Rosarito Beautification Effort Underway With Popotla Boulevard Projects & Others

A section of the city best known for housing the creation of beautiful things is the first to benefit from a new volunteer city beautification effort.

Sculptures including Neptune and others created by local artists have been installed along Popotla Boulevard, south of the main downtown, over the past several years.

Popotla is a section of Rosarito known for handmade furniture, metal sculpting, tile and glass work, art galleries and much more. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Rosarito.

Now the effort, organized by Juan Bosco president of AFAMARO, the Rosarito artisans’ association, is expanding to include Benito Juarez, which is the name of Popotla as it runs though the center and north of Rosarito.

A non-profit group is being formed to lead the project. It will consist of four subcommittees, one each for Rosarito north, Rosarito downtown, Popotla Boulevard and the Puerto Nuevo area.

Along the boulevard three murals will be painted, several fountains, old doors, sculptures and more will be installed, as well as plants, pots, banners and more.

Donations including materials are being sought to assist in the project. Anyone wanting to help can contact Laura Wong at bajatimes@prodigy.net.mx, Citlalitl Pereda at presidente@rosarito.org, or Bosco at juanbosco@afamaro.com

U.S. Rotary Club Helps Maintain Beach & Makes Statement on Safety of Rosarito

Seven members of a California Rotary club joined with about 20 local Rotarians and Rosarito residents Saturday in an event to demonstrate this tourist area is perfectly safe for visitors.

The event organized by Rotarians from Cambria, California was officially a beach maintenance session but Bruce Howard, past president of that club, said its main purpose was to help eliminate inaccurate perceptions that have developed in the U.S.

“We want to tell people that Baja is safe,” said Howard, who owns a vacation home in Rosarito. “We’re coming down, we love coming down and we feel safe and welcome and comfortable here.”

Howard said media coverage of the Mexican government’s aggressive crackdown on drug cartels, including some sensationalized stories, has created the impression among some in the U.S. that the area is unsafe for visitors.

“Those of us who love this area and visit it often know that is not true,” Howard said. “But unfortunately the perception is seen as reality by many and it has badly hurt the economy and many people here.”

Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres thanked Howard and those attending for their effort: “We appreciate you thinking of Rosarito and trusting us when we say that we’re truly safe for visitors.”

Howard also urged all the Rotarians to send news of the event to their local papers in the U.S. Joining Howard for the trip from Cambria were Sharon Harvey, Socorro Simmons, David May, Tommy Howard, Vikki Hansen and Dennis White.

Members of the two local clubs, Club Playas de Rosarito and the Rotary Club of Rosarito, also helped organize the event and participated. The clubs will join together for future events also, said Rosarito Rotarian Jorge Villanueva.

Some of the Rotarians wore yellow vests for the beach maintenance, which took about two hours. “The beaches are cleaner here than the ones at home,” Howard said.

Some local residents as well as Rosarito Rotarians and members of the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau also joined in. Howard said several Rotarians from clubs in Southern California as well as Wyoming also participated.

(Attached photo includes Villanueva, far left; Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres, center in striped maroon sweater; and Bruce Howard, far right in yellow vest).

Rosarito Event This Saturday Has 2 Purposes: Maintain The Beach & Support The Region

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---The Rotary Club of Cambria, California is co-sponsoring with its Rosarito counterpart this Saturday a beach maintenance day --- but its main purpose is to show this area is safe for U.S. visitors.

“Any beach can benefit from a clean-up day, but the ones here are maintained very nicely,” said Bruce Howard, past president of the Cambria club. “Our main goal in bringing Rotary members down is to help correct misperceptions in the U.S.”

Participants in the beach maintenance day will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday on the beach in front of the Rosarito Beach Hotel. Local residents can join the effort just by showing up.

One group will head south, towards Rene’s Campo, while the other group will head north to clean up as much of the beach as possible during the two-hour event, according to Edson Ruiz, the President of the Rotary Club of Rosarito.

Ruiz is asking all youth and service groups, clubs and organizations in the area, including members of Rosarito’s large expatriate community, to participate.

Further information on the event, including lodging discounts, is available by contacting Jack George at; jeg925@yahoo.com or, in the U.S., Bruce Howard at; bruce@brucehowardrealtor.com.

Howard, who has a vacation home in Rosarito, said media coverage of the Mexican government’s aggressive crackdown on drug cartels has created the impression among many in the U.S. that the area is unsafe for visitors.

“Those of us who love this area and visit it often know that is not true,” Howard said. “But unfortunately the perception is seen as reality by many and it has badly hurt the economy and many people here.”

“We’re hoping events like this and others we are planning involving club members and their families will help spread a more accurate perception in the U.S.,” Howard said.

“It’s also a great way to strengthen our relationship with clubs in Mexico,” he added. “Many members of California Rotary clubs and their families love this area and have enjoyed visiting here for decades.”

Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres praised the Cambria club’s effort and expressed his gratitude.

“This is a bad time to be involved with organized crime in Mexico,” said Torres. “But for our millions of visitors the area is as safe or safer than ever. Still, it is difficult to overcome negative perceptions.”

“We are extremely grateful to the Cambria Rotary Club and other U.S. groups who love Rosarito and have stepped forward to help us convey an accurate picture,” Torres added. “We know they are among our best ambassadors in the U.S.”

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held For Rosarito Beach Boys & Girls Club

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO—The first phase of a $1 million Boys & Girls Club designed to eventually serve 1,000 children a day in this city is scheduled for completion in late summer of next year.

The goal of the Boys & Girls Club of Rosarito is to provide positive activities and experiences for children, including ones from needy families, said club president Rosy Torres.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the club on a hillside east of the Sharp Electronics facility was held last Thursday. State and local officials and about 200 people attended the ceremony, which included a gymnastics demonstration by school children.

About $100,000 of the $1 million has been raised, Ms. Torres said.

That includes about $80,000 from the office of Baja California Gov. Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan; $10,000 from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mexico, which was represented by Enrique Gamboa; and a $10,000 personal donation from Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres.

At the ceremony Mayor Torres spoke of how the club will provide positive experiences for children, while keeping them from bad influences that could lead to delinquency and experimentation with drugs.

The first phase of the club will include reception and administrative offices, library, computer room, dance/music/ martial arts studio, arts and crafts room, multi-purpose classroom and restrooms.

Also part of the initial phased will be a basketball/volleyball court, skateboarding area, and swings.

The second phases will include large multi-purpose room for events, garden with Baja California flora and a small football field. The third phase will include two racquetball courts and an open-air theater.

”Since there are two different school hours, we plan to host up to 500 kids in the morning and 500 kids in the afternoon,” Ms. Torres said. “We will probably start with 250 in each time frame.”

The Secretary of Education for Baja will pay for at least three full-time teachers; the governor’s office will pay up to half of operating costs. The club will serve children between the ages of 6 and 16.