The Perspective of a New Generation of State Governors

Tuesday, October 26, 2004
3:30 PM - 6:00 PM
UCLA
Royce Hall
Room 362
Los Angeles, CA 90095

• How do Mexican leaders visualize the future of Mexico?
• Are these views similar in hte different states and regions of hte country?
• Where do the three main Mexican political parties diverge?

PRI Governor Manuel Andrade Díaz. Tabasco

• Born in 1967, Gov. Andrade graduated from the Juárez University of Tabasco School of Law, where he also received a graduate degree in Electoral Law.
• Gov. Andrade became a member of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) at the early age of 14 when he gained fame for his performance in the national forum for public speaking. He immediately launched his career within his party by becoming leader of the Tabasco Youth Movement. He has been elected twice to the State Assembly and has served as PRI representative to the State Electoral Institute. In the early 90s he was elected President of the PRI in Tabasco, later becoming a member of the National Council of the PRI. He has also served as public official in different capacities within the State Government of Tabasco.
• As Governor, he has been able to conciliate interests in a highly politicized environment, divided between supporters of the two most important presidential hopefuls—Roberto Madrazo of the PRI and Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the PRD. He is noted for having negotiated improved relations with the Mexican Federal Government and with PEMEX, which is the most important employer in Tabasco.

Background Information

• Tabasco ships 50% of the total oil that Mexico exports to the World and produces 42% of its natural gas. One-third of the water resources of all Mexico even though it has 1.3% of the county's total area and 2% of the population
• Tabasco does not receive foreign direct investment, a condition that Mr. Andrade would like to change. The State does not send immigrants abroad.
• Gov. Andrade is recognized as one of the closest persons to former governor Roberto Madrazo, the National President of the PRI, and likely to become the PRI Candidate for President in the 2006 election.
• Both Madrazo and López Obrador (see below) are from Tabasco and have been very active in the local politics of their home state.
• www.tabasco.gob.mx/gobernador/semblanza_01.htm

PRD Governor Lázaro Cárdenas Batel. Michoacán

• Born April 2, 1964, Lázaro Cárdenas Batel is Grandson of President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, one of the most important Mexican personalities of the 20th Century. Son of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano, founder (1988) of the progressive Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), and its presidential candidate in 1988, 1994 and 2000.
• Cárdenas-Batel studied Ethno-History at the National School of Anthropology in Mexico City. He has served as Representative and Senator for the State of Michoacán and has been actively involved in the development of his Party, enhancing its presence throughout Mexico. He has studied in-depth the immigration of people from Michoacán to the United States, developing projects to enhance local development, as an alternative to migration.
• As Governor, he has been able to promote and attain unity in a much politicized state with high risk of social dissolution.

Background Information

• Within the Mexican states, Michoacán is the second most important source of immigration to the US. The State has 4% of Mexico's population and 3% of the its land area.
• Manuel-Andrés López-Obrador, Mayor of Mexico City and currently the forerunner in the polls for the 2006 Presidential Election in Mexico is a member of the PRD.
• www.michoacan.gob.mx/gobierno/lcb.php

PAN Governor Juan Carlos Romero. Guanajuato

• Born in December 10, 1955, Gov. Romero holds a bachelor's degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Guanajuato and master degrees in Social Sciences and in Business Administration from Southern Oregon State College.
• Gov. Romero has devoted most of his professional life to academic activities in the University of Guanajuato, where he is Professor of Management. Before becoming governor, he served as President (Rector) of that University. He was the main advocate to attain the autonomy of the institution, allowing it to develop its own educational curricula, independent from the Federal and local authorities.
• During his period as Rector, Gov. Romero served as a member of the board of international organizations SUCH AS the Inter-American Organization of Universities and the Organization of Latin American Universities, as well as all important university organizations in Mexico. He has actively supported the creation of independent research institutions in the State of Guanajuato SUCH AS the Center for Research in Mathematics, the Center for Research in Optical Sciences, and Guanajuato´s Cultural Institute.
• As Governor he has promoted and attained higher standards of living for the population of the State.

Relevant information

• Guanajuato is President Fox's home State. He served as Governor before Gov. Romero. Both belong to the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN)
• Gov. Romero has a very close relationship with President Fox and many of his cabinet members, who spend many of their weekends in the five main cities of the State.
• Guanajuato is the State with the third highest concentration of retired immigrants from the US, and the third source of immigration to the US. It has 5% of the county's population and 1.6% of his land area.
• www.guanajuato.gob.mx

José Luis Romero Hicks. Advisor to President Vicente Fox

• Born, April 1957, Mr. Romero-Hicks received a B.A. in Government from Lawrence University, a M.S. in Social Science-Economics from Southern Oregon College, and a Law Degree from the University of Guanajuato.
• He has devoted most of his professional life to public service. Until December 2003 he was Director of the Mexican Foreign Trade Bank (BANCOMEXT). He has been a member of the board of PEMEX, and Chairman of Ocean Garden Products and BANCOMEXT Insurance. He was head of President Fox's transition team on Urban Planning and Housing.
• When President Fox served as Governor of Guanajuato, Mr. Romero was State Secretary of the Treasury and he presided the National Fiscal System of State Treasuries.
• Currently, he acts as a liaison between private corporations of urban planning and housing and the Federal Government.

Moderated by Geoffrey Garrett

Vice Provost and Dean of the International Institute, Director of the Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations, and Professor of Political Science at UCLA.

Before coming to UCLA in 2001, Garrett was Director of Ethics, Politics and Economics and Professor of Political Science, at Yale University. He had previously been on the faculties of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University and Oxford University. Garrett has been a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and a National Fellow of the Hoover Institution and has held visiting appointments at the Australian National University, the Juan March Institute, Madrid and the Wissenschaftszentrum, Berlin.

Seating is limited and available on a first arrival basis

Cost : free and open to the public

Sponsor(s): Burkle Center for International Relations