Greetings New Mexico Activists:
We hope you’re all hanging in there and staying hopeful despite local, national, and international news… We enjoyed seeing many of you in person at the Indivisible Conference in Albuquerque on Saturday. Learning from each other and collaborating with each other is the best way to keep our spirits up and accomplish our goals. Thank you for being part of the movement to bring social, economic, and environmental justice to New Mexico! We have a few things to tell you about today.
Strategy Huddle via Zoom, May 4, 6 p.m.
Please join us for our monthly strategy Huddle via Zoom, tomorrow, Weds., May 4, 6 -7:30 pm. We will focus on the Primary Election, coming up on June 7. (Absentee voting begins Tues., May 10!) We need to fight the conservative effort to replace progressive incumbents in the NM House! The best way to achieve social, economic, and environmental justice in our state is to get the right people representing us. Let’s talk about how best to do this. We will first hear from Bill Jordan, Voices for Children, who will outline the consequences if Rep. Patty Lundstrom gets her way and NM abolishes the state personal income tax. Once Bill has laid out the importance of a vibrant, progressive tax system to create a sustainable state government, we will then discuss the implications of the primary and how we need big wins in House districts throughout the state to prevent this neoliberal coup. We will also squeeze in a brief introduction to a new strategy outlined in the April 28 post: creating local centers of resilience excellence and how Retake could conduct research on models of resilience excellence operating elsewhere and organize local efforts to press for adoption of those practices and policies.
Click this link to register for this Huddle. You must register to participate.
Interim Hearings
The Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) is meeting May 18-20, in Artesia/Roswell. Topics include:
In Artesia on Wednesday, May 18: Late-Stage Oilfield Reclamation and Remediation Practices; Oil and Gas Leasing, Exploration, and Production Trends; Clean Fuel Market Outlook.
In Roswell on Thursday, May 19: Water Policy and Infrastructure Planning; Using Existing Resources to Improve Water Quality and Access; Status of Health and Human Services Initiatives.
You’ll find the full agenda at this link.
I recently communicated with Sharon Boyland, the LFC committee secretary, and she said the committee will not conduct meetings via Zoom this year, but the public is welcome to attend the LFC’s meetings in person or watch via Webcast at https://www.nmlegis.gov. If you would like to address the committee, either to give remarks or present, you need to make a formal request to the chair and cc the director. (No deadline given, but the sooner the better.) You may email your request to David.Abbey@nmlegis.gov. If you have written comments, please email them to lfc@nmlegis.gov.
Strategic Messaging Webinar, Words That Win, May 19, 7 p.m.
At the Indivisible Conference in Albuquerque on Saturday, Paul and I learned about BlueCD2, a movement to remove Republican Yvette Herrell from office and replace her with a progressive Democrat. Learn more about BlueCD2 at this link. You’re invited to participate in a free webinar to learn the basics of strategic messaging using cutting-edge, progressive message frameworks. The Words That Win webinar is Thursday, May 19, 5 – 6:30 pm, Mountain Time. Learn more and register at this link. You must register to participate.
Please Donate to New Mexicans Impacted by Recent Wildfires
We encourage you to donate to those whose lives have been upended from the wildfires of the past few weeks. Here are some suggestions from NM Highlands University in Las Vegas, for those impacted by the Calf Canyon/ Hermits Peak fire, which has burned well over 100,000 acres:
American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/
Salvation Army: Contact Karen 360-281-4307 or Daniel Gelemy 360-281-4069.
Donations (food, clothing, hygiene products, pet supplies, etc.) are now located at Calvary Chapel, 2310 7th Street, Las Vegas, NM.
Las Vegas New Mexico Community Foundation: https://www.lvnmcf.org/donate-now/
List of immediate donation requests:
Socks and underwear (all sizes)
Diapers and Depends (all sizes)
Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and other toiletries.
Toilet paper
Small bottles of Tylenol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, allergy medicine
Feminine products, bras, breast pumps, nursing pads
Baby formula, baby food, baby wipes, baby soap and lotion
Combs and brushes
Laundry detergent and Lysol spray and wipes
Cereal and individual milk cartons
Non-perishable foods
Gatorade/Powerade (sugar-free and regular) Capri Sun and water
Dish soap
Disposable bowls, plastic cutlery, foil, paper towel rolls
Dog and cat food
Reusable tote bags
Please be cautious about donating to unverified fundraisers; some campaigns are not legitimate fundraising efforts.
There are wildfires in other parts of the state as well, including Cooks Peak north of Ocate, Cerro Pelado in Jemez Springs, and several southern NM fires, which appear to be more under control than fires in the northern part of the state. Get up-to-date fire info at https://nmfireinfo.com/. There are numerous local organizations accepting donations across the state, including fire departments, community colleges, churches, news stations, and more. Please check your local newspaper or look online for opportunities to donate goods locally for transport to affected areas.
To donate online: All Together NM Fund was established by the Governor’s Office in 2020 in conjunction with the New Mexico Coalition of Community Foundation to help the state respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now shifting to direct donations to people affected by the wildfires statewide: https://www.alltogethernm.org/. Donations will go to emergency shelter, food and water distribution, and access to medical supplies.
Thanks, everyone. As always, please email us at retakeresponse@gmail.com if you have questions, comments, or suggestions. We really do like hearing from you!
In Solidarity and Hope,
Roxanne and Paul