Friday, April 17, 2009 | I want to extend congratulations to Alan Bersin on his appointment to help coordinate border security issues. His stops along the way have sometimes been a little rocky but he should have all of our best wishes on this project. While we in this area have not been hit with the huge stories on border violence yet; the cartel activity that is occurring just a few miles from our South Bay communities should concern us all. The violence that we see in Phoenix and El Paso should serve as a wake up call to all of us that we can not let this cartel violence spread across the border. While I am NOT an advocate of militarization of the border I do believe a coordinated effort to reduce this violence is necessary.