Some of the ABQ mayoral hopefuls seem to lack perspective about the amount of money being spent on homelessness. It's not only here that city budgets to address the crisis have soared. Take Tucson, a city similar in size to ABQ: 

(Pima) county reports spending between $50 million and $70 million a year on homelessness. This money comes through federal, state, local, and philanthropic sources, according to a 2023 report from the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness. But Pima County estimates that to reach a “functional zero” homeless population, it would cost between $135.8 million and $158.5 million a year. In 2023, the county reported its homeless population at 2,209, a 1% decrease from 2022 but a 60% increase since 2018. 

That $70 million a year spent on homelessness in Pima County is a bit lower than what the city of ABQ has been budgeting but that spending includes over $100 million to purchase and renovate the Gateway Center for the homeless, a project whose long-term efficacy has yet to be determined 

ABQ also leans on the federal and state governments to help with the substantial annual costs. 

Here's more from Austin:

Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office has proposed more than $100 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2026  to maintain its programs and enhance services. The recommendations were discussed during a recent joint meeting with the city council. David Gray, the director of the city’s Homeless Strategy Office, said there are approximately 6,500 people currently living on the streets.

HOW MANY HOMELESS?

The spending critics don't seem to understand the immense housing crisis in the nation (and world) today. 

This week the state Department of Health released numbers that show a severe undercount in the official number of homeless in the state: 

Department epidemiologists. . .identified 30,882 homeless individuals seeking care. . .The annual number rose from 7,948 in 2019 to 9,168 in 2023, with the highest number in 2022 at more than 10,000 individual patients believed to be homeless. This compares with 3,842 homeless people documented in the state’s “point-in-time count” in 2023 — suggesting the population could be two to four times higher than previously documented.

In Albuquerque the median household income is $65,604, far lower than the income needed for the median priced home of $345,000. To afford that residents need a two income household, a larger down payment or look for lower-priced homes. Neighborhoods in the South Valley have lower prices, reducing the income needed to $60,000–$80,000.

More:

The surge in U.S. home prices has been nothing short of alarming. Over the past five years, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has climbed by over 50%. More recently, the leading measure of U.S. home prices reported a 3.9% annual return for December 2024. . .The gap in the housing market is significant. A recent report by Realtor.com estimated the U.S. housing shortage to be 3.8 million homes as of 2024.

We've previously reported that the cost of building a subsidized apartment building can easily reach $100,000 or more per unit. Government can spend $10 million and barely see the needle move. 

A TIGHTROPE WALK 

Forcibly removing people from the streets and into mental hospitals or drug treatment is not going to solve the fundamental problem.

Removal is often necessary for public safety and convenience and cities are getting more aggressive in that regard--as they should. But only when society confronts the immense inequality exemplified by a new billionaire class contrasted with a growing lower class is homelessness going to wane. That's why the dilemma has been resistant to solutions for years and during both Democratic and Republican administrations in Washington and ABQ.

Confronting inequity (home availability and prices) in capitalism has always been a tightrope walk. But FDR did it during the Great Depression. Absent a similar effort today ABQ, Austin and other major cities are obligated to spend to manage a homeless plight whose fundamental causes remain politically untouchable.

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Haaland & Bregman

Progressive Democrats went ballistic over Sam Bregman's April fundraiser in Midland, TX sponsored by oil and gas interests and where "Campaign for Change" tickets were peddled for $12,400 a pop. 

The hits were an early sign of the progressive dislike for the Bernalillo county district attorney who is vying for the '26 gubernatorial nomination against Deb Haaland, a fave of the left.

Critical comments about the fundraiser included:

Bregman is having a fundraising event with oil and gas in Texas. Let that sink in. . .He has a plan "to support and strengthen" that industry. Might as well say "drill, baby drill." 

And this:

He's already committed to prostituting New Mexico to the oil and gas industry.

But attacking candidates over fundraising comes with the danger of slipping into hypocrisy. For example. . . 

While Bregman is attacked over his oil and gas fundraiser by climate change advocates and while the state deals with air pollution and water contamination from the industry, what about Haaland's acceptance of big liquor money?

Her latest finance report shows donations of $22,000 from Arizona Wine and Spirits. This as New Mexico continues to battle one of the highest rates of alcoholism in the nation and a staggering death rate caused by booze.

It's so bad that measures to increase the tax on alcohol have advanced further in recent legislative sessions than the past. This as the industry comes under increased scrutiny. New studies tie alcohol use even more directly to causing cancer.

And then there's the matter of a candidate who would be the first Native American governor in state history taking money from an industry that feeds the epidemic of alcoholism that has afflicted the Navajo Nation and other Indian communities for generations.

So Bregman is "selling out" to oil and gas and Haaland to the alcohol purveyors. When it comes to campaign cash neither candidate is holier-than-thou. 

AND. . . 

Miyagishima (Las Cruces Bulletin)

Just as we wrapped that up, former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima was making his Dem Guv candidacy official and get this. He said he won't accept any donations from trial attorneys because of how medical malpractice reform has stalled out in Santa Fe:

I will never take money from a trial lawyer. I challenge Sam and Deb not to take any money from trial lawyers.

Hear that, lawyer Sam? Never mind the trial lawyers, drop the oil boys and lawyer Deb just say no to big booze. Then both of you can tell Ken it's his turn.  

Video of Miyagishima's announcement is here.

MORE MONEY 

Several readers asked if Bregman, who reported receiving $1 million in total donations recently, had received any of that funding from himself or his family. His campaign responded that he had not donated any funds and that "no family money at all" was contributed. Haaland has reported raising $3.7 million.

KELLER AND UBALLEZ

In the race for ABQ mayor, we get this commentary from reader Michael Garcia:

Tim Keller is running for an unprecedented third term as Albuquerque mayor. Third terms for members of the executive branch – whether for president, governor or mayor are bad for accountability and democracy. It’s an especially tall order for someone who has presided over the crime and homeless mayhem that has characterized our city the last few years.  

Uballez

I am also troubled by what I have heard about efforts by Keller and his operatives to kneecap former U.S. Attorney Alex Uballez’s campaign. From what I have heard Keller’s team coerced Uballez’s previous campaign manager (who is involved in the Haaland campaign for governor) into quitting. That left Uballez to start over and get far behind in seeking public financing. If true, that’s undemocratic and disappointing for someone who claims to be a fan of fair elections and democracy.

I’m not sure who I am voting for yet, but I am really turned off by the thuggish tactics Keller has engaged in. Keller claims to be fighting Trump, but by seeking a third term like Trump and intimidating Democrats like Trump, he is taking a page out of the Trump playbook. That should be troubling to anyone concerned about the direction our federal government is headed under Trump.

On May 8 we reported:

Former US Attorney Alex Uballez signed Roadrunner Strategies consultants Dylan McArthur and Brandon Padilla to run his campaign, but in a sudden switch they are already gone. Roadrunner says the firm was not fired but left because there was an unspecified "potential conflict of interest" and that they wish Uballez "all the best."

Speaking of consultants. . The American Association of Political Consultants has named New Mexico consultant Brad Elkins “Democratic Most Valuable Player" for managing Senator Heinrich's '24 re-election campaign and that of California Senator Adam Schiff as well as his work with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). 

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Daniel Chavez

Daniel Chavez is the first of 11 ABQ mayoral hopefuls to qualify for the November 3 ballot by submitting 3,424 valid signatures of registered city voters to the City Clerk, surpassing the 3,000 required and handily beating a June 21 deadline.

It could be said the political newcomer bought his way on the ballot by donating $100,000 in personal funds to launch a petition drive that got the job done. 

Still, the accomplishment shows a can do spirit that drew the attention of his rivals who are still collecting qualifying signatures. 

Several of those rivals are also seeking to qualify for $756,000 in public campaign funds by gathering $5 donations from 3,780 voters along with those 3,000 signatures. So far Mayor Tim Keller is the only candidate clearly positioned to qualify for the public money, with Republican Darren White in second.

Chavez, 55, will privately finance his campaign. He said of his first place showing in gathering qualifying signatures:

I'm feeling great. That was our goal, and we did it. When I announced my candidacy, we really weren't getting very much attention. So, I figured if we could really work hard with volunteers and friends to get enough signatures to get on the ballot before Tim, we might get noticed. And we were able to do it. 

Chavez, whose family made a fortune managing parking lots here and nationally, is the president of Parking Company of America with offices downtown. 

(More on Chavez's background and his native New Mexican family that started the successful firm in 1963 is here.)

It will take much more cash for Chavez to effectively compete and the question dangling is how much more of his personal funds will he commit. 

Getting substantial outside donations might be a longshot. He is running as a conservative independent with no previous political base and little public profile. 

Chavez's campaign is being aided by the well-known GOP consulting group Axiom Strategies and their Texas state director Lyndsey Blagrave.  

HEAVY AND LIGHT

APD Chief Medina & Keller

While he is heavy on cash, Chavez's initial platform is lightweight. On the most pressing issue--crime--he says:

Crime is out of control, and it’s killing our city. We can’t fix anything until people feel safe. . .As Mayor, I’ll fully support the Albuquerque Police Department, the State Police, and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department to bring order back to our communities. That means resources, coordination, and backing the badge — not second-guessing the people trying to protect us. We’ve studied the problem long enough. Now, we need leadership with the backbone to act.  

While "backing the badge" may be what some voters need to hear, Chavez is going to have to come with more nuance and complexity to convince a wider swath of the electorate that he has the chops to better manage the long-troubled APD and make a bigger dent in crime.

On homelessness he could also be said to be taking the easy street:

Homelessness in Albuquerque has spiraled into a crisis, and the current leadership has looked the other way. We can’t ignore it, and we can’t let it take over our city. As Mayor, I’ll push for real solutions: job opportunities, treatment programs, and pathways off the street. But compassion doesn’t mean letting tents take over our sidewalks. We’ll help the people who want help, and we’ll restore order for everyone else. It’s time to fix the problem and clean up the streets for good. 

But the current administration has done anything but "look the other way" and has enacted a wide range of spending programs to arrest homelessness, programs that demand scrutiny and critical thinking. Chavez doesn't go there but he does have five months to dig deeper. 

Politically, the emergence of Chavez presents a challenge to the only Republican in the field--Darren White--as well as conservative Democrats Louie Sanchez and Mayling Armijo. 

The three of them and Chavez are going to be singing the same tune as they gang up on Mayor Keller--who is seeking a third consecutive term--and potentially splitting the anti-Keller vote. 

No matter. One of them appears destined to finish in the top two and join Keller in a run-off election if no candidate captures 50 percent of the vote in the first round in November. 

Chavez not only surprised the field with his petition push but he crushed the hopes of progressive Dem candidate Alex Uballez from making an early splash and who is perhaps best equipped to damage fellow progressive Keller. 

The former US attorney boasted early in the campaign that he was on track to get the 3,000 petition signatures faster than Keller and the others. But his campaign has faltered as he lags Keller in both petition signatures and more crucially in the race to qualify for public financing. The Uballez campaign has been afflicted with management turnover. 

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