Real information on San Carlos Sonora Mexico

The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose,  because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins. In order for somebody to win an important, major fight 100 years hence, a lot of other people have got to be willing – for the sheer fun and joy of it – to go right ahead and fight, knowing you’re going to lose. You mustn’t feel like a martyr. You’ve got to enjoy it.

–I.F. Stone

 

Dozens of water receipts are delivered to the Governors office in Hermosillo after radio interview with local activists

Dozens of water receipts are delivered to the Governors office in Hermosillo after radio interview with local activists

Victor Jorge Lili JCVictor Parra Maldonado, Liliana Miranda, Juan Carlos Gonzales and myself were interviewed on 90.1 F.M. last Tuesday on local talk show host Jorge Carrizales. Each person had a talking point. I discussed our proposal for a Marine Protected Area in San Carlos and also gave some history on the illegal dorado fishery. Guaymas is in a financial crisis at the moment which I pointed out and then compared that financial crisis in Guaymas to the crisis that we have going on right here in San Carlos and the greater Sea of Cortes. I will not dwell too much on this today in this post but San Carlos is experiencing it’s third year in a row for an unsuccessful breeding season of brown pelicans. I will publish the data at a latter date but brown pelicans are having a very rough time of it in San Carlos. This is the third year in a row where the brown pelican colony on Honey Moon Island has seen almost no pelican chicks make it

Pelicans sentenced to death in net
Pelicans sentenced to death in net from Commerical Sardine trawl

through to adolescence. Which means there is very little bait in the bay for them to eat. Not a good sign and I will post more on this later in the summer. It is not only San Carlos but all over the Sea of Cortes. I recently spoke with my friend and Enriqueta Velarde who is a seabird ecologist and been visiting Isla Rasa in the Mid Gulf for the last 25 years. This year is the third year in a row that Elegant Terns failed to nest successfully at Isla Rasa where incidentally 95% of the worlds Elegant Tern population nest each year. Climate change and continued over fishing of pelagic sardine stocks are to blame.  Don’t tell that to the commercial sardine fishing plants in Guaymas. They are expanding. Guaymas at the moment has another commercial processing plant for sardines being constructed. At least this plant will treat it’s effluent before it is pumped back into the bay. It should be noted that one of the biggest polluters of the bay in Guaymas has been the commercial fishing industry.

Victor Parra Maldonado spoke on the issue of the comisario. Pretty much everything I documented in our recent post called, How did our meeting with the new Comisario of San Carlos go? Not so hot. This is one of the better pieces I have written in a long time and well worth the read.

Juan Carlos Gonzales spoke about the Mexican Constitution and specifically about article 39 which states that the power of any town lies within the people and that the people can change their form of government any time that they so desire. In other words Juan Carlos was trying to inspire people in Guaymas and San Carlos to no longer sit cynically on the sidelines and complain about all of the woes that face our city. It is time to act and be participants in government, not simply spectators.

Liliana
Liliana Miranda with CEA receipts

Liliana Miranda discussed the numerous problems that face the Ranchitos Sector and it should be mentioned that Liliana has been one of the major actors in organizing residents. Lili has collected well over 50 water receipts from residents. Many aspects of the water issue in San Carlos were discussed.

  • San Carlos is over charged for it’s water
  • CEA does not respect senor discount cards from federal government
  • CEA looses 65% of its water due to failing infrstructure
  • CEA charges for sewage treatment yet there is none

At the end of the interview Victor Parra Maldonando left for Hermosillo to deliver the water receipts from San Carlos and a letter drafted by lawyers that documents all the ways in which Guaymas, and I do stress Guaymas illegally charges San Carlos for its water service. Remember Guaymas is unique in many ways, most cities charge and manage water. Guaymas is unique in that it only sets the price for water and charges for it, the state agency CEA administers it. This letter that Victor delivered starts an administrative paper trail that could very well could lead all the way to the supreme court of Mexico. The city of Guaymas constantly blames it problems on the state agency CEA and of course CEA turns around and blames the city, it is a vicious never ending circle of passing the buck . This has never been more so when you look at the case of Roman De La Rosi Tanori.

Roman has a legally issued seniors discount credential from the federal government of Mexico, SEDESOL. This card allows him to receive a federal discount on utilities such as water and electricity. He has been getting the run a round from CEA for months. Here is how they do it. He goes to Guaymas to ask for his discount and he is told by CEA in Guaymas that he has to pay his bill in San Carlos. So he goes to San Carlos to pay his bill and they tell him that they do not recognize his federal credentials and he will have to go back to Guaymas and discuss it with them. He goes back to Guaymas and the circle jerk starts all over again. He finally heard about Juan Carlos and Liliana and then came to them for help. So what was Roman doing wrong. Here is the screwed up system in Mexico. If you do not show up to a governmental office and document your complaint with a letter in writing then the complaint never happened. Of course the execs at CEA understand this completely. There are many poor ignorant souls, as I was, that had no idea that if you don’t get a letter signed and stamped your complaint never happened! So Roman with the help of a lawyer has written a letter to CEA. We hope to be there with a camera to document when that letter is delivered to CEA. The letter is written on behalf of all those who have senior discounts that are not being respected by CEA and CFE the electric company.

The experiment in Mexican Civics continues. Stay tuned!

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