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Frontera NorteSur
April 2001


POLITICS
BC PRI Voting for Next Gubernatorial Candidate will be Open to Public

The upcoming PRI election for the party's next BC gubernatorial candidate will be open to anyone with a BC voting card that wishes to take part in the election. The election will be held on April 8, 2001 after a period of campaigning that will run from March 3 through April 5.

The candidate that receives the most votes will be the victor. There will be no run off election. The new voting procedures were instituted after PRI members made known their desire to hold open elections for future PRI candidates.

The PRI's major rival in the election, the PAN, selected former Méxicali mayor Eugenio Elorduy Walter as its gubernatorial candidate. In the PAN election in late January, 2001 only party members were allowed to vote.

Source: La Crónica, March 1, 2001. Article by César Angulo.

BC 2000 Growth Rate 7.7% says Governor

During the swearing-in ceremony of the board of directors for the Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana (Mexican Business Owners Association, Coparmex) in Tijuana, Baja California Governor Alejandro González Alcocer said that his state registered 7.7% economic growth in the year 2000 which is above the national median. González also said that BC had the second-highest growth rate in Mexico last year which demonstrates the investment confidence that national and foreign business owners have in the state.

González stated that economic growth has allowed workers' incomes to increase since 1996. At that time 25% of employees statewide earned only the equivalent of one or two minimum salaries a day (approximately US$4-$8 per day). Now however only 15% of workers statewide are located at this low income level.

Funds for Isla de Cedros--BC's Most Populated Island

On a visit to Isla de Cedros, an island off of the Pacific coast of Baja California, BC Governor Alejandro González Alcocer announced the Isla de Cedros 2001 Investment Program which will channel 3,000,000 pesos (approximately US$316,000) to the state's most-populated island.

The island's 6,500 residents will benefit from two million pesos that will be spent on five major projects. The projects consist of the construction of a drinking water network, the repair of bathrooms in the public park, the installation of fencing, and drinking water fountains for two parts of the city.

The remaining one million pesos will be spent on the construction of a rural gasoline filling station.

Also, for the first time ever, the Isla will receive money from the Programa Proyectos Productivos with the objective of providing residents with capital to start their own businesses.