By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — In September, City Desk reported that prosecutors charged Albuquerque mayoral candidate Daniel Chavez after a campaign staffer accused him of inappropriate touching, a misdemeanor battery charge. Prosecutors have now dismissed the case. The 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case on Feb. 20, 2026, in […]
Category: City Desk ABQ
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Commissioner’s claims that Gov has secret plan to move NM United stadium to fairgrounds fizzles under fact-check
By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — Bernalillo County Commission Chair Adriann Barboa sent an early morning call to the community Wednesday for a press conference at the Expo New Mexico entrance that was long on rumors and short on facts. During the briefing, Barboa claimed that “people who represent the governor and […]
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City councilor seeks to make mayor, councilors liable for blocking ICE arrests in Albuquerque
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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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Can ranked choice voting save Albuquerque a fortune? Supporters will try again for next city election
The Albuquerque City Council uses ranked choice voting (RCV) for its own internal seats. Now, Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rogers and Stephanie Telles have introduced Ordinance O-26-13 to extend that same system to citywide elections by November 2027. Under RCV, voters rank candidates by preference. If no one secures a majority, the lowest vote-getter is […]
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Albuquerque is making a new push to create more immigrant-friendly laws. Here’s what’s planned.
Albuquerque officials are launching a comprehensive strategy this spring to protect immigrants amid growing uncertainty about federal enforcement. Mayor Tim Keller and city councilors will introduce an ordinance in early March to permanently ban federal agents from using city resources. The move is part of the city’s Defend ABQ program. Alongside the new law, the city will […]
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Opinion: When public money moves, the public should benefit
Opinion & Commentary in City Desk ABQJavier Martinez is the Speaker of the New Mexico House. He has served since 2015 and represents House District 11 in Downtown Albuquerque. My parents came to New Mexico in search of a better future for their family. They worked hard, both of them, the way a lot of […]