General News

The music of ten mariachi bands filled the patio of the Jalisco Congress this week as legislators gave their approval to naming November 27 as Dia del Mariachi (Mariachi Day) in the state.  

Changes to the Jalisco Civil Code mean that some couples in the state can now obtain “quickie” divorces in 30 days.

Jalisco is behind schedule in the task of getting all of its police officers up to speed in time for the implementation of the nation’s new criminal justice system. So far, 15,000 state and municipal police officers have taken the necessary training course, which represents 71 percent of the various forces in Jalisco.

Last week, Governor Aristoteles Sandoval sent a proposal to the state Congress that could see the introduction of public plebiscites and referendums, citizen initiatives, as well as reduce red tape for independent candidates standing for office.  

The opening of the new court complex in Chapala ties in to a 2008 amendment to Mexico’s constitution, mandating the country’s transition from an inquisitorial criminal justice system to the adversarial legal system familiar to citizens of the United States, Canada and Great Britain. 

Jalisco is one of the states that has been slowest to make adjustments for the overhaul of the penal justice paradigm. But with a deadline looming four months ahead, things are finally in full motion. 

A swath of Jalisco bureaucrats face substantial pay cuts if Congress approves a new initiative on government salaries, proposed by the state governor. 

Although the 2018 Jalisco gubernatorial election is still almost three years away, speculation is rife on who may run.

Emergency measures to tackle violence against women are to be implemented in Jalisco after it was revealed that at least eight towns and cities have reported an increase in femicides over the past four years.