One Journalist’s View

By Linda Ellerbee


Sometimes I’ve been called a maverick because I don’t always agree
with my colleagues, but then, only dead fish swim with the stream all
the time. The stream here is Mexico .

You would have to be living on another planet to avoid hearing how
dangerous Mexico has become, and, yes, it’s true drug wars have
escalated violence in Mexico , causing collateral damage, a phrase I
hate. Collateral damage is a cheap way of saying that innocent people,
some of them tourists, have been robbed, hurt or killed.

But that’s not the whole story. Neither is this. This is my story.

I’m a journalist who lives in New York City , but has spent
considerable time in Mexico , specifically Puerto Vallarta , for the
last four years. I’m in Vallarta now. And despite what I’m getting
from the U.S. media, the 24-hour news networks in particular, I feel
as safe here as I do at home in New York , possibly safer. I walk the
streets of my Vallarta neighborhood alone day or night. And I don’t
live in a gated community, or any other All-Gringo neighborhood. I
live in Mexico . Among Mexicans. I go where I want (which does not
happen to include bars where prostitution and drugs are the basic
products), and take no more precautions than I would at home in New
York; which is to say I don’t wave money around, I don’t act the Ugly
American, I do keep my eyes open, I’m aware of my surroundings, and I
try not to behave like a fool.

I’ve not always been successful at that last one. One evening a friend
left the house I was renting in Vallarta at that time, and,
unbeknownst to me, did not slam the automatically-locking door on her
way out. Sure enough, less than an hour later a stranger did come into
my house. A burglar? Robber? Kidnapper? Killer? Drug lord?

No, it was a local police officer, the “beat cop” for our
neighborhood, who, on seeing my unlatched door, entered to make sure
everything (including me) was okay. He insisted on walking with me
around the house, opening closets, looking behind doors and, yes, even
under beds, to be certain no one else had wandered in, and that
nothing was missing. He was polite, smart and kind, but before he
left, he lectured me on having not checked to see that my friend had
locked the door behind her. In other words, he told me to use my
common sense.

Do bad things happen here? Of course they do. Bad things happen
everywhere, but the murder rate here is much lower than, say, New
Orleans, and if there are bars on many of the ground floor windows of
houses here, well, the same is true where I live, in Greenwich
Village, which is considered a swell neighborhood — house prices start
at about $4 million (including the bars on the ground floor windows).

There are good reasons thousands of people from the United States are
moving to Mexico every month, and it’s not just the lower cost of
living, a hefty tax break and less snow to shovel. Mexico is a
beautiful country, a special place. The climate varies, but is
plentifully mild, the culture is ancient and revered, the young are
loved unconditionally, the old are respected, and I have yet to hear
anyone mention Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, or Madonna’s attempt to
adopt a second African child, even though, with such a late start, she
cannot possibly begin to keep up with Anglelina Jolie.

And then there are the people. Generalization is risky, but— in
general — Mexicans are warm, friendly, generous and welcoming. If you
smile at them, they smile back. If you greet a passing stranger on the
street, they greet you back. If you try to speak even a little
Spanish, they tend to treat you as though you were fluent. Or at least
not an idiot. I have had taxi drivers track me down after leaving my
wallet or cell phone in their cab. I have had someone run out of a
store to catch me because I have overpaid by twenty cents. I have been
introduced to and come to love a people who celebrate a day dedicated
to the dead as a recognition of the cycles of birth and death and
birth — and the 15th birthday of a girl, an important rite in becoming
a woman — with the same joy.

Too much of the noise you’re hearing about how dangerous it is to come
to Mexico is just that — noise. But the media love noise, and too many
journalists currently making it don’t live here. Some have never even
been here. They just like to be photographed at night, standing near a
spotlighted border crossing, pointing across the line to some
imaginary country from hell. It looks good on TV.

Another thing. The U.S. media tend to lump all of Mexico into one big
bad bowl. Talking about drug violence in Mexico without naming a state
or city where this is taking place is rather like looking at the
horror of Katrina and saying, “Damn. Did you know the U.S. is under
water?” or reporting on the shootings at Columbine or the bombing of
the Federal building in Oklahoma City by saying that kids all over the
U.S. are shooting their classmates and all the grownups are blowing up
buildings. The recent rise in violence in Mexico has mostly occurred
in a few states, and especially along the border. It is real, but it
does not describe an entire country.

It would be nice if we could put what’s going on in Mexico in
perspective, geographically and emotionally. It would be nice if we
could remember that, as has been noted more than once, these drug wars
wouldn’t be going on if people in the United States didn’t want the
drugs, or if other people in the United States weren’t selling Mexican
drug lords the guns. Most of all, it would be nice if more people in
the United States actually came to this part of America ( Mexico is
also America , you will recall) to see for themselves what a fine
place Mexico really is, and how good a vacation (or a life) here can
be.

So come on down and get to know your southern neighbors. I think
you’ll like it here. Especially the people.


www.bajainvestment.com

Is Mexico safer than New Orleans?

Posted by Jason Clampet at 3/26/2009

I've been a big fan of Baja California ever since I lived in Los Angeles and began taking frequent trips to the peninsula. I'm not sure, though, how accurate my impressions of the place are now, considering that I spent all of my time there before the uptick in violence that began in 2008. From the recent press reports and the warnings coming from the State Department as well as TV talk-show hosts, you'd think all of Mexico was a death trap waiting to snap shut on you as soon as you cleared customs in Tijuana, Mexico City, Cancun, or Cabo San Lucas.

I got sick of sifting through all the "don't go to Mexico" stories out there, so I emailed Hugo Torres, the mayor of Rosarito, for some perspective. Rosarito, a 20-minute drive from downtown Tijuana, became a hot spot in the early 2000s for southern Californians seeking affordable second homes. It's also a popular weekend spot for college kids and soldiers from the San Diego area.

Torres has a few biases, to say the least: in addition to being mayor, his family has long owned Rosarito's most notable hotel (Sinatra, Orson Welles, and Rita Hayworth were a few of its guests from Hollywood's Golden Age). But he's not an idiot, which is why he's not going to say "come on down, it's safe" if he thinks that'll lead to San Diego surfer getting kidnapped



"The best way [to know what's going on] is to talk to our frequent visitors or some of the 14,000 expatriates who live here," Mayor Torres emailed me. "They know from first-hand experience that Rosarito is safe and welcoming, perhaps more so than ever."


"The inaccurate perception of insecurity here has greatly reduced tourism. That perception, along with the U.S. economic slump, also has deeply impacted residential building. Together, it has been a tough economic hit. About 5 restaurants closed in this period, so far, one hotel closed for previous problem aggravated by the current crisis. Approximately 1,500 jobs have been lost."

A number of residential developments have been suspended or shut down completely, including a Trump condo tower that would have likely been a debacle with or without the violence and economic slump. Yesterday, Rosarito delayed until August a pro surfing contest that was to be held in April, citing a lack of sponsors and the need to wait until the media frenzy died down.

Torres trusts that will happen soon enough. "In general, the media that know us best and cover us most closely have presented the most accurate portrait. This includes, foremost, the San Diego Union-Triubune and also the Los Angeles Times. Pete Thomas, who writes the "Outposts" blog for the Times, has been excellent. Many of the sensationalized stories are done by reporters who seldom --- and sometimes never --- visit the area."

Like other Mexico boosters, Torres pushes the cartel-on-cartel violence story line. "The violence we have had has been primarily between rival factions of a drug cartels as more pressure is brought upon them; our visitors are not targeted nor is the typical resident affected. However, the inaccurate perception of insecurity here has greatly reduced tourism."

A vast majority -- over 90% by just about any count -- of those that have been killed in Tijuana and other cities are related to the drug trade in one way or another. It's also true that the violence is so concentrated in certain cities that there is rarely spillover into nearby towns, let alone other states. Baja California Sur, which takes up the southern half of the peninsula and includes La Paz and the Los Cabos area, had one drug-related murder this year, making the area safer than just about any city in the United States. Torres and others have pointed out that New Orleans, which almost everyone in the travel industry encourages people to visit, ranked third in 2008 for the most murders per capita in the world -- just between Cape Town, South Africa and Moscow, Russia.

That doesn't mean people shouldn't be careful when traveleing there. "We'd give pretty much the same advice that works for travelers anywhere," Torres says. "Stay in the popular tourist and business areas and avoid ones where things like drug dealing and prostitution occur. That won't be hard to do."

Photo credit:
Guadalupe Valley vineyards
Photo by jasoncedit

Gustavo Torres
www.bajainvestment.com

WAR ON THE DRUG CARTELS

As we've seen in the many many new US news reports on the drugs and violence, there is a war going on. We've seen too that, like Mrs. Clinton mentioned repeatedly, as long as the US continues the drug demand, all countries in the world will keep supplying it.
The difference here is that Mexico declared a WAR ON THE DRUG CARTELS…
I wish I could say the same for the US and other countries. I have never seen where the US police forces capture a drug boss in US soil.
WHY are we leaving the war only to Mexico? And yes, we have a drug war going on in Mexico, trying to stop narcotics from crossing the border.
Drugs mostly come from Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and other places, stop in Mexico, and then find their way into the US market. And the news people love to exaggerate the situation and show Mexico and places like Baja, very unstable, and like some even say in these blogs…”on the brink of civil war”.
This is amazingly ridiculous. Mexico is a stable country, and in most Mexican cities, you wont event know there is a drug war going on. In Baja, for example, we have over 20 million American tourists visiting every year, and no big incident involving an American has occurred in the last 18 months.
Out of 20 million VISITORS! How many incidents involving Americans have occurred in cities in the US in the same period?
Please be real! I ask US media: please be fair, and show the other side of Mexico! In some Baja cities, like Rosarito Beach for example, over 10% of the population is American, living happily, and now upset at US media, as they are scaring their friends and family from visiting them! They mostly believe that there is an agenda to attack and discredit Mexico. In another example, an agent for the US State Departement in California, saw some news reports, and based on that, he issued the travel alert for spring breakers NOT to travel to Baja or other parts of Mexico.
Yes, out of exagerated news reports… no facts, no knowledge!
Millions of spring breakers had been coming to Baja for over many years, and NO incident what so ever has happend to any of these visitors… Now with these media reports, the Tourisim sector in Baja is in crisis. I know bad and scary news sells more, but look at the damage to our country when newspeople don’t cover the true facts.
Mexico’s number one export is oil, but our number two income source is tourism.


Gustavo from Baja
www.bajainvestment.com

Ron Raposa

College Project Focuses On Media Accuracy in The Coverage of Rosarito Beach, Mexico
ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO ---A public affairs class from Boston’s prestigious Emerson College for the second year will focus on conveying an accurate picture of this tourist city and dispelling misleading U.S. media reports.

The RediscoveRosarito project is that of a graduate class in public affairs led by Emerson College professor Gregory Payne, whose family also has a home in the tourist and vacation city 30 miles south of San Diego.

Payne originated the idea for the project in international public affairs after seeing some U.S. media reports that presented a picture of Rosarito far removed from the city that he had known for years and to which he is a frequent visitor.
“One of our major objectives it to ensure that the stories and narratives are backed with facts and not sensationalized solely to get the attention of the public,” Payne said.

“Last year and this year, we see the mediated reality at odds with the facts. Rosarito is a safe and secure city for tourists to visit and expatriates to move to and enjoy the Baja Mexican lifestyle.”
He cited a recent segment on ABC World News Tonight as an example of misleading coverage.

“Mexico under the leadership of President Felipe Calderon is conducting a serious battle against drug cartels. But despite what some media reports have indicated, regular residents and visitors to Baja California are not the targets.”
Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres said he was very appreciative of the work of Payne and his class, 10 of whose members visited Rosarito when the project was launched. He said that inaccurate perceptions had badly damaged the city’s tourism-based economy.

“It’s gratifying to have such a prestigious U.S. college as Emerson advocating for us and helping our story be told in a fair and balanced way,” Torres said. “With our new tourist police force and other steps, Rosarito with its population of 14,000 expatiates is safer and more welcoming than ever.”

Emerson students this year will continue the bi-lingual RediscoveRosarito website, the second Rosarito Student Film Festival, and a media ethics project - rosaritofactcheck - dedicated to making sure the media’s message is fair and accurate.
The results of this media audit will be presented at the National Communication Association`s Annual Convention in Chicago this November and at the International Academy of Business Disciplines Annual Convention in Los Angeles, Spring, 2010.

Results of the audit will also be submitted to Media Ethics, a scholarly publication on the role of ethics and the media, as well as to local news affiliates in California and Mexico, Payne said.
Emerson students also are working on a collaborative project with students from Southern California colleges dedicated to promoting Rosarito as a great place for spring break and weekend trips.
A public relations campaign will be developed to promote this effort by the class at Emerson, founded in 1880 as the only school devoted exclusively to communication,

RE/MAX Baja Realty
www.remax-baja.com

Going for the green

Going for the green
Tiger Woods backs residential golf resort planned for Baja, but potential effect on the environment brings out critics
By Jose Luis Jiménez
STAFF WRITER
2:00 a.m. February 8, 2009

Rock outcroppings frame the view toward Islas de Todos Santos in the Pacific Ocean; sea lions play in the clear blue water; caves shelter the shells left by indigenous people who roamed the area hundreds of years ago.
Even as worldwide economic troubles continue to mount, the property near Ensenada is expected to join the development trend this summer as work begins to transform it into a golf course designed by Tiger Woods. Punta Brava, the developers say, will be breathtaking.
But unless you have at least $3 million to buy an estate home site or a villa, don't bother calling for a tee time when the ultra-private course opens, scheduled for 2011. Only homeowners and their guests will be allowed to play it.
Some real estate experts question the wisdom of developing a high-priced golf club in the midst of a slumping global economy. It is also in an area known more for spring breakers and retired U.S. expats than as an exclusive tourist destination. In addition, a high level of violent crime in Mexico, mainly fueled by drug gangs, has made headlines in the United States and across the world.
Local environmentalists also are concerned about the potential damage that could be done to the coastal environment by the introduction of non-native grass and the chemicals needed to keep it green.
Texas-based developer Brady Oman pledges nothing will reach the ocean, except for a few errant golf shots. In a recent interview, Oman said the company is committed to keeping the $100 million project as environmentally friendly as possible.
He also said the development is fully financed, thanks to the deep pockets of Red McCombs, who co-founded media giant Clear Channel Communications.
And he expects well-to-do golf lovers will be lining up to purchase property so they can play on only the third course designed by Woods. Developers say that with water on three sides and a 1,200-foot peak at the entry to the project, the location is secure.
“We are really confident because of the site, the team of developers and the proximity to Southern California,” Oman said. “The site is a once-in-a-lifetime site.”
Oman, who has developed golf-and-housing projects in Texas, started scouting the peninsula several years ago. Another member of the development team found the site in 2006, near the famous La Bufadora sea geyser and about 10 miles west of Highway 1, the main north-south route in Baja California. An Ensenada family that planned to use the 300 acres for retreats sold the property and got a five-acre estate on the site.
Next was getting the partners on board. Woods visited the site in 2007, committed to the development and stopped by again after his dramatic U.S. Open win at Torrey Pines last summer.
With Woods on board, Oman said it was easy to get McCombs to back the deal. After the announcement of the project at a Beverly Hills hotel in October, a sales office was opened in downtown San Diego. A helicopter is available to fly potential buyers to the property, where the par-70 golf course is staked out, along with the locations of the clubhouse, spa and an ocean club with a pool.
So far, 12 people have committed to purchasing at the development, including Woods himself. A total of 40 estate home sites and 100 villas will be sold. Owners will have the opportunity to hosts guests at 20 of the villas; the exact arrangements are being worked out, according to the developers.
Approximately 750 people will be employed during the construction phase, with 200 permanent jobs afterward. Potable water will be provided by a desalination plant, and irrigation water will drain into retention ponds, which will then be recycled through a treatment plant, Oman said.
“Nothing goes into the ocean,” Oman said.
While local environmentalists applaud the steps taken to lessen the environmental impacts, the immediate surroundings will be affected, said Juan Manuel Rodríguez, who heads the department of urban and environmental studies at Colegio de la Frontera Norte, or COLEF, a Tijuana-area think tank.
Manuel, who attended the public hearing for the project last month before Mexico's environmental agency, cited three areas of concern.
The first is the adverse impact that earth moving and grading would have on the animals and plants that inhabit the site and nearby waters. Next, the area is a “dry coastal zone,” and introducing lots of water and chemicals would change the indigenous vegetation.
Lastly, dumping the highly concentrated salt residue produced by desalination plants into the ocean could harm the sea plants and creatures near the outfall.
“Little by little, the grass on the golf course will invade the indigenous coastal vegetation,” Manuel said. “What the people of Ensenada want is that the beautiful coastal views and access to the surrounding waters be preserved.”
The development along northern Baja California's Pacific coast is turning it into an extension of urban Southern California, said Horacio de la Cueva, a specialist in biological conservation with CICESE, a scientific think tank near Ensenada.
“One of the things Baja California has to offer is natural beauty. And many people are willing to pay to enjoy that experience,” he said.
Golf courses are not environmentally friendly, but instead “green asphalt,” de la Cueva said.
“Once they destroy the landscape, it will never return.”
With only 120 properties for sale, the developers have little inventory to sell compared with other golf course developments. But high prices, comparable to ocean-view properties in La Jolla, could make it a difficult sale in what many economists call a worldwide recession that may last for years, said Leonard Baron, a lecturer at SDSU's business school.
The local real estate expert also questions the location near Ensenada, which is not known as a world-class tourist spot, like Cabo San Lucas to the south. Recent headlines about violence in Mexico also may make people question whether it is a wise investment.
There is also the larger issue of buying property in a foreign country and being subject to its laws.
“You're trying to create a place for people to go to that they wouldn't traditionally go to,” Baron said. “Do I want to live in such a remote area? What is the long-term viability? Those may be questions potential buyers are asking.”
Oman said the property title is clear and title insurance will be offered through a U.S. company.
Further, the Mexican government has adopted reforms to real estate laws to avoid the nightmare scenarios some Americans have experienced in the region, said Oscar Escobedo, Baja California's tourism secretary.
In 2000, more than 200 U.S. citizens at Punta Banda, which is a few miles from the Punta Brava site, were evicted after being caught in the middle of a coastal property dispute between a communal landholding group and private owners. They were forcibly removed from their homes when the land was restored to the private landowners.
The secretary said he is well aware of the tough economic climate. He noted that 18 developments between Tijuana and Ensenada have been halted for financial reasons.
But Escobedo said he is confident Punta Brava, which is expected to be permitted within a few weeks, will succeed and bring a new class of high-end tourism to the region as owners invite friends and business partners to play golf. He said he believes the current crime wave, which his office has blamed for as much as a 70 percent drop in visitors across the Mexican state, will pass and that tourism will rebound. “This golf course has the potential of putting Baja California on the map as a worldwide golf destination,” Escobedo said in an interview. “I don't see the current violence having a long-term impact. This is not the first time, nor the last, that Mexico goes through a crisis.”

15,000 Tax credit for Homebuyers !

New: $15,000 Tax CREDIT FOR HOMEBUYERS

Its great what congress is doing right now. Last week, they passed a $15,000 tax credit for ANYONE buying a house in the next year! This is something you may want to take advantage off!

How it works: it is 10% of the PURCHASE price, up to $15,000 max. The buyer will then have it credited at the 2009 year-end tax return.

It used to be only $7,500 and only for first time buyers, but now, all can qualify for this tax credit, that has been trying to "get in" since the 1970s

Also, with the original $7,500 credit, you had to repay it... correct me if I am wrong, but this new $15,000 credit, is NOT required to be repaid.

I hope they bring back the buyer's assisted down payment program, as this can defintely help many would-be buyers, that are a bit short on cash, but have fair, good and excelent credit scores.

On a different note, we've seen now very affordable foreclosure homes in the San Diego area, including Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Paradise Hills, Bonita, National City, Downtown San Diego, Spring Valley and many others.

It is indeed a buyer's market.... enjoy it!

Gustavo Torres
www.CaliforniaForeclosureTour.com

New services to ensure continued enjoyment of retirement

BAJA TIMES
Volume XXX, Number 94 December 1-15, 2008
HEALTH

Unique and Much Needed Services in Baja
New services to ensure continued enjoyment of retirement

Serena Senior Care opened its doors in spring of this year offering high quality assisted living, health management, and property care services in the Rosarito Beach area of Baja California, Mexico.

Don’t wait until it is to late! Many retirees from the United States, Canada and other parts of the world have been enjoying their retirement in Rosarito for years. Some have been here for over 20 years and as they age they have more difficulty dealing with normal daily activities. Entering in to these later stages in life may also require putting more attention to your health and being more proactive about taking care of yourself.

Some people choose to ignore these realities and don’t take any action, slowly losing the quality of life they used to enjoy. But others take action, and decide to keep enjoying life and not just surviving it. A good example is Peter Fowler, who will be 85 this winter. He moved to Rosarito four years ago and was enjoying life, and then he started to have some health problems and realized he needed help. Peter hired a caregiver, Gabriela, from Serena Senior Care and his quality of life increased. He is now enjoying his retirement again, “It was like a ton of bricks was lifted off my back,” says Peter. “Gabriela still comes by and simply makes life easy for me, in spite of my physical restrictions. We’re like family,” added Peter.

With the commitment to continually improve their services Serena Senior Care has announced new products that will undoubtedly become valuable resources to many. One of the services that many people have been asking for is an all inclusive assisted living facility, which is now a reality. Serena has now available a beautiful residence that is exceptionally equipped ready to host up to 15 residents. In this home, residents will have lodging, all meals, housekeeping, personal care by trained nurses and caregivers, supervision from a Geriatrician, social activities, physical therapy, and many other services.

This new service is a great value, with an affordable monthly fee that is about 50% the cost of comparable services in California, but with the distinctive warm hospitality of Mexico. Anyone interested in visiting the facility can RSVP for a tour directly at the Serena offices calling (661) 612 9090, or may go to their Open House on December 4th. “Nobody knows when the sky will fall, so knowing that Casa Harmony is available now, or for my final years, makes me feel safe and secure. I have peace of mind. Serena Senior Care has been good to me” conclude Peter.

Other times our loved ones need help and we become their caregivers, a task that takes its toll as time goes by. In these cases family caregivers need a break. For example, Virginia Anderson has lived in Rosarito for over 16 years and has been taking care of her husband after he become ill over ten years ago. Today Virginia has contracted a nurse from Serena Senior Care for one or two days per week giving her the opportunity to go out and do the things she enjoys, such as going to religious services and visiting with friends. “I am very pleased with the care my husband is getting when the caregiver comes to give me a day off. My husband likes the nurse very much and she seems to like him. Even though he can`t speak they seem to know what each other is saying” says Virginia.

New tools to make your life better: Since Serena Senior Care started they have demonstrated their commitment to becoming a true resource and a solutions provider for retirees in the region. They organized the first Health Fair focused on foreign residents and they launched the Serena Full Assistance Card that provides access to top medical services in the region and other services that give cardholders peace of mind such as road side assistance and emergency home repairs, all accessible through a 24- hour toll free number with bilingual operators. Recently they have added more services and discounts to the Full Assistance Card at some of the more prestigious restaurants such as Rincon San Roman at Real del Mar, That’s Amore, Cha Cha’s Café and others. Also they have increased the number of places where you can buy the card, such as the “Roma” pharmacies, International Mail Center, and Bajamart & Deli in Bajamar. The Card will soon be available in Ensenada, as well. You can find an updated list of places to buy and get discounts on their website, www.serenaseniorcare.com.

Other services now offered by Serena Senior Care are TLC and a Preventive Maintenance Policy. TLC stands for “Tender Loving CALLS”, a daily friendly call in English to check up on you and make sure everything is ok, or to make arrangements if you need something. This is a wonderful and simple service for those that live alone and want peace of mind that someone is looking out for them in case anything happens. The preventive maintenance program offers an inspection of your home to make sure that all the pluming, including gas, and electrical installations are working properly; to make sure all doors and windows work, and that there are no roof leaks. The inspections are done by trained technicians every 3 months. This is a perfect solution for those that don’t live permanently here or that are not the do-it-yourself type. If something needs repairs, Serena Senior Care can take care of it!

New services and new easy convenient ways to get them are one way that Serena Senior Care is proving its commitment to the Baja Retiree community in Rosarito and the North Baja coast. For more information contact Serena Senior Care at info@serenaseniorcare.com.

www.remax-baja.com