[3] In 1984, he became the director general and a columnist of the Diario de Baja California newspaper, which began a career in media ownership for Bonilla.

Through his company PSN (originally an acronym for Pacific Spanish Network, now Primer Sistema de Noticias), he directly operates XESS-AM 620 and XESDD-AM 1030 in Tijuana.

He also owned XHENB-TV channel 29 in Ensenada, now a cable-only outlet, and his company Media Sports de México holds the concessions for two radio stations operated under brokerage agreements by American programmers, XEPE-AM 1700 and XHPRS-FM 105.7.

[5] In March 2012, he announced his resignation from the water board in order to run for federal deputy and simultaneously join the 2012 presidential campaign of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

[3] His relationship with López Obrador remained close; in 2016, Bonilla invited him to his Petco Park suite for the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

[3] On 31 January 2018, López Obrador announced that Bonilla would be the primary Senate candidate in Baja California for the Juntos Haremos Historia coalition, forming a ticket with Alejandra León Gastélum.

On 11 May 2020, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) ruled unanimously against the law, meaning Bonilla's term would run from 1 November 2019, to 31 October 2021.

[14] Among the companies cited were Clover (cell-phone repairs), Amphenol (fiber optics), Safran (commercial aircraft interiors), ABC Aluminium Solutions, TE Connectivity (electronics), and Turbotech.