Lemus' rechte Hand besitzt eine Wasserkonzession, die 36 olympischen Becken entspricht; er verlässt seine Position

Salvador Zamora Zamora resigned Sunday from his post as secretary general of government for the state of Jalisco, ending nearly two years in the role. The former mayor of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga announced his departure with immediate effect via social media, stating he would focus on political tasks assigned to him ahead of the 2027 electoral process. Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro accepted the resignation and appointed Carlos Arias Madrid, who previously headed the State Tax Service, as the new head of the secretariat. Zamora held the position since December 6, 2024, at the start of Lemus’s administration. In a statement posted on the platform X, Zamora thanked the governor for the trust placed in him to serve the people of Jalisco. He also acknowledged the support of his work team and colleagues within the state cabinet. “From now on, I will concentrate on the tasks entrusted to me by our political project heading toward the electoral process,” Zamora wrote. He added that he would provide further details soon regarding his new responsibilities. Minutes after Zamora’s announcement, Governor Lemus confirmed on social networks that he had accepted the resignation. Lemus stated that the decision was driven by personal objectives and those of the political team, noting that Zamora would assume duties related to the 2027 elections. “I personally thanked him for his work during these almost two years of Government and wished him luck in this new assignment,” Lemus wrote. The governor indicated that Arias Madrid, the new appointee, has been asked to strengthen communication with the powers and political actors of the state, while maintaining liaison with economic and social sectors. The resignation occurs against a backdrop of ongoing water quality protests in the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara. Zamora, who oversaw internal policy and state security, faced severe criticism in recent days over the handling of demonstrations triggered by water shortages and poor quality. On October 11, security forces dispersed protesters gathered outside the governor’s official residence. Official reports indicated that 39 people were detained during that initial mobilization. Two days later, Lemus acknowledged excessive force by police, which included firefighters and civil protection agents using fire hoses to disperse the crowd. On October 24, the Congress of Jalisco summoned four officials from the governor’s security cabinet, including Zamora, to explain the authorities' actions during the operation. Records from the Public Registry of Water Rights show that Zamora holds a water concession for agricultural use dated August 2022. At that time, he served as the president of the municipality of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga for a second consecutive term, having led the municipality from 2018 to 2024. The registry identifies the concession under title number 846409, assigning an annual volume of 90,000 cubic meters of national waters. This quantity is equivalent to filling 36 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The permit allows for the extraction of groundwater in the Tlajomulco de Zúñiga area. The water flow originates from the Lerma-Santiago hydrological region, specifically from basin 206 of the Toluquilla aquifer, identified by the National Water Commission with the number 1402. According to the public version of Zamora’s latest asset declaration available on the National Digital Platform, the former secretary owns a livestock and agriculture business. In 2025, he received 2 million 814,150 pesos from this enterprise, an amount more than double his annual salary as secretary general. The previous year, he earned more than five million pesos annually from the same business. The declaration also lists him as a partner in Rancho El Cuervo, a company dedicated to selling agrochemicals located in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. Additionally, he is listed as a shareholder in La Comunidad Limousin Brahman Rojo, a firm focused on high-quality beef production, operated by his son. Zamora is a graduate in Zootechny from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara. He subsequently completed studies abroad and graduated from a specialty program in meat cattle breeding at the Colorado State University. His tenure as secretary general involved coordination of security during the water crises that began affecting Jalisco and the metropolitan zone in 2020. That year, the State Human Rights Commission opened an investigation after the Inter-municipal System of Drinking Water and Sewerage Services attributed water turbidity to maintenance issues. The current crisis involves water described as murky, foul-smelling, and containing sediment. The change in leadership affects one of the main areas of the state administration, responsible for internal politics and dialogue with various powers and political actors. While Zamora did not specify his exact future roles, he indicated he would share more information later. Lemus emphasized that the new secretary should maintain strong ties with both political institutions and societal sectors. The resignation follows a period of heightened tension between the state government and residents protesting water service failures. The appointment of Arias Madrid marks a shift in the cabinet structure during this sensitive period.