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 […]
Jesse Jones
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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 […]
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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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, […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Jobs, Workers & Economy, Local 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 […]
Posted inElections & Politics, NM Political Report
The rise of New Mexico’s purple voters
New Mexico voters are not shifting left or right — they are walking away from the two major parties, giving rise to “purple voters.” These residents, who are not affiliated with either party, now make up more than a quarter of the state’s electorate a new analysis by New Mexico Political Report found. City Desk […]
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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 […]