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 […]
Category: Housing & Homelessness
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 inHousing & Homelessness
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 inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
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
Firefighters honor 9/11 heroes with memorial stair climb, ceremony
Albuquerque Fire Rescue commemorated the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks Thursday with a memorial stair climb and ceremony honoring the 343 firefighters who died at the World Trade Center. About 100 firefighters climbed the Washington Federal Building five times, totaling 110 stories to match the height of the Twin Towers. The memorial dispatch […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
New Mexico senators blast Republicans for blocking Epstein document release
New Mexico Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan on Thursday denounced their Republican Senate colleagues for voting down an amendment that would require the U.S. Department of Justice to release all its files on alleged child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 51-49 to table a proposed amendment to the […]
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 inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
New Mexico politicians push for completion of tribal water rights
By Lauren Lifke New Mexico’s congressional delegation has called for Senate and House leaders to take steps toward completing tribal water settlements. The U.S. pursues a policy of settling tribal water rights disputes whenever possible, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The settlements are intended to help secure tribal rights to historic land, as […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
Trump orders states to reinstate cash bonds for criminals. Forcing New Mexico to do that isn’t quite that easy.
The growing push by Republicans to roll back limits on when courts can require criminal suspects to pay to get out of jail while awaiting trial could put New Mexico on a collision course with the federal government. On Aug. 25, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Attorney General and White […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
Albuquerque spends thousands in taxpayer funds to air mayor’s State of the City address on local TV
Albuquerque is spending at least $15,500 in taxpayer money to broadcast Mayor Tim Keller’s State of the City address across five local television stations as paid advertisements, with the most expensive 30-minute slot costing $12,000. Keller is running for an unprecedented third term as Albuquerque mayor this year, with the election set for Nov. 4. […]