Calexico Moving Backwards

verbal · Posted: 20 Oct 2006 06:20 PM Post subject:

Gas stations and convenience stores have strived and will continue to do so. That is a given. The thing is, Calexico was not ready to take the next step for many years. Many in this town were not ready to leave their heritage behind and embrace their new American way of life. First, they were worried about resident alien cards and then becoming US citizens. In the whole process they would return back to Mexicali for practically anything. I remember people crossing the border to go shop at Calimax and buy their produce in ‘el hoyo.’ Calexico wasn’t their home yet, but now things have changed. People have grown accustomed to the American way of life and the Mexican way of life seems so distant.

Think of all the times that TacoBell has made a run for the border, but now the one inside Wal-Mart is still there. Maybe times are changing.

Now the Casino, that’s a whole different bird all together. If anything, I would like to know the borders of their sovereign land. I know that in Palm Spring they had clusters of sovereign land and Palm Spring built around them. That is why you see a Casino downtown Palm Springs and another in a few miles east in Cathedral City (Auguascaliente). Plus, the State had some say in this, so I first would like to see how that plays out.

Yes, recently Calexico has joined the nation in the housing boom, but 10/20/30 years ago Calexico wouldn’t have been ready to sustain such a housing increase. I know many families with good jobs could barely afford a 55k dollar house. Calexico wasn’t ready then, and is barely learning to swim. It’s pointless to blame the city for the lack of purchasing power of its citizen.

Plus, many of the new houses were and have been purchased by outsiders (San Diego, LA, and Mexicali). The purchasing power has increased somewhat but the new influx of new income has raised the pricing. That is why it is important to see how these foreclosures affect Calexico. And a lot of people in Calexico will foreclose because they got interest only loans and when that principal kicks in…they will lose their house (even though that is their only house).

In-N-Out is a bad example. You might want to rethink that.

Maybe you’re reading into my words that Calexico citizens don’t want to change because I sure haven’t said that. If I have, let me clarify. The citizens here were not ready for change in such a commercial way. It is hard enough to make a living in this country especially when you’re new to it. It takes time to adapt. Slowly, very slowly Calexico has made progress, but you see that as a movement back to the Geico stone age commercials. I don’t. I accept reality. You are the one that said the following:

bemisnorris · Posted: 21 Oct 2006 07:11 PM Post subject:

locoinclx · Posted: 23 Oct 2006 09:49 AM Post subject:

In your ongoing bickering over the issue, you have hit some points and missed others completely. Calexico, as the on growing metropolis that it is, continues to lack one essential aspect that most companies, cities and anyone that wants to succeed would take for granted. This is the will to take risk. We continue to talk about restaurants and mostly fast food places because well, Calexico is a fast food city. In the city that I live there is one Jack in the Box with in a 5 mile radius as well as one Mc Donald’s within a five mile radius. Calexico has how many Jack in the Boxes??? How many McDonalds? Then why don’t you think that the analogy of In N’ Out was a bad one? You yourself said that we should rake in business that are part of the ongoing culture of Calexico, why wouldn’t you think that Calexico would benefit from an In N’ Out?? As for the corporate issue... we would be able to benefit from an influx of people who would come to Calexico for burgers meaning they would leave the taxes that the restaurant charges for the city. What does it matter that the In N’ Out corporation doesn’t franchise…

Calexico, to my belief is not ready still to take the next step. What has happened is that corporate America has taken the next step for Calexico and people need to start getting on the ball. The reason why is because if Calexican’s do not get on the ball then they will loose potential businesses to the cities that are on the ball like El Centro, Imperial and even Brawley. Some people still cross the border because many people still own houses in Mexicali and spend the weekends there. Please stop generalizing that calexican’s do not cross the border anymore to go buy groceries and such. The fact that you and some of your neighbors do that does not mean that everyone in Calexico is doing that.

I don’t think there’s a Taco Bell inside Wal-Mart anymore… isn’t it that McDonald’s is now there???

Casino, well your right... Well see what happens. By the way, anyone knows any updates on the casino?

As for the housing issue, well even if foreclosures happen, there are still building more houses so where are all the people coming from… and think about it… even if you can buy a house with a fluctuating interest rate. The mortgage companies would not give you a house that cost 400k if they knew (which they do) that you can only afford a 55k house. Corporate America is not that stupid. Please let me know how I blamed the city about the housing issue?

Calexico’s buying power is solely based on the fact that most people used to go to San Diego to shop and dine and all of the good stuff. How many times have you gone to Yuma, if you gone to Yuma at all and seen people you know from Calexico at the same stores that your shopping in? Why isn’t it that the City or the Chamber for that matter tries to persuade businesses like Marshals or Ross to come to the city if they know that those businesses would boom in a city like Calexico? They do not do that because the City and the Chamber is afraid because in an attempt to lure business like that they would loose the sponsorship that they have from the small businesses that line up downtown. Therefore these stores are going to end up setting shop in El Centro or Imperial, where those cities are doing exactly that… luring businesses into their communities. If Calexico did not have the buying power, the people wouldn’t line up for Starbucks on any given day. “Three dollar coffee? Who would want that, right?”

This is where it gets personal… To you verbal, I am just someone who doesn’t really know how Calexico works. Case in point, you feel that I think Calexico is moving back to the Stone Age. Well let’s see, hmm… Who started this tread??? It sure wasn’t me, and I had no influence over the name of the tread. Therefore I am not the only one that feels that Calexico is moving backwards. Calexico has moved backwards, because for every step Calexico takes forward, it takes two steps back. Why is that well you say that you believe that Calexico is just a suburb of Mexicali. Good analogy, but if your just confirming what I’ve stated all along. Calexico is a “colonia” or suburb or that small speck of people that live in Mexicali, California. What ever you call it you’re still referring to it as part of Mexicali. That’s where the mentality needs to change.

I will not dwell on this because I have previously stated this before on this thread and many other treads, therefore please go back and re-read the thread if you want to read about how Calexican’s need to change their mentality.

I see Calexico as something you probably don’t see. I see it as the town where I grew up. Calexico is my hometown… I talk about Calexico just the same way you and/or many other people that did not grow up in Calexico would talk about your hometown. You can ask anyone that knows me… I know more about Calexico that most of the people who live there, what’s going on, that’s being built and so on. Therefore I take some time to write these in these threads so that the people who actually live there can my perspective. Do I see Calexico going back to the Stone Age?? Well, when I left Calexico, there was a movie theater? What’s going to happen to that? How come no one saw the imminent closing of the movie theater coming? If they did then why didn’t anyone try to stop that from happening? There hasn’t been a new school in Calexico for the past 15 years… In that same time Calexico population has increased by 10,000 people. Wouldn’t you think that the increase in population and the lack of space in Calexico’s schools would alter the academic success that we need for the children of Calexico?

Yes we are taking steps back… no question about it. But hey if you really cared about Calexico, considering you live there, you would go to the City council meeting right? You would attend the School board meetings. You would try to make a difference within the community. I am striving to raise the name of Calexico from the outside. Why don’t you guys do something to raise the name of Calexico from with in.

locoinclx · Posted: 23 Oct 2006 09:50 AM Post subject:

So does anyone know any new information about the problems "Calexico 10" is having???

elchrist · Posted: 23 Oct 2006 10:58 AM Post subject:

bemisnorris · Posted: 23 Oct 2006 06:56 PM Post subject:

elchrist · Posted: 23 Oct 2006 08:27 PM Post subject:

elchrist · Posted: 23 Oct 2006 08:44 PM Post subject:

locoinclx · Posted: 24 Oct 2006 09:14 AM Post subject: