State officials met Wednesday with the leaders of teacher unions after a massive protest held statewide.
Secretary of Government Francisco Rueda told union leaders the administration is committed with education and said he is willing to address teachers concerns.
Teachers held the protest to demand payment of unpaid salaries and retirement benefits thousands of teachers are entitled to.
The meeting was attended by secretaries general locals 2 and 37 of the National Education Workers Union Mario Aispuro and María Luisa Gutiérrez, respectively, as well as the union’s national committee representative Bernardo Quezada.
Rueda said the state paid Wednesday 21.7 million pesos or $1.2 million in interim teacher salaries.
The secretary said retirement benefits might be increased during the year.
Rueda urged teachers to back to classes.
Other state officials took part of the meeting.
Another meeting was held with state lawmakers to address the issue, but the parties just agreed to meet again on Monday, June 12.
Assemblymen with the Institutional Revolutionary Party expressed in a press conference their support for the union’s movement.
Fishing ban extended
The Mexican government extended the fishing ban at the sea of Cortez, this time for an undefined period.
The new prohibition was announced Wednesday by Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food José Calzada.
San Felipe fishermen responded by announcing the filing of a lawsuit against the decision, according to newspapers reports.
The original ban began two years ago when President Enrique Peña visited San Felipe in order to protect species like vaquita porpoise and totoaba.
Fishermen leader Antonio Rodríguez told the newspaper that the government studies have not cleared if the prohibition has brought any results.
Non-profit organization Sea Shepherd has said only 30 vaquitas survive at the Gulf of California and is under threat of extinction.
Authorities will invest 42 million pesos or $2.3 million in additional studies.
Fishermen have received a compensation during the ban.
The Autonomous University of Baja California seeks to pour into the said a up to 1 million totoaba young fish.
Governor reacts to critics
Baja California Governor Francisco Vega called his constituents to avoid using public safety issues for political gain.
Instead, he asked to strengthen institutions to address the issue.
The speech comes after lawmakers, businessmen and other stakeholders urged the state to stop the criminal wave. Children in Tijuana have been killed in shootouts while in Mexicali robberies and murders have increased.
Gov. Vega said his administrations priority is to keep families safe, for which he has been working permanently and in coordination with other law enforcement agencies.
Mexican congress voted Thursday for a bill that seeks to create a single command public safety under military leadership.
Congresswoman Nancy Sánchez, a Mexicali member of the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party, endorsed the bill by saying it will hold governors accountable in the public safety issue.
Although he welcomed all proposals to address the issue, Gov. Vega urged constituents to avoid dividing residents in their speeches.
“It is unacceptable that politicians pretend to campaign on this sensitive issue,” Gov. Vega said. “This is a question that must be managed and treated away from any political interest as it can impact stability and social peace.”
Juan Manuel Hernández, chair of the Citizen Council on Public Safety blamed the states lack of strategy for the increasing crime rates.
He urged Gov. Vega to make changes to the strategies, improve coordination or dismiss cabinet members who are not providing results.
