Governor Talks “Straight” with Pulmonia Drivers

by Maureen Dietrich
25 Apr 15
mazmessenger.com

The Governor warned those who put the port at risk would lose their vehicles and their concessions.

In port yesterday for several official events, Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez commented on a demand from pulmonia drivers in Mazatlán that they be given the same consideration as taxi companies with respect to selling their services to cruise ship passengers within the cruise ship docking area.

In an agreement reached between the Secretary of Tourism, tour operators, taxi, pulmonia and Auriga drivers last week, taxi companies were given permission to set up a stand within the passenger landing area. Pulmonia and Auriga drivers must stay on the street outside the gates to offer their services.

Pulmonía drivers said they would not take action against the cruise ship tourists nor initiate another blockade as occurred on April 14, but they would protest in front of the Secretary of Tourism offices if their demands were not met.

In reply to the pulmonia drivers’ demands, the Governor said those who put the port at risk would lose their vehicle, their concession and would be brought before the Ministerio Público charged with damaging the destination.

“Be careful,” he warned, adding he did not want to think about anyone putting the port at risk so that all that was fought for so hard is lost.

He is giving notice and wants to be clear, he said, that it was not easy rescuing the port and recovering cruise ship arrivals. He sent a message through the Secretary of Tourism that they would not investigate who was at fault during any conflict that affects the destination and would seize the vehicles, cancel concessions and charge them with damaging the destination.

(from Noroeste)

Sinaloa Governor Attends Opening of Tiger Woods Designed Golf Course

mazmessenger.com

by Maureen Dietrich

19 Dec 14 

 

Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez blocked time off his busy schedule on Tuesday this week to fly to Cabo San Lucas and attend the opening of the El Cardonal, the first golf course designed by famed international golfer Tiger Woods.

The par 71 course is located in the exclusive Diamante tourist development in the municipality of Los Cabos.

Present at the opening were Tiger Woods, López Valdez and the Governor of Baja California Sur among other dignitaries. 

(from Noroeste)

State Offers Free Services in Colonia Urías

 by Maureen Dietrich

24 Nov 14  

mazmessenger.com

 

Hundreds of Mazatlecos from different colonias took advantage yesterday of the Fourth Institutional Services Fair held in the plazuela of Colonia Urías.

Those attending were offered free psychological services, various civil registry permits such as birth certificates, medical and dental checkups, haircuts and school uniforms.

At the inauguration of the fair, Gerardo Vargas Landeros, General Secretary of the Sinaloa Government, said the fairs were initiated when it was discovered that many Sinaloans have no access to government, educational or health services.

 (from Noroeste)

Governor, Mayor, Woo Nissan Motors to Mazatlán Port

by Maureen Dietrich

19 Nov 14  

mazmessenger.com

 

Nissan Motors is considering Mazatlán as an embarkation port, and to make the project a reality Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez and Mazatlán Mayor Carlos Felton left today for Mexico City to begin discussions with Nissan executives.

Although the dredging of the port has not been completed, Felton stated the city has all the logistical attributes necessary and pointed out as proof that other car companies have used the port to store vehicles.

The Mayor stated he was confident the first 1,300 million pesos promised by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to modernize the port will be received in 2015. (from Noroeste)

Peña Nieto Pledges Funds for Mazatlán

by Murry Page

6 Sep 14  

mazmessenger.com

Enrique Peña Nieto was in Mazatlán yesterday to close the XXI Congress of Mexican Foreign Trade.

México’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, was in Mazatlán yesterday to close the XXI Congress of the Mexican Foreign Trade being held at the city’s convention Center.

Although the modernization of Mazatlán’s port was not included in Nieto’s second State of the Union address earlier in the week, while in the city the president said the government will invest 1.3 billion pesos ($100 million) to modernize Mazatlán’s port and infrastructure in order to compliment the new Mazatlán-Durango highway and consolidate México’s Northern Economic Corridor, that stretch of land extending from Sinaloa to Texas and running through the states of Durango, Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.

Governor Mario López Valdez attending the event said the visit of the president to the city gives hope and confidence to Sinaloa, because it helps revitalize and raises expectations of progress for the state.

The governor noted that the modernization of the port of Mazatlán, the gateway to the Northern Economic Corridor, will put the state of Sinaloa between two economic blocs, namely East Asia and the United States.

(from El Sol de Mazatlán)

Governor and Mayor to Petition Mexican President Today

by Maureen Dietrich

5 Sep 14  

mazmessenger.com

 

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto will arrive in Mazatlán around 2pm today to attend the 21st Congress of Mexican Exporters being held at the Convention Center.

Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez and Mazatlán Mayor Carlos Felton will take the opportunity to petition the President for federal assistance for several projects.

On the Governor’s agenda are seeds for farmers, modernization of Mazatlán’s port, tourism, the Durango-Mazatlán highway, Santa Maria dam, an aqueduct for Mazatlán, flood plans and a central park for Mazatlán.

Mayor Felton’s list mirrors that of the Governor in terms of flood plans, dredging of the port, an aqueduct and a central park.

On arrival in Mazatlán, the President will go directly to the Convention Center where since yesterday entrance has been restricted and presidential guards have been posted.

 (from Noroeste)

Governor dons Cowboy Hat for Calgary Stampede Parade

 by Maureen Dietrich

7 Jul 14 

mazmessenger.com

Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez and Secretary for Tourism Francisco Códova Celaya took part in the Canadian Calgary Stampede parade on July 4 at the head of the Mexican Culture float, voted the best cultural representation by the parade committee.

In cowboy hats and riding horses, the Governor and Secretary were accompanied by mariachi bands, a dance group dressed in costumes from different Mexican states and a Mazatlán float adorned with images and promotional material of the port.

Included in the contingent were Mazatlán Mayor Carlos Felton, President of the Hotel and Tourism Association Carlos Berdegué and representatives of Sectur Sinaloa.

Governor López Valdez met with the vice-presidents of TransCanada while in Calgary where they discussed the construction of the gas pipeline in Sinaloa. TransCanada reps assured the Governor that construction of the second phase of the project, the line to Mazatlán, is ahead of schedule and will start in September rather than November this year. 

 (from Sectur press release)

CFE Subsidy to Reduce Electric Bills by 40%

by Murry Page

7 Jul 14  

mazmessenger.com

 

Rafael López Tovar, Superintendent of Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), told reporters the electrical subsidy Governor Mario López Valdez negotiated with the CFE in May should result in about 251,000 of its residential customers in Mazatlán seeing a reduction of about 40 percent in their monthly electric bills this summer.

Although Mazatlán is located in the Tariff 1D zone the governor negotiated for Mazatlán the 1F Tariff subsidy for the city. The summer subsidy by the government for a city within the 1D zone covers the first 600 kilowatt hours for the month, where the 1F subsidy covers the first 2,500 kilowatt hours each month.

Rafael López Tovar noted that its Mazatlán residential customers will continue to see the 1D Traffic on their monthly statements, since Mazatlán is in that zone; but if they check their bill they will see that the subsidy covers the first 2,500 kilowatt hours consumed by them, which is the subsidy for a city in the 1F Tariff zone.

(from Noroeste)

Secretary of Tourism Promotes Maz in California and Calgary

by Maureen Dietrich

26 Jun 14 

mazmessenger.com 

On July 3 a committee headed by the Sinaloa Governor, Mazatlán Mayor and Sinaloa Secretary of Tourism leave on a tourism promotion tour of California and Calgary, Canada.

They will be visiting Los Angeles, San Francisco and San José where they will offer seminars to tour agents with the view to having them include Mazatlán in their travel packages.

In Calgary, the committee will take part in the annual Rodeo parade on a Carnaval themed float seen by millions of television viewers in Canada, said the tourism Secretary.

Last winter, he noted, 189,000 visitors arrived by air and for the upcoming 2014-2015 winter season, they want to increase that number to at least 230,000. (from Noroeste)

Governor Woos International Hotels to Invest in Mazatlán

by Maureen Dietrich

12 Jun 14 

mazmessenger.com

 

An influx of tourists resulting from the opening of the Mazatlán-Durango highway has saturated the capacity of existing hotels.

Mexico City: Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez met yesterday with investors and hotel executives to present the potential Sinaloa offers for hotel and time share investment in various municipalities, in particular the municipality of Mazatlán.

The Governor, accompanied by the Sinaloa Secretary of Tourism and Secretary of Economic Development, met with representatives of the Santa Fe hotel group, Presidente hotels, Gigante stores, Banca Mifel financial group, Pinverso restaurant chain, Cushman and Wakefiled, Barceló hotels, Marriott hotels and the Canirac national representative.

In a government press release, López Valdez said that today more than ever the State needs the infrastructure and diversity of international hotels to supply the demand of increased international and national tourism specifically in Mazatlán. An influx of tourists resulting from the opening of the Mazatlán-Durango highway has saturated the capacity of existing hotels, necessitating the construction of new hotels and guarantying successful investment, the Press Release said.

At the meeting, the Secretary of Economic Development proposed a working agenda to familiarize investors with Sinaloa and incentive packages the State government offers potential investors.

The hotel and business representatives expressed their interest in investing in the State, saying they would soon visit Sinaloa, Mazatlán in particular, to research available land and assess the viability of constructing new four and five star hotels. 

(from Noroeste)

School Year to end Early Because of Heat

by Murry Page

10 Jun 14 

mazmessenegr.com

|

Because of the high temperatures the state has been experiencing, Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez, announced that the 2013-2014 school year for the state’s students would end on Friday, June 27. He said the decision was made with the concurrence of the SEP, SEPyC and the teachers union of sections 27 and 53.

The decision cuts short the scheduled 2013-2014 school year by 15 days.

Francisco Frías Castro, the head of the SEPyC, said the decision was made to prevent health risks to the state’s elementary school students. “We did it to keep this heat wave from adversely affecting our children.”

He added, “We will spend the two weeks of no school to prepare all the documentation that allows parents to know the outcome of the school year for their children.”

(from El Sol de Mazatlán)

Governor Leads Bikers to Baluarte Bridge

by Murry Page

26 Apr 14  

mazmessenger.com

 

After their visit to the Baluarte Bridge the cyclists headed for Concordia where a dinner awaited them.

Dressed the part with black leather, wearing a Harley-Davidson head band, and sporting new although fake, tattoos, the Governor of Sinaloa, Mario López Valdez, led a group of 200 motorcyclists on an hour and a half bike ride to Baluarte Bridge on the border of Sinaloa and Durango.

Mazatlán’s Mayor, Carlos Gonzalez Felton, was part of the group riding a Cam-Am Spider trimotor roadster.

When they reached the bridge the governor gladly took photographs with all the participants wanting them.

After their visit to the Baluarte Bridge the cyclists headed for Concordia where a dinner awaited them.

Today will see the annual Bike Parade.

(from Noroeste)