**Burgueño Vows to End ‘Coyotaje’: Continued Collaboration with Private Sector Urged**
Tijuana’s municipal president, Ismael Burgueño Ruiz, has pledged to eradicate ‘coyotaje’—a local term referring to the middlemen who facilitate bureaucratic processes in exchange for money. He plans to achieve this by enhancing digitalization and regulatory improvements. The incoming administration also intends to establish a Business Advisory Council to maintain ongoing dialogue with industry representatives. Burgueño urged business leaders to engage in sessions of this council, emphasizing the need for practicality, willingness, and common sense. He also requested their support in developing and rehabilitating green spaces and parks in the city.
During a meeting with over 30 business leaders on October 3, 2024, only Christian Vázquez from the National Chamber of Freight Transport spoke about recent road blockages, noting their significant impact on the city’s mobility.
“It’s crucial to develop a contingency plan and committee to manage these situations more effectively and reduce their impact on the community,” he stated.
Representatives from several business organizations, including the Otay Mesa Industrial Association (AIMO), the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC), and the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI), requested that the City Council continue projects initiated under the previous administration. José Luis Contreras from AIMO advocated for a project to refurbish the industrial park with hydraulic concrete, funding it through local property taxes.
Additionally, Gabriel Vizcaíno from CMIC pushed for a landfill site project for construction waste that needs to be revisited. Meanwhile, Xavier Ibarra Quintana from the Chamber of Real Estate Developers expressed the importance of updating Tijuana’s Urban Development Program to accommodate the city’s growth.
Ricardo Vega, head of the Baja Health Cluster, proposed involving prison inmates in city beautification projects, suggesting this could also involve a bilingual signage initiative that could deter corruption within the area’s medical tourism by reducing disorientation among visitors.
According to Carlos Jaramillo Silva from the Business Coordinating Council, these efforts align with the goal to propel Tijuana into one of the top 10 cities in Mexico for competitiveness, improving its current 13th place ranking. He emphasized that Tijuana contributes over 60% to the state’s GDP.
Pedro Montejo Peterson, Tijuana’s new Secretary of Economic Development, announced plans to form a Technical Advisory Committee and a Tourism Committee ahead of the 2025 Tourist Expo, alongside strengthening ties with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and focusing on issues like infrastructure and migration.
**Current Events in Tijuana: Addressing Key Issues**
Elsewhere in Tijuana, there have been specific concerns that have caught public attention. Among them is the severe delay in processing U.S. visa appointments, which now take almost 300 days, a development that has raised criticism from locals who rely on cross-border travel.
At the same time, the legal landscape is shifting significantly; the Supreme Court of Justice in Mexico has decided to review the constitutionality of a recent judicial reform, a move that some political figures have described as a potential “coup.”
The city of Tijuana also faces challenges with infrastructure, as seen in the temporary closure of Cuauhtémoc Boulevard for construction work on the Morelos Node, highlighting the ongoing efforts to improve urban transit amid its dense metropolitan environment.