Quick Reads

Lujan Grisham announces new manufacturing plant coming to Santa Teresa

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday that Taiwan-based Hota Industrial Manufacturing plans to set up a plant in Santa Teresa. “(Hota) are very interested, of course, in the job training program, JTIP, and a number of other aspects which made New Mexico very attractive,” Lujan Grisham said. 

Hota makes automotive gears for North American and European clients, such as Tesla. The company signed an agreement for a 30-acre parcel in Westpark Industrial Park in Santa Teresa. The project is expected to bring 350 jobs to New Mexico and invest $99 million in the state. The state has granted $3 million from the Local Economic Development Act Job-Creation Fund to Hota to help with land, building and infrastructure costs.

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"Vote Here" signs in front of the Otero County Administration Building on New York Avenue in Alamogordo.

Otero County to pay $45,000 to resident kicked out of meetings

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An Otero County resident will receive $45,000 from Otero County in a settlement stemming from him being forcibly removed from commission meetings by former commissioner Couy Griffin. Matthew Crecelius was one of several people who went to Otero County Commission meetings to protest the commission’s refusal to certify the 2020 election results. Crecelius was silenced and, on at least one occasion, removed from Otero County Commission meetings by the Otero County Sheriff’s deputies at Griffin’s request. “I was mocked, yelled at, silenced, and roughly thrown out of public hearings simply because I had a different opinion than the predominant conservative view – namely that the election wasn’t stolen. I was treated like someone who committed a crime,” Crecelius said in an American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico  news release.

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Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce speaks at a press conference September 12, 2023.

State GOP, legislators file suit against MLG over executive orders

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Opponents of the governor’s actions to address gun violence are targeting her executive orders. The Republican Party of New Mexico, all Republican members of both the New Mexico House and Senate, the Libertarian Party of New Mexico and others filed legal action against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Sept. 14. The plaintiffs are asking for the executive orders issued Sept 8 to be withdrawn in a case filed in New Mexico Supreme Court on Sept. 14.

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Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-NM, at a re-election campaign stop in Socorro September 16, 2023.

Vasquez announces reelection bid in southern NM congressional district

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The battleground 2nd Congressional District in southern New Mexico appears to be getting ready for a rematch between  incumbent Gabe Vasquez and former Rep. Yvette Herrell. Vasquez, a Democrat, announced his re-election campaign Saturday during a tour around the district. “I am running for re-election because New Mexico’s second congressional district deserves someone who puts politics aside and puts the people of New Mexico first,” Vasquez said in a news release “The bottom line is that we need an economy that works for New Mexico. That means bringing down the cost of living and creating more good-paying jobs— there’s a lot more work left to be done. We can’t afford far-right extremism that gridlocks Congress.

NM Legislature
Santa Fe Roundhouse

Rancher named to state senate

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham named rancher and former Eddy County Commissioner Steve McCutcheon II to fill the vacant State Senate District 42 seat. McCutcheon, R-Carlsbad, served as an Eddy County Commissioner from 2018-2022. McCutcheon fills the seat formerly held by Kernan who retired Aug. 1. McCutcheon’s term begins immediately and ends after the next general election.

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Legislative newsletter: Guv’s gun ban and the U.S. Senate AI forums

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Note: This goes out to newsletter subscribers at the start of each week. We will post the first few on the website before it becomes a newsletter exclusive. Sign up here for free! Hello fellow political junkies! The political hurricane that has been New Mexico in the last 10 days seems to be easing up for a time. A short recap: On Sept.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham flanked by legislative Democratic leaders and public safety experts delivers an update to a public health order concerning firearms.
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Guv takes blocked gun ban out of public health order, will not call special session

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham discussed amendments to a controversial public health order that had sought to temporarily prohibit carrying of firearms in public locations in Bernalillo County during a press conference on Friday. She said that she would not call a special session to address gun violence as some have called for. The most consequential amendment removed the temporary ban on carrying firearms. The change came after Federal District Court Judge David H. Urias issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday halting the firearm ban. 

The governor also amended the order to include the Roundhouse, public parks and playgrounds as areas that are gun-free zones. The federal court hearing involved five cases against Lujan Grisham and other state officials, and argued the firearm ban was unconstitutional. Between the lawsuits, public outcry and some of Lujan Grisham’s fellow Democrats refusing to enforce the order or refusing to represent the governor in the heap of lawsuits about it, Lujan Grisham decided to amend the order.

Criminal Justice & Public Safety
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks during a press conference on Sept. 8, 2023 regarding a new public health order.

Guv responds to restraining order on public health order

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vowed to continue fighting gun violence following a federal judge blocking a part of an executive order on Wednesday that prohibited carrying of firearms in Bernalillo County for 30 days. The federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that lasts 14 days. “Today a judge temporarily blocked sections of our public health order but recognized the significant problem of gun violence in this state,” Lujan Grisham posted to her social media accounts Wednesday evening. “I refuse to be resigned to the status quo, and I will never stop fighting to prevent other families from enduring these tragedies,”

The post included a screenshot of her full statement. “Over the past four days, I’ve seen more attention on resolving the crisis of gun violence that I have in the past four years,” Lujan Grisham said in the post.

Criminal Justice & Public Safety

Federal judge blocks ban of guns in public in Bernalillo County

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On Wednesday, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order barring enforcement of the portions of a public health order that banned firearms from public places in Bernalillo County. The TRO went into effect immediately and lasts for 14 days. Five of six federal cases had a joint hearing Wednesday afternoon at Federal District Court in Albuquerque with Judge David H. Urias presiding. The cases were asking for a temporary restraining order issued against Lujan Grisham about the parts of a public health order that banned firearms in Albuquerque for 30 days beginning Sept. 8.

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ABQ mayor calls for special legislative session for gun violence issues

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Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller called for the governor to call a special legislative session to discuss solutions to the gun violence issues plaguing New Mexico’s largest city. “Albuquerque families can’t afford political debates that distract us from fighting violent crime. This is a powerful moment to listen to police and behavioral health professionals to create the change we need in a special session,” Keller said in the press release. “Too often, the legislation we propose gets watered down to the point that it’s ineffective and funding is slashed from the amounts needed to make a difference. Now is the time to actually change the laws and provide the funding needed to fix a broken criminal justice system, to crack down on assault weapons, target fentanyl dealers, rebuild the addiction treatment system, and amp up resources for courts and prevention programs.”

Keller and Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina released an outline of requests they have that they feel would help ease the crime issues in Albuquerque.