Lawmakers create new municipality

State lawmakers unanimously approved Wednesday the incorporation of the sixth and poorest municipality of Baja California.

Legally, the Municipality of San Quintín, a mostly rural region located in the southern tip of the state, becomes incorporated right after the bill’s enactment.

The proposal has been in the works for about a decade. Residents had petitioned to secede from Ensenada, which has been until now the largest county in Mexico. That honor now belongs to the municipality of Mulegé in Baja California Sur.

The bill removes from Ensenada 14 unincorporated towns to form San Quintín.

“They had been waiting decades petitioning what we are about to decide,” Molina said.

Authorities even held in 2012 a referendum and a bill was introduced in the Assembly, but the measure was vetoed.

This year the bill was approved 22-0 in a special meeting held at Misión Santa Isabel restaurant in San Quintín.

Assemblyman Juan Manuel Molina, a Mexicali lawmaker who chairs the Commission of Government, Legislation and Constitutional Affairs, said colleagues analyzed the measure petitioned by residents.

Voters will have to wait until 2024 to elect their first mayor and city council. In the meantime lawmakers will appoint a five-member foundational city council from a list of 15 individuals introduced by the governor’s office.

State and city officials like Ensenada Mayor Armando Ayala and Gov. Jaime Bonilla attended the meeting.

Ayala said his administration will help the new municipality by transferring facilities, offices and other resources.

“I just witnessed the birth of my sixth child,” Bonilla said.

The area is well known for its agriculture — nationwide is the third largest tomato producer and second in strawberries. However, it is also home to several native tribes and thousands of low-wage workers.