News (Noticias) Tagged ‘Tijuana’

Raymundo Pacheco, 28, is a Mexican citizen deserving of government help. In June Pacheco, originally from Santa Cruz Nexila, a small indigenous village in central Oaxaca, was deported from California to Tijuana. Since 2002 Pacheco had been working as a farmworker in the fields of Salinas Valley in California. His father, Primo Pacheco, and other members of his extended family continue working there, unable to visit Raymundo for fear that they would be unable to cross again into the United States.

Deposited across the border with no money, no local family ties, and no job, Pacheco had nowhere to go. So he joined the rising population of homeless immigrant men, women, and children in Tijuana.”*

Because Evaristo Suarez twice entered this country illegally, he must wait 10 years before he can apply to legally return. His wife, Heather, and three children wait with him amid Tijuana’s perils.”*

He could have continued for quite a bit longer reciting from Tijuana’s extensive menu of contraband. One product from this border town, though, trumps all others in terms of shock value: death in a bottle, a liquid more potent than even the strongest tequila.

The drug, pentobarbital, literally takes a person’s breath away. It can kill by putting people to sleep, and it is tightly regulated in most countries. But aging and ailing people seeking a quick and painless way to end their lives say there is no easier place on earth than Mexico to obtain pentobarbital, a barbiturate commonly known as Nembutal.”*

It looks like any Southern California traffic jam - except you can buy a cappuccino and a 4-foot statue of Jesus from your car while watching dogs sniff vehicles for drugs.

This is the U.S.-Mexico border’s most congested crossing, where local residents say already epic lines into San Diego have grown even longer since January, when the U.S. began phasing out a long-standing practice of allowing people they believed to be American citizens to enter by simply stating their citizenship.”*

Univision blew away the competition last night as the fifth edition of its “Premios Juventud 2008″ youth awards show delivered an average audience of 5.2 million viewers 2+, according to Nielsen’s Fast National ratings, and catapulted the network to the #1 ranking for the evening (8:00-11:00 p.m.) among Adults 18-34 (1,910,000) and 18-49 (3,100,000), Persons 12-34 (2,270,000), and Kids 2-11 (690,000). Additionally, 11.2 million people watched some or all of the 3-hour, star-studded telecast.

“Premios Juventud 2008″ was also the #1 program of the evening among Adults 18-34, besting such English-language fare on the other networks such as FOX’s “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” and “So You Think You Can Dance?,” CBS’s “Greatest American Dog,” “CSI,” and “Swingtown,” NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and “Fear Itself,” and ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Hopkins.” It was also the #2 program among Adults 18-49 and, along with Persons 12-34, averaged more viewers in those demos than all of the network programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and CW with the exception of FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance?”

The first and only awards show on Spanish-language television that celebrates the preferences of this country’s young Hispanics, “Premios Juventud 2008″ enjoyed the following significant audience increases compared to last year’s telecast:
– +6% among Viewers 2+
– +9% among Adults 18-34
– +12% among Adults 18-49
– +8% among Men 18-34
– +12% among Men 18-49
– +9% among Women 18-34
– +12% among Women 18-49

Source: Nielsen Media Research, NTI Fast Ratings for Premios Juventud & NTI Fast Affiliates for the E-L networks, 7/17/2008, Thursday 8pm-11pm. Live+SD.

With awards presented in 29 unconventional categories covering the world of Music, Film, Sports, Fashion and Pop Culture, “Premios Juventud” in only its fifth year of existence has already cemented its position as the most popular celebration of Hispanic youth in this country. This year’s edition featured some of today’s hottest, most popular Latin music artists including the chart-topping pop group RBD, heartthrob crooner Enrique Iglesias, Mexican singer and novela superstar Thalia, recording and motion picture idol Pedro Fernandez, Puerto Rican merenguera Olga Tanon, Colombian sensation Fonseca, regional Mexican recording groups Alacranes Musical and Tucanes de Tijuana, urban acts Akwid and Angel y Khriz, and the newly formed edition of the legendary boy-band Menudo, to name a few.

Locally, “Premios Juventud 2008″ was #1 from 8pm-11pm ET/PT (7pm-10pm Central) in the following markets:
– #1 among Total Viewers - Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix
– #1 in Households - Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Houston, and San Antonio
– #1 among Adults 18-34 - Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, and San Francisco
– #1 among Adults 18-49 - Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, and Phoenix
– #1 among Teens 12-17 - Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and San Francisco
In addition, “Premios Juventud 2008″ averaged more viewers during the time period than the combined viewership to ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in Los Angeles (+41%), New York (+34%), Houston (+35%), and Dallas (+39%) among Adults 18-34. “

Tijuana’s painted burros, known as “zebras,” have been a fixture on the streets of this border city for decades, posing with Hollywood stars and casual tourists alike for the perfect souvenir photo.

But spiraling drug violence in this city of 1.4 million across the border from San Diego, including shootouts along Tijuana’s main thoroughfares, has the burros’ owners fearing that their trade may become the next casualty.”*

Growing up on the beaches and bays of San Diego was an amazing journey for my family and friends in the 1950’s and 60’s. Mission Beach was a particularly nice haven for us kids, quite often our major decision of the day was “do we go out the front door to the ocean or out the back door to the bay?” My cousins were the ranch mangers of the 1400 acre Miramar Ranch (now Scripps Ranch), so when life at the beach got boring or too crowded we’d venture out to the ranch.

And, to make life’s choices more complicated, we had our fishing camp in Baja California, Mexico, near what is now called Baja Mar. More specifically, the camp was located on the new Sempra site down below Baja Mar on a ocean side plateau where the fishing was phenomenal.”*

When Genaro García Luna, Mexico’s top police official, arrived in Tijuana in January, the city was in the middle of a storm of violence that he found, as he put it to me with clipped understatement soon after his visit, “surprising.” First, three local police officers were murdered in a single night, apparently in retaliation for a bust that a drug-cartel boss warned them not to carry out. A few days later, federal police officers tried to storm a trafficker safe house in a quiet Tijuana neighborhood and ended up in a shootout. Five gunmen held off dozens of police officers and soldiers for more than three hours. By the time the police made it inside the house, six kidnap victims from a rival cartel being held there had been executed. The traffickers had skinned off some of the victims’ faces to conceal their identities. “*

Today, Vibra Bank announces the successful close of its Initial Public Offering and the Grand Opening of its headquarters in Chula Vista.

Just six months after announcing its IPO, and nearly 200 investors later, Vibra Bank has raised $14.8 million in capital. Well in excess of the minimum required to open, this capital reflects the strong support that exists for Vibra Bank’s concept of a bi-cultural community bank with a focus on serving businesses in Chula Vista, the South Bay and the entire San Diego region.

Vibra Bank will hold its Grand Opening on July 23, 2008, at its headquarters located at 530 Broadway in Chula Vista. Mayor Cheryl Cox and representatives from the Latino and South Bay business community will be on hand for a special ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by food and festivities.

“This is an exciting day for Chula Vista,” said Mayor Cox. “Vibra Bank is a unique bi-cultural community bank that will be a great asset to the residents and businesses of Chula Vista. We’re thrilled to welcome them to the neighborhood.”

Howard B. Levenson, Vibra Bank Investor and Board Member agreed, noting the San Diego community has gone without a bi-cultural bank for over 20 years. “This has been a long time

coming - and the fact that they’ve been able to accomplish this under the current market conditions is a testament to the strength of this venture.”

“Vibra Bank is different from other banks because we’re able to offer our customers a personalized banking experience to meet their specific needs.” said Vibra Bank President and CEO Scott Parker. “We’re committed to providing our customers with first class service that changes the way they view the customer/banker relationship. We want them to succeed and we’ll do everything we can to help them move forward.”

Vibra Bank will offer customers a wide range of services to meet their needs, including online banking and remote deposit (www.vibrabank.com). In addition, Vibra Bank is expected to generate a full range of loan products, while focusing on loans to businesses and business owners.

Their commercial and industrial lending products will include both secured and unsecured credit lines, term credit for fixed asset purchases, letters of credit and loans that qualify under the SBA guaranty programs. Commercial real estate lending products will include loans on retail, industrial and office properties. Vibra Bank will also offer carefully selected construction financing. A variety of consumer financing products will also be available to customers.

Based upon an initial capital level of $14.8 million, the Bank’s lending limits can comfortably accommodate maximum credits to one borrower of approximately $3 million on a secured basis or $1.8 million on an unsecured basis. Loans which exceed the Bank’s legal lending limit may be extended if participation agreements are in place with Vibra’s correspondent banks or with other community banks in order to sell a portion of the loan and reduce the Bank’s exposure. Vibra Bank will not engage in subprime single-family residential lending.

Vibra Bank’s board includes notable names from the San Diego and Latino business and banking community, including Enrique Schon, Chairman of Vibra Bank’s board and Founder of Mexico’s Banco Mifel and President SARSAP, a major Tijuana commercial real estate development firm; former San Diego Police Chief David Bejarano; Howard B. Levenson, former Chairman and CEO of Western Financial Corporation/Co-Founder Southwest Community Bank; Jeffrey Davidow, President of the Institute of the Americas and former United States Ambassador to Venezuela and Mexico; Luis Maizel, Senior Managing Director and Co-Founder of LM Capital Management and LM Advisors, the second-largest Hispanic money management company in the United States; Max Freifeld, partner in Prediales Atenas S.A. de C.V., a real estate investment company, and partner, board member and consultant for Autos Orientales, S.A. de C.V., a Nissan automobile dealership in Mexico, and also Founder and former Director of Hipotecaria Nacional and Hipotecaria Vanguardia; Maru Davila, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Corporacion de Telecommunications Regionales, a telecommunications company she founded in Mexico; and Gershon Jaffe, Certified Public Accountant and Chief Financial Officer of Jaffe Finance Company, LLC, which specializes in asset-based financing and leasing for professionals. “*

In the midst of a diesel shortage that has left truck and bus drivers chasing meager supplies, Mexico’s national oil monopoly has discreetly informed gas station owners that their gasoline sales will also be limited. “*

Disturbing news was reported out of Tijuana, Mexico recently.

In research conducted by Victor Clark-Alfaro, director of the Binational Center for Human Rights and a guest lecturer at San Diego State University, he and his students identify the fact that Mexico has its own “Minuteman” posse who are preying on the just-arrived migrants deported from the United States.”*

It took the Estrada family of Tijuana more than four hours to get to the San Diego County Fair last Sunday, factoring in two hours of sitting in border traffic, then a quick break for lunch in San Ysidro en route to Del Mar. “*

I have an obsession and her name is Julieta Venegas.

These days the hottest rock music comes out of the Latin world and a waifish Mexican rockera you’ve probably never heard of leads the pack. Julieta Venegas was born in California, but the Tijuana-raised singer is no crossover queen–her eclectic, Grammy-winning pop and rock compositions are all-Spanish-all-the-time. She’s a rich and poetic lyricist, with a voice at times sweet and bouncy, at times haunting. Oh dear, stop me before I hit Repeat yet again.”*

The rusty fence may divide the beaches of U.S. and Mexico, but it can’t break up a yoga class.

A few dozen yoga aficionados rolled out their mats Sunday on both sides of the wall between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego. The international group stretched and meditated together before exchanging hugs through the fence bars.

The session was organized by the Border Meetup Group, which promotes cross-border understanding by staging social events on the divided beach. “*

A sinuous coil of murky water winds through the Tijuana River Valley. On each side of the U.S.-Mexican border, residents eye each other warily, caught in the cross-currents of political intrigue and economic polices that make the floodplain seem almost orderly by comparison.

Wedged between the ocean, the border and the southern fringes of suburban San Diego, California, the valley is contested territory. Horse ranchers and bird fanciers make their home here, but the valley also serves as a flashpoint for migrants desperately seeking entry into the United States. A patchwork of state, local and federal agencies with competing interests makes collaboration difficult. Enforcement, conservation, and recreation all vie for top priority.”*

Nearly 200 illegal immigrants sent back to Mexico from the United States were falsely arrested by Tijuana municipal police who beat or robbed some of them, according to a study that a human rights group released last week.

Victor Clark Alfaro, head of the Binational Center for Human Rights and a longtime observer of Tijuana crime trends, called on the municipal government to rein back the police and respect the rights of the returning immigrants. “*

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that it will permanently shutter its field office in Tijuana, Mexico. Officials for the agency, part of the Homeland Security department, said the office is being closed as part of a larger effort to trim overseas costs and because the Tijuana office did not have “much of a workload.” The office will close on July 3, 2008. “Applicants should not be adversely affected by the office closures,” said Chris Rhatigan, an agency spokesman.”*

There was a lot that made you love San Diego in the early ’90s. And then there were Luis Alberto Urrea’s essays in the Reader. His gritty accounts of border life offered a shock-and-awe contrast to the idyllic existence north of the border. In his descriptions of the dumps, orphanages, and police precincts of Tijuana, Urrea revealed the harsh reality that resided right on our doorstep even before border books came into vogue. He has since gone on to publish his expressive voice in all literary forms. His last two books — The Devil’s Highway, a real-life account of a border crossing, and the mystically intoxicating novel, The Hummingbird’s Daughter — have secured his place among the finest contemporary writers in the nation.”*

A surge of drivers from the United States eager to escape record high gasoline prices flooded gas stations near the border crossings yesterday.

Motorists with California plates moved steadily through service stations.

Workers at the stations surveyed yesterday said they were keeping up with the increased demand for regular unleaded and premium gasoline. Diesel was in short supply or out at those stations selling it, workers said.”*

Nearly 40 years after they opened their first Tijuana restaurant, the entire extended family — 18 people, including Javier Plascencia’s wife and four children — moved across the border to a suburb southeast of San Diego.

Such migrations have become increasingly common in metropolitan areas along the U.S.-Mexico border, as the ongoing violence of a brutal drug war has disrupted lives from Tijuana to Nuevo Laredo, across the Rio Grande from Texas. The Mexican government has sent more than 3,000 troops into Tijuana in the last 1 1/2 years, and on several occasions soldiers have shot it out with drug cartel gunmen on residential streets.

“San Diego is the only place you can forget the sense of insecurity and fear. There, you can breathe. Psychologically, crossing the border relieves the stress,” said Guillermo Alonso Meneses, a professor of cultural studies at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana.”*

– Organized crime gangs have exported the kidnapping industry to the San Diego, California area, where they have kidnapped at least 15 people who were then taken to safe houses in Tijuana.

The kidnapping gangs are crossing the Mexican border, and they have begun to make incursions in the neighboring country where at the least 1,000 Mexican families are refugees, having fled the crime in Mexico.

The legal adviser of the Asociación Esperanza Contra Desapariciones Forzadas y la Impunidad (Hope against Forced Disappearances and Impunity Association), Miguel Angel Garcia Leyva, maintained that at least nine of these kidnappings were committed in recent months.”*

So did you know this? If you didn’t, perhaps you could send it to someone you know to help spread the knowledge and please tell them about HispanicTips.

View more “Did You Know?” facts in our “Did You Know?” section