Jesse Jones, Author at City Desk ABQ

Ordinance O‑26‑7 was introduced Jan. 21 and is scheduled for a public hearing Feb. 2 before the City Council. If approved, it would amend the Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque by eliminating the codified rules that require timely, written and publicly posted responses from the administration, while keeping attendance requirements for budget hearings and council meetings.

Transparency or streamlining? Albuquerque council president proposes repealing Q&A rules

Albuquerque City Council President Klarissa Peña has introduced an ordinance that would repeal the city’s administration question-and-answer period, removing deadlines and public posting requirements for how the mayor’s office responds to councilor questions. Ordinance O‑26‑7 was introduced Jan. 21 and is scheduled for a public hearing Feb. 2 before the City Council. If approved, it […]

Will Albuquerque strengthen renter protections?

Albuquerque City Councilors are set to vote Wednesday on a rental protections ordinance that would give the city authority to enforce state renter laws and on funding to help 92 households stay in their homes. Housing dominates the agenda, with final action expected on the Rental Practices Ordinance, O‑25‑102, which would codify state protections while allowing […]

City promised fraud reports in 15 days, still waiting after 300

A months-long fight over transparency erupted at Albuquerque City Hall last fall after nine Inspector General fraud investigations were completed. Of those investigations, the public has only seen two final reports; four remain unreleased and one was formally rejected. The controversy began in April when the Albuquerque Accountability in Government Oversight Committee deferred six reports, […]

Albuquerque council to revisit rental protections ordinance

City Councilor Nichole Rogers said Thursday she plans to keep pushing a rental practices ordinance after the Albuquerque City Council deferred the measure, citing concerns that state tenant protections lack local enforcement. At a press conference, Rogers said the delay exposed a gap in the enforcement of New Mexico Senate Bill 267, which took effect […]

Pictured are for rent properties at 208 Columbia SE. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales/City Desk Abq

Housing & Homelessness

County rejects federal cut, maintains housing assistance for low-income families

by Jesse Jones January 14, 2026January 14, 2026

Bernalillo County commissioners approved an item Tuesday to keep housing voucher rates unchanged for 2026, rejecting a federal decrease that officials warned would harm low-income renters. The county will maintain current subsidy levels, which average 2.9% above the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s fair market rents, to help tenants stay competitive in a […]

Pictured is the Gateway Center on Gibson Blvd. (Roberto E. Rosales)

Albuquerque’s Gateway Center hits a turning point in homelessness response

The City of Albuquerque announced Tuesday that the Gateway Center reached full capacity for the first time since its late-2025 expansion, placing nearly 200 people on a path toward stable housing through intensive support services. The Gibson location now serves 192 residents — 100 women and 92 men — who commit to behavioral intervention and […]

Inside the push to save Albuquerque’s aging Main Library

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library Advisory Board has raised $925,000 in pledges from state, city and county officials to replace the Main Library’s 50-year-old heating and cooling system, bypassing traditional district boundaries. The board still needs $1.6 million to reach its $2.5 million goal. The 100,000-square-foot downtown library relies on a 1975 “air handler” system […]

Sweeping zoning changes affecting about 160,000 Albuquerque properties head next to the City Council’s Land Use, Planning and Zoning (LUPZ) Committee amid sharp disagreement over what’s changing and whether residents received adequate notice. (Roberto E. Rosales)

160,000 properties in Albuquerque could get a zoning change, here’s what you need to know

Sweeping zoning changes affecting at least 160,000 Albuquerque properties head next to the City Council’s Land Use, Planning and Zoning (LUPZ) Committee amid sharp disagreement over what’s changing and whether residents received adequate notice, according to 2023 U.S. Census data. The Integrated Development Ordinance Biennial Update, approved by the Environmental Planning Commission in November, includes […]

Former APD cheif Harold Medina, left, walks with Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. (Roberto E. Rosales)

ABQ’s new interim police chief follows a familiar path. Will it lead to the same destination?

Cecily Barker, named Albuquerque’s first woman interim police chief on New Year’s Eve, follows a familiar pattern: Her two predecessors served as interim chief for about six months before being permanently appointed. The pattern is clear: Michael Geier served 6.5 months as interim chief before the City Council confirmed him 9-0 in June 2018. Harold […]

ABQ launches ambitious plan to attract global businesses to Mesa del Sol

The Albuquerque City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Monday committing $5.75 million in public funds to launch a global business accelerator expected to create 1,200 high-paying jobs in Mesa del Sol. The ordinance authorizes the city to serve as fiscal agent for $5 million in state economic development funds and invest $750,000 in local resources […]