Ensenada Mayor Claudia Agatón Muñiz swore in José Guadalupe Plascencia Galindo as the new head of the city’s Municipal Infrastructure Department on Tuesday. The appointment follows the removal of former director Paola Avelar Espinoza, who remains under active investigation by the Municipal Oversight Office, known as the Sindicatura.
Plascencia Galindo is a civil engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the construction sector, according to the original report. Mayor Agatón Muñiz administered the oath and called on the incoming director to strengthen the department’s operations.
Mid-Term Change Driven by Internal Investigation
The leadership swap is notable because it did not come as part of a routine transition. Instead, the change was prompted by an active internal probe into Avelar Espinoza’s tenure. The Sindicatura functions as Ensenada’s municipal watchdog, responsible for auditing city departments and investigating potential misuse of public funds or administrative irregularities.
Details about the specific allegations against Avelar Espinoza have not been made public. The investigation remains open.
What the Department Oversees
The Municipal Infrastructure Department is one of Ensenada’s most operationally important offices. It manages roads, drainage systems, and public works projects across a municipality that stretches from the Pacific coast wine country south of Tijuana through rural communities along the Transpeninsular Highway.
Ensenada, home to roughly 600,000 residents in the broader municipality, has faced persistent infrastructure challenges. In August 2025, the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial de Ensenada (CCEE), the city’s main business council, met with Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda to outline priority infrastructure needs for the region.
Those priorities included road improvements and better drainage, the same categories now under Plascencia Galindo’s watch. His two decades of construction experience could prove relevant as the department works to address a backlog of deferred projects.
What Comes Next
The mayor’s public call for the new director to strengthen operations suggests the administration acknowledges problems within the department predating the investigation. Whether Plascencia Galindo receives additional budget or staffing resources remains to be seen.
The Sindicatura’s investigation into Avelar Espinoza is ongoing, with no timeline announced for its conclusion. Originally reported by Semanario ZETA.