Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda was a guest of honor at the laying of the foundation stone of the Otay II international port of entry event. As its name suggests, this border crossing will be located at Otay Mesa in San Diego County and it will be a part of a project that will transform mobility, the environment, the economy, and the sociocultural relations between both nations.

At this event, Marina del Pilar stated that this infrastructure project will become a before and after in the history of the Baja California and California region; one of most socially and economically dynamic regions worldwide.

In her speech to the binational community, Marina del Pilar reiterated that, during his recent visit to Baja California, the President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador stated that the construction of this new border crossing is a priority for the government of Mexico. This is why regional and federal coordination will boost the development of other essential mobility projects. Due to this, Ávila Olmeda stated that, through the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Urban Development, and Territory Redesign (SIDURT) of Baja California, road expansion surrounding the new border crossing will be built and will make its operation much more efficient.

“Thanks to true teamwork and a solid, dynamic, and fruitful binational relation, we are closer to see this great project realized. It represents the greatest investment that has been made on the border in the 21st century,” the governor of Baja California said.

In presence of political, social, and business leaders, the governor acknowledged the willingness of the Mexican and US federal governments and the tenacity and the enthusiasm of the local governments of both nations, as well as citizen organizations that have aided so that this new port of entry project progresses. All of this is necessary to face the current economic challenges on both sides of the border.

"We cannot think of ourselves as isolated entities. Our vision and our planning for the medium-term and long-term future is always focused on the greater Cali Baja region that we are all a part of. This port of entry will have real effects that will affect the entire community, because it will reduce waiting times of the other two ports of entry,” she added.

For her part, lieutenant governor of California, Eleni Kounalakis stated that the port of entry will have a positive impact on the entire area, where the brotherhood bonds and collaboration between Californians and Baja Californians have been strengthened thanks to the dedicated work by all involved institutions that are interested in helping both communities.

At this event the following people were present: Todd Gloria, San Diego mayor; Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency; Catherine Blakespeare, mayor of Encinitas; Nora Vargas, member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors; Thomas Reott, US Consul General in Tijuana; Carlos González, Mexico Consul General in San Diego; Pablo Gálvez, Secretariat of Foreign Relations representative; Sergio Franco, Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communication, and Transportation representative; Kurt Honold Morales, Secretary of Economy and Innovation of Baja California, and Montserrat Caballero, Municipal President of Tijuana.

Marina del Pilar commemorates Firefighter's Day

In addition, while celebrating Firefighter's Day, Governor Marina del Pilar visited the Mexicali Heroic Firefighter Department Station where aid delivery to 1,281 Baja Californian firefighters was announced. The amount given will be $6,4 million pesos.

In addition, she recognized the daily and permanent work that firefighters carry out in order to safeguard the lives of all people, pointing out that all the men and women that are part of the firefighter department in Baja California have complete support from the state administration so that they can achieve their goals.

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