New Mexico improves from 50th to 48th in national child poverty rankings - John Miller, Albuquerque Journal
New Mexico’s overall average poverty rate fell from 17.2% between 2022 and 2024 to 16% from 2023 through 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest three-year estimates, outstripping a national decline of 0.4 percentage points over the same period.
Child poverty — an assessment of whether pretax income for households with children falls below the latest poverty threshold — declined more significantly in New Mexico in the last three years, dropping from an estimated rate of 24.2% between 2022 and 2024 to 20.9% from 2023 to 2025.
That moves New Mexico up from 50th to 48th among states and Washington, D.C., in national child poverty rankings, an improvement New Mexico officials say they’ve been working toward amid ongoing cuts to the federal social safety net.
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website.
New Mexico House candidate drops district residency lawsuit against GOP opponent - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The Democratic candidate for an Albuquerque state House seat has dropped the lawsuit alleging her Republican opponent does not live in the district she hopes to represent.
However, Republican Jahnelle Louise Garcia is still facing criticism about her residency status in the House District 27 race, including from the fellow Republican she narrowly defeated in the June 2 primary race.
Democrat candidate Abby Foster filed a lawsuit against Garcia in late August, asking a judge in the Second Judicial District Court to remove her from the ballot for failing to adhere to state law that requires candidates to live in the district they intend to serve in the state House.
Foster’s lawsuit alleges that Garcia and her husband actually live in Los Lunas, based on property and voting records.
Garcia also listed an address on Walnut Creek Road, which sits within the House District 27 boundaries, in at least four recent campaign finance filings, even though the current homeowner last month toldSource NM that Garcia has not lived there for at least a year.
Foster, through her attorney Clara Williams, filed a motion to dismiss the case Tuesday. The motion maintains the allegation that Garcia doesn’t live in HD27, but notes that state deadlines that would enable a judge to legally remove Garcia from the ballot have passed.
If Garcia wins the general election, the lawsuit notes, options remain for the Secretary of State’s Office, the Democrat-controlled House, the state Supreme Court or for Foster to prevent Garcia from taking office.
The motion “doesn’t mean that she is victorious,” Williams told Source NM on Friday. “This motion for dismissal is ‘without prejudice,’ meaning that it can be brought back at any point, but also it outlines in very thorough detail all of the remedies that are available should Jahnelle win.”
Carter B. Harrison, Garcia’s attorney, also cited the statutory deadlines in a motion to dismiss the case Monday and asserted that Garcia does, in fact, live in the district.
Garcia’s most recent campaign finance filings submitted Sept. 12 list a new address at an apartment complex at San Pedro Drive NE. Garcia did not respond to Source NM’s phone call seeking comment.
However, Garcia released a social mediapost this Thursday decrying the “frivolous lawsuit” and “dirty campaign tactic.”
“I live here,” Garcia says in the video, over images of her walking or jogging in the Northeast Heights neighborhood. Garcia goes on to accuse Foster of using the lawsuit to distract voters from her ties to trial lawyers, who advocated against recent medical malpractice legislation, amid a statewide doctor shortage.
Foster called that allegation “ridiculous” in an interview with Source NM on Friday.
“She doesn’t live here. It was true then, and it’s true now, and that is why we filed the lawsuit,” she said. “I mean, my donors have nothing to do with it.”
Garcia narrowly defeated her challenger, Robert “Bob” Godshall, by fewer than 100 votes in a race where 2,251 were cast. Godshall told Source NM on Thursday that he questioned Garcia about her residency status and financial reports during a recent ward meeting,
“She was evasive, and so that kind of rubs me the wrong way,” Godshall said.
Godshall said he is considering filing a complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office.
“I hate doing anything that helps Abby Foster win,” Godshall said. “I think she’s a disaster, but she’s probably gonna win anyway.”
CYFD reforms face test amid transition - Colleen Heild, Albuquerque Journal
Just as New Mexico’s chronically troubled child welfare system is finally showing improvement, advocates and experts fear potential stumbling blocks ahead.
The worry: A new gubernatorial administration that might pause or even impede the hard-fought progress made so far.
“The uncertainty of the next administration is keeping all of us up (at night),” said Maralyn Beck, founder of New Mexico Child First Network.
One reason: Expected turnover in the top ranks of the state Children, Youth and Families Department, including its top leader, acting Secretary Valerie Sandoval.
Unlike her three predecessors appointed by outgoing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham since 2019, Sandoval had years of prior experience at the agency, particularly in child protective services.
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website.
New Mexico think tank proposes legislative ethics reforms - Source New Mexico staff
A new report from Think New Mexico proposes nearly a dozen reforms for state legislators, lobbyists and advocacy groups as elements of “modernizing” the state Legislature.
The report, issued Sunday, follows two years of research, according to a news release from Think New Mexico, bolstered by support from BSP Polling, which found that 81% of New Mexico voters “support holding legislators to a higher ethical standard,” and 64% support paying salaries to legislators “if legislators also have to comply with mandatory ethics reform.”
New Mexico voters will have the opportunity to amend the state Constitution on the Nov. 3 general ballot and allow state legislators to collect a salary for the first time in the state’s history.
The think tank news release said the organization will be advocating for the reforms in next year’s 60-day legislative session, which begins Jan. 19, 2027.
Reforms for state lawmakers include
• requiring them to disclose direct, financial conflicts of interest with legislation and recuse themselves from votes on those bills;
• “enhance” financial disclosure forms for state legislators, statewide elected officials and heads of state agencies to include more specific information in order to “more effectively identify potential conflicts of interest”; and
• bring New Mexico in line with most other states by creating a two-year period before which state legislators can become paid lobbyists.
Ethics reforms for lobbyists include:
• Requiring more detailed information on their expenditure reports that identify which legislators benefited from expenditures; which bills are being lobbied for; and which clients support such expenditures. Efforts to create expanded lobbyist disclosure requirementsfailed in the last legislative session.
• Require financial reports from lobbyists at the legislative mid-point and shortly after its conclusion versus the current schedule that requires them in May.
• Require lobbyists to disclose which bills they are lobbying for and their positions on such bills.Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed comparable lobbyist disclosure legislation last year.
Finally, Think New Mexico also proposes reforms for advocacy groups aimed at addressing various dark money loopholes in state law, including:
• Requiring disclosure of the “true source” of funding used for political or issue ads;
• Closing a loophole in state law and requiring out-of-state political action committees to file the same reports as those that operate within the state. New Mexico’s June 2 primary election featured political involvement by bothout-of-state PACs and so-calleddark money groups.
• Finally, Think New Mexico proposes outlawing “the growing practice of using constituents’ names and emails to send fake emails to elected officials.”Source New Mexico originally reported the appearance of such emails in connection with advocacy for an air-quality permit for the data center Project Jupiter.
Haaland ends talks for governor debate - James Bennett, Albuquerque Journal
Democrat Deb Haaland has closed the window on debating Republican Gregg Hull before the Nov. 3 election for New Mexico’s next governor.
The campaigns were unable to agree on a date, with Haaland saying Thursday night that she is ending negotiations.
Haaland’s campaign proposed a debate at the Journal or one of its media partners on Oct. 12, 13 or 14 and gave Hull’s campaign 48 hours to agree to one of those dates.
“Since July, our campaign has held eight different dates for a debate,” Haaland campaign manager Dylan McArthur wrote in an email to Hull’s campaign and the Journal.
You can find the complete story at the Albuquerque Journal.
New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections - By Mikella Schuettler Associated Press/Report For America
A New Mexico jury on Friday found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections on the platform in the latest legal setback against the social media giant that has already cost it billions of dollars.
The jury found over 43 million violations of state consumer protection law and it is now up to the judge to determine how much the company would pay, with attorneys representing the state asking for the maximum $5,000 penalty per violation.
"The verdict marks a significant victory for New Mexico consumers and holds one of the world's largest technology companies accountable for its conduct," the New Mexico Department of Justice said in a statement.
The two-week trial in Santa Fe centered on accusations that Facebook, owned by Meta, deceived users about a data breach stemming from a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, to generate targeted ads. The now-defunct firm's clients included the 2016 campaign for Donald Trump.
Jurors sided with prosecutors, finding Facebook made deceptive statements about protecting users' data that affected New Mexico's entire population of more than two million people. The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into third-party app developers that harvest user data following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Facebook claims state's evidence was 'outdated'
"We disagree with the verdict and will continue to defend ourselves against efforts to distort our record," said Alex Burgos, a spokesperson for Meta in an email.
During closing arguments, lawyers for Facebook claimed the state's evidence was outdated and that despite having five years to gather material, New Mexico found only one other instance of a data breach.
In one of the few wins for the defense, jurors found the state didn't prove that Facebook made false claims about removing harmful content, including misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The state claimed the company favored certain accounts and allowed for violent or inaccurate content to proliferate. During closing arguments, Randi McGinn, an attorney representing the state, argued that Facebook profited off harmful content.
Facebook denied the claims, arguing the company has adapted its policies since the state's lawsuit was filed in 2021 and that it removes 99% of content that violates standards. In a deposition played for jurors, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company had robust systems to determine whether content should be taken down.
"Meta's platforms are forums for free expression. We have a First Amendment right to manage those platforms in a way we believe best serves the interests of our community. This means prioritizing free speech, protecting our users' information and giving them control over their data," Burgos said in a statement after the verdict.
Expert says impact on the company remains unclear
Despite jurors finding millions of violations, it's unclear how much of an impact the case will have on the company's bottom line, given how profitable Meta is.
"It's unlikely that this is going to be the case that effectively penalizes the company in a meaningful way," said Peter Ormerod, an associate professor of law at Villanova University.
Ormerod said the social media company has very high margins and previously skirted regulatory actions on its platforms.
If the state successfully persuades the judge to award the maximum civil penalties for every violation, the company could owe over $200 billion, with interest accruing if it decides to appeal. The judge will have to weigh complex arguments from both sides about what penalties are fair. In a previous case, New Mexico secured $942 million over the platform's policies to protect minors.
Ormerod commended the state's "dogged prosecution" of the social media giant, but isn't sure the judgment will be significant enough to change Meta's ways.
"There's been a lot of criticism that none of these amounts of money are enough to discipline the company," Ormerod said.
Judge will decide penalties at later date
The judge will decide on penalties during a hearing on Oct. 1. Attorney General Raúl Torrez told reporters following the verdict that all money awarded will go into a fund for the state's education system. The state is also seeking an injunction to stop similar practices in the future.
Friday's verdict follows several others against Meta recently.
In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a multistate lawsuit involving child safety issues. Buried in the 130-page settlement was an agreement to release Meta from future liability related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy breach, making New Mexico the only state to decide to pursue a case on its own. Florida was the only other state that did not sign the settlement, saying it was not tough enough on Meta, leaving the door open for future litigation.
Also this year, New Mexico won judgments totaling $942 million from Meta in a two-phase trial about the company's safety protections for minors. The court ordered Meta to implement new safeguards, including age-verification technology and time limits on its platforms.
Pueblo of Laguna earns national recognition for affordable housing in its community- Jeanette DeDios, KUNM News
An affordable housing development built by the Pueblo of Laguna got national recognition last week for its use of a federal low-income housing tax credit.
It comes as anew report by the Legislative Finance Committee shows New Mexico needs more than 58,000 affordable homes for low-income residents.
Laguna has an urgent demand for housing, according to a news release. The Laguna III project provides 20 homes, a community building, basketball court and playgrounds. It was designed with Pueblo-inspired elements and oriented toward community amenities.
The project received an award of excellence in the Native American Housing category from the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, which honors affordable housing developments that have demonstrated impactful use of the low-income housing credit in order to strengthen communities.
