MEXICALI BRIEFS

Secretary of Planning and Finances Bladimiro Hernández said the state still owes Autonomous University of Baja California nearly 261 million pesos, or $14.1 million, in funding from 2018.

Both parties agreed on Dec. 31 on monthly payments in order to resolve the issue.

A payment of $2.8 million was made on Jan. 3 and another one Monday, the official said.

In total, the state has disbursed about 1.1 billion pesos, or $59.45 million, to the college system, including the monthly payments.

Also, according to Hernández, the state approved additional funds of about $7.5 million for infrastructure. Of that, about 20 percent has not been disbursed.

Hernández said the state has been in negotiations with federal officials for funds owed since 2017, as well as seeking additional funds for education.

COURTS

A worker with the Executive Office was indicted by a state judge after getting caught posing as a police officer to commit robberies, the Attorney General’s office said Thursday.

According to the agency, Juan Ismael “Doe,” no age reported pretended to be a Ministerial police agent in the Oct. 18 robbery of a tortilla shop at Colonia Baja California neighborhood.

According to witnesses, three suspects took part in the robbery, and one of them was identified as the indicted man through the surveillance cameras.

The judge elected to keep the suspect behind bars during trial and gave detectives one month to close the investigation.

ASSEMBLY

A state lawmaker of the governing National Action Party criticized the effort to put the fate of a brewery to a public vote.

Assembly Speaker Carlos Torres, a Tijuana member of the National Action Party, said although he respects and supports freedom of citizens, he also defends those law-abiding companies that create jobs and promote development of communities.

The lawmaker said New York-based Constellation Brands has complied with all legal requirements to build and operate a brewery south of the city.

Environmentalists and local residents had promoted a public vote to allow voters decide whether the beer plant moves forward or is put to a halt.

“I think (the referendum) goes against all rights private companies have and violates the rule of law,” Torres said. “It would send a wrong message to the national and international productive sector while curbing investment, future jobs and economic development in our state.”

The lawmaker underlined the fact that three former presidents of the Elections Board had said the referendum is illegal because state law does not authorize the board to hold a public vote for private businesses.

POLITICS

Joel Blas Ramos, who represents the Institutional Revolutionary Party in the Election Board, has filed a request to take disciplinary measures against former Congressman Jaime Bonilla for alleged election-law violations.

According to the accusations, Bonilla, who is running for the nomination as candidate for governor of the President’s National Regeneration Movement, violated the law by launching a webpage to promote his candidacy.

State and Mexican election law set strict dates and other limitations on how candidates may promote their candidacies.

Ramos asked the Executive Secretary of the Electoral Institute to take the appropriate measures to discipline Bonilla, who is also a former member of Otay Water District in San Diego County.

Bonilla allegedly also rented a street sign in Tecate and purchased advertising with a radio station in that same city.

According to the complaint, such forms of paid political propaganda violates Article 134 of State Electoral Law.

Ramos also alleged that Bonilla is promoted on the official website of his party, another violation as well.

The request was turned in to the Institute Commission of Complaints.

However, according to media reports, the advertising has been pulled already.

ECONOMY

One out of every five workers in Baja California is employed in the “informal” sector of the economy, where no benefits like healthcare are offered.

The National Institute of Statistics and Geography released its employment report for the fourth quarter of 2018, in which the state was seventh nationwide in terms of unemployment rate.

According to the report, the state’s unemployment rate was 2.2 percent, higher than the rate registered in Guerrero, Hidalgo, Morelos, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí and Yucatan.

The agency reported that 19.3 percent of employees work in the informal sector of the economy — the fourth-lowest nationwide.

Also, the agency indicated that 1.7 million workers have a job and 38,807 individuals are unemployed.

BORDER

Congress and the Mexican government approved funds for the west port of entry in the 2019 Budget.

Monitor Económico news website reported that lawmakers appropriated 150 million pesos, or $8.1 million, to the project.

These are the funds that went missing last year to build a tunnel and a bridge to connect the port with the downtown area.

The website reported the Mexican government increased funds to invest in the state by 254.7 percent, according to a report released by the Congressional Center of Public Finances Studies.

Most of those expenses will go towards public health services and energy infrastructure.

— Arturo Bojorquez, abojorquez@ivpressonline.com