Mayor of La Laguna: plans, criticism and support for Sánchez

The mayor of the third largest city in the Canary Islands sums up his work. He is halfway through his second term in office and says that a lot has been done, but there are even more plans for the future.

In an interview, he spoke about the main goals: to return the market to its historical location – the Adelantado Square. This has been promised for almost 20 years! There are also plans to restore the former swamp that gave the city its name and to solve the problem of affordable housing.

– You are halfway through your term as mayor. How do you assess your work?

"These two terms are very different. The first one coincided with the pandemic, which hit everything: health, the economy, the social sphere. We, as the city authorities, put all our efforts into fighting the crisis. We doubled social assistance, supported small and medium-sized businesses, and helped families by reducing taxes."

– And now?

"Now it seems that everything has normalized, but the world has been in turmoil in recent months. International instability affects the economy and society. Josep Borrell recently reminded us that geopolitical uncertainty is slowing down development. And he warned about the consequences of the tariffs that the United States has imposed on Europe. It's an unequal agreement, but we had to accept it. Sooner or later, businesses and ordinary people will feel it, including in the Canary Islands. But we are not sitting idly by. We have launched several major projects that we plan to complete or advance by the end of this term."

– What are these projects?

"The most important is the canalization of the Barranco de la Carnicería ravine. Work is already in full swing. This will allow us to return the market to Adelantado Square, which we have been waiting for for almost 20 years! Another major project is the restoration of the former swamp that gave the city its name. All the necessary technical support is available. This should radically change La Laguna in terms of ecology, urban planning, and the social sphere. Regarding housing, we have transferred five plots of land to the Canary Islands Housing Institute for the construction of social housing with public funds. This is more than 2,300 square meters in different parts of the city. I would like to remind you that the city authorities are not responsible for housing, but we are doing everything possible to help the regional government build social housing in La Laguna. And we are constantly helping those who need it most."

– La Laguna is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. What does this mean?

"It means that we must reaffirm our commitment to protecting the values of this city. And we are doing this with concrete actions. We will soon finish the restoration of the portal of the House of the Corregidor. This shows how we care about preserving heritage. Improving accessibility is another of our priorities. And we have made progress that has been recognized internationally. The development of the Historic City Management Plan and the research conducted by the Economic and Social Forum show that La Laguna is developing in the right direction. And they allow us to plan the city's development for the next 10 years. We are focused on this. But there are issues that do not depend only on us. This requires cooperation with other authorities."

– For example?

"We continue to fight for a new road agreement that would solve the transport problems in Tenerife. We need to complete the construction of the ring road and provide access to the metropolitan area from the north. I will never tire of repeating that without a normal transport system, our island will not be able to develop in a balanced way. And people will lose their quality of life. For La Laguna, the TF-5 bypass and the tunnel under the highway or the Gorgolana tunnel, which connects the center with the northeast region, are very important."

– Do you have good relations with other authorities, such as the government of the Canary Islands?

"Yes, we have fruitful cooperation. But there are issues that cannot wait forever. And we will continue to defend them. But overall, the relationship is very good. I would like to see the same cooperation between other authorities as between us and the government of the Canary Islands."

– Are you referring to the relationship between the government of the Canary Islands and the central government of Spain?

"Mutual respect is the most important thing for politicians. We must not forget that we are civil servants. I understand that each authority has its own responsibilities. But first of all, there must be a desire to negotiate and respect each other. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) has shown that it knows how to negotiate and cares about the archipelago. I would like the government of the Canary Islands not to play the victim in its relations with Madrid, but to cooperate and be active. And to be consistent."

– In what sense?

"You cannot defend one position in the Canary Islands and your government partner a completely different one in other regions where he governs. They acted very irresponsibly on the issue of the distribution of underage migrants. We are talking about children who need help. And the People's Party (PP) simply abandoned them. This is the most obvious example. But there are other examples of political maneuvering that are difficult to explain."

– Give another example.

"It is not clear why the PP rejects the environmental tax on tourism when in the Balearic Islands, where they govern, they not only maintain it, but also increase it. It is not clear why the Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria) promises to discuss the tourism tax when it sees people protesting against overtourism, and then rejects it when the protests subside. This is a hypocritical game. Instead of really caring about sustainable tourism, they are trying to sell us the idea of creating a fund to protect forests, which is unlikely to have any impact on nature conservation."

– In recent months, the PSOE has been involved in several corruption scandals. How has this affected activists in La Laguna?

"We are very disappointed and concerned. And not only activists, but the whole society. Because every case of corruption not only harms the party, but also undermines confidence in the political system and institutions. And this contributes to populism. The PSOE reacted quickly and decisively. Because there is no place for such actions in our democracy. President Pedro Sánchez is fighting corruption hard. And the state plan developed by the government in conjunction with the OECD shows that these are not just words."

– Will Pedro Sánchez complete his term, or will there be early elections?

"He says that we are in the middle of the term and there is still a lot ahead. It will depend on the budget negotiations and the willingness of the government partners. But Pedro Sánchez has shown that he knows how to negotiate and find compromises. This is what is so lacking in politics right now. There is a lot of noise to distract us from the results of the work of the Spanish government. But reality is a stubborn thing. The data speaks for itself."

– What data?

"Unemployment in July was the lowest since 2007. The number of people employed is a record: 22 million. Youth unemployment is at a minimum. Female unemployment is at its lowest level since 2008. Temporary employment has also fallen to a historic low. These data are also reflected in La Laguna, where unemployment in July fell by 10.2% compared to last year. Spain is the fastest growing economy in Europe. The IMF and the Bank of Spain forecast an increase in GDP to 2.5%. The stability of these indicators allows us to strengthen social policy and strengthen the welfare state. And that's not to mention how far we've come on issues of equality and integration. Or that the Spanish government did not give in to US blackmail and refused to increase military spending by 5%. Therefore, Pedro Sánchez's administration is effective. And a sudden termination of his powers would have negative consequences for the country."

– From your words, it follows that you are a supporter of Sánchez.

"I am a socialist. I believe in the values of social democracy. Although now, due to globalization, even in Europe they want to question these values and the validity of the welfare state."

– In fact, some question the sustainability of the welfare state.

"The welfare state was one of the greatest achievements of Western societies after World War II. And its destruction will have terrible consequences for most people. The disappearance of the middle class will lead to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The state cannot abandon its citizens. It cannot transfer its responsibility into the hands of wild capitalism. It would be the law of the strongest. The principles of social justice, redistribution of wealth and shared responsibility have helped create a better world. Returning to your previous question: if defending these principles means being a supporter of Sánchez, if being on the side of those who need it most means being a supporter of Sánchez, then yes, I am."

Luis Yeray Gutiérrez is the youngest mayor of La Laguna. He is almost 40 years old and has been in power for six years. He started in the Socialist Youth, first as an activist and then as Secretary General.

He has held various positions in the PSOE. In 2018, he was elected Secretary General of the Socialists of La Laguna.

He emphasizes good relations with politicians of different views. But he believes that there are issues that are difficult to explain. And that the PP and CC act with political maneuvering on issues important to the Canary Islands.

He cites the migration crisis as an example: "You cannot defend one position in the Canary Islands and your government partner an opposite one in other regions." Or the "hypocritical game" that, in his opinion, the Canarian Coalition is playing, ignoring the demands of the people when the protests subside.