Members of the State Assembly voted Thursday against a petition to impeach state court Justices after the Judiciary Council canceled their retirement benefit program.
Assemblyman Armando Reyes, an Ensenada member of the leftist Workers Party, read the bill previously approved by the Jurisdictional Committee that accepted to move on with the petition.
The request asked to remove Chief Justice Jorge Armando Vásquez and Judiciary Council members Juan Ortiz, Jorge Pérez and Raúl Martínez for their vote in favor of a retirement program that might have provided 100 percent of their salaries for two years and 80 percent until their death. The benefits could then be inherited by widows and children.
Assemblyman Reyes told his colleagues that members of the state Judiciary Council had voted previously to cancel the retirement program and asked to voted against the bill.
In a press release, Chief Justice Vásquez acknowledged assembly members for their votes.
Tourism improves in July
State Secretary of Tourism Óscar Escobedo said Baja California reported last month record rates in hotel occupancy rates.
Rosarito and Ensenada reported 99 and 97 percent occupancy rates during the nights of July 29 and 30.
In the mean time, San Felipe reported a 94 percent rate, while Tijuana, Tecate and Mexicali observed an 84 percent rate.
Compared with last year, tourism increased 15 percent statewide and 18 percent in Ensenada alone, Escobedo said.
In terms of hotel expenditure visitors paid 338 million pesos statewide or $18.77 million. Of this amount, 43 percent was spent in Tijuana, he said.
According to statistics from Mexicali’s Tourism and Conventions Committee, or Cotuco in Spanish, San Felipe registered last weekend a 74.5 percent hotel occupancy rate.
Cotuco’s Director Christian Ibarra said the Sea of Cortez town has observed an increase of visitors compared to recent years.
San Felipe has received tourists from California, Arizona and Nevada, and as far as from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Mexican states like Nayarit, Sinaloa and Jalisco, Ibarra said.
“This is a great improvement, but there is still a lot to do,” Ibarra added. “The recovery in terms of tourist activity is the result of the work that has been done between authorities and San Felipe businessmen.”
Among the efforts held by Cotuco are promotional campaigns in the United States and Canada, as well as advertising campaigns and organization of events.
Domestic violence bill approved
During the most recent legislative meeting Assembly members approved a bill introduced by three lawmakers that, if enacted, would mandate law enforcement agencies to attend immediately reports of domestic violence.
Assembly members Nereida Fuentes, Rosa Peralta and Roberto Dávalos made the proposal to change Article 242 bis of the State Penal Code.
The measure includes provisions that prohibit agencies from turning cases to mediation or alternate legal process.
Violators who willingly commit deliberate acts of psychological or physical violence would also be mandated to take psychological treatment and pay expenses incurred by victims.
If needed, authorities could seize salaries from violators in order to force them to pay child support.
The bill was read by Justice Commission Chair Juan Molina, who said the proposal will be sent to the Governor’s desk for signing.
