Todos Santos Mayorial Elections

How could I forget this? Just goes to show.

Last Sunday, June 15 was local election day (as well as cock fight day). At stake was the position of mayor (delegado) of Todos Santos. Competing for the honor (and monetary gains that go along with it) were Jose Luis Castillo and Arturo Martinez (aka “Papule”). I was talking with some Papule supporters and got an interesting story about how the election went.

The voting encompasses not only Todos Santos, but also Pescadero and as far south as Elias Calles. The Todos Santos proper voting put Papule about 170 votes ahead. After calling the Pescadero election office, Papule was certain he had won the election. But a while later, another call from Pescadero revealed the necessity of a recount as some uncounted ballots had been found. At the end of the recount, Papule had lost the election by 33 votes.

A closer look at the statistics reveals some interesting numbers. In Todos Santos, about 50-52% of the eligible voters came out and voted. Historically this is right on track. In the Pescadero area, over 70% of the eligible voters came out and voted. Historically this is 20% higher than other elections and perhaps the largest turnout ever in the southern area. Was there hanky-panky involved? Quien sabe? The Papule camp decided not to contest the election.

Jose Luis is our new mayor beginning sometime in July. He has worked in the municipal office for as long as I can remember. He is the official who shows up at weddings to make the marriage a legal civil union. I have no doubt that he knows how to make things happen here.

Just so you know, I have no bone in this tussle. I didn’t think there was much difference between the candidates. Both are young and energetic and want the best for Todos Santos. Vamos a ver que pasara!

June Gloom

There really isn’t much happening right now. This weekend brings two days and one night of music at Los Cerritos and Buena Vida still has movie night on Tuesdays and Fridays and there were cock fights on June 15, but otherwise it is quiet. Michael Cope’s last night of tapas at La Copa Wine Bar (in Todos Santos Inn) was last Friday. So far all the other restaurants are still open but by August, some will be closing for 1-2 months.

The recent home burglary wave seemed to be over but just this week I have heard of two more home break-ins out in the north end of Las Tunas and La Pastora area. We will soon have two security companies operating in town, Milan and MG2. I have not attended any of the meetings, so I don’t yet know what each is offering.

The weather continues its inevitable creep towards summer. When Tropical Storm Alma formed near Central America a few weeks ago, temperatures spiked as the ocean warmed rapidly. But that passed and temps returned to normal. The ocean is cool to cold. The land is warm. This leads to grey sometimes foggy mornings that we call “June gloom” – it’s normal this time of year. Before long the ocean will begin to warm up and that will be it for the cool nights. This week there was a subtle rise in temps. The nights went from 60 to 65 F and days just seem warmer, perhaps mid-80s. We still have a breeze. Everything is dry and dusty. A good rain would be welcome but likely won’t arrive until tropical storm season gets further along.

I haven’t had time to process the surf / bikini contest photos yet. I should soon. Seems getting back into the flow of life and work here has taken me longer than it used to. Wonder what that means?

Hope all you Dads out there had a Happy Father’s Day, I know I did!