The lesson of 2001 is how abruptly our lives can change, how false some of our values were, how painful it is to see the pain of others and how much we truly love our country. We greeted 2001 counting our money; we ended it counting our blessings.
Early in 2000, the nation’s economy began a slow downward turn led by the near demise of the dot-coms, then manufacturing began to slide, trade deficits added up and experts began their warning rituals. The rather dull presidential campaign gave way to the earth shaking election-day results — did the right man win? The nation was evenly split; the court made the final decision.
So we entered 2001 with a new President and a sputtering economy. Signs of an economic downturn that had appeared as tiny blips in economic radar screens grew bigger and more persistent until they took over the screen signaling a recession.
We began to fear the future, and began postponing some expenditures. Then came Sept. 11, changing our lives, and plunging the nation into near economic despair while uniting us behind our new President. We became a nation at war.
There is no going back; nothing we can do will erase that day. Within the context of that reality, life must go on.
For San Diego and Baja California the immediate effect was the collapse of their respective visitor industries. Although as 2002 begins tourism is recuperating in both regions, full recovery is a long way off. With thousands of layoffs and hundreds of millions of dollars lost, the fall was so sudden and dramatic that it became a topic of daily news coverage. Border crossing waits shot up to three and four hours, discouraging all but those who had to brave the journey.
The events of 9/11 did not cause a recession, but but they did greatly exacerbate its severity. Like dominos falling, the United States recession prior to September had plunged Mexico into its own.
The San Diego-Baja California region stands at a crossroad. Does it go forward on its own or crawl into a dark corner and wait for outsiders to bring the light?
Nearly 47 cents of each dollar generated in the state of California is due to trade, with a large portion coming from foreign trade. San Diego is no exception. And neither is Baja California, where the dependence on trade is greater, whether from foreign payrolls or tourism dollars.
It stands to reason that our combined regions must move swiftly to accommodate and promote greater trade, first between ourselves and then to reach out. The economic benefit to the binational region is tremendous.
Numerous projects have been in the making for far too many years. If they come online, the combined regions would share a long and prosperous future. The unleashed investments for these developments would create thousands of construction jobs; on completion, they would generate tens of thousands of new permanent positions.
The destiny of the San Diego-Baja California region is squarely on the shoulders of today’s generation. Hopefully, 2002 will bring with it a renaissance of spirit and a can-do/must-do attitude propelling us to a greater future.
A Few Of The Projects:
- Border crossings: San Diego Dialogue’s border study released in 1993 indicated most border crossings consist of frequent crossers. It recommended the installation of a northbound dedicated commuter lane for those who would withstand investigation and pay for the privilege. It became the program called SENTRI, a limited reality today. The process is cumbersome, very slow, and too expensive ($128 annually). Of the some 150,000 eligible users, today 12,000 or so have the permits. The Dialogue has recommended the process be improved and include pedestrian crossers. On the non-SENTRI lanes, adding inspectors to each shift to facilitate opening all the gates during peak hours would greatly expedite two-way trade in San Diego and Baja.
- Southbound border crossings: Since 1988, the Mexican government has recommended the former commercial border crossing (west of the San Ysidro port of entry) be converted into a southbound vehicular port of entry. This would place Mexico incoming traffic directly into either downtown Tijuana or onto the Rosarito-Ensenada highway. In turn, the existing San Ysidro gates would be turned over to the United States to create additional northbound lanes.
- Tijuana airport annex on Otay Mesa: The South County Economic Development Council has studied and recommended this project for several years. The project calls for the building of a terminal annex on Otay Mesa connected by a bridge to the Tijuana airport. The annex would provide for passenger departures/pickups and a parking facility. Tijuana could thus attract airlines with direct transoceanic flights. Additional benefits: no border crossing for those going to and from the Tijuana airport.
- State routes 125 and 905: For 11 years investors of the private toll road SR-125 have battled to construct the highway that would connect the border, the future 905 freeway, to highway 54, from there to 94 and I-8. SR-125 would alleviate much of the commercial truck traffic on I-5 and 805, plus East San Diego-to-border traffic. Since 1975, highway 117, now 905, has been on the books without complete action. In 1998, 905 was placed on the high priority corridor list.
- Bajagua: A private sector investment secondary sewage treatment plant in Tijuana, which would go a long way to clean up San Diego beaches (and attract more tourism), has been approved by the U.S. Congress and is held up by bureaucratic squabbling.
- Railroad: One of the most important regional projects, the reopening of the downed portion of the existing rail line running from the Port of San Diego, south through Tijuana, east to Tecate, back into San Diego (east of Tecate, CA) to Imperial Valley where it would connect to the national rail system. Freight rail service would provide untold opportunities for San Diego and Baja California. This has been under discussion in San Diego and Baja California since 1994.
- Tijuana municipal bonds: Mexican government decentralizing changes allow states and municipalities to obtain their own financing. Tijuana has received a positive rating from Standard & Poors, providing a means for issuing municipal bonds for infrastructure needs. The bonds will qualify for sale in the national and international markets. The successful underwriting of the bonds will create thousands of new jobs and will much improve Tijuana.
- Escalera Nautica: Baja California’s idea of improving and building a series of marinas to include hotels, golf courses and other visitor related facilities along both its coasts is a long term project, which will require billions of investment dollars, but needs to get started.
Patrick Osio Jr. can be reached through San Diego Metropolitan or by e-mail at posiojr@aol.com.
