Gov. Bill Richardson is deliberating whether to veto a controversial food tax provision in legislation state lawmakers sent him last week, saying he doesn’t want to balance the budget on the backs of ordinary citizens. But one state lawmaker is questioning the depth of Richardson’s stated concerns over how the provision will affect the state’s population, describing the governor’s public protestations as a “dance.”
Gov. Bill Richardson says he “hates” the food tax, but by reimposing the gross receipts tax on food, the state would save around $68 million that it’s been giving local governments to compensate for stripping the tax a few years ago. That’s lot of money. Are Richardson’s hands tied? Most of our panelists vote for a veto.
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New Mexico Business Weekly
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County clerks handle the nuts and bolts of elections, so a former state elections director’s allegations of unethical behavior by Secretary of State Mary Herrera probably won’t affect the integrity of the upcoming June primary, many say. Still, some point out that there are a few areas in which the secretary of state directly impacts elections.
Secretary of State Mary Herrera is alleging that former Elections Director A.J. Salazar resigned not because of ethical concerns about the way she runs the office but because he wanted time off from work that she didn’t allow. It’s a charge Salazar says is ridiculous.
A federal court this week gave a uranium company the green light to move forward with mining operations in Churchrock, a Navajo community just east of Gallup, New Mexico. Opponents had argued that since the site already emits more radiation than regulations allow, a license for a new operation can’t be given because any new radiation emitted, no matter how small, would compound the problem.
Colorado lawmakers recently decided to impose an online sales tax, a move that is generating a battle in Denver and highlighting the pressure states face to find new revenues. The New Mexico Legislature considered a bill to tax online sales during the 30-day regular session, but the bill never got out of the first committee assigned to study it. Rep. Eleanor Chavez, D-Albuquerque, who sponsored that legislation, said she’s planning on introducing a similar bill in 2011 if she’s re-elected.
New Mexico would be much different today if John Sanchez – not Bill Richardson – had been governor for the last seven-plus years, Sanchez says.
“The Richardson administration pulled out all the stops to keep Gary Bland on the SIC,” Foy’s attorney, Victor Marshall, said at a small news conference Tuesday. But four SIC members said they never felt pressure from the Richardson in the days before the former state investment officer resigned.
Attorney General Gary King would get extra muscle to go after taxpayer money lost to fraud under a state budget the Legislature passed last week. The budget earmarks $150,000 for King to hire a full-time attorney to focus on court complaints filed by citizens who believe that the state has been defrauded, resulting in the loss of taxpayer money. A full-time attorney dedicated to so-called qui tam lawsuits could represent a financial boon to the state.
The Las Cruces City Council considers a sheriff’s department investigation involving City Manager Terrence Moore to be a “personal issue” at this point, Mayor Ken Miyagishima says.
By March 24, the private security corporation formerly known as Blackwater — last seen in Afghanistan shooting civilians and stealing weapons intended for the Afghan police — may win a new Defense Department contract to train the Afghan police. And nearly no one in the government wants to own up to how it could happen.
Part of the state budget package sent by the Legislature to the governor this week includes a food tax provision that will exacerbate Albuquerque’s budget woes.
The state budget may trim roughly $100 million on paper, but it leaves the details of how to reduce expenses to state agencies. So come July, when these changes take effect, what happens? Will longer lines form at motor vehicle offices thanks to a 4.2 percent reduction at the state Taxation and Revenue Department? Will fewer teachers greeting students this August? Meanwhile, how will New Mexicans accept paying more at grocery stores and in state income tax. No one knows for sure.
Members of the natural gas industry have sent a letter to both New Mexico senators asking that natural gas be added to any clean energy mandate that passes Congress, according to The Hill.
In January, then-President of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association Bob Gallagher told New Mexico Business Weekly, that while things looked better for the oil industry in New Mexico, “the situation is still pretty glum for natural gas production.” More »
Sen. Tom Udall discussed reforming the filibuster today at an event held by the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. Udall was the featured speaker at the event.
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New Mexico’s House delegation has identified a potential way to free up funds for cleaning up abandoned uranium mine sites in New Mexico. Congressmen Harry Teague, Ben Ray Luján, and Martin Heinrich introduced legislation Friday that would make available Surface Mine and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) funds that currently can’t be used for uranium mine remediation until the state has certified that all coal remediation has been completed. The measure could bring $14.5 million to help clean up 137 uranium sites across the site.
In a report that will air on tonight’s evening news, several former state elections employees tell KUNM’s Jim Williams that allegations made by A.J. Salazar are true. Read the full text of the story, after the jump. More »
If Gov. Bill Richardson vetoes the food tax, Sen. President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, D-Roswell says he should make up the $68 million dollar budget difference by cutting tax incentives for the film industry.
Governor Bill Richardson and First Lady Barbara Richardson will be on hand in Las Vegas to cheer on the University of New Mexico Lobos as they take on the San Diego State Aztecs tonight in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference men’s basketball tournament. The Lobos, the number one seed in the tournament, are the number 8 ranked team in the nation according to both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls.
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A Las Cruces resident has filed a federal Hatch Act complaint alleging that Republican Rick Wellborn’s candidacy for district judge violates the ban on partisan political activity by public employees whose jobs involve federal funds.
Wellborn is a prosecutor in the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He and his boss, Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, say that although the office receives federal funds, Wellborn’s job isn’t funded with those dollars and none of his duties have anything to do with the federal grants. More »
The Independent will be on hand at the Albuquerque Hilton Saturday at noon to live blog the 2010 Republican Party pre-primary convention, where candidates for office will vie for enough votes to be placed on the primary election ballot.
In particular, we’ll be watching to see who gets 20 percent in the five-way gubernatorial race between state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, attorney Pete Domenici Jr., Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, PR firm owner Doug Turner and former state Republican Party chairman Allen Weh. Candidates who don’t get 20 percent of the vote Saturday can still get on the ballot by collecting signatures.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is adding her voice to prominent jurists who say that states should give up the practice of electing judges, reports the Washington Post. “If there’s a reform I would make, it would be that,” the Washington Post quoted Ginsburg saying during a question-and-answer session of the National Association of Women Judges, which is meeting in Washington.
Ginsburg joins former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in saying that judges shouldn’t be elected. Issues related to candidates running for state judicial posts have gone before the U.S. Supreme Court, and Ginsburg has found herself in the minority. New Mexico is one of several states that elects its judges. More »
As a Democrat, Doña Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins is worried that the allegations against Secretary of State Mary Herrera may hurt the party’s ability to keep the state office in the November election.
“Obviously, Democrats should have concern about the ability to have the party retain that office,” Ellins said. “I think that is a serious concern if you’re a Democrat. I’ve heard this voiced by other people in the party to me.” More »
The Otero County Fair Board has decided to keep the “no guns” signs posted on the fairgrounds, reports The Alamogordo Daily News.
The Farmington Daily Times reviews the complexity of state gun laws, reporting that the new gun law “draws fans.”
Meanwhile, The Santa Fe New Mexican writes on area restaurant workers’ worries about their safety now that guns are allowed in restaurants serving beer and wine. More »
In an interview with the conservative blog Hot Air, Republican candidate Tom Mullins attacked his opponent in the Republican primary, Adam Kokesh, saying, “Adam is nothing more than an Internet celebrity and a war protester. I don’t believe New Mexicans agree with his views or his methods to share or voice them.”
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