Two Dems appointed to the House District 16 seat compete for election to it - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
Both Democrats running for House District 16 in the primary election have represented the Westside Albuquerque district before, as appointees. Now, Yanira Gurrola Valenzuela and Marsella Duarte are competing for election to it for the first time.
As KRQE-TV reports, after then-Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas was appointed to the Senate in late 2022, the Bernalillo County Commission appointed Duarte to finish out the last few weeks of his term. Maestas had also won another two-year term to the House, which was set to start in 2023. A new commission, with a different make-up, appointed candidate Gurrola Valenzuela to fill that seat, which she still holds.
Gurrola Valenzuela was a math teacher, department chair and bilingual coordinator for Albuquerque Public Schools for over a decade, according to her campaign, and worked as an engineer in Mexico before immigrating to the U.S. Upon her appointment, she told Source New Mexico that she didn’t have a political record but had been “there for the community.” More than a year later, she now has a record to run on.
Last year, she co-sponsored a bill that created a special status to protect juvenile immigrants who experience abuse or neglect. And this year, she co-sponsored legislation that requires colleges and universities to adopt affirmative consent and trauma-informed policies for investigating sexual abuse allegations. Both were signed into law.
She told the League of Women Voters one of her priorities is reducing crime. She said she would look to “neighborhood policing, drug treatment, and more police officers,” to get that done.
Meanwhile, Duarte is also an educator. She previously taught kindergarten and now works as a community school coordinator in the district, according to her campaign. She has also served as a committee assistant in the Legislature and vice-chair of the Bernalillo County Democratic Party.
Duarte named public safety as one of her top priorities to the League of Women Voters. On her campaign site, she said she would collaborate with law enforcement to “develop community policing strategies that build trust.” She also said she would focus on the root causes of crime, “such as poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse.”
Whoever wins the Democratic primary election will go up against Republican combat veteran Leland Bohannon in November.
Two NM wildfires exceed 1,000 acres, as forecasters warn of increased risk Memorial Day Weekend - By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Two wildfires in remote areas of New Mexico grew significantly in the last 24 hours, and dry, windy conditions across the state aren’t expected to let up anytime soon, according to the latest forecasts.
The Blue 2 Fire about 10 miles northwest of Ruidoso was less than 50 acres yesterday morning but Friday morning has grown to nearly 1,500 acres, or about 2.3 square miles, according to the latest figures from the National Interagency Fire Center.
About 270 miles north, the Indios Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest grew from about 850 acres to about 1,100 acres – about 1.7 square miles – by Friday morning, according to the latest figures.
Both fires are currently burning along or within previous wildfire footprints, which can slow the spread of wildfire or make them easier to pin down. The Blue 2 Fire is in the footprint of the 2012 Little Bear Fire, and the Indios Fire is running along the edge of the 2017 Ojitos Fire burn scar, according to fire officials.
The fires are burning in remote areas, and firefighters said they intend to monitor the Indios Fire but allow it to burn up a predetermined area, to “play its natural role in this fire-dependent ecosystem,” according to NMFireInfo.com.
FIRE RISK EVERYWHERE IN NEW MEXICO
As the wildfires burn in New Mexico, national forecasters are warning about weather and climate conditions over Memorial Day Weekend that could cause or worsen more of them.
The entire state of New Mexico is under either a Fire Weather Watch or a Red Flag Warning, according to the National Weather Service. Watches mean that fire weather conditions are possible; Red Flag Warnings mean critical fire weather is happening or about to happen. Those warnings are in effect across much of southwestern New Mexico.
In addition, forecasters are warning of “extreme” fire weather potential over the weekend in the Guadalupe Mountains and Lincoln National Forest, where the Blue 2 Fire is burning. Even outside of the “extreme” risk areas in southeast New Mexico, the entire state is in “critical” or “elevated” fire risk.
The National Weather Service forecast says winds will be strongest in the northeast Friday, but that they will grow strong again across the region Saturday. Gusts could reach up to 50 mph over the Memorial Day Weekend.
State officials are calling on the public to refrain from burning brush this weekend or clearing it from near the homes, among other safety and preparedness warnings.
“Stay informed, heed evacuation orders, and create a defensible space around our homes to reduce fire risk,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham posted on Instagram Wednesday.
Former Santa Fe priest accused of sex abuse takes his own life - Santa Fe New Mexican, KUNM News
A former Santa Fe priest accused of child sexual abuse took his own life ahead of a federal court hearing in his case scheduled for this morning.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Daniel Balizan served at Santa María de la Paz Catholic Community before the Archdiocese of Santa Fe removed him in response to allegations of child sex abuse.
He was accused of grooming and sexually abusing a teenager on church property in 2012. He was indicted last year by a federal grand jury on a charge of coercion and enticement of a minor.
Balizan was expected to plead guilty at today’s hearing, but instead Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie Roybal announced that he had died by suicide.
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe said in a statement that “his tragic decision to end his life underscores the far-reaching and devastating consequences of the crime of child abuse — affecting victims, their loved ones, and even perpetrators themselves.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
New Mexico officials warn of health effects from rising temperatures - Associated Press
Health officials in New Mexico are warning residents to take precautions as daytime temperatures are expected to climb over the coming days in eastern and southern parts of the state.
Since April 1, the state Health Department said there have been at least 51 heat-related visits to emergency departments across New Mexico as record high temperatures have been recorded.
The state in 2023 logged more than 900 heat-related hospital visits between April and September — with nearly half of those occurring in July. This marked a sharp increase from previous years, and forecasts for this summer are calling for above-average chances for more hot and dry weather.
So far this year, heat waves have been causing problems around the world — from hundreds of people suffering heatstroke in Pakistan to water shortages in Mexico.
In New Mexico, temperatures are expected to climb to the upper 90s in Roswell and Carlsbad and will remain in the 90s in Las Cruces this week. Authorities there are telling motorists not to leave children or pets in the car, even if the windows are cracked.
State health officials said symptoms of heat-related illnesses can range from rash and sunburn to cramps and exhaustion. Those who are more vulnerable include people who work outside, children, older adults and those with chronic medical conditions.
Tribes say their future is at stake as they push for Congress to consider Colorado River settlement - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
Within the heart of the Navajo Nation and in the shadow of the sandstone arch that is the namesake of the tribal capitol, a simple greeting and big smiles were shared over and over again Friday as tribal officials gathered: "Yá'át'ééh abíní!"
It was a good morning indeed for Navajo President Buu Nygren as he signed legislation in Window Rock, Arizona, outlining a proposed water rights settlement that will ensure supplies from the Colorado River and other sources for three Native American tribes — as well as more security for drought-stricken Arizona.
The signature came a day after the tribal council voted unanimously in favor of the measure. It also was approved this week by the San Juan Southern Paiute and Hopi tribes.
Now, the three tribes will be working to get Congress' approval for what could be the costliest water rights settlement in U.S. history.
"We've got a tall, tall task," Nygren told the crowd. "But we're going to get it done."
The Navajos have one of the largest single outstanding claims in the Colorado River basin and officials say the needs across the territory exceed the proposed price tag of $5 billion.
Nearly a third of homes in the Navajo Nation — spanning 27,000 square miles of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah — don't have running water. Many homes on Hopi lands are similarly situated, and the San Juan Southern Paiute have been left for generations without a reservation — or water rights — to call their own.
Tribal leaders told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that the proposed settlement is about more than just a fundamental right to water, but marks a new path for cooperation among Native American tribes as they assert rights to harness natural resources and plan for the future amid the worsening effects of climate change.
While efforts to negotiate an agreement have been generations in the making, the leaders said the ongoing drought and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic were among the challenges that drove the latest round of talks.
Navajo Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley said Friday that the importance of having clean, reliable sources of drinking water became even more apparent during the pandemic. She talked about Navajo families who have to drive many miles to pick up water and haul it home and making due with just several gallons a day.
Other non-tribal parties to the settlement must still approve the measure, but tribal officials and their attorneys are hoping that discussions in Congress are well underway before the November election.
Congress has enacted nearly three dozen tribal water rights settlements across the U.S. over the last four decades. According to the U.S. Interior Department, federal negotiation teams are working on another 22 agreements involving dozens of tribes.
New Mexico to receive $18.9M in federal money for ‘forever chemical’ detection — By Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Big check energy at the Roundhouse.
Daniel Prokop with Source New Mexico reports National and state environmental officials celebrated a $18.9 million federal grant for most of New Mexico’s water systems to use over the next two years to detect “forever chemicals,” in the state’s drinking water.
State officials say they hope to pull down a total of $47.2 million in the next five years in additional rounds of federal grants. The first two years will focus on detection and subsequent phases will address removal of Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS for short) in drinking water.
More than 496 systems serving 231,000 New Mexicans are eligible for the funding, state officials said.
NEW MEXICO CONTEXT
As the nation grapples with the reality of these contaminants’ omnipresence – in rainwater, in our bodies, in animals – New Mexico water systems are already struggling.
In 2021, the environment department found PFAS in at least 15 water systems in New Mexico, according to tests performed with federal assistance.
The most impacted communities are in Curry County and Otero County, according to that data. That’s also where PFAS plumes from firefighting foam infiltrated the groundwater for decades next to military bases. The state tested more than three dozen cities and water systems for 28 compounds. Only five compounds are subject to the proposed limits.
A Clovis dairy had to euthanize more than 3,600 cows after Cannon Air Force base contaminated water sources infiltrated wells on the dairy.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury described hearing about the moment, saying that the disaster made PFAS not just an economic issue, but a personal one for New Mexico.”
“It’s a big day for New Mexico. it’s a big day for families, it’s a big day for ranchers, and it’s a big day in our fight to really tackle the chemical contaminants that affect our communities,” Stansbury said.
Rebecca Roose, acting as the infrastructure czar in the governor’s office said addressing PFAS is part of a larger plan to address water scarcity in the arid state.
“When we talk about our water being polluted and contaminated and not safe, there’s few things we take more seriously than that,” Roose said. “Perhaps right up there with it is protecting the water so that it never becomes polluted, contaminated or unsafe, because there is not a drop of water to spare.”
The federal grant is funded from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which contained at least $9 billion earmarked for addressing PFAS contamination.
This is the first grant of its kind in the region, said Earthea Nance, who oversees EPA Region 6, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Nance said there are no set plans for enforcement for holding PFAS polluters accountable in Region 6, but said that could change with more information.
“I don’t want to say no, because we mean, tomorrow, we could start putting a plan together,” she said.
Nance said the EPA Region 6 office is relying on state officials to help determine how large the enforcement response will be.
“Because we’re giving this money to the state of (New) Mexico, some of that will fall on them in terms of assessing the situation so that we can then figure out how to identify enforcement issues,” Nance said.
HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
The grant has the unwieldy name; Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Program (EC-SDC). Name aside, it will allow for New Mexico’s environment leaders to spend up to $18.9 million over the next two years.
The program’s first phase will oversee water sampling, creating a statewide database and outreach to water systems, according to environment department officials.
Public water systems with 10,000 or fewer connections, or communities where the median household income falls between $56,828 – $75,770 are eligible to opt in, using this form.
“The great thing about this grant is we will be hiring and controlling a lot of the contract work and actually implementing it, which does take a little bit of a relief off the water systems,” said Kelsey Rader, the deputy division director for Water Protection with the state.
Rader said further federal money, two years from now, would offer more than testing, but also water treatment.
“That’s what’s really special about this grant is that it covers everything from the testing, from the design to the actual remediation, in paying for the necessary upgrades,” she said.
When asked if the $18.9 million is close to addressing the scope of PFAS in New Mexican’s water systems, Rader said the department doesn’t have a date set on when they’ll be able to test every New Mexico system.
“It’s difficult to say when that’s going to happen,” she said.
MORE WORK TO DO
Kenney said the state is still working to address current contamination, noting the environment department recently sent a letter asking for the federal government to commit to clean up water surrounding the Cannon Air Force base, not just beneath it.
A contentious court fight continues on, as the New Mexico Environment Department is still attempting to require the U.S. Air Force to follow state testing and treatment protocols over contamination at Cannon Air Force base. The case has stretched on for years in federal district court and now is in the 10th Circuit Appeals Courts.
The state is currently in mediation with the U.S. Air Force over the litigation and has been for over a year, said Bruce Baizel, the compliance and enforcement director for the environment department. The parties just extended that mediation period through late June.
The $18.9 million for clean-up would go farther, if people’s contact with PFAS in everyday items were reduced, said Kenney.
“In our legislative session, I’d like to see a bill introduced that bans PFAS but for essential uses, like medical devices,” he said. “But if given the choice of having a toxic chemical in your house that then becomes a toxic chemical in your body, I would choose not to have it in my house, or my body.”
Maestas faces first election as an appointed state senator - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
Though Democrat Antonio “Moe” Maestas has served in the Roundhouse for 18 years, only two of those have been in the New Mexico Senate. The former Representative was contentiously appointed to the position in 2022 following the resignation of Sen. Jacob Candelaria. Whether District 26 voters on Albuquerque’s Westside actually want him to represent them is on the ballot this primary election, where he faces challenger Julie Radoslovich.
Education is a centerpiece of the campaign.
In the House, Maestas was the lead sponsor of a resolution to tap a state trust for early childhood education. After about a decade of effort, it passed in 2021 and voters overwhelmingly approved the constitutional amendment. He sits on the Senate Education Committee and also had a hand in bringing financial literacy courses into high schools. On his website, he commits to pursuing educational reform policies that “foster inclusivity [and] innovation.”
Radoslovich is herself a longtime educator. She was a teacher and principal at Albuquerque public charter school South Valley Academy. She also sat on the New Mexico Teacher Evaluation Task Force. She’s running in part on increasing teacher training and pay, reducing class sizes and improving job readiness.
Despite this, Maestas is the one carrying key educational endorsements, including the Albuquerque teacher’s union and University of New Mexico faculty union.
Public safety is another significant issue in the campaign.
Maestas is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who’s co-chaired interim committees focused on criminal justice reform. Most recently, he sponsored a bill that increased penalties for second-degree murder.
“I am proud to have been at the forefront in ratcheting back the failed war on drugs, seeking treatment options and other alternatives to incarceration,” he said on his website.
Radoslovich’s campaign focuses on addressing “root causes” of crime, according to her website, by increasing access to behavioral health services and enacting “Constitutional and common-sense gun safety reform.” She also wants to boost recruitment, retention and mental health support for police and first responders.
“We must adopt a data-driven, comprehensive approach to building safer communities that is proactive and creative rather than merely reactive,” she said on her website.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has endorsed Maestas, calling him “an invaluable partner,” noting his work to fund early childhood education. Radoslovich has the backing of outgoing Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino and Bill Tallman as well as several progressive state Representatives and Bernalillo County commissioners.
Maestas also boasts the sixth highest fundraising numbers of any race in the state, according to campaign finance records, with more than $272,000 in contributions. Though, more than $98,000 of that was a transferred balance from his state Representative account with the New Mexico Campaign Finance System to his state Senator account, according to a 2023 filing. A 2024 campaign finance report also shows a $2,500 loan contribution from the candidate in March. Radoslovich has brought in around $93,000. Spending wise, Maestas has thrown down about three times as much as his challenger.
The Santa Fe New Mexican has called the race “one of the most contentious contests” in the Democratic primaries. While Maestas referred to his challenger’s campaign as “a power grab by a very aggressive and entitled individual,” according to the newspaper, Radoslovich has called Maestas an “unelected incumbent” who had a “free ride” until now.
No Republican candidates are running for the Senate seat. Early voting in the primary election ends June 1 ahead of the June 4 Election Day.
CORRECTION, 5/24/24: This story has been corrected to show that the $100,873 in campaign contributions credited to the candidate on the New Mexico Campaign Finance System include a 2023 balance transfer from his state Representative account and a 2024 loan contribution.
Santa Fe ‘mansion tax’ ruled unlawful - Santa Fe New Mexican, KUNM News
A state district judge has ruled the city of Santa Fe’s so-called “mansion tax” is unlawful just days before it was set to go into effect.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports voters overwhelmingly approved the tax in November. It would impose a 3% tax on the amount of a home purchase over $1 million. The revenue would go toward the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
The city had argued the tax was on the transaction, but the judge ruled the tax is on the real estate itself, since it’s based on the home’s purchase price. Under state law, cities don’t have the authority to tax real estate.
Mayor Allan Webber told the New Mexican his administration thinks the judge “got it wrong.” He says the City Council will discuss options to appeal the decision.
The Mayor believes an appeal could allow the tax to begin while the case works its way through court. It was scheduled to take effect Tuesday.
State putting pressure on firms that manage Medicaid to help solve behavioral health access problems - By Gabrielle Porter, Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico’s Medicaid middlemen need more skin in the game.
That’s the message from Human Services Department Secretary Kari Armijo, who told lawmakers last week her department is ratcheting up pressure on insurance companies that provide coverage to nearly half the state’s residents to do more to address behavioral health care access.
Armijo told members of the Legislative Finance Committee that fixing those access issues will involve “leaning very heavily” on those firms — known as managed care organizations — to put their money where the largest gaps are.
“They should be making financial investments,” Armijo said at a Wednesday meeting. “We’ve really tasked them with reviewing the behavioral health network, looking at where we need services, making investments. It shouldn’t just be the state of New Mexico.”
Armijo’s department, which overseas Medicaid, is in the midst of overhauling its managed care program, replacing the old Centennial Care system with the rebranded and revamped Turquoise Care. The department itself also is undergoing a major reorganization set to officially roll out July 1, when it will change its name to the New Mexico Health Care Authority.
Most Medicaid patients in New Mexico fall under the managed care program, in which the state government contracts with a number of health insurance companies to organize and manage benefits for members. New Mexico’s four managed care organizations under Turquoise Care are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, Presbyterian Turquoise Care and United Healthcare Community Plan of New Mexico. Open enrollment for Turquoise Care via those plans is ongoing through the end of this month.
Health care accessibility is an issue across the board in New Mexico, where patients often have to wait weeks or months to see providers. But those problems pack a particular punch in the realm of behavioral health.
Armijo said part of the MCOs’ new contracts include more stringent expectations for behavioral health appointment wait times, which will go into effect in July, as well as new responsibilities for the insurers in providing mobile crisis services for children and adults.
“We all are concerned about families experiencing crisis [and] children in state custody,” Armijo said. “Those services will be there to support and wrap around those families who are experiencing those crises.”
Those new appointment standards include:
- A face-to-face appointment should be available within 90 minutes for people looking for crisis care. The previous contracts called for appointments within two hours.
- An initial assessment should be available within seven days of a request for non-urgent behavioral health care. Previous contracts called for assessments within 14 days.
If the MCOs don’t meet those standards, their contracts say the state can impose sanctions, both monetary and non-monetary.
Some lawmakers said they welcomed the new standards, but questioned how they will work.
Rep. Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, questioned how the insurers will be able to oversee provider wait times when so many patients call providers directly for appointments, rather than using the MCOs’ care coordination services.
“I think about how an MCO would even go about enforcing that with these huge provider networks,” she said. “... How do we know that people are actually getting help faster?”
Armijo said the state is shifting a little-known dynamic within the managed care model. Currently, the insurers perform health risk assessments of people enrolled in their plans. One problem, Armijo said, is that most patients don’t really know what an MCO is or what its role is, so they may not respond to those companies or want to participate in those assessments.
In Turquoise Care, the insurers will delegate more of that work to community providers by contract.
“For pregnant women, for example, you don’t really know who this MCO person is,” Armijo said. “But if someone from their doctor’s office is reaching out and helping, they have the ability to coordinate that care more locally.”
A BIG ADJUSTMENT
Szczepanski said in an interview she thinks that shift will be important.
“Anything we can do to make the system easier to access, to make it so that no door is the wrong door for someone to access the health they need” is a good thing, she said.
Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, questioned whether either the MCOs and the on-the-ground health providers really have the capacity to meet those goals.
“I’m wondering, if you’re mandating the MCOs to make sure these appointments happen within seven calendar days, the actual behavioral health specialists that are seeing the people, how are they going to manage that?” Armstrong asked. “Because they’re already overworked, and I would assume, seeing as many patients as they possibly can already.”
Pointing to recent increases in Medicaid reimbursements and expansions of services that can be reimbursed, Armijo said efforts are being made to build out the entire health care system “so there’s not as much pressure on a single provider. But she also emphasized the state is looking to the MCOs to step up financially to support the providers.
“I think it really does require this system to come together and strategically look,” Armijo said. “We really need these carriers who ... we’re paying billions of dollars to make those investments.”
Committee chairman Sen. George Muñoz, a Gallup Democrat, said he’s frustrated at how long it’s taking for services to come online in recent years, pointing to the $31 million that was part of the Human Services Department’s budget the agency didn’t spend last year. Referencing six certified community behavioral health clinics expected to come online next year, Muñoz said he doesn’t think they’re enough.
“I don’t know how many years we’ve talked about behavioral health ... because of what happened [with] the prior administration,” Muñoz said, referencing the decision under former Gov. Susana Martinez to freeze Medicaid funding to 15 providers due to ultimately unproven allegations of fraud. “But we’re six years into this administration. ... It’s not for lack of money. It’s not for lack of resources.”