Keller says at least 100 Safe Outdoor Spaces are needed for those who “say no to the Gateway system,” but a council committee voted down his plan and his administration has no plan to get there.
Author Archives: Jesse Jones
Jesse Jones is a reporter covering local government and news for nm.news
Posted inAlbuquerque
Albuquerque parks ‘dying’ as city councilor proposes $2 million emergency turf fix
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, […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
City council candidates clash over housing, immigration, labor policy
Albuquerque’s biggest challenges — from rising homelessness to federal immigration enforcement — took center stage Aug. 26, as ten City Council candidates squared off over high-profile policy topics in the city’s contested districts. The forum at Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown drew candidates from Districts 1, 3, 5, and 9 and was co-hosted by the National Association […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
6 months later: How Gateway Recovery’s pallet home experiment is changing lives in Albuquerque
Gateway Recovery, one of Albuquerque’s newest addiction recovery programs, is now 68% full. The pallet home micro-community near the Comanche exit on Pan American can house up to 50 people in 46 units — 42 for singles and four for couples. The facility’s success marks a sharp turn from the heated City Council debate that […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Inside the council’s push to freeze more Gateway spending
City Councilor Joaquín Baca is threatening to block millions in new Gateway Center funding unless Mayor Tim Keller’s administration shows clear plans and real results from the $70 million-plus homelessness project. The ultimatum follows years of cost overruns, delays and missteps that have kept the Gateway’s main facility mostly closed since 2019, even after it […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Albuquerque Ethics Board approves expanded fraud investigation into city council candidate’s public financing donations
The Albuquerque Board of Ethics and Campaign Practices on Aug. 20 approved City Clerk Ethan Watson’s request to expand an investigation into fraud allegations against District 1 City Council candidate Daniel Gilbert Leiva. The board voted 6-0 to allow the city’s inspector general to audit an additional 5% of Leiva’s qualifying contributions and review who […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
From red tape to rapid construction: Councilors embrace “supply-side progressivism” to remove red tape delaying housing spending
As Albuquerque’s housing crisis deepens—with rents rising, homelessness up 83% from 2022-2023 and a shortage of 20,000 units—city leaders are turning to “supply-side progressivism” to speed affordable housing construction. The law, sponsored by District 2 Councilor Joaquín Baca and co-sponsored by District 6 Councilor Nichole Rogers, passed unanimously 9-0 at the Aug. 18 City Council […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
City Council to address housing, internet and budget concerns
The Albuquerque City Council meets at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18, with a light agenda. The Downtown Core Vacancy Report and a likely deferral of Gateway housing expansion contracts to September are set for the consent agenda. Councilors will also consider canceling a planned moratorium on fiber internet permits and hear a proposal to speed […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
Major votes expected at Monday’s city council meeting on homelessness, housing and substance abuse treatment
Albuquerque City Council will tackle a full agenda Monday night, reviewing the Downtown Core Vacancy Report and voting on Gateway housing expansion, affordable housing funding and substance abuse treatment contracts affecting hundreds of residents. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in Vincent E. Griego Chambers. Councilors will reconsider two $1.8 million Gateway Center contracts for […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Opt-In Zoning proposal suffers decisive defeat in committee
Albuquerque’s opt-in zoning proposal suffered a decisive defeat on Wednesday when the City Council’s Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee voted 4-1 against it after many people spoke in public testimony, most of them neighbors opposed to the plan. The resolution, sponsored by City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn for Mayor Tim Keller, would have let property […]