TIJUANA Mayor Carlos Bustamante presented his three-year plan for his administration four months after beginning his term.
Based in part on comments from more than 9,000 residents, the plan is divided into eight themes, said the director of planning, Manuel Guevara.
They include development, public safety, public transit, neighborhood streets, public services, economy and jobs, upgrade and streamlining of administrative services and transparency.
The plan calls for:
The creation of two main routes for public transit that will cross 20 kilometers from San Ysidro to the community of El Florido, in the east side, and from Mesa de Otay to Santa Fe, south of Tijuana;
The creation of a map that specifies high-risk zones where construction will not be allowed;
Construction of two new police command centers (Downtown and East zone);
Construction of two new high schools;
Construction of secondary streets across large neighborhoods;
"We all know that Tijuana faces mayor challenges that we can summarize this way: lack of resources and backlogged projects," said the mayor during his presentation, which he made at the Tijuana Cultural Center before 300 business leaders, politicians and other interested parties.
The paradox, he added, is that this city is rich and productive and represents more than half of the state's economy, "but that is not reflected in a just distribution and application of resources."
The mayor explained that Tijuana has a little more than 1.6 million inhabitants and its annual rate of growth is 2 percent.
There are 420,000 homes, of which 112,000 are headed women.
Year after year the city absorbs more than 80 persons a day, some 30,000 people a year, who demand housing, jobs, education, water, transportation, electricity and other public services, he said.
The average level of education is nine years, he said, which shows that the majority of the population only finishes middle school. That's why he is proposing to build two more high schools and will push for more to be built.
"We have not ignored our needs, we face them with realistic proposals. This is not about re-inventing Tijuana, which is what is proposed every three years. The goal is simple: It's about relating the origin and use of resources with the achievement of goals," he said.
On the subject of public safety, Bustamante explained that his goal is to reinforce coordination among the three levels of government and to continue to reform the operation and structure of the police department.
Currently, local authorities have identified 250 public transit routes in Tijuana that are poorly located and whose cost to the users is too high. Additionally, only 70 percent of the population has service.
The mayor's plan calls for routes to be restructured and for the investment of $25 million in the creation of two main routes, the city's development director, Guevara, said.
According to the mayor, 1,600 tons of trash are produced in Tijuana daily, but public service only picks up about 80 percent of it.
His administration's goal is to extend coverage to at least 90 percent with enhancements to equipment and operations.
Regarding jobs, the city plans to promote the creation of new businesses and to invest $5.8 million in financing micro and middle-sized businesses.
The mayor also set as a goal to simplify the city's bureaucracy and reduce by at least 30 percent the wait times for city processes.
According to the mayor, this plan is "the result of a genuine process of reflection," which included talking to residents in many forums held in the first months of his administration.
Omar.millan@sandiegored.com
