Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. Reply to this email with any questions or suggestions regarding the newsletter. And thank you for subscribing!

Trade Mission to Mexico

We spent the week on a trade mission in Mexico deepening the ties between Mexico and Utah which we established during our previous trade mission in 2022!

Mexico is Utah’s third-largest trading partner and plays a large role in our state’s economic development and growth. While in Mexico, we had the opportunity to meet with the Mexican Secretaries of Tourism, Economy and and Foreign Affairs and unveil our new strategic partnership plan with Mexico: The Joint Utah Mexico Partnership (JUMP). JUMP provides 12 key recommendations to improve Utah’s relationship withMexico across four priority areas: business and trade, workforce and talent, culture and belonging, and foreign language acquisition. 

We also celebrated Aeroméxico and Delta’s two new daily flights from Mexico City to SLC and Monterrey to SLC with executives from each company. Salt Lake City is the 20th busiest airport in the U.S. and rising! We met with Gov. Samuel García of the Mexican state of Nuevo León and discussed the commonalities and best practices between our two states such as strong economies and water issues. While in Mexico we visited Tecnológico de Monterrey, one of the top universities in the world for innovation and entrepreneurship and held important conversations about the higher education system and innovation ecosystems in Mexico and at home in Utah.

As the best state in the nation, Utah’s an easy sell. We met with Mexican businesses while visiting and encouraged them to invest in Utah. Many Utah business owners joined us and shared their amazing success stories at the invest in Utah reception held in Mexico City. 

It was a successful week with World Trade Center Utah and the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity! We look forward to further strengthening our relationship with Mexico. Thank you for having us this week, Mexico! ¡México, gracias por invitarnos esta semana!

Suing Meta

Our fight to protect Youth Mental Health in Utah continues. This week we announced a lawsuit against Meta and their subsidiary Instagram LLC. We believe that Meta has violated the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act by designing platforms to trap children in excessive, harmful use that cause serious mental health issues. 

This complaint, filed in state court, comes on the heels of a years-long multistate investigation by a bipartisan group of 42 state attorneys general into Meta. Regulating social media companies to protect minors is not a partisan issue, and most people across the political spectrum agree we cannot allow addictive algorithms and deceptive practices to continue harming our children. 

Read more about the lawsuit here. And you can learn more about what Utah’s doing to protect youth mental health against the harms of social media at socialharms.utah.gov.

Governor’s Award for Excellence Highlight

Each week, we’re highlighting a state employee who was recently awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence. This week we are recognizing Stephanie Angelides with the Capitol Preservation Board!

Stephanie is a curator for the Capitol, and the day-to-day task as a curator is not an easy position. Stephanie makes sure statues are cleaned properly, monuments are being cared for and conserved, and that the rotating exhibits are engaging. The variety of cultural aspects on display in the Capitol are a direct result of her time and talent. When submissions are being accepted for short term exhibits, Stephanie works alongside the applicant making sure content relates to Utah. There are countless hours of editing to make the exhibit successful, and while all of it is done with care for how her suggestions will be received, she does her work with heart. Stephanie cares how a person feels as they approach an exhibit. She’s mindful of cultural sensitivities and embraces showcasing how art connects people. Whether it’s through thoughtful writing, or an array of visual arts, her number one goal is to ensure those who come into the Capitol, who stroll the grounds, or who research online, appreciate Utah and appreciate the cultures found here. 

Thank you, Stephanie, for your dedication to the state of Utah. Keep up the great work! To read about the Governor’s Awards for Excellence, click here. 

Fellowships in the Office of the Governor

Attention college students and new graduates: The Office of the Governor Fellowship applications are open!

Utah's Office of the Governor offers a number of paid fellowships intended to help young professionals gain a wide variety of experiences and unique perspectives into state government, public service, and more. Join us! Applications are open until Monday at https://governor.utah.gov/fellowships.

DPS Executive Award of Merit

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson was awarded the Department of Public Safety Executive Award of Merit last week for her work and advocacy against domestic violence. She has shown incredible dedication to protecting victims, raising awareness, and ensuring crucial information reaches law enforcement and the judicial system through the newly required Lethality Assessment Protocol. 

Congratulations, LG! And thank you, Commissioner Jess Anderson, for highlighting the important work of our good lieutenant governor.

It’s Spooky Season: Visit Utah’s Ghost Towns

Our team at Visit Utah has compiled a list of ghost towns located here in Utah! 

As we approach Halloween, take a chance to explore these spooky sites, and learn the history of the towns and the lives that once lived there. While exploring these wild west ghost towns, plan your visit carefully as many of these towns require maneuvering backroads with unreliable cell service and terrain. Visit with respect, and always do your research and ask locals before setting out. 

ICYMI

• Did you get a chance to see the golden spike monument at the capitol this week? This 43-foot replica of the golden spike is on the road going across the country helping tell the story of the transcontinental railroad and will make its home in Brigham City by June 2024. Read more about the golden spike monument here. 

• Lt. Gov. Henderson was interviewed this week about the state’s latest efforts to prevent domestic violence. See the full segment here.

• Lt. Gov. Henderson joined The Policy Project, Saprea, The Malouf Foundation, and other partners at the SAFE symposium - a gathering brought together to create solutions around child sexual abuse. Read more about it here.

Coming up

Get involved!

Looking for a new job opportunity? From great employee benefits to versatile work schedules, the career opportunities with the state are truly endless. Join Team Utah today! 

Those looking to volunteer can also consider more than 300 boards and commissions. Find out which openings are available and how you can get involved here!

Get in touch!