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 […]

Santa Fe court launches mental health diversion program for arrestees

The First Judicial District Court has announced a new program designed to divert people with severe mental illness away from the criminal justice system and into treatment services. The competency diversion pilot program will serve individuals charged with misdemeanors, excluding DWI and nonviolent felony offenses. It marks the fourth such initiative established by New Mexico […]

Rep. Vasquez cosponsors bill to reverse GOP health care cuts

Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., cosponsored legislation Thursday aimed at reversing Republican health care cuts and permanently extending Affordable Care Act tax credits. The Protecting Healthcare and Lowering Costs Act, H.R. 4849, would repeal provisions in a Republican tax bill that Vasquez said would eliminate Medicaid coverage for 110,000 New Mexicans and reduce health care eligibility […]

Carlisle Village Cleaners contaminant cleanup project receives millions in federal funding

By Lauren Lifke The New Mexico Environment Department received $2.8 million in federal funding to make steps toward cleaning up a historical dry cleaner site in Southeast Albuquerque, according to a news release. In July, the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that there are contaminants in the area of Carlisle Village Cleaners, according to CABQ. The […]

Bernalillo County commissioners name new fire chief, vote to advance affordable housing

By Lauren Lifke The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners named a new fire chief at its meeting on Tuesday and voted in favor of three ordinances that will move the county toward acquiring more transitional and affordable housing. Outgoing Bernalillo County Fire Rescue Chief Greg Perez welcomed Chief Zach Lardy to fill his shoes at […]

Patrick Sais disqualified from Albuquerque mayoral race over insufficient signatures

Albuquerque mayoral hopeful Patrick Sais, who some have called Albuquerque’s George Santos, will not be on the ballot this November. Sais has been disqualified from the Albuquerque mayoral race after failing to submit the required number of valid signatures on his nominating petition, according to the New Mexico Bureau of Elections. Sais submitted his declaration […]

Poll shows Haaland with a commanding lead in Dem race for gov

This column is a part of New Mexico Political Report‘s analysis and commentary series. New Mexico’s 32nd governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, still has another 15 months in command of the 4th Floor of the Roundhouse, but political junkies are already lining up to pick the 33rd one.  After a few weeks of kickoff rallies and […]

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 […]

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 […]