Mexicans Effusive Over Davis’ Attentions

As Mexican Cabinet ministers and business moguls thronged Gov. Gray Davis at an elegant cocktail party, a flushed Mexican diplomat offered a striking assessment of his visit here: “It’s as though we’ve reestablished diplomatic relations!”

The comment reflected the jubilant Mexican reaction to Davis’ 48-hour charm offensive, which wrapped up Wednesday with a stop in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey.

The effusiveness might seem strange. After all, the governor offered few changes in the policies that have rankled Mexico. But by loudly declaring his respect for Mexicans, Davis offered a sharp contrast to former Gov. Pete Wilson, who became a national villain here for policies perceived as anti-immigrant.

In a country as sensitive to symbolic gestures as it is to racist slights, even a meet-and-greet trip like Davis’ could have significant results, officials said. The warm reaction to the governor indicated how much Mexicans had longed for a better relationship with their neighbor, analysts said.

“To a certain extent, Davis is a governor of a state of Mexico, of this Mexico that’s in California,” said Carlos Monsivais, a prominent writer. “He doesn’t have to respond to the interests of Mexicans. But Mexicans will benefit or be hurt by the decisions of the governor of California.”

In Monterrey, Davis was greeted by Fernando Canales, governor of the state of Nuevo Leon, of which the city is the capital. Davis visited a renowned technological institute known as Monterrey Tec, and took part in the monthly “Direct Line” program, in which state officials answer citizens’ complaints from booths in a public square.

“I am inclined to adopt something similar in California,” said Davis. “We don’t spend enough time talking to individual citizens.”

In the short term, Davis’ trip will lead to a spate of official cross-border visits. President Ernesto Zedillo has agreed to travel to California in the spring, the first Mexican leader to do so since 1993.

On Wednesday, Canales also told Davis that he would repay his visit, taking a delegation of Mexican business leaders northward in the near future.

“California is the most developed state in the United States, and there are many possibilities between California and Nuevo Leon,” said Canales.

Davis’ pronouncements of friendship and respect for Mexicans promised a wide range of benefits. Mexican officials predicted increased cultural exchanges and educational cooperation as a result of the visit. Mexican congressional leaders pledged to travel to California. Senior Mexican justice officials said privately that they hoped to increase cooperation with the state in fighting cross-border crime.

Lon Hatamiya, California’s secretary for trade and commerce, said he expects trade missions to increase, targeted to areas such as high technology. “This is the first of many trips back to Mexico,” he said.

Despite political friction, commerce has grown steadily in recent years between California and Mexico, already the state’s No. 2 trading partner, behind Japan. But personal relationships are a key ingredient in most Mexican business deals, and a supportive Golden State governor could boost trade considerably, said Mexican officials and executives.

One example of how such influence can work: Both Davis and Canales pledged to contact airline executives in an effort to establish a nonstop route between Los Angeles and Monterrey.

Despite the warm reception Davis received, problems persist. California and Mexico have differed over issues such as illegal immigration, the death penalty and bilingual education.

Nonetheless, the Mexican government has been pragmatic on such issues as migration, acknowledging the right of the U.S. government to control its borders. Officials say it is particularly important that migrants not be beaten or abused, and Davis has agreed.

“We have real problems that exist between us. To say we don’t is to put your head in the sand,” said Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, a member of Davis’ delegation. “But the previous administration looked south and saw only problems. We look south and see opportunities.”

The keen interest in Davis’ trip was reflected in the wide range of dignitaries who met with him. Top business executives, key Mexican senators and senior Mexican government officials--from Zedillo to the commerce minister--paid respects to the California delegation.

California is significant not only because of cross-border trade and the presence of millions of Mexicans in the state, noted Monsivais.

“It’s an integration that’s not just economic but psychological. It’s very strong,” he said. “We all have a family member in the United States. Every town has people in the United States. Without this migration, our problems would intensify.”

Not everyone shared in the pep-rally atmosphere. On Tuesday, leading broadcast network Televisa featured an editorial cartoon on its midday TV news program showing Uncle Sam beating a Mexican immigrant with a mallet.

And the Mexico City newspaper Universal said Davis entered the country Monday without turning in his migration slip or getting his passport stamped. In the end, the paper said, he was just another illegal immigrant.