Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda led the commemoration of the historic 88th Land Seizure Anniversary to uplift and highlight the legacy of the people who fought for social and labor justice in the agricultural communities of Valle de Mexicali.
The governor paid tribute to the leaders that spearheaded this movement, including Hipólito Rentería, the Guillén brothers, and Doña Felipe Velázquez, widow of Arellano, who is recognized as a symbol of agrarian struggle and women’s rights in Baja California.
“By paying tribute to Doña Felipa, we also honor all the women in the countryside who selflessly participated in this movement and those who are still working on these lands. The time of women is here and, alongside it, a time of shared prosperity,” she said.
That’s why social programs promoted by the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, are currently reaching everyone in Valle de Mexicali. This can be seen with the delivery of the Tarjeta Violeta (Violet Card) for single mothers as well as rural communities at large with the restoration of 70 km of roads and access to free school transport through Communder.
She also highlighted that, together with the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), an incentive for productivity in Valle de Mexicali has been established. Currently, 16,000 pesos per hectare are granted to users of Irrigation District 014. This aid is given by the Land Relief Program, which will help ensure the region’s food security.
As part of this commemoration, the governor toured Islas Agrarias and Michoacán de Ocampo where honor guards performed to hold moments of silence to the memory of rural farmers, the historic Land Seizure that took place on January 27, 1937, and Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río for his fight in favor of social justice.
The coordinator of the User Commission of Irrigation District 014 of the Colorado River, Javier Gaona Ochoa, thanked the governor for CONAGUA’s management that has benefited the agricultural sector in Mexicali through the Land Relief program.
This event was attended by the Secretary of Government of Mexicali, Rodrigo Llantada representing Mayor Norma Bustamante; the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development of Baja California, Juan Melendres; the President of the State Congress Council, Evelyn Sánchez; the President of the State Supreme Court, Alejandro Isaac Fragozo, among other officials and ejido leaders.
