Week of January 19

Vallarta and Gustavo: The First Month
Newly elected Puerto Vallarta Mayor Gustavo González Villaseñor has been in office since the beginning of the year. As many before him, he comes to public office with a very specific agenda on how to improve our destination. Here is an overview, based on news collected from local sources, of key proposals he and his new team members have made to fulfill said agenda.

Public Transportation in Downtown Vallarta Restructured
Aware of the traffic problems in downtown Vallarta, "Gustavo", as the press refers to him, has committed to the reorganization of the public transportation system. Several proposals are on the table, including turning the Malecón into a pedestrian-only area, building new parking lots under existing parks, such as Parque Hidalgo, and creating an alternative bus system that loops around the downtown area, with existing bus lines only traveling to the outskirts of town, rather than entering it. Many people and businesses support the idea of removing public transportation from downtown Vallarta but fear that clandestine walking vendors might eclipse established businesses’ sales. To that effect, the Office of Sales Permits has stated that no new permits for walking vendors will be made available. Additionally, more inspectors will be hired to police beaches and other areas popular with tourists to eliminate unauthorized vendors, an ongoing source of complaint among Vallarta visitors. Other specific proposals about a definite solution to the public transportation problem, along with the ongoing safety certification of existing buses -- 40 so far this month, will continue to emerge in the coming weeks.

Municipal Cultural Council Created
Newly appointed Director of Culture and Recreation Manuel Santana Encarnación is interested in branching out to the many neighborhoods of Vallarta with new cultural alternatives for all. A Centro Universitario de la Costa (CUC) graduate, Santana Encarnación recently created a Municipal Cultural Council to rely on the input of several art "ambassadors"; around Vallarta. It is through this council that he will steer his proposals in three specific areas: popular cultural events, events for children, and large-scale events such as the yearly May Festival and the November Arts Festival.

Vallarta Tourism Department Sets New Goals
Parking meter implementation, street sign improvement, beach rehabilitation and improvement of El Centro are the four key priorities for José Luis Díaz Borioli, newly appointed director for the Department of Municipal Tourism. These proposals tie in directly to Vallarta’s current public transportation problems. With a limited budget, Díaz Borioli will rely on the support of Vallarta’s private sector, which has already expressed its support. Regarding beach rehabilitation, an improvement is already noticeable in Los Muertos beach, where the first of four lifeguard towers has been built. In a joint program with the Centro Universitario de la Costa, a team of a half-dozen lifeguards are now patrolling the beach on a regular basis.

Vallarta New Mayor Receives State-Level Support
Jalisco Governor Francisco Ramírez Acuña participated in last month’s change of office ceremony that marked the beginning of Gustavo’s term as Vallarta mayor. Several undertakings requiring state-level budgetary support were confirmed, including the Mascota-Puerto Vallarta highway, the often proposed but so far not begun convention center and a new regional hospital. Despite the fact that Ramírez Acuña and Gustavo belong to different political parties, the former has confirmed that this will not be an obstacle that prevents continuity in such large-scale undertakings.