August 29, 2008, cont. from front page, City cracks down on unlicensed businesses, By Jesús Ibarra, Preventive actions during the rainy season, Week of the Elderly

“I’m doing this with the intention of fulfilling the responsibility of a public servant. Reporting on activities is a task for all public servants and a right of all citizens,” said Villarreal.

“In the Senate of the Republic, we work for Mexico and we work for your children so that we all might have a better life.” Among the attendants to Villarreal’s speech were his wife Alma and daughter Triana seated on the first row; next to them, Mauricio Trejo–owner of Tele Cable–and his wife; Mayor Jesús Correa and City Secretary Cristóbal Finkesltein. Juan Pasqualli, former assistant mayor, and Carlos Araiza, owner of Pollo Feliz restaurant, were also present.

Most of Villarreal’s proposals in the Senate have focused on improving the quality of life of Mexicans working in the US. In November 2007, he proposed modifying articles 31 and 35 of the Law of the Bank of Mexico, with the intention of reducing the commissions that Mexicans in the US have to pay to send money to their families in Mexico.

“We are proposing to eliminate all commissions on transfers of less than US$500 and to regulate the unit of currency to guarantee that the efforts of our compatriots are reflected in the benefits their families receive,” said Villarreal.

Another of his proposals was to reform the general law of budgets so that all the income generated at Mexican consulates in the US would go toward improving the services offered at those consulates. According to Villarreal, it is estimated that about 600 million pesos in fees are generated at Mexican consulates each year. “In the Dallas consulate,” he said, “a lawyer works on about 2,000 cases of immigrant protection a year; that money would allow more lawyers to be hired to honestly defend Mexicans and help them avoid being condemned to a death sentence.”

Villarreal said that his own proposal for immigration reform was approved by the Senate. The proposal recommends lifting penalties on immigration in Mexico. “Now, Mexico has a moral responsibility to demand a halt to the xenophobic, discriminatory policies in some US states that infringe on the dignity and human rights of our compatriots,” he said.

He also presented a proposal to create a commission to coordinate the policies, actions and programs of the government to develop the region along the northern border. One of the objectives of this commission would be to protect the rights of immigrants. He quoted the case of legislation approved in Arizona that allows the American government to confiscate money sent here by Mexicans living in the US if it is suspected the money comes from drug trafficking. “Because they are immigrants, they cannot prove the source of their income,” he said. Another objective of the commission would be to protect the environment on the northern border. “We are fighting to make the rights of Mexicans abroad analogous to those of the foreigners who come to our country.”

Two historic flags for the homeland

There are two Mexican flags used by the insurgent army headed by Hidalgo and Allende during the War of Mexican Independence that were afterward seized by the Spanish army at the defeat of José María Morelos and have since been in the hands of the Spanish government. The Senate approved Villarreal’s proposal that President Calderón request that the flags be given as a present by Spain to the Mexican government as part of the commemoration of the bicentennial of independence.

“During his last official visit to Spain, President Calderón formally made the request to the king of Spain so that the flags could be here for the bicentennial in 2010,” said Villarreal, who thanked local historian Graciela Cruz for her investigative work on this issue.

World Heritage status

Villarreal said that July 7, 2008, was a historic day for our city—the day San Miguel de Allende and the shrine of Jesús Nazareno in Atotonilco were granted World Heritage status by UNESCO.

He thanked Mayor Jesús Correa and City Secretary Cristóbal Finkelstein for their efforts toward that end and also thanked sanmiguelenses for the care they have taken of the city over the years.

“Nothing—absolutely nothing—replaces the honor of having been born and of living in San Miguel de Allende,” he said.

Villarreal announced that during the coming year he will propose a reform to the federal law covering voting by Mexicans abroad so that more of them can participate in elections. He will also propose repatriation insurance so that Mexicans who die abroad can be brought back to the country without cost.

“When a compatriot dies abroad, it is really a great tragedy for the family, since, besides the sorrow, the cost of bringing the body to Mexico is more than US$3,000. With insurance granted at the time of registration with the Mexican consulate, which would only cost US$85, the family of the deceased would not have to pay such a large amount to bring the body to Mexico.”

The senator said that in the future he intends to propose facilitating importations at the border by installing inspection points staffed by inspectors of both countries, reducing airport taxes to encourage tourism and compensate for the high cost of jet fuel and reforming the law of fiscal coordination to create a fund for environmental protection in municipalities for the management of water and solid waste treatment, which “would help give back a better environment to Mexico.”

Villarreal assured his listeners that the Senate is working to achieve a beneficial reform of PEMEX and to improve the laws concerning public safety and criminal prosecution in order to keep fighting against violence and insecurity. “Insecurity is the unique and true problem of Mexico; if we do not return peace and security to the country, we will be tainting the future of the next generations,” said Villarreal, who recognized the effort and bravery with which President Calderón is acting against drug trafficking and organized crime.

Unregistered businesses that do not pay taxes are common in San Miguel and create unfair competition for legitimate enterprises. According to Ángel Gastélum, head of the Urban Development Department (Dirección de Desarrollo Urbano), about 3,000 unlicensed businesses are operating in the city, and last May a campaign initiated by the Civil Protection Department identified, inspected and registered many of them.

Under the table

According to Gastélum, most of the unregistered businesses in the city are bed & breakfasts, small grocery stores and garages. “In May, we asked all owners to register their unlicensed businesses,” said Gastélum, who added that those proprietors who did not come in voluntarily, were visited by Urban Development staff and required to present their applications for registration within three days.

“We have had a good response from the businesses,” said Gastélum. “Registrations have increased 300 percent. However, only 10 percent of the roughly 3,000 unregistered businesses have been registered.”

Gastélum said that the problem with bed & breakfasts is that many of the lodgings appear to be normal residences, and when asked by authorities the owners claim they are not hotels or guesthouses. “We have identified about 30 unregistered guesthouses, of which only 20 percent have arranged for registration.”

Gastélum said that owners who refuse to register after three notifications are required to pay a fine of up to 23,500 pesos (500 times the Guanajuato minimum wage of 47 pesos). If they do not pay the fee, the business is shut down. If the business continues operating anyway, staff from Public Security arrive to enforce the closure.

“It is not common that we have to step in to close the business,” noted Gastélum. “We have had one such instance, with a guesthouse on Cañadita de los Aguacates; this was a special case because they were selling alcohol and holding raucous parties at night.”

Gastélum said that the problem with the irregular tienditas, or small grocery stores, is that in some neighborhoods there are up to five or six of them per square block. “They are generally owned by a woman who wanted to open her own business at home.” He said that many times “we cannot grant them the use of the premises for a business since some of them sell alcohol without a permit, which attracts gangs that disturb the neighbors.” One must apply for a liquor license at the Fiscalización Department, but first it is necessary to have a registered business.

The main problem with the garages, said Gastélum, is that they take away available parking spaces for residents.

Procedures for registration

The first is through the SARE (Sistema de Apertura y Regularización de Empresas) program, for small businesses with an area of no more than 250 square meters and those that do not sell alcohol or potentially toxic or polluting substances such as oil or insecticides. Through SARE, the regularization could be ready in one day.

For larger businesses or those that sell alcohol or potential pollutants, the process has to be done directly through the Urban Development Department and takes about three days. In the case of hotels, authorization must be granted by the City Council at one of its regular sessions. “In all cases we require certification by the Civil Protection Department, and in the case of restaurants, hotels or any other business that sells potentially dangerous substances, food or that generates garbage, certification by the Ecology Department is required,” said Gastélum.

Civil Protection certification

Authorization from the Civil Protection Department is required for all business permits. Alan Álvarez, head of the department, said that sometimes people get annoyed “because they think we make certain recommendations only to annoy them. This is not true. Our recommendations are focused on protecting people and their livelihoods.”

Civil Protection’s general recommendations for businesses include painting yellow lines on steps to alert people, painting propane tanks a certain color and installing electric lines inside protective metal tubing.

“We Mexicans do not have a culture of safety, and people do not take preventive measures. Sometimes these omissions or mistakes result in the loss of livelihood or, even worse, the loss of life,” said Álvarez. All businesses have to have proper signage and at least one fire extinguisher, depending on the area. There are a lot of neighborhoods in San Miguel located near a river or stream where residents open up unregistered tienditas. Álvarez said that Civil Protection reports these businesses to the Urban Development Department because they are in unsafe locations, and the Urban Development Department has the last word.

Álvarez said that tienditas opened in private homes frequently pose a problem. “For security reasons, we require that the store have an independent entrance. Sometimes these stores sell products considered flammable, such as insecticides or other aerosol products.”

The business of business

Atención asked some local business owners whether officials from Urban Development and Civil Protection had visited them and what they think about the registration campaign.

María Rosa, manager of a small hotel in Centro, said that she has not had such a visit but that the hotel has all its permits and that the Hotel Association of San Miguel constantly checks the security measures within hotels.

José Crisóstomo, owner of an auto parts store on Calzada de la Luz, said that he had been visited by representatives of both departments and he agrees with the regularization campaign. He is currently working to register his enterprise and is open to security recommendations.

José, owner of a small tiendita, said that he has not talked to anyone from these departments but that all of his permits are in order. However, the entrance to his house is the same as the store’s. Some power cables in the store are in poor condition, and he sells flammable aerosol products.

Alejandra, manager of rental villas, is working to register her business and making all changes recommended by Civil Protection.

Guadalupe, in charge of a small fonda (restaurant for tacos and tortas), said that she has spoken with officials from both departments but has not made any of the changes recommended by Civil Protection. She does not own a fire extinguisher, though she has a propane tank and a kitchen with a stove and oven.

Preventive actions during the rainy season

Alan Álvarez, head of Civil Protection, said that the rainy season will continue, and that harder rains have been forecast for September. He recommended not getting close to streams or to presas, which have become risky because of the current water levels. “It is especially important during the rainy season, to check the physical condition of your car, to respect the speed limits and to listen and obey the decisions of the authorities. If we close a street or a road, it is for the people’s safety and not to affect their commute time or their activities; we are performing actions on the citizenship’s behalf,” he said.

During this rainy season, it has rained 60 percent more than last year, which has generated some minor floods of as much as one meter high in some lower income neighborhoods in the city.

Presa Allende is currently at 96.7 percent of its capacity, so as of last week, the floodgates were opened to release eight cubic meters per second in order to maintain the maximum level allowed. Álvarez said that the National Commission of Water (Comisión Nacional de Agua) has been carefully monitoring Presa Allende to ensure the levels will not affect municipalities of Comonfort and Celaya.

The Family Integration Department, DIF, this week celebrated the Week of the Elderly with different activities such as conferences about health and nutrition, movies, a singing contest and the coronation of the Queen of the Elderly.

There were also some sporting events such brain gymnastics and cachibol, a kind of volleyball played with a soft ball, appropriate for the elderly. The attendants also enjoyed a puppet show about values and many participated in a workshop covering anti-discrimination and tolerance for the elderly community.