OP/ED

New Mexico State Sen. Cindy Nava Appointed Vice Chair Of NHCSL Housing Task Force For 2026-2027 Term

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Sen. Cindy Nava

STATE News:

SANTA FE — Sen. Cindy Nava (D- Bernalillo) has been appointed Vice Chair of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators’ (NHCSL) Housing Task Force for the 2026-2027 term.

The appointment was made by NHCSL Vice President for Public Policy Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk of Maryland and approved by NHCSL President, Rep. Juan Candelaria of Connecticut.

Sen. Nava brings exceptional credentials to this national leadership role. Before her election to the New Mexico State Senate in 2024, she served as Senior Policy Advisor and Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary Read More

Op-Ed: Pass The Rest Of The Health Care Worker Compacts This Year

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By FRED NATHAN
Executive Director
Think New Mexico

It was a big bipartisan win for New Mexicans when the legislature and governor enacted Senate Bill 1 to bring New Mexico into the interstate licensure compact for doctors. According to the New Mexico Medical Board, joining this compact will result in an increase of 10-15% in the number of doctors applying to practice in New Mexico annually.

Unfortunately, eight other compacts needed to address shortages of psychologists, counselors, EMTs, physician’s assistants, speech therapists and audiologists, physical therapists, occupational Read More

Op-Ed: Let’s Turn Local Government On Its Head

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

I appreciate very much James Wernicke’s always thoughtful writing on local government and would like to offer here some additional and very brief comments on this subject. I do so as someone who spent 40 years working with governments in a large number of countries on how they could enhance economic development and the health and education of their people. I also do so as a lifelong member of the political party of most of our County Councilors, which might surprise some people who read what I say below.

Although we may argue about the role of government, a county government Read More

Sen. Jaramillo: Española’s Culture Deserves Recognition

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By Sen. Leo Jaramillo
New Mexico Dist. 5
Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval & Santa Fe

As a proud native son of the Española Valley and a member of the New Mexico State Senate, I was deeply disappointed to see the veto of $500,000 that would have funded Phase 2 of the feasibility study for a Lowrider Museum in Española. This follows last year’s veto of legislation recognizing our community as the “Lowrider Capital of the World”.

That license plate bill received bipartisan support, and when I rose to defend it on the Senate floor, my colleagues responded with a standing ovation. Lawmakers from across Read More

Zamora: Disaster Relief Was Meant For Fire Victims, Not FEMA Insiders

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By Rep. MARTIN ZAMORA
District 63
Candidate for Congressional District 03

When Congress created the Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire compensation fund, the mission was simple: help New Mexico families rebuild after one of the worst disasters in state history. Homes were destroyed, land was lost, and entire livelihoods vanished overnight. The fund was meant to be a promise that victims would not be abandoned by their government.

Today, that promise is in jeopardy, and the people responsible for oversight have failed the folks they were charged with helping.

Investigative reporting has revealed Read More

Op-Ed: Española Is At A Crossroads … Do We Continue Down The Path Of Decline … Or Try Something New?

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By Samuel LeDoux
Española City Councilor

Española is at a crossroads: do we continue down the path of decline where instability, controversy, and incompetence dominate city hall, or do we try something new?

Over the last four years, John Ramon Vigil has made the City of Española his own personal telenovela, with constant headlines about his personal problems, staff turnover, and rising crime and homelessness rates. During his term as Mayor, the city has stumbled into millions of dollars in debt, and we haven’t been able to often pass more than 4-5 ordinances a year.

I’m supporting Read More

Op-Ed: I’m For Nuclear And I Am An Environmentalist

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By JUDY-ANN POTTINGER
President & Director
Clean Energy Association of New Mexico

Is this possible? Pro-nuclear and pro-environmentalist at the same time? It might be like saying, can you be a Cowboys fan and live in Houston? Of course, the two are not mutually exclusive.

For decades, environmentalism and nuclear energy have been cast as enemies. But what if that narrative is outdated? Meet the next age nuclear—the big shift.

This shift isn’t just theoretical or fringe; it’s mainstream, even among well-known climate champions. Bill Gates, long known for his focus on climate, has become Read More

Op-Ed: Thank You, Los Alamos

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By KAREN WILLIAMS
Director of Development
UNM-Los Alamos

Since beginning fundraising efforts for UNM-LA in 2023, we’ve had wonderful responses and great results! This community is uniquely caring and aware, and we are very grateful that so many have been moved to include UNM-LA in their philanthropic budgets!

In 2023, we began campaigning in the community with individual donors, the Los Alamos Community Foundation, and local corporations (SMSI and N3B) and successfully established a $500,000 endowment fund for the long-term financial well-being of our campus.

Did you know that though Read More

Op-Ed: Protecting Northern New Mexico’s Land, Water, And Communities From Wildfire

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By Sen. Bobby Gonzales, D-Los Alamos
New Mexico District 6

In northern New Mexico, wildfire is not an abstract threat—it is something we have lived through, endured, and are still recovering from.

Communities across Taos, Mora, San Miguel, and Colfax counties know this all too well. The Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire burned hundreds of thousands of acres, displaced families, damaged acequias, destroyed grazing lands, and forever altered watersheds that our villages and pueblos rely on. The scars remain visible today—not just on the land, but in the lives of the people who depend on it.

Our Read More

Reasonable Malpractice Reform Benefits Every New Mexican

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By DAYMON ELY
Attorney
Former New Mexico Representative

At its heart, the debate over medical malpractice reform is not about trial lawyers or corporate profits – it is about our most basic values. Every New Mexican deserves access to quality health care. And every New Mexican deserves justice when that care falls tragically short.

Medical malpractice is rare. Fewer than 1% of medical providers are responsible for the vast majority of malpractice claims, but when tragedy strikes and a patient is harmed or killed, that patient or their family needs to know that they can get justice in a Read More