The head of Albuquerque’s oversight committee is pushing back against accusations that it violated city law by delaying Inspector General reports. Victor Griego, who chairs the Accountability in Government Oversight Committee (AGOC), said the group acted within its authority to make sure the reports were solid. In a Sept. 17 response to District 5 Councilor […]
Author Archives: Jesse Jones
Jesse Jones is a reporter covering local government and news for nm.news
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov
What’s happening with the Rail Trail?
What happened to the ABQ Rail Trail? The Rail Trail was pitched as a 7-mile loop linking downtown, Old Town and the Rail Yards with public art and architecture telling Albuquerque’s story. Now the project faces its biggest setback. The Trump administration pulled $11.5 million in promised funding last week, leaving city officials scrambling to […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Albuquerque city council passes $75,000 home repair loans for low-income homeowners
The average Albuquerque home is 44 years old, and a lot of families can’t cover the big repair bills that come with aging houses. On Sept. 15, the City Council approved a program to help, passing the measure 5-3. The Preserving Albuquerque Through Critical Housing (PATCH) program will provide up to $75,000 in forgivable loans […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
City Councilor Requests $2 million Emergency Fix to Keep Albuquerque Parks From ‘Dying’
Albuquerque families may soon see greener parks after City Councilor Dan Lewis introduced an emergency resolution to spend $2 million from city reserves on immediate turf replacement, saying budget cuts left fields patchy and overrun with weeds. The proposed resolution, R-25-183, introduced Aug. 18, targets parks citywide that are suffering from dead grass and weeds, making […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
From homelessness to hope: One mother’s journey through Albuquerque’s Gateway Family
When Gabrielle, a Gateway Family resident, called 311 for help, she was homeless and had spent a decade battling addiction that cost her custody of her children. Nearly two years later, she is sober, has full custody of her one-year-old, visits her older children regularly and is preparing to move from Gateway Family into her […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Albuquerque City Council approves $7.1 million Gateway West contract despite accountability questions
Albuquerque City Council voted 7-1 Tuesday, Sept. 15, to approve Executive Communication 481, giving Gateway West an extra $3.55 million, doubling Chicanos Por La Causa’s (CPLC) annual contract to $7.1 million and extending operations through June 2026, even as councilors and residents questioned whether the city’s $121 million Gateway program is producing results. Councilor Dan […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
Bus routes along North Valley corridors to get more frequent service
Albuquerque city councilors voted to redesignate sections of Rio Grande, Indian School and Menaul boulevards as major transit corridors, a move that will pave the way for more frequent bus service along the North Valley routes over the next three years. The 7-2 council vote in early September on Resolution R-25-175, sponsored by Councilor Tammy […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
City council to vote on $800m+ spending, including fusion energy and homeless services
The Albuquerque City Council could vote Monday on more than $800 million in spending, including historic industrial bonds for a fusion energy facility and millions for homelessness programs that have faced intense scrutiny. At the Sept. 15 meeting, councilors are set to consider $776.6 million in industrial revenue bonds for Pacific Fusion LLC’s Mesa del […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
What happened to Albuquerque’s homeless encampment tracker?
What happened to Albuquerque’s public transparency tool tracking encampment responses? After CityDesk contacted the city about the frozen transparency tool, officials not only acknowledged the problem but created an entirely new dashboard with current data, delivering on their promise to restore it by “end of day”. Albuquerque’s original “Encampment Reports & Responses” dashboard, launched in […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Sanchez loans $150K to mayoral campaign, but financial disclosures show no assets to loan
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story reported that Sanchez’s 2025 finance report showed no income. A change in the clerk’s process, discussed in the story below, let Sanchez refer to previous filings. Those filings still failed to report some income and still do not show the loan or source of funds for it. […]