Articles GGNorth

Articles, Baja Norte, Cuisine, Rosarito

Mongolian Grill Changes Owners

On October 2nd a couple with a local and international family history bought the building and took ownership of the Mongolian Grill. Their family ties go back deep in the history of Southern California, in Mexican history and in the history of the city of Rosarito in particular.  Julio and Juliana Ramirez are the proud new owners of the Mongolian Grill.

Julio’s grandfather was a true charro.  He rode his horse sporting a sombrero carrying a pistol on his hip. Most people were wary of him because he was a tough character. He wandered into this area from Jalisco with his family, who have now lived in Rosarito for generations. When Julio was seven years old his grandfather gave him the house that he lives in today. It is located west of Ortega’s restaurant down by the beach. At that time the only establishments in Rosarito were the Hotel Rosarito and the El Nido restaurant. His grandmother’s side of the family includes members of the Kumeyaay tribe. The tribe’s traditional lands occupy both sides of the border from Temecula to as far south as Ensenada and east to Tecate. Today the tribe owns and operates the Pala Casino.

Juliana’s great grandfather was the Vice President of Mexico under the dictator Porifio Diaz.  His name was Ramon Corral Verdugo. Corral had a very illustrious political career in the State of Sonora, holding many offices including Governor of the Federal District. From that office he became Secretary of the Interior and Vice-President of the Republic from 1904 to 1911.  In his later years he moved to Paris where he was treated for cancer. Unfortunately after the operation his cancer was deemed incurable. Since he could no longer serve Mexico he decided to submit his resignation. He signed his resignation letter in Paris on May 10. 1911.

Julio and Juliana are both dual citizens: United States and Mexico.  Julio worked for many years at a subsidiary of General Dynamics which built ships in San Diego.  He was a welder.  He was good at it and made great money while Juliana raised their daughter at home.  But being a welder was not his dream job. Both of them always wanted to own a restaurant.  They had often come down to eat at the Mongolian Grill and loved the food.  When they discovered that Lee and Chris wanted to sell and travel the world they jumped at the chance to fulfill their dream.

The Ramirez’s say they are not going to change the menu, which they love, in any drastic way. But they may introduce a couple of new items. They want to improve the appearance of the restaurant to make it more homey and welcoming. They want to add booths for privacy on the left side and are upgrading the chairs and other tables for better customer comfort.  They are seeking a permit to add a patio out front and to make the entrance more handicapped friendly.  They hope their customers will stay awhile enjoying the food and company, not just eat and run.  Both Julio and Juliana are very warm and easy to talk to. So drop in to the Mongolian Grill and enjoy their famous bowls of meats and vegetables. You can choose your food yourself, packing the bowl down to overflowing. Then the chef cooks your food on a large flat top grill, mongolian style. Fantastic!  Try their pizzas as well: they are absolutely delicious

The Mongolian Grill is in front of the La Jolla towers, 3114 Carretera Libre at Km 29.5. Call 661-100-6244.

 

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 Articles, Baja Norte, Breaking News, Ensenada, Rosarito, San Felipe, Tecate, Tijuana

Dealing With An Emergency Here If You Don’t Speak Spanish

Expat911 is a smart phone app that was designed by expats for expats.  It is a service that covers you for all types of emergencies when at home, on the road or out for a night on the town.  It utilizes GPS location services which allow the operators to target your exact location.  Many of us may have the capability to say our home address to Mexico’s Spanish speaking 911 operators, but what happens when we are in an unfamiliar area?  How can you explain where you are when you have no idea what the names of the streets are in the area during your emergency?  Also, how will you explain in detail about the type of emergency you are having?

Expat911 is an app that works on Android and iPhone devices.  Within the app you have a profile with information that will speed up the process when reporting an emergency.  You have a basic medical profile which has your blood type, allergies and sicknesses.  There is also a contact area where users can add 1 US/Canada contact and 2 Mexico contacts.  Expat911 will notify these contacts after your emergency has been reported to Mexico’s 911 on your behalf.  This way your family back home will know about your situation and so will the people that you trust here in Mexico.  The Mexico contacts can be neighbors or local doctors that speak English.  Many times our neighbors can come to our aid while we are awaiting the emergency services to arrive.  The Mexico contacts can also be used for our insurance agents or medical air evacuation plans that we may have in place.

So how does Expat911 work during an emergency?  You only have to click on one of the 3 emergency buttons.  There is a button for Police, Ambulance and Fire.  Within seconds an English speaking operator will call your phone and verify the emergency.  If you do not pick up, then they will assume that this is a serious emergency and report to Mexico’s 911 on your behalf.  If you answer, they will verify some quick details about your emergency and then call Mexico’s 911 to report the emergency.  Once the emergency has been reported, they will then confirm this with the user.  At this time they will stay on the phone with you if you request them to, or they will start calling your emergency contacts.  So it is very simple to use during an emergency and all you have to do is click a button.  They will take care of the rest.  They also record all calls so that there is a record of the emergency being reported to Mexico’s 911 and the call with the user as well.

Expat911 does have a cost to use their service.  It is important to understand that this is a 3rd party service who worked directly with Mexico’s C4 and C5 offices around the country.  C4 and C5 are the agencies that handle all 911 calls in Mexico.  Expat911 has a direct line of communication with all local C4 and C5 offices nationwide.  It is also important to realize the value of this service.  An alarm in our home has a cost of 1,000’s of pesos to install.  Then we pay an average of 250 pesos per month to have the service in case our alarm goes off.  So the yearly fee of an alarm in Mexico is 3,000 pesos on average.  This alarm system will only cover your home and you while you are at home.  There is no translation services included with your alarm company and you are only covered for police emergencies.  This is why we see the huge value in Expat911 which has a cost of $ 99.00 per year.  That cost is under 2,000 pesos per year and will cover you everywhere within Mexico.  Plus Expat911 has the added benefits of being 100% English spoken and contacting your friends and loved ones during your emergency.

Expat911 has recently implemented a couples plan.  The first user pays the full amount upon registration.  They will then contact Expat911 to ask for a coupon code which will be used on their spouse or family members.  The user will be provided with a 50% off coupon code for any other family members that wish to use the service.  So it is not just limited to your spouse and can also be used for you children, brothers and sisters who may also be living here in Mexico with you.  All additional accounts have a fee of $ 49.50 which is 50% of the original rate.

Expat911 is already serving a large number of expats in Mexico.  They have active users in 11 states and are growing daily.  It is a great service for those of us who have not been able to develop a strong command of the Spanish language.  It is also great for those of us who do speak Spanish well enough, but might worry about the stress during an emergency hampering our ability to speak another language.  It is also a great aid when we are traveling to an area that is unfamiliar to us.

If you are interested in using this service, we highly recommend reaching out to the company.  You can visit their website here:  https://www.expat911.mx/ref/baja/  If you have any questions about the registration process or require assistance, then you can email them directly at info@expat911.mx.  You can also request a call from them by sending an email and setting up a time to speak with a representative.

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 Baja Norte, Breaking News, Rosarito

Rosarito Starts Implementing “Panic Buttons”

Rosarito’ s Mayor Mirna Rincon, started the implementation of “Panic Buttons” in different points of the city, specifically where neighbor committees meet.

Rincon stated that this is being done in an effort to inhibit criminal activity in the area.

This device will connect directly to the C-4 and the public security office as soon as the button is pressed.

Neighbors will have this tool available, that uses wireless internet to communicate directly with the C-4 public security center and the local public security office.

“Rosarito Beach is the first municipality in the state that has this technology available, the equipment also has an antenna built-in that allows the community to connect to it through Wi-Fi in order to use WhatsApp to alert neighbors of suspicious or criminal activity”, said Rincon.

Adrian Hernandez, head of Rosarito’ s Public Security office, said that in its first phase, they will install 10 devices, the first of which was installed in the Marbella area.

“Through this device we will reinforce the Proximity Police program, which is looking to improve closeness between police and community, reinforcing trust through an immediate response from the police in the case of any contingency”, stated Hernandez.

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 Articles, Baja Norte

What To Do With All That Fish

Terry Byrns, a weekend marshal at Bajamar found bonita and yellow tail off Ensenada. He caught this bad boy trolling deep swimming rapalas along the 90 feet of water from Bajamar to La Mission. He and his fellow marshals Edgar, Angel and Ivan, have taught us all how to build a smoker from an old fridge.

The preservation of fish has been an integral part of every seafaring culture. Over the course of thousands of years of drying, salting, and smoking fish the technique has developed to a point where once common food has become a delicacy.

A smoker is an oven/BBQ type of thing for cooking at low temperatures in a controlled, smoky environment. There are a lot of different types of smokers, from small electric units to large fancy store bought smokers big enough to feed an army, literally.

Terry Byrns fishes a lot so he made his own smoker out of an early 1950s refrigerator. The old ones are all metal inside and out and are able to handle the temperatures that the new refrigerators could not because of the plastic interiors.  A refrigerator even comes with multiple shelves for a nice distribution of the meat.

Terry modified his refrigerator with adjustable air intake and adjustable air exhaust; the intake air comes in the bottom and the exhaust goes out the top. By closing or opening these he can control the temperature. Terry likes to use Kingsford charcoal briquettes as his heat source, then distributes chunks of hickory and mesquite he gets at Home Depot which he soaks overnight. He puts three or four chunks about the size of a baseball on top of the hot charcoal. These will smolder and create smoke inside the smoker and season the meat with that aroma. Terry believes Kingsford gives the best consistency and lasts the longest.

Fattier fish absorbs smoke better than leaner fish, but he smokes whatever he can catch. While any fish will be delicious cooked in the smoker, Terry tells us that going with tuna, salmon, sea bass, or sailfish is best for tender, moist smoked fish.

Cold smoking requires temperatures below 80 degrees F for several days. Hot smoking, however, can be done at temperatures of up to 250 degrees and only takes a few hours.

It is best to start with a saltwater brine. The way Terry does it, the brining process is quick so don’t worry about having to start out the day before. Plan on the fish being in the brine for about 15 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness. Also, plan on 1 quart of brine per pound of fish. The brine of course, makes the difference in flavor. Some people call a brine a “cure” when smoking fish. Whatever you call it, it imparts a lot of good flavor. This process eliminates moisture from the fish, adds flavor, and helps in the preserving process.

The typical brine has three elements – sugar, salt and water. The liquid can be water, soy sauce or a dry, white wine. Mix together the sugar, salt, soy sauce, water, wine, onion and garlic powders. Pepper and Tabasco sauce are good too. Martha Stewart probably doesn’t brine, but it shouldn’t be hard to come up with a recipe from Google.

Hot smoking can be done in any grill or smoker, is easier and quicker than cold smoking, which may require more specialized equipment and a lot more patience. What you get is equally smoky, but isn’t dried or preserved in the same way. This does mean that hot smoked fish has a short shelf life and needs to be refrigerated or frozen.

On a final note, not only does fish make a great meal or appetizer, it also makes a great ingredient in other food. Try blending the smoked meat with some cheese, garlic, salt and pepper and you suddenly have a great spread for crackers. Many recipes call for smoked fish, from soups to salads to main courses.

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 Baja Norte, Columns, Ensenada, Fish Report, Rosarito

Fish Report

Tijuana Bull Ring

Wide open bonito fishing this morning in the Point Loma area down to IB. The bones were along the kelp line biting small sardines and chrome jigs along with a mix of calico bass, sheepshead, small rockfish and a few legal-sized lingcod.

More bonito can be found a mile or so outside.

 

Coronado Islands

The only surface fish that is being caught is the bonito which are along the weather side of North Island, the Middle Grounds, the Ribbon Kelp and the SKR. Some are big, coming in at well over the 10-pound mark, but 95% of them fall in the 4- to 8-pound class.

Slow-trolling sardines and Rapalas seems to be the ticket for the really big ones.

Other than this, the only thing biting are rockfish and whitefish.

 

Offshore

Below the 425 / Upper Hidden & Hidden Bank

This zone continues to be your best bet for a “local” yellowfin with the best area being below 32.06 down in the Upper Hidden Bank area.

There is a temp break running east/west at that number. Temps are below 68 to the north of it and 68- to 69- to the south.

The yellowfin, skipjack, yellowtail and dorado are nearly all on kelps now with not a lot of open-water jig stops happening.

The average size is small. The yellowfin are mainly 6- to 10-pounds with a few up around 20-pounds. The skippies are in the 5- to 8-pound range. The yellows are little rats, from 1- to 3-pounds and the dorado are 5- to 10-pounds.

 

Ensenada

After some shaky fishing when the hurricane passed far below in the Baja midsection, the surface action resumed with a vengeance. Limits of lunker-sized yellowtail were a pleasant surprise for anglers looking for a fish fix with limits rounding out good bottom fishing as well.

 

San Quintin

Like Ensenada, both inshore and offshore seems to be returning to the conditions prior to the storm. There has been some great fall action for the few anglers visiting the area now. Still, there’s some yellowtail along with great bottom fishing that is almost a given. Hopefully, the fall season will continue until November.

 

Cedros Island

As the lodges close down for the winter, the timing could not have been better with the recent storm that hit the area recently. The fishing remained good right up the the storm. Since then, it has been quiet.

 

Bahia de Los Angeles

Recent reports indicate the dorado that arrived during the summer are beginning to leave as the sea temps cool down. Already, there have been some comments about the north winds. Hopefully they won’t begin in earnest until late in November.

Meanwhile the bottom fishing for cabrilla, pargo and plenty of other takers is holding steady with most anglers limiting out often.

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 Calendar of Events

Rosarito Calendar of Events – October 29, 2018

Every Monday through Thursday, 9am – 12pm; Pickleball at Punta Azul Tennis Center. Cos: $1 court fee per person per day. Organized by Robert Canaan. BYO paddle and ball. Information: Facebook.com/ Rosarito Pickleball

Every Sunday 4 pm. Cultural Sundays in the park. Local Mexican and American dancers and musicians.  At the IMAC in Abelardo L. Rodriguez park, west of Banamex. Facebook IMAC Rosarito. Free.

Every Sunday 2 – 4 pm at the IMAC Central Park (behind the Banamex on Juarez) Dancing for seniors. Salsa and merengue (among others) tunes designed to not throw out a hip. www.facebook.com/IMAC Rosarito

Second Sunday of every month, Pet sterilization by the Baja Spay and Neuter Foundation at the Centro de Diagnostico Clinico Vetrinario, ave. Queretaro #2331-3, Col Cacho, Tijuana. 200 pesos, 661-124-3619, or Robin at www.BajaSpayNeuter.org.

Last Sunday of every month, Jewish Chavurah. Gordon Kane – gordonmkane@gmail.com.

Every Monday, 10:45 am, duplicate bridge at Baja Gold Bridge Club, KM 42 at the Rosarito Beach Christian Church. bajagoldcoastbridgeclub@gmail.com.

Every Tuesday – Rotary Club meets at Rosarito Beach Hotel. 664-376-2620.

Every Tuesday 10am to 11am.  Chair Yoga – Rosarito Wellness, Healing, Living at IMAC Park, room 1 in Rosarito (behind Banamex). Improve Balance & Coordination.  Receive all the benefits of yoga in a gentle, Healing, Meditative yoga class where a chair is used for support and balance. Bring water, small towel and comfortable clothing. Instructor: Erendira Abel, Certified Holistic Health Specialist. $5 per class, paid at beginning of month. For registration and location:  (661) 614-6036 Mexico or (619) 632-2965 US. Email: wellnesshealingliving@gmail.com

Every Tuesday. 9:00 am. Board Meeting for Yo Amo Rosarito at Ortega’s Buffet. See what events are under consideration or volunteer to help plan and run upcoming events.

Every Wednesday, 7:30 – 9:00 am; Tai Chi classes with certified instructor Eugenio Encinas at Galeria Fausto Polanco Rosarito. 350 pesos per month. Alyce: 664-368-6733; Alberto: 661-125-9191.

Every Second Wednesday (except December). 10 am. Friends of the Library meeting at main library of IMAC building next to Abelardo Rodríguez Park. Promotes reading and literacy in Rosarito. www.friendsofthelibrary.com.mx. 661-612-3659.

Second and FourthWednesday, 1 pm; Cruz Roja Primo Tapia Bingo at El Pescador Restaurant. 6 games/ 2 cards for $5. Reduced price menu; Jamesphausmann@gmail.com; 1-623-217-9795.

Every Second Wednesday OR the Wednesday prior to the Second Saturday (except December); Flying Samaritan’s General Meeting at Rene’s Casino (k28) at 1:30. Come early and enjoy lunch! www.flyingsamaritansrosarito.org; Susan Smith @ susansmithz@hotmail.com; US: 1-858-240-2360; MX: 661-100-6066.

Every Third Wednesday, 10 am, Meeting of Rosarito Sister Cities at City Hall, Fojadores Room, 2nd floor. Information and RSVP: FRAO@Rosarito.gob.mx.

Every Third Wednesday (except December) 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Flying Samaritan’s Outrageous Bingo at Popotla Jr. Restaurant (across from El Nino), Food and Drink specials; free parking behind restaurant; Six games, 4 cards for $10; Karen: kajomc@yahoo.coojm; (US) 1-818-515-0067l (MX) 664-609-3419.

Every Last Wednesday, 11:30 am, Wellness Wednesday Workshop “Intentionally Aging Gracefully” with Erendira Abel at IMAC a Abelard Rodriguez Park (behind Banamex). $6, and pre-registration is required. Info: wellnesshealingliving@gmail.com; (US) 1-619-737-2453, (MX) 661-614-6036.

Every Thursday. 8:30 am. Local Board of Realtors (APIR) meets at Oceana Grill. Good place for buyers or sellers to find a Realtor

Every Thursday, 10:30 am, Learn Spanish “Naturally” with Erendira Abel at Rosarito Beach Christian Church. $5, and pre-registration is required. Info: wellnesshealingliving@gmail.com; (US) 1-619-737-2453, (MX) 661-614-6036.

Every Second Thursday. 10 am. Cruz Roja Volunteers, Rosarito Chapter General Meeting at Popotla Restaurant. www.cruzrojarosarito.org.mx; President: Mary Moreno, miqueridomx@yahoo.com.

Every Third Thursday. 10 am. General Meeting for FRAO, Foreign Residents Assistance Office. Open to the public. Calafia Hotel.  Speaker’s presentation. FRAO@Rosarito.gob.mx.

Every Fourth Thursday of the month, 12 pm, Baja Babes, the Rosarito Chapter of the Red Hat Society for ladies over 50 monthly luncheon. Each month a different restaurant. margit@prodigy.net.mx.

Every Friday. 4pm.  Spanish class main library, by IMAC, in Abelardo Rodriguez park behind BanaMex. Free but donation appreciated.

Every Saturday, 10:00 am at IMAC Central park. Chess for all ages. www.facebook.com/IMAC Rosarito.

 Every First Saturday. 10 am. United Society of Baja California (USBC) general meeting at Casa Blanca Restaurant, Rosarito Beach Hotel. Good info for the English speaking community of charitable, community service and social organizations. www.unitedsocietyofbaja.org. 661-614-1113.

Every First Saturday. Noon-sundown. Open Studio Art Walk, a free tour of galleries in Rosarito Beach Hotel commercial center. Meet artists at work in their studios. pacothepainter@hotmail.com

Every Third Saturday. 1pm. USBC, United Society of Baja California, monthly potluck dinner, at La Maroma sports bar, across from Burger King. Different theme every month. Usually live entertainment. Free. Membership $20 per year.

Every day but one day at a time AA Grupo Gringo meets daily #16 Mar Meditteraneo (two blocks behind Del Mar Beach Club). Saturday, 3:00; Sunday, Monday, Thursday: 10:00 am; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 6:00 pm.  Additional meetings in Cantamar (just south of the footbridge) Tuesday and Friday, 10:00 am.  661-614-1678.

October 29, Monday, 7 pm; Ballet Oriental: “Mestiza” under the direction of Grinelli Sandoval at CEART Rosarito. Free. www.icbc.gob.mx; Facebook/ CEART Playas de Rosarito; 661-100-6271.

November 3, Saturday, 2 pm – 10 pm; Tex Mex Chili Cook Off to benefit the Pretty Horses Rescue. Information and contest info: 1-619-483-9252

November 4, Sunday, 2 – 6pm; Dance Party at Tempest Trading, (k 40.5). Free. DJ playing rock & roll, disco, blues, and more. Facebook.com/ Tempest Trading Baja.

November 10 & 11, Saturday and Sunday; Mexican Art Market featuring local produce, art, crafts, music and dance at CEART Rosarito. Email: mexfolkarts@yahoo.com.mx

November 11, Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm; Art, Body, & Soul. Celebrate life and support the local Kumiai projects in Eve’s Garden (La Mision – Up the orphanage road, from Magana’s). Free entrance. Information & vendors: Danielle – 1-619-955-7192 or dew112@hotmail.com. Also, Susan Allenbaugh, 661-614-3383, or susanallenbauch@gmail.com.

November 12, Friday, 3 – 9 pm; Festival de Dia de Muertos at Encanto Restaurant in Primo Tapia. Featuring Mexican traditions. Mariachi, Folklorico, altars, Catrina’s, and traditional foods. Facebook.com/ Festival de Dia de Muertos.

November 16, Friday, 9 am – 4 pm; 11th Biennial Baja California Photo Contest and Exhibit at CEART Rosarito. For rules and information of submitting photos, go to Facebook.com/ CEART Playas de Rosarito. 661-100-6338.

November 21, Wednesday, 6:30 pm; Author Karla Contreras presents her novel, “Dios Quiere Hablarte” at CEART Rosarito. Free. 661-100-6338. Facebook.com/ CEART Playas de Rosarito.

November 24, Saturday, 9 am – 4:30 pm; “Encuentro de Industrias Culturas y Creativas 2018” at CEART Rosarito. Featuring Paolo Mercado Espinoza and Arturo Sastre Blanco. $400 pesos. Facebook.com/ Encuentro de Industrias Culturales y Creativas.

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 Articles, Columns, National

What’s Going On In This Country?

Oh happy day! According to our new president elect there will be no federal government inspectors including those from the tax department. AMLO explained, “we’re going to trust the people.” Ja ja ja! Sure, trust us all to mail in that tax money your government is going to steal and blow on stupid stuff, you bet.

In addition to no Federal Tax Administration (SAT), inspectors, the Secretariat of Health and consumer protection agency Profeco, among other departments, won’t exist during his presidency.

Well, Profeco protects us, we want their consumer protection efforts. Like they inspect the gas station pumps.

Citizens will only have to sign a document pledging that they are “conscious” of their obligation to act within the law, the president-elect said.

It’s not the first time that López Obrador has placed his faith in the people of Mexico. Announcing that he will forego personal security as president days after his landslide victory in the July 1 election, the political veteran said: “The people will protect me. He who fights for justice has nothing to fear.” Yikes.

7 million go thirsty. 20 water truck companies hired by Mexico City to supply the people affected by a planted maintenance water-out are nervous about getting the job done. The water will be turned off for three days (it was initially projected to be four) 930 trucks with capacity for 10,000 to 40,000 liters have been arranged for deliveries, but they expect long wait times at the locations where tanker trucks can load up, meaning they cannot guarantee deliveries to consumers.

Nor can delivery be booked beforehand because the Mexico City water department, Sacmex, will control water distribution at the 450 locations where tankers will be supplied.

Residents of Iztapalapa will have to rely solely on government tanker trucks because private companies refuse to deliver to the borough after their trucks were stolen in the days following the earthquake on September 19, last year.

Residents will have more water at their disposal prior to the suspension in order to fill up water tanks and containers. The National Water Commission will bump water pressure by 15% five days before the suspension begins and for five days after service resumes.

Oh, toughen up! We here in Los Cabos only get water a couple times a week and we don’t stink nor go thirsty. Nor do we whine.

The Vaquita are nearly done, right? Well, maybe not. An expedition to investigate the dwindling vaquita porpoise population found three different groups of the mammals, including babies, raising hopes about its future. It was determined only months ago that the small dolphins found only in the Sea of Cortez were nearly goners, with only a handful left. Well, maybe they’re hiding, they’re shy. How do people know how many there are anyway? Let’s face it, these vaquita huggers have no idea what the hell they’re doing.

No more plastic bags. First it was straws. Tijuana has now banned plastic bags. Living with this isn’t as bad as it sounds. We’re doing it n the States now and you get used to keeping a cloth bag in your car. If you forget they will sell you a paper bag. Of if you’re really us against it, just have them throw all your stuff back into the basket and you throw it all into your car. The campaign against plastic pollution was launched in the spring of 2017 by the United Nations Environment Program.

According to data compiled by the federal Secretariat of the Environment, Mexico generates close to 103,000 tons of trash every day, 10.9% of which are plastics which are often washed away by rain and end up in the ocean.

We’re waiting for someone to get excited about all the unnecessary plastic bottles we’re buying and discarding. We’re not eco freaks but even we think that’s nonsense and we buy our water by the gallon and pour it into smaller bottles we re-use. That’s certainly more important than ripping straws out of our mouths.

Vanished! Money, of course. More than US $852 million in federal health care funding that was transferred to state governments between 2013 and 2017 is unaccounted for, audits show.

The newspaper Milenio reviewed audits conducted by the Federal Auditor’s Office (ASF) and found a range of irregularities in the use of funds allocated to the Seguro Popular health care program. Oh gawd the Seguro popular program. That’s stealing from the poorest of the poor.

The problems include overpayments for medications, payments for which no records exist, unauthorized transfers of funds and the inclusion of phantom employees on payrolls.

Authorities have identified those believed to be responsible for 3 billion pesos of the missing money and have begun the processes to recover it. However, none of those resources have yet been recovered.

The public program provides medical coverage for 55 million Mexicans who have no other health insurance, including 22 million people who earn less than twice the minimum wage (176 pesos or around US $9 per day): in other words, the nation’s poorest people.

Statistics show that the number of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel working in the Seguro Popular system is below both OECD levels and those for Mexico as a whole, while medicine shortages have occurred in several states.

Corruption is suspected of being a significant factor behind the system’s shortcomings and there is evidence that its consequences can be fatal. “Corruption kills.”

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 Articles, Baja Norte, Rosarito

The Rosarito Flying Samaritans Need Your Help

No sooner had the Flying Samaritans of Rosarito celebrated their successful first Oktoberfest sell-out, tragedy struck. On the night of October 13 or 14, thieves broke into the Flying Samaritans clinic pharmacy, possibly in search of narcotics, and ran amok. The Flying Samaritans clinic does not stock or offer narcotics or opioids at any time. But apparently the burglars didn’t know that.

However, the perpetrators did steal three computers, medical items (i.e. anything not nailed down) and diabetic supplies. They also pretty much tore up the place. The Flying Samaritans offers the only diabetic care available to many Rosaritenses.

The good news is that community members have already donated four computers to the clinic. But funds are desperately needed to make repairs to the clinic, and to replace diabetes medications, medical supplies, and to purchase a security camera system with motion detectors and lights.

Cash donations may be made through PayPal at www.FlyingSamaritansRosarito.org. For more information on how you may donate, or just help out, contact President of the Flying Samaritans, Susan Smith at SusanSmithz@hotmail.com; MX phone: 661-100-6066; US phone 1-858-240-2360.

The Flying Samaritans may even be able to utilize your talented hands to help with the institution’s repairs. And remember, the Saturday clinics can always use more volunteers. Thank you very much, fellow Rosaritenses, for your support!

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 Articles

The Big Chalupa

Whenever something major happens in life, the taxman is never far behind.  Buying property is one of those “somethings”.  It’s slightly more special when outside the U.S.  Here’s a non-exclusive primer on some U.S. tax aspects you may wish to consider when purchasing a dwelling for your use in Mexico.

If you rely on home equity loans or second mortgages to fund Mexico home purchases, know the new tax law curtailed deductibility of those. But the IRS clarifies the law: independent of what the loan is called, it could be deductible if used to buy, build or substantially improve the taxpayer’s home securing the loan.  If your Mexico home is not loan security, the interest is not deductible.

Mexican mortgages: your interest could be deductible. We just lost the foreign property tax “predial” personal deduction for individuals. Now, predial is only deductible if the property is used for a business or for the production of income– rent.

Those who purchase and later rent out must depreciate (it’s an allowance for wear and tear) the property and take annual deductions for it (later “paying it back” when the property is sold).  The new law changed the time period for foreign residential property from 40 to 30 years, leading to higher deductions. Don’t forget to depreciate if you must.

Documenting your purchase price is a critical.  U.S. taxes are paid in dollars; make sure you document the Peso exchange rate.  As back home, improvements call for an adjustment of “basis” in the property. It should be documented during the life of the property. You would be amazed at how many people try to reconstruct these numbers, years after the fact.  Did you inherit the property instead of buying it?  Get it appraised.  You may need to report the inheritance if it came from a non-U.S. person. It may not be taxable, but reportable.

If your Mexico property meets the test as your “principal residence” the federal gain on its eventual sale can be excluded from your tax, just like a U.S. home. The same limits and rules apply.

If you are wiring money from the U.S. to buy, remember Foreign Bank Account Reports.  And do yourself a huge favor: unless you have a really, really, very good reason, stay away from setting up foreign corporations to hold real estate. A well-structured fideicomiso (land trust) would be a far better way to go.

Now, welcome! Enjoy your Chalupa!

 

Orlando Gotay is a California licensed tax attorney (with a Master of Laws in Taxation) admitted to practice before the IRS, the U.S. Tax Court and other taxing agencies.  His love of things Mexican has led him to devote part of his practice to federal and state tax matters of U.S. expats in Mexico.  He can be reached at tax@orlandogotay.com or Facebook: GotayTaxLawyer.  This is just a most general outline. It is informational only and not meant as legal advice.

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