MLG and Torres

The state attorney general's office has historically been a platform for puffery and do nothingness so it was a stark contrast indeed when AG Raul Torrez lowered the hammer on the Lujan Grisham administration and its long-troubled Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) by starting an investigation into the agency's handling of a recent death by suicide of a 16 year old foster teen at a CYFD facility and more. 

I will not tolerate the excuses, the assurances. I think we have all grown tired of waking up and hearing about another child who’s been injured, another child who’s been hurt, another child in state custody who’s been killed.

The Governor was not happy about it but she brought this upon herself by continually ignoring the crisis of maltreatment of children by resisting reform and by appointing agency leaders not up to the job. Still, her denial remains as thick as a brick:

Gov. Lujan Grisham signed into law a new Office of Child Advocate in the attorney general’s office that confers him with authority to investigate CYFD’s operations. . .However. . .the governor is concerned that this new office could be weaponized to intimidate CYFD and its staff rather than to prioritize the safety and well-being of children in the state’s care. She reiterates this concern following the AG’s unfounded, blanket criticisms of CYFD at a news conference.

Progressives in the legislature also share blame for looking the other way for years as the Democratic Governor tried to sweep CYFD's systemic failure under the rug. They woke up this year.

But the political system, as maddeningly slow as it can be, is now responding as the AG calls out CYFD's dreadful performance and its penchant for nondisclosure. 

The investigation offers an opportunity for the public to get a holistic look at CYFD instead of a hodge podge of reports on horrific abuse cases and agency incompetence. It could also put an end to splintered legislative efforts to do something--do anything--about the breakdown and could present the opportunity for a comprehensive reform package.

The Governor's legacy has been blackened by her stubbornness to confront the crisis but it isn't too late to lighten that stain if she stops her solo resistance movement and joins with Torrez to clean up and clean out one of the worst and longest running examples of government incompetence. 

TICKET BALANCING

Las Cruces attorney Israel Chavez reacts to chatter that an all woman Governor and Lt. Governor Democratic ticket in 2026 might not be balanced:

Joe, it’s sad to think that in New Mexico, where we are raised and governed by our mothers, tias, and abuelitas, that someone could think that we wouldn’t elect an all female ticket. 

Stephanie Garcia Richard is a formidable candidate, has transformed the land commissioner's office and fought successfully to pass an oil and gas royalty increase for the first time in decades. 

If folks recall, she was the underdog in the land commissioner's race nearly eight years ago. She’s the first woman and Latina to hold that office in state history. And people said a teacher couldn’t do it. As a son of a teacher, I can tell you that a teacher can do anything they set their mind to, including run and win the race for Lieutenant governor.  

Deb Haaland is the front-runner for the '26 Democratic gubernatorial nomination. She faces a primary challenge from BernCo District Attorney Sam Bregman. Garcia Richard is the first announced candidate for the Dem nomination for lieutenant governor. There has never been an all female ticket for the state's top two offices. 

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You may not have heard this news because media here does not cover other media--even when a tectonic shift takes place--like the sale of the entire 28 acre campus owned by the ABQ Journal in order to generate cash to keep the long struggling newspaper in business. The publisher says:

Repurposing is. . . what we’re doing with it because we’re taking our asset and making it liquid and then using that so that so we can continue on strongly.

But the sale is expected to generate millions (the asking price is private), more cash than probably needed for the paper's short-term future. Because the Journal is not a public company we don't know if they have large debt to service or whether this is a prelude to a sale of the state's largest newspaper.

The paper says it occupies about 20 percent of the space in NE ABQ. The remainder is leased out but how much of that is vacant was not disclosed.

The Journal next year marks 100 years under the tutelage of the Lang family but the sale of their treasured campus, one of the state's premier developments from the 80's, raises questions about that long run continuing.

The Journal has been slashing expenses and staff for years but with little to show for it. Subscriptions continue to tank as they do for most printed media. (That's an educated assumption since readership figures are no longer publicly available and have not been for years,)

Moving the paper to a smaller and more digitally focused headquarters, as now planned, will keep the concern going but to what purpose? Why not sell the brand to a major chain that has the financial capability to absorb some losses and conduct a turnaround?

Maybe that window has closed and there is no buyer out there? Or perhaps the controlling family is cashing out and trying to lure a buyer for a newspaper with a smaller financial footprint.

The Journal may be a shadow of its former self but is still vital to the community. Despite financial challenges the journalism remains solid even as it is displayed in a sometimes unfocused format. (The Sunday opinion pages are like a crowded wreck on I-40)

The paper has tried everything to battle the relentless forces that that have now claimed their crown jewels. Like so much about New Mexico these days, the future of locally owned daily journalism is confounding not to mention worrisome. 

IRONIC VETO

Las Cruces state Rep. Sarah Silva comes with a bemusing example of lawmaking from the recent legislative session:

It’s ironic that HB143 (which Silva sponsored) would have given us information about who lobbied the governor to veto this bill – and without it, we have no way to know. In other words, (the Governor's) veto demonstrates the need for the very legislation she killed.

The bill would have required lobbyists to file an activity report with the SOS on legislation they support or oppose before the end of a legislative session. Silva says she will try again. 

SAVE ACT 

New reader Leslie McMurtry writes:

Dear sir, I read with interest your blog post about 330,000 unaffiliated voters in New Mexico having the opportunity in 2026 to vote in primaries without having to first change their voter registration to a major party. I wonder if you have considered how the SAVE Act, just passed in the US House, would affect these 330,000 new voters (and New Mexicans generally) should it be passed in the Senate. Here is more information.

The House passed the SAVE Act that would require Americans to show proof of citizenship in person to register to vote in federal elections, which critics say could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. Four Democrats joined all Republicans to pass the measure in a 220-208 vote. The bill would require applicants to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship such as a valid passport, a birth certificate or other forms of identification that show a person is a U.S. citizen. It's aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting — something which is already illegal and rare. 

Whether new here or around for years, we welcome your comments, opinions and existential angst.

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The race for ABQ mayor is crowded and the math muddled. There are nine candidates seeking the office including Mayor Tim Keller and the latest addition, former US Attorney Alex Uballez who officially entered the race over the weekend after we reported on his impending candidacy April 2.

Some of the hopefuls will not make the ballot or will make the ballot but not have enough money to get a message out. 

A December run-off election featuring the two top candidates from the initial November election now seems highly probable. 

Uballez came with a slick video to announce his entry and will have the backing of progressives dissatisfied with fellow Democrat Keller. 

While Uballez asserts he "has been fighting" for ABQ for 15 years he is essentially a blank slate to voters, with some recognition for his prosecution of the APD DWI scandal. 

His presumed ability to qualify for $756,000 in public financing and get additional financial support from national progressives should put Uballez in the top tier of candidates and cause Keller headaches. 

But Keller retains the support of stalwart Dems like former state Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino and former Lt. Governor Denish, as well as elected progressives on the City Council and Bernalillo County Commission including Councilor Nichole Rogers of District 6, the city's most progressive district. 

He has also added legendary civil rights leader Dolores Huerta to his list of endorsers as he works to stop bleeding of progressive support to Uballez.

CARE AND LOVE

Uballez

Uballez is interesting because at the start he has mainly progressives backing him who are often seen as weak on crime. He does have law enforcement credentials that could help him from getting tagged with that label but don't look for him to be the "tough on crime" candidate. Positioning himself as a progressive prosecutor, he came with this:

I know public safety is more than locking people up. That’s why I started New Mexico’s first federal reentry court to shut the revolving door and provide a pathway for people to return to our community. 

The NM GOP is already attacking Uballez as being soft on violent criminals, citing this quote: 

(We are) stepping out of our traditional roles in the courtroom, stepping out of our traditional roles of kicking in doors and putting on handcuffs, and approaching them with care and with love.

 SUMMING IT UP

While conservatives rejoice over the Keller-Uballez division, their own backyard is equally messy. Former GOP Sheriff Darren White, Dem City Councilor Louie Sanchez and former Dem Sandoval Deputy  County Manager Mayling Armijo are all pursuing the tough on crime vote.

The election is ultimately a referendum on Keller. Is the city ripe for a groundswell that would end his long run? No candidate in the field yet has the obvious stature to take him out. Will one of them acquire that stature during the long campaign ahead? And what of crime and homelessness? Is the electorate primed to pin the blame on Keller or see it through a different lens? Stay tuned. . . 

FIRST ADS

Th outside committee supporting Mayling Armijo for mayor--Saferabq.com--has raised $120,000 in its first weeks and comes with the first ads of the race--billboards touting Armijo as the candidate who can take on crime and homelessness. The committee spent $32,000.

Donations include $40,000 from Armijo's sister, Mary Chauling Armijo; $40,000 from Katrina Tracy, operations manager of Four Winds Mechanical and $40,000 from the Four Winds Mechanical company whose president is apparently another Armijo relative, Lynn Armijo.

Four Winds Mechanical specializes in heating, air conditioning, electrical and building automation systems and is based in ABQ.

In her official campaign account, Armijo raised $19,606 in the first reporting period. Mary Chauling Armijo donated $6,000; Katrina Tracy gave $6,000 and Four Winds Mechanical came with $6,000.

That is quite an overlap between the PAC supporting Armijo (or Measure Finance Committee as it is officially titled) and her individual campaign account. City regulations prohibit the two entities from coordinating their expenditures on behalf of Armijo. 

Former Republican Bernalillo County Commissioner Lonny Talbert gave $50 to Armijo's personal campaign account.

Armijo's boss at Sandoval County was Manager Wayne Johnson, a longtime Republican and former BernCo Commissioner who ran for ABQ mayor in 2017. 

Other PACS supporting mayoral candidates did not report any fund-raising.

In their city accounts former GOP Sheriff Darren White reported $29,000 in donations including in-kind contributions; Keller reported $15,621 and Councilor Louie Sanchez reported $11,750 including a personal loan of $10,000.

All campaign filings by the mayoral and city council candidates as well as the outside PACS are here.

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