Albuquerque City Council

The runoff for Albuquerque City Council District 6 kicks off Tuesday, Nov. 21, with early voting ahead of the Dec. 12 election. The four-way race for the seat has become a head-to-head contest between November’s top two finishers, Nichole Rogers and Jeff Hoehn. The candidates are making their cases for why their experience sets them apart.

As the race for Albuquerque City Council District 6 heads into a runoff election, the field has narrowed from four to two. Voters who came out for one of the two candidates who didn’t make the cut for the runoff must now assess whether the platforms of Democrats Nichole Rogers or Jeff Hoehn better align with their values and expectations. The two differ greatly on their approaches to policing and public safety.

This week, the Albuquerque City Council rejected a move to make it easier to create safe outdoor spaces for people experiencing homelessness. This comes in the wake of an injunction from a judge to create more indoor shelter space for folks on the street. The injunction also limits clearing of encampments, as well as jails and fines for people sleeping outside.One city councilor says the city could have responded to the injunction with additional safe spaces and it needs to do more.

Albuquerque’s city council has approved bills that would prevent the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board from hearing a rule on environmental health and equity impacts — and completely replace its current members.

Next month, a joint hearing between the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board will be held to consider rules meant to speed up the transition from fossil fuels to electric vehicles.

Bills that would completely replace the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board and potentially undermine its regulation authority are set to be heard by Albuquerque’s City Council on Wednesday, November 8th.

Next month’s election will reshape the Albuquerque City Council, with four of the nine seats up for grabs. How it shakes out could make or break Democratic Mayor Tim Keller’s ability to follow through on his agenda. The last council election saw it inch to the right — a balance that could be bolstered or reversed with two seats held by Democrats and two held by Republicans on the ballot.

Last week, housing advocates hoping to take an initial stab at Albuquerque’s housing shortage by establishing a basic, online landlord registry were disappointed after an ordinance aiming to do just that failed miserably on a 7-2 vote in City Council.

Eight years after the murders of two Indigenous men at a lot on Albuquerque’s westside, the city appears poised to make something meaningful of the site. Bella Davis (Yurok Tribe), Indigenous affairs reporter with New Mexico In Depth, spoke with KUNM about her reporting on what happened there and what’s to come.

Back in June, Albuquerque City Councilor Renée Grout proposed reallocating city funds for Planned Parenthood to the Barrett House Shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness. The Council voted Monday night against robbing Peter to pay Paul, and will fund both organizations.