During Governor Marina del Pilar’s weekly press conference, a series of coordinated actions were revealed that will take place in the state capital in order to guarantee safe spaces, specifically night clubs which are leisure spots for young people.

In the 74th edition of “Wednesday Morning Press Conference with Marina del Pilar” that took place in Mexicali, the state governor pointed out that it is her administration’s priority to provide certainty to citizens that authorities are fulfilling their responsibility of providing security, which is why they have carried out, without any interruptions and periodically, the necessary actions while also promoting modifications to laws so that Mexicali continues to grow and be a safe space for visitors and locals.

She highlighted that, due to the unfortunate incidents that occurred in the bar zone of Mexicali, she has asked the state prosecutor, Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez, to address this issue and apply the necessary actions to find out the truth in order to deliver justice and find those responsible for these crimes.

In addition, she pointed out that on Tuesday, April 18, the Municipal Administration of Mexicali led by mayor Norma Alicia Bustamante Martínez, in complete coordination with the state government and federal authorities, carried out an operation to strengthen security by keeping a very close monitoring and surveillance of the area.

Staff of FESC, the Prosecutor’s Agency, COEPRIS, the National Guard, the Municipal Agency of Public Security, the Secretariat of the Municipal Administration, the Alcohol Agency, the Firefighter Department, and the Municipal Civil Protection Agency all participated in this operation.

“This action was not just an isolated incident, but it is part of a constant process of supervision so that all the establishments in the area can continue operating,” she said.

She also highlighted that the breathalyzer program will be in constant operation in order to prevent accidents related to alcohol consumption.

As such, Bustamante Martínez claimed that there is constant communication between all involved parties and that the government is working hard and using a lot of their budget for security matters.

“We have carried out security and peace meetings, and we haven’t missed one week of them,” she said.

She pointed out that, to date, security institutions of the three levels of government have participated in 22 operations in bars and night clubs and parks and parties in order to guarantee the safe and secure right to leisure. Thanks to these operations, clandestine parties have been suspended and regulatory matters are being worked on so as to spread security coverage in these leisure places.

The municipal president also announced that starting on Thursday, April 20, new hours will take effect regarding the closure of bar and night club establishments so that they stop operating at 2 AM. Security institutions will be the ones in charge of making sure that this new measure is enforced through surveillance tours.

Marina del Pilar announced that, in order to strengthen security actions, representative Michel Sánchez introduced a bill that is looking to strengthen penalties for establishments that do not comply with the law, with a considerable increase to fines and closures of up to 45 days. This is why they are working with the entrepreneurs of this industry, promoting collaborative agreements so that everyone can be a part of the solution that guarantees peace for Mexicali and the entire state.

Regarding this, the representative stated that it is very important to sponsor from the legislative branch this type of reforms and explained that this initiative contemplates five key points.

The first measure states that all establishments that sell alcohol must have mandatorily a recording surveillance system in all of their entrances and exits; in addition, they must install panic buttons in their facilities so that authorities can reach this place immediately in case of any incident.

Arch or portable metal detectors must be installed so as to ensure greater safety and peace for all of these establishments’ clients. They must also train their security personnel and inform authorities of any illegal incident. Lastly, there will be considerable penalties in case of noncompliance.

For his part, the Secretary of Citizen Security of Baja California, Leopoldo Tizoc Aguilar Durán, stated that the State Development Plan contemplates the installation of 4,000 new cameras, which is why the strengthening and relocation of new video surveillance cameras has been carried out since two months ago.

Regarding this, he explained that they are working on making sure they are all interconnected “so that we can see the municipal cameras and they can see ours, all of our eyes watching at the same time,” and he added that all these technologies are being upgraded so that they are equal.

Regarding the bill by representative Michel Sánchez, he stated that it is important that there is progress on legal grounds, as the current law doesn’t specify who must certify the people who work as security guards in night clubs.

“It is a loophole that is being covered with this bill, where the Secretariat of Citizen Security is given this task which will analyze it with a database. They have been working on this for the last two months and this bill will strengthen it,” he said.

“This will go through congress on Friday and there is certainty that it will be approved so that we can train security staff,” Norma Bustamante added.

Lastly, Governor Marina del Pilar pointed out that her government is open and transparent regarding this issue and reiterated her commitment, as Government of Baja California and mother, to strengthen security so that every place, not just this area in Mexicali, where young people have fun is safe.

In another issue in her schedule, Marina del Pilar addressed the demands of wheat farmers in Valle de Mexicali, reaffirming her commitment to follow up on all of their needs.

As such, she stated that she will continue to coordinate with the Government of Mexico led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to continue promoting farming production in Baja California as it is a source of wellness and employment for thousands of families.

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