A day after a trio of city councilors joined dozens of community advocates and state legislators in support of new city legislation to frustrate federal immigration enforcement efforts in Albuquerque, another councilor says he’ll try to amend the bill to make them liable for the consequences. In Feb., City Desk reported that some city councilors […]
Category: +Communities
Posted inLocal Government
State, local electeds will push new ordinance to make deportations harder in Albuquerque
Barelas Neighborhood, Albuquerque, N.M. — By Jesse Jones — A coalition of local and state leaders convened in the Barelas neighborhood south of Downtown Albuquerque Tuesday to organize for a new city ordinance they designed to protect targeted members of the community from federal immigration actions that have rapidly expanded in scope and aggression under President […]
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Former sheriff will file to run against BernCo sheriff John Allen in Dem primary
A 27-year law enforcement veteran will file to run against Bernalillo County John Allen in the June 2nd Democratic primary election, City Desk has learned. Phil Snedeker tells City Desk he will file qualifying paperwork and signatures Tuesday morning on local filing day. He has served in the criminal justice system for 47 years, according […]
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Who’s behind the city’s public records backlog? Hint: It’s not New Mexicans
Imagine waiting in line for public records at the Office of the City Clerk, only to find most of the requests ahead of you come from out-of-state data scrapers or suspected artificial intelligence bots overseas. Inside the city clerk’s office, that’s the reality. Record requests keep climbing, driven by out-of-state and overseas requests that strain […]
Posted inThe Paper.
Albuquerque’s Mayor said arrests were “Not the solution” to homelessness. Yet jail bookings have skyrocketed.
By Nicole Santa Cruz and Ruth Talbot, ProPublica, photography by Ramsay de Give for ProPublica — During his reelection campaign last fall, the mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, criticized his challenger for suggesting the city should get tougher on the homeless population. Such an approach would be cruel, Tim Keller said during a televised debate […]
Posted inLocal Government
Albuquerque councilors propose tax hike to raise over $100 million for new projects, staff pay
By Jesse Jones — A new proposed City Council ordinance, O-26-16, known as the Community Enhancement Municipal Gross Receipts Tax and sponsored by Councilors Joaquín Baca and Brook Bassan and Mayor Tim Keller’s administration, would raise the city’s gross receipts tax (GRT), a local sales tax on goods and services, by .4875% — generating an […]
Posted inLocal Government
Photos: On his birthday, hundreds honor a life of service for BCSO sergeant
Hundreds gathered Monday, March 2, on what would have been his birthday at the Rio Rancho Events Center to honor Sgt. Michael Barrett Schlattman, a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputy, died in the line of duty on Feb. 23 at age 52. Schlattman joined BCSO in 2012 and was promoted to sergeant in July […]
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Council eyes new African American board, aims to quell fire rescue staffing conflict
By Jesse Jones — Tonight, the Albuquerque City Council will consider a new African American Advisory Board and a measure revising staffing rules for Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Sponsored by Councilor Nichole Rogers, ordinance O-26-11 would create an African American Advisory Board to advise the mayor on issues affecting African Americans. The board would focus on economic mobility, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Want a corporate tax handout? BernCo to make corps show community benefit to receive public subsidies
Companies that want tax breaks in Bernalillo County must now show how those corporate subsidies will turn into community benefits for taxpayers who fund them. The Bernalillo County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a first-of-its-kind resolution that requires businesses seeking public subsidies, including Industrial Revenue Bonds, to commit to local hiring, support for […]
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Albuquerque paid $8 million in lawsuits while Council oversight went dark for a year
By Jesse Jones — For nearly 12 months, the City of Albuquerque’s legal department failed to deliver required reports detailing how much the city paid in lawsuits to the City Council. Editor’s note: In researching this story, a Council spokesperson told City Desk that the last report received by the council was “in Q1 2025.” After […]