Amended in Assembly February 27, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 4

Introduced by Assembly begin delete Member end delete begin insert Members end insert Hueso begin insert and end insert begin insert V. Manuel Pérez end insert

January 14, 2013

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 4—Relative to the United States-Mexico border.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AJR 4, as amended, Hueso. The United States-Mexico border.

This measure would urge the federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration, to fund necessary improvements at the San Ysidro begin delete and end delete begin insert , end insert Calexico begin insert , and Otay Mesa end insert Ports of Entry.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, The United States, Canada, and Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993 to foster trade among the three countries, and improve global competitiveness; and

WHEREAS, Trade between the United States and Mexico has more than quintupled since the implementation of NAFTA, totaling $500 billion in bilateral trade in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Mexico continues to be California’s number one export market with $25.8 billion in goods exported to Mexico in 2011, accounting for 16 percent of all California exports; and

WHEREAS, Ninety-nine percent of trade between California and Mexico is carried by trucks; and

WHEREAS, The SANDAG 2050 Comprehensive Freight Gateway Study projects that the nearly two million trucks that crossed the California-Mexico border in 2007 will increase to nearly five million trucks in 2050. In 2011, over $33.5 billion in goods moved between Mexico and the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and at the Tecate Port of Entry; and

WHEREAS, The San Diego and Imperial Counties’ border
traffic congestion and delays cost the U.S. and Mexican economies
an estimated $8.63 billion in gross output and more than 73,900
jobs in 2007; and

WHEREAS, New land port of entry and improvement projects
are under federal jurisdiction with significant influence over local
communities; and

WHEREAS, The San Ysidro-Puerta Mexico Land Port of Entry
is the busiest port of entry between the United States and Mexico
and is undergoing a major reconfiguration and expansion project;
and

WHEREAS, The Otay Mesa-Mesa de Otay Land Port of Entry
has plans for the expansion and modernization of passenger and
commercial inspection facilities; and

WHEREAS, The Calexico West Port of Entry also has plans to
renovate and expand the facility to process and expand its operation
for pedestrians and automobiles; and

WHEREAS, The collaboration between federal, state, and local
agencies is essential for the development of border infrastructure
projects and security; and

WHEREAS, The General Accountability Office and the
Department of Homeland Security estimate that $6 billion in border
infrastructure is needed to fulfill their mission of preventing
unlawful entry and smuggling while facilitating legitimate trade
and tourism; and

WHEREAS, The need for improved border capacity and
efficiency comes at a time when traditional federal funding is
scarce and increasingly difficult to obtain; and

WHEREAS, Since February 2009, Congress and the Obama
administration have not funded border infrastructure projects; and

WHEREAS, The San Ysidro project has a stated funding gap
of $285 million begin delete and end delete begin insert , end insert the Calexico project needs $318 million to
complete construction begin insert , and the Otay Mesa project requires $161
million for completion end insert ; and

WHEREAS, Various agencies of the United States, including
the Department of Homeland Security and the General Services
Administration, should work with Congress to provide funding to
support these border infrastructure investments; now, therefore,
be it

Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the federal
government, including the Department of Homeland Security and
the General Services Administration, to fund necessary
improvements at the San Ysidro begin delete and end delete begin insert , end insert Calexico begin insert , and Otay Mesa end insert
Ports of Entry; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress of the United
States.