Los Alamos Democrats Monthly Meeting Today
DPLAC News:
Democrats, come join us for our monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m., Monday, May 12.
The hybrid meeting will be held in person and via Zoom.
In Person: UNM-Los Alamos, Building 5, Room 505, Los Alamos
Via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81654127593, Meeting ID: 816 5412 7593
Agenda for this meeting will be to consider the operating budget for 2025 and 2026, discuss volunteer opportunities (such as the table at the summer concerts), hosting family friendly summer events, potential speakers for future meetings, results of the DPNM spring meeting elections, and anything else of interest Read More
Dannemann: Workers’ Comp Task Force Was A Model For Future Legislation
By MERILEE DANNEMANN
Triple Spaced Again
In 1990, Raymond Sanchez took on the trial lawyers and won. Yes, that Raymond Sanchez. At the time he was Speaker of the House.
Supporting that effort was none other than Marty Chavez. Yes, that Marty Chavez. Chavez was then a state senator.
The challenge was workers’ compensation. Workers’ comp insurance in New Mexico had become so expensive that most businesses couldn’t afford it. Insurance companies were leaving the state. Many businesses could not get insurance at any price.
Sanchez and Chavez are both featured in a 7-minute film, produced by New Read More
County Environmental Sustainability Board To Meet May 15
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County Environmental Sustainability Board is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15 in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building at 1000 Central Ave.
This meeting is open to the public in person, and for convenience, the following Zoom meeting link and/or telephone call-in numbers may be used for public viewing and participation:
Please click this URL to join. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85656951187 or one tap mobile:
+17193594580,,85656951187# US
+16694449171,,85656951187# US
Virtual Public Meeting On Guaje Pines Master Plan May 14
View of Guaje Pines Cemetery at 901 Range Road. Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County has partnered with Sloane Consulting Group to develop a comprehensive Master Plan for Guaje Pines Cemetery.
This plan will outline a long-term vision for the care, maintenance and development of the cemetery, ensuring it remains a peaceful and meaningful place for generations to come.
As part of the community engagement process, the County invites residents to take part in a Virtual Public Meeting at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 14, to share feedback and ideas directly with the project team. This meeting Read More
Luján, Murkowski Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation To Combat Maternal And Infant Mortality Crisis
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) reintroduced the Midwives for Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services (MOMS) Act, bipartisan legislation that addresses the maternal and infant mortality crisis by increasing the number of trained midwives in the United States.
The bipartisan legislation would increase funding for midwifery education and increase diversity in the maternity care workforce by recruiting students from minority or disadvantaged backgrounds.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Read More
NMED Hosting Climate Action Plan Public Conversations
NMED News:
SANTA FE — During public meetings scheduled for May and June, New Mexicans will have an opportunity to meet virtually with representatives from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and provide public input on New Mexico’s Climate Action Plan.
The Climate Action Plan, or CAP, expected to be completed by December 2025, will provide a roadmap to meet New Mexico’s climate pollution reduction targets, and aims to ensure a healthy, secure, and prosperous future for all New Mexicans.
During in-person community meetings Read More
Bear Trouble
Scene this morning from bear overnight dismantling an unsecured trash can at a local playlot. Courtesy/Katie Bruell
By KATIE BRUELL
Los Alamos
Dear Los Alamos County,
Have you heard the phrase, “a fed bear is a dead bear?” I’m guessing yes, which is why I don’t understand how you persist in attracting the bears out of the canyon into our playlots with unsecured trash.
We citizens are doing our part by getting bear safe trash cans, keeping our trash inside our garages (if we have them) not feeding our pets outside, and doing all the other things your utility bill inserts ask us to. But it doesn’t matter Read More
David Steiner Appointed New U.S. Postmaster General
New Postmaster General David Steiner
U.S. Postal Service News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Keep US Posted, a nonprofit advocacy group of consumers, nonprofits, newspapers, greeting card publishers, magazines, catalogs, forestry and recycling interests and small businesses dedicated to promoting the value of postal mail and protecting the long-term health of the U.S. Postal Service, congratulated David Steiner on his appointment as the nation’s next Postmaster General. (Steiner is a board member at FedEx and former CEO at Waste Management.)
“We extend our sincere congratulations to David Read More
County Assessor Clarifies Property Tax Of Common Areas
By County Assessor George Chandler:
Recently a citizen posted on Facebook information ostensibly derived from the Los Alamos County Parcel Viewer, the online feature of the Assessor’s Office that displays parcel maps and data on each parcel of land in the County.
Our office discovered the post, which referenced a large non-residential parking lot downtown and stated incorrectly that the lot was taxed at $2,853 (no tax year was stated).
Our office discovered the post, and we attempted without success to determine exactly how the citizen derived his incorrect information from the data on the Read More
ONME Report On Findings From 2024 Election Observers
ONME News:
ALBUQUERQUE — Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME), a nonpartisan observation effort designed to increase trust and transparency in elections, recently finalized a full report on findings gathered from ONME’s election observers during early voting and on election day, Nov. 5, 2024.
On Election Day, ONME mobilized 160 election site watchers in 29 of New Mexico’s 33 counties. During early voting, 50 individuals observed 91 sites in 24 counties. ONME watchers observed processes from start to finish at their respective locations. They also observed the logic and accuracy testing Read More
New Mexico Supreme Court: Whistleblower Disclosures Must Benefit Public To Qualify For State Law’s Protections
NEW MEXICO SUPREME COURT News:
SANTA FE — Whistleblowing must benefit the public for a governmental employee to be protected against retaliation by their employer, the state Supreme Court ruled today.
The Court’s unanimous decision clarified the legal standard for determining whether a public employee who discloses alleged governmental misconduct will be covered by the New Mexico Whistleblower Protection Act (NMWPA), which prohibits reprisals such as firing or demoting the whistleblower.
In an opinion by Chief Justice David K. Thomson, the Court concluded that “a public employee’s Read More
New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez Celebrates Selection Of Pope Leo XIV
Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV
From the Office of Speaker Javier Martínez:
SANTA FE – Following the selection of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope to lead the Catholic Church, New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) issued the following statement:
“This is a joyful and hopeful moment for Catholics and for people of faith around the world. At a time when the politics of fear, hatred, and blind nationalism are all too common, our faith teaches us to welcome the stranger and care for the poor. Always.
¡Que viva el Papa Leo XIV! May he continue in the footsteps Read More
Luján, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Improve AI Testing And Evaluation Systems
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wednesday, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Testing and Evaluation Systems for Trusted Artificial Intelligence (TEST) AI Act of 2025, legislation to improve the federal government’s capacity to test and evaluate Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to drive innovation, protect national security, and build trust and confidence for Americans utilizing AI systems.
The TEST AI Act aims to ensure that AI systems used by federal agencies Read More
Councilors To Host Booth At Farmers Market Starting May 22
COUNTY News:
Two Los Alamos County Councilors will host a booth 9-11 a.m. beginning May 22 on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Farmers Market at Ashley Pond Park, 2200 Trinity Drive.
Marketgoers are encouraged to stop by and chat about current issues, projects or other topics.
Summer 2025 dates Council will be available:
- Thursday, May 22
- Thursday, June 26
- Thursday, July 24
- Saturday, Aug. 2 – County Fair at Ashley Pond Park
- Thursday, Sept. 25
- Thursday, Oct. 23
The community is invited to connect with the County Councilors and discuss current issues. For information about Los Alamos County Read More
Short-Sighted Taxation On Oil And Gas ‘A Recipe For Disaster’
By MISSI CURRIER
CEO
New Mexico Oil and Gas Association
In recent legislative sessions, there has been a push to further tax the oil and gas industry in New Mexico. This approach is not only short-sighted but also detrimental to the state’s economic stability and growth.
The price of oil is notoriously volatile, subject to global market fluctuations and geopolitical tensions.
Legislators seem to focus solely on the immediate revenue that can be generated from higher taxes, ignoring the long-term consequences. This myopic view fails to consider the inherent instability of Over the Read More
Op-Ed: DPU Should Consider Shopping Local For Solar
By RICK NEBEL
Los Alamos
Several years ago, my wife Kathy and my son Dan worked for Carol and Tex Felts at Los Alamos Music. Like many small businesses they provided multiple services to the community. They gave music lessons. They sold new and used instruments. They did “rent-to-own” instruments for beginners. They repaired instruments. However, the real money-maker for that business was that Tex tuned pianos.
For many years, Tex had a contract with the County to tune its pianos. One year he put in his usual bid, and the County told him that they had awarded the contract to some outfit from Santa Read More
UNM-LA Advisory Board To Meet Monday May 12
The Lecture Hall (Room 230) in Building 2 on the UNM-LA campus. Courtesy/UNM-LA
UNM-LA News:
The UNM-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) Advisory Board is scheduled to meet 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 12, in the Building 2 Lecture Hall (Room 230) on the UNM-LA campus.
The meeting is open to the public.
Agenda items include bylaws revisions and discussion about making meetings also available to the public on Zoom.
The board generally meets on the Monday preceding the second Tuesday of each odd calendar month except in July, unless otherwise directed. The board advises The University of New Mexico Board of Regents on Read More
Op-Ed: A Future Worth Working For – Clean Air, Good Jobs, Climate Justice
By Sen. Pro Tem Mimi Stewart
and
Rep. Kristina Ortez
New Mexico just accelerated our path forward to build a cleaner, more sustainable future for everyone. With the passage of the Community Benefit Fund (Senate Bill 48) and the Innovation in State Government Fund (Senate Bill 83), the state is proving that smart, community-driven climate action isn’t just possible—it’s already happening.
These wins are the result of years of hard work by advocates, lawmakers, and New Mexicans from across the state who believe in a future where clean energy, good jobs, and resilient communities go hand in hand. Read More
U.S. Sen. Luján Recognizes National Day Of Awareness For Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, issued the following statement regarding Senate passage of a resolution recognizing the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls:
“Today and every day, we must continue to shed light on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in New Mexico and across the country. For decades, our legal system has failed Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and their families, and we must do more to bring attention Read More
Residents Invited To Share Reflections On Cerro Grande Fire
COUNTY News:
Twenty-five years after the Cerro Grande Fire, one of the most defining events in Los Alamos County’s history, officials are inviting community members to share personal memories, reflections, photos or short videos that highlight the unity, compassion and healing that followed in the fire’s aftermath.
Submissions can be made online at lacnm.com/CG2025 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, May 15. Selected contributions will be displayed during a public gathering 4:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, in Room 110 of the Los Alamos County Municipal Building, 1000 Central Ave. Light refreshments Read More
