intricate Mata Ortiz pottery of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Stuffed, sated, stocked up and stress-free, we made our way home, already planning our next Baja breakout.

IF YOU GO

Know before you go: New rules that went into effect in June require U.S. citizens returning from Mexico to present either a U.S. Passport or a U.S. Passport Card – a new, limited-use travel document that fits in your wallet and costs less than a U.S. Passport. It is only valid for travel by land and sea.  Some states (not California) offer an “Enhanced Driver’s License “(EDL), which is specifically designed for cross-border travel into the U.S. by land or sea.  Learn how to get a passport in San Diego.

Staying there: Casa Natalie, km 103 on the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road. Rooms for two range from $180 to $380, including continental breakfast and a welcome cocktail.  (Prices seem fluid, so visitors might try negotiating.) 888-562-8254; www.casanatalie.com. Spa treatments range from $30 (manicure) to $170 (duet massage).

Las Rosas, Km. 105 on the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road. 48 rooms, from  for two start at $112 weekdays Setptember through June and go to $446 for the w0-bedroom penthouse suite in summer. 866-447-6727; www.lasrosas.com

Guadalupe Valley : Adobe Guadalupe, 6 rooms,  winery/B&B. Rooms for two run $168, plus tax per night, including breakfast. Dinner, with wines, costs $70 per person.  www.adobeguadalupe.com
La Villa del Valle, 6 rooms. Rooms for two, including breakfast,  run $175 per night weekdays, $195 on weekends. www.lavilladelvalle.com

Wineries: L.A. Cetto Winery, free wine tasting and tours, 10am-4pm daily. At Km. 73.5 in the Guadalupe Valley (Highway 3).  011-52-646-155-2264.
The 2009 Guadalupe Valley Wine Festival,  La Fiestas de la Vendimia, is set for Aug. 7-23. 011-52-646-178-30-38

Playing there: La Bufadora, one of the world’s three natural sea blowholes; newly renovated with gardens and observation decks; 22 miles south of Ensenada.
Rosarito Beach Pro Surf competition, August 7-9, 2009, outside the Rosarito Hotel.

Dining there: Manzanilla - 122 Riveroll in downtown Ensenada; exceptional cuisine paired with excellent wines; 011-52-646-175 7073.

Seisveintitreis (623) at 623Moctezuma in Ensenada; sleek design, interesting food, wonderful wine shop; 011-52-646-156-5030

Shopping there: Art & Stuff, next to Casa Natalie, km. 103, coast hwy.; modern and primitive Mexican folk/decorator art. 011-52-646-175-8859.

Galeria de Pérez Meillón, at the Centro Artesanal, Costero & Castillo Aves., Ensenada. Native Baja Indian crafts/pottery. 011-52-646-175-7848; adalbertopm@hotmail.com

Spirit Gallery, 871 Lopez Mateos; international items, including Baja jewelry-maker Cristina Rendón Calabú; 011-52-646-178-8492

The Baja Tequila Dance Project!

A few years back, Baja was booming with popularity.

You could hardly get a room at most hotels on a weekend unless you made reservations months in advance.  The restaurants and taverns were full, and people were flocking to Baja in droves to retire and live the rest of their lives in Mexican bliss.  Then the U.S. economy went belly up and things started to change pretty fast.  The U.S. corporate media began sensationalizing stories about drug violence in Baja and how “dangerous” it was to come here.  Before we knew it, our popular paradise by the Pacific, which is largely dependent on tourism, began to fall into what the local Mexicans call “La Crisis”.  It´s been a rough year for Baja.  Many businesses that did not have a strong local clientele didn´t survive and we lost so many of our beloved restaurants, hotels and shops, putting thousands of people out of work. 

Last March, things were just beginning to improve.  The media let up on their negative reporting about the drug violence, and there were signs that life was beginning to return to the peninsula with the  arrival of warmer weather. But then, news broke about the dreaded Swine Flu outbreak and Baja was once again plunged into an economic crisis like none it had ever seen before.  We´ve been absolutely devastated by all the negative press generated by the U.S. corporate media. 

Those of us who live here kept scratching our heads when we looked around our beatiful Baja paradise, we didn't see the so called violence or even any swineflu cases, yet our families and friends refused to visit us and countless vacations were cancelled.

 I Began to think of how we could possibly combat all the negative media about Baja. 

Then somebody sent a link to a video on YouTube, a commercial for T-Mobile that gave me a terrific idea (Watch the video here). The commercial had hundreds of people in a popular Lindon train station, sudenly they break out into a choreographed dance that dazzled and amazed unsuspecting bystanders. This video quickly went "viral" and before long, everyone was talking about it, millions of people had seen it.

I thought, what if we did something like that here in Baja?  It doesn´t have to be as grand or elaborate as the T-Mobile commercial, but there´s no reason why we can´t get a bunch of people together, teach them all a little line dancet o a popular song and put it up on Youtube for everyone to see.  How do we combat the corporate media´s coverage of Baja – with a little non-corporate media of our own!

I talked to a few neighbors and friends, secured their support for creating a Baja promo video inspired by the T-Mobil dance (as it is now known), and the Baja Tequila Project was born.

The project is not meant to be a political protest or demonstration against anything.  It is merely a way to present a positive and fun image of Baja to the public that will hopefully inspire people to return to our community and help improve our damaged economy.

The video will be free to the public on YouTube, so people can share it with friends, even post it on their websites if they want. all participants are volunteers - no one! is making any money off the video (not counting offcourse the local businesses who will benefit from Baja's increased popularity). Watch the Baja Tequila Dance video here. 

Wouldn´t be great if the Baja Tequila Dance was to become widely known around the world and people came to see the birthplace of such a sensational phenomenon?

If nothing else, it will be totally fun and a great way to do something positive and maybe even lose a few pounds in the process.

Taking a vacation in a high crime city! No way.

By Patrick Osio

You’re planning a vacation trip; you want to stay relatively close to home, no overseas travel, not this year. Maybe Mexico or in the U.S. – but it has to be affordable and with plenty to do. So you’re reading about some cities. You find one of interest, but on reading other information lo and behold you find that the chances of becoming a crime victim in that city are 1 out of 4 – a whopping 25% chance of being a crime victim. That ended that city as a destination.

You select another city, it sounds interesting, but now you also want to check up on how safe it is. Oh my gosh, you read that the chances of being a crime victim are also 1 out of 4. Scratch that one too. You go to the next city of interest, this one has great beaches, from good to excellent sea food restaurants, but before you book rooms, you check the safety. This one is better but still the chances of being a crime victim are 1 out of 5 – a 20% chance. What the heck is going on? Scratch that city.

Now you start checking other cities but begin with the safety factor first – you find that some are 1 out of 7, or 1 out of 8, or 1 out of 9, or 1 out of 10 – one out of ten people that’s 10% of people being victims of crime in that city – that is scary you think and decide maybe you and your family should stay home. The cities checked before giving up are Chicago, Cincinnati, Miami, Jacksonville, Baltimore, Kansas City, Memphis, Dallas, Richmond, St. Louis, Little Rock, Philadelphia, Tampa, New York, Orlando, Cleveland, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Detroit – you had no idea that the chances of being a victim of crime in those cities was that high. What an eye opener. But is it really an eye opener or are those cities “guilty by association”? All the mentioned cities are great places with much history and plentiful things to do and enjoy.

The high crime rates are true, but within certain, but not all in fact few, neighborhoods in each of those cities. The odds for being a victim of crime in those neighborhoods fall on the neighborhood residents not the tourists who visit the city and don’t travel into those affected neighborhoods. New Orleans and Miami, as examples, were suffering from a drop of tourism due to high crime reports leading city officials in New Orleans to explain that the French Quarter where tourists congregate and spend their visiting time are very safe provided they are not involved in criminal activity.

All cities mentioned are victims of generalization that the media portrayed and people believe that the entire city is not safe due to some neighborhoods having high crime rates. Similarly, Baja California has been victimized by an unknowing, some would say insensitive, press that Tijuana, with a population nearing 2 million, covering over 400 square miles with dozens of neighborhoods, has neighborhoods with high crime rates wherein the drug cartels are entrenched, but it does not affect the entire city.

Where tourism congregates is relatively free of crime, and other than petty thefts, most other crimes against tourists are negligible in proportion to the number of visitors. The press reports high profile gang wars, and law enforcement shoot out encounters with drug cartel members as though it is the entire city by not identifying affected neighborhoods or even the size of the city where these confrontations take place.

Like the French Quarter of New Orleans the Tijuana sections wherein visitors congregate are as safe as the French Quarter. It is unfair to generalize about the entire city of New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Dallas and all the others due to high crime in some of their neighborhoods, it is also unfair to generalize about Tijuana.

It is an even greater injustice that in generalizing about Tijuana the nearby municipalities of Rosarito Beach, covering close to 200 square miles, and Ensenada, a giant at over 20,000 square miles of territory, are drawn into the same generalization as Tijuana because travelers are under the impression that to reach them they have to cross Tijuana – not true, but the US press has never corrected the perception. Going to Ensenada from the US-Mexico border one takes a highway that skirts around Tijuana to a very safe toll scenic highway to both Rosarito Beach and Ensenada. Like in Los Angeles, using a freeway that crosses Watts (350% greater homicide rate than rest of L.A.) on the way to Disneyland.

These types of generalizations hurt everybody – the potential visitor to a great city in the US or Baja California because they miss out on a great experience; the city who loses the income that is spent by tourists that create employment and better life for residents; and by workers whose livelihood depends on visitor’s expenditures.

A report says the U.S. failure to curb smuggling has strengthened drug cartels

By Josh Meyer
Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Washington -- June 17, 2009 -- The United States lacks a coordinated strategy to stem the flow of weapons smuggled across its southern border, a failure that has fueled the rise of powerful criminal cartels and violence in Mexico, a government watchdog agency report has found.

The report by the congressional Government Accountability Office, the first federal assessment of the issue, offered blistering conclusions that will probably influence the debate over the role of U.S.-made weaponry as violence threatens to spill across the Mexico border.

According to a draft copy of the report, which will be released today, the growing number of weapons being smuggled into Mexico comprise more than 90% of the seized firearms that can be traced by authorities there.

The document also cited recent U.S. intelligence indicating that most weapons were being smuggled in specifically for the syndicates -- and being used not only against the Mexican government but also to expand their drug trafficking operation in the United States.

"The U.S. government lacks a strategy to address arms trafficking to Mexico," the report said in blunt terms. "Individual U.S. agencies have undertaken a variety of activities and projects to combat arms trafficking to Mexico, but they are not part of a comprehensive U.S. government-wide strategy for addressing the problem."

Obama administration officials said that, although they could not comment on the report before it was released, they have taken steps to reduce the flow of weapons, long a source of frustration to Mexican authorities.

This month, for instance, the administration announced a Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy that included a section on arms trafficking.

The GAO report's authors, however, said that strategy and similar Obama administration efforts were in the early stages and unlikely to significantly improve the situation quickly. They also said the Merida Initiative -- $1.4 billion in initial aid allotted under the George W. Bush administration -- had provided no dedicated funding to address the issue of weapons trafficking.

In the meantime, illegally obtained U.S. weapons -- including an increasing number of automatic rifles -- are being used to kill thousands of Mexican police, soldiers, elected officials and civilians, the report said.

Jess T. Ford, the GAO's director of international affairs and trade, is scheduled to deliver testimony on the findings at a House hearing today.

Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere that is holding today's hearing, said he was troubled by the findings.

"It is simply unacceptable that the United States not only consumes the majority of the drugs flowing from Mexico but also arms the very cartels that contribute to the daily violence that is devastating Mexico," said Engel, who requested the report.

The GAO singled out the two agencies primarily responsible for combating weapons trafficking for criticism -- the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The auditors said those agencies had not effectively coordinated their efforts, in part because they lacked clear roles and responsibilities and had been operating under an outdated interagency agreement. As a result, the agencies duplicated one another's initiatives, leading to confusion.

They also lack the kind of systematic analysis and reporting of weapons trafficking data -- such as how many firearms they have seized that were destined for Mexico -- that would allow authorities to better investigate and prosecute cases.

In response, Justice Department and Homeland Security officials acknowledged that they were working to address some shortcomings the GAO identified.

ATF Assistant Director W. Larry Ford said that his agency and ICE were working to complete a memorandum of understanding "to maximize our joint effectiveness to combat violent crime along the Southwest border."

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said interagency cooperation "has been a priority of mine since I became secretary."

"Any agreement between ICE and DEA will increase our ability to secure the border, curtail drug trafficking and make our country safer," Napolitano said in a statement. "I am very optimistic that we will reach an agreement soon."

But the GAO criticisms go beyond operational concerns. Some findings cited laws and policies in the U.S. and Mexico that could make it difficult to institute lasting reforms such as lax U.S. laws for collecting and reporting information on firearms purchases, and a lack of required background checks for private firearms sales.

Moreover, they said, the United States was not doing enough to help Mexico with fighting weapons trafficking and related corruption on its side of the border.

The two countries have not established a bilateral, multiagency arms-trafficking task force, and Mexico has not fully implemented the ATF's electronic firearms tracing system -- "an important tool for U.S. arms trafficking investigations in the United States," Jess Ford planned to say in his testimony, according to the report.

Another significant challenge, according to Ford, was corruption within the Mexican government.

"Despite President [Felipe] Calderon's efforts to combat organized crime," Ford will say, "extensive corruption at the federal, state and local levels of Mexican law enforcement impedes U.S. efforts to develop effective and dependable partnerships with Mexican government entities in combating arms trafficking."

Be neighborly, go to Mexico

There are several goodreasons Americans should help out the Mexican economy with a trip south of theborder.

By Andrés Martinez - Los Angeles Times
June 9, 2009

Your neighbor needs your help. Do you have it within you to lend ahand? Will you book yourself a week on the beach in Cabo or Puerto Vallarta, orexplore Mexico City or one of the colonial cities in the heart of Mexico? Youknow, for the common good. 

This has been a banner decade for empathy tourism -- many Americans flocking toNew York after 9/11 and to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did so with asense of public service. Mexico now needs a similar surge.
Our neighbor to the south is having an annus horribilis, as a Britishmonarch might say. These were never going to be good times down there, withMexico's economy so intertwined with ours, but growing concern aboutwar-on-drugs violence, the decline in oil prices and the advent of swine fluhas further dented "brand Mexico." Adding insult to injury,Washington earlier barred Mexican trucks from coming into the United States, aflagrant violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and, as of lastweek, Americans crossing over to Mexico were required to have a passport toreenter the country, a change expected to deepen the slump in border townsfrequented by Americans.

The tourism sector is the largest employer in Mexico and the third-largestsource of foreign currency for the trillion-dollar economy, after oil exportsand remittances sent home by Mexicans working in the U.S. It is estimated thatthe swine flu alone will cost the country about $5 billion in tourist revenue(and bear in mind that travel to Mexico was already down significantly as aresult of the U.S. recession). Hotel occupancy rates in Cancun in May didn'teven reach the 30% mark. The all-clear has been sounded on the virus, but noone knows for sure how long-lasting the impact on tourism will be. Mexico'sgross domestic product, meanwhile, is expected to contract about 12% in thesecond quarter of this year.

Why should Americans care? Well, for starters, there is the national securityimperative. Say what you will about Mexico, and there is plenty negative to besaid, our southern neighbor has been a fairly reliable, stable and friendlypartner for more than half a century, and it is in our interest to keep it thatway. Our nation's political discourse may not always reflect our goodgeographic fortune, which we take for granted, but the United States is blessedto have Canada and Mexico as neighbors. Is there another developing nation ofmore than 100 million people we'd rather have on our southern flank? Putdifferently, how many other global powers in history have had the luxury of along land border that doesn't need to be protected by a large standing army?

Suddenly this year, thePentagon and many pundits on the right have been raising the specter of apotential "failed state" on our border, the result of the lawlessnessbred by powerful drug cartels. The rhetoric is a bit overheated, thecomparisons to Pakistan misplaced, but the concern about what is happening inMexico, our third-largest trading partner, is laudable. We have a strong nationalinterest in seeing Mexico remain a peaceful, ever-prospering democracy.

The importance of Mexico to the United States is a truth not often voiced, butoccasionally acknowledged by deed. Mexico traditionally ranks somewhere betweenJordan and Argentina on the foreign policy establishment's list of priorities.The amount of resources devoted to cross-border development or mutual securityis pitiful (even in the aftermath of the anti-drug initiative known as theMerida plan), compared with development or military aid distributed elsewhere,not to mention compared with regional development transfers within the Europeansingle market.

But a far more robust commitment to Mexico does assert itself when required, aswe saw during the 1990s, when the Clinton White House, bypassing Congress, madeabout $20 billion in Treasury reserve funds available to Mexico during thatcountry's last financial crisis. And this year too, Mexico is proving itself tobe, not unlike AIG or Citigroup, too large to fail from Washington'sperspective, as the Federal Reserve has made available to Mexico a $30-billioncurrency swap facility, which gives that nation's central bank privilegedaccess to credit from the Fed in order to stabilize the value of the peso.

It would improve the overall health of the relationship, and our ability tothink strategically about Mexico's (and hence regional) development ifpresidents were more transparent about the country's true stake in Mexico(sorry, Jordan), rather than make such commitments on the sly.

The fact that the United States bears some responsibility for Mexico's currentwoes is another reason to invest in our neighbor's stability and prosperity.

Unlike previous financial crises that have roiled Mexico, this one can't bepinned on its macroeconomic sins. If in the mid-1990s it was fashionable totalk about the "tequila effect" to describe the global financialcontagion spreading from emerging markets, this crisis is more like a"Budweiser effect," in that it was Uncle Sam's reckless insistence onliving beyond his means that caused the mess. Washington, irresponsiblyover-leveraged to support an unsustainable standard of living, failed topractice what it preached over the last decade, to abide by the so-called, um,Washington consensus on economic policy.

Mexico, for its part, has enacted prudent fiscal policies, shored up itsforeign reserves and remained a faithful adherent to the free-trade gospel,continuing to open its economy to foreign goods and investment. The nation hasalso become a great deal more democratic in the last decade. Still, despitedoing all the "right" things according to the Washington consensus,Mexico's economy (and currency) has been harder hit by the WallStreet-triggered crisis than the United States'. No one said life was fair.

Americans also share some of the responsibility for the mayhem unleashed by theshowdown between the Mexican state and its rapacious drug cartels, as bothSecretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and President Obama were right to pointout in recent months. Drug users in this country are underwriting the war inMexico -- and that war is being waged largely with guns brought in from thiscountry.

The United States is not about to criminalize guns and legalize drugs to helpout Mexico. But you can do your part to help out a good neighbor -- book a tripsouth. Pronto.

Andrés Martinez is asenior fellow at the New America Foundation.

Recession's Grip May Be Weakening

NEW PHONE LINE TO REPORT CRIME IN BAJA FROM THE US

Residents fromthe United States now have a toll free number to complaint against common andorganized crime within the Mexican territory.

The number1-866-201-5060 is for residents of California and the rest of the UnitedStates, who can provide the authorities in Baja California, in an anonymousway, information about organized crime and common crime located in Mexico.

 Daniel de la RosaAnaya, Secretary of Public Security in Baja California and Mexican ConsulRemedios Gomez Arnau, presented  the new toll free phone service1-866-201-5060 at the Mexican Consulate in San Diego; which can be used toexpose criminals located in Mexico or to report if they have been the victim ofa crime when transiting through Baja or while living here.

De la Rosaexplained that when a caller dials 1-866-201-5060, the call comes into theprogram 089, operated by the state government of Baja California,  specializingin bilingual telephone operators who immediatelytransfer the complaint to Mexican authorities for their attention. The serviceis 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

The program isconfigured to block phone numbers from which the calls are made, they are notrecorded and the telephone operators may not ask the complainant's personaldata.

This service willbe introduced in coming days in the consulates of Mexico located in Calexico,California and Yuma, Arizona, to spread mostly among the Hispanic community inthese cities and their surrounding regions. 

Note that the anonymous reporting service via toll-free number 1-866-201-5060is available for use from any phone located on the mainland and islands of theUnited States, including Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska.

Clearing a Path for Development at the U.S.-Mexico Border

California and Baja are Merging to Become Cali-Baja!! This is amust read article by the N.Y. Times If you are planning on doing business inBaja. See why Baja is going to become a "Global Powerhouse for CommercialGrowth"

TIJUANA, Mexico — On a recent weekday morning, Mexican soldiers carrying automatic weapons stood in a thin line along a vehicle checkpoint at the busy border crossing from this Baja California city into Otay Mesa, Calif.

Enlarge This Image

The New York Times

A new border crossing in Otay Mesa would speed truck traffic.

While the military presence partly reflects the highly publicized drug violence in Tijuana and other Mexican border cities, it is commerce and the development of commercial real estate that has become a chief focus for business interests in the southernmost area of California.

In the last year, economic development officials and local elected leaders in San Diego County, Baja cities in Mexico and the sprawling Imperial Valley about 90 miles to the east have used a grant of $220,000 of government and private seed money for an initiative aimed at turning this area into a global powerhouse for commercial growth.

The idea is that a concerted effort will produce more manufacturing in Mexico, more research and development in San Diego and more alternative energy in Imperial County.

The area is formally known as the Cali Baja Bi-National Mega-Region, covering roughly 27,000 square miles. Late last month, Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego, Mayor Jorge Ramos of Tijuana and economic development leaders from both sides of the border announced a marketing effort that, so far, is aiming to attract companies from China and the Pacific Rim.

Central to the effort is a planned new border crossing, which may be completed as early as 2012, about two miles from the current Otay Mesa port of entry. To be known as Otay Mesa East, it is expected to become the most technologically advanced crossing in the region, with waits for commercial truck traffic of 20 minutes or less, compared with the current three or four hours.

Christina Luhn, director of the Cali Baja initiative for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, was at the border recently to meet representatives of KyoceraMexicana in Tijuana, a unit of the Japanese company Kyocera, which manufactures solar panels and other clean-tech products that are shipped into the United States through Otay Mesa.

Dr. Luhn says she is hopeful that new cooperation between Mexico and the United States under the Obama administration will help to bring the drug cartels to heel and ease the task of convincing global companies that the region is right for them as a gateway to United States markets. “I tend to be more optimistic about this than I was even six months ago,” Dr. Luhn said.

John V. Bragg, vice president of Kearny Real Estate in the city of Otay Mesa, is also hopeful that development will help address problems that include an aging industrial base, the underuse of strategically located land, and environmental challenges.

His optimism is more than theoretical, he said. His company recently purchased 311 acres of land in the United States near where the new Otay Mesa East crossing is expected to be built.

Besides constructing the new crossing, which is now the subject of environmental impact studies, the California transportation department is preparing to build state highways to accommodate increased truck freight, Mr. Bragg noted.

That will give rise, he said, to the construction of several million square feet of warehousing and distribution facilities to handle goods made with low-cost labor in Mexico. In turn, retail stores and hotels are expected to be built nearby, as happened near the current Otay Mesa crossing.

“What we want to see now, as a developer and land owner, is infrastructure so that people can move better,” Mr. Bragg said. “We want to see the two countries get together to improve the border crossing and to build then whatever is appropriate.” He added that Kearny hoped to build two million to three million square feet of logistics-related facilities on its newly acquired property.

Mr. Bragg conceded that vacancy rates for existing warehouses in Otay Mesa were 17 to 20 percent, but he said that occupancy would increase as the transportation services are improved and more modern technology was introduced.

Ninety minutes to the east, just over the border from Calexico, Calif., at Mexicali, the capital of Baja California, infrastructure is already in place for the new 10,000-acre Silicon Border Science Park. Silicon Border announced last year that Q-Cells of Germany, a leading maker of solar panels, would build a new manufacturing facility there.

Mike Oliver, executive vice president for business development at Silicon Border, said Phase 1 infrastructure like roads, sewers, water treatment and recycling, lighting and fiber optic cables had been completed, with “tens of millions in initial financing from ING Clarion,” a division of ING, the Dutch bank. “By the time we are finished, we will have had investment of hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said. “We have room for about two dozen Q-Cells type facilities.”

Other new commercial developments are also on the drawing board in Calexico, said Danny Fitzgerald, director of the city’s enterprise zone. Projects under way include Calexico Mega Park, a 157-acre mixed-use retail, business and residential development by Westmount Properties; Calexico 111 Center, with more than 65 acres of commercial and 58 acres of industrial development; and Los Legos, some 500 acres that will include residential and commercial components.

Tim Kelley, president of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, said cooperative work between his organization, the San Diego County Economic Development Corporation and the city of Mexicali on the Silicon Border development helped the Cali Baja initiative.

Since then, the concept of Imperial Valley as a haven for alternative energy — solar collection, wind energy farms, geothermal heating and biofuels from algae — has taken off.

Despite the economy, Mr. Kelley said, “we’re getting more expressions of interest than we have ever gotten before. The phone is ringing constantly.”

Rethinking Baja tourism

By VinceVasquez ,

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

This past Saturday, downtown San Diegoplayed host to an unusual international culinary convention, as Mexican electedofficials joined restaurateurs and business owners to present the finestflavors and tastes from Baja. More out-of-the-box thinking will be required ifour southern neighbor is to emerge in a new era of border relations.

Entitled "Baja by the Sea," thefree event at the Embarcadero Marina Park North brought out thousands of SanDiegans interested in wine tastings, dishes and business ventures hailing fromthe coastal region. For many, it was an opportunity to be reintroduced to theculturally rich nation at our doorstep, and savor the traditional tastes ofMexican cuisine that are too often found homogenized and diluted for theWestern palate in the United States. Though Mexican cities have been avidpromoters of their local events and festivals, this new approach of bringingthe best of Baja to San Diego was a successful outreach effort to prospectivetourists and customers that haven't crossed the border in some time. Praise isdeserving of Baja California Gov. José Guadalupe Osuna Millán and Tijuana MayorJorge Ramos, who were on hand with the mayors of Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenadaand Tecate to showcase and support their region, and to the Port of San Diegoand Baja tourism boards who sponsored the occasion.

           Baja by the Sea was a bright spot for aregion that has been unfairly swamped by negative news headlines, evoking fearand hysteria from the international community. The recent dramatic drug-relatedviolence has been largely a response to the successful efforts of Mexican lawenforcement officials to crack down on the illegal drug trade and capture keycartel leaders over the last decade, spurring volatility and brutal power grabsamong the criminal hierarchy. Frenzied media reports over the "swineflu" and its supposed Mexican origins were proven to be overblown thisyear, as the 117 confirmed global deaths to date failed to produce thespeculated worldwide pandemic, and pale in comparison to the fact that theregular seasonal flu kills up to half a million people each year. But thesubsiding of the health hysteria did not come before Chinese governmentofficials indiscriminately detained and quarantined Mexican nationals thisspring, and one San Diego congressman calling for the White House to shut downthe U.S.-Mexico border to protect Americans from the "serious threat"of swine flu. Few have come forward to reproach these damaging publicoverreactions that have had a powerful psychological effect on whether touristsvisit Mexico, which in the Baja region has seen a decline of American visitorsfor years.

According to statistics from the TijuanaConvention & Visitor's Bureau, the total number of estimated Americanscrossing the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa Ports of Entry (including U.S. citizensliving in Baja and working in San Diego) in 2008 was 42 percent below 2004figures. More recently, the total American border crossings in the first threemonths of 2009 are fewer than at the same time last year. This bleak trend maybe compounded by new U.S. border crossing requirements beginning this week forpassports and new identification cards to be used by visitors to Mexico andCanada in order to re-enter the country. Whether these new security demandswill negatively impact tourism remains to be seen, but they should give urgencyto Mexican officials to adopt innovative strategies to marketing tourism andforeign investment opportunities to their U.S. neighbors.

With Baja by the Sea the first attempt ata new annual event, Baja promoters should weigh the merits of establishing apermanent showroom in San Diego for residents to experience and learn about regionalfare and visitor destinations. Consider the success of the San Diego Wine &Culinary Center, established in 2005 to present the "bounty of thecounty," highlighting the many boutique wineries and agricultural productsthat are grown regionally and too often, unknowingly. Nestled across the SanDiego Convention Center, the Culinary Center doubled in size in 2007, andcontinues to host fun and educational gastronomic events for tourists andlocals alike in a wine tasting room environment. A downtown Baja Wine &Culinary Center could showcase the dozens of vineyards that thrive in a rich,Mediterranean-like climate along a charming countryside that evokes memories ofNapa County before its mass commercialization. Most Baja wineries are small,family-owned operations that produce 5,000 or less cases per year, and couldbenefit from the exposure, especially to those who have been hesitant ofvisiting the Baja region. Michelle Martain, whose family owns the outstandingCavas Valmar Winery in Ensenada, favored the idea of a full-time tasting roomin San Diego. "We try to promote our products through events, but if therewas an opportunity for something like the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center,it would be wonderful; there is so much to proudly offer," said Martain.

Though the San Diego-Baja economy istrudging through tough economic times, our outlook is stronger from changingperceptions and adopting innovative approaches to bi-national tourism. Martainis optimistic about the future of the Baja region, as "there is a lot todiscover in Baja, sometimes the news dramatizes what is.