Albuquerque’s unsheltered homeless population jumped 40% over two years, outpacing increases in shelter bed usage, up 18% over the same period, by two-to-one, according to the latest Point-in-Time count from the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. By the numbers The annual statewide and local census of homeless persons, conducted each January but released just […]
Category: Beats
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Dark money and developer dollars fuel District 3 runoff battle between Peña, Garcia
Competing visions of campaign finance transparency are front and center in Albuquerque’s City Council District 3 runoff election where outside money is pouring in and each candidate is calling out the other’s supporters for unnecessary big money influence in a relatively small city council runoff race. Klarissa Peña, the longest-serving member on the council currently, […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov
Leger Fernández: GOPers who back extending tax credits need to step up
Editor’s note: As a part of the deal to reopen the federal government, Republican leaders agreed to schedule a vote on, but not guarantee, extending federal healthcare subsidies, aka “Obamacare subsidies”, by mid-December. All 5 of New Mexico’s members of Congress voted against that deal, preferring to hold out for a permanent extension. With just […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Outside groups waste no time raising big bucks for city runoff elections
Business groups, labor unions and a handful of individual donors wasted no time writing more big checks in the first two weeks of the four week city runoff election sprint to Election Day. Campaign finance reports show that outside groups deposited more than $51,000 in new contributions from the day after regular elections ended, Nov. […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Democrat Louie Sanchez endorses Republican Joshua Neal for his open city council seat
City Councilor Louie Sanchez, a registered Democrat who has often agitated Democrats by aligning with a conservatives on the council, says a young Republican candidate running in his open Westside seat is his choice for someone who will “collaborate across party lines.” Sanchez announced on social media Thursday that he was endorsing Republican Joshua Neal […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
International District project takes a different path on affordable housing
A church in Albuquerque’s International District and a nonprofit are teaming up to take a different approach to the city’s affordable housing crisis by preserving existing units instead of building new ones. New Creation Albuquerque and the Center for Housing Economics began a $644,000 rehabilitation Monday, Nov. 17, on a 63-year-old, seven-unit apartment complex at […]
Posted inCity Hall
Forgotten ballot question won’t be on runoff ballot, either
A proposal to put a missing charter amendment on next year’s ballot was pushed back Monday as the Albuquerque City Council still needs the required public hearings before it can be approved. The amendment was mistakenly left off the Nov. 4 municipal ballot. Two measures sponsored by Councilor Joaquín Baca would let voters decide in […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
In Dem. primary for governor, former Las Cruces mayor talks pro-oil, anti-minimum wage agenda
Ken Miyagishima is hoping to be the next governor, but many of the voters he needs do not know which party’s nomination he is trying to capture. For Miyagishima, the former five-term Las Cruces mayor, that dilemma was on display at a Nov. 6 campaign event in Roswell organized by the local non-profit group Many […]
Posted inTorrance County
Sen. Heinrich calls for evacuation of Torrance County ICE facility after contract lapse
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is demanding answers from federal immigration officials about the continued operation of a New Mexico detention facility despite the expiration of its contract more than two weeks ago. The New Mexico Democrat sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons last week questioning the legal authority […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Keller, White spar over city’s future in loud, raucous debate
Editor’s note: This story is a summary of a televised debate hosted by KOB-TV. It is provided here as a part of our commitment to bringing readers comprehensive and credible coverage of city elections, including from other news sources, so voters can make informed decisions. The full debate video is embedded for viewing below. With […]