By Juan Pablo Sebastián

The Rosarito City Council has opened talks with officials from the city of Glendale, California, to revive the Sister City relationship originally established during the administration of Hugo Torres Chabert — a partnership that once brought significant benefits to both communities.

According to Irán Leonardo Verdugo Contreras, Rosarito’s Secretary of Economic Development and Tourism, discussions to renew the partnership began during the Tianguis Turístico travel expo, where representatives from Glendale reaffirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation ties.

A follow-up meeting took place on October 14 in Glendale, California, coinciding with International Sister Cities Day.

Under the direction of Mayor Rocío Adame Muñoz, Rosarito officials met with Mayor Ara James Najarian, City Councilmembers Vartan Gharpetian and Elen Asatryan, and Soua Vang, Glendale’s Director of Economic Development.

Representing Rosarito were Secretary Irán Leonardo Verdugo Contreras, Tourism Councilman Alan Bautista, and Saúl Álvarez, Director of the Rosarito Tourism and Convention Committee.

“The goal of this meeting was to reactivate and strengthen the Sister City relationship between both communities, reaffirming the historical friendship and cooperation that unite them,” explained Verdugo. “We also agreed on the importance of updating the formal agreement to reflect modern priorities and include new areas of collaboration in economic, educational, social, and cultural fields.”

In the economic sphere, both sides agreed to promote a binational business exchange agenda to attract investment, foster business connections, and create new joint opportunities for entrepreneurs and companies from Rosarito and Glendale.

In education, the discussion included the creation of scholarship and student exchange programs, along with potential academic partnerships between local institutions to encourage professional development and cultural understanding among youth from both cities.

On the institutional side, Mayor Najarian, Councilmembers Gharpetian and Asatryan, and Director Vang expressed their willingness to coordinate donations or exchanges of urban and emergency equipment, particularly to support Rosarito’s fire department and municipal operations.

The cities also agreed to enhance tourism and cultural promotion for Playas de Rosarito by participating in festivals and fairs in Glendale at no cost, showcasing Rosarito’s tourism, gastronomy, and artisan culture to the Southern California community.

In addition, the delegation proposed creating a portfolio of investment opportunities aimed at attracting projects linked to Glendale-based corporate supply chains — strengthening Rosarito’s role as a strategic hub for international cooperation and economic development.

Hugo Torres Chabert, pioneer of Rosarito’s sister city partnerships

Rosarito’s first Sister City agreements with various California communities were initiated by Hugo Eduardo Torres Chabert, who, as a local delegate, began visiting U.S. cities to promote diplomatic collaboration — something neighboring Tijuana officials had not yet begun doing at the time.

These early efforts led to formal partnerships with Huntington Park and Big Bear Lake in California, as well as with La Paz in Baja California Sur and Iguala de la Independencia in Guerrero, Mexico. The agreement with Iguala was established during Mexico’s Bicentennial of Independence, commemorated with a monument installed in front of Rosarito’s City Hall.

Through the Sister Cities Committee, then chaired by Jorge Villanueva Ulibarri, Torres Chabert also achieved a partnership with Paralimni, Cyprus, and initiated connections with Los Angeles and a city in Poland.

The European outreach even resulted in several Polish citizens choosing to relocate permanently to Rosarito.

Villanueva recalls that period as one of vibrant diplomatic activity, during which Rosarito’s partnerships produced significant donations — including motorcycles for local police, passenger buses, anti-graffiti paint, and other operational vehicles — as well as cultural, economic, and educational exchanges that benefited both sides.

Unfortunately, later administrations failed to continue building on these achievements, introducing new policies that stalled diplomatic collaboration with partner cities.

The disappearance of the original Sister Cities Committee, which was absorbed into the Office for Foreign Resident Affairs, effectively ended those programs.

According to Verdugo Contreras, the renewed partnership with Glendale opens the door to a new era of international relations — potentially reconnecting Rosarito with Huntington Park and establishing new ties with Playa del Carmen and Bacalar in Quintana Roo, among others.