Posted inPolitics & Elections

Thanks to public financing, council candidates still have hundreds of thousands to spend

Campaign finance reports released last week show the fundraising landscape for Albuquerque City Council candidates as they enter the final stretch before the Nov. 4 municipal election, with significant disparities between publicly and privately financed campaigns across five contested districts. The latest reporting period, ending Sept. 8, reveals how candidates are positioning themselves financially with […]

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 inCongress & Federal Gov

Trump administration moves to cancel $11.5 million Rail Trail grant, Keller: ‘We will see you in court’

The Trump administration is attempting to withdraw $11.5 million in federal funding for Albuquerque’s Rail Trail project, prompting Mayor Tim Keller to threaten legal action to preserve the grant. The U.S. Department of Transportation notified the city this week that it was backtracking on a 2022 funding commitment made through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with […]

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. […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Albuquerque becomes New Mexico’s homeless hub as Gateway contracts add 100 Beds

Albuquerque city councilors approved three Gateway Center contracts Tuesday, Sept. 3. The vote reflects a growing reality: Albuquerque has become New Mexico’s hub for homeless services, managing problems that extend far beyond its borders. The 100 new shelter beds, approved in 7-2 votes, will serve a population of 2,740 homeless residents — a 109% increase […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

Who has the most money to run against Keller?

With less than two months remaining until Election Day, campaign finance reports filed by Albuquerque’s mayoral candidates reveal stark differences in their cash on hand, with incumbent Mayor Tim Keller’s public financing war chest providing a commanding financial advantage over his challengers. Campaign finance data reflects filings through the most recent reporting period, which ended […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety

Albuquerque man pleads guilty to federal charge for online threats against Trump 

A New Mexico man who was charged with making threats of violence against then-President-Elect Donald Trump on social media pleaded guilty Thursday. The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico announced in a press release that Tyler Leveque, 37, of Albuquerque, changed his initial not guilty plea to one count of […]

Posted inAlbuquerque

The Last Hurrah

The 2025 New Mexico State Fair could be Albuquerque’s last hurrah for a tradition that has drawn crowds for 87 years, as government leaders weigh relocation mere months before a state-imposed deadline. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has set a March deadline to decide the State Fair’s future, raising the possibility that 2025 could end nearly […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

Quezada sues to remove Teresa Garcia from city council ballot

By Lauren Lifke Former Bernalillo County commissioner Steven Michael Quezada filed a lawsuit Wednesday to remove Teresa Garcia from the Albuquerque City Council Ballot as he alleges she failed to submit the 500 valid petition signatures required for ballot placement, according to a news release. Garcia, who is running for city councilor of District 3 […]