New Mexico

Vagrancy plagues ABQ candidate’s business, City responds with violation

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Albuquerque City Council candidate Dr. Joseph Pitluck Aguirre, who is running in District Six, owns multiple small businesses in Albuquerque. One of his businesses, located at 1700 Central Ave SE, has been plagued by illegal vagrant tent encampments and trespassing. 

“Criminal trespassing not resolved at my building at 1700 Central Ave SE. Called 311 and 242-COPS a few days ago. Just called again. You can see the no trespassing sign. Instead of collecting signatures to get on the ballot for city council, I have to deal w/ this,” he tweeted.

Joseph Pitluck Aguirre walking by one of his businesses on Central Ave. in Albuquerque. Screenshot via Twitter.

He gave an update, writing in all-caps, “THIS GETS WORSE. I JUST GOT A CODE VIOLATION LETTER FOR HAVING AN ILLEGAL CAMP ON MY PROPERTY!” He included a photo of the code violation letter.

The City wrote that he had until July 5, 2023, to resolve the issues, which Code Enforcement noted were to “Remove all litter and trash from the property, including all remnants of the illegal camps set up on the property” and “All Recreational Vehicles or tents parked or attached to the ground for use as an overnight accommodation shall be on a campsite,” referencing a city ordinance against having a “Campground or Recreational Vehicle Park.”

“The owner of any private property shall at all times maintain the premises free of litter. Provided, however, that this section shall not prohibit the storage of litter in authorized private receptacles for collection,” the letter added.

Aguirre gave another update on Twitter following the letter, writing, “I just drove by 1700 Central Ave SE and someone is STILL camping there. I just called 311 again to find out if ACS was dispatched to help them find shelter. I was told there is currently 3 DAY DELAY before ACS can make contact.… WILL I GET ANOTHER CODE VIOLATION?”

One person noted in response to one of Aguirre’s tweets, “I had someone illegally dump a huge pile of trash in the alleyway behind my elderly neighbors house and when I called the city about it to help her they gave me a code violation for weeds behind my house in said alleyway.”

“How many other people have called Albuquerque 311 for assistance, only to get a code enforcement violation days later? This causes a fundamental mistrust between citizens needing help and a hostile city government. This needs investigation,” Aguirre responded. 

The vagrancy and normalization of homelessness in Albuquerque has exacerbated crime problems in the deadly metro area, not only for business owners but also for those living in encampments.

Just Monday, a woman sleeping in a tent just south of Central Avenue was shot and killed. A homicide investigation has been opened into the matter. 

Gabe Vasquez gets endorsement from abortion up-to-birth group

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This week, the abortion up-to-birth group NARAL endorsed far-left Democrat U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-CD-02) for a second term, along with other “frontline” Democrats who face tough reelection prospects.

The group’s president Mini Timmaraju wrote in a statement, “We’re proud to endorse this slate of leaders as the first endorsements of our 2024 electoral program. Ensuring they are reelected is essential to taking back the U.S. House of Representatives and moving one step closer to passing into law legislation that will protect and expand reproductive freedom (abortion).”

The only way for a candidate to receive the radical group’s endorsement is by being 100 percent pro-abortion, meaning no limits whatsoever on abortion procedures — a stance that is far outside of the beliefs of average New Mexicans and Americans in general.

A recent Albuquerque Journal poll found that 59 percent of New Mexicans support some abortion limits, while Vasquez, who represents a district he only won by 0.7 percent, backs full-term abortion.

To double down on his extremist stance, Vasquez wrote on Twitter Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, “[Abortion] is health care. On the anniversary of the end of Roe v. Wade, I’m recommitting to fight for reproductive care for all women across the US.”

Vasquez faces fierce Republican competition from former U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, who has the backing of many big names, including U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

Dems suddenly care about Navajo Nation again after lauding DOI land grab

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Democrats who backed Joe Biden’s U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland encroaching on the Navajo Nation’s sovereignty by putting in place a 10-mile buffer to ban all natural resource extractive activity are now manufacturing outrage over the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Navajo Nation’s access to the drying Colorado River.

The Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the 1868 treaty in question did not include the government’s duty for it to help secure water. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who is from Colorado, sided with the minority, which included all three Democrat-appointed justices.

“The 1868 treaty reserved necessary water to accomplish the purpose of the Navajo Reservation,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the majority opinion. “But the treaty did not require the United States to take affirmative steps to secure water for the Tribe.”

“Today’s ruling is disappointing and I am encouraged that the ruling was 5-4,” said Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren in a statement. “It is reassuring that four justices understood our case and our arguments. As our lawyers continue to analyze the opinion and determine what it means for this particular lawsuit, I remain undeterred in obtaining quantified water rights for the Navajo Nation in Arizona. The Navajo Nation established a water rights negotiation team earlier this year and we are working very hard to settle our water rights in Arizona.” 

When the DOI snatched the land around Chaco Canyon from the Navajo Nation for supposed “conservation” purposes, Democrats lauded the decision to infringe upon the Navajos’ sovereignty. 

Now, they are claiming to care about the tribal nation. 

“This SHAMEFUL decision upends more than a hundred years of legal precedent at the expense of Tribal water rights and the Trust Responsibility,” asserted far-left Democrat Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-CD-01) in a melodramatic tweet.

Far-left U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich wrote, “A 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court just denied the Navajo Nation’s right to life sustaining water. This is an extremely disappointing decision that fails all Tribal Nations.”

However, the radical Democrats previously sent out a joint statement applauding the Chaco Canyon ban, disregarding the tribe’s sovereignty. They wrote at the time, “We applaud this historic step to protect Chaco’s irreplaceable resources for future generations.”

New Mexico braces for rolling blackouts this summer

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New Mexicans and most others in western states are set to be bracing for blackouts this summer, according to a new report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

“The demand for electricity is determined by how much one has used at any given time. The more electricity is used, particularly during summer, when most rely on air conditioning, the higher the demand. Electricity supplies power to homes and businesses,” wrote KOAT 7. 

Temperature outlook via NERC.

Last September, there were reports from PNM that there were concerns about rolling blackouts possibly coming to New Mexico this summer.

“We need the public to be ready to help us conserve and save the grid,” PNM communications director Ray Sandoval said at the time. “That way we don’t have to implement those strategic rotating outages,” he explained.

That news came after the San Juan Generating Station was shuttered due to the far-left Democrats’ Green New Deal (Energy Transition Act), which was responsible for its closure and the loss of many jobs.

As we previously reported last September:

During a special Public Regulation Commission meeting Thursday, Public Service Co. of New Mexico (PNM) said it is being forced to PNM executives said the utility will fill “quite a hole” next summer due to “green” replacements taking longer to materialize as the San Juan Generating Station is set to close next week.

According to PNM spokesman Ray Sandoval, PNM “generally has a 2,000-megawatt system with about 500 megawatts provided by the San Juan Generating Station.” 

With the closure of the San Juan Generating Station, it has purged countless jobs, with only around 80 employees able to retire. “For the rest of the employees, though, they’re going to have to go find some other form of employment,” said plant manager Omni Warner. 

The AP reports, “El Paso Electric, a utility that serves customers in southern New Mexico, also is expecting a capacity gap next summer. Like PNM, El Paso Electric will have to buy power from other producers to ensure adequate capacity when customers crank up their air conditioners during the hottest of days.”

The report continues, “PNM officials said they have revamped their plans for alerting customers when it looks like demand will outpace capacity and rolling outages might ensue. The media blitz will include automated calls, television and radio commercials along with social media posts that urge customers to cut back on their use. A special website would go live for tracking outages.”

As three-digit temperatures hit New Mexico, we will see if the rolling blackouts and brownouts hit residents, as many have been very concerned about the potential ramifications.

“It’s an impoverished state. Most people here probably won’t have the resources or income to escape and go somewhere else to get some relief. I don’t think that’s safe. It does concern me,” New Mexico resident Melinda Van Stone said to KOAT 7.

Hispanic and Latinos’ ‘drift’ away from Dems could mean Vasquez’s downfall

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Far-left Democrat U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District could be in for a surprise in his 2024 attempt to seek reelection, as Hispanics and Latinos, who make up 60 percent of the District, are shifting away from the Democrat Party.

Vasquez narrowly won his race in November by a mere 0.7 percent, making him one of the most vulnerable GOP targets in 2024.

According to an Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll, “More Latinos continue to favor the Democratic Party, but their allegiance is drifting. Some Latinos signal growing differences on cultural issues and crime — and give Republicans an edge in handling the economy.”

“Latinos are still more Democratic than Republican by significant margins,” Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson said. “But when you’re talking about elections that are won by a percentage point, small losses can make a difference.”

“The Democratic coalition is complicated in the best of times. The more pieces are in play, the harder it’s going to be for any Democratic candidate to thread the needle.”

This could mean imminent doom for the first-term Vasquez, who faces strong opposition by Republican former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, who has vast support and won the seat over Democrat Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small, a Latina, in 2020. Herrell has national support from U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, along with many top Republicans in New Mexico. 

National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar wrote, “For years, Gabe Vasquez and the Democrat Party have taken Hispanic voters for granted by ignoring the issues that are most important to them.”

She continued, “Under Biden’s failing economy, it’s clear New Mexico Hispanics are realizing Vasquez isn’t the guy for them.”

Underage victim of trans rapist given cold shoulder by Sen. Heinrich: Report

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According to a report by The Post Millennial, shocking and tragic events happened in a Rio Rancho public charter school restroom where a girl reported to be 12-year-old “Ray” (pseudonym) had been raped in a girls’ bathroom by an older male student.

The incident allegedly occurred in October 2021 at ASK Academy, but Ray’s mother, Maggie, only discovered it several months later when she found her daughter’s diary. 

“I was raped. I was raped. I was raped. F*cking kill me,” the diary read.

The school’s adoption of gender ideology and trans-inclusive bathroom policies could have contributed to the assault, as Ray was regularly forced to use girls’ bathrooms with boys.

“When the male student first entered the girls’ restroom, Ray said she was washing her hands and didn’t take particular notice of the student’s sex, nor was she aware of his ‘gender identity,’” The Post Millennial reported.

Maggie believes that the school had fully embraced radical gender theory without her knowledge or consent, with students pledging allegiance to the pride flag instead of the American flag. 

“We learned that kids were pledging allegiance to the pride flag instead of the American flag,” Maggie said. “We learned that some teachers were discussing daily, the normalcy of transgender people and gender dysphoria, and that this school had a higher population than anyone would expect for such a small school of kids saying they were trans and parents not knowing.” 

The school is said to have fostered an ideologically far-left culture, pressuring students to accept the presence of men in women’s spaces and stifling any dissenting views. After reporting the rape to law enforcement, Maggie encountered resistance from the school, which dismissed her concerns and blamed her parenting.

The report also mentions other allegations of sexual harassment and assault at ASK Academy involving the same male student and potentially other victims who are too afraid to come forward. It criticizes the school’s lack of transparency and accountability, as well as the slow progress of the criminal investigation. The traumatic experience has had a significant impact on Ray’s mental health, leaving her anxious, depressed, and fearful. 

Maggie and her husband later decided to homeschool their daughters due to concerns about their safety in light of New Mexico’s legislation opening school facilities to individuals based on their gender identity.

“After a year at her local public school, Maggie and her husband decided their two daughters weren’t safe there, either. What solidified their decision was a law New Mexico passed in March that opened school bathrooms and locker rooms to individuals based on their ‘gender identity.’ Maggie wrote to New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat, to express her concerns about the legislation, even sharing the account of what happened to her daughter. Her inquiry, Maggie said, was ‘met with a complete rejection of the notion that he would support anything that goes against gender affirming legislation,’” the report concluded.

Heinrich is running for reelection in 2024, seeking a third term in the U.S. Senate. There have been rumblings he has his eye on the governor’s mansion, as far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is term-limited after her current term.

Far-left group tries to downplay NM’s abysmal child well-being ranking

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A far-left group called New Mexico Voices for Children, which advocates for things such as abortion up-to-birth, weakened election laws, socialized “free” college, and child mutilation via transgender surgery and puberty blockers, is now trying to downplay the state’s abysmal rankings, most recently being listed 50th once again out of all other states in child well-being.

The group’s executive director Amber Wallin’s op-ed recently appeared in the Las Cruces Sun-News, telling New Mexicans the abysmal rankings “shouldn’t get you down.”

“While these improvements show up in the data, they don’t yet show up in the 50-state rankings. The rankings are based on data, but the various factors behind each indicator go beyond policies implemented by states. Childhood outcomes in a state are also intrinsically tied to its geography, history, assets, systemic inequities, and various other factors that contribute to a nuanced picture of child well-being that cannot be accurately represented by any one number or ranking,” she claimed.

Wallin also touted extreme government-growing programs, claiming they are helping, but the data hasn’t produced their results yet.

She wrote, “Our investments in child care assistance, voter-approved expansion of early childhood services, and child-focused tax policy improvements all received national accolades. These, along with the creation of a statewide paid sick leave policy for all workers, ending of predatory lending, and expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act all help ensure that New Mexico’s families have access to the resources we all need to thrive.”

Although she acknowledged, “This is not to say that there’s no room for improvement,” Wallin’s answer to the 50th ranking, which had multiple categories worsen in the latest “The Kids Count” report on child well-being, is more big government, Critical Race Theory in classrooms, more taxpayer money being flung at “free” daycare, and giving salaries to a legislature that has so far produced nothing but worse results for the state.

She concluded, “For example, we must continue our investments in early childhood. We must mandate that our K-12 curriculum reflects and validates our diverse child population. We must ensure that our Legislature has the resources it needs – including salaries and staff – that allow a broader segment of residents to serve in elected office. We must broaden our revenue base to cushion our budget from oil and gas volatility. We must ensure any new revenue comes from the sectors of our society who can afford to take more responsibility for supporting the services and infrastructure our people and businesses all rely upon. And we must ensure a just transition toward a greater reliance on renewable energy sources.” 

Ethics complaint filed against SOS Maggie Toulouse Oliver: Report

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According to a report from the website “Estancia.News,” an ethics complaint has been filed against New Mexico’s Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver over her attempts to crush referendum petitions challenging the state’s far-left laws recently passed during the 2023 Legislative Session.

The outlet reported that referendum organizer Ramona Goolsby “filed an ethics complaint against the New Mexico Secretary of State for dereliction of duty, malicious abuse of process, and abuse of power. Goolsby also filed a judicial complaint against District 13 Judge, James Noel, for improperly closing a case dealing with the referendum, apparently for purposes of a media campaign to discredit the effort,” reported the outlet. 

“The organizers allege that the SOS has purposely misinformed the public about the referendum process to serve her personal political agenda.”

Although none of the six laws attempting to be challenged were labeled for the “preservation of the public peace, health or safety,” which are exempt from referendum, Toulouse Oliver is using this as a pretext to try and stop them from going forward. 

Bills attempted to be overturned via referendum include legislation trying local jurisdictions’ hands from regulating abortion, an expansion of school-based health centers pushing abortion and “gender-affirming care,” bills weakening New Mexico elections, a bill harboring criminal abortionists, and legislation expanding the “Human Rights Act.” Read more about the referendum petition project being organized by Better Together New Mexico here.

Goolsby told Estancia.News, “The reason I filed the ethics complaint against the SOS is that she is being dishonest with the courts and dishonest with the public. I think she has become used to saying things that aren’t true and people don’t question her and go along with it. New Mexicans are fed up with being lied to and having their rights dismissed by the elected class who are supposed to be working for us.”

Even left-wing columnists have decried Toulouse Oliver’s attempts to thwart the referendum petition, claiming they are attacks on democracy by the Democrat official. 

The Albuquerque Journal previously reported, “The Secretary of State’s office has directed county clerks not to provide voter lists to those pushing the repeal effort, and warned voters that current petitions circulating are not valid since they have not been approved.” 

Goolsby concluded, “We are very disappointed that the SOS has not been willing to work with any of the grassroots organizations that have reached out to her. She continues to openly block a constitutional right the citizens of New Mexico were provided with by the founders of this great state. Her attitude smacks of elitism which is not sitting well with the average New Mexican.”

U.S. Census Bureau report sounds the alarm on NM’s long-term poverty

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A newly published report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows where New Mexico stands regarding long-term poverty. 

The report “incorporates poverty estimates from the 1990 and 2000 Censuses, the 2005–2009 American Community Survey (ACS), 5-year estimates, and the 2015–2019 ACS, 5-year estimates.”

“While most previous studies used three datapoints, this report uses four datapoints to more accurately count persistent poverty areas and to use roughly equal periods between readings,” it noted.

It revealed that New Mexico has 21.3 percent of the population (434,600 people) suffering from persistent poverty since 1985, with nine of the state’s 33 counties with long-term poverty.

The persistently impoverished counties include Cibola, Doña Ana, Luna, McKinley, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Roosevelt, and Socorro.

New Mexico was only beaten by Mississippi, which had a 24.4 percent poverty rate. 

The Census Bureau noted, “For the 1989 to 2015–2019 period, 8,238 census tracts (11.3 percent) were persistently in poverty. There were 28.5 million people living within these tracts, which is 9.0 percent of the total population for whom poverty status could be determined in 2019.”

That means New Mexico’s poverty level is 236.6 percent of the national average — an abysmally high number for the state.

According to the World Population Review, 21,317 out of every 100,000 New Mexicans is on welfare, approximately 21.3 percent. 

MLG takes full credit for NM’s lackluster jobs numbers trailing most states

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On Friday, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham erroneously claimed her far-left “policies” were leading to job growth in the state — with a heavy spin.

She claimed that because of her, the state is now seeing the highest number of jobs in its history.” 

She wrote, in a press release, “The robust job growth in New Mexico is proof positive that we are enacting all the right policies to grow our economy,” adding, “We are paying people a livable wage, providing child care for working parents, and making it easier for employers to find prepared candidates by putting more people through college and technical training.”

Ironically, the press release admits that the state’s multi-billion-dollar taxpayer-funded “free” daycare is, indeed, “child care” — not the “Pre-K” that she previously claimed. 

The higher minimum wage has resulted in a higher cost of living in New Mexico, especially in more urban areas where rents and mortgages have ballooned to levels working-class citizens cannot afford. Her taxpayer-funded “free” college programs is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually. 

In the statement, she pointed to the fact that there were 869,400 jobs in New Mexico, which she says is the highest in history. 

However, according to historical data, jobs had increased in New Mexico for decades, including a high of 863,400 during the Donald Trump administration in January 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, when Lujan Grisham locked down the state and plunged the number of available jobs to 758,100 in May of 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

During this extreme plunge during the Lujan Grisham lockdown, the unemployment rate ballooned to a massive ten percent, with it leading the nation during many months of her shutdown. She forced 40 percent of all small businesses in the state to close their doors due to her pandemic-era edicts, according to her own New Mexico Department of Tourism.

Also, during the Trump administration, the labor force participation rate was a healthy 58.1 in 2019 and 2020 (right at the start of Lujan Grisham’s tenure in January 2019), while now (with supposedly 869,400 jobs available), it sits at only 56.9. 

At 3.5 percent, New Mexico’s unemployment rate sits as the 34th-lowest out of all 50 states. 

Weak-on-crime policies by Lujan Grisham and her leftist allies in the Legislature have forced businesses to close due to shoplifting and unsafe environments for both patrons and employees. 

“The economic policies of Gov. Lujan Grisham and this administration are working,” claimed Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes. 

“Gov. Lujan Grisham’s administration is not only growing our economy at a historic pace, but making the investments in higher education and career training we need to ensure that New Mexicans are ready to enter these high-skill, family-sustaining jobs,” chimed in Higher Education Department Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez.

Despite New Mexico’s employment failures under her administration, Lujan Grisham’s appointed cabinet secretaries are singing her praises, claiming she alone is responsible for any uptick in economic vitality in the state beleaguered by her failed far-left policies. 

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