Four Mexican leaders came to our office today to talk about the annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race.

It wasn’t your average tourist promotion. It’s become more like damage control, unfortunately, as the Mexican government strives to smash drug cartels wreaking destruction as they war among themselves for the drug trade. One sad side effect to the rising violence is some folks are saying they’re afraid to join in the fun this year. The sailors generally say they’re unafraid, but their families aren’t as eager as usual to make the trip, especially if it means passing through Tijuana where there have been some reports of problems.

The Mexican leaders who came to visit with us — Jorge Gamboa Patron, director of the Mexico Tourism Board in Los Angeles; Jorge A. Saenz Flores, international relations for the city of Ensenada; Agustin E. Pradillo, press consul for the Consulate of Mexico in Santa Ana, and Carlos Rodriguez y Quezada, the Mexican Consulate in Santa Ana —  reassured us that they take the issue seriously and that steps are being taken to improve security.

The yacht race “is very good for both countries so of course we’re concerned about the situation in Mexico,” Quezada said.

They insisted that the media reports of violence are “overblown” and that most of Mexico is safe and secure. Also, most of the families will be shuttled through Tijuana on buses and shouldn’t be exposed to any danger in any event. Ensenada, they said, is not one of the cities plagued by violence like Tijuana. They also claimed that participation has increased for the 62nd running of the regatta as sailors from as far away as Japan plan to compete.

Flores, with help from Patron translating, told us there have been no records of incidents in the regatta’s history and that the city recently received 100 new patrol cars with 80 more to come — acquisitions that weren’t prompted by the race, but will certainly help improve security, he said.

They all agreed that America’s move to boost spending on border security will help the Mexican government defeat the drug cartels.  They especially appreciated Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent comments that America is partially to blame for the violence because of the appetite of some Americans for illegal drugs from Mexico.

“We are so happy with the response, that Americans are accepting some of the responsibility,” Patron said.

“We are your neighbor. For years, for one reason or another, the cooperation has not always been strong,” Patron continued. “If you live in a beautiful house and you have a neighbor with problems you need to help them.” It’s not just noble, it’s practical, he argued.

Perhaps, I said, people are especially alarmed because the reports of violence include truly bizarre attacks like beheadings and kidnappings. They acknowledged as much, but Patron said of the bad reputation, “It hurts our soul, our heart, our minds.” Most Mexicans, he pointed out, want to live in peace.

He won’t get an argument from me on that point. I used to cover some of the most violent neighborhoods in Chicago when I was assigned to the public housing authority beat. They used to call the West Side the “wild west side.” But most of the people I met there were more appalled than anyone else in the city about the violence because, well, they had to live with it. And most of the people I met on my beat were good, hardworking, and principled.

Flores invited me to visit him in Ensenada someday — maybe even during the yacht race. I’d love to. I might take him up on the offer if I can.

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