Baja California has confirmed 161 cases of rickettsiosis and 53 deaths in 2026. ^[1] Marco Antonio Pacheco Peña, secretary general of the CNTE in Baja California, said on 2026-09-02 that around 3,000 interim teachers across the state are affected by unpaid wages, with the debt estimated at 50 to 70 million pesos. ^[2] On 2026-09-02, the CNTE teachers union in Baja California, Mexico, continued an indefinite strike and took over the Tijuana-Tecate federal highway toll booth, after members agreed not to start the school year because of unpaid interim teachers. ^[3] Carmen Vargas, president of the Sociedad de Prevención y Análisis Integral Criminológico, stated that organized crime in Baja California recruits minors through deception and trust-building rather than necessarily using violence. ^[4] In Mexicali alone, 208 people were studied and 37 tested positive for the disease. ^[5] Néstor Hernández Milán, Deputy Director General of Health, stated that timely detection is the main challenge to reduce complications. ^[6] Pacheco said that government authorities failed to pay interim teachers on the promised dates of July 15, July 30, August 15, and August 31, 2026, and also missed a promised payment by the previous Friday, August 28, 2026. ^[7]