Albuquerque City Councilor Nichole Rogers is proposing changes to the city’s Safe Outdoor Space (SOS) Operator’s Permit Ordinance, aiming to reduce regulatory obstacles and make it easier to open and manage sanctioned encampments for people experiencing homelessness. Rogers is pushing to ease city rules on Safe Outdoor Spaces. She argues that current regulations create unnecessary […]
Jesse Jones, nm.news
Jesse Jones is a reporter covering local government and news for nm.news
Posted inAlbuquerque
Real work, real progress
Mayor Tim Keller told Albuquerque business leaders that the city is finally making real progress on crime, homelessness and downtown revitalization after years of effort. Speaking at the Embassy Suites by Hilton during the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce’s annual mayoral address June 17, Keller said long-term investments and partnerships are starting to pay off. […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
A Safe place to heal
Albuquerque’s new medical respite center is giving unhoused people a safe, supportive place to heal after hospital stays — and a better shot at stable housing. Mayor Tim Keller joined staff and a patient June 18 for a small-group conversation highlighting the early impact of the Gateway Medical Respite Center. Tucked inside the former Lovelace […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
Hemp haze clouds the council’s crackdown
An Albuquerque ordinance meant to ban the sale of synthetic THC-lookalike products may have missed its mark, allowing semi-synthetic cannabinoids like Delta-8 and THC-A to remain legal after amendments changed the bill’s scope. The City Council passed the amended “Intoxicating Hemp Products” ordinance June 2, aiming to close a legal loophole and protect kids from […]
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Albuquerque Council restores event funding, overrides two of Mayor Keller’s vetoes
Albuquerque city councilors overturned two of Mayor Tim Keller’s budget vetoes at the June 16 City Council meeting, restoring funding for events the mayor said raised legal and procurement concerns. Keller had vetoed four parts of the city’s $1.5 billion budget, saying the changes were needed to keep the budget legally sound and avoid picking […]
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City Councilor Lewis qualifies for 2025 ballot and public financing
Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis has qualified for the 2025 ballot and public financing through the city’s Clean Elections program, doing so in just 10 days. As the 2025 City Council election begins, Lewis’s campaign said he is the first to qualify. He’s seeking his fourth term in District 5 and quickly met the 500 […]
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City Council greenlights sawmill deal amid community pushback
The Albuquerque City Council unanimously approved a quarter-billion-dollar tax break at the June 16 City Council meeting for a three-part luxury development in the Sawmill District, despite public pushback over affordable housing, fair wages and developer accountability. The City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve industrial revenue bonds for three projects, a hotel, extended-stay suites […]
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Albuquerque holds Comcast accountable for months-long cable hazards
The City of Albuquerque said it is fining Comcast $500 a day for leaving exposed internet cables in Northeast Heights neighborhoods, calling the months-old hazards a safety risk. City officials say Comcast left cable and phone lines exposed at eight sites across Albuquerque — dangling from trees, stretched across driveways and taped along sidewalks. Neighbors […]
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Sawmill District set for major makeover with $227M tax break proposal
City of Albuquerque officials could approve a quarter-billion-dollar tax break for a luxury hotel, apartment and retail development in the Sawmill District near Old Town. The City Council is set to vote on a proposal backed by Mayor Tim Keller to issue $227.5 million in industrial revenue bonds to help fund three developments by Sawmill […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
Mayor Keller vetoes four key items in Albuquerque’s $1.5B budget over legal, equity concerns
Mayor Tim Keller vetoed four parts of Albuquerque’s newly approved $1.5 billion budget, saying the changes are needed to stay within the law and treat nonprofits more fairly and setting up a potential council override fight. The mayor’s line‑item veto strikes funding for an independent permitting office, shuffles economic‑development dollars back to cultural partners and […]