Baja California’s state legislature has formally demanded that Ensenada Mayor Claudia Agatón order a comprehensive review of Proturismo, the city’s tourism promotion agency, after identifying years of financial and administrative problems at the organization.
The Public Spending Oversight Commission issued the formal exhort after documenting recurring irregularities at Proturismo spanning fiscal years 2019 through 2024. The agency is responsible for coordinating and promoting tourism in Ensenada, a coastal city where the tourism sector is a primary economic driver.
Six Years of Financial Problems
State legislators identified a range of issues at the agency over that six-year period. The problems include budget deficits, unpaid tax debts, failures to meet obligations to ISSSTECALI (the state social security institute for government workers), and procurement violations.
The legislature issued six non-approval rulings on Proturismo’s accounts. Five of those rulings have already been voted on by the full state congress. Non-approval rulings are a serious rebuke in Mexican public finance, meaning the legislature found the agency’s spending could not be justified under existing law.
Mayor Given 60 Days to Respond
Under the terms of the formal exhort, Mayor Agatón has 60 business days to report corrective actions to the legislature. The clock puts a hard deadline on the administration to either restructure the agency’s finances or explain why it has not done so.
Proturismo plays a central role in organizing Ensenada’s tourism calendar, including food and wine festivals, cruise ship coordination, and international marketing campaigns. The city, located about 80 miles south of the U.S. border at Tijuana, draws visitors for its wine country in the Valle de Guadalupe, its seafood scene, and its Pacific coastline.
Pressure on Agatón Administration
The legislative action amounts to significant political pressure on Agatón’s municipal government. If the mayor does not deliver a satisfactory corrective plan within the 60-day window, the state congress could escalate accountability measures.
The audit demand covers a period that spans multiple municipal administrations, meaning the financial problems at Proturismo predate Agatón’s time in office. Still, the legislature is directing its formal demand at the current mayor, placing the responsibility for cleanup squarely on her administration.
This story was first reported by The Baja Post.