City to send trade mission to Mexico
By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- Local officials who are set to take a red-eye flight tonight Saturday to Mexico said they want to bring more than their luggage home when they return.
San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris and Emil Marzullo, interim director of the city's Economic Development Agency, both said Friday that they hope talks can set a flight path for an airline or two to make direct flights between Mexico and San Bernardino International Airport.
City Hall officials announced the journey southward will mark the first time San Bernardino sent an official trade mission to Mexico. The conference is set to meet in Teotihuacan, near Mexico City.
Marzullo said that following a ribbon-cutting at an automated tortilla factory that's planned for Sunday, he and others on the trip will participate in trade discussions for the next two days before returning on Wednesday.
He said the Mexican government's security concerns prevented him from receiving a full schedule of the conference by the time he was interviewed Friday morning.
"This is a little bit of an open book but we're going to make some introductions and let them know we exist," Marzullo said.
Besides the possibility for international flights, Marzullo said the trade mission could also find new opportunities to import and export products and commodities.
"Whether it's avocados or tequila, we're open to any opportunities that may be out there," he said.
Morris said it makes sense to pursue flights and increased trade between San Bernardino and Mexico since the Inland Empire has a large Latino population.
"That tells you that you need not just to be good neighbors, but also building bridges of opportunity," he said.
Trade mission coordinator Concepcion Powell, 5th District County Supervisor Josie Gonzales and San Bernardino International Airport Director Michael Burrows and others are set to join Morris and Marzullo on the trip, according to City Hall.
"The important thing is to begin a balanced trade so that we can begin not just exporting jobs but exporting our products," Gonzales said.
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At a time when Government Officials are announcing that the greater San Bernardino / Riverside / Ontario area is suffering from a near 10% unemployment rate, our City’s “leader” is off trying to drum up trade with Mexico? When you drive around San Bernardino you can not help but notice all the very large (new & old) large warehouse type buildings sitting vacant. What are these leaders thinking? Why are they not looking within our boarders for occupants for these dormant facilities to come and set up shops here and bring the jobs with them that will impact this 10% unemployment rate?
This areas economic ship is no longer leaking, it is hemorrhaging profusely and our City Leadership is no longer at the wheel steering to keep us from running aground. We need AMERICAN jobs here in San Bernardino. We need white and blue collar businesses here in San Bernardino to produce the goods, provide the services, that will not only benefit the greater San Bernardino area but also AMERICA, who Mr. Mayor is also floundering. We need to become a magnate for industry, all kinds, that will give San Bernardino the shot in the arm to accommodate the jobs that will follow and service industry. As these companies come to SB they bring the much needed job opportunities, their employees will settle here, buy the hundreds of vacant homes throughout the City and spend their paycheck at the neighborhood stores.
A very successful business that WAS located at the SB Airport has just relocated to the Midwest and either relocated their employees there or laid them off. Mr. Mayor, you should be asking WHY, ask what could you have done to prevent their departure and the ongoing exodus of others like it. You don’t need to go to Mexico to look or find the reasons these type of actions are taking place right here in OUR City. Your focus is again misaligned. You should concentrate your talents on improving the quality of life here in SB. Sir, simply drive E Street and witness the vacant and depressed buildings. Last I looked E Street is the MAIN street of SB. That is where the pride of SB should prosper and shine yet today it is embarrassing. It is where a large mall sits and on any given day you can hear your voice’s eco inside or the proverbial pin drop. Where are all the businesses or the people who should be there working and shopping there? Where did they go? How do you get them back? Looking in Mexico will not give you these answers.
Mexico will not solve these problems for us. We (you) must solve them ourselves. You should be recruiting the business and industrial industry to come and (re) locate in SB. You and your team should be working on finding ways to attract these companies to SB. Finding ways to make their moves cost effective, attractive and beneficial both from a financial standpoint but also from a growth standpoint. Invest in our City and your return on investment will result in a win/win situation. Win for the company and win for the City.
San Bernardino offers many great selling points to all kinds of companies and industries. Good freeway access in any direction, an airport with lots of room to handle anything, a newly expanded railroad line with direct access to not only the Midwest of AMERICA but also to two very large seaports and the gateway to the Pacific rim. Top level education and continued education opportunities are also locally available and immediate occupancy of homes to fit any price range.
Mr. Mayor (and team) your visit to Mexico is NOT in the best interest of SB nor America now. Your efforts should be here within our boarders improving our way of life, finding the many needed jobs for the skilled and non-skilled that await, filling the unbelievable vacancy rate of commercial building found throughout the City. Bottom line, come back and sell San Bernardino and all of its attributes, remember…your are the Mayor and you have no business in Mexico when your City is in major economic trouble.
I think it is a good idea about the direct flights to Mexico. That will definitely bring in a lot of money.
from article: "Whether it's avocados or tequila, we're open to any opportunities that may be out there,"
Oh yeah, if there is anything San Bernardino needs it's more tequila.
This article is cute but what conclusions were ever drawn on the Operation Phoenix debacle and why are we still paying Glen Baude as director of Code Compliance plus a interim Diector, Wayne Harp. have these issues been swept under the rug !!!