Upon reading about the history of Rosarito, I came across a few things that might be of interest to the Binational Border Solutions Task Force. There is much information available about possession of the lands that currently constitute Rosarito, but I will quote one paragraph in particular from "Panorama Histórico de Baja California," published by the Center for Historical Investigations UNAM-UABC in 1983. Later on I will provide more information.

"In 1927 Moreno and Company began construction of a hotel in Rosarito, but some individuals complained about these acts to the federal government, amond them don Eduardo Croswaithe López, who sent a message to General Obregón, who had just assumed the presidency of the Republic. He reported that a foreign company had been invading the Rancho El Rosarito without right to do so according to the constitution, since they were seeking to exploit lands inside the region prohibited to foreigners: 100 km from the border and 50 from the coast. The federal government intervened and the company sold the rights to the hotel to don Manuel P. Barbachano, who began to establish the Hotel Rosarito."

Throughout this month The San Diego Union Tribune has been documenting delays in remedying the decades old problem of sewage and urban runoff into San Diego beaches via the Tijuana River. A May 2 deadline for execution of a construction contract was missed, while the government has been criticized for using only the Bajagua company for the project due to its political connections. Meanwhile, the International Boundary and Water Commission suspended all activities related to the sewage treatment plant being built by Bajagua. The San Diego Foundation criticized the U.S. government for being myopically focused on the Bajagua project which is only a partial remedy to the problem.

Sewage from Mexico has long been the cause of beach closures in San Diego, leading to political tensions. Consistent delays and failures by the government in addressing the problem have left many San Diegans pessimistic about the hopes of finding a solution.