Tijuana and San Diego have reached an alliance like no other international neighboring cities. The efforts by San Diego mayor Bob Filner and his Tijuana counterpart Carlos Bustamante to maximize financial potential of the border highlight the extensive partnership between both cities. Signaled a New York Times (NYT) article.

In the article where San Diego and Tijuana have reached headlines once again, the effort to build economic bridges in the region was the main highlight. One of the biggest decisions that help strengthen the relationship was the inauguration of the binational affairs office of San Diego in Tijuana. The first municipal office in a foreign country.

This strong relationship also coincides with the lowest number of illegal crossings from Mexico into the U.S. Making the region one of the safest points on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Carlos Bustamante, Municipal President of Tijuana has joined efforts with San Diego mayor to demonstrate the economical potential of this region. In an interview with the NYT, Bustamante expressed that the relationship with San Diego was a privileged one and that the region had never enjoyed this kind of partnership.

One of the biggest battles for both San Diego and Tijuana mayors have been the wait times at the border crossings; a situation that causes great financial loss to both sides of the border. It is estimated that each year approximately $2 Billon are lost due to wait times at the border. And even though there are projects like the renovation of the border, the funding is not enough to put them all in place.

A survey done in San Diego showed that almost 60% of its inhabitants had never crossed the border into Mexico and that only 10% considered the relationship with Tijuana a priority.

In spite of that Filner has taken every opportunity to speak well of Tijuana and Mexico. He celebrated the championship won by the Tijuana soccer team, and presented a bid to co host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games along with Tijuana.

The partnership in the border has opened the door to a ton of possibilities, the greater the partnership the better it will be financially for both cities. We will see how this affects the economy of both cities as it opens the possibility of more jobs on both sides of the border, giving manufactures plenty of benefits to produce various products in much better conditions of those in China. Tijuana and San Diego are on a good path.

Brenda.Colon@sandiegored.com

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