Dear SDSU Community,

In response to the U.S. State Department’s Travel Alert for Mexico, various University offices have recently expressed concern about members of the University community traveling to Mexico, particularly the border region. As the Director and Associate Director of the Center for Latin American Studies, a campus unit with actual expertise on Mexico and several different courses and programs in the region, we would like to comment on the situation.

First, the drug wars in Tijuana, Baja California, and Mexico, are real. They have claimed a significant number of lives and the country’s institutions are under great pressure to respond.  We feel that it is important that students and other campus community members are aware of the situation and we welcome the attention of SDSU authorities.  However, the current violence has been going on for several years, as reflected in the fact that the State Department Travel Alert which was recently sent around campus is a re-issuance of an Alert that has been in place for some years. State Department Travel Alerts expire, and the current alert was issued in order to keep the previous one active.

Second, members of the campus community should exercise the same caution when traveling in Tijuana that they exercise when in any major city.  Tijuana has approximately 1.5 million residents, and like all big cities, there are situations that should be avoided. That said, if you are new to travel in Tijuana or the border region, you should take extra precautions that go along with being in a new area and a foreign country. We can help you here, please feel free to contact us.

Third, the murder rate in Tijuana is less than 40 per 100,000, which puts it between Oakland, CA and St. Louis, MO.  That is high, but less than Baltimore and Detroit (mid-40s) and well below New Orleans (65 to 95, depending on who you talk to).  New Orleans is a great place to visit, and we have yet to meet anyone who decided not to go due to its murder rate.

Fourth, the overwhelming majority of murders are perpetrated against those involved in the drug trade (including corrupt police officers) and those who are actively fighting the drug trade (again including police officers).

Finally, life continues in Tijuana.  Kids go to school, families visit grandma, parents shop for groceries, and students go to museums and concerts.  We do not want to minimize the reality of the drug wars, but we also want to point out that, as with our war on terror, paranoia grows in proportion to one’s lack of familiarity and understanding.  We thus caution against allowing fear to manifest in perceived narratives of racism or morality as has occurred far too often in interactions between the United States and Mexico. In addition to crossing the border fairly frequently, we have talked at length to our colleagues at various institutions throughout the border region, all of whom assure us that although crime has increased, our students, colleagues, and the average US citizen are not targets any more than are average Mexican citizens and they look forward to our continued interactions with them.

We urge you to continue your normal routines in Tijuana and throughout Mexico, following the same cautions you would use in any region that is undergoing an increased crime wave. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to discuss the situation further please do not hesitate to contact us. As they say in Mexico, Estamos aqui para servirles.

Jim Gerber, Director, Center for Latin American Studies
Ramona Perez, Associate Director, Center for Latin American Studies

It was announced yesterday that a new border crossing east of Tijuana is in the works. The U.S. State Department has granted a permit for the new project with an estimated price tag of $715 million dollars. Funds for the new crossing will be provided by private investors. The proposed crossing would be built between the current Tijuana crossing and the Otay Mesa border crossing to the east, and will hopefully ease current congestion and long wait times at the current border crossings. The new crossing is projected to be completed in the year 2014.

Mexico Expo organizer Ted Donovan with Jennifer Hill of Baja Bound.

Members of the Baja Tourism Board with Patrick Osio of the Baja Connection Radio Show and Hector Molina of Transborder Communications.

Me at the Baja Bound booth.

The Bajamar booth

The Baja Home and Land / Premier Realty booth

The Bella Vista booth

La Elegancia booth

La Ventana Realty

The Seaside Rentals booth

The Developer Direct booth

]]> http://blog.bajabound.com/mexico-travel-and-real-estate-expo-irvine/feed/ 0 http://blog.bajabound.com/tiger-woods-golf-course-coming-to-baja/ http://blog.bajabound.com/tiger-woods-golf-course-coming-to-baja/#comments Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:30:44 +0000 admin http://blog.bajabound.com/?p=20

It was recently announced that Tiger Woods will be designing a golf course that will be located somewhere near Punta Banda, just south of Ensenada. While no official press release has been sent out, prominent Baja real estate agent Diane Gibbs sent out an email hinting that the big news is coming soon. Ensenada businessman Jean-Loup Bitterlin toured the area of the proposed course and exclaimed that it is “a sensational pristine rugged coastline location.”

On a related topic, plans for the new Greg Norman golf course just north of Bajamar are already underway. The project is backed by Bay View Grand Properties, based in Mexico City, and is expected to be completed within the next two years.

The Baja Connection is a new live radio program here in San Diego that airs daily from 6 to 7 pm on KOOL 1040 AM, and online at TransBorder Communications. The show is hosted by Patrick Osio, who has been a journalist and businessman on both sides of the border for quite some time. Check out the show to get the most current information about Baja!

Below is the schedule of the topics that will be covered each week:

Monday – infrastructure – the border crossing, education, energy, water, environment and associated topics.
Tuesday – real estate – buying, selling, projects, title insurance, financing, real estate development and real estate reform and related topics.
Wednesday – medical services – rules and regulations, certification of medical practitioners, surgery, eye care, dental, pharmaceutical products, plastic surgery, hospitals, clinics, emergency care, and related topics.
Thursday – Tourism – security, sites, events, destinations, activities, festivals, tours, costs, and all related topics.
Friday – Retirement in Baja – requirements, costs, services, activities, expatriate communities, events, earning income and related topics.

Baja Bound will also be featured on the radio show in the upcoming weeks to talk about Mexican insurance and tourism in Baja.

I think this is great news in light of all the negative press Baja has had over the last year. After all, if Baja is safe enough for Disney, it’s safe enough for just about anybody!

The question is…..do Lucy, Edmund and Eustace need Mexican auto insurance?