Fall 2025 Newsletter
Update on the La Paz PDU for Todos Santos
After 3 months of weekly meetings with the Municipality there is nothing good to report regarding the “update” of our PDU. We believe the effort recommended by the Governor was a way to claim the Community was involved in its development, but the meetings were basically fruitless and did not result in any changes to the document.
After the last meeting, the Todos Santos citizens involved in the discussions were requested by the Municipality to submit comments. The Municipality will review these comments over the next two years and provide its response. This means for the next 2 years the La Paz PDU for Todos Santos that created 40,000 new lots will determine the development rules in Todos Santos.
The good news is that several lawsuits were filed citing the many flaws and violations of the law covering the creation of PDU’s in Mexico so we will have our day in court. Attorney John Moreno is hopeful that the La Paz PDU will be voided as had occurred in numerous places in Mexico principally due to lack of public participation and risk assessments to ensure sustainability.
We will continue to keep you updated.
Dune Project in San Sebastian Shut Down by PROFEPA
In our last newsletter we told you about John Ohmer’s (who owns the white dune house in San Sebastian) decision to build four more homes next to his current home on the dunes. After we protested, blocked the road to trucks bringing in building materials and filed nine complaints, PROFEPA finally shut it down for lack of the required environmental assessment report.
We tried to explain to Mr. Ohmer the first day his project started that we would get it shut down but he kept insisting he had all the permits and approvals he needed. That turned out to be false. Now we are going to ask PROFEPA to make him restore the dunes.
Dune Destruction in Las Tunas Stopped -- for Now
On Friday October 17th a backhoe began removing all the vegetation from 6 dune lots at the end of Vista Ballenas in Las Tunas. We immediately contacted the authorities, and they shut the project down but since it only took a day to remove the bushes and grass that protects the dune from erosion, the damage has been done and left it in its current state the dune grass and natural vegetation will not grow back and be replaced by invasive weeds.
Our investigation determined the owner received a report in 2023 from SEMARNAT that appeared to approve the construction of a 34-room hotel and restaurant on the 8,500 m2 site. The number of violations of this project were staggering so it was disappointing that SEMARNAT, under its previous director, (who was fired for corruption) approved the report. This approval was especially egregious as SEMARNAT’s approvals must respect our community PDU that was in effect in 2023. Here are the project’s major violations:
It was being built on a dune which is protected,
According to the PDU density rules only 8 rooms could be built on that amount of land,
The construction covered 66% of the land surface versus the 25% allowed by the PDU.
We are always amazed at the number of development laws routinely broken in Todos Santos by both the public agencies and contractors. However, with the help of our Dune Alert WhatsApp Group and members reporting violations through our website, we are working every day to stop as many illegal projects as possible any way we can and to hold those responsible accountable.
The latest on this project is the owner who was left a summons on the site by the Municipality asking him to bring in all his permits and approvals. Our attorney has filed an information request on the municipal file to see if permits have been issued and will follow that up with a denuncia (formal complaint) against the project. Hopefully, the authorities will not let the project proceed and if they do they will face the legal consequences.
Todos Santos Comité de Vigilancia Participativa
PROFEPA is the enforcement arm of SEMARNAT, the environmental ministry of Mexico. In all of Baja Sur there are only 4 PROFEPA inspectors and that is why it is difficult for them to respond quickly to environmental violations. We recently learned of a program PROFEPA created called Comités de Vigilancia Ambiental Participativa (CVAP) that accredits and trains community members to help monitor projects for compliance with regulations designed to protect forests, coasts, arroyos, lagoons and other protected areas from development.
We are excited to report that Proteger Todos Santos has formed a 10-member committee. They will receive training and ID cards and work with PROFEPA to ensure that environmental laws protecting the dunes, the oasis, and other areas are reported so they can respond quickly. Committee complaints will receive priority status under the program. PROFEPA officials told Diego Rameriz, our Executive Director, that they are very appreciative of our help, so hopefully this will be a game-changer.
Our Next Huge Project – The Removal of Arundo Covering the Aquifer
You may have seen this plant as you drive down Calle Topete. It is a large 30’ tall bamboo-like plant called Arundo and locally known as Carrizo. It is one of the most invasive plants in the world. Unfortunately, its spread has been ignored by the Municipality responsible for its control for over two decades. As a result, as shown in the photo, it is covering the Todos Santos aquifer. In addition, it is expanding throughout the La Reforma arroyo that runs through the oasis and into the La Poza lagoon.
We have determined that the Arundo covering the aquifer consumes over 80,000 cubic meters of water per year.
Consequences of Inaction
If no action is taken, the following long-term impacts are expected:
Severe reduction of spring flow and aquifer recharge, threatening Todos Santos’ water supply for agricultural and domestic use,
Loss of native plants and biodiversity in the oasis,
Increased wildfire risk due to its flammability,
Flash flood risk due to its clogging characteristics, and
Depletion of the shallow groundwater that supports our palm oasis.
We have been meeting with Ecosystem Restoration Communities, a global enterprise that performs environmental restoration projects. We are hoping they can help us develop a removal plan and apply for grant funding to pay for the removal. We hope to be able to create biochar which out of the Arundo that can be used to improve soils for farming. We are also planning on donating the canes for construction of housing in underserved communities in our area.
Will keep you posted as decisions are made and grants applied for.
Muchas Gracias To All Our Members
Thanks to everyone for your generous financial support. Please know that your donations are being spent wisely and as you can see, with your help we are accomplishing so much.
If you haven’t already and would like to make a donation to support our efforts, simply visit our website at www.protecttodossantos.org and click on the Donate button to make a one-time or monthly donation. Donations are tax-deductible if you file taxes in the US.
The Team at Protect Todos Santos
