During the planned activities, the official delegation of the Senate of the Province of Santa Fe was received in a special session in the Senate of California, headed by the President Pro Tempore, Mike McGuire, within the framework of the Sister City Agreement between the subnational states.
The delegation was invited to a meeting with various Senators from California, members of the Steering Committee of the Foundation for International Relations of the California Senate, businesses, civil society organizations and academia.
The meeting took place at the Leland Stanford Mansion, which serves as the main official reception area for the California government and is one of the workplaces of the state’s governor. Built in 1856, it was the residence of Leland Stanford, who was the eighth governor of California and founder of Stanford University.
“Exchange of experiences on drug crime”
On this occasion, a meeting was held with Tammy Foss, Assistant Secretary for Operations of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), where the existing problems and strategies implemented within the California prison system were discussed.
Felipe Michlig, President pro Tempore of the Senate of Santa Fe, spoke about the progress in the fight against drug trafficking in Rosario, highlighting “a significant reduction in homicides thanks to the initiative of Governor Maximiliano Pullaro and the entire team, in addition to the rich regulatory framework provided by the Santa Fe parliament, as soon as the new administration began,” said the Santa Fe legislator.
“Comparing the first half of last year with this one, there are 63% fewer homicides and 60% fewer gunshot wounds in Rosario. Both the Governor and the Minister of Security of Santa Fe understood that criminal gangs were giving orders from prisons. [] For this reason, all security measures in prisons were tightened. In addition, the Legislature voted for a package of 40 laws to toughen penalties and procedures. We gave more power to prosecutors, the judiciary and the police, and this allowed us to reduce the level of violence. [ ] We want to continue with these policies, and that is why we are interested in hearing about other experiences,” said Felipe Michlig.
Finally, the possibility of formalizing an agreement between Santa Fe, California, the CDCR and the Fundación Nueva Generación Argentina to work on reintegration programs and activities carried out in the Californian penitentiary system and on the development of the “Prison Center for High Profile Inmates” in Santa Fe, benefiting from the Californian experience in the matter, was considered.
Climate and Sustainability
The Santa Fe mission also met with Michael Peterson, Deputy Commissioner for Climate and Sustainability of the California Department of Insurance, which is the state agency in charge of regulating and supervising the insurance industry in California. Its main role is to protect consumers by ensuring that insurance companies comply with state laws and operate in a fair and transparent manner.
During the meeting with this Department, the members of the Senate of the Province of Santa Fe worked on the topic of climate insurance, which provides specific coverage for damages and losses caused by climate-related natural disasters. The importance of facilitating innovation for insurance companies’ products was also highlighted, by carrying out joint work with them.
Development of numerous activities
It should be noted that since last Monday an official delegation from the Senate of the Province of Santa Fe began a broad work agenda at the California Stadium, USA, within the framework of the Sister City Agreement between the subnational states.
The main themes that are being addressed to transpose to the interests of the province of Santa Fe refer to: security and the fight against drug trafficking, penitentiary systems and high-security prisons, cybercrime, carbon markets and cap and trade, fair energy transition towards renewable energies, new sustainable production matrices, international trade and ports, insurance systems, biofuels and academic links.
Strengthening Subnational States
“The purpose of this visit is to strengthen the Sister City Agreement signed in 2017, which was approved by law by both Chambers in both states,” explained Dr. Diego Sueiras, President of the Fundación Nueva Generación Argentina, which promoted the agreement, the result of more than 20 years of maintaining links and exchanges between both subnational states. “Santa Fe is the only Spanish-speaking state in all of South America to have a Sister City Agreement with California,” he added.
The official delegation that will develop a work agenda throughout the week is made up of Felipe Michlig, Pro Tempore President of the Senate and Senator for the San Cristóbal Department; Germán Giacomino, Senator for the Constitución Department; Ciro Seisas, Senator for the Rosario Department; Leonardo Diana, Senator for the San Jerónimo Department; Oscar Dolzani, Senator for the San Javier Department; and Adrián Lucca, General Director of the Santa Fe Senate. The Foundation’s delegation is represented by Diego Sueiras, its President, along with Lara Sabino, Executive Director of the Sustainable International Trade Area, and Valentina Barquero, Director of the Democracy and Links for Development Area.
