Wednesday, February 08, 2023Rural New Mexico Gets Ultimate Challenge With Stern Gun Control Taking Center Stage, Plus: Watching For MLG CYFD Reform Bill, And: Our Tuesday Bottom Lines The pleas of rural sheriffs to back off might have been more influential only a few years ago but fell on deaf ears as the ban sailed through the Dem-dominated panel on a 4 to 2 party line vote.
Not that the gun restrictions will make it all the way through the Legislature this year. They likely won't but the sense is this could be the beginning of a new multi-year Roundhouse battle in a more progressive dominated state, similar to the chipping away at the death penalty that was repealed in 2009. Anti-gun control forces have the Second Amendment to fall back on and if the restrictive measures did manage to pass they would certainly be met with full judicial pushback. If this Governor has been true blue to any legislation in her federal and state careers it has been on limiting guns. Now that she is re-elected she is free to amp up the rhetoric. She said of the committee vote: I am a firm believer in responsible gun ownership – that's not up for debate. But the fact of the matter is that our communities, our families and our law enforcement are put at risk every single day when weapons of war fall into the wrong hands. The assault weapons ban is notable for being sponsored by an all woman team of progressives--Santa Fe Reps. Andrea Romero and Linda Serrato and ABQ area Reps Roybal Caballero and Eleanor Chavez. The bottom line? Gun control remains a wedge issue but the crevice it fills is growing smaller as the power of the cities expands. FIGHTING FENTANYL
Rep. Stansbury called on her House Republican colleagues to pass bipartisan immigration reform and pushed back against misinformation during Tuesday's House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics, over 90 percent of fentanyl, and over 80 percent of total narcotics, are arriving at legal points of entry. The narcotics, according to the seizure data, are largely smuggled by Americans—not unauthorized migrants. That "smuggled by Americans" line is the eyebrow raiser. We assume those are Americans in the employ of the major Mexican drug cartels. BIG BILL DROP? We cited Roundhouse talk of a possible CYFD reform bill coming down from the Fourth Floor. Marlayn Beck of NM Child First Network, has more: We are getting word that a child welfare Omnibus bill will soon be dropped by CYFD and the Governor's office as a priority "agency" bill. Expect this to be big. As we work to ensure transparency and accountability in all aspects of New Mexico's child welfare systems, this will be an important issue to scrutinize and review. New Mexico Child First Network has worked for the past 5 years to pass an independent and autonomous office of the child welfare advocate or ombudsman, and this year will be no different. We must ensure independent, outside, and autonomous oversight for this continued area of need. BRAIN FOG As we've blogged, the immense windfall that is pouring into Santa Fe raised hopes for more sweeping and comprehensive attacks on the state's deep-rooted social problems. Reader Bruce Shah puts it this way: Too little money and nothing gets done. Too much money and everyone gets brain fog. Richardson was corrupt, but to some degree they all are at the level. At least he knew how to kick ass and make things happen. Reader Dave Meurer piles on: Hey Joe, We all know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results. Let me suggest a New Mexico version of this definition: Electing the same type of leaders with the same lack of plans and expecting different results. . . We could have a trillion dollars fall into our laps, but I doubt the politicians we have now would have any additional clue as to what to do. All too often, I just shake my head in disgust. THE BOTTOM LINES
Doug passed away in the hospital on Wednesday, February 1. May Doug rest in peace. He caught a terrible cough over Christmas and never recovered. We will have a dinner in celebration of his life this Sunday, February 12th in Methuen, MA. Among Antoon's NM clients were former US Rep. Yvette Herrell, ex-ABQ City Councilor Don Harris and Pete Domenici, Jr. who ran for Governor in 2010. Doug Antoon was 66. . . Former state auditor Brian Colón has settled into a new job. He is the managing partner of the New Mexico offices of San Diego based law firm Singleton Schreiber.The firm says it represented "more than 12,000 victims of utility fires and has recovered approximately $2 billion in settlements." The firm also says it specializes in personal injury. Colón unsuccessfully ran for the Dem nomination for attorney general in the 2022 primary. He served one term as auditor. . . Monica Guardiola, a Lordsburg NM native, has been appointed Democratic National Committee Chief Operating Officer, and is believed to be the highest ranking Hispanic in DNC history. She previously served as General Counsel for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023 |
 
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