Marbella demands the central government for the "immediate" construction of breakwaters on the beaches

This Friday, the Marbella City Council approved a motion requesting the central government to immediately construct breakwaters along the coast and urgently invest in beach-related matters. The motion was passed with favorable votes from PP, OSP, and Vox, with the abstention of PSOE.

PP government spokesperson, Félix Romero, presented the motion, emphasizing that "defending the coast is defending employment" as it is "one of the main economic drivers of the municipality, Andalusia, and Spain."

During his speech, the spokesperson lamented the neglect, delays, and lack of planning by the central government, noting that recent storms have caused Marbella to lose up to 20% of the sand on some beaches, with the municipality providing resources "beyond its competencies."

Romero criticized that "urgent structural actions required today still remain unexecuted" to stabilize Marbella and San Pedro's coast with the construction of breakwaters, a "historical demand" that has been "historically ignored by socialist governments," recalling that in 1991 the Junta removed these elements, which "kept the sand in place and created their own ecosystem," considering them "not ecological."

"Today we are still waiting for basic infrastructures like the breakwaters at La Fontanilla, Nagüeles, or San Pedro Alcántara, and the sea continues to advance, the regression continues, and the storms advance," exclaimed the municipal spokesperson, who demanded from the central government "more urgent investment, immediate execution of the breakwaters, reinforcement of coastal resources, and a real commitment to the definitive stabilization of the beaches."

On his part, PSOE councilor, Adrián Jiménez, highlighted that the construction of breakwaters should be accompanied by the "parallel removal of the sewage collectors from the coast," as they are "constantly causing spills," leading to a "deterioration of water quality" should the infrastructures be executed. Therefore, he urged the council to request the Junta to invest the "700 million from the sewage levy" in removing the sanitation pipes from the coasts.

Posthumous Honorary Citizen Distinction to Pasionaria León Díaz

The Plenary also definitively approved the award of the title of Honorary Citizens to 17 residents, to be presented at an official ceremony on May 9th. The mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, noted that this recognition "values people who are part of the collective legacy and represent effort, generosity, and commitment to Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara."

One of the notable recognitions is the posthumous one to Pasionaria León Díaz, a resident of San Pedro who passed away last year at the age of 96 and was a survivor of 'La Desbandá'. The distinction comes after a motion from PSOE requesting to dedicate a public space on the seafront to her was rejected by the Plenary last April, with votes against from PP and Vox. Five days later, the woman passed away.

Specifically, these recognitions have fallen to María Carmen Lorca Barba, Indalecio Rueda Vela, Rafael Vera Díaz, Pablo García Olivares, Eladio Rueda Serrano, Meinrad Busslinger, Marco Cáceres López, and José Julián Lara Ruiz. José Luis Guerra Gándara, Miguel Arrocha Ortega, María Victoria Mescua Cantos, Luis Rojo Rivas, Francisco de Asís López Serrano, Hanna Meziane, Antonio Salguero Sánchez, and Nicolás Gaffie Fernández will also receive this distinction.

Urban Tree Replacement

Moreover, the Plenary unanimously approved a proposal from OSP to amend the municipal ordinance on green areas regarding the replacement of existing urban trees and the renaturalization of urban centers. The councilor from San Pedro, Manuel Osorio, defended the proposal, highlighting that trees provide "shade" and regulate "temperature," creating "quality of life" and a "habitat" for species.

As he explained, many of the replaced trees have a "poor" caliber due to the loss of "shade, plant volume, and functionality," hence the motion requests that "the minimum calibers be increased, whenever possible, for a tree with better stature," also considering "the crown and the shade."

On his part, the Environmental Councilor, Diego López, stated that the proposal will be integrated into the "future update of the municipal ordinance," emphasizing that it will be done with "technical rigor." At this point, he noted that "it is not always feasible to plant a tree of a larger caliber due to the soil or street circumference" or "pedestrian safety," while recalling that since 2022, more than 4,000 trees and over 700 palms have been planted.

In other matters, the plenary session saw proposals related to the defense of self-employed individuals and the reduction of tax pressure, the implementation of a whistleblower channel at the City Council, dedicating a public space in San Pedro to Juan Jiménez Alarcón, and creating a municipal registry of electro-dependent individuals, among others.

Protest Against the Management of the Occupational Health Service

A group of twenty municipal workers from the CGT union gathered this Friday outside the Trapiche de Guadaiza, where the plenaries are held due to the renovation of the City Hall, to protest against the "privatization of the occupational medicine service" and the loss of job relocations for people with "limitations," as highlighted by the union delegate, Daniel Pérez.

According to him, the City Council "outsourced" the service a year ago, resulting in "reverting" employees to their original jobs who, due to "limitations," had their positions adjusted based on medical reports and who "disappear after passing the medical review."

"They revert the worker to their original position, which is what caused those limitations, and there has currently been an increase in staff absences," Pérez stated.

According to his words, this management of the occupational medicine prevention service affects all municipal areas, although more so those "more vulnerable individuals" who perform tasks in "collection services, cleaning, or school cleaning because they involve more physical effort."

As an example, he mentioned a case of a person suffering from "long Covid," who "has been recognized with a chronic and irreversible pathology and cannot be in enclosed environments. They returned her to her place and caused allergies and uncomfortable situations, requesting leave again."

For this reason, the union requests that the affected municipal workers be "relocated" again and that "the reports from the Social Security specialists be taken into account."