Baja California’s state legislature will announce spending cuts within days after reports revealed it ranks as the most expensive congress in Mexico. Juan Manuel Molina, president of the legislature’s coordination board, said the cuts will target items like the congressional cafeteria and coffee service, along with a review of commission budgets.
Molina Targets Inactive Commissions and Travel Costs
Molina said the review will focus on disparities in how legislative commissions operate. Some committees meet weekly, while others convene only once or twice per year. The legislature plans to scrutinize whether those low-activity commissions justify their budgets.
The congress is also considering virtual sessions for deputies who represent coastal districts far from the state capital, Mexicali. Baja California’s legislature sits in Mexicali, roughly 180 miles east of Tijuana and Ensenada across the Sierra de Juárez. Coastal lawmakers currently receive travel stipends and per diems for each trip to the capital, and virtual meetings would eliminate those costs.
Public Pressure Drives Budget Review in Mexicali
The announcement follows sustained public criticism over bloated legislative expenses. Baja California’s congress earned its designation as Mexico’s priciest state legislature based on per-capita spending comparisons with the other 31 state congresses. Specific figures for the total congressional budget were not disclosed in the announcement, but the designation placed Baja California ahead of far larger states like Jalisco and the State of Mexico.
Baja California’s state budget has faced pressure from multiple directions in recent years. The state government has invested heavily in security infrastructure and public works projects across Tijuana, Ensenada, Rosarito, Tecate, and Mexicali. At the same time, federal transfers from Mexico City have tightened under national austerity programs. Cutting internal legislative waste would free funds that could flow toward infrastructure and services at the municipal level.
Molina did not specify a peso amount for the expected savings or a firm date for the formal announcement, saying only that details would come “within days.” The legislature has not yet published a timeline for implementing virtual commission sessions, as reported by The Baja Post.