Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Avila says her administration is preparing to hand over a state with organized public finances, ongoing infrastructure projects and expanded social programs. The commitments she highlighted include a larger financial support program for women, a retirement fund for state police officers and corrections personnel, and a major public investment in water infrastructure.
Speaking with San Diego Red ahead of her fifth government report, Avila presented fiscal management as the foundation behind these initiatives. She said Baja California had moved from 12th to third place among Mexican states in fiscal performance and cited improvements in its credit ratings, which reached A- in 2025 and 2026 according to the presentation she brought to the interview.
“We have orderly finances. That financial discipline has allowed us to carry out these projects and invest in programs that have now become social rights in Baja California,” she said.
Social programs expand as poverty indicators decline
One of the figures Avila emphasized was the reduction in poverty between 2022 and 2024. According to the official statistics she cited, the share of Baja California’s population living in poverty fell from 13.4% to 9.9%, while extreme poverty dropped from 1.3% to 0.4%. The governor described the decline in extreme poverty as the most significant achievement of her administration.
She also reported a substantial increase in the reach of state assistance programs. Their combined coverage grew from 270,000 people in 2022 to approximately 1.34 million in 2026.
Among the initiatives she highlighted is Pancita Llena, Corazón Contento, a school meal program that now covers all public elementary schools in the state and serves 334,512 children. Avila said nutrition specialists helped develop the menus to balance nutritional value with meals students would enjoy.
The administration has also expanded Tarjeta Violeta, a financial assistance program for women who head households. It currently reaches 100,000 beneficiaries, up from 32,502 in 2022. In addition to financial support, the program offers workshops and training intended to help participants develop independent economic activities.
For 2027, Avila set a target of 130,000 beneficiaries, focusing on women facing poverty, social vulnerability or marginalization, as well as survivors of violence.
A proposed retirement fund for police officers
Another commitment involves the retirement conditions of state police officers and corrections personnel. Avila said her administration intends to establish a trust fund with approximately 1.5 billion pesos by the end of its term.
The money would support retirement benefits, medical services, assistance for officers’ families and pensions. She added that the next administration would need to continue strengthening the fund.
The government also plans to develop a financing proposal during 2027 to reduce the required years of service for retirement from 30 to 25. The change would require a legislative reform and is expected to take effect in 2028 if approved.
Avila also called on municipal governments to improve their own finances so they can expand benefits for local police forces.
Infrastructure plans include a major water project
Infrastructure represents another central part of the administration’s financial commitments. Avila estimated that state-funded projects will account for 61.584 billion pesos by the end of 2027, a figure she said is equivalent to 6.7 times the combined investment of the previous three administrations.
When federal contributions are included, she projects total public investment of 200 billion pesos by the end of her term. The projects cited include Tijuana’s elevated viaduct, the Otay II border crossing, the Punta Colonet port, educational facilities and a desalination plant in Playas de Rosarito.
The desalination project is among the administration’s main priorities. With an estimated investment exceeding 15 billion pesos in public funds, the facility is designed to process more than 2,000 liters of water per second. It is expected to benefit more than two million residents in Tijuana, Playas de Rosarito and Ensenada.
Avila said she began advocating for the elevated viaduct while she was governor-elect and later presented the desalination proposal to the federal government, emphasizing the importance of securing support from Mexico City for large-scale projects.
Education and tourism remain part of the state’s agenda
The governor also pointed to expanded access to education. She said every student moving from middle school to high school has access to a place at one of their three preferred options.
More than 47,000 students have received the Corazón de Cimarrón scholarship, while new campuses of the Rosario Castellanos National University in Tijuana and Mexicali are among the educational developments she highlighted.
Tourism also featured in her review. Avila reported nearly 28 million visitors in 2026, a 2.27% increase over the previous period, with tourism spending reaching 118.548 billion pesos. The state also has a private tourism investment portfolio valued at 47.751 billion pesos, with wine, gastronomy and medical tourism among its main attractions.
For residents who cannot easily afford trips, she cited Corazones Viajeros, the free domestic travel program that has received more than 21 million pesos and served over 22,000 people.
The governor said her administration’s goal is to leave behind not only financial commitments and infrastructure projects, but also programs that can continue serving residents after the transition to the next government.
