Becomes part of San Diego’s History

July11wasdesignatedas“PatriciaÁlvarezDay” inhonorofhere ortsandcontributionsasthe chairmanoftheCouncilBoardofSouthCountySD EconomicDevelopment

Establishing a day in Patricia Álvarez de los Cobos’ honor was one of the most valuable recognitions a person can receive after years of labor, devotion, and compassion.

During Pa- tricia’s farewell as Chair of the South County Economic Development Council (SCEDC), representatives from federal and state legislatures proclaimed July 11 as “Patricia Alvarez Day” in honor of her dedication to supporting economic development in the border region and promoting unity and business coordination.

A Priceless Opportunity

“I consider my election as the South County Economic Development Council president a significant opportunity, especially when we were trying to recover from the pandemic. With the challenges of holding meetings through Zoom, connecting businesses with each other was difficult,” she explained.

“We held the economic and binational forums this year,” she explained. “This organization plays a crucial role in promoting our region as a united entity, despite our separate nations. Borders do not define us. We can work together to advance the region’s interests, highlighting its significant economic importance. The immigration of Americans and trade to Tijuana have a positive spillover effect on our economy.”

And she recalled in an interview with CELEBRANDO LATINAS MAGAZINE that “it’s about bringing the best of this region. I see the south of the County as an incredible growth, especially in Chula Vista,” continued Álvarez de los Cobos, “with the Bay Front Project. The developments we are witnessing are progressing. This community’s growth and desire are incredible, and I am grateful to be a part of it. We can all unite without any party or affiliation to advance this region.”

She reiterated her belief that unity should come before partisan, group, or personal interests by saying, “The first thing we have to do is see the progress of this region and forget about secondary interests.”

A Quick Overview Of Her Backstory

Born in Quincy, Illinois, her mother envisioned registering her children as foreign-born American citizens.

This decision would be a seed of Patricia’s future in this country. As a child, she attended Colegio Francés del Pedregal, a religious school in Mexico City with high academic expectations and multicultural foundations.

Patricia tells us that she continues to connect with the childhood friends that she made there. Upon graduating from high school, Mexico was in a complicated social situation for students; the ‘68 protests and the difficulties faced by academic institutions were not optimal.

For this reason, Patricia decided to work as a secretary in a thread factory. She was able to do this because, in high school, she took a stenographer course. Although it was very nice to start a professional life, she feels it was a mistake because one tends to fall in love with money and puts education aside.

From there, she decided to go to Europe for a year, and when she returned, she was able to resume her position at the same company. After a while, she started working for Interdata, a German company where she discovered her passion for marketing.

Interdata is a pharmaceutical market research company where she learned to make sales and promotional presentations to important laboratories. Her effort caught the attention of one of the laboratories where she continued her career. Although her professional career was in the pharmaceutical field, life had other plans for her. One of her best friends had married Mr. Jose Luis Guasch, who invited her to come to San Diego to work with him in 1989.

Patricia arrived in San Diego without knowing anyone, with her family far away but with a spirit of adventure and openness to new experiences.

Along with her friend Pascal and Mr. Guasch, Patricia started from nothing, rented an apartment, and rolled up her sleeves for the new project she was facing.