Democracy for New Mexico

Thursday, December 10, 2009

NM Dem Lt. Governor Candidate Forum and Straw Poll Set for 12.16 in Bernalillo

From the Sandoval County Democratic Club and the Democratic Women of Sandoval County:

One not to miss: A Straw Poll for Democratic Lt. Governor candidates is being sponsored by the Democratic Women of Sandoval County and the Sandoval County Democratic Club on Wednesday, December 16. Registration is at 6:00 PM, and the presentations begin at 7:00 PM at the Bernalillo Town Hall, located at 829 Camino del Pueblo in Bernalillo, New Mexico (map).

All are invited to attend. Candidates will have an opportunity to speak directly with party members, as well as deliver a short presentation on their views. After this, candidates will answer questions and seek Straw Poll votes. After all the presentations are heard, and questions answered, the voting will commence, votes will be tabulated and results will be made public. Candidates will be available for interviews, including the media before and after this event.

For more information contact Linda Allison at 892-7946 or David Montoya at 331-1303.

Democrats running to fill the Lt. Governor slot on the Diane Denish gubernatorial ticket in 2010 include Rep. Joe Campos, Brian Colón, Sen. Linda Lopez, Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, Lawrence Rael and Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano.

December 10, 2009 at 02:18 PM in 2010 NM Lt. Governor Race, Democratic Party, Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Guest Blog by ACLU of NM: Real ID’s Problems Are Bigger than Airplanes

This is an op-ed by guest blogger Diane Wood, Policy Director for the ACLU of New Mexico.

Real ID is dead. Thirty-six states currently do not meet compliance standards set by federal law, 14 of which have passed binding legislation prohibiting participation in Real ID. In all, twenty-four states have enacted bills or resolutions that oppose the Real ID Act. The people have spoken. Americans have a long and proud tradition of resisting government intrusion into their private lives, and Real ID is just that: a needless, ineffective and burdensome intrusion.

Over the past weeks, much has been made of the rapidly approaching compliance deadline for Real ID. The hand wringing stems from a concern that, come January 1st, 2010, New Mexicans may have to carry their passports if they wish to board a plane or enter a federal building. While this is a frightening prospect, the deadline is almost certain to be extended. With over half the states in non-compliance, suddenly forcing Americans to use their passports for internal travel during one of the year’s busiest travel times would throw airports and airlines into a state of chaos. Is DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano so foolhardy as to risk paralyzing the nation and further wounding an already reeling American economy?

Congress passed the Real ID Act in May 2005 without a single hearing in the Senate, ostensibly to provide Americans with greater security in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Rather than make America safer, Congress created a 20 billion dollar boondoggle (the cost of which would be borne by the states and individuals) that saddles the nation with a big burden and a small security return.

ID-based security is inherently unreliable. What do Timothy McVeigh, Ted Kaczynski and Major Nidal Hasan all have in common? They all would have had zero difficulty obtaining Real ID compliant cards. Bad actors will inevitably find ways of obtaining fraudulent cards and may already be eligible to acquire them by legitimate means. The idea that imposing the United States’ first-ever national identity card system will make us safer is founded on a false premise.

Continue reading "Guest Blog by ACLU of NM: Real ID’s Problems Are Bigger than Airplanes"

December 10, 2009 at 12:17 PM in Civil Liberties, Guest Blogger, Homeland Security | Permalink | Comments (3)

Friday: NM Association of Retired Persons Update on Health Care Activism in Las Cruces

From the New Mexico Alliance for Retired Americans:
Join us and spread the word about the roll-out of the NM ARA's Southern NM Community Action Team in Las Cruces this Friday, December 11.

NM ARA's Southern CAT organizer, Eva Lujan, and staffer Terry Schleder will host a video and update on senior activism for health reform and Medicare at 10:00 AM, followed by a group visit with Rep. Harry Teague's health policy staffer at 2:00 PM. Learn the facts about health reform's impact on Medicare. Details below:

Continue reading "Friday: NM Association of Retired Persons Update on Health Care Activism in Las Cruces"

December 10, 2009 at 11:56 AM in Events, Healthcare, Obama Health Care Reform, Senior Citizens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish Issues Statement in Opposition to Food Tax

As lawmakers, administration officials and constituency groups continue to discuss proposals to address the state’s budget shortfall, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish voiced her strong opposition to an across-the-board tax hike on food. The Lt. Governor released the following statement yesterday:

“Like many other states, New Mexico is facing tough times and we have to make some tough decisions in order to close our state’s budget shortfall. A lot of ideas have been put on the table, but one thing I will not support is an across-the-board tax on all food. When families are pinching and scraping to get by, taxing the basics like milk and bread is just not right.

We need a solution to the state's budget problem, but it should not come at the cost of making tough times even tougher for regular New Mexico families. We must start the upcoming legislative session by identifying ways to make government smaller and more efficient, such as overhauling the capital outlay process and ending the practice of double-dipping.”

December 10, 2009 at 08:00 AM in Food and Drink, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, NM Legislature 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Two Citizens File Complaint Claiming NM Legislature Candidate Julian Luna Is Violating Hatch Act and Campaign Reporting Law

Two voters in Valencia County’s 8th House District sent a letter (pdf) today to Sandy Perez, the Director of the State Personnel Office, A.J. Salazar, the Director of the Bureau of Elections, and Governor Richardson, claiming that Julian Luna is campaigning for a partisan political office in violation of multiple state laws and regulations. Luna is the Executive Director of the State Racing Commission. The two District 8 residents who signed the letter are Albert Chavez of Belen and William Pratt, M.D., of Bosque Farms.

According to their letter, Mr. Luna is hosting fundraisers, having polls conducted on his behalf, and purchasing campaign materials. Because Luna has yet to take a leave of absence from his job at the state, it is against the law for him to be a candidate for a partisan political office, according to New Mexico’s version of federal Hatch Act laws.

Mr. Luna also failed to file the most recently due campaign contribution and expenditure report, required under the Campaign Reporting Act, on October 13th, 2009.

In response to this news, Rep. Elias Barela, who currently represents the 8th District, said in a statement released today, “It appears as though Julian Luna is breaking two laws, by working at his state job while he campaigns, and also by refusing to file the campaign reports that are the only way the public knows who is giving him money and support. I don’t know why he’s choosing secrecy and trying to hide his campaign from the public eye, but the voters of Valencia County deserve better.”

As for the laws themselves, Barela said, “The intent behind these laws is to prevent people with incredible power from improperly using that power to raise money and campaign for office. The public is tired of politicians who wield their influence in State Government for personal political gain.”

He added, “Since Mr. Luna meets the definition set out by the Secretary of State for what qualifies a candidate, and since he is actively campaigning, he should comply with the letter and the spirit of these laws, which are there to prevent the appearance of corruption in State Government.”

Click for a copy of the Campaign Reporting Act and the section of New Mexico law that deals with the Hatch Act.

December 9, 2009 at 06:33 PM in 2010 NM Legislature Races | Permalink | Comments (0)

12/12: Join Rep. Martin Heinrich at Grand Opening of New South Valley Office

Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-01) has released a statement announcing that he will host a grand opening of his second, permanent district office, located at 3211 Coors Blvd. SW, Suite B3 in Albuquerque’s South Valley (map). All are invited to attend from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on Saturday, December 12.

The event will bring together community leaders and constituents from around the First Congressional District of New Mexico to meet with Rep. Heinrich and learn about the services the office provides. Just like his existing downtown Albuquerque office, the South Valley office will help constituents expedite the process of dealing with the Social Security Administration, Medicare, the VA, immigration, or any other federal agencies.

December 9, 2009 at 05:55 PM in Events, Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-01) | Permalink | Comments (0)

DPNM Says Weh and Martinez Hiding Behind Negative Press Releases

The two leading GOP candidates for New Mexico governor are notorious for constantly issuing negative press releases blaming Dem gubernatorial candidate Lt. Governor for everything and anything under the sun -- even if she has zero involvement. Come to think of it, I'm shocked Allen Weh and Susana Martinez didn't issue statements blaming Denish for the damaging windstorm that hit Cloudcroft the other day. It's that bad.

But when it comes to face-to-face campaigning on the issues -- subjecting themselves to scrutiny before a real-life crowd -- the two Republican frontrunners are apparently too timid to show their faces. They're hiding out. What in the world are these two scarety cats afraid of?

Tonight, the Rio Grande Foundation, a right-wing "think tank" (that just happens to support a local blog that specializes in creating smears repeated by Weh and Martinez), is hosting a forum for Republican gubernatorial candidates. However, of the four Republican candidates, only Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones and Doug Turner are reportedly attending the event. Candidates Allen Weh and Susana Martinez are reportedly skipping this opportunity to share their views with Republican primary voters., 

"Allen Weh and Susana Martinez are more than happy to let the Rio Grande Foundation do their political dirty work, but when that organization gives them an opportunity to share their views in front of a sympathetic audience, they refuse to participate," said Scott Forrester, the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. "Either Weh and Martinez don't want folks to know where they stand on key issues, they themselves don't know where they stand, or they know this forum will expose how unprepared they are to hold the state's highest office."

"Instead of taking this easy opportunity to show an ideologically friendly audience whether they have any ideas of their own," Forrester continued, "Weh and Martinez appear content to continue hiding behind baseless, negative press releases. To this point, Weh and Martinez have done nothing but throw rocks from the bleachers, and New Mexicans deserve better."

December 9, 2009 at 11:07 AM in 2010 NM Governor's Race, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Republican Party | Permalink | Comments (0)

Team Luján Needs Your Help This Weekend With Petition Drive

From Rep. Ben Ray Luján's re-election campaign:
Do you have plans this weekend? If you don't, Team Luján could use your help. We're putting on a multi-town petition drive, and we're inviting you to join us and support Ben.

We're taking to the road, and with the help of our friends, we're holding petition drives this Saturday (December 12) and Sunday (December 13) in Santa Fe, Taos, Rio Rancho, Espanola, and Las Vegas. All of the drives will run from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturday and 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM on Sunday.

Email the campaign to join a petition drive in your community: volunteer@benrlujan.com.

At each petition drive there will be food and prizes. Bring your friends. Bring your family. Have some fun this weekend with Team Lujan as we work together to move New Mexico forward.

We'll be meeting at the following locations and heading out to get petition signatures and talk with our fellow New Mexicans about Ben's work in Congress:

Continue reading "Team Luján Needs Your Help This Weekend With Petition Drive"

December 9, 2009 at 09:42 AM in Events, NM-03 Congressional Race 2010, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan | Permalink | Comments (0)

12/12: North Valley Event with Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Lawmakers

From the DPBC:
North Valley Event with Lt. Governor Diane Denish
Saturday, December 12, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Wards 11B and 17A invite you to a greater North Valley Petition Signing Event and Statewide Candidate Update in the Chaco I room of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. Hear a recap of the Special Session, preview the upcoming General Session and meet with special guest Lt. Governor Diane Denish as well as Sen. Dede Feldman, Rep. Rick Miera, Rep. Edward Sandoval, Rep. Gail Chasey and Councilwoman Debbie O'Malley.

Everyone is welcome. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Michelle Lujan Grisham at 505-681-8128.

December 9, 2009 at 08:52 AM in 2010 NM Governor's Race, Democratic Party, Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

12/9: Sandy Jones for State Land Commissioner Kickoff in Santa Fe

From Sandy Jones for State Land Commissioner:

SANDY R. JONES
For State Land Commissioner
Invites you to the Campaign Office for our Grand Opening
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
5:30 – 7:30 PM
1322 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Inside the Grubisic Law Office
Just blocks from the New Mexico State Capitol
Click for flyer (pdf)

Please RSVP to Cristal Jones at 505-819-7127 or at Cristal@JonesForLandCommissioner.com - all donations appreciated!

The public is invited to attend the reception and take the opportunity to meet Jones and talk about their issues and concern with the state land office.

Sandy Jones announced his candidacy for State Land Commissioner in September. Jones is currently Chairman of the Public Regulations Commission. Before being elected to the PRC in 2006, he operated a construction business for over 25 years. He lives in Sierra County on a small farm with his wife Ginni. Jones said his love for the land and his hopes for the future of our children have led him to run for this office.

Continue reading "12/9: Sandy Jones for State Land Commissioner Kickoff in Santa Fe"

December 8, 2009 at 09:23 PM in 2010 NM Land Commissioner Race, Events | Permalink | Comments (0)