Politics

Letter To The Editor: Nuisance Ordinance – It’s Even Worse Than It Sounds

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By JIM REDMAN
Los Alamos

I am indebted to David Izraelevitz (link) for explaining to citizens in excruciating detail how burdensome, unpleasant, aggressive and bureaucratic the enforcement of weeds over 18 inches has become in Los Alamos. For this enforcement we must create acronyms, have well defined timelines and threaten court action. It’s really difficult for me to think of something so anathema to good neighbors and neighborhoods and a clearer demonstration of poor governance.

That there are reports from citizens that the “best practices” described are not followed Read More

Lujan Grisham Secures $5 million In Additional Funding For High-Crime Cities

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U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham
 
CONGRESSIONAL News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham successfully added four amendments to the omnibus appropriations bill, including increased funding for the hiring of state and local police officers in high-crime communities like Albuquerque.
 
The House passed the appropriations bill today, which now heads to the Senate for consideration.
 
The legislation includes an amendment from Rep. Lujan Grisham that increases funding by $5 million under the Byrne JAG Program. This is the same program highlighted
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DOE Announces WIPP Contract Extension

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The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad. Courtesy photo

WIPP News:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce released the following statement after the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a three-year extension to the AECOM Management and Operations Contract for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad:

“WIPP is a major contributor to the Carlsbad economy and plays a critical role in our nation’s security. The site’s success does not come from the company who manages, but rather the community that supports it, and the dedicated employees Read More

Appropriations Bill Passes With Pearce Amendments

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce
 
U.S. CONGRESSIONAL News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018, which finishes the FY18 appropriations process for the House of Representatives by providing funding levels for eight funding bills.
 
This package included two amendments by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce that rollback excessive and duplicative regulations on the oil and gas industry. Inclusion of these amendments will greatly benefit New Mexico.
 
“New Mexico’s oil
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Letter To The Editor: More Utility Rate Increases

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By BRADY BURKE
Los Alamos

Remember that discussion a couple of months back about how sewer rates were being rubber-stamped each year for the past five years at 8 percent each year. The Department of Public Utilities wanted an 8 percent increase this year to show that they had revenues to get financing for the White Rock Water Treatment Facility (WRWTF or WWTF).

Remember that I was a strong advocate of tying the increases to the specific projects that they were using as rationale so that they could be removed when that obligation went away? Instead, the Council approved the increases to allow the DPU Read More

Council Corner: The ‘How’ Of Code Enforcement

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By DAVID IZRAELEVITZ
Los Alamos
  • Part 2 of a 3-part series
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  • In Part 1 of my editorial on code enforcement, I covered the “why” behind the program. Today, I would like to address in some detail the “how” of code enforcement, a process which is managed within the Community Development Department (CDD) by two full-time Code Enforcement Officers. My hope is that by explaining a little more about the process, I can help clear up confusion and concern in our community.

Let’s begin with clarifying two terms that seem to be interchangeable when the public discusses this sensitive topic, but are very Read More

Fire Suppression Now Hot Topic For National Leaders

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NWTF News:
 
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation applauds Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke’s continual efforts to advance sportsmen’s priorities, particularly his latest secretarial order, which begins the push to end catastrophic wildfires.
 
Zinke directed all Department of the Interior bureaus, superintendents and land managers at all levels to adopt more aggressive practices to prevent and combat the spread of those catastrophic wildfires.
 
Zinke’s order also spells out how he expects those orders to be carried out, as he wants to see
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NMED Confirms ‘Boil Water Advisory’ To Be Issued By Chaco Culture National Historic Parks Water System

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NMED News:
 
SANTA FE ― The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Drinking Water Bureau (DWB) is confirming a required “boil water advisory” for the Chaco Culture National Historic Park Water System.
 
Chaco Culture National Historic Park Water System is required to issue the advisory today after bacteriological contamination (E. coli) was detected in repeat drinking water samples from the water system’s distribution system. Chaco Culture National Historic Park Water System is required to notify all water system users of this finding.
 
Chaco Culture National
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Letter To The Editor: Nuisance Ordinance – It’s Not The Messaging … It’s The Program

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By JIM REDMAN
Los Alamos

David Izraelevitz works hard for Los Alamos and to support our citizens but on the topic of the nuisance ordinance his opinions are misguided and his advocated solutions inappropriate (link).

There are undoubtedly problems that need to be addressed, but the requirement to solve those larger problems has created an ordinance that is causing unnecessary and useless annoyances to reasonable citizens. Overzealous enforcement is at tax payers expense and adds little value to the community

It’s hard to disagree with Izraelevitz’s statement “A community thrives Read More

Letter To The Editor: Truth Matters

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By MIRANDA VISCOLI, Co-president
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence

Mr. Visel’s latest offensive and dangerous diatribe (link) attacking the important work of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence (NMPGV) is a troubling reminder that we live in a time when a complete disregard for the facts and intentional distortion of the truth is the new law of the land.

He states, rather emphatically, that NMPGV is financially backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. There is not an ounce of truth to this statement. New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence has never received a dime of funding from Mr. Read More