New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham plans to consult with her successor over utility regulator nominees
– Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
A nominating committee on Friday gave New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham two recommendations for candidates to fill an open seat on the state commission that regulates utilities, but she intends to consult with her successor before making a decision.
As Commissioner Gabriel Aguilera’s term expires at the end of the year, the New Mexico Public Regulation Nominating Committee on Friday recommended two candidates to serve six-year terms with an annual salary of $190,000 beginning on Jan. 1: Aguilera himself and Laura Sanchez, the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor’s chief general counsel.
Both Aguilera and Sanchez are Democrats.
Michael Coleman, Lujan Grisham’s communications director, in a statement to Source NM said the governor is not ready to make a decision yet and “would like to consult with the governor-elect.” New Mexicans will elect a new governor in Tuesday’s general election in a race between Democrat Deb Haaland and Republican Gregg Hull.
“She is also making her own considerations,” Coleman said.
Whomever Lujan Grisham selects will need to undergo confirmation in the state Senate. The commission is currently presiding over several controversial, high-profile cases, including a private equity firm’s proposed takeover of PNM, the state’s largest electric provider.
State utility regulators are also overseeing an investigation into whether PNM overbilled customers earlier this year when it relied on estimated energy use amounts, rather than meter readings, to issue residential bills.
Aguilera previously worked for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for 15 years. He sits on the Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation and is chair of the Body of State Regulators.
He was the only dissenting PRC member in a July vote to approve the sale of New Mexico Gas Company to an affiliate of a Louisiana-based private equity firm. At the time, he said that he was concerned about the private equity firm’s track record. Aguilera was also one of two commissioners in July to vote that PNM and private equity firm Blackstone Infrastructure violated state law by completing a $400 million stock sale without first obtaining state approval.
At a recent interview with the nominating committee, Aguilera said addressing affordability is the commission’s biggest challenge.
“We’re facing an unprecedented convergence of cost-drivers — the need to replace aging infrastructure, to protect the grid against extreme weather, wildfire mitigation,” he told committee members. “At the same time, many New Mexicans are struggling to pay their bills. Balancing the need to maintain affordable rates and invest in our future requires a commission with technical and economic understanding.”
Before serving in the Office of the State Auditor, Sanchez was executive director of government and public affairs for PNM and an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
If appointed, Sanchez would be the second sitting commissioner to have experience working for PNM. Fellow Democrat Patrick O’Connell, the commission chair, worked as PNM’s director of planning and resources before taking a role at the nonprofit Western Resource Advocates.
At her nominating committee interview, Sanchez said her experience at PNM wouldn’t compromise her ability to regulate the company. Instead, she said that experience gives her valuable insight into its operations.
“The PRC is often an inside baseball process,” she said. “I have experience in this area on multiple sides of regulatory cases and I want to use the skills that I have developed over my career to represent New Mexico on the commission.”
New Mexico public schools see decline in Native certified teachers, state education data says
– Matt Mondschein, Source New Mexico
New Mexico’s public education system saw a steep decrease in Native language and culture teachers over the past year, according to data presented to state lawmakers on Friday.
The state’s certification program for Native American language and culture allows experts in those fields to teach in New Mexico public and charter schools without a college degree and, if full-time, earn the annual salary of a Level 1 teacher at $55,000.
Teachers certified in the 520 Native American Language and Culture Certification program play a role in the New Mexico Public Education Department’s action plan to address the landmark Yazzie/Martinez education equity lawsuit by expanding Native language education and increasing the number of students who graduate with proficiency in English and another language, including Native languages.
KatieAnn Juanico, assistant secretary for PED’s Indian Education division, highlighted the importance of Native-certified teachers to the interim Indian Affairs Committee, saying: “I was raised on the reservation — without our language, we lose a sense of self, a sense of respect.”
But recent PED data she presented shows a decline in the overall number of 520-certified teachers in public and charter schools statewide. In July 2025, PED reported 234 Native language and culture teachers in public and charter schools, new PED data shows there are now 147—a 37% decline in just over a year.
Juanico explained that based on feedback she’s received, many 520-certified teachers struggle with the requirements once they enter a public or charter classroom, particularly with classroom loads and developing lesson plans.
The 520-certified Native teachers realize, according to Juanico, “‘Whoa, what did I sign up for?’ with all these students that I have to watch, manage and build lesson plans for.” She added that, “Oftentimes, our 520 teachers, our tribal community members, don’t come to the classroom knowing all those things.”
Juanico added that PED only tracks 520-certified teachers in public and charter schools and the decrease may also be due to Native teachers with the 520 certification returning to a tribal school after teaching at a public or charter school. Collecting that data “is an opportunity to understand why those teachers are leaving the district and charter schools,” Juanico said.
To support 520-certified Native teachers, Juanico said the Indian Education Division wants to develop classes for Tribes, Pueblos and Nations to boost Native-teacher success after receiving the 520 certificate, and to work with districts and charter schools to recruit and hire more certificate holders.
State Rep. Patricia Royal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) highlighted the need for the PED Indian Education Division to collect more information on 520-certified teachers and how they’re addressing gaps articulated in the Yazzie/Martinez case.
“It is important to have that information because we should be modeling and showcasing our tribes as leading the charge in this,” Roybal Caballero said.
Heavy rain renews flooding across northwestern New Mexico
– John Miller, Albuquerque Journal
A renewed wave of flooding across the Four Corners region on Monday prompted officials to issue evacuation notices in northwestern New Mexico and parts of Arizona and Utah, where communities are still recovering from devastating flooding that began Oct. 22.
In San Juan County, emergency officials issued evacuation notices to more than 20,000 people, warning residents within a half-mile of the Animas, La Plata and San Juan rivers to leave their homes as rising floodwaters threatened communities across the Four Corners region.
“It's wide and it's fast,” Devin Neeley, a San Juan County spokesperson, told the Journal while overlooking the Animas River near Aztec Monday afternoon.
Neeley said crews conducted fewer than 10 rescue operations during the latest flooding, with additional operations involving the National Guard for which he did not have a count. No serious injuries or fatalities had been reported.
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website
GOP asks judge to ban League of Women Voters guides from state polling places
– Olivier Uyttebrouck, Albuquerque Journal
Voters who plan to use a League of Women Voters guide to help them make choices on Election Day will need to bring their own copy to the poll on Tuesday.
An error in the printed version of the guide prompted a Roswell judge on Monday to issue an injunction ordering county clerks to remove the guides from polling places statewide.
New Mexico Republicans filed a lawsuit on Friday asking 5th Judicial District Judge Jared Kallunki to issue the injunction citing an inaccurate photograph of Larry Marker, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, that was published in the 2026 voter guide.
But Kallunki did not rule on a larger issue raised by the Republican Party of New Mexico about whether the voter guides amount to partisan “electioneering” at polling locations, which is a violation of state law.
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website.
New Mexico's early vote tally surpasses 2022 levels, as Election Day finally arrives
– Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
After months of campaign ads and candidate promises, Election Day has finally arrived in New Mexico.
With all statewide offices on the ballot, a total of 456,726 voters around the state had already cast their ballots this year via early and absentee voting entering Monday — a figure that’s more than 17,000 votes higher than four years ago.
With Election Day set for Tuesday, both Democrats and independents have voted at a higher rate than they did in 2022, while Republicans have voted at a lower rate thus far.
Specifically, about 40.7% of registered Democrats had already cast a ballot, compared to roughly 31.8% of Republicans, according to Secretary of State’s Office data.
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website
