New Mexico

El Pollo Loco expanding to New Mexico with nine new locations

21 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

The popular fast-food chicken restaurant ​​El Pollo Loco, specializing in Los Angeles-style fire-grilled Mexican chicken, is opening new locations in New Mexico with the signing of new development agreements. 

“A deal with Mass Equities EPL LLC will result in 10 units over eight years with the first restaurants due by December 2024 for Larimer County and portions of Boulder, Broomfield and Weld Counties in northern Colorado. The second and third deals, signed by CB Pollo NM 1 and CB Pollo Tx 1, respectfully, includes nine units for New Mexico and seven in El Paso,” wrote FastCasual.com.

“El Pollo Loco’s corporate team has made it an easy decision to grow our franchise operations with them,” Mass Equities Founder and CEO Drew Sobel said in a company press release. “The brand’s growth over the past few years is evident and its unique offering supported by excellence in operations is a strategic fit for our portfolio of businesses. Fueled by the brand’s initial success in the Colorado market, we look forward to bringing the El Pollo Loco experience to northern parts of the state.”

El Pollo Loco (“The Crazy Chicken”), Houston via Wikimedia Commons.

The chain is looking to increase its national footprint by featuring its latest dining room design options, an enhanced digitized experience with self-ordering kiosks, mobile to-go and delivery pick-up areas, and digital menu boards.

Since 1980, the restaurant has operated 490 company-owned and franchised locations across the United States. 

El Pollo Loco describes its food as the “SoCal lifestyle meets Mexican heritage. It’s better-for-you choices like fire-grilled chicken and tradition-inspired temptations like Overstuffed Quesadillas. It’s burritos, taquitos and tacos with a fresh California Twist. It’s a menu that can meet any dietary need from paleo to vegetarian to straight out craving. Simply said, it’s L.A. active, it’s Mexican proud and it’s exactly what you’ll find at El Pollo Loco.” 

Billionaire-funded eco group pushes ‘electrify everything’ agenda in NM

19 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The far-left enviro-Marxist dark money group 350 New Mexico, funded by billionaires George Soros and Tom Steyer, is holding an event on May 22, 2023, called “Electrify New Mexico,” which aims to push policies that push electric appliances and vehicles in the place of those that run on gas and other natural extractive resources.

The group wrote in a post, “Concerned about health-harming gases in your kitchen? Want an EV, but don’t like the choices available for purchase? Join us as we unveil our new Electrify New Mexico website. It will answer these and other questions about how going electric will save you money, clean your air and reduce carbon emissions.” 

Some of the items the group says it wants to become electric include heat pumps, induction stoves, heat pump water heaters, heat pump clothes dryers, electric vehicles, and EV chargers.

“They offer superior efficiency, precision, comfort, and health benefits at the same or lower cost as gas appliances,” the group claims. “And because electricity generation grows cleaner every day, switching to electric is better for the climate too.” 

The far-left group has joined others in recent weeks in blasting a veto of hefty electric vehicle tax credits from a recently passed tax package and claims the state Legislature did not do enough to help stop “climate change.”

The group says on its website that it aims at cutting “eliminate 80% of US energy-related emissions” by switching all gas appliances and cars for electric. It says, “Our largest carbon emissions come from our gas cars (50%), home heating (25%) and water heating (10%).” 

350 New Mexico also believes that natural disasters and drought weather are due to “climate change,” along with wildfires and reduced snowpack.

Democrats, such as Democrat New Mexico U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, have made similar calls to “electrify” everything for the sake of “climate change.” Recently, the Joe Biden regime has taken steps to develop rules limiting the sale of gas appliances and even targeting water usage in dishwashers. 

AG Torrez attempts to halt Eunice’s lawsuit over pro-abortion state law

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, it was reported that Democrat New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is attempting to halt Eunice’s lawsuit against the AG and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over the passage of H.B. 7, a newly passed 2023 state law attempting to usurp authority from federal law upheld in the federal Comstock Act. 

KRQE News reports, “The idea behind the latest filing is to try to get the district court to put the lawsuit on hold while the state’s Supreme Court makes a decision on a similar case. At the heart of the debate is whether or not individual cities are allowed to set local ordinances that might contradict state laws.” 

“Eunice, New Mexico, is arguing that federal law trumps state law and makes it illegal to ship or receive abortion medication. The city has also pointed out that ‘the city’s ordinance does not outlaw or prohibit abortion.’” 

The AG, “The City of Eunice enacted an ordinance purporting to enforce a federal law governing the sending of abortion-related materials through the mail or by common carrier. In its Complaint, the City seeks a declaratory judgment that House Bill 7 is contrary to and preempted by federal law. The City also seeks a declaratory judgment on what constitutes “the medical standard of care” under House Bill 7 in relation to the federal law.” 

“In this case, the interests of justice favor staying the matter pending resolution of the petition for writ of mandamus in the Supreme Court. Indeed, in the context at hand, when a stay implicates the New Mexico Supreme Court’s primacy as the state court of last resort to rule on a novel issue impacting the whole state simultaneously pending in the lower courts, the imposition of a brief stay is warranted. Judicial economy also favors staying the matter,” he claims.

Michael J. Seibel, the attorney representing the City of Eunice, says the City opposes Torrez’s request.

“We don’t think that the Supreme Court is addressing the issue that we have raised in the Eunice lawsuit,” Seibel told KRQE News 13

Sebel told the Piñon Post, “The Attorney General is trying to avoid the Comstock Act decision,” adding, “The Comstock Act is the law of the land, and it preempts state law.” 

“If they don’t like the Comstock Act, then change it, but that’s the law right now. And until the law is changed, laws must be enforced.”

U.S. regulators deliver massive blow to NM Holtec project’s opponents

5 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted Holtec International a license to construct a facility in Eddy and Lea counties to safely and temporarily store spent nuclear fuel, according to the Associated Press.

During the 2023 Legislative Session, Democrats rammed through the extreme S.B. 53 despite bipartisan opposition to try and preempt the company from coming to New Mexico.

Sens. Moe Maestas (D-Bernalillo) and Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D-Bernalillo), as well as Reps. Ambrose Castellano (D-Ribera), Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), Meredith Dixon (D-Bernalillo), Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup), and Joseph Sanchez (D-Alcalde) joined all Republicans in opposition to the unconstitutional bill.

These safe fuel rods, housed in secure casks, would be transported by rail to the facility on train shipments specifically for storage. The project would account for over 350 new jobs. 

The casks are immune to hurricanes, floods, tornados, earthquakes, and even the impact of a plane crash. There would be no adverse effect on wildlife nor on groundwater, no radiological consequences in the event of a fire, and an inconspicuous design. 

The project previously got a positive environmental impact statement from the NRC.

The spent fuel would be stored at the Holtec site “until the Federal Government provides a repository for permanent storage or other permanent disposition as required by law,” according to Holtec. 

New Mexico is ideal for such a facility due to its “typography, arid climate, [the] sparse population at the site’s location, and proximity to transportation infrastructure,” Holtec wrote.

Even former Attorney General Hector Balderas, a Democrat, wrote that the state has no jurisdiction to ban nuclear fuel storage in New Mexico.

He wrote in 2018, referencing case law, “Taken together, both Bullcreek and Nielson clearly establish two principles: first, that the NRC has the statutory authority to license and regulate consolidated interim nuclear waste storage facilities, and secondly, that the comprehensiveness of that federal regulatory scheme preempts virtually any state involvement.” 

Balderas further wrote in the opinion, “While there are a large number of factors that are considered by the NRC in evaluating a license application, state approval is not among them.” 

Even the Joe Biden administration has recognized the need for nuclear fuel, writing that it “made a commitment to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the energy industry by 2035. Nuclear energy is a part of that solution.” 

Despite all sides coming together in support of nuclear energy being a viable solution to our nation’s energy needs, Democrats continue to harp on decades-old fear tactics to keep investment, namely the multi-billion-dollar Holtec project, from investing in New Mexico’s future. However, the court challenge to the unconstitutional law is imminent.

Leftist columnist reveals surprising take on email signature pronouns

2 Comments / New Mexico, Politics / By

The Santa Fe New Mexican’s columnist Randall Balmer, who says his “politics lean left, sometimes far to the left,” recently posted a column criticizing the use of pronouns in one’s email signature as over-the-top. He also commented on the grammatical incorrectness of using “they/them” and other words that are meant to represent more than one person in an article titled “Don’t look for pronouns on my email signature.”

“Aesthetically, the eclipse of singular pronouns — she/her, he/him — in favor of plural — they/them — has wreaked havoc on sentence structure. As an insufferable grammarian, I cringe whenever I hear statements like, ‘Everyone has a right to their opinion,’ utterly disregarding the fact that everyone is singular, not plural. My rejoinder is likely to be something along the lines of, ‘No, everyone are not entitled to their opinions,’” he wrote.

“Second Wave feminists argued that people should not be defined by gender but by their abilities and their attainments. Denying equal opportunity simply on the basis of essential characteristics related to sex and gender, they insisted, was inherently unfair. To appropriate Martin Luther King’s words, individuals should be judged not by external characteristics but by the ‘content of their character.’”

He then went even harder on the pronoun fad sweeping across the globe, writing, “The mania for specifying pronouns signals an unfortunate recidivism back to the days of gendered essentialism. People seem all too willing to reduce their entire identities to gender, whether female, male, trans, cis, bi, below the belt or over the top. It’s so important, they argue, that it needs to be stated prominently, whether in conversation or in the signature line of emails.” 

“I understand that this obsession is fueled in part by people struggling with their own gender identities. I sympathize; the road to clarity for many is fraught and painful. But the sum of an individual is infinitely greater than gender or pronouns or sexual preference and should never be reduced to that,” Balmer concluded. 

Although Balmer is a left-winger and even leans far-left on many issues, even he cannot stand the obsession over pronouns.

Will Rep. Vasquez vote to avert border catastrophe by extending Title 42?

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

First-term U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District represents one of the two swing districts held by Democrats that include swaths of the southern border. The other vulnerable Democrat is Rep. Vicente Gonzales of Texas. 

Since Joe Biden took office, over six million illegal immigrants have flooded into the United States. Some of the immigration catastrophe has been averted due to Title 42, which was implemented first during the Trump administration, which grants removals by the U.S. government of persons who have recently been in a country where a communicable disease was present. However, Title 42 is set to expire on May 11, 2023.

Recently in El Paso, TX — just 46 miles from the Second District — over 1,000 migrants rushed the Paso Del Norte bridge border entry point.

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a measure, H.R. 2, to extend the policy that has alleviated some of the border fiasco. 

According to Axios, “Months of work” on the GOP package have resulted in “the strongest border security package that Congress has ever taken up,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).

“The bill also includes money to improve technology for border security and additional border personnel,” reported the outlet.

“The crisis at the border is unfolding in these vulnerable Democrats’ backyards. They can either vote with their extreme party leadership or do something to alleviate the pain for their constituents – and we will be watching closely whose side they choose,” wrote National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar in a statement to the Piñon Post. 

Vasquez is one of the most vulnerable House Democrats up in 2024, with the NRCC putting his seat on the shortlist of congressional districts being targeted in Next November’s election. Former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, who held the seat between 2021 to 2023, is running again for the seat with national figures, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was in Las Cruces for her election kickoff. 

NM had one of the highest gaming revenue jumps in 2022

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, News / By

Figures released by the American Gaming Association (AGA) show that New Mexico had the sixth-highest gaming revenue growth among all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The figures show New Mexico’s gaming revenue grew 20.5 percent from 2021 to 2022, ranking only below Michigan (20.7 percent increase), Illinois (25.5 percent increase), New Hampshire (52.3 percent increase), New York (55.9 percent increase), and Oregon (62.8 percent increase). 

In 2022, New Mexico took in $262.0 million in gaming revenue versus $217.5 million in 2021. 

Nationally, legal gaming brought in $60.4 billion in revenue in 2022, which broke an annual record for two consecutive years.

“In 2022, the Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City retained their top commercial market positions. The Baltimore-Washington, D.C. market reclaimed its position as the nation’s third largest gaming market, besting Chicagoland (fourth) and the Mississippi Gulf Coast (fifth) which round out the top five,” according to AGA.

“Twenty-five of the 28 states on the list increased gambling revenue from 2021 to 2022. New York brought in $909 million in revenue in its first year of legalized sports betting sites. Oregon has tried to expand wagering into college sports but has yet to be successful. New Hampshire has traditionally drawn wagers from neighboring Massachusetts, which, as of 2023, is allowing online and mobile sports wagering,” reported KRDO News.

“Our industry significantly outpaced expectations in 2022,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Simply put, American adults are choosing casino gaming for entertainment in record numbers, benefitting communities, and taking market share from the predatory, illegal marketplace.”

Unions demand UNM wage hike despite just getting raises

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The University of New Mexico teacher’s union, “United Academics” of UNM, along with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) New Mexico, are picketing on Wednesday from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the university for higher wages despite just being given a six percent raise bump.

But the raise was not enough for the militant unions, which are now demanding a “living wage” and scoffing at the six percent raise as not “real.”

AFT New Mexico wrote, “Are you fired up about the fight for a living wage? It’s time to make your voice heard! Join @UA_UNM for a Living Wage Rally to show we won’t stand for low wages! Together, let’s show our strength and commitment.”

A signup sheet for the picket claims, “Thousands of UNM employees, including hospital workers, faculty, graduate workers, facilities workers, and staff, struggle to make ends meet every day living on wages that often fall below the federal poverty line. The UNM Regents need to ensure that staff and educators (who are bringing up the next generation of New Mexicans, producing research advancements, and ensuring our university’s day-to-day functions) are paid a dignified wage!” 

In July 2022, UNM raised its minimum hourly wage for staff employees increased to $15. The average salary estimate for a UNM employee is around $21.29 per hour or $44,277 annually, according to data from August 2022.

The university’s guiding principles regarding salaries state that “[q]uantifiable, objective measures are used to evaluate the success of the University’s Compensation program over time.” The program notes some key factors in its pay adjustments include rewarding “individual excellence and promote employee growth and development” and promoting “fair and equitable compensation of its staff employees at all organizational levels.” 

The minimum wage of $15 an hour and competitive salaries for UNM workers aren’t enough to appease the unions, which are now moving the goalposts for a “living wage.” The unions have not said what salary number they are looking for to achieve the so-called living wage. 

According to MIT’s living wage calculator, for a single adult in Albuquerque, New Mexico, one would be making $15.97. The $15 minimum wage plus a six percent increase, as set by UNM, essentially matches this figure. However, it appears the unions want an even higher salary than a “living wage.”

Eco-leftists take out full-page ABQ Journal ad to attack Gov. Lujan Grisham

21 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Sunday, a full-page ad funded by multiple aco-left groups appeared in the state’s largest newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal, and the Santa Fe New Mexican and the Las Cruces Sun-News blasting Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The group angered over the governor’s veto of electric vehicle tax cuts, claimed the Democrat made “empty promises” on “climate change.”

The ad, paid for by the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC), was co-signed by a mirage of different “climate change” groups, including 350NM, the Center for Biological Diversity, ProgressNow New Mexico, the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter, WildEarth Guardians, among others. 

WELC wrote on Twitter, “After stymieing #ClimateAction for two consecutive #NMLeg sessions, we call on @GovMLG & #nmpol to #ActOnClimate,” adding, “The climate movement in New Mexico will not relent.”

ProgressNow New Mexico chimed in, “We hope @GovMLG takes her role on [the U.S. Climate Alliance] seriously and leads with a commitment to #ActOnClimate that she has shown in the past. There’s no time to waste,” referring to the group Lujan Grisham was recently appointed to serve. 

The outcry comes after the far-left Democrat governor signed 2019’s Energy Transition Act, which is the state’s version of the extreme socialist Green New Deal. Apparently, the groups are not happy with these extreme steps to harm the oil, gas, and coal industries, wanting even more New Mexico energy jobs to be stricken by the pen of Gov. Lujan Grisham.

See how deadly New Mexico is for pedestrians

13 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

A new report by Smart Growth America showed some rather interesting results regarding how deadly states are for pedestrians. 

It found that Florida and New Mexico are the two deadliest states for pedestrians in the United States, with the Land of Enchantment being ranked number one, according to data compiled from 2016 to 2020. 

Following New Mexico and Florida was South Carolina, Arizona, Delaware, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Nevada as states most dangerous for pedestrians.

However, Albuquerque ranks as the second-highest metro area across the country, being beaten only by the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida, metro area.

Nationally, “[t]he number of people struck and killed while walking reached yet another new high in 2020. More than 6,500 people were struck and killed while walking in 2020, an average of nearly 18 per day, and a 4.5 percent increase over 2019.”

“This epidemic continues growing worse because our nation’s streets are dangerous by design, designed primarily to move cars quickly at the expense of keeping everyone safe. The result in 2020 was a significant increase in all traffic fatalities, even with less driving overall due to the pandemic,” wrote the organization.

“Dangerous by Design uses federal data that is complete only through the end of 2020, but early estimates from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) are that 7,485 people walking were struck and killed in 2021. This would be the highest number in 40 years and one of the biggest single-year jumps in decades—between 11 and 13 percent in one year.”

Legislation was proposed in New Mexico’s 2023 Legislative Session by state Rep. Art De La Cruz (D-Albuquerque), H.B. 328, to help alleviate the issue. However, the move never made it past the full House despite getting bipartisan approval in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee. 

Must New Mexico act to curb pedestrian deaths?

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