Democracy for New Mexico

8/30-31: NM Legislative Redistricting Committee to Meet in Las Vegas and Santa Fe

The Legislative Redistricting Committee continues to hold public meetings at locations throughout the state in order to encourage public accessibility and input on the upcoming redistricting plan. The final public meetings prior to the upcoming special session will take place at Highlands University and at the State Capitol in Santa Fe on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 30–31.

Representative Mary Helen Garcia (D–Dona Ana–34) and Senator Linda M. Lopez (D–Bernalillo–11) serve as co-chairs of the committee. The upcoming meeting begins Tuesday morning, August 30, at 10:00 AM in the Kennedy Lounge on the Highlands University campus. On Wednesday, August 31, the meeting moves to the State Capitol, room 307 and begins at 9:00 AM. This is the final interim session meeting to be held in preparation for the special session of the legislature that begins September 6, 2011.

The committee will recommend new boundaries for the congressional districts within New Mexico, the state House of Representatives and Senate districts, the Public Regulation Commission districts, and the Public Education Commission districts. Recommendations will be based on the 2010 decennial census, the redistricting guidelines adopted by the New Mexico legislative council, and testimony received from interested individuals and groups. The hearings will include sharing of information about the legal requirements of the redistricting process, sample maps and time for public comment.

The committee recognizes the importance of redistricting in a democracy. Members and legislative staff are working to ensure that every citizen is represented and that the process is visible and open for public input. Representative Garcia encourages all interested New Mexicans to take an active interest in the redistricting process.

“The job of the Redistricting Committee is to develop a variety of plans that are in line with the legal principles that govern redistricting. We look forward to sharing the information we’ve gathered and hearing from all concerned,” said Representative Garcia.

The committee welcomes and encourages public attendance and input. Time for public comment will be allowed each day. For more information and the most current committee agendas and calendars, please go here.

Big Turnouts for Diane Denish at Weekend Events in Corrales, Las Vegas NM

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and photos from two recent campaign events in support of Democrat for New Mexico Governor drive that point home.

All told, between more than 400 (or was it 500 or 600?) folks turned out for a back-to-school family BBQ at Melody Park in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon.

Photos from Denish BBQ, Las Vegas NM

And on this past Saturday, a large crowd packed a back yard at a Denish house party in Corrales.

Denish house party Corrales NM

To follow the Denish campaign, donate time or money and receive information on Denish events in your area, but sure to join the email list at and visit her Facebook page.

Click on photos for larger images. All photos from Denish campaign.

8/29: Denish, Balderas, Colón Host Free Back to School BBQ in Las Vegas to Help Kids, Families Kick Off School Year

From the :
As the new school year begins Diane Denish, Hector Balderas and Brian Colón are hosting a free Back to School barbeque to help kids and families get excited for the new school year. There will be free food and drinks, live music and entertainment and, most importantly, lots of back to school prizes for kids including a bicycle, backpacks, iPods and lots of school supplies.

Please Join
Lt. Governor Diane Denish
State Auditor Hector Balderas
Democratic Lt. Governor Candidate Brian Colón
For
A Back-to-School BBQ
Students Welcome
Back-to-School Prizes
Free Food and Refreshments
Music and Entertainment by Paisano del Valle
Sunday, August 29, 1 PM to 3PM
Melody Park, 1017 Mora Ave., Las Vegas, NM
Click for Flyer (pdf)

For more information or to RSVP contact the Diane Denish for Governor Campaign HQ at (505) 255-1282 or at info@dianedenish.com

Senator Bingaman in Las Cruces to Promote Wilderness, Honor Veterans

Sen. Bingaman (center) with members of Hispano Chamber of Commerce

Contributing writer Stephen Jones checks in with a report from Southern New Mexico:

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman was in Las Cruces and Mesilla on Tuesday, July 6, to promote the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Bill currently pending in the Senate, to honor Las Cruces veterans, and to outline accomplishments in economic development, heath care reform and education addressed by the current session of Congress, issues that directly effect New Mexicans.

Senator Bingaman spoke to the Hispano Chamber of Commerce at its luncheon at Lorenzo’s in Mesilla about the status of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Bill. He also championed successful efforts of the Congress to pass bills stimulating economic growth and development, education and health care reform. On the Wilderness bill he outlined recent changes that have been made to the legislation to strengthen border security. These changes were worked out in negotiations between Senator Bingaman, local supporters of the wilderness legislation and the Border Patrol. "We are working to get the bill in position" on the Senate legislative calendar, Bingaman said, but noted that there are only about eight weeks of actual floor time left before the November election.

The Hispano Chamber of Commerce, a Dona Ana County Hispanic business and trade association, has been a strong local supporter of the Wilderness Bill and other quality of life legislative initiatives which they have termed conducive to the expansion of small local business and the generation of jobs.

Honoring vets at Las Cruces City Council

Bingaman also presented thanks to returning veterans at the weekly meeting of the Las Cruces City Council. The Senator and the City of Las Cruces took the opportunity to thank the soldiers in uniform and veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The families of soldiers from Las Cruces who lost their lives overseas were also honored.

Vets at City Council

Several dozen Las Cruces soldiers and veterans were on hand for the presentation.

Dem Platform & Resolutions Committee to Hold Hearing in Las Vegas Nov. 14: All Dems Welcome

The Democratic Party of New Mexico's State Platforms and Resolutions Committee will be holding a resolutions hearing in Las Vegas, New Mexico on November 14th from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The committee will meet at Leveo Sanchez Lecture Hall on the first floor of Donnelly Library located at 802 National Avenue at New Mexico Highlands University (map).

The meeting is open to members of the State Central Committee, and all interested parties are invited to participate.

Regular committee business will begin at 10:00 AM and will last until 11:15 AM, when a one-hour session about prioritizing resolutions for presentation to legislators will take place. Lunch is on your own from 12:15 PM to 1:00 PM. At 1:00 PM, Nili Lange will do a presentation on immigration issues, followed by resolution discussion. After comments and questions, the meeting will adjourn by 4:00 PM.

Please consider using our Facebook Page to form carpools. For more information, contact Nancy Denker, Chair of SPARC at 505-265-3497.

Local Groups Demonstrate Power of Weatherization & Energy Efficiency on National Weatherization Day

Lloyd Goding (Sustainable Las Vegas) & Brooke Burkey, a volunteer with the Safe & Dry program at a local Las Vegas home, discuss ways to stop cold drafts from entering house

Local faith and community leaders gathered in Las Vegas, New Mexico Friday morning to call attention to the urgent need for weatherization and energy efficiency in New Mexico’s rural communities. The event coincided with National Weatherization Day and featured a press conference highlighting the vast potential of weatherization -- a general term for a suite of energy conservation and efficiency measures in the building sector. The press conference was followed by a tour that featured a baseline energy assessment of St. Paul’s Peace Episcopal Lutheran Church conducted by Jim Palmer (P.E.) of NRG Engineering from Albuquerque, and a demonstration of residential weatherization measures at a local Las Vegas home.

The baseline assessment helped to identify opportunities for energy conservation measures that would lower the church’s energy bills, such as addressing air gaps and evaluating an aged furnace. At the Las Vegas home, a demonstration of weatherization practices included sealing cracks around windows, insulating the hot water tank and installing more energy-efficient light bulbs. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the energy consumed in U.S. buildings accounts for about forty percent of the country’s total global warming pollution, and retrofitting the housing stock alone could cut GHG emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually by 2020.

Speakers representing Congressman Ben Ray Luján and the Clean Energy Works coalition addressed the ability for a ramp up of weatherization to create good jobs, cut consumer energy costs, and reduce emissions that cause global climate change.

At the same time, community organizations Sustainable Las Vegas and Community Action NM, as well as St. Paul’s, stressed the difficulty rural New Mexicans experience in accessing weatherization services.

“With the predominance of older homes here in Las Vegas, we have a great opportunity to reduce energy use by making energy efficiency investments,” said Lloyd Goding, President of Sustainable Las Vegas. “Energy efficiency has fallen through the cracks, as have the needs of rural areas like Las Vegas where many economically-vulnerable folks live.”

“Our faith community supports the need to address energy efficiency for low income and elderly homes because we believe we need to care for people and God’s creation,” said Rev. Pat Halverson whose faith community is a partner with New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light. For approximately 3 years, a volunteer from St. Paul’s Peace has assisted Las Vegas families in need in lowering their energy bills and saving money through “Safe & Dry” -- a program funded in part by the faith community and others. Rev. Halverson went on to say, “We have a huge issue in rural New Mexico and we often feel neglected. Energy efficiency is good stewardship and is the easiest way to lower people’s energy bills, our house of worship’s bills, and lower our carbon footprint. This is faith in action and it offers hope.”

Friday’s event in Las Vegas was part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the need for weatherization and the positive economic benefits it would provide to communities across the country.

“What we know is that retrofitting a home saves dollars and energy, while creating jobs and decreasing a community's overall carbon footprint -- it's a win-win-win-win situation,” said Kira Jones of Community Action New Mexico. “On the other hand, we’re hearing that the federal- and state-funded weatherization programs are not reaching rural New Mexico. Therefore, we’re here to celebrate and to send out an urgent message to policy makers and funders that rural New Mexicans need energy efficiency!”

Friday also marked the end of the first week of committee hearings in the U.S. Senate on the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act. The hearings were held in the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee on which Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) serves.

“Our Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall have a lot of influence when it comes to helping build an energy efficiency economy”, said Shrayas Jatkar with the Sierra Club and Clean Energy Works coalition in New Mexico. “With a clean energy jobs bill in front of them now, Senators Bingaman and Udall should seize the opportunity to boost investments in weatherization and energy efficiency while ensuring that such services reach rural as well as urban communities.”

To learn more about the benefits of weatherization and energy efficiency read these recent reports:

• White House Middle Class Task Force & Office of Environmental Quality, “Recovery through Retrofit,” October 2009.

• Environmental Entrepreneurs, “Clean Energy and Climate Policies Lead to Economic Growth in the United States,” October 2009.

• American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, “ ," October 2009.

• American Solar Energy Society & Management Information Systems, Inc., “Estimating the Jobs Impact of Tackling Climate Change: Tackling climate change nets 4.5 million jobs," October 2009.

Rep. Luján to Hold Congress on Your Corner in Las Vegas During NMHU Homecoming

Rep. Ben Ray Luján will hold a Congress on Your Corner in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 26, 2009 during the New Mexico Highlands University Homecoming parade line up. He wil be outside the County Courthouse on National Avenue in Las Vegas starting at 1:15 PM. Rep. Luján will meet with constituents, discuss important issues before Congress, and listen to their concerns.