Mexico Appoints Loaeza as New Consul General in L.A.

The Mexican government has named Enrique Loaeza Tovar, consul general in San Diego, as the new consul general in Los Angeles, the U.S. city that is home to the largest number of people of Mexican ancestry.

Loaeza, who earned a reputation in the sensitive San Diego post as an outspoken defender of the rights of Mexican border-crossers, replaces Fausto Zapata Loredo, now consul general in New York. Loaeza is expected to assume the Los Angeles position within weeks.

The new consul general, a 48-year-old lawyer from a prominent Mexico City family who studied in Mexico and England, came to San Diego in May, 1990, after a consular stint in San Francisco. A strong advocate for Mexican citizens and other national interests, he also maintained cordial ties with U.S. government officials and the private sector in San Diego.

Loaeza has held various government posts in Mexico and is a former director of Aeromexio and Mexicana airlines.

Los Angeles, with its profound historical and cultural links to Mexico, looms ever-more important south of the border. The continued arrival of Mexican immigrants, coupled with the sharp rise in transborder commerce, has enhanced the strong regional ties.