León municipality under scrutiny over cyberattack response and record advertising spending

A cyberattack on the León municipal Citizen Service System on July 1 disabled the city’s official website for several days. Councilor Guillermo Medina Plascencia (Morena) demanded the resignation of the IT director, Carlos Alejandro Cárdenas Hernández, arguing that despite a 140 million‑peso budget the department remains vulnerable. Mayor Alejandra Gutiérrez Campos (Movimiento Ciudadano) defended the unit, noting recent restructuring and that salaries are comparable to the private sector.

At the same time, the municipal government has tripled its monthly spending on outdoor advertising, rising from about 984,000 pesos in 2023 to roughly 2.98 million pesos in the first five months of 2026, an increase of 14.9 million pesos. Opposition legislators have criticized the lack of digital transparency on ad locations and called for audits, while the mayor’s allies argue the spending falls within municipal autonomy.

Both issues have sparked debate in the local Congress over fiscal oversight, the effectiveness of public‑sector technology investments, and the appropriateness of large‑scale advertising expenditures ahead of elections.