California and Mexico
3/30/01
((Mel))
Thanks for
joining us and welcome to this special edition.
((Jack))
With the
help of KUVS, the Univision station here in Sacramento, we are taking a closer
look at a new era of partnership between California and Mexico.
((Mel))
From trade
to immigration to our energy crisis, this border relationship has important
implications.
Later, the
new Mexican consul general based here in Sacramento will join us.
((Jack))
But first,
optimism is high right now, mostly because of the charismatic leadership of the
new Mexican President, Vicente Fox.
((Mel))
As we saw
during his 2 day whirlwind tour of California, he’s a unique politician with a
message for every class from farm workers, to politicians, to high level
C-E-Os.
((Jack))
Just who is
Vicente Fox, and what does this former rancher hope to do for his country?
Reporter Pablo Espinosa of KUVS Univision has this personal
profile.
VICENTE FOX PROFILE
Fifty-nine
year old Vicente Fox Quesada was born in Mexico City, and is the second of nine
children born to farm workers…
When Vincente was just a few days
old, the family moved to the San Cristobal Ranch in the state of Guanajuato,
just south of Mexico City…
While living in San Cristobal,
Vicente Fox experienced poverty, one of Mexico’s biggest problems…
He also learned to value the loyalty
of everyday people, and to recognize Mexico’s great potential to become one of
the world’s leading nations…
Fox has studied business
administration at the Universidad Iberoamericana. He is also a Harvard Business School graduate…
As for his personal life, Fox is
divorced and has four adopted children: Anacrista, Vicente, Paulina, and
Rodrigo, all of whom have always made a supportive and united family…
In 1964, Fox joined Coca-Cola in
Mexico as a supervisor and rode a delivery truck, admiring Mexico’s beautiful
countryside…
This experience and his constant
contact with everyday people, helped him develop an understanding of their
needs from political, social, and educational levels…
In the Seventies, Fox operated
several companies specializing in the area of agriculture, livestock breeding,
agri-industry, and the production of shoes and boots for export. All helped create thousands of jobs in
Mexico…
In the
Eighties, Fox began his political career by joining the Partido Accion Nacional
known as PAN, and in 1995, he was elected as Governor of Guanajuato…
Under his leadership, Guanajuato
became the fifth largest state economy in Mexico…
On July 2nd, 2000,
Vicente Fox made history, winning the election and defeating the Partido
Revolucionario Institutional, PRE, Mexico’s ruling party for seventy years and
becoming the first member of the opposing party to take office…
Vicente Fox is seen by many as a man
with a great commitment to Mexico and with a desire to continue to work to
retain a better life for the people and a promising future for all…
Reporting for California
Capitolweek, I’m Pablo Espinosa…
END VICENTE FOX PROFILE
((Melissa))
President
Fox is a member of the more conservative National Action Party in Mexico and
his strength as a communicator has drawn comparisons to Ronald Reagan.
((Jack))
Joining us
now . . .
Xochitl
Arellan, political reporter for the Univision affiliate here in Sacramento.
And Armando
Botello Correspondent for La Opinion,
California’s largest Spanish speaking daily newspaper.
DISCUSSION #1
((Melissa))
Xochitl, he
definitely has a charismatic presence.
Do you think President Fox’s visit, where he tried to reach out to
people, will really make a difference?
((Xochitl Arellano, KUVS Univision))
Well, he
is, as you said, from the religious right wing, but we do not equate him with
the Republicans in the United States.
He has spoken very much in favor of helping the poor, having that as an
agenda and a priority, so having that in mind, he comes with a promise not only
to Mexicans in Mexico but Mexicans abroad that this time we will be considered;
we will be recognized. The respect and
the rights for workers in this country could change, so that’s a—
((Melissa))
There’s
some hope there for Mexicans living in California.
((Jack))
There is
that feeling, Armando. Where ever I saw
President Fox, he was saying to people, “Come home. We want you to come home,” and I’d imagine that most people who
are of Mexican descent would want to go home eventually, but are they seen as
people who betrayed Mexico when they came to the United States, and is he
trying to heal that at all?
((Armando Botello, La Opinion))
For many
years, they were seen that way, Jack. I
don’t think he was saying, “Come home” so much when he visited last week. He was paying homage to them. He was saying—
((Jack))
Just
recognizing them?
((Armando Botello, La Opinion))
Recognizing
their hard work, recognizing the way they’re helping the United States’ economy
and, also, the Mexican economy. Let’s
not forget that the Mexican immigrants send a lot of money to their relatives
in Mexico, and it has become the third largest source of income for Mexico. So, more that anything, I think we was recognizing
those efforts, and he was saying, all along, “You are our heroes,” which never
before happened, especially from a President of Mexico.
((Jack))
That’s the
big change then? That’s the difference
between Fox and Zedillo?
((Xochitl Arellano, KUVS Univision))
Very much
so. As Armando said, eight billion
dollars a year are sent to Mexico. He
also stated in his speech at the legislature last week that the Mexicans—the
one hundred million Mexicans and the eighteen million Mexicans outside would
represent a gross national product combined that would represent the eight
largest economy in the world, so I think that he really wants that combination
to happen, and I think he would like to be recognized much more with the likes
of Nelson Mandela in South Africa because he did topple a seventy-one year hold
by the Institutionalized Revolutionary Party.
((Melissa))
Is he
having some cooperation from his own party because he is more centrist or
populist? And is it a difficult time
for him to try to get some of these many things that he has promised
accomplished?
((Armando Botello, La Opinion))
It is
difficult. The Congress is divided
right now. There’s three major parties
in Mexico right now including his own party, but even in his own party, he’s
seen as kind of an outsider in his own party because of what Xochitl was
talking about. He’s a little bit to the
Left. He’s a little bit—not a little
bit but quite a lot more for the people than was his party has usually
been. The party line has usually been a
little different.
((Jack))
The
tradition in the United States is that the President gets a hundred days as a
“honeymoon” period. I think in reality
it’s about thirty seconds. Does the
same thing apply in Mexico? How much of
a “honeymoon” period does President Fox have before he has to deliver in order
to hang onto the political support that got him into office?
((Armando Botello, La Opinion))
In Congress, he hasn’t gotten a honeymoon at all. A lot of people in Congress have been
against his proposals, including Mr. Fox was all for the zapatistas and
[Subcommander]Marcos to be deliver a message to congress, and the negotiations
took a long time because Congress wasn’t in favor of that. Finally, it happened.
((Jack))
Yesterday, I believe.
Did it not happen yesterday?
((Armando Botello, La
Opinion))
Yes, but Marcos didn’t end up going. Instead he sent some of the indigenous
leaders in his place.
((Melissa))
A lot has been made of the border issues between California
and Mexico, and, Xochitl, I know you even had questions about what we both can
do to resolve those problems. Did you
feel that those were addressed? Did you
get a concrete answer?
((Xochitl Arellano, KUVS
Univision))
Well, when he was here in Sacramento, I think a lot of us
tried to ask him about federal issues, immigration, the deaths on the
border. Every year, there are more than
five hundred deaths on the border, a number that is unacceptable to many civil
rights organizations. It is interesting
to see how these civil rights organizations in California, who have retained
their support of President Fox, how much leverage, political leverage they’re
going to have with Governor Davis because these issues are federal, but they’re
also statewide. There are lots of bills
right now that are in the process of being—the driver’s license bill, the
higher education bill for people who are processing their legal status, and
these have been vetoed before, so it’s going to be interesting to see what can
be done at a state level.
((Jack))
He wants to open the border more to get more goods, people,
information flowing back and forth between the two countries. Is that a real tough sell in California
based on the political history that we’ve been through?
((Armando Botello, La
Opinion))
I think he kind of backed away from that, Jack. If you’ve noticed, he hasn’t mentioned the
open border policy at all since the very beginning of his presidency.
((Jack))
But it’s a key challenge that we wants to accomplish, is it
not?
((Armando Botello, La
Opinion))
I think on this
particular trip to California, he was pushing for more equal rights for workers,
to recognize workers as legal residents, not with an amnesty program, but
I think they’re trying to do is create a special category of workers who have
already been here and recognize them as legal residents, not with the same
rights as a citizen and not with the means of acquiring citizenship, but maybe
a third category in the future.
((Xochitl Arellano,
KUVS Univision))
President Fox is very astute as far as being a corporate
man, but he’s also very humanistic, and we see this with the Zapatistas that
made it all the way to Congress, so we know that if he can solve those issues
in Mexico, hopefully raising the quality of life for Mexicans, they will not
have to come to California or the US.
((Armando Botello, La
Opinion))
Long range.
((Xochitl Arellano,
KUVS Univision))
It’s probably going to take a few decades to happen.
((Jack))
You know, as a California taxpayer who has to sit in
traffic, deal with energy, and other things, why do I really care about the
improved relations between President Fox and President Bush, between Mexico and
California, between Mexico and the United States. Why is it important to me?
((Armando Botello, La
Opinion))
There are several layers I would say. We already mentioned the workers. Of course, there’s a very important
commercial trade between California and Mexico. There are ways of improving working on the ecology especially
along the border. Governor Davis and
President Fox have already come to some agreements to open up the border a
little bit more and to make the access a little more open. We’re not talking about opening up the
border for everybody, but if you try to get from the San Diego to Mexico or from
Mexico to San Diego, it takes forever right now, so they’re talking about
making it a little bit more open that way.
((Melissa))
Xochitl, we want to give you your final comments.
((Xochitl Arellano,
KUVS Univision))
Well, he has come to the United States to bring not only the
worker, but Mexicans in general, a hope that Mexico will become much
better. He wants it be a source of
solution, not a point of contention, all these immigration issues, and I think
it’s going to be difficult, but everyone’s betting on him now. He has a high level of approval in his
ratings.
((Jack))
All right, you get the last word. Xochitl, thank you very much.
Armando, thank you very much.
END DISCUSSION #1
((Jack))
In a
moment, the newly appointed Mexican Consul General to California joins us for
his take on what lies ahead for Mexico and California.
((Mel))
But first,
we’ve talked about style and the finer points of President Fox’s visit, but
what was actually accomplished?
From a
speech before the legislature to a tour of a school with first lady Laura Bush
to the opening of a Mexican trade office in Santa Ana, it appears years of a
cooled relationship between California and Mexico have thawed.
PRESIDENT FOX’S VISIT PKG.
Expectations were high…
((Jose Sanchez, Brought Family))
Yeah, I
want to bring my children here so they could be a part of history.
Some groups hoping to meet
with the charismatic leader personally were disappointed…
((Al Rojas, North Americans for
Democracy In Mexico))
We believe
that the message we’re getting is that he’s dealing with public opinion and the
media blitz.
((President Vicente Fox))
This is the
moment to leave years of misunderstandings and mutual distrust behind us.
President
Fox acknowledged that this was just the first step, the beginning to opening
dialogue about issues of mutual concern…
((President Vicente Fox))
As complex
as issues of transnational crime or the phenomenon of immigration. We should conceive of the border as a
joining line rather than a dividing line.
Governor
Davis stressed the importance of cooperation with our neighbor, the state’s
largest exporter…
((Governor Gray Davis))
So the
Mexican relationship is not just important to California; it is essential to
our future.
During
the two day trip, Fox traveled from the state Capitol to Fresno to address farm
workers…
He promised to continue fighting for
better treatment of Mexicans living abroad and to bring the more than one-third
of Mexicans living in poverty to prosperity…
At a town hall in Los Angeles, the
President fielded questions on border safety and immigration…
Announced during the trip, a pledge
by Davis and Fox to promise to tackle border pollution together…
But the visit was at times
overshadowed by California’s energy crisis…
((Abel Maldonado, [R] Santa Maria))
Mexico can
help us solve this energy crisis in California via building some plants in
Mexico. I think it’s important.
Mexico is
currently powering thousands of Southern California homes, but some warn Fox
should not promise too much…
((Raul Cisneros, La Opinion
Commentator))
The fact is
that Mexico has its own energy needs that it’s going to want to address first.
Both
Governor Davis and President Fox agree that there is a lot of work that
remains, but also that there is more that unites California and Mexico, and
this is just the first in a series of visits…
Most felt that this visit signaled
progress in tackling challenges that lie ahead…
((Senator Martha Escutia, [D]
Montebello))
It
represents, finally, an end to the chilly relationship between California and
Mexico.
((Raul Cisneros, La Opinion
Commentator))
We’re in
the right direction, I think.
END PRESIDENT FOX’S VISIT
PKG.
((Melissa))
The
beginning of open dialogue is a great first step, but can California and Mexico
live up to the expectations?
((Jack))
Joining us
now, the newly appointed Mexican Consul General in Sacramento, Jose Luis
Soberanes .
And Michael
Flores, Secretary of Foreign Affairs for the Governor’s Office.
DISCUSSION #2
((Jack))
Mr. Consul
General, thank you for being here. I
hope that I did not obliterate the name too much. My apologies if I did.
The US economy is slowing down, and because of relations between Mexico
and California and the United States are so closely intertwined, is it true
that if the United States gets a cold economically, Mexico would be sneezing?
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican Consul
General))
Well, sure,
because the economies are very linked.
The point is that if the US economy goes down, that’s bad for Mexico
because we have linked the trade between the two countries. Also, it’s very important for California
because the most important market for California—
((Jack))
Is Mexico.
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican
Consul General of Sacramento))
Is Mexico,
and also, we have to take into account that the best market for Mexico is the
USA.
((Melissa))
Michael,
when we talk about making changes and improving relations, it always seems to
be in times of prosperity when everyone is feeling good in California. If things start to slow down, will there be
a little bit more animosity in terms of opening up the borders and some of the
educational efforts that we’d like to put forth?
((Michael Flores, CA Secretary of
Foreign Affairs))
No, I don’t
believe so. I think this relationship
is extremely strong, and I think we’ll move forward with agendas on education
and energy.
((Melissa))
How
significant is it that California was the first place that President Fox chose
to visit? Does his choice say a lot?
((Jack))
He could
have gone to Texas.
((Michael Flores, CA Secretary of Foreign
Affairs))
Well, I
think California, as the General Consul said, is extremely important to
Mexico. They are our number one trading
partner, but not only are we connected through our trade, we’re also connected
through our people. We have twelve
million Mexicans that live here in California, and it’s extremely important
that we treat them with the dignity and respect that they deserve.
((Jack))
You know,
when we look back at the previous administration in California, the Pete Wilson
administration, it came into office during tough economic times. There was a big recession in the 1990’s, and
it may have been some of the fuel behind the bad relations between Mexico and
the United States. What happens now if
we go back into bad economic times? Do
the relations between California and Mexico just inherently become strained
because the economy is not as strong?
Is there a danger in that?
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican
Consul General of Sacramento))
I don’t
think so. I think California is very
important for Mexico. Let me say this:
California is the place in the world with the largest number of Mexicans living
and working outside of Mexico, so it’s very important, not only in the economic
dimension, but also in the social dimension, so the government of Mexico is
trying to have more constructive relations with California, and I think that
the government of Mexico has found a very important field in the government
here in Governor Davis.
((Jack))
So, there’s
no going back?
((Michael Flores, CA Secretary of
Foreign Affairs))
No, I think
that there are always those that will try to use issues like that as a
political scapegoat and for political gains—
((Jack))
On both
sides.
((Michael Flores, Ca Secretary of
Foreign Affairs))
Well,
potentially on both sides of the border, but I think that this Governor is not
about that. I think that he started
early on in November by going down to Mexico and trying to establish a
relationship, and he knew that it would take strong dialogue to move forward
into a much more positive direction, and I think he’s done that, not only with
the visit of President Cedillo, but with the culmination of the Fox visit, so I
don’t think that this Governor and this President will let that happen. I think that this relationship is far too
important to go down that road.
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican Consul
General of Sacramento))
And I would
like to mention some words of Governor Davis I heard when President Fox was
here. Governor Davis said, “Today, we
are enjoying the season of renewal in this relationship between California and
Mexico.” That’s a very good sign.
((Melissa))
We’ve
talked about some of the benefits of being trading partners and having a better
relationship, more communication. One
of the things Mexico is helping California with is energy. They’re supplying—is it up to two hundred
and fifty thousand homes now, Michael?
((Michael Flores, CA Secretary of
Foreign Affairs))
Well, the
current agreement is that we receive fifty megawatts from Mexico on the
spot. That means that we can go up to
two hundred and fifty megawatts. Mexico
has a new plant that’s going online at some point in the latter part of spring
with an additional fifty megawatts of electricity, but it depends on what Baja,
California’s situation is, but we’ll get a portion of that.
((Melissa))
Because
there is some concern about not exploiting Mexico’s environmental standards or
building and sharing too much if Mexico needs its own power.
((Michael Flores, CA Secretary of Foreign
Affairs))
Well,
California isn’t here to take advantage of any differences in environmental
standards across the border in terms of acquiring and building new power
plants. We just think that it’s a
tremendous gesture on Mexico’s part to extend the hand, and even though some
people say, “Well, it is only fifty megawatts,” well, that is fifty-thousand
households. That’s just a tremendous
gesture on Mexico’s part and then to extend it and add additional power down
the road says even more about this relationship.
((Melissa))
About the
cooperation that’s developed?
((Michael Flores, CA Secretary of
Foreign Affairs))
Absolutely,
absolutely.
((Jack))
Mr. Consul,
do you think that people understand that because American jobs have gone to
Mexico, when we have an economic downturn, the first place that those jobs are
going to be cut is not in the United States but in Mexico? Do you think people in the United States
understand that?
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican Consul
General of Sacramento))
Yes, well,
I think so because that relationship of the economy is very, very close, so we
have to understand that when the US economy suffers, the first place that you
will have to cut jobs is in Mexico and those located on the border and in the
mechanical industry.
((Melissa))
Speaking of
the border relations, there were some agreements that were announced trying to
tackle pollution in Tijuana. Do some of
the things that California is trying to tackle in Mexico—is federal approval
required when we tackle issues like immigration and border issues as well? Do we have to wait for Washington?
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican
Consul General of Sacramento))
Well, there
are a lot of things regarding immigration that have to be treated at the
federal level, but it is still very important to talk over these issues here
with the government of California because the attitudes are very important in
this citizenship. We are very concerned
with having civil and human rights for Mexicans living here in California, and
that’s very important for Mexico, and I think that each time those issues are
very important for Californians as well.
((Jack))
In so many
words then, looking from Mexico at the United States, is it fair to say that
the United States has a human rights problem when it comes to the handling of
people from Mexico?
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican
Consul General of Sacramento))
Yeah, I
would say that we are having those problems in California and other states
along the border.
((Melissa))
Did you
want to respond to that?
((Michael Flores, CA Secretary of Foreign
Affairs))
Well, I
think that we look to Washington when it comes to immigration. Obviously, it’s a federal issue, but the
Governor has been very clear that anybody living in California should be
treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve, and that’s been his
policy. He stated that in Mexico when
he was in Los Pinos. He stated that
privately to the President, so I make no mistake about it when I say that when
people live here in California, they’re going to be treated justly and fairly.
((Melissa))
We know
that when the public speeches were going on that the cabinet secretaries were
meeting together to try to hammer out some issues of concern and some areas of
agreement. Can we expect to see any
concrete changes from this visit in the near future?
((Michael Flores, CA Secretary of
Foreign Affairs))
Well, I
think so. I think the fact that we had
bilateral meetings at the cabinet level—that’s the first time that’s ever taken
place since the Jerry Brown administration.
That’s a very big step in the right direction. We now have folks at those levels talking on education, on energy
as was mentioned earlier, on the environment, on a whole host of issues, and we
see that as a positive step in the right direction, and we’re going to move
forward with that, and as the months come forth, we’ll see more announcements.
((Jack))
In the few
seconds that we have left, do you think that we will see, soon, an absentee
ballot where people from Mexico living in the United States will be able to participate
in the politics back in Mexico? Do you
think that will happen?
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican
Consul General of Sacramento))
Yes, that’s
increasing, yes, and I think that it’s going to happen, yes.
((Jack))
And once
that’s done, that will put more power behind the politics in both countries,
right?
((Jose Luis Soberanes, Mexican
Consul General of Sacramento))
Yeah, yeah,
I’m sure about it. That political issue
will be very important taking into account all those Mexicans that live here in
California and also in the United States in general.
((Jack))
Mr. Mexican
consul general and Michael Flores thank you for joining us.
And that is
our program for this week.
Special
thanks to all of our guests and KUVS, Univision for helping us with this program.
((Mel))
Jack, next
week
The energy
crisis just keeps getting worse.
Consumers are hit with rates increasing by as much as 46 percent,
effective immediately…
We’ll ask
lawmakers point blank, how high are rates going to go before they solve our
energy crisis?
((Jack))
Until then,
thanks for joining us. We’ll see you
next time.