President Calderon Pledges Incentives For Film Making In Rosarito and Mexico

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---President Felipe Calderon on Tuesday pledged incentives to attract more international film makers and productions to Rosarito and the rest of Mexico.

Speaking to an audience of about 400 people, Calderon pledged an initial $20 million to strengthen the country’s film industry plus incentives to attract productions here from around the world.

Calderon made his remarks at Baja Studios in Rosarito, which was built for the production of the James Cameron’s Titanic and where portions of other blockbusters including Master & Commander and Pearl Harbor have been filmed.

The president was received for his visit by Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres. Other dignitaries attending included Baja Gov. Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan as well as many other government officials. Noted actor Edward James Olmos also was a featured guest.

“Rosarito has become a place of great importance for the film industry, and it is precisely why here we announce this program for the promotion of film production," Calderon said.

He stressed that the film industry has great importance in the global culture, as well being as being an excellent source for jobs, income and regional promotion.

“Rosarito has shown that it is possible to offer world-class services to the film industry,” Calderon said. “Productions here have brought international fame to the city.”

For his part, Mayor Torres reiterated the importance of promoting the film industry.

"We welcome the support of the President of the Republic, and we are convinced that this decree will make Rosarito even more attractive to other countries that are interested in filming here, “ Torres said.



Torres noted that film production can be a key to the area’s economic recovery as well as a boost for tourism.

Dignitaries also toured the Baja Studios production facility in the Popotla area of Rosarito.. It was built in the late ‘90s during Torres first term as mayor, specifically for the filming of Titanic.

It has huge salt-water tanks as well as an ocean front setting. Baja Studios also contains a Titanic Museum and has been used as a theme park as well as for its production facilities.

Rosarito's Travel Alert Response

Stephen Kashkett
U.S. Consul General
Tijuana Consulate,
Baja California, Mexico


Dear Consul General Kashkett,

I am writing this letter to express my concerns with the U.S. State Department’s updated Travel Alert for Mexico issued on Feb 22. While it is a travel alert and not a warning, I believe it presents an inaccurate portrait of conditions in Baja --- including Rosarito --- and will unfairly increase safety concerns.

I appreciate that the alert begins by stating that “millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year (including tens of thousand who cross the land border every day for study, tourism or business and nearly one million U.S. citizens who live in Mexico.)”

But most of the remainder of the alert is a summary of violence throughout all of Mexico, caused primarily by the government’s crackdown on organized drug cartels and confined overwhelmingly to those involved in that international effort. If the same approach were taken in an alert for the U.S. --- primarily listing high risk areas and detailing crimes there --- people would be afraid to travel anywhere in the U.S. That would not be fair.

The alert states that a “number of areas along the border continue to experience rapid growth in crime” and cites Northern Baja California as being one of those areas. That is not accurate. Year-to-year crime in this region was down 10 percent in 2009. In Rosarito it was down 21 percent , to a five-year low. That included a 24 percent drop in robberies and burglaries, a 38 percent reduction in violent crimes and a 56 percent decrease in homicides.
I both understand and share the U.S. State Department’s concern for the well being of its citizens who choose to visit or live in our region --- we have an estimated 14,000 in Rosarito alone and we value them highly. But I also ask for your assistance in getting the wording of the alert changed so that it more accurately reflects the reality of this region.

Sincerely,


Hugo Torres, Mayor
Rosarito Beach
Baja California, Mexico

He praised the Mexican army

Kramer expects hard work by Mexican leaders, counting Rosarito Beach Hugo Torres, to be thriving in rebuilding Mexico’s image, but understood the countrys nation and many of its public now are distress since of noteworthy loss of visiting the attractions dollars. He furthermore praised the Mexican army and establishment pro their successes in the effort. While the bi-national effort hostile to drug cartels is a serious lone, visitors are not embattled, Kramer understood. Consulate in Tijuana, which serves mexico cruises all of Baja. Ronald Kramer understood with the intention of publicity in this area Mexico’s war hostile to drug cartels had falsely produced the impression in the U.S. El Mexicano newspaper in a front-page story in print Monday. Today he lives in Los Angeles and says he is forbidden to return to his native people. The bloodletting occurred as a upshot of his membership with two war drug cartels.

http://www.julianneiam.com/category/travel/

Rosarito Beach - Cambria Rotary Club Beach Clean

The Rosarito Beach and Cambria Rotary Club team up for a Beach Clean-up event and Vicky shares her baja experience with us.



For more videos visit http://www.youtube.com/RosaritoBeachVideos

Rosarito Beach Mexican Food Festival

We met Larry at the Rosarito Beach Food Festival, he shared hes Baja Experience with us.



For more videos visit http://www.youtube.com/RosaritoBeachVideos

Rosarito Crime Declines 21% To Reach A Five-Year Low

From January to November of 2009 Rosarito had the largest year-to-year decline in crime of any city in Baja California --- 21 percent --- to its lowest rate in five years, according to state figures.


The popular tourist and retirement destination 35 miles south of San Diego was the only one of Baja California’s five cities to achieve a five-year low. Baja Gov. Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan told the San Diego Union it was one of Baja’s success stories.

Overall, Baja California crime declined by an average of 10 percent in 2009 from the same 11-month period in 2008 and was lower than the level of the previous two years.

“These are very encouraging figures for Rosarito, especially in difficult economic times, when crime historically increases,” said Mayor Hugo Torres, who ran in 2007 largely on a platform of improving public security and police reform.

Rosarito led all Baja cities in major categories for 2009, recording a 25 percent year-to-year decline in robbery and burglaries, 36 percent in violent crimes and 52 percent in murders, from 54 to 26, according to the January-November state figures.
(Year-end figures have not yet been tabulated but are expected to show little or no change.)

Five of the killings were between members of rival drug cartels as the government makes it more difficult for them to operate, and three were of police officers.
“Other people simply are not targets of the violence connected to the organized crime crackdown,” Torres
Torres said that the drug-related killings are very troubling but even with them Rosarito has a lower homicide rate than many U.S. cities, including New Orleans, St. Louis and Baltimore, and about the same as Washington, D.C.

“Understandably, much of the media coverage in the U.S. has focused on the crackdown on organized crime --- it’s a vital international issue,” he said. “But that has created a misleading impression about security here.”

“These latest crime figures show that for our typical resident and visitor, Rosarito is as safe or safer than ever. We hope these statistics will be well reported to convey a more realistic picture of life and safety here.”

Since taking office, Torres has led efforts to replace more than half of the city’s police force while expanding its size from about 150 to 230 officers.

He also established a special tourist police force that uses bilingual traffic tickets that can be mailed in from the U.S., an ombudsman office and a city department for visitor assistance.

The mayor also brought in former Army Capt. Jorge Montero to lead the police department as director of public security. He has praised his work as well as the support of the City Council Torres also cited federal and state support plus a close working relationship with the Rosarito office of the state attorney general, which is responsible for most reporting and investigation of crime.

“Prevention is the key to crime reduction,” said Torres, who added that the city’s focus would remain on public security.

Rosarito also is working on expanding positive activities including sports and drug prevention programs for youth. Torres has personally talked to about 15,000 of the city’s 23,000 school children and plans to visit the remainder this year.

(Further information on Rosarito, including testimonials from many of the thousands of U.S. expatriates who live there, is available on www.rosarito.org)

Cuba Gooding Sr. Named Goodwill Ambassador, Receives Rosarito Key

Noted singer Cuba Gooding Sr., was presented a key to Rosarito and named a goodwill ambassador for the city by Mayor Hugo Torres at a weekend concert here.



“I am humbled by this, it means a lot to me,” said Gooding, who is best known for his 1972 super hit “Everybody Plays The Fool” as lead singer of the Main Ingredient. He also is the father of well-known actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

Mr. Gooding, who has a vacation home in Rosarito, said he is troubled because some in the U.S. have gotten the impression that Rosarito is unsafe because of the government’s crackdown on drug cartels and wanted to help correct that impression.

He told the mayor that he and his family would work to spread the word in the United States that Rosarito is a safe, wonderful, warm and welcoming place. “We’re going to get Mexicans and Americans loving each other,” he said.

Mayor Torres said the presentation was being made to Mr. Gooding “because of the great work you are doing and because we love you.”

The effort to have Mr. Gooding named goodwill ambassador was organized by Baja Times editor Laura Wong and other Rosarito residents, including members of the city’s large expatriate community.

As well as helping promote Rosarito in the U.S. and the world, Mr. Gooding said he also would bring other well-known ‘70s groups including the Temptations for concerts in the city. Mr. Gooding still tours several months a year.

Mayor Torres made the presentation to Mr. Gooding during a Saturday night dinner concert at Reuben’s Palm Grill, in the Cantamar area of the city.

A full house of about 100 people enthusiastically watched the concert by Mr. Gooding, who was accompanied by the two backup singers of the Main Ingredient, a four-piece band and an emcee.

(Accompanying photo shows Cuba Gooding Sr. with Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres at a meeting the week prior to the concert. Photo by Laura Wong.)

http://www.bajatimes.com/articlesDetail.asp?sid=2212