North .com - Gringo Gazette

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Vol. 2 ed. 21 • DECEMBER 14TH, 2015 • NO BAD NEWS
Just How Many
Charities Do We Have?
Here’s our list, but we might have missed a few
BY BUNNY WINGATE
The Baja charity bubble is
expansive all year but explodes
with a mighty bang right around
Halloween. The day of the dead
in our perfect little village heralds
the start of the season of giving
and giving and giving. Nowhere
else in my looong life have I ever
experienced or seen so many
charities for people who have
little or nothing, animals in need,
or organizations that benefit both
of the above, as I have come to
know in our relatively small area
known as Baja Norte.
Friends of the Library needs
books to educate our young
people and promote reading literacy but young people also need
clothing and food for the Kumai
Indians who without the money
raised by her various events
would not have warm clothing or
a holiday meal. Marilyn Widd is
sponsoring her special orphanage
that has no running water or electricity. But Marilyn’s isn’t the only
deserving facility, as others hawk
for their orphanages as well. On a
recent trip to a Rosarito orphanage I fell in love with beautiful
faces of all ages from months
old babies to teenagers laughing
at a troupe of clowns who tour
Baja on a regular basis. All the
children were encouraged to join
in the festivities, and they did,
forgetting for a time that they had
less than others. When I arrived
home and thought about what I
had seen, I thought maybe these
children had more. I met loving
volunteers giving their time to
these kids and they had many
brothers and sisters to share their
thoughts and dreams. Christmas
presents were donated by those
who could afford this luxury and
continue this every Christmas.
Katharine’s Kids serves disabled children in an orphanage
while SOS Children’s Villages is
one of the largest orphan charities
around the world. It takes a special soul among us with the time
and money needed to organize
and promote these many orphan
charities.
Cruz Roja is our Red Cross
and is always in need of money
continued on page 6
New Ensenada ByPass
Under Construction
Not so good for merchants
Clogged roads, congestion,
potholes and bumps, Ensenada
is working on a bypass to help
frustrated travelers.
Who has not cursed that
patched up stretch between
Chapultepec and Maneadero,
better known as “flight of death/
tramo de muerte,”, especially
at night. The holes in the road
BY Bryan Rock
have often been replaced with
bumps because of all the patching instead of proper repaving.
Logic would dictate that it would
make more sense to repave that
stretch properly, rather than to
continuously re patch it. And it
seems that now logic is catching
up. Ensenada mayor Gilberto
continued on page 7
It’s challenging and expensive terrain to build that far
up the hill, because the canyons carved by rain rushing
to the sea are way deeper than they are closer to the
ocean, where they tend to widen but be less deep.
2
Que Pasa in Baja?
December 14th, 2015
.COM
BY OLIVER QUINTERO
Support for sport fishing. Our
state government has made an
effort this year to improve the
sport fishing business in Baja,
supporting local fishing charters
with about $100,000 dollars of
resources like fishing poles, GPS,
life jackets and other fishy stuff.
The head of the state fishing
office, Matias Arjona, said that
this year the state government
tried to give an extra push to
the local fishing charter businesses because the El
Niño phenomenon is
creating ideal conditions for sports fishing since the sea
water is getting warmer.
He said that
unusual species
are now being
captured here
like a 328 pound
marlin that was
captured this year in our waters.
Boy, was he lost.
Around 140 boats are involved in sport fishing in the
northern Baja area with the majority of them being located in
San Felipe, Bahia de Los Angeles,
San Quintin and Ensenada. Quit
your sniveling, Rosarito, you
don’t even have a marina, and
your only pier is a useless joke.
So there.
Tourism office wants more
money. Don’t we all? The local
tourism director in Ensenada, Amador Arteaga, said they
are asking for more money for
next year in order to
promote the city better. He is asking for
about $262,00 next
ye ar ( i s t h at
too much
to ask?)
All they
got this year
was ab out
$180,000
(really? Our
b e aut y an d re c re ational opportunities cannot
be explained with sure a paltry
amount of money).
Arteaga said that in 2008
the percentage of the municipal
budget assigned for tourism was
0.41% of the total budget, and
that it has gone down to 0.23%
this year. The goal is to use most
of the money to get about 100,000
more cruise shippers to come off
the ships and to reactivate the
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“Return to Ensenada” program.
This program was aimed at promoting the city to the cruise ship
pilgrims so they would be more
inclined to make a car trip to visit
Ensenada on a future date.
What To Do If You’re
Stopped By The Police
If you are stopped, and you have actually made a boo boo, ask for a ticket and go
down to the police station later on or the next day, or even the next week, and pay it.
They will take your driver’s license to insure that you show up, and that’s OK. They do not
want your license, and there is noting they can do with it. You will get it back.
If you have not broken any law, just keep asking for a ticket. “Dar may un teeket por
favor”. Be polite but be firm.
If they threaten you or get nasty, write down their name, or if they are not wearing
their name badge, (mandatory, but still it’s common for
them to stick it in
their pocket), then haul out your phone and take
their picture. That’s like holding a mirror up to
a vampire, and they will jump in their car and
scurry away like cockroaches when you turn on
the light. They will let you go with some face
saving mumble like, “just a warning this time”.
It’s extremely rare for them to write a
ticket, and for sure they will not cite you when
you haven’t done anything wrong. And, if you have
broken a law, the ticket is ridiculously small. Man
up and go down and pay it, don’t take the cowardly/
lazy way out and throw money at the officer.
OK, once more now, altogether, “dar
may un teeket”
This police extortion would stop in a
week if everyone would grow a back bone
and stand up to them. If it doesn’t stop,
then it’s your own fault. ,
Speaking of cruise shippers.
A jewelry store in Ensenada
just threw in the towel on us.
Gave up on us, left us in disgust.
Royal Jewelers, which has successful stores in Cabo, Alaska,
and all over the Carribbean, says
Ensenada doesn’t work for them.
They cite the aggressive barkers
on the boulevard in Ensenada.
“The tourists are shell shocked
after walking down the street”,
says Ana Mostafo. “They feel the
sales personnel in the stores are
too pushy, coming out of their
stores and actually berating the
people who won’t come into their
store”.
Could be true, my Gringa
boss won’t walk down the street
anymore for that very reason.
By about the 10 th aggressive
store keeper who yells at her, she
starts yelling back, and then it’s
Katie bar the door. I feel for her
safety… or the store keepers?
Tough call!
She’s another Gringa who’s
done with downtown Ensenada,
and she’s an old Mexico hand,
who makes her living down here!
A few months ago there was
a movement among officials to
stop this practice but it went
nowhere, maybe because Mexicans don’t realize how bad our
precious tourists are treated. I,
for example, a Mexican, can walk
down the same streets and be ignored. I’ m sure the city officials
are not molested, either, so how
can they be expected to take this
problem seriously?
Second access to Playas in TJ
open. Our state governor, Kiko
Vega, and other big honcho federal officials last week inaugurated the south access to Playas de
Tijuana in a big ceremony. Kiko
said the project is an example of
the excellent collaboration and
team work between the three
levels of government (municipal,
state and federal) because they
all worked on getting this done.
( Read: Sent dinero.)
The $22 million USD and 2.5
mile long road will allow Playas
citizens to have a more fluid access to and from Tijuana. This
will surely go a long way in case of
an emergency. And convenience.
Before we all had to double back
to north Playas to go south, because that was the only way out
continued on page 9
GRINGO
Published bi-monthly in
Vista, CA and distributed in
Mexico & The United States
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S.A. de C.V.
Northern Baja
044 (646) 179-4599
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(624) 143-5750 & 143 0865
United States
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Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
Ph. (562) 714 6735
Subscriptions available
see page 10 or 11, maybe
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appears in print, online
Who's to blame:
Publisher
Carrie Duncan,
[email protected]
US (562) 714-6735
Editor
Oliver Quintero
[email protected]
Subscriptions
Santiago
@gringogazette.com
Sales & Distribution
Oliver Quintero
Cell (646) 179-4599
Graphic Design
Oliver Quintero
Journalism is publishing
something that somebody
doesn’t want
printed.
Everything
else is
just public
relations
December 14th, 2015
In case you’re run down, better be prepared
BY TOM EMANUEL
hospital emergency care or be
transported to the U.S. by ambulance for a fee. The hospital
fees at emergency care are very
reasonable. If you are a member
of Cruz Roja – a $20 per person
annual cost – the trip to the
border is $100. The fee for nonmembers is $200.
Cruz Roja conducts more
than 5,000 ambulance calls
per year, or more than 400 per
month. The latest stats available are about a year old. From
November 2014 they made 119
sickness or disease calls, 82
general accident or automotive calls, 61 Injured by various
causes, 49 overdose and poisoning services, 18 emotional
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From Burguers to Burritos to Sushi, you
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Located on KM 38, on the free road to Ensenada, next to the pharmacy.
Ph. (661) 107-2789 • US (909) 999-5014 • FB: thebajapig
emergency services, 18 injured
by gunfire or sharps, along with
13 cancellations and 5 false
alarm or prank calls.
Of course, Cruz Roja also responds during natural disasters
with rescue services, medicine,
food and clothing. They also
operate a thrift store on Lazaro
Cardenas just down the street
east of Waldo’s.
They have 24 staff and 15
volunteer paramedics. They
would not divulge their budget
but they do support 9 ambulances, a rescue squad and a
supervisor’s truck. In addition
to those expenses, along with
the staff, they blaze through
a lot of money. About
60% of their income
is derived from
fees charged
for hospital
and transportation services,
another 25%
comes from
donations
and cont r ibutions, and
the remainder
comes from an
annual collection
drive.
There is an affiliate organization called Cruz Roja
Voluntarios Americanos de Rosarito. It has been in existence
for about 45 years and its primary purpose is to raise funds
through events and projects to
Ask a Mexican
1. Alfreda Ramirez.
Living in Baja for seven
years. Housekeeper’s
aide. I studied catechism
and received the religious
1
doctrine, so I know it is
very important to pray
to the Almighty God for
protection and for decisions in my life. So I pray
for my husband, that he
is protected at work, for
my children, and for my
neighbors, so I can be
surrounded by kind and
gentle people.
2. Francisco Javier
Pando. Living in Baja
for nine years. Mixes
paint at a paint store. I
pray to the Almighty and
Powerful God every night,
for myself, my family, and
for all the people who surround me during the day,
2
for health and long life. I
also believe in the Santa
Muerte (Saint of the Holy
Dead). She is very powerful too. (Santa Muerte, {St.
Death}, is a female folk
saint. A personification of
death, she is associated with
healing, protection, and safe
delivery to the afterlife by
her devotees. Belief in her
is not sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church, but it
is firmly entrenched among
Mexico’s working classes.)
3. Javier Reynoso Ramos. AKA Gordolele. Living in Baja for 24 years.
Cook at Tacos and Tortas
Famous for singing Beatles
3
and Elvis Presley songs to
tourists. I pray when the
occasion is a social event.
We Mexicans are hypocrites; when we have a need,
we look for refuge. Then we
need the Lord’s presence.
We all pray of our own will.
We use all our energy to
do it so it comes very deep
from within our hearts. All
the religions take us on the
same path, but each one
uses its own ways. It is very
disappointing now that all
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Here’s The Run Down
On The Cruz Roja
Cruz Roja, the Mexican
Red Cross service in Rosarito,
was founded in 1954. It is affiliated with the International
Red Cross. They provide free
transportation by ambulance
from your home or whatever
emergency you’re waiting at.
They come to everyone whether, residents or visitors, Mexican
citizens or expats. They transport the patient to the Cruz Roja
hospital in downtown Rosarito
at 100 Calle Rene Ortiz Campoy. They are not a government
organization and depend on
donations, fund-raising events,
and volunteers for providing
services and essential supplies.
Once there, they can receive
3
.COM
Ph. (664) 686 2550 • [email protected]
support the Cruz Roja. Its membership is mostly expats from
the U.S. and Canada, not many
Mexicans care to support it.
These foreigners contribute a great deal to Cruz
Roja which could not
operate with out their
activities.
In a fairly
recent upgrade the
American
v o l u nt e e r s
are working
with the dispatch center to help
save lives by having
your 066 alert form
information entered
i n t o their private database.
With this information, dispatch
can provide critical information
to the EMTs in the ambulance
coming out to help you. When
you fill out this simple form
and join the volunteers your
key medical and emergency
information goes to the ambulance while it is on its way to
your emergency. This program
is called Alert Rosarito/Primo
Tapia. The Dispatch Center
has your name, address, phone
number and brief medical history for this purpose and only
this purpose. This can make a
vital difference in the timeliness
of a medical response during
a potentially life-threatening
event. You do this by becoming
a member of Cruz Roja and then
going to www.cruzrojarosarito.
org/app/ and filling out the
form. Then, if you experience
an emergency, dial 066 (equivalent to dialing 911 in the U.S.)
for the ambulance if you are in
the 661 area code. If you are in
the 646 or 664 area codes, you
will dial 01-661-612-4928.
continued on page 10
This Week’s Question is,
What do you pray for?
the priests take us away
from reality, from the true
reasons behind prayer. They
are just looking for money
and power for their church-
4
es. They ask for money for
a prayer for the dead, and
money for a prayer for a
wedding, and so on. So I
do not believe in prayer.
But, sometimes I talk to
God. (Several years ago
Gordolele was evicted by
a church which owned the
land his taco stand had been
squatting on for years.)
4. Cecilia Torres. Living in Baja for six years.
High school student. I am
not very religious, I mean
I do not go to church on
Sundays, but I know there
is a God and His army of
Saints. For example; when I
needed a boyfriend I prayed
5
to Saint Anthony, who has
the power to get a sweetheart. Yes, now I have a
boyfriend! He is very handsome, and I love him very
much. (The boyfriend, not
St. Anthony.)
5. Carmen Saucedo.
Living in Baja for 11 years.
Medical clinic secretary.
Prayer is just like repeating
a sentence to memory like
a parrot. No, but I do talk
with my Lord every day. At
night I ask Him to forgive
my sins, and ask Him to
change my life to do His
will. I ask that it will be
the perfect way for me
now and in the future. I
6
have faith and hope every single minute of my
life. Thank you my Lord,
under Jesus’ name.
6. Jorge Diaz. Living
in Baja for seven years.
Employee at a shoe store.
I love to sing, and I sing
to my Lord during the
day. I do not praise God
according to my watch.
And, I do not have to
ask Him for anything,
His will is perfect for my
life. 
4
December 14th, 2015
.COM
Baja Blues Fest Spreads Thinking of Retiring in Northern Baja?
The Dinero Around
Take a brief survey
and you could
win $250 USD!
Giving us final report card and handing
$10,000 to local charities
BY REN DRAKE HILL
At an intimate gathering at
the Rosarito Beach Hotel, the
Baja Blues Fest board presented
$2500 to each of the charities
chosen to receive money from
this year’s Baja Blues Fest.
Board president
Jackie Alameda thanked
CUTUCO, and
FRAO for their
help in promoting this event,
and the Rosarito
Beach Hotel for
the use of their
g ro u n d s f or t h e
three day event, the Adobe
Lounge for Friday night’s standing room only jam, rooms and
meal tickets for band members,
security, and so much more.
Bobby’s By the Sea provided the
T shirts for the volunteers and
tendees supported four model
local children’s causes.
Los Angelitos Orphanage,
run almost single-handedly by
Ed Perry, (still going strong at
71), is located in the hills of
Rosarito, off the Boulev ard
2000. Ed, an
orphan himself, started it
13 years ago with
five girls he found
in an abandoned
house with no water or food. Los
Angelitos is licensed
by DIF to care for the
overload of children picked
up by police in Tijuana and
Rosarito. He provides housing,
education, food and love in a
Christian environment. Hundreds of children have passed
through the doors of Los An-
First in Rosarito,
first in service
• Health and life insurance
• House and Condo insurance
• Legal Assistance
• Car insurance (Mexico and US)
• Board Association Insurance
• Personal Accident
Benito Juarez # 10, Quinta del Mar strip
center, in front of the stop light
Phone 661-6121028 and 661-6130692
Email: [email protected]
www.berniesinsurance.com
for sale, and have signed on again
for 2016.
Raising a child is a communal
effort, and this year’s concert at-
Since
1971
Let us pay pay your household
bills on your behalf. Easy set up
gelitos. Recent projects include a
new dormitory and the creation
of patio areas. Ed stated that this
money will sponsor five children
www.surveymonkey.com/r/NorthernBajaRetirement
for an entire year.
BECA, represented by Maricela Daniels and Molly Post,
started more than 30 years ago
as a shoe fund focused on the
schools in the La Mision area.
They now provide financial aid
for about 113 students through
scholarships based on need, for
continuing education in universities and trade schools; also
tuition and uniforms for
students at the new high
school in La Mision. For
two years BECA built a
culinary teaching kitchen
with the help of many local volunteers. The newest projects include a new
computer lab and library.
Alan and Elizabeth
Browne of the Friends of the
Library highlighted their
many reading programs,
support of area schools
and the five local libraries. Rosarito Lee (Rosarito
Reads) provides books for
students in grades four, five
and six at 31 schools. So far,
more than 4800 books have
been donated through the
Rosarito Lee program. In
2016 the popular Panchito
Cup Jeopardy-style tournament will be expanded to
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betty’s
Authentic American Burgers
“Simply stated - the real deal“
KM 28 on the Free Road. Almost across the street of the
purple motel. Ph. (661) 116 6120. Closed Mondays
include every school in the
early rounds. In the future,
the Friends of the Library
would like to expand their
reading program to the
secondary schools.
Mary Ellis of the La Mision Children’s Fund emphasized that water purification
is vitally important, and
wants to expand their current water project into all
schools in the area. Students
are being trained to install
these purification systems
with the help of American
and Mexican companies.
Also sponsored is El
Faro, a home for “third
chance” teenage girls. Programs throughout the year
include Christmas at Miracle Ranch for 1200 chilcontinued on page 11
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What’s Going On
In This Country?
Merry Christmas precious
readers!
I spent the week doing some
investigative under cover work
for you, and here’s a picture of my
clever steak out. This was all on
B ank f rau d . Me x i c an
banks registered almost 3 million cases of fraud totaling
$480 million last year. A study
by the consumer protection
agency Condusef indicates that
purpose, mind you, I could have
got down any time.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and I will
be back to you before the new
year! Feliz Navidad a todos.
Cheap proper ty taxes.
Anyone who pays property
taxes here knows they’re a joke.
Although gains have been made
in the amounts of property taxes
collected in recent years, Mexico
still lags when that revenue is
measured in terms of gross
domestic product. Mexico was
at the bottom of the list of countries in 2012, the most recent
year for which figures are available, tied with the Netherlands
and Estonia with property tax
revenues representing just 0.3%
of GDP. Mexico collected a total
of US $2.7 billion in 2012, which
was only about a million dollars
more than in 1980.
although the number of cases
decreased by 2% last year, the financial impact increased by 3%.
Credit card fraud accounted for 48% of the total. Savings
deposits were next, then debit
card fraud and prepaid card
fraud. It seems as though people
can find ways to steal from any
system.
The banks with the highest number of registered fraud
claims were Banamex (800,046),
Bancomer (713,486), Santander
(534,245), Banorte (261,862),
HSBC (172,081), Banco Azteca
(137,463), Scotiabank (99,450),
and Inbursa (52,345). Banco
Azteca saw a 130% increase in
cases, up from 59,657 claims in
2013. So now you know where
your bank stands.
Oh No! Mexico bought 30
Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft
from Russia, costing a total of
5
.COM
BY SANTIAGO
VERDUGO
December 14th, 2015
$1.78 billion. Haven’t we learned
our lesson? Just this year Mexico
hired the Ruuskies to send up
a communications satellite, a
very expensive item, and Russia’s
rocket fizzled out and crashed
back to Earth, totally destroying our satellite. So Mexico built
another one and this time hired
NASA to launch it for them. The
deal went smooth as butter. Now
they’re once again going the cut
rate route? What are they thinking? Well, I’m thinking I’m not
flying on them, that’s for sure.
More Pemex grief. Pemex
has opened five gas stations in
Houston, Texas, hoping to cash
in on all the Mexicans living
there. More could follow if that
goes well. Stations, not Mexicans. But that’s a big if, considering how nobody here feels the
love for cheating Pemex stations.
The company said in a statement
that the Houston pilot project
would allow it to measure the
impact the Pemex brand has
against American brands and
identify business opportunities. Good luck with that.
Hot gas. Federal authorities estimate that 30%
of all gasoline and diesel sold
in Mexico’s gas stations is
stolen, a figure they hope will
be reduced by new controls
on fuel sales that take effect
next year. There will be a registry of all commercial fuel
transactions in which all gas stations must participate, although
only half of Mexico’s 15,000
stations have begun the process
of obtaining the permit they
will need to continue
operating. The
registr y is
intended to
keep track
of all fuel
sales along
the supply
chain and
ensure that all the
fuel sold by gas stations
has been legally sourced. The
Federal Tax Administration,
SAT, will also play a role in the
process by cross-checking fuel
sales against tax filings. With
a 90-day processing period,
stations that haven’t applied by
the end of September will not be
allowed to operate come January 1. So that’s about half of all
gas stations. Well, this will be
interesting.
Is everyone a crook? The
small village of Polixtepec, in
the state of Guerrero, population 250, is under siege in the
wake of violent confrontations
between drug traffickers, community police and people from
neighboring villages. Schools
have been closed since all the
teachers fled the town, as did the
only nurse at the community’s
health center. There is little food
available.
Before you start feeling too
sorry for these people,
the beef is a fall out
among thieves.
They’re fighting over control of opium
poppy cultivation, which
the locals admit they grow.
But they say they are
not criminals, only farmers.
Well, if you grow opium instead
of food, yeah, you might be a
farmer who goes hungry.
Cheap gas. Of the other
kind. Propane prices could
plunge. As in 30%. Changes
are coming with the liberation
of import rules that take effect
January 1. These include the
liberation of import restrictions
in 2016 and the elimination of
price controls the year after.
The first will see private
companies being allowed to import gas themselves, rather than
go through Pemex, the state oil
monopoly. At present, a firm
such as Grupo Tomza buys its
gas in the U.S. and transports it
to Mexico, where it is purchased
by Pemex, the only company
allowed to import the product.
Tomza then buys it back from
Pemex and sells to consumers.
As of January, Tomza will be
able to bypass Pemex, but gas
prices will still be subject to
regulation by authorities. Then
in 2017, supply and demand
continued on page 12
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6
December 14th, 2015
.COM
How The Christmas
Tree Got Its Angel
What, you thought we were going to forget
this this year? C’mon, it’s a GG tradition
BY CRYSTAL SNOW
One Christmas season long
ago and far away, Santa was
getting ready for his annual trip
... but there were problems everywhere.
Four of his elves called in sick,
and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular
ones, so Santa was beginning to
feel the pressure of being behind
schedule.
Then Mrs. Claus told Santa
that her mom was coming to
visit. This stressed Santa even
more. When he went to harness
the reindeer, he found that three
of them were knocked up and
two had jumped the fence and
were out, heaven knows where.
More stress. And as he began to
load the sleigh, one of the boards
cracked under the load and the
bag of toys fell to the ground,
scattering toys everywhere.
Now thoroughly frustrated,
Santa went back into the house
for a cup of coffee fortified with
a dollop of whiskey. But when
he looked into the cupboard,
he discovered that the elves had
got into the liquor and there was
nothing left. In his frustration, he
lost his grip on the coffee pot and
it fell to the floor, breaking into
smitherings. Grabbing the broom
to clean up the mess, he found
that mice had eaten the straw.
Just then the doorbell rang and
Santa cussed his way to the door.
He opened the door with a
mighty swoosh, and standing
there was the cutest little angel
with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said, very possibly with
just a tad too much cheer, “Merry
Christmas Santa. Isn’t it just a
lovely day? I have a beautiful tree
for you. Where would you like
me to stick it?”
Thus began the tradition of
the little angel perched on top
of the Christmas
tree. ,
New Year’s Party!
Carnival Night w/ “ La Sonora Dinamita“ Band
DINNER • DANCE • LIVE MUSIC
Reservations and more info:
Ph. (661) 613-2308
[email protected]
KM 35.5 Tij-Ens Free Road. Rosarito, Baja
JUST HOW MANY CHARITIES...
continued from page 1
to keep their doors open and
their ambulance service going
full bore. Primo Tapia has a new
second hand store for the Cruz
Roja, with local folks volunteering their time to run it. Without
money harvested from several
charity events all year long, lives
might be lost waiting for an ambulance. Our Rosie Pena is the
driving force behind this oldest
of Baja charities.
A non profit usually helps
by providing education, nourishment, shelter, or medical
services to needy people around
the world. None are more needed
than our Flying Samaritans who
are actually a global charity. Here
in Baja they provide free
medical services to so
many folks that would
otherwise go without.
They too have special holiday
parties and events.
The Boys and Girls Club
needs volunteers and the Baja
Scholarship Fund could always
use a benefactor. The Baja Blues
Fest is a huge happening every
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of every one of those special needs.
Beyond board meetings, accounting and
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We make sure the flower beds look
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We ensure the board that all properties
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Porque todos
necesitamos
opciones
KM. 22 Ens-Tij Toll Road
Baja, Mexico
August at the Rosarito Beach
Hotel to benefit several needy
children’s charities but also asks
for money during the holiday
season. I can’t forget DIF, the
family oriented charity traditionally lead by the mayor’s wife.
There is also the good works of
FROA, a foreign residents club.
Those are just some of the
people charities that come to
mind, as we move on to the critter oriented charities that are
very important to Baja life. When
once we had many packs of wild
dogs roaming our streets, we
now have Baja Spay and Neuter
headed by Robin Gunther who
has dedicated her life to this charity. It’s a family affair with Rod,
Jen and Adam heavily involved
in the monthly spay and neuter
clinics held all over Baja. Money
is needed for the docs who work
for very little and for supplies.
The Baja Animal Sanctuary is our
only no kill shelter in Northern
Mexico started and still run by
Sunny Benedict and her fantastic staff and volunteers. Food is
always needed to feed the many
animals in her care. No one is
ever turned away.
Our larger four legged friends
live at All The Pretty horses where
hay and feed as well as excellent
care is given with the help of
patrons like Robin Mackenzie
the owner of Black Cross Winery. The winery sits on Pretty
Horses property where money
received from several events held
throughout the year is donated to
this worthy charity. Pretty Horses
has saved many a starving and
abused horse from being put
continued on page 11
December 14th, 2015
Fish Report
Fish Killers Of The Week
BY GARY GRAHAM
Coronado Islands
Unsettled conditions with
off-colored water continue to
discourage many anglers from
bothering to spend much time
fishing the Baja Norte area. Those
that have, found limited bottom
action for reds, linkcod and a few
scattered yellowtail.
Inside the Islands, along the
coast from the “Bull Ring” down
to Salsipuedes, the halibut bite
is beginning to heat up. As well
there has been good calico bass
action in the kelp beds.
Outside the Islands, there are
still schools of porpoise traveling
with smaller yellowfin tuna. Best
success has been trolling lures
to get stopped, then holding the
school with live anchovies. Also
some kelp paddies strung out
along the current breaks have
been holding a few dorado.
Ensenada
Up and down weather meant
that “Reel Adventure” had to pick
their days when the weather laid
down. On those nice, calm days
they found good yellowtail fishing at Todos Santos Island. A
200-foot pinnacle yielded 11 fish
weighing 15 to 25 pounds that
couldn’t resist 6X Salas lures.
What couldn’t be avoided was
the ever-present sea lion nuisance; by using chunks of freshcaught bonito as a distraction,
and heaving them as far from the
stern of the boat as they could,
they brought their yellows to gaff.
San Quintin
Weather-driven with some
fog and cranky seas kept the boats
on the trailers some days. However, on the good days, sea temps
remained in the 68- to 70-degree
range and the surface and bottom
fishing was rewarding . . . yellows
on surface iron at Isla San Martin
plus reds and lingcods lurking on
the bottom.
Conditions were nice enough
for some free divers take to the
water with good results.
Bahia de Los Angeles
Winds prevailed recently;
however when the winds backed
off, the home guard yellowtail
were found down deep. A few
of the fish were in the 25-pound
class according to several visitors
who were there over Thanksgiving.
The spotted bay bass were always an option if the winds came
up along with a good mix of other
bottom fish.
Benitos Island
Bob Hoose aboard a private
sport fisher visiting the island
found unusual conditions. Little
kelp, virtually no calico bass and a
wide open wahoo bite producing
limits — another reminder of the
ENSENADA BYPASS UNDER...
9:00 AM. Shoppers tend to come
out around noon, just before
traditional Mexican lunch time
around 2:00 PM, which is also
the time most students finish
their classes. And this cycle
starts again at 4:00 PM when
most office workers drive back
home, followed by the field
workers around 6:00 PM, and it
goes on like this for the whole
day till late in the evening. So,
it’s fair to say that rush hour in
Ensenada is very much a day
long phenomenon.
Now the good news. A time
consuming and expensive project is underway that will bypass
the city of Ensenada entirely,
connecting El Sauzal with Maneadero. The goal of the project
is to build a highway that will
begin on the Tijuana-Ensenada
free road and conclude south
of Maneadero with connecting
to the trans-peninsula highway.
This road will be a big time saver
as well as lowering the levels of
frustration.
The bypass is intended to
be a quick way to transport
heavy cargo and will keep the
big trucks out of the urban area.
continued from page 1
Hirata, the SCT (Secretary of
Communications & Transportation), and the federal government provided $29 million for
the modernization of the section between Chapultepec and
Maneadero.
That’s all very good, but it’s
not going to solve the congestion problem. Take for example:
Reforma and Costero, the main
arteries pumping traffic through
the middle of the city. A rush
hour in Ensenada is not the
typical rush hour as we think of
it in the United States. The field
workers usually start around
6:00 AM, most schools begin
their lessons around 8:00 AM,
and most office- and store workers open up for business around
7
.COM
Erin & Tristan from Prescott, Arizona didn’t mind too
much having fish blood on their hands.
current “El Nino” influence along
the West Coast of Baja and the
United States.
Gary Graham, http://www.
garycgraham.com ,
Route of the new Ensenada bypass
This will be of great benefit in
the reduction of noise and air
pollution, and, perhaps most
significantly, to drivers of light
vehicles that must deal with the
damage to the roads caused by
the heavy trucks.
The not so good news is the
work is going slowly. The project
started way back in 2008, and
there is no completion date in
sight. Money tends to run faster
than the progress on the road.
Money is allocated year by year,
not for the whole project. From
2008 to date 54 million dollars
has been invested in the bypass,
and now accounts for about 12
miles completed.
A finished section of the road,
which includes two bridges, is
already as good as connected to
Avenida Ruiz and a little further
down to Rancho Verde. From
there, an unpaved wide and lev-
eled road and two half finished,
already operational bridges go as
far as to Montemar.
Cutt i n g t h rou g h ro c k y
mountains, in addition to soil
works, drainage construction,
and the construction of the
bridges complicate the pace of
this project. This is not easy terrain to build a road on.
The bypass is a combined
state and federal project that will
have four lanes, gas stations and
rest areas. For 2016’s budget, the
mayor and local entrepreneurs
will have to travel to Mexico City
to beg for resources for another
section to be completed in 2016.
Interested in traveling what’s
finished? Head to the Ruta del
Vino Highway #3 EnsenadaTecate, past the industrial zone,
and take the first ramp on the
right. More information can be
found on www.sidue.gob.mx. ,
8
.COM
December 14th, 2015
Calendar of Events
All prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.
ROSARITO BEACH
Every Sunday 4pm. Cultural Sundays in the
park, featuring local Mexican and American
dancers and musicians. At the IMAC in Abelardo
L. Rodriguez park, west of Banamex. Different
themes every Sunday. Sometimes food booths,
other times vendors with food carts. Facebook
IMAC Rosarito. Free.
Every Second Wednesday (except December).
2pm. Friends of the Library meeting at main
library of IMAC building next to Abelardo
Rodríguez Park. Promotes reading and literacy
in Rosarito. www.friendsofthelibrary.com.
mx. Carmen Dominguez, 661-612-3659.
[email protected]
Good info for the English speaking community
of charitable, community service and social
organizations. www.unitedsocietyofbaja.org. Judy
Westphal, 661-614-1113. [email protected]
Every First Saturday. Noon-sundown. Open
Studio Art Walk, a free tour of galleries in Rosarito
Beach Hotel commercial center. Meet artists at
work in their studios. pacothepainter@hotmail.
com
Every Third Saturday. 1pm. USBC, United
Society of Baja California, monthly Potluck
dinner, held at La Maroma Sports Bar, across
from Burger King. Different theme
evey month. 50/50 raffle. Live
entertainment at
Every Third Wednesday (except December).
10am. Flying Samaritans meeting at
Villas del Mar clubhouse on free road
2 miles south of Rosarito. Volunteers
provide free health services and clinics.
www.flyingsamaritansrosarito.org. Susan
Smith, 661-100-6066, U.S. 858-240-2360.
[email protected]
most
events.
Free for members and guests. Membership only
$15 USD per year. Beverages ordered from the Bar
at reduced Club prices.
Every Third Wednesday (except December).
2-4pm. Bingo at Oceana Grill & Cafe, Blvd.
Benito Juárez #907-24. Great prizes, 6 different
games. Benefits Flying Samaritans. www.
flyingsamaritansrosarito.org. Susan Smith, 661100-6066, U.S. 858-240-2360. susansmithz@
hotmail.com
Every single day. AA “Grupo Gringo” meets
daily in their meeting hall, #16 Mar Meditteraneo
(two blocks behind Hotel Brisas del Mar).
Meetings: Saturday, 3:00; Sunday, Monday,
Thursday: 10:00 am; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday:
6:00 pm. Additional meetings in Cantamar (just
south of the footbridge) Tuesday and Friday, 10:00
am.. For more information, 661-614-1678.
Every Wednesday, 12:00 pm. Writer’s
Workshop at Eden Restaurant, (next to Cruz Roja
Thrift Store). Published and unpublished writers
welcome! Bring samples (3-7 pages) of your work
to share. For more information, contact Marsh
Cassady: [email protected].
Every Third Thursday. 9am. General Meeting
for FRAO, Foreign Residents Assistance Office.
Open to the public. Usually held at the Rosarito
Beach Hotel, with parking validated. Sometimes
held at other local sites. Breakfast occasionally
provided, but always available. Different speakers
brought in to inform or address issues of concern
to foreigners living in Mexico. [email protected]
Every Friday. 4pm. Spanish class main library,
by IMAC, in Abelardo Rodriguez park behind
BanaMex. Beginner level class with Sylvia. Free
but donation appreciated.
Every First Saturday. 10am. United Society
of Baja California (USBC) general meeting at
Casa Blanca Restaurant, Rosarito Beach Hotel.
January 11. Monday. 430 pm. Best of Baja
Awards Gala — Margarita House, San Felipe
February 22 to 24. Monday to Wednesday.
Baja Whale Watching Tour with the Baja Good
Life Club. Members: $175/person Non-Members:
$215/person. email [email protected], or
call 686-230-9933.
January 31, Sunday, time TBA. Rosarito
Theatre Guild Annual Wine Tasting Event
and Auction. Save the date! Details
coming.
February 28 to March 1. Friday
to Sunday. Rosarito Theater Guild
presents: Ladies Day at Emerson’s Bar
and Grill. 664- 609-3451 Box Office.
Every Wednesday, 12:00 pm. Writer’s
Workshop at Eden Restaurant, (next to Cruz Roja
Thrift Store). Published and unpublished writers
welcome! Bring samples (3-7 pages) of your work
to share. Marsh Cassady: marshcassady@yahoo.
com.
Every Second Thursday. 10am. Cruz Roja
volunteers general meeting at Rosarito Beach
Hotel. Provides assistance in case of accidents
or disasters. www.cruzrojarosarito.org.mx.
Rosie Pena, 664-976-0613, U.S. 619-621-0292.
[email protected]
Community Center in Tijuana 01 664 593 1400
[email protected] Give a gift
of hope by giving a Christmas present to these
disadvantaged children. Here is your chance to
make a child smile a Smile of Hope.
December 13 to 25. Sunday to Friday. Voting
continues for Best of Baja Awards.
December 16. Wednesday. 12 to 3 pm.
Holiday Painting Class with Janine at Paradise
Cove Tiki Bar and Grill, maybe. Location not
confirmed yet. $30. Includes all art supplies.
PayPal [email protected]. Payment
required one week prior to class. If you cannot/
will not use PayPal, pay at the Baja Glass Art
Studio Thursday-Sunday, 12-5. Working on
gift certificates redeemable for future group or
individual private instruction.
December 16. Wednesday. 5 to 8 pm. Light
Your Christmas — Playas de Tijuana
December 20. Sunday. 8am. Moto X Bike
Rosarito. A Motocross & Mountain Bike combined
race. https://endurancecui.active.com/event-reg/
select-race?e=29432953 .
December 20. Sunday. 530 pm. San Diego
Bay Parade of Lights. Free. More than 80 lavishly
decorated boats. From Shelter Island past Harbor
Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village, and
Ferry Landing in Coronado. http://www.
sdparadeoflights.org/
December 27. Sunday. 9am to 12
pm. The Smile of Hope — Fracc. Tecolote
March 2 to 6. Monday to Friday. Baja
Cancer Walk. 100 miles, 5 days walk for
money to fight cancer, through the San Felipe
Baja California Desert. Call 686-230-9933 or
email [email protected]
May 7, 2016. Saturday. 10am. Rosarito to
Ensenada 50 mile Bike Ride.
August 26 to 28. Friday to Sunday. Baja sand
castle build 2016 — Rosarito Beach Hotel
October 12 to15. Wednesday to Sunday. 7th
Annual Int’l Mariachi y Ballet Folklorico Festival
— Rosarito Beach Hotel
ENSENADA
Every Monday. 7pm. Ceart Cine Club. Films
about dance with “Billy Elliot” April 13, “Five
Dances” April 20, “Desert Dancer” April 27. English
with Spanish subtitles. Foro Experimental of Centro
Estatal de las Artes (CEART) on Blvd. Costero
(Lázaro Cárdenas) & Av. Club Rotario. Free.
CEART, 646-173-4307.
Every First & Third Wednesday. 10:30am.
Club Compañeros de Baja Norte general meeting
at clubhouse on Calle Mazatlán #256 in Fracc.
Acapulco, 1 mile south of Ensenada. Lunch $6
donation. Multicultural, multilingual, nonprofit
service and social club. Nancy McKee, 646-1745011, U.S. 619-207-4325. [email protected]
Fourth Thursday. Red Hat Society lunch at various
local restaurants. Tillie Foster, cell 646-171-5292.
[email protected]
Every Friday. 7:30-9:30pm. Live world and
cultural music at El Callejón Colectivo Culinario,
Floresta #320 near southern Blvd. Costero
extension, Fracc. Acapulco, 1 1/2 miles south of
Ensenada. Free. Performer schedule with Alex O.,
cell 646-101-0812. [email protected]
Every Friday 7:30 pm. Live music at El Callejon
Colectivo Culinario; Floresta #320, Fracc. Acapulco,
Ensenada. Alex Orendain, [email protected], 646120-8004; www.elcallejoncolectivoculinario.com.
December 14th, 2015
Grueling Bike Race
Over The Sierras
Tough terrain, tough weather, but the tough
keep going
BY DAVE KAMENA
A Facebook message inviting
me to ride in a 100 kilometer,
(58 mile), mountain bike race
was not what I was expecting in
early November. Especially not
from an English Oyster farmer
the invitation to torture myself
on my bike instead.
The race starts every year in
the small town of El Hongo up the
mountains east of Tecate where
that big scary prison is. These
Did we mention this bike ride was grueling?
named Mark. This time of the
year usually finds me duck diving
scary waves in cold water, but the
cold water is gone and the waves
haven’t been scary so I accepted
9
.COM
guys had been riding this 96 km
57 mile route since 2004, when
the race started with a few guys
that were bored with watching
futbol on TV and wanted to see
just how cold and rainy it could
get up in the Sierra Juarez that
time of the year. The event is held
‘rain or shine’ which is proudly
written across the T shirt. That
means the $10 you paid to get
your number is non-refundable.
Bring your rain jacket and your
bike tools and ride!
The route follows the basic
spine of the coastal range called
the Sierra Juarez. These mountains host a fantastic range of
flora and fauna including a blue
mountain lake and many famous
rock climbing routes. All are
connected by the usual Baja dirt
roads winding between secret
ranches, which are really what
make Baja so ideal for off road
adventures. The finish line is in
Ojos Negros, right in the middle
of town between taco stands and
Tecate stores.
The ride itself started with a
long semi paved downhill. There
were more than 400 bikes going
really fast really close to each
other. So many bad things could
happen at any moment, and you
either love or hate that. It seemed
like there were hundreds of riders who loved it, and the group
moved en masse towards the first
big climb.
The mountain climbs out of
a lower basin filled with brown
rocky hills and Mexicali summer
houses. On this particular climb
you could see the top from pretty
much the whole climb which
kind of intensifies the suffering.
Ignorance is sometimes bliss on
a long hill climb and I prefer not
to know where the top is.
In all fairness to the Baja Ultra endurance bike race held in
October, this was not a difficult
climb and I did not throw up.
(Shout out to Jorge Trujillo!).
Upon topping out on the
first mountain pass you could
see the huge elevated basin we
were to ride across. The next 40
miles or so would be some down
but mostly up. We rode through
huge crowned oaks, burned land
re-establishing itself, pine forests,
and dry lakebeds. Otherworldly
rock formations and remote
peaks begged to be explored at
almost every turn.
After a long winding section
through a sand dune forest full
of Indian signs (I don’t know
how else to explain that part), the
track turned down for almost ten
miles, ending in a huge flat agricultural valley that I figured must
be Ojos Negros. As predicted
by my oyster farmer friend the
wind was blasting straight into
our faces on a dusty, straight,
extremely wash boarded road.
I knew from my odometer that
we would be enduring this brutal
road for the next ten miles. At
this point we were 55 miles into it
and the pain where my body met
the seat was intense. Of course, I
know this pain well and knew it
was coming so I knew that I could
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Ph. (664) 158-0472 • In the Rosarito Beach Hotel
strip mall on Benito Juarez Blvd.
ignore it. Kind of. Did I mention
that the washboards had soft sand
in between each bump, so if you
stopped pedaling for even a second you would spin out and stop?
A team of kids who had been
pestering me all day passed me so
I filed in behind them and ruined
their day at the finish line as they
mistakenly thought they had beat
the Gringo guy. Not today!
The finish line in town was
celebrated in typical Mexican
fashion with food, drinks, music,
and the world famous friendship and camaraderie of the Baja
Mexican people. ,
exhibits, and the photography
exposition called Conservation
Successes in Baja California. The
entrance to the museum will set
you back a little less than 4 bucks
and they say you can finish your
tour in less than 2 hours. Are you
going to hand out in the smoky
casino all day again, or are you
going to go down to the new
museum?
Fear the walking dead. The
second season of the prequel to
the famous The Walking Dead
television series is set to be filmed
in Rosarito Beach and our governor Kiko Vega is saying that this
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QUE PASA IN BAJA?...
continued from page 2
of the stilly town.
Baby blue whale corpse. A
dead baby blue whale washed
ashore on the beach in Ensenada.
The 27 foot long baby was there
for a couple of days until the
Zofemat and the environmental agency staff dug a hole to
bury the creature in the sand.
Authorities haven’t been able to
determine the cause of death but
curious bystanders were alarmed
because a couple of seagulls
where also lying dead by the
sides of the whale. Don’t mama
seagulls teach their young not
to put stuff in their mouth that
they find on the ground? That’s
motherhood 101.
Museum finally half
open. After more than 8
years consolidating, the
caracol (Spanish for snail)
museum in Ensenada
was finally opened this
last week. With only three
exhibitions open for now
the museum still has a
long way to go, but
what you can see
now is the Earth
Room, Poles in
danger, The Totoaba: A giant of the
high gulf of California
sole production is bringing us a
direct economic benefit of about
$35 million USD. The 15 episodes
of the season will be filmed here
in approximately 24 weeks.
Lots of people have been asking us about the flyers they are
seeing looking for extras for a
film production. Although the
casting company has been tight
lipped on which show or film
they are hiring for, we’re thinking it’s most likely this one. If you
want to be a part of this or any
other filming production here
in Baja contact the Barbarella
casting agency at their facebook
page “Agencia BarbarellaCasting”
for more information.
Good year for Rosarito. Silvano Abarca, mayor of Rosarito,
stated that tourism has risen a
whopping 18% in just one year
(2014 vs 2015). “This historical advancement in
tourism says a lot about
what we have accomplished regarding
the recovery of
the trust that
the tourist has
on us, and this
leaves us enthusiastically waiting
for 2016 as we think
it’s going to be even
better”, said the mayor.
continued on
page 11
10
Gringos Sue To Stop
Energy Wind Farm
Mexicans profiting from it is not their concern
BY SUE YU
Ejido people along the border
were trying to scratch a living out
of the rocky ridge line just south
of the border. Then, they were
offered money if they would allow wind mills to be erected on
their land. As in about $2,000
U.S. a month. To each member
of the communally held land in
the ejido. They are happy campers, receiving more money than
they ever imagined getting - and
getting it for doing nothing. All
of the electricity is sold to San
Diego Gas & Electric through a
cross-border transmission line.
The project is part of a statewide
scramble for renewable energy,
as California must get half of its
electricity from renewables by
2030.
To help achieve that goal,
Energia Sierra Juarez plans to
expand its production capacity by
nearly an additional 700 percent,
building hundreds of additional
turbines on the mountain range.
But the entire project is being
challenged in court in the United
States, by neighbors who don’t
want the unsightly turbines, even
across the border in Mexico.
California resident, says the
green energy rush is on, whether
it’s actually beneficial or not.
She’s leading the lawsuit against
Energia Sierra Juarez and the
U.S. government agencies that
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Wind farm near here offends Gringos living just north
of the border
approved the project. The lawsuit
claims the project violates U.S.
and California environmental
laws that protect the endangered
peninsular bighorn sheep, golden
eagles and other wildlife on the
mountain range.
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bors just see the cash and the
present, and are not inclined
to worry about anything
else, much less the future,
while on the U.S. side of
the border Donna Tisdale
continues her legal battle,
saying she doesn’t blame the
Mexicans for accepting the
project on their land, but that
she’s not inclined to worry about
taking away their livelihood. ,
Here’s The Run Down On...
Ph. (661) 100-2186. Showroom:
Blvd. Benito Juarez #16-A, Rosarito
Across from Bonanova Hospital
One of the parties to the law
suite, a retired fireman, says the
wind mills are a fire threat, especially during drought. He says
something is bound
to go up in smoke,
what with the 47 windmills, a nearly five-mile
cross border transmission line, and 25
miles of new roads
that service it all.
Donna Tisdale, a Boulevard
legal because it was approved by
Mexico’s national environmental
agency, whose representative
in Baja, Alfonso Blancafort. He
says it not only meets the environmental impact requirements,
it also fights climate change and
helps mitigate global warming
problems.
Blancafort says Mexico is
benefiting from the project, even
though it’s not getting any of the
electricity.
Jose Mercado, one of the ejido
people who gets two grand a
month for the windmills on his
property, says he and his neigh-
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continued from page 3
The range straddles the border, and environmentalists say
that even though the turbines
a r e located on the Mexican
side, environmental
impacts have spread
to the U.S. side as
well because the two
habitats are interconnected and interdependent. Defendants to
the lawsuit counter that
the project is completely
Cruz Roja has just opened
an additional clinic to serve the
communities south of Rosarito.
There is currently an ambulance
at the Primo Tapia Cruz Roja
clinic from 11am to 7pm every
day. For people living south
of Rosarito by 15 minutes or
more, this is extremely good
news. It currently takes an ambulance coming from Rosarito
almost 25 minutes to reach La
Mision. And don’t forget, there
is another 25 minutes back to
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CHRISTMAS SWAP
MEET-meet at Casa Viejo
Winery in San Antonio
de las Minas. Sunday
dec. 6th. 11-3. Email
: bajaheidchen@gmail
.com for more info or free
vendor space
THEE HANDYMAN CAN!
No job too small Complete
knowledge of construction Also
the hospital. If you’re having
a heart attack, you could be a
goner. The plan is to have the
ambulance at the Primo Tapia
clinic 24/7 in the future. This
is very good news if you can’t
schedule our emergencies between 11 and 7.
In order to help raise the
funds needed for this new service, ($2,500 a month USD), a
Cruz Roja Primo Tapia thrift
store has opened its doors. Reg-
detailed cleaning Call: 661-1109596 e-Mail: [email protected]
SINGLE MALE looking for double jointed super model who
grows her own pot. Open minded
twin sister a plus. Me, famous and
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quite handsome. Call 646 179
4599 and ask for Santiago.
BEACH FRONT DUPLEX.
KM 22, Next to Baja Malibu.
2 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 2 Living
rooms, lease land. 100 yards to
the beach. US: 909-939-5008
MX: 664-631-2447
ular hours will be 10am to 3pm
from Tuesday through Saturday.
Additional fundraising events
and increasing membership in
the Primo Tapia chapter will
also help.
So what can you do? The
most obvious thing is to join
Cruz Roja Primo Tapia. It costs
$20 per person annually. You
can stop by the thrift store during their regular business hours
continued on page 12
Free Some Space @ Home!!
Office Hours: 9am-5pm • Closed Wednesday
Gate Hours 8am-6pm Everyday
Storage space starting
from $50 monthly
Now offering moving services!
KM 40.5 Free Road in Rosarito
Ph. (661) 614 1642 • US. (619) 797 8097
[email protected]
www.bajapublicstorage.com
December 14th, 2015
Baja Blues Fest Spreads...
continued from page 4
dren, and a Mardi Gras Ball in
February.
Attendance this year for all
3 days was 3100, with Saturday
being far and away the biggie
with 2075 music fans attending.
That day 6% filled out a survey
which showed 43% were first
timers, 82% came from the US,
64% were older than dirt. Well,
over the age of 60. 41% were retired, 38% stayed in a hotel, 30%
rented a house or condo, 42%
earn $50K to $75K, 17% earned
$75k to $100K, and 26% said
their income is none of anybody’s
bees wax.
Total gross for the event was
$37,000, takeaway expenses of
$21,500, and takeaway retained
earnings to jump start next year’s
event of $5000, leaves about
$10,000 to give to the various
local charities.
Alameda was beaming, saying
this is the most they have ever
had to give.
Baja Blues Fest 2016 is set next
year for August 19, 20 and 21. For
information, check out www.bajabluesfest.org. They can always
use more volunteers, and more
sponsors. Sign up with Jackie
Alameda at Click-on postal and
internet place on the free road in
Puerto Nuevo, or go online. ,
you parcel out what you have, it’s
a job well done. Visit an orphanage at Christmas and watch the
faces light up when finding their
own Barbie doll or Hot Wheel
set of cars. It’s a feeling you won’t
forget and your Christmas is
bound to be a little merrier and
meaningful. ,
QUE PASA IN BAJA?...
continued from page 9
The mayor announced an
investment of more than $6
million USD for a dry marina
and a boat ramp south of Puerto
Nuevo in order to help develop
11
.COM
the diving industry now that the
artificial reef has been opened.
Also announced was the investment of more than $20 million
dollars for the construction of a
much needed hotel near the Baja
convention center. Just how does
anyone expect to fill a convention
center without providing a place
to stay? What were the builders
of that facility thinking?
Fender guitars in Ensenada. The cultural center in
Ensenada opened an
exhibition of 35 fender
electric guitars. All the
guitars are property
of the Fender Musical
Instruments company
New Years
Eve Party!
$30 USD
3 plates to choose from: Slow
cooked Ribs, Fish fillet in hibiscus
and wine sauce or Filet mignon.
Soup, salad and a glass of wine included
in Ensenada and they show the
evolution of the electric guitar
through time. The exhibition will be open until
the end of the year and
its made as an homage
to the late Leo Clarence Fender, founder
of the Fender company.
On the old
Splash location
KM 52 Free Road
Rosarito-Ensenada
The Fender factory has been
in Ensenada for 28 years and
it’s an important part of the local economy, providing jobs to
many local people. It was one of
the first world-renowned brands
to set up shop in Ensenada,
and many have followed after
that. ,
JUST HOW MANY CHARITIES...
continued from page 6
down. We have other spay and
neuter charities like Baja Exiles
and many more too.
We all have our favorite
causes, but still wish we could
respond to the deluge of invitations from so many more.
Unfortunately, most of us can
not afford to be as generous as
we would like to be. Maybe we
should think about splitting up
our donated clothes to give to
some and saving a bit from our
food money or buying less for
our family that have so much so
our Mexican neighbors can enjoy
a bountiful Christmas. However
Subs
or we’ll tcribe!!
kitty und hrow the
er
Go to pa the bus
ge 4
David Flores
[email protected]
Cell (624) 121-1214
12
December 14th, 2015
.COM
No U.S. Passports For
Tax Scofflaws
This one’s gonna hurt
BY ORLANDO GOTAY
By now you may have heard
about the passport provisions
of the Transportation Bill currently being considered by
Congress. This is the most
recent attempt by Sen. Orrin
Hatch (R-UT) to take passports
away from people who have
“seriously delinquent” tax debt.
If enacted into law, those who
owe more than $50,000 could
be in for a bad surprise.
Under the bill, the IRS could
choose to let the Treasur y
Department know a person was seriously
delinquent.
T h i s
means over
$50,000 in
debt, (interest and penalties
are included in arriving at that dollar amount),
and having a previously filed
lien or a levy to collect the tax.
Thos e wit h inst a l lment
agreements, offers in compromise or collection due process
hearings would not be includable as “seriously delinquent”.
However –this is not explicit
in the bill but I can tell—liabilities labeled “currently not
collectible” by the IRS could be
“seriously delinquent” despite
being uncollectible.
So, on one side, the IRS
could acknowledge that the
debt is not currently collectible
because the taxpayer doesn’t
have the means to pay—and on
the other hand, report it away
to the Treasury Department.
Names reported to Treasury
would be turned over to the
State Department. State, in
turn, would not authorize issuance or renewal of passports for
those on the list. It also can, but
is not required to revoke previously issued passports.
As a side note, not providing
a social security number would
be
grounds for denial of a
passport. There are
many U.S. citizens
out there—
especially
abroad—
who do not
have a social
security number, an exceptionally difficult
thing to get while residing
overseas.
Especially in the expat context, where huge penalties
IRS, the U.S. Tax Court and
other taxing agencies. His love
of things Mexican has led him
to devote part of his practice to
the tax matters of U.S. expats
in Mexico. He can be reached
at [email protected]. ,
La Mision
Rentals
&
Sales
Ph. 760-250-7055
www.bajatom.com • [email protected]
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THIS...
continued from page 5
will actually kick in. This week
although the international price
for LPG was 4 pesos per kilo, Pe-
Houses for Rent from $300 month
Lots for Sale from $20K • Houses for Sale from $50K
propane gas consumption for
domestic use is said to be the
highest in the world, used by
80% of the population. ,
Here’s The Run Down On...
continued from page 10
arise quickly for failure to
file something as simple as
an information return, these
developments are cause for
alarm. Thank Sen. Hatch for
his diligence.
Meanwhile, the Transportation bill has another gem that
should not go unexamined. It
also requires the IRS to turn
over to private debt collectors,
part of its old inventory of
uncollected tax liabilities. The
IRS had authority to do this,
but the new bill would instead
require the IRS to contract with
outside bill collectors.
The Congress is clearly mad
at the IRS. Some in Congress
are mad at expats in general.
Stay tuned.
Orlando Gotay is a California licensed tax attorney (with
a Master of Laws in Taxation)
admitted to practice before the
mex was selling it to distributors
for 9.2 pesos. By the time it gets
to the consumer, a 20-kilogram
tank costs 280 pesos. However,
Landeros predicts that price will
drop to 200 pesos, a significant
change in a countr y whose
Subs
or we’ll tcribe!!
kitty und hrow the
er
Go to pa the bus
ge 28
to fill out your application and
fork over your $20. You can also
contact Lana Jordan Juvinall at
[email protected] for more
details. She is the chapter chairperson for the Cruz Roja Primo
Tapia chapter board.
You could also get around
to cleaning out that closet/storage room/garage and donate
all that stuff that you thought
you might use someday to the
thrift store to help it get going.
They need gently used clothing, household goods in good
condition, books, shoes, and
jewelry. The Primo Tapia thrift
store can work magic and turn
that unused stuff into a 24/7
ambulance.
The thrift store is located
on the free road in Primo Tapia
across from Pollo Asil. Donations can be dropped off at the
thrift store during their regular
hours. For more information
contact Valerie Valle, thrift
store chairperson: valv16@msn.
com.
Or you could make a donation of cash (checks or money
orders also work), volunteer at
the thrift store, support a fundraiser or check with either Lana
or Valerie to see if they can use
your special skills. They are currently looking for help in website design and maintenance,
social media, and marketing. ,
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