Meeting to decide Democratic lieutenant governor candidate at least a month out - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
As speculation grows over who will replace New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, a final decision remains at least a month out.
Only Sara Attleson, the chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, can call a meeting at which members of the State Central Committee vote to select a replacement. The chair must call that meeting at least 30 days before the vote and that had yet to be done as of Monday, party Communications Director Daniel Garcia wrote in an email to Source NM.
Toulouse Oliver abruptly dropped out of the race last week citing health concerns after she soundly defeated state Sen. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque) in the primary contest for the party’s nomination.
Her departure from the race leaves the Democratic nominee for governor, former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, without a running mate as she is set to face Republican former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull in the Nov. 3 general election. Hull is running alongside Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eunice), who won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.
When Toulouse Oliver dropped out, Pope told Source NM he would offer his candidacy to replace her on Haaland’s ticket. Since then, several state officials have similarly expressed interest.
Stephanie Garcia Richard, the current state commissioner of public lands, in a recent email to supporters wrote that she was “deeply honored that so many New Mexicans have reached out to encourage me to step forward.”
“This role is a vital partnership, and I recognize that the next lieutenant governor must be someone who can work in lockstep as a true team with Deb Haaland to deliver for our families,” she wrote. “That decision rests with Deb and the Democratic State Central Committee — but I’m ready to serve if called upon.”
Early last year, Garcia Richard had announced her intent to run in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. She dropped out of the primary race in October, citing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
“My heart is with Maggie as she focuses on what matters most — her health and her family,” she wrote in her recent email to supporters. “I was in a similar position several months ago and I’m thrilled to report that my husband’s health has greatly improved.”
Other elected leaders have also publicly announced their interest.
State Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Española) on social media announced that he was offering his candidacy to replace Toulouse Oliver.
“As a proud native son of Northern New Mexico, and after five years serving in the state Senate, I have seen firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing our state,” he wrote. “I’ve worked to bring people together, find common ground and deliver results for the communities we serve. If given the opportunity, I will bring that same spirit of service, collaboration, and optimism to the office of Lieutenant Governor.”
Haaland announced she intends to be involved in the process. In a letter addressed to State Central Committee members shared with Source NM by her campaign on Monday, Haaland says she plans to meet with candidates as the committee considers its options.
“As a former State Party Chair, I respect each of you and the important role you will play in helping choose the best person for the job,” she wrote. “In my role as the Democratic nominee for Governor and with a deep concern for the direction of New Mexico, I also carry a responsibility to ensure we have the best candidate, who will help accomplish our shared vision to lower costs for families, increase access to healthcare, improve education, and make communities safer.”
Haaland says she specifically wants candidates interested in consideration to request a questionnaire from her campaign. She and her team, she wrote, will hold interviews ahead of the committee’s election, and she plans to announce an endorsement in the race.
This story was updated following publication to include information about Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland's plan to participate in the replacement process for her running mate.
40 mayors worldwide endorse a pact to shape data center development - By Jennifer Mcdermott and Anton L. Delgado, Associated Press
Forty mayors from around the world have signed onto a pact announced Tuesday to try to shape how urban data centers are built and operated.
It's their vision for how urban data center development can be done sustainably — and not at the expense of their cities' natural resources, energy prices or climate targets. C40 Cities, an alliance of nearly 100 cities seeking to impact climate change, launched it during London Climate Action Week.
Many new data centers are coming to rural areas for cheap land. Experts at C40 say metropolitan areas are under tremendous pressure too, with about 1,700 data centers located in their network of cities so far. Development of data centers is expected to grow by over 40% in 50 of those cities.
C40 got involved because the mayors of Phoenix and Melbourne, Australia, came together over worries about data centers using a lot of their cities' electricity and water, and competing with housing developers for available land.
"We found out that the challenges in every region around the world were very similar," said Cassie Sutherland, a managing director at C40. "Our approach was to say OK, how do we now use a global mayoral voice to come together with the conditions under which they will accept data centers."
Data centers are built in cities to be close to firms that want systems powered by artificial intelligence to respond instantaneously. Major companies locate data centers in cities to be near their business operations. And data centers tend to be built in clusters, forming ecosystems in metropolitan areas that might outweigh factors like land costs. It's just more recently that data centers have moved out into rural areas, said Andrew Batson, global head of data center research at JLL.
Political and local opposition has been growing because of fears about blackouts, rising electricity bills and the centers' voracious water needs. Some states are suspending tax breaks or considering moratoriums on data center construction.
The pact focuses on choosing sites, clean energy, affordability and community engagement
About half of participating mayors are from the U.S. That includes Seattle and the California cities of Palo Alto and Riverside. In the Southwest, Phoenix and Albuquerque, New Mexico, joined. On the East Coast, Beverly, Massachusetts, signed, as did Lincoln, Nebraska; Chicago and Cleveland in the Midwest and Miami in the South.
European cities in Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Norway joined, as did Montreal in Canada. The pact includes African cities in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Kenya, as well as Asia-Pacific cities in India and Australia, and Lebanon in the Middle East.
Sutherland said their vision needs to be translated into action, with each city using it as a framework for their own regulations or guidelines. Mayors are limited in what they can do unilaterally, so they'll need buy-in from other government officials, utilities and the private sector.
The pact lists several standards for data center developments. Urban data centers should be built on abandoned or underutilized land in an area that minimizes negative impacts on noise, heat and air pollution. Developments should be fueled by renewable energy and battery storage, and data centers should reduce water use and emissions, as well as capture waste heat.
And, the mayors want data centers that create jobs, buy local goods and services, pay for their own infrastructure upgrades and listen to community feedback.
Phoenix is in the top 10 for data center markets in North America
The Phoenix metropolitan area has pending permit requests that would double the electricity demand if all of these data centers were built. Developers are drawn there for its reliable power and predictable weather.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said she's concerned that investments in data centers right now are worsening climate change and not meeting the needs of communities. Mayors are forming a unified front to help improve data centers everywhere — that will keep developers from simply looking for communities unable to advocate for their own benefits, she added.
"We understand the importance of this innovation, it's creating great jobs in our community," Gallego said. "We just want to make sure that we get it right for our local residents and for the health of our planet."
Southeast Asia wants to be a data center hub
As of Tuesday, none of Southeast Asia's cities endorsed the pact. Several said they couldn't because of national policies or other complications, but the conversations are ongoing, C40 said.
The region accounts for a quarter of global energy demand growth, partially driven by more than 2,000 data centers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, according to the think tank Ember.
The annual energy demand from these data centers will more than double in the next five years, the International Energy Agency said. This is most evident in Malaysia, which has drawn investments and interest from tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Nvidia.
Data centers add to Melbourne's water concerns
If Melbourne follows through on all its plans, data centers will annually consume up to 20 billion liters (5.3 billion gallons) worth of water, or about 4% of the drinking water supply, according to the city's Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece.
The water supply is already strained by the growing population, longer dry periods and more extreme heat driven by climate change.
Melbourne played a key role in the pact. Reece said stricter environmental regulations there likely won't threaten future plans. Ultimately, he said, data centers are going to go where there's enough power and land, and where they're close to the markets and companies using artificial intelligence.
"We don't want to see a race to the bottom between cities where governments, desperate for investment, are chasing data centers on any terms possible," he said. "We want to see a better framework in place so that the investment rush in data centers can be a win-win — a win for investors and also a win for local communities."
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El Niño returns: What it means for New Mexico - Karmina Conde, Albuquerque Journal
For the last few years, New Mexicans have watched winter storms bypass the state and dump snow and rain elsewhere. This year, forecasters say the Southwest might finally get its turn.
The reason is El Niño, a weather pattern that normally brings more moisture and cooler temperatures to the Southwest during fall and winter months. Its counterpart is La Niña.
The cycles alternate every two to seven years and vary in severity. La Niña has been around for the past two years, and the last El Niño, albeit a relatively mild one, happened in 2023 and 2024.
The National Weather Service says there is a a 63% chance the coming El Niño is a strong one. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts the event to be very strong.
“In 2015, we had a strong El Niño and had some pretty strong impacts across the state,” said Scott Overpeck, a meteorologist with the NWS in Albuquerque. “Whether we’re going to get that again, it’s still debatable.”
The 2015-2016 El Niño brought a historic snowstorm to New Mexico, dumping 2 to 6 inches of snow in the Albuquerque metro area from the night of Dec. 26 into the morning of Dec. 27, according to Journal archives.
This winter, Albuquerque will have a better chance of rain and snow. The southern parts of New Mexico are expected to see the largest increases in snowfall and precipitation due to El Niño. The north-central part of the state may see the slightest increases.
Water woes
Overpeck said El Niño can have a “pretty big impact on water supply for New Mexico,” which is big news for a state mired in drought.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports 62% of New Mexico is in severe drought, with 21% in extreme drought.
The amount of drought relief depends on how much tropical activity from the eastern Pacific actually moves to the Southwest.
“We happen to be in parts of the world where it's pretty easy to argue that El Niño is a good thing, especially given our current, long-term drought situation,” said David Gutzler, University of New Mexico professor emeritus. “I think what’s going on now is the combination of continental surface heating, water temperatures and so forth that has the system set up to at least improve the odds somewhat.”
The increased fall and winter rains are expected to come after the summer monsoon season, which the NWS predicts will bring above-normal precipitation in the central and eastern portions of the state.
While above-normal precipitation decreases drought, it also increases the likelihood of flooding.
For places such as Ruidoso, a community nestled in the mountains of southeastern New Mexico that has been devastated by fires and floods in recent years, the combination of summer monsoons and El Niño makes flooding a threat again.
Burn scars from those wildfires have created barriers to natural drainage, limiting how effectively the ground can absorb water and complicating runoff flow, said Alina Nieves, a meteorologist with the NWS in Santa Teresa.
Overpeck recommended tracking weather alerts through phones, TV or social media and thinking ahead about specific risks, whether it’s flooding, cold temperatures or both.
“It comes down to a lot of practical preparation that needs to happen and just making sure people have a plan to handle these kinds of situations,” he said.
3 Republicans appeal universal childcare lawsuit to New Mexico Supreme Court - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico A trio of New Mexico Republicans are asking the state Supreme Court to weigh in after a District Court judge dismissed their lawsuit accusing state officials of enacting a universal childcare program without the necessary legislative approval.
In their suit, State Sen. Steve Lanier (R-Aztec), former GOP gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and former state House of Representatives candidate Zac Anaya argued that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham violated the “separation of powers” in state government by announcing the universal childcare program late last year without having the Legislature’s backing. Attorneys for Lujan Grisham countered that the Legislature had long given the state Early Childhood Education and Care Department the authority to expand who is eligible to receive childcare assistance.
The Republicans invoked an old state Supreme Court case in which Rodriguez, who at the time led the state’s Human Services Department, was accused of implementing a state program “without seeking legislative approval.”
Earlier this month, Second Judicial District Court Judge Elaine P. Lujan ruled against the plaintiffs, finding the case moot in part because earlier this year Lujan Grisham signed a bill into law that established the framework for the universal childcare program. The three Republicans appealed to the state Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Their attorney, Jacob Candelaria, did not respond to Source NM’s request for comment. Anaya told Source that he “always knew this one was headed for the Supreme Court” when he signed onto the lawsuit in April.
“I believe this is the type of case the Supreme Court needs to hear, especially when it comes to separation of powers,” he said. “District Court (Judge) Lujan was in over her head on this issue. I’m not sure it was the proper venue.”
In a statement to Source NM on Friday, Lujan Grisham’s Communications Director Michael Coleman said the governor’s office was unfazed by the appeal.
“Mr. Rodriguez’s case was weak from the start and that hasn’t changed since Judge Lujan dismissed it earlier this month,” he wrote. “We’re optimistic that the New Mexico Supreme Court will affirm Judge Lujan’s ruling and allow the lawful universal child care program to continue serving New Mexico families.”
Defense attorney faces new prison smuggling charges - Colleen Heild, Albuquerque Journal
An Albuquerque defense attorney portrayed as an unwitting dupe in a prison drug-trafficking scheme is now facing new federal charges of attempting to provide opioids to two inmate clients.
Longtime lawyer Brian A. Pori was indicted on two counts of attempting to provide Suboxone to clients at the Cibola County Correctional Center. The indictment came as part of a continuing federal investigation into drug smuggling at the prison near Grants.
Pori was also indicted on one count of possession of child pornography after federal authorities searching for evidence of his alleged drug connections examined his cellphone and laptop in late March and April.
Four others allegedly linked to Pori’s clients were arrested on federal charges of conspiracy and providing a prohibited object to a prison inmate.
Pori, 65, is in federal custody awaiting an arraignment Thursday in U.S. Magistrate Court in Las Cruces.
Pori, a defense lawyer for 38 years, was initially arrested March 11 after he tried to bring an eyeglasses case to Cibola inmate Paul Lujan. Inside the screening room, correctional officers discovered Suboxone strips sewn into the case.
At the time, Pori said he was innocent, did not know what Suboxone looked like and had been “set up” by a woman who dropped off the eyeglasses at his Albuquerque office, court filings state.
Days later, state prosecutors dismissed the case but referred the incident to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico. Federal prosecutors had overseen a major drug-smuggling crackdown at the prison in the fall of 2024 that led to 10 arrests.
Since then, the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI have been attempting to disrupt the flow of narcotics into the prison, which primarily houses defendants facing federal criminal charges and immigration violations.
“Inmates and their conspirators have become bolder and more desperate to introduce contraband into the facility,” Deputy U.S. Marshal Tyler K. Foster stated in a criminal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.
“This has taken the form of exploiting loopholes in the attorney-client system to introduce drugs and other contraband into (the prison),” he wrote.
In May 2025, the Marshals Service intercepted a suit intended for an inmate at the Cibola prison to wear to court as he was beginning a federal trial.
The suit came from an attorney with the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Albuquerque, which was representing the inmate. Inside the suit, the Marshals Service found strips of Suboxone, a controlled substance used to treat addiction.
“Members of the FDPO denied involvement with the attempted introduction of contraband, even though they stated that they inspected the suit prior to delivering it to the (Marshals Service).”
The Marshals Service routinely transports prisoners to court for hearings.
Pori is accused of sending a manila envelope marked “Legal Mail” and “Confidential” to Reynaldo Vargas, a Cibola inmate, on Dec. 8. Pori, a former assistant federal public defender, had been appointed to represent Vargas.
Once the envelope reached the prison, a Cibola employee delivering it to Vargas noticed the papers inside did not feel normal, the complaint stated.
The papers appeared to have “stains” and “odd colors,” so the employee reported them to the Cibola Intelligence Unit. Tests to determine the composition of the suspicious papers were inconclusive. A subsequent test at the FBI Forensic Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, came back positive for Suboxone on Feb. 2.
As the investigation continued, the FBI and Marshals Service reviewed historical jail phone calls, tablet messages and video visits involving Vargas.
“During analysis of these recorded calls, investigators also discovered additional calls indicating that inmates who Pori currently represents, or has represented in the past, have been utilizing Pori and his law firm to smuggle narcotics and contraband packages into (Cibola prison) since at least October 2025,” the complaint states.
Other defendants are Joanna Garcia, identified as Vargas’ partner; Francine Leyba, Lujan’s mother; Daisy Alderete, Lujan’s partner; and Sergio Rodriguez, who is on federal probation. The criminal complaint alleges Rodriguez helped coordinate narcotics packages smuggled into the prison through Pori.
All defendants except Leyba are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Damian Martinez on Thursday. Leyba was released from custody Monday pending trial.
Santa Fe historic board rejects request from new owners to downgrade Acequia Madre House - Carina Julig, Santa Fe New Mexican
In Santa Fe, the city’s Historic Districts Review Board has denied a request to downgrade the historic status of the 100-year-old Acequia Madre House on Santa Fe’s east side.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the request was unanimously denied on June 9.
At that meeting, about a dozen community members expressed anger about the request and the owners’ unapproved removal of a shed on the property. That move inspired the city to issue a stop-work order.
The “Territorial Revival” style building was put on the market last year by previous owner El Rancho de las Golondrinas. The building’s new owners asked the board to downgrade its historic status so they could more easily renovate it into a family home.