SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1453527
A NEW BAJA CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR "FOR THE AGES" Imagine a Trophy Truck going through Diablo Dry Lake at 150 mph. That's how best to describe the new Governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda. Everybody knows her as Marina del Pilar, who was born in Mexicali and later began her political career five years ago, when she was first elected as a Federal Legislator for Baja California. In 2019, she became the Mayor of Mexicali, the state capital of Baja California. Two years later, she was selected by Mexico's ruling party, Morena, to run as its candidate for the office of Governor of the State. It was a decision that some political analysts were quick to criticize, but Marina del Pilar proved them all wrong. At the age of 36, she became the youngest Governor in the history of the state, and also the first woman to be elected as Governor of Baja California in a land-slide victory. Graduating Law School with Masters Degrees in both in Public Administration and Public Law, Governor Marina del Pilar is also a mother with a nine-year-old daughter, Marina, and recently gave birth to her second child, Diego José, this past January. Balancing motherhood and the Governorship didn't stop her from developing an intense government agenda, attending meetings and events throughout the state as well as in Mexico City. With a great responsibility of governing one of Mexico's most dynamic and important states, Governor Marina del Pilar knows that one of the most important challenges facing Baja California today includes recuperating the state's important Tourism industry from the impact of Covid-19. Recently polled as the top Governor in Mexico from her party, she immediately reinstated the office of the Secretary of Tourism in Baja California which had been fused together with other offices, reducing it to a “department” status. With a renewed concern over the importance of tourism in Baja California, the legendary SCORE International races are considered a priority by Governor Marina del Pilar, as she was instrumental in having the 2020 SCORE Baja 500 take place in San Felipe while she was the Mayor of Mexicali. Her appreciation for SCORE races offered her another opportunity, where 18 days after being sworn in as Governor, Marina del Pilar was in Ensenada at the start of the SCORE Baja 1000 giving the green flag to the first SCORE Trophy Trucks. "We want to thank SCORE International for choosing Baja California as the capital of off-road racing and I want to offer all of the facilitation so that these races continue to take place in our state."