Quezada

Bernalillo County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada, also an actor and comic, upstaged his fellow commissioners recently when he walked out of a commission meeting. We blogged about it and he responded:

 It's important to recognize that the U.S. Constitution protects the minority party's voice through the Bill of Rights, ensuring everyone can freely express their opinions. Although I am a Democrat and in the majority party on the Commission, my values of integrity and transparency seem to be in the minority. Additionally, the system of checks and balances in which our nation was founded on ensures that minority interests are considered in decision-making processes. 

Unfortunately, the interests of both (Republican) Commissioner Walter Benson, myself, and, most importantly, our constituents have been disregarded and silenced by Commissioners Barbara Baca, Eric Olivas, and Adriann Barboa. 

I walked out of the last Commission Meeting after proposing a compromise to allow each Commissioner to appoint someone to the County Manager selection committee. Regrettably, this compromise was defeated in a 3-2 vote. As an elected official, compromising hasn't always been politically easy for me, but it has always been the right thing to do. 

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government reported Commissioners Baca, Olivas, and Barboa to the New Mexico Department of Justice (Attorney general's office) for potentially violating the Open Meetings Act by conducting business outside of official public meetings in relation to the hiring of our new County Manager. 

And lastly, you’re correct I am not laughing. There's nothing humorous about the silencing of over 270,000 Bernalillo County residents' voices by three County Commissioners. It's particularly concerning and not funny when three out of the five Commissioners are under investigation by the NMDOJ.

MAYOR AND MEDINA PUSHBACK

Medina and Keller

The Tuesday blog regarding APD Chief Harold Medina's scheduled departure for the end of 2025 and an analysis of his record touched nerves at APD and the Mayor's office. First, the mayoral response

Interesting thesis on the Tuesday blog. Unfortunately half is factually way off. Medina saved reform at APD, taking the department from 38% DOJ compliance when he came in to 94% today. Homicides, auto thefts, burglaries and robberies are all down, and officer recruitment and retention are on the uptick. Of course, you wouldn’t know that based on media coverage, so no one can argue with your point about perception. 

Also, the Mayor has searched outside the state for a Chief multiple times, but City Council said Medina was the best candidate for the job and confirmed him 8-0. They basically reiterated this by not even considering the proposed no confidence vote a few weeks ago. 

Medina is the only chief who has taken on the decades old DWI scheme and working with the FBI to make sure anyone involved will never work for the City again. Through good times and challenges, Chief Medina is first and foremost a cop who cares most about serving the community. He speaks candidly and from the heart, and people appreciate that he is a local, authentic leader who responds the needs of residents and works hard day in and day out despite the vitriol and politics. 

The Chief's office came with this critique: 

--Crime continues to go down, following national trends. The one area that bucks the national trend – and the trend we have more control over – is solving homicide cases and arresting offenders.  So far this year, detectives have solved 21 of 26 cases, or 81%. Of those solved cases, 32 suspects have been arrested or are deceased. Our Investigative Support Unit and SWAT officers have also arrested all suspects; no suspect who has been charged is outstanding.  In addition, detectives this year have solved 8 cases from previous years and arrested 17 suspects. That’s a total of 40 solved cases and 49 murder suspects in 3 ½ months. We arrested 119 murder suspects in 2023 and 119 murder suspects in 2022. . .

--Police shootings – The DOJ commissioned an independent review of the spike in shootings in 2022. That review determined there was no pattern of unconstitutional, deadly use of force. Also, that vast majority of individuals shot and killed by police have been under the influence of meth, Fentanyl and very high blood-alcohol levels – likely altering their state of mind prior to the shootings. All six fatal shootings last year involved those drugs and/or alcohol. Also, nearly every shooting has in the past two years have involved individuals with guns, and suspects have shot police at least three times.

--The chief’s auto accident resulted from someone firing a handgun in the direction of his vehicle. We don’t know what that has to do with his temperament. 

--One city councilor continues to attack Chief Medina politically and not for cause. Interestingly, there have been no calls from the police union for a vote of no confidence. Just one councilor. 

--APD overtime? What abuse has happened during Chief Medina’s tenure as chief? 

--Ask again about the DWI scandal in a few weeks. We have said since the beginning this is more about a broken criminal justice system. Chief Medina took responsibility for getting to the bottom of APD’s problems and worked with the FBI to make that happen. 

As for the shootings at Coronado Mall, Ask the management there why they chose to post another law enforcement agency there under the former Sheriff. 

The office also attached  "a list of accomplishments" and a rebuttal to Councilor Louie Sanchez's criticism of Chief Medina. Here is that list.

LIKE BOSTON? 

Reader Bruce Shah writes: 

More and more this city is looking like the Boston I left 30 years ago. One party rule sucks no matter which party it is. Nice summary on Medina/Keller and the AWOL Federal Monitor. Thank you!  

 SPECIAL SESSION

MLG initially gave a special legislative session an 80 percent chance of happening then upped it to 85 percent. Now it's 100 percent. A special session dealing with crime has been called for Thursday, July 18. It is anticipated that it will last several days. 

The Governor's announcement:

(The Governor) will call the New Mexico Legislature into a special session on Thursday, July 18 to take up additional public safety protections that New Mexicans demand. Gov. Lujan Grisham said she decided to convene a special session to allow lawmakers to finish what they started during the 30-day session. Based on discussions with legislative leadership, the governor anticipates that the special session will be completed within several days. “While we made some progress toward a safer New Mexico during the 30-day day session, we agree that we must do more,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “The special session in July will enable us to deliver additional statutory changes that reduce the danger and risk New Mexico communities face every day. The best proposals for making our state safer will be under consideration, and I welcome input from my colleagues in the legislature.” The July 2024 special session will be the fifth special session of the legislature during Gov. Lujan Grisham’s tenure as governor.

The state GOP reaction: 

When New Mexicans hear that Gov. Lujan Grisham is calling a special session to address public safety, a chill runs down their spines because her past actions prove that she is not interested in taking measures against criminals, but rather against law-abiding citizens. The Democrats are totally to blame for New Mexico's out-of-control crime. They need to explain why public safety wasn't their priority during the previous legislative session despite holding a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. During the last session, Republicans proposed several bills aimed at increasing penalties for multiple crimes, ending catch and release, and securing the border. Democrats killed every single one. Recently, the Governor expressed her intention not to take additional measures to secure New Mexico’s Southern border, even if she were to call a special session. She cannot claim to care about public safety while ignoring the numerous problems stemming from our open border, including the rampant influx of fentanyl, alarming prevalence of human trafficking, and criminal cartel activity. Despite this, the Governor is planning to spend hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans' tax dollars to convene an additional session that could result in another waste of time or in law-abiding citizens' rights being infringed upon. For the sake of New Mexicans, I hope that the Governor will engage in meaningful conversations with Republicans and heed their advice on addressing the criminal issues plaguing our state to ensure that this special session will be productive.

The Democratic legislative leadership reaction:

House Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), Majority Floor Leader Gail Chasey (D-Albuquerque), Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe), and Majority Caucus Chair Ray Lara (D-Chamberino) issued the following statement: 

We anticipated this announcement and we share the Governor’s commitment to ensuring all New Mexicans can feel safe in their homes and communities. We also want all of our neighbors to be able to get the help they need when they or a loved one are struggling with mental or behavioral health issues. In the coming weeks and months, it will be critical for us as elected leaders to work together with stakeholders and experts to develop meaningful solutions to these challenges. In order to be responsible public servants and stewards of taxpayer dollars, we must enter the special session with a set of achievable goals that will genuinely make our communities safer, improve access to healthcare and services, and protect the rights of New Mexicans. In recent sessions, we have made significant progress toward making our streets safer and addressing the root causes of crime. We look forward to building on that progress in this special session, as well as in the upcoming 60-day legislative session, which is just around the corner.

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