Posted at 7:20 p.m. PDT Tuesday, May 18, 1999

Scripps Howard News Service

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In two languages, the state's top elected officials welcomed Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo to the Capitol on Tuesday, praising his visit as a symbol that an era of antagonism between neighbors has ended.

"We have turned a corner, we have closed a door, on a sad chapter in the history of our state,'' said Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, D-Los Angeles. "Today, California reaffirms ... the contributions of Mexican immigrants to this state and its continuing kinship with the Mexican people.'' Villaraigosa, the son of a Mexican immigrant, delivered his welcoming remarks in Spanish from the Assembly dais before Zedillo addressed a joint session of the Legislature in Spanish. Although the official business of the trip is business -- to further spur trade between the state and its second-largest export market -- its greatest significance is its symbolism.

Relations across the border chilled significantly in the early '90s at a time when Californians were passing Proposition 187, and leading politicians -- notably, former Gov. Pete Wilson, a Republican --were crusading against illegal immigration. The voter initiative, which would restrict immigrants' welfare and other benefits, is being challenged in court.

Zedillo avoided mention of such tensions in his speech, saying only that Mexico has "now discovered another great friend, Gov. Gray Davis, and that is why I am here today.'' The Democrat was more direct, saying Zedillo's acceptance of his invitation to visit the state represented "a profound shift from uneasy neighbors to unwavering partners.'' The days of cross-border finger-pointing, he said, "are gone forever.''

This occasion marked the first time a Mexican president has visited the state capital. Zedillo devoted most of his remarks to the Legislature to touting various economic, social and democratic reforms his administration has undertaken. "Mexico is on the right path,'' he said, but its greatest challenge is still poverty. Later in the day, Davis and Zedillo announced some minor agreements to work on mutual problems such as the transport of hazardous materials across the border and a cooperative effort between Mexican officials and the state Department of Food and Agriculture to help eradicate an agricultural pest, the silver whitefly, in Mexican fields. Other announcements relating to trade are expected.

Zedillo's visit to San Diego on Thursday is scheduled to include a stop at the site of a new joint business venture -- a deal that was sealed during Davis' February trip to Mexico -- that will create 500 jobs in San Diego. But no one was predicting that tougher issues would be addressed -- issues such as illegal immigration, working conditions and democratic reforms in Mexico, and the possible transfer back to their home country of Mexican nationals now in California prisons. Those discussions, said Villaraigosa, can come later. "As you establish trust, you have to talk about all the issues, not just the feel-good issues,'' he said. "Once you have a relationship, you can't be afraid to talk about the issues on which you disagree.'' For now, he said, the symbolism is enough. "When you think that just a few short years ago we were bashing immigrants and saying immigrants just weren't welcome, this visit itself is significant,'' Villaraigosa said. "This is about accepting the reality that one-third of Californians are of Mexican heritage.''

After spending the night in San Francisco, Zedillo was to arrive in Southern California on Wednesday and board a historic train car to ride from Burbank Airport to a rally at Union Station. Wednesday evening he is scheduled to participate in a televised town hall meeting with leaders of California's Mexican-American community, including Oxnard Mayor Manuel Lopez. Lopez, noting the increasingly important role of exports to the California economy, said establishing a better relationship with Mexico "is in everyone's best interest ... The world is getting smaller, and more dialogue between countries is important -- and with an immediate neighbor it's even more important.

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