New Mexico’s CD3 candidates spar over wildfire response in their final televised debate - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The disaster that ripped through northern N.M. this summer consumed about a third of the final debate between the two people seeking to represent the region in Congress.
The two candidates fighting to represent Congressional District 3 in New Mexicomet for a televised debate Friday night in what’s likely to be the final chance for voters to see the pair on the same stage before Election Day.
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democrat from Las Vegas, N.M., is trying to keep her seat in the newly drawn district, one that previously contained all of northern New Mexico, plus parts of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. After the contentious, once-a-decade redistricting was completed late last year, CD3 now encompasses huge tracts of southeastern New Mexico, including Roswell and Portales.
Her opponent is Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson, an environmental engineer from Roswell.
KOB-TV hosted the pair for a 30-minute debate on topics like abortion, crime, cannabis and oil and gas production in southern New Mexico. The competitors spent about eight minutes on the first two questions, which centered on the federal response to the biggest fire in state history.
The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire was started by the United States Forest Service as prescribed burns but went on to torch more than 530 square miles in the district, destroying more than 500 homes, ushering in destructive flooding and threatening the water supply to downstream Las Vegas.
Martinez Johnson accused Leger Fernandez of taking too long to shake down federal aid to the burn scar and not having the skills required to respond to such a disaster. In late September, which is about five months after the fire started, Congress enacted a stopgap spending bill that included $2.5 billion for fire victims.
“We don’t need someone with on-the-job training. These communities are still hurting,” Martinez Johson said. “And my opponent, half a year later, is talking about providing funds.”
Martinez Johnson pointed to her experience as an engineer and said she’s heard from Democrats in the burn scar who are frustrated with the federal response.
“I have the experience and expertise. My job experience deals with project management. It deals with negotiation, stakeholders, from environmentalists, to regulators, to government officials, to community members to making sure that we have the best possible solutions,” she said. “And I would be meeting monthly making sure that this never occurs again.”
Leger Fernandez said Congress passed the aid package as quickly as possible, and it’s a historic amount of money. She introduced the legislation that eventually was included in the September spending bill in May, just a few weeks after the fire started, and she also secured an independent investigation into how the federal agency made such a huge mistake in lighting prescribed burns that went on to cause the biggest wildfire in the state’s recorded history.
“We have been holding the Force Service accountable for their errors,” she said. “This is what justice looks like.”
Spending such a large windfall will take time, she said, because the Federal Emergency Management Agency needs to set up rules and regulations first. But she noted that the aid program will be built differently from the way FEMA typically is set up to help in the aftermath of disasters, an initial response that has frustrated many fire victims.
FEMA is expected to establish the rules for the $2.5 billion program in mid-November, followed by a public comment period. It’s not clear exactly when the first payments will be made to fire victims.
“Normally regulations take a year, six months,” she said. “We required that the regulations need to be done within 45 days. That’s an example of how we built into the law. We want this done fast.”
Fivethirtyeight, a poll aggregator and analysis website, projects that Leger Fernandez is “clearly favored” to win the race, beating her opponent in 96% of simulated outcomes. After the redistricting process, the site gave Democrats an advantage of 5 percentage points.
Leger Fernandez has also far out-raised her opponent, heading into Election Day with more than $610,000 in cash on hand. Martinez Johnson has a little more than $34,000, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Bill would put Navajo legislative leader on indefinite leave - Associated Press
Navajo Nation Council Speaker Seth Damon is facing disciplinary action for being intoxicated during a family vacation in Las Vegas.
Navajo lawmaker Otto Tso introduced legislation Friday in the Tribal Council to place Damon on administrative leave without pay indefinitely. The council can take action on the bill after the five-day public comment period ends.
Damon is in his second, two-year term as head of the tribe's legislative branch, one of three branches of the Navajo government. He presides over Tribal Council sessions and represents six Navajo communities in the Arizona portion of the reservation as a delegate on the 24-member council.
Damon was on a private vacation with his family in Nevada earlier this month when he was photographed slumped in a chair in front of a gambling machine.
Damon acknowledged wrongdoing and informed council delegates that he was intoxicated, according to public documents.
"Our leaders should be held accountable and I accept responsibility for this incident," Damon said in a statement last week. "I made a mistake as an elected leader and it will not happen again. I send my apologies to the Navajo people and the communities I represent for any ill will or embarrassment this photograph caused."
Damon "brought disrepute" to the tribe and "must still face the consequences and repercussions of his conduct," the legislation reads.
Damon said in the statement that he will work with the council "to further discuss corrective actions in the best interest of the Navajo Nation to begin the healing of our Nation and myself." No tribal funding was spent on the trip to attend the Indian National Finals Rodeo to support Navajo athletes, he said.
If the legislation to place Damon on leave is approved, the speaker's position will be filled temporarily by the leaders of each standing committee of the Navajo Nation Council on a rotating basis until a new speaker is selected in January when new tribal leaders are seated.
How displaced or unhoused New Mexicans can register to vote - By Megan Gleason, Source New Mexico
Those experiencing homelessness or who are displaced still have the right to vote in New Mexico. They just have to register first — if they’ve never done so before — which can now happen in-person during early voting or on General Election Day, and a ballot can be cast that same day.
To register, New Mexicans are required to list a place of residence, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a permanent home address. A homeless shelter, frequent nightly dwelling or PO Box can be put down, as long as there’s a mailing address.
Voters can also add a temporary place of residence that a ballot can be sent to.
Early voting goes through Saturday, Nov. 5, and then polls are open again on Tuesday, Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
UNHOUSED VOTERS
Mark Oldknow is the associate director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. He said for people who are unhoused, voting is fairly easy and not that different of a process from everyone else.
There are a few ways people who are unhoused can put down an address. They can list a homeless shelter, describe the location or draw a map of where they most often reside at night, as long as there’s a mailing address.
Deputy Secretary of State Sharon Pino said it’s common for unhoused people to put a shelter as their fixed address.
“The person still has to provide the statutorily required voter information the first time they vote, but they are not disenfranchised for being unhoused,” Pino said via email.
Still, Oldknow acknowledged that “there’s a lot of stigma around the homeless showing up” anywhere, including a polling location.
Another issue is that not enough unhoused people are aware that they can vote or how easy it is, he said.
“I think it’s kind of education and getting the word out to the homeless themselves that they’re entitled to vote,” he said. “The system is not tilted against them.”
DISPLACED VOTERS
Voters can list an alternate address to receive a ballot, even if it’s out of their county of state. That’s probably the easiest way for anyone displaced by the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire to vote, Secretary of State’s Office spokesperson Alex Curtas said earlier this month.
“You basically have to say, ‘Well, this is where I’m registered to vote, but this is where I’m living right now. Please send my ballot to this address,’” he said.
Carlos J. Arellano is a Mora County Clerk. He said a lot of displaced Mora residents are staying in Las Vegas, N.M., or Santa Fe, and will probably just come in person to vote.
He said he thinks this General Election will run a lot better than the summer primaries, the first community event since the fire forced evacuation. So far, he said, the number of ballots cast is pretty average — nearly 400 votes were in as of Thursday.
“We anticipate everything just running smoothly as usual,” he said.
Still, Mora County Commissioner Veronica Serna said last month she’s not sure everyone will find the time to vote while they try to recover from the fire and flooding disasters.
The county already has a fairly low voter turnout historically, not unlike the rest of the state. Arellano said about 30% to 40% of registered voters usually cast a ballot, depending on how interested people are in the races.
“We’re just adjusting back to everything now,” he said.
Want to represent ABQ Westside in the NM Senate? Nov. 10 is the deadline for applications. — By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Those interested in filling the seat left empty by New Mexico State Sen. Jacob Candelaria have until Nov. 10 to apply, a date established after tensions flared among the county board charged with replacing him.
Sen. Jacob Candelaria, a Democrat-turned-independent, announced Oct. 19 that he would be resigning that day, which was two years before his term was up. Because District 26, which Candelaria represented, sits entirely in the county, the Bernalillo County Commission is tasked with naming his replacement.
The county announced Friday that commissioners will make the appointment Nov. 15. Those interested must be at least 25-years-old and live within the current boundaries of Senate District 26.
It took a heated debate to get there. Debbie O’Malley, a Westside commissioner, said she was worried the decision was being rushed to favor political insiders. The argument reportedly ended with O’Malley cursing at a fellow commissioner after the meeting,the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Commissioners who were in favor of naming a replacement quickly countered that residents shouldn’t have to wait unnecessarily long to have representation in District 26.
Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, a Westside Democrat, announced that he had eyes on Candelaria’s seat hours after the senator’s resignation, and said that he would soon apply. He told Source New Mexico previously that he hoped the commission would act fast.
Navajo presidential hopefuls represent change or continuity - By Felicia Fonseca Associated Press
Navajos next week will choose whether to elect a president who has never held political office or one whose career in tribal government spans two decades.
Incumbent President Jonathan Nez and challenger Buu Nygren emerged as the top two vote-getters among 15 candidates in the tribe's primary election in August.
Both want to ensure that tens of thousands of people on the country's largest Native American reservation have access to running water, electricity and broadband. The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the lack of basic services across the Navajo Nation and led to more than $2 billion being allocated by the federal government, some of which will fund infrastructure projects.
Nez ascended to the presidency after serving as a community leader, council delegate, county supervisor and tribal vice president. He has infused Christianity into the job while promoting a resurgence of Navajo culture and language, particularly during the pandemic when Navajos were encouraged to stay on the reservation.
Nygren was thrust into the political scene four years ago when Joe Shirley Jr. picked him as his running mate after Shirley's initial choice didn't pan out. Nez got nearly twice as many votes as Shirley, denying him a third term in office. Nygren resigned from a job in construction management to seek the tribal presidency.
More than 126,000 Navajos are registered to vote in the tribe's general election on Nov. 8 that will also determine the makeup of the 24-member Navajo Nation Council — often seen as more powerful than the presidency.
Nez and Nygren are limited to raising about $180,000 each for the nonpartisan race, including the primary. Donations can come from Navajos only.
Radio plays a huge role in campaign advertising because of the remoteness of the vast 27,000 square-mile reservation. Candidates also spend countless hours on the road meeting with voters in tribal communities and off the reservation.
The tribe has the largest land base by far of any other Native American tribe in the U.S. and its population of about 400,000 is second only to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
Nez selected law school graduate Chad Abeyta as his running mate. Nygren chose Richelle Montoya, who is president of a Navajo chapter on the New Mexico side of the reservation. The tribe has never elected a woman as president or vice president.
Nygren's energy in some ways resembles what Nez exhibited in the 2018 election where he positioned himself as a young candidate ready to work on a to-do list generated by talking with Navajo voters. Nez's tone is more measured now, as he works to assure Navajos that progress is being made but takes time.
At a recent debate at Arizona State University, Nygren suggested Nez's administration has moved too slowly on negotiating water rights in Arizona and establishing an office in Phoenix to serve urban Navajos. He also criticized the president for what he said was needless spending on a tribal office in Washington, D.C. and the purchase of property off the reservation.
"If you're losing faith and hope that we can have a better future for tomorrow, then you should step aside," Nygren said to Nez at the debate. "But as your next Navajo Nation president, I am full of hope with aspiration for a better Navajo Nation."
Nez countered that Nygren doesn't understand how tribal government operates and hasn't built a network of local, state and federal leaders to advocate for funding and other resources for the Navajo Nation.
Nez also has pushed back on assertions that his administration was too strict in implementing measures during the pandemic in which more than 1,900 Navajos have died. Nez's administration ordered lockdowns, curfews and other restrictions.
Businesses on the Navajo Nation haven't fully reopened, partly because of the less than a handful of confirmed monkeypox cases, Nez said.
"We took our sovereignty seriously," he said in an interview. "We have the ability to govern ourselves, and we kept that mask mandate in place. And if you ask Navajo people, they'll say we had to do that to keep our people safe during the pandemic, and they accepted that."
New US plan could lead to federal action on Colorado River - By Felicia Fonseca And Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press
The Interior Department announced Friday that it will consider revising a set of guidelines for operating two major dams on the Colorado River in the first sign of what could lead to federal action to protect the once-massive but shrinking reservoirs behind them.
The public has until Dec. 20 to weigh in on three options that seek to keep Lake Mead and Lake Powell from dropping so low they couldn't produce power or provide the water that seven Western states, Mexico and tribes have relied on for decades.
One of the options would allow the Interior Department's U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to take unilateral action, as it threatened this summer when it asked states to come up with ways to significantly reduce their use beyond what they have already volunteered and were mandated to cut.
"The Interior Department continues to pursue a collaborative and consensus-based approach to addressing the drought crisis afflicting the West," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. "At the same time, we are committed to taking prompt and decisive action necessary to protect the Colorado River System and all those who depend on it."
The announcement comes more than four months after Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton told Congress that water use must be cut dramatically as drought and overuse tax the river — an essential supply of water for farmers, cities and tribes in the U.S. West, as well as Mexico.
The seven states that tap the river failed to reach Touton's August deadline and have been working ever since to reach a compromise. It now appears unlikely a grand deal will be reached. In the meantime, the bureau has offered up billions in federal money to pay farmers and cities to cut back.
But Interior's new action marks the first time it's taking a clear step toward imposing its own, mandatory cuts. The agency anticipates changes to the conditions at which water shortages are declared in the river's lower basin. Lake Mead and Lake Powell were about half full when the 2007 guidelines were approved and are now about one-quarter full.
The other two options under the Bureau of Reclamation's plan are to let states, tribes, and non-governmental organizations reach consensus, or do nothing, which is a standard alternative in environmental impact statements.
The bureau expects to produce a draft next spring based on public input. A final decision could come in late summer of 2023 around the time the bureau announces any water cuts for the following year.
The 2007 guidelines and an overlapping drought contingency plan approved in 2019 were meant to give states more certainty in their water supply. For the lower basin states — California, Arizona and Nevada — the agreements set elevation levels at Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border at which they are subjected to mandatory and voluntary reductions. Mexico also shoulders cuts.
Water users have been delayed in renegotiating the agreements that expire in 2026 because the drought and climate change have forced quicker action.
Nevada, Arizona and Mexico will have to cut their water use in 2023 for a second year in a row under existing agreements. California is looped in at lower elevations in Lake Mead. Arizona was forced to give up 21% of its total Colorado River supply. Farmers in central Arizona, tribes and growing cities like Scottsdale are feeling the impacts.
Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said he's been hoping the bureau would require cuts from water users rather than rely on voluntary action. But he also warned the prospect of mandatory cuts could make it less likely that farms or cities will choose to give up some of their water, calling it a "zero-sum game" of sorts.
Still, anything that results in savings is a worthwhile action, he said.
"The situation in my mind is so dire, we're so close to the edge," he said in a recent interview.
The department declined further comment Friday, and the Southern Nevada Water Agency didn't respond to a request for comment. Chuck Cullom, executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission, said he was still evaluating the announcement but appreciated the bureau taking action.
Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said he hopes the threat of cuts will inspire users to offer up more savings now while federal money is available to pay for it. The district supplies water to nearly 20 million people and counts on the river for a third of that water.
"The more you can do now with compensation is going to reduce the chance of being cut back without it," he said.
Under one payment option, water users can be paid up to $400 per acre foot of water (325,850 gallons) left in Lake Mead. So far only the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona has publicly expressed interest in that option, saying it will conserve up to 125,000 acre feet of water (40.7 billion gallons) on its reservation and offer another 125,000 acre feet of water stored underground to cities annually for the next three years.
Farmers in California and Arizona say that's not enough money to account to cover losses if they leave fields unplanted or to pay for things like installing more efficient irrigation systems. They plan to apply for money through a different option that allows them to name their price — and justify why they deserve it.
A third pot of money would offer payment for larger projects aimed at achieving long-term water savings, like ripping up decorative grass in urban areas or building small, on-farm storage systems that make it easier for farmers to bank water rather than lose it to runoff.
The bureau says water users who take the $400 payments may be prioritized for that money over users who want more for short-term conservation.
California's water users have offered to conserve up to 9% of its river water. That's contingent on adequate payment and help for the Salton Sea, a drying lake bed fed by farm runoff.
Record high visitors nationwide came to New Mexico in 2021 - Associated Press
New Mexico saw a record-breaking number of almost 40 million visitors last year, according to a new report released this week by the state's tourism office.
The study determined 39.2 million people came to the Land of Enchantment and generated $7.2 billion in spending across the state, the Albuquerque Journal reported. That is 1 million more than the previous record set in 2019.
"It should be a point of celebration for all of New Mexico that we were able to exceed even the most favorable trajectories for tourism recovery within calendar year 2021," Jen Schroer, the state's Tourism Department cabinet secretary, said in a statement.
The calculations were based on tax collections, lodging performance data and other information. Visitors not only included travelers who came from abroad but anyone who came from at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) away "and deviated from their normal routine."
The annual report found the total economic impact of tourism from last year to be around $10 billion. This includes indirect spending like purchases by tourism-centric businesses and "induced impacts" like workers' wages shaped by traveler spending.
The department attributes $7 billion to record spending by domestic travelers.
Since 2017, New Mexico has seen a steady rise in visitors each year until a dip in 2020 because of the pandemic. Still, the state received 35 million visitors despite travel restrictions. But as measures eased up in 2021, tourism also went up.
Tourism last year drove up the food and beverage industry in New Mexico, which saw $1.7 billion in direct sales. The report also found lodging led to $1.6 billion in direct sales.
Local and state tax revenue through tourism stood at more than $700 million last year.
The state Tourism Department is looking to branch out in its outreach. Officials plan to advertise in new markets like the city of San Francisco, Schroer said. They already made a request to the state Legislative Finance Committee last week for $20 million be budgeted for this.
It's the only way to stay competitive and "to meet growing demand," she added.