With Mexico trip around corner, Gov. Jerry Brown praises relationship

Reporting from Sacramento — Gov. Jerry Brown, attending a lunch with Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs Wednesday, said his upcoming trip to California’s southern neighbor would help “forge new relations into the future.”

Brown is scheduled to be in Mexico City from Sunday through Wednesday, his first official trip to the country since returning to the governor’s office three years ago. He has also invited the Mexican president to California later this year.

“Mexico and California have been joined at the beginning, and will continue to deepen our relations to the benefits of both sides,” Brown said.

The Mexican foreign affairs secretary, José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, said partnerships with California will benefit both places.

“We should be recognizing that our border is a source of competitiveness, our border is part of a way of life for the region,” he said.

The governor is planning to attend a series of meetings with Mexican government officials during his trip, including signing agreements involving climate change and higher education.

He’s also traveling with a delegation of California lawmakers, administration officials and business leaders.

Brown said he hopes the businesses “spend a lot of money in Mexico” and “hopefully we’re going to get a lot of business and trade, but hopefully also culture and ideas and language.”

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