Well over a thousand bills will probably be introduced in the upcoming legislative session that kicks off next Tuesday. As usual there will be more bad ideas than good. Some of the bills have already been pre-filed, giving us a look at the good, the bad and the ugly. Let's draw from the bad pile. . .

First, a bill that would strip NM of what little power it already has on the national political scene:

Four lawmakers have introduced a bill to place New Mexico into an inter-state compact that requires Electoral College voters to cast ballots for the national popular vote winner. States representing 270 electoral votes must join for the compact to function.

Forget about that. Our little New Mexico with two million souls has often commanded presidential power because of its five electoral votes. The electoral college works for us. Look at all the love we got when we were a swing state in 2000, '04 and '08.

We are now solid Dem but that could change in the future. Having the electoral college ensures more NM power in national politics. This bill would put us at the back of the pack.

GIVE DENNIS HIS DUE

Kennedy & Chavez

Can't Santa Fe just give legendary NM US Senator Dennis Chavez a state holiday of his own? Once again a bill has been introduced to have a joint holiday for Senator Chavez and Cesar Chavez, the late farmworker union leader and activist.

A constitutional amendment to give Cesar Chavez a holiday here failed at the ballot box 17 years ago. How about a clean bill honoring Dennis, who unlike Cesar was a NM native who had lasting impact on the state and its civil rights advancements and whose influence is felt to this day?  Not to take anything away from Cesar but let's give Dennis his due--a leader in civil rights as well as building out New Mexico's infrastructure.

RETIRE THIS BILL

Then there's the bill to spend $1 million a year to market the state to retirees. The state already spends a questionable $250,000 a year doing that. That's money that could be used here at home. It is a tiny drop in the bucket and ineffective for an ad campaign to get the gray hair set to take a look at Lordsburg or Las Cruces. Besides, don't we have public information officers nestled into just about every state agency? Can't they produce puff pieces and get them placed in national publications that would equal or surpass the million a year this bill asks for? Yes, they could. And is attracting retirees when you have had an historic out migration of the state's best educated young people really a top priority?

NETFLIX BOOST

If that Netflix deal putting $100 million a year for ten years into its ABQ production biz pans out, there should be quite a bit of spin off. And it's already starting:

Advanced Air will begin flying from Burbank, California to the Sunport later this month. Flights on the nine-seat luxury plane are open to all, but will target people in the film industry. With major corporations like Netflix moving to the Duke City, the $1,000 flights aim to make traveling to Albuquerque from Los Angeles easier than ever for film executives and business people.

A thousand a pop isn't peanuts. Do they throw in a steak burger or something?

A ROUGH START

Geier and Keller

It was a rough end of 2018 crimewise for ABQ and an equally rough start to '19. Two teenaged boys--14 and 15--were murdered and buried near Rio Rancho when a drug deal that started in the ABQ foothills went bad; a one year old baby drowned at home and the parents have been charged in her death; and a girl, age not released, was brutally murdered by her 15 year old cousin and her body left in a westside arroyo. This and more prompted responses from ABQ Mayor Keller and APD Chief Geier:

Keller said:

Our community has been shaken by the recent deaths of these children and teenagers. These tragedies have ripped through our city, hitting home just how vulnerable young people can be. At one year old, Anastazia Zuber was only just beginning her life. Our community also lost a young girl to violence at the hands of a family member. And the deaths of teenagers Ahmed Lateef and Collin Romero showed us the depths of the challenges that young people today are facing. It is simply wrong and we cannot allow it to become normal. . .In 2019, we are continuing to invest in public safety and create opportunities for kids, especially those at risk. We are joining with neighborhoods, churches and community organizations to work hand-in-hand to address these challenges, and pushing for more diversion and prevention programs in our city.”

Police Chief Mike Geier said:

As first-responders, our officers are profoundly impacted any time they investigate the death of a child, no matter the circumstance. We have been challenged as a community with the deaths of several children in the past few weeks. As we grieve these losses, we want the community, and especially the families of these children, to know that officers are committed to pursuing justice on their behalf.

Most of us in law enforcement are parents. Some of us are grandparents. I made it a priority to bring back community policing in Albuquerque and encourage officers to engage with youth every chance they get. We have a responsibility, beyond law enforcement, to invest in the future of all children in the community. I ask the people of Albuquerque to join with us and redouble our efforts to protect children and support them when they need it most.

FRIDAY PHOTO FUN

We have a new feature for the new year: Friday Photo Fun. So stop by tomorrow and see what we're up to.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019