Home › Uncategorized › A Look Forward, A Look Back, And Actions for the Week

A Look Forward, A Look Back, And Actions for the Week

By paulgibson51 on January 29, 2018 • ( 0 )

Blogs from last week covered the plight of NM children, a People’s Platform for justice in NM cities, two looks at PNM’s Securitization Abomination, and examination of an intriguing affordable housing development in Santa Fe, but one with some unanswered questions. Also, included today: Roundhouse action alerts.
As is our habit on Mondays, we begin with actions for the week going forward and then provide summaries and links to the blogs for the week. And this is a week to be at the Roundhouse!!

If you haven’t taken the Speak Up New Mexico! Legislative Priorities survey, please do so today to tell your legislators what bills you want to see become law. Click the blue button at left to take the survey. And if you want to get involved with our 2018-2018 Roundhouse Advocacy Team, we meet on Thursday from 4:30-6:30pm at New Energy Economy, 343 E. Alameda. To RSVP, just write to me at paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org. If you want to read about our 2018-2019 Election and Legislative Strategy, click here.

Actions For This Week

Moral Monday, January 29th at the Roundhouse. SOMOS Un Pueblo Unido “We Are All America” Rally & Immigrant Day of Action. Join SOMOS this Monday, January 29th as they kick off the “We Are All America” national week of action and help us fight back against the President’s attacks on our communities! I attended SOMOS’ Roundhouse event last year and it was incredible. Can’t ask for a more inspiring way to spend a day. As I will be meeting with a host of legislators in the morning to oppose the PNM bill, I will miss the training, but will be at the event.

8:00 NEW LOBBYING TRAINING & BREAKFAST: Santa Fe Farmer’s Market pavilion (1607 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, NM). Street parking and parking structure available.
10:30 a.m. | Lobby legislators (490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM)
12 p.m. | Rally outside the Capitol building (east concourse)
To RSVP for lobby training or for more information call Somos at: (505) 424-7832 or by email at somos@somosunpueblounido.org. Click here to view flyer.

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018. 5pm. PUBLIC WORKS/CIP & LAND USE COMMITTEE MEETING. Santa Fe City Council Chambers. Two items of interest, approval of $200,000 in additional funding for the Siler Rd. project (see below) and a resolution brought by Councilor Ives to formally oppose SB 47 (PNM’s noxious effort to mislead us yet again). Thankfully Councilor Ives has seen through it. Interestingly, there is a consent calendar item on the 5pm Wednesday City Council hearing to provide up to $400,000 in additional funding for this project. That the item is on the consent calendar means public comment will not be allowed on Wednesday, so the hearing on Monday may be your only chance to press for answers to the questions posed in our analysis of the proposal below. We encourage you to also reach out to Councilor Ives, the chair of the Committee. Look at the bottom of this blog for a link to the Sunday blog that discussed the pros and cons of the Siler Rd. Affordable Housing project to be discussed on Monday in Committee and on the Consent Calendar on Wednesday.

Tuesday, 8:30am Roundhouse Rm. 311. Note Change in Time of Senate Conservation Committee hearing for PNM’s SB 47. The hearing has been moved from 1:30pm to 8:30am, so snag a coffee and meet me in hearing room 311 (and the hearing room can also change, so look to the blog on Monday morning). For details on the bill, click here.

Wednesday, Jan 31, 5pm. Santa Fe City Council Chambers. Consent calendar items for both of the items discussed on Monday at the Public Works/CIP & Land Use Committee Hearing.

A Look Back At Last Week’s Blogs

“Kids Count” Report: NM Worst in the Nation in Childhood Quality of Life and Getting Worse. Tues. Jan. 23. While not all child well-being indicators are going down, NM children are 50% more likely to live in poverty than children in other states AND not only are we ranked 50th in child poverty, while the nation is improving in this area, NM is worsening significantly. The blog also includes a list of state policies that could help address childhood poverty, bills that we could make law in 2019, if we are able to strengthen the House and take the Governorship. Powerful incentives. Click here to read.

People’s Platform for New Mexico Cities: Our Cities’ Paths to Justice. Weds. Jan. 24. Working with over a dozen local and state non-profits and policy experts Retake created a DRAFT policy platform for NM cities: affordable housing, free public transit, living wage enforcement, tax and revenue reform. All in place elsewhere. Now time to bring them here. While initially derived from a Chainbreaker Collective Bill of Workers’ Rights and still focused on Santa Fe, 18 of the 21 policies could be applicable in other cities in NM. Click here to read.

Action Alert for Today (last Th) and Tuesday (Tomorrow). PNM Securitization Bill (SB 47/ HB80) Goes to Roundhouse Committee. Thurs. Jan 25. There is no more important bill in the Roundhouse this session and it is going to the Senate Conservation Committee on Tuesday, but now is the time to reach out to members of the Committee and the Committee Chair–who is running for Governor and telling them how you feel and reminding them that you vote. The blog provides speaking points and contact info for Joseph Cervantes, the chair and an excellent analysis of all that is wrong with the bill. It also reminds you that the hearing is at 8:30, Tuesday Jan 30 in room 311. See you there. Click here to read..

PNM Securitization May be Unconstitutional. Immigrant Days at the Roundhouse. Saturday, Jan 27. Why our Roundhouse Election and Legislative strategies are so important: Folks like PNM. They even write legislation that is unconstitutional. The blog includes analysis of a newly introduced bill that serves as a stark contrast with the bill introduced by PNM. The blog also includes info on Somos’ Immigration Days (Monday) which includes a training in effective lobbying, a targeted lobbying experience at the Roundhouse and a rally at noon. Click here to read.

Siler Rd. Affordable Housing Project: Much to Like; Much to Question. Sunday, Jan. 28. At first blush, the Siler Rd. artist live-work development is a sure fire winner, but there are questions to be asked and Retake asks them: what proportion of housing will be very low-income rentals, what percent will be low-income rentals and how will residents be selected? The blog also includes brief reflection on how this and other affordable housing can trigger gentrification. Also, a report on the KSFR Mayor’s Panel and a slew of Roundhouse and City Council actions for this week. Click here to read.