Council balks at proposed charter amendments
Santa Fe city councilors have less than a month to decide whether or not to pursue ballot questions to amend the city charter in the next election. During a special meeting yesterday, councilors expressed concern that the six recommendations made by the 2023 Charter Commission aren’t ready for the ballot. As SFR reported earlier this year, the Charter Commission struggled with a lack of public participation in the process. Councilor Mike Garcia yesterday advocated for providing better support in the future: “I think we need to provide fiscal resources for folks to convene in the community and ensure that we are doing everything we can to encourage the public to participate in this very critical process,” he said. Garcia proposed sponsoring individual resolutions as a way to draw feedback on the current specific proposals, such as curtailing some of the mayor’s voting power; adding requirements to the city charter as it relates to government finances; and reducing the signature requirements for referenda and initiatives from 33.3% to 15%. Councilor Renee Villarreal joined others in noting the commission’s report needs more analysis. “I guess I would’ve liked to see more time for you all to do your work,” she said. “What I’m seeing here are attempts to try to make recommendations on issues that are really complex…What I see here is giving me not a very clear picture of how to move forward.” According to the city clerk, the city attorney would need to start drafting legislation for charter amendments no later than July 5 to make sure questions could hit the ballot in time for the Nov. 7 election.
Report: NM could save $2.1 billion with electric vehicles
As the East Coast encounters wildfire smoke from Canada, US Sen. Martin Heinrich took to Capitol Hill yesterday during an electric showcase to espouse the importance of electric vehicles. “Those of us in the West are used to this,” Heinrich said, gesturing at the smoggy air. “We’ve lived with it for 15, 20 years now. This is the result of 100 years of burning fossil fuels and it means we’re now burning our forests because the planet is a warmer place.” Heinrich’s remarks coincided with a report published yesterday by the American Lung Association, “Driving to Clean Air,” which says a move to zero-emission vehicles would save close to 200 lives in New Mexico. In addition, the report says the transition to electric vehicles such as cars, SUVs and light pickup trucks, would generate $2.1 billion in public health benefits and result in 5,210 avoided asthma attacks and 22,700 avoided lost workdays. JoAnna Strother, senior director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, tells SFR the state has taken previous actions to benefit the transition to zero-emission vehicles and could continue that work now by adopting new Advanced Clean Cars II standards—the state adopted the first iteration of the Clean Cars rule last year. The American Lung Association’s State of the Air report shows “about 59% of New Mexicans live in counties impacted by air pollution,” Strother says, “and we know that the transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to our poor air quality,” making it particularly important to “do as much as we can to really tackle climate change, and these air pollution burdens.”
Fighting fire with preparation, funding
And speaking of wildfires, the state Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Forestry Division yesterday issued a reminder/warning to residents to keep up their guard, despite the slow start to wildfire season. To that end, the department has a year-round motto: “When Wind Blows, Embers May Follow!” According to the department, “embers from wildfires can travel up to a mile from their source when carried by the wind. Their size can be larger, including pieces of burning wood or bark, not just small glowing embers. These embers can ignite a structure when they land under steps, porches, or decks, in rain gutters, woodpiles, accumulated vegetation, mulch, dry grass or on wooden fencing, and even through openings in the house such as unscreened vents.” (Here is a state-supplied video demonstrating this phenomena). The department recommends home hardening and yard maintenance as critical to maintaining home safety, including actions such as: maintaining a 5-foot area around all structures on the property free of flammable vegetation or material; and trimming all vegetation away from walls and roofs. Find more information in the New Mexico Living with Fire Guide for Homeowners; the state will be updating its wildfire preparedness campaign throughout the year here.
US Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, D-NM, meanwhile, along with a group of Western senators, sent a letter this week to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs urging them to adopt a long-term solution to increase wildland firefighter recruitment and retention, writing: “Investing in our federal wildland firefighters is a matter of national security as critical infrastructure, homes, communities, structures and natural resources are at grave and growing risk of catastrophic wildfire. As the 2023 fire season begins, Congress must support our nation’s federal wildland firefighters and ensure the federal government has a robust and resilient workforce.”
State launches safe cannabis-use campaign
More than a year since adult cannabis sales became legal in New Mexico, state officials have launched a reportedly $400,000 campaign targeting responsible use. According to a news release, the campaign—from Albuquerque-based marketing firm Kilmer, Kilmer, Marshall & Duran (k2md)—includes outdoor billboards, television, online, radio, print ads and connected TV, such as Hulu, Crackle and A&E Network. “The Cannabis Control Division is committed to being a helpful ally in the New Mexico cannabis market,” Regulation and Licensing Department Superintendent Linda Trujillo said in a statement. “We recognize the need for education in this new cannabis industry. This campaign opens the conversation for responsible storage and safe cannabis consumption. ” Topics in the “Yes and Knows” campaign include: safe consumption, safe storage and how cannabis can affect people when they are driving, among other issues. For instance, in one ad, “Don’t Drive High,” a narrator intones, “Yeees. Cannabis slows reaction time. Know that you should never drive high, because driving high is a DWI.”
Listen up
Everyone seems to be either thinking or talking about installing rooftop solar these days. Some residents are taking the plunge and some, as the Public Regulation Commission recently reported, are encountering problems and filing complaints. This morning’s 8 am edition of KUNM’s Let’s Talk New Mexico program will focus on all things residential solar, including: government incentives; potential savings; the environmental impact and more. The show encourages folks to either email or call in live to share experiences of having rooftop solar panels installed, or to ask questions on the topic: Let’sTalk@kunm.org or (505) 277-5866; listen online or at 89.9 FM.
IAIA chair/artist receives national award
Santa Fe-based artist Daisy Quezada Ureña has been named one of 15 Latinx Artist Fellows for 2023 by the US Latinx Art Forum‚ and the only artist from New Mexico to receive the national recognition. Quezada Ureña is currently out of the country but responded to a query from SFR via email about the award, writing, in part, that when she first received the news, she “was caught in an unknown trying to ground myself in various ways, which I arrived at momentarily after sharing with my immediate family. Then, my comprehension of reality shifted to an alternative that I am still working through. Between moving through various states of myself in an unprecedented pace, including simultaneous stillness, I feel a sense of hope and responsibility to this land and the people who make this home that has provided for me in many ways.” Quezada Ureña, who grew up in Southern New Mexico and Mexico, is currently the chair of the Institute of American Indian Arts’ Studio Arts Department, and tells SFR she is also working on a chapter contribution to a book being edited by Dr. Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda, Dr. Analays Alvarez Hernandez and Dr. Zaira Zarza; and the inclusion of bosque brotante in an upcoming Los Angels exhibition.
Take a hike
Assuming the weather forecast proves semi-accurate, we may see some dry days as summer approaches and (fingers crossed/knock on wood) wildfire-free hiking weather. For ideas, New Mexico Magazine has a roundup of trails across the state—outside Santa Fe for some new adventures—ranked by difficulty so you know what you’re getting yourself into. The easiest on the list, Soledad Canyon Loop would be a good add-on for a Las Cruces excursion. As described by writer Jim O’Donnell this easy, 4-mile “loop northeast of Las Cruces offers a rich experience of the Chihuahuan Desert microclimates of the Organ Mountain–Desert Peaks National Monument” and leads hikers “through a narrow canyon to a rare desert waterfall and pond teeming with bird life. Keep your eyes out for a small cistern and the ruins of an old cabin, both built by long-ago homesteaders.” The hardest hike is closer to home, the Sierra Ladrones, southwest of Albuquerque, a 7-mile jaunt described as “truly epic,” and featuring “no marked trails, very little water, and plenty of rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and occasional lightning.” And speaking of New Mexico Magazine, its writers, editors, designers et. al recently raked in 17 awards and recognitions at the 43rd Annual International Regional Magazine Association, including runner up as magazine of the year. Read the full list of awards here.
Here comes the sun
The National Weather Service forecasts a sunny day, with a high temperature near 77 degrees and north wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. No time like the present, then, to dig into SFR’s new annual Summer Guide.
Thanks for reading! The Word is celebrating having her yard at least momentarily free from invasive plants (aka weeds) by reading this New Yorker story on weeds.
