Retake Plans for the coming Roundhouse Session; the Mayor’s race is beckoning; Progress NowNM Summit; Chainbreaker Edge of Equity series begins; and the PRC rescinds its decision to curb PNM cost recovery..
Action: Wednesday, Jan. 10, 9:30am. Public Regulation Commission. Public Hearing. 4th Floor Hearing Room of the PERA Building at 1120 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico.The commission rescinded the decision it made two weeks ago, voting unanimously to hold a new hearing next Wednesday on Public Service Company of New Mexico rate proposals. “I think we can get a better deal for ratepayers,” said Commissioner Patrick Lyons, R-Cuervo. Forgive my cynicism, but it was PNM that appealed the decision to allow a 9% rate increase, while PNM sought a greater increase. I am doubtful they will be offering up a steeper cut in their rate. Two weeks ago, the PRC also rejected PNM’s request seeking $150 million in improvements made at the Four Corners Generating Plant and $37 million at the San Juan Generating Plant, calling both investments “imprudent.” The hearing will involve only 20 minutes of argument for each side, with New Energy Economy seeking even greater cuts in PNM’s rate and PNM asking the PRC to allow PNM to recover more for their “imprudent” decisions. Let’s pack the hearing room.
As always the blog first looks back with a view of the past week’s blogs and then provides an array of coming events and actions. And it may be cold outside, but things are definitely heating up. Read On!
A Look Back
Entrada Talks Moving Toward Resolution, If Not Reconciliation. Tuesday, Jan 1. I can’t even get my head around what ‘reconciliation’ would look like for Indigenous tribes whether in relation to Entrada and the reconquest or in relation to Manifest Destiny and our entire nation’s entire history. But it appears that just maybe we will no longer have a historically inaccurate pageant rubbed in the faces of our Native neighbors, offending them and many of us. Maybe. Click here to read this important blog.
The Worst of Times the Best of Times: A Guest Blog from Bruce Berlin, NM Money Out of Politics. An excellent guest blog today from Bruce Berlin, friend, author and advocate for getting money out of politics. Great piece highlighting some of the absurdities of 2017 and some of the surprisingly positive developments, as well. A nice short read. Also a couple Retake announcements for 2018 including a hint at our emerging state and local strategies for 2018. Click here.
Put the puppet’s hair on Lear and you’ve got Trump exactly.
Is Trump Starting To Mentally Dissolve? Are We Witnessing a 21st Century King Lear? His tweets have always been impulsive, but in the last days Trump’s desperate need for ‘credit’ (commercial air safety? really?) and now with Bannon abandoning ship, his support is unravelling and it appears, so might he. Time to prepare for the worst?
Events of the Week
Be sure to read through to the end as there are some important actions for this week at the end of the blog.
Retake Takes Action. Mon. Jan. 8, 6pm-7:15pm, New Energy Economy Conference Room. 343 E Alameda St, Santa Fe. Retake’s Local Research and Activism Team is shifting from research to direct community service. Join Jennifer Johnson is chairing this shift and explore options for direct community group service on projects in Santa Fe, with a lens on under-served communities. The focus through the first of March will be the local elections, Mayoral and City Council. On the 8th, the team will also examine the People’s Platform, a platform of progressive platforms developed by Retake with significant input from partners like Somos Un Pueblo Unido, New Energy Economy, Earth Care, and Chainbreaker Collective. RSVP by writing to Jennifer Johnson at gridded@mac.com.
Chainbreaker, The Edge of Equity Series begins Tuesday, Jan. 9 5:30-7:30pm, with Health Without Displacement at Santa Fe Community Foundation, 501 Halona St, Santa Fe. Arrive EARLY as this will be JAMMED and for good reason. Candidate forums, planning meetings, training’s in RCV, and a can’t miss series from Chainbreaker Collective, a series of panels on Equity in Santa Fe. While the Edge of Equity is not the first chronologically, if you have not seen Tomás Rivera speak on equity issues, you will want to mark down these dates and not miss any of the panels. Chainbreaker Collective is key partner in the struggle for racial and economic justice in Santa Fe and no one articulates the lack of equity in Santa Fe and a vision for economic justice in Santa Fe better than Tomás and his colleagues at Chainbreaker. Don’t miss these panels. For more information, go to http://www.chainbreaker.org
Jan 11, 18, and Jan 25, 4:30-6:30. Roundhouse Advocacy Team. New Energy Economy Conference Room. 343 E Alameda St, Santa Fe, The group typically meets twice monthly, but because the Roundhouse session is just around the corner and because we are presenting at the ProgressNOWNM Progressive Summit, we are meeting every week in January. We are going to review planning for advocacy in the 2018 session, as despite this being a short session, there are a number of bills we will be pushing. We will also review plans for the Progressive Summit. Come find out how you can get involved this January at the Roundhouse. Be a community activist, raise your voice and be heard. RSVP by writing to me at paul@retakeourdemocracy.org.
Saturday, Jan 13 11am. Retake Our Democracy, KSFR 101.1. FM. Paul Gibson interviews the Sierra Club’s Camilla Feibelman about issues related to environmental justice, PNM, and the Roundhouse legislative session fast approaching. If you miss any of the shows, they are available on the KSFR website by podcast, so you can go back and binge listen to Retake Our Democracy by clicking here. It usually takes a few days for a new show to be posted, so be patient.
A Series of FairVoteNM Training on RCV
Space limited to 20 participants per session. First come first serve. To RSVP please send an email to Maria Perez at mperez@fairvote.org and indicate which session you want to participate in at mperez@fairvote.org or call 505 550 0647.
- Thursday Jan. 11 @ 12-1, 2-4, & 5-7 (at Chainbreaker- 1515 5th Ave)
- Friday Jan. 12 @ 10-12, 1-3, & 3-5 (at La Farge Library- 1730 LLano St)
- Saturday Jan. 13 @ 10-12, 1-3, & 4-6 (at EarthCare- Corner of Jaguar and Country Club)
Sat. Jan. 20, 8:30-4pm. ABQ Convention Center. Progressive Summit. If you are progressive and live in NM, this is where you need to be on Jan. 20. An series of inspiring panels and speakers, plus about 1000 other progressives will be there to share their ideas and hopes. Roxanne and I attended last year and were truly inspired. Not to be missed. For details click here.
January 24, 7pm, The Lensic. Nomi Prins. $8. Tickets went on sale Saturday and the floor was half sold out within hours. Prins is a writer, investigative journalist, and public speaker. The author of six books, she is well-known for the exposé It Takes a Pillage: Behind the Bonuses, Bailouts, and Backroom Deals from Washington to Wall Street and All the Presidents’ Bankers, a narrative about the relationships between presidents and key bankers over the past century and their impact on domestic and foreign policy. Her new book, Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World,which explores the rise of central bank power and influence in the global financial, economic, and geopolitical hierarchy, is forthcoming in 2018. Clck here to purchase tickets.
Actions
Sun. Jan 21, Noon. Santa Fe Women’s March II. The march will begin at the Roundhouse at noon and march down Old Santa Fe Trail. We should reach the Plaza around 1:00 pm. For those who can’t march, please meet us at the Plaza. T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts are available for sale at Roadrunner Printing on 1235 Siler Rd. The theme for this year is using the vote to advance women’s rights and women’s issues. A speakers’ list has not been announced, but as it becomes available, we will report.
National Action If Mueller is Fired. We will need to be ready at a moment’s notice. Read On for Santa Fe Plan. RISE Stronger New Mexico has scheduled a rapid response #Resistance Action in Santa Fe if special prosecutor Robert Mueller is fired. The local event details will mirror national plan which can be found here: https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/?source=MFT/ The Santa Fe rally will begin hours after news breaks of a Mueller firing: If Mueller is fired BEFORE 2 P.M. local time —> events will begin @ 5 P.M. local time, If Mueller is fired AFTER 2 P.M. local time —> events will begin @ noon local time the following day. Our gathering place will be the bandstand on the Santa Fe Plaza. Click here to RSVP for this event. It is not a Facebook event, so anyone can sign up. For an article speculating that Mueller will be fired on Dec 22, click here.
Reverend Barber leads Poor People’s Campaign Kick-Off in ABQ, Aug 15.
The Poor People’s Campaign (starting this blog with some words of inspiration). A note from Todd Wynberg, one of the NM coordinators for the campaign: “We enter into this new year as newly-cobbled friends and allies joined in a common cause. It is called the Poor People’s Campaign, but we know it is far more than that. We do not know exactly what will happen, but we do know for certain we are embarking on a journey that will be life-transforming, earth-honoring, people-dignifying, spirit-following, empire-resisting, despair-erasing, justice-seeking and society-changing. Maybe you feel it too–this is going to be big, my friends. At the brink of beginnings, during a brief season of quiet, it feels right to me to offer a few brief words. Below are three short pieces I have found of deep value that seem very appropriate for our future work together: a poem, a prayer, and a creative translation of the beatitudes. A most blessed new year to you all.” –Todd. I included the first of the three Todd offered up. Along with a link here to sign up for the Campaign and get information as we advance toward the launch of nationwide civil disobedience on May 13. Click here to like our FB page and keep current on what comes next.
Solarizing the City: Yes. With PNM as our Partner: No! Write to the Mayor and ask him about his plan to solarize the City with PNM as our partner. Aside from the proposal seeking the arch-enemy of renewable energy as our partner, the plan would leave the City at the mercy of PNM as they would own our renewable energy infrastructure. What’s more, there are significant questions as to whether the plan is even legal or could achieve approval from the Public Regulation Commission. This poorly conceived idea needs to be challenged. Click here for details and contact information for the Mayor and City Council and please let them know why you oppose this proposal.
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Why haven’t you announced the Women’s March on January 21?