**Lawmakers Question Tijuana’s Financial Management; Former Mayor Defends Herself**
In recent developments, Baja California lawmakers have raised questions about the alleged irregularities discovered by the State Auditor’s Office regarding Tijuana’s 2022 financial statements. The inquiry has suggested that these irregularities should not be brushed off as mere administrative errors and that the State General Prosecutor might need to get involved.
Former Tijuana mayor Jorge Ramos Hernández, representing the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico, mentioned that despite Montserrat Caballero Ramírez’s administration bringing in companies to manage property tax collections, outstanding debt continued to increase. Ramos Hernández criticized the previous administration for failing to provide necessary oversight regarding accumulating fees on tax applications, as well as neglecting to furnish information on foreclosures, auctions, or adjudications.
This critique comes even as Ramos Hernández himself led an administration whose public spending accounts for 2008 and 2009 were deemed unsatisfactory by the State’s Superior Audit Office.
Moreover, Morena party legislators, including Jaime Eduardo Cantón Rocha and Juan Manuel Molina García, have criticized the current administration’s transparency efforts. Molina Garcia even warned that municipal officials involved in any mismanagement or violations would not evade repercussions.
Adding to the chorus of concerns, panist legislator Juan Diego Echevarría Ibarra accused the government of dispersing 47 million pesos to only seven associations under the “Tijuana Funds” scheme, while failing to allocate the total revenues from the “Agile Crossing Program.”
In another instance, morenist Congresswoman Angélica Peñaloza assured the Baja California Congress would not serve as an accomplice to what she considered to be the governmental malpractice of Caballero Ramírez’s administration, urging once again for intervention by the State General Prosecutor.
Juan Manuel Molina García, president of the Coordination Board of Baja California’s State Congress, in a conversation, alluded to notable “alarms” such as the misallocation of the “Tijuana Funds” to ineffective or nonexistent entities—issues Webb described as receiving millions yet showing no tangible results. Molina also mentioned challenges related to public works and the lack of transparency in the contracting processes.
He emphasized the seriousness of these issues, suggesting that sanctions could potentially reach as high as the former mayor herself. However, he noted these steps would only be pursued if the audit officially recognized any severe transgressions.
Arnulfo Raúl Zárate Chávez, the state’s superior auditor, reiterated that calls for General Prosecutor intervention stem from lawmakers’ opinions, while the Audit Office itself remains focused on following through its own processes for addressing irregularities.
Initial reviews on Tijuana’s financial account revealed numerous unresolved issues, including tax miscalculations, mismanaged associations, and infractions in procurement contracts—adding layers of scrutiny over the city’s fiscal management. Notably, San Quintín’s financial review was also found lacking, revealing entrenched administrative errors and questionable financial conduct.
—
**Secondary Article: Tijuana Financial Probe Sparks Statewide Scrutiny**
The examination into Tijuana’s finances has pulled back the curtain on broader financial management issues across Baja California municipalities. Audits have illuminated not only shortcomings in Tijuana’s budgets but also underscored systemic problems in recent administrative practices statewide.
In particular, San Quintín stands out for its alleged extensive errors, including significant missteps in financial documentation and transparency issues in resource usage, prompting further investigation into their administrative protocols.
This growing concern over fiscal transparency and accountability in key regions of Baja California could potentially lead to structural reforms aimed at tightening financial governance and ensuring more robust oversight mechanisms within local governments.
As legislative bodies push for greater scrutiny across municipalities, there’s a compelling call for establishing a more transparent, accountable future in financial administration at all levels of government.