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State’s 19 pueblos and tribes band together for redistricting pitch in light of NM demographic changes
The state’s pueblos and tribes released their ideas for how political maps being drawn this year will help them express political power amid increases in numbers of Native Americans overall — and population losses around pueblos. The Citizen Redistricting Committee is soliciting public feedback on maps its staff put together after weeks of meetings. The […]
Grants mayor’s anti-vax tirade derails Military and Veterans’ Affairs meeting
A meeting of the state Legislature’s veterans committee began as many do these days, with a reminder of the statewide mask mandate. The meeting a week ago at an auditorium continued with legislators introducing themselves, followed by honored guests in the audience at the Grants campus of New Mexico State University. Then the microphone was […]
Should NM political maps be based around acequias? Group makes the case.
When rural New Mexicans gather each year for “la limpia de la acequia,” it’s about more than just clearing the vital irrigation channels of dirt and debris, according to the New Mexico Acequia Association. The annual ritual, in fact, shows how communities are shaped around acequias and why political districts should be drawn with the […]
ABQ announces 191-unit apartment complex approved for Downtown amid housing shortage
A Downtown Albuquerque apartment complex is one step closer to being built, according to city officials, potentially bringing nearly 200 affordable apartments to a city facing a housing shortage and steep increase in rent costs. The city is teaming up with REMBE Urban Design and Development to build the “Downtowner,” a six-story, 191-unit complex that […]
Neighbors in ABQ’s International District seek more power in new political maps
Residents of Albuquerque’s International District are lobbying legislators to merge their neighborhoods into a single political district, saying the current political map dilutes the power of an area that needs a unified voice to address its challenges. Five residents have spoken at meetings of the Citizen Redistricting Committee in recent weeks, according to meeting minutes. […]
New state law banned a county’s gas stations from selling liquor. So some stopped selling gas.
A one-paragraph amendment to the state Legislature’s new, sweeping alcohol reform law gave owners of gas stations in McKinley County a choice: You can sell hard liquor. Or you can sell gas. To Benjamin Gonzales, manager of the El Sabino’s grocery and gas station in Vanderwagen, N.M., it was a “no-brainer.” “We stopped selling gas […]
NM landlords refusing rent assistance during hot housing, rental markets
Some New Mexico landlords are refusing to accept rental assistance that would keep their tenants housed, opting instead to sell their properties or raise rent on a new tenant, an expert testified today before a legislative committee. Maria Griego, a director at the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, said the landlords’ refusals are […]
House spending bill would ban Chaco-area drilling; advocates say it’s not enough
A provision in the House of Representatives’ plan to spend $3.5 trillion would ban new oil and gas drilling around the Chaco Canyon National Historic Park, though an alliance fighting to protect the 1,000-year-old site says it doesn’t go far enough. Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate have worked out details on the package […]
Carving up voting districts: First drafts of redistricting maps due out this week
Members of the public will get their first look this week at maps that could become the new political boundaries in New Mexico. How those boundaries are drawn plays a large role in how political power is distributed. When politicians shape the districts so one party always has the advantage, that’s gerrymandering. Redistricting fights in […]