Democrats advanced an assault weapons ban through its first legislative committee last night over the objections of Republicans, gun dealers and 2nd Amendment advocates concerned it would ban some of the most popular firearms sold and transferred in New Mexico today. “This bill represents perhaps the worst mockery of the Second Amendment in state history,” […]
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Posted inNew Mexico Legislature #nmleg, NM Political Report
Momentum builds in New Mexico legislature to ban ICE facilities statewide
New Mexico legislators began hearings today on legislation to prohibit local governments from contracting with prison companies and the federal government to create immigration detention facilities. Members of the House Judiciary Committee kicked off a hearing on the bill Wed. afternoon as local elected officials from Cibola and Torrance County, where two of the state’s […]
Posted inBernalillo County, City Desk ABQ, Local Government
Scorecard for subsidies: BernCo looks to tie public subsidies to private company benefits
County commissioners reviewed new economic development policies Tuesday aimed at ensuring businesses receiving public subsidies provide measurable benefits to local communities. The Board of County Commissioners heard findings from a steering committee that conducted five community meetings and a countywide survey over the past year. Commissioner Barbara Baca, who led the initiative, introduced a resolution […]
Posted inBernalillo County, City Desk ABQ, Local Government
County presses pause on AI data center incentive
Following a lengthy debate over water use, renewable energy and local hiring requirements, Bernalillo County commissioners pumped the brakes on a proposed framework for incentivizing AI and data center projects, voting to defer the item until their next meeting rather than approve or reject it outright. Commissioner Eric Olivas, who sponsored the “Holding Data Center […]
Posted inCorporate Responsibility, NM Political Report
Oilfield service company cited for ‘serious’ safety failures after workers exposed to flammable gas
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) recently cited Banta Oilfield Services, Inc. for two serious safety violations after inspectors found that employees were exposed to flammable gas last summer while performing maintenance at an oilfield site near Eunice. According to the citation issued by the department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau in late December, inspectors […]
Posted inElections & Politics
Historic investments and more work ahead: Barbara Baca announces re-election bid for District 1 commissioner
Bernalillo County Commissioner Barbara Baca announced Wednesday she will seek re-election in the June Democratic primary for District 1, which encompasses Albuquerque’s Westside and North Valley. Baca, a lifelong Westside resident and 14th-generation New Mexican, said she is running to continue work on housing, behavioral health and public safety initiatives begun during her first term. […]
Posted inElections & Politics, NM Political Report
New Mexico Democrats will try to change state election dates to be 2028 early primary state
The Democratic Party of New Mexico has applied to the Democratic National Committee to move the state’s presidential primary ahead of Super Tuesday, seeking to give its diverse electorate a larger voice in selecting the party’s 2028 nominee. If approved, New Mexico would need to change state law to move its primary date, a change […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Neighborhoods vs. housing crisis: Council to take another step towards sweeping residential zoning changes
Albuquerque city councilors will take another step this week towards enacting sweeping zoning changes that would allow grocery stores, duplexes and townhouses in single-family neighborhoods and reshape development rules for about 160,000 properties, a move supporters say could ease the housing shortage and critics say threatens long-established neighborhood character. The proposal, part of the city’s 2025 Integrated […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
New Mexico court strikes down “Homewrecker Law,” ending husband’s suit against ex-wife’s new boyfriend
The New Mexico Supreme Court has unanimously abolished the state’s century-old “alienation of affections” law, commonly referred to as “Homewrecker Laws,” that allowed spouses to sue third parties for the failure of a marriage. In an opinion authored by Chief Justice David Thomson, the court unanimously ruled that the law is “outdated” and ordered a […]
Posted inOpinion & Analysis
Bregman turns national media attention into new $60K anti-ICE ad blitz in race for Gov
Opinion & Commentary in NM Political Report Pat Davis is the founder and publisher of NM Political Report, City Desk ABQ and NM.news. He is a recovering politician having served eight years as an Albuquerque City Councilor and, in another life, served as a police officer and nonprofit organizer. Sam Bregman’s warning that he will […]