Jesse Jones, Author at City Desk ABQ

Albuquerque moves quickly to remove César Chávez from streets, public honors following abuse disclosures by Dolores Huerta, others

By Jesse Jones, City Desk ABQ in The Paper. — City officials took swift action Wednesday to initiate the renaming of local sites honoring civil rights organizer and Chicano icon César Chávez following disclosures by fellow activist Dolores Huerta that he pressured her for sex resulting in pregnancies. City Councilor Joaquín Baca told City Desk […]

Council kills controversial tax hike after floor amendments slash rate

By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — Albuquerque city workers filled the City Council chambers hoping a new tax would fund long-awaited raises, but they left empty-handed. Councilors voted 8-1 Monday night to kill a proposed gross receipts tax increase before the state deadline, shelving a plan meant to fund community projects and […]

Council OK’s ordinance to thwart ICE arrests in Albuquerque

By Jesse Jones City Desk in The Paper. — The Albuquerque City Council meeting opened Monday to a packed chamber as officials took up several controversial measures. The crowd thinned as the agenda moved forward, but a large group of community activists and immigrants, many wearing bright blue shirts from El Centro de Igualdad y […]

Albuquerque mayoral candidate Daniel Chavez has been charged with battery following an alleged incident at a Restaurant Association Board meeting in June, according to court documents filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and obtained by City Desk ABQ.

Whatever happened to Daniel Chavez, mayoral candidate charged with touching staffer?

By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — In September, City Desk reported that prosecutors charged Albuquerque mayoral candidate Daniel Chavez after a campaign staffer accused him of inappropriate touching, a misdemeanor battery charge. Prosecutors have now dismissed the case. The 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case on Feb. 20, 2026, in […]

Commissioner’s claims that Gov has secret plan to move NM United stadium to fairgrounds fizzles under fact-check

By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — Bernalillo County Commission Chair Adriann Barboa sent an early morning call to the community Wednesday for a press conference at the Expo New Mexico entrance that was long on rumors and short on facts. During the briefing, Barboa claimed that “people who represent the governor and […]

Local Government

State, local electeds will push new ordinance to make deportations harder in Albuquerque

by Jesse Jones March 11, 2026March 11, 2026

Barelas Neighborhood, Albuquerque, N.M. — By Jesse Jones — A coalition of local and state leaders convened in the Barelas neighborhood south of Downtown Albuquerque Tuesday to organize for a new city ordinance they designed to protect targeted members of the community from federal immigration actions that have rapidly expanded in scope and aggression under President […]

Who’s behind the city’s public records backlog? Hint: It’s not New Mexicans

Imagine waiting in line for public records at the Office of the City Clerk, only to find most of the requests ahead of you come from out-of-state data scrapers or suspected artificial intelligence bots overseas. Inside the city clerk’s office, that’s the reality. Record requests keep climbing, driven by out-of-state and overseas requests that strain […]

Council eyes new African American board, aims to quell fire rescue staffing conflict

By Jesse Jones — Tonight, the Albuquerque City Council will consider a new African American Advisory Board and a measure revising staffing rules for Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Sponsored by Councilor Nichole Rogers, ordinance O-26-11 would create an African American Advisory Board to advise the mayor on issues affecting African Americans. The board would focus on economic mobility, […]

Local Government

Want a corporate tax handout? BernCo to make corps show community benefit to receive public subsidies

by Jesse Jones February 27, 2026February 27, 2026

Companies that want tax breaks in Bernalillo County must now show how those corporate subsidies will turn into community benefits for taxpayers who fund them. The Bernalillo County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a first-of-its-kind resolution that requires businesses seeking public subsidies, including Industrial Revenue Bonds, to commit to local hiring, support for […]

The rise of New Mexico’s purple voters

by Jesse Jones February 27, 2026

New Mexico voters are not shifting left or right — they are walking away from the two major parties, giving rise to “purple voters.” These residents, who are not affiliated with either party, now make up more than a quarter of the state’s electorate a new analysis by New Mexico Political Report found. City Desk […]