Mayors from both sides of the border shared their concerns about water, public safety and the environment during a cross cultural exchange Friday in Redondo Beach.

The mayors, from Southern California and Baja California, discussed expanded relationships with China, increased tourism and social networking. But a big focus was water.

West Basin Municipal Water District was one of the main sponsors of the  6th annual Bi-national Mayors Summit, and its desalination project at the SEA Lab was toured during the event.

"Water is a big issue concerning all of Southern California and Baja California as well," said Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin. "It's also an important economic development resource. Without water you can't promote healthy communities and cities."

The site desalinates 100,000 gallons of water every day, and will be officially opened to the public in two weeks. The Harbor Drive facility also serves an educational function: It outlines the journey of Southern California's water supply from the San Joaquin Water Delta in Northern California.

The summit also tackled the issue of public safety, with the explosions in the city of San Bruno clearly on the minds of all the city officials. A panel moderated by Marcella Low, Public Affairs Manager of the Southern California Gas Co., included panelists from the gas company, the Redondo Beach Fire Department, and the Redondo Beach Police Department.

"Every mayor's concern and most important issue is always public safety," remarked Gin. "So we had demonstrations to prevent something like that happening in the future."

Economy was the last issue that the mayors discussed, and the mayors south of the border believed that the need to have a U.S. passport to enter Mexico was one of the major hurdles for economic development.

"It was an issue that was brought up by several mayors from Mexico," said Gin. "It's become a financial burden for U.S. citizens and they have seen a sharp decrease in visitors."

Mayors of several Mexican cities attended the summit, including Ensenada Mayor Enrique Pelayo, Tijuana Mayor Carlos Bustamante, Tecate Mayor Donaldo Avila, and Tecate Mayor Elect Javier Cinco. The summit is an outgrowth of the Governors Border Conference held in Southern California a few years ago.