Lawsuits target two Albuquerque City Council candidates 鈥� 九色网 News
Two candidates for Albuquerque City Council are facing lawsuits contending they do not have enough signatures to be on their ballots.
Former Bernalillo County Commissioner and APS School Board member Steven Michael Quezada is suing District 3 candidate Teresa Garcia, seeking to remove her from the ballot. The complaint argues Garcia failed to submit the required 500 valid petition signatures to qualify for ballot placement.
The same argument underlies a suit filed against District 1 candidate Stephanie Telles. District residents Daniel Gonzales and Vincent A. Sanchez allege that Telles failed to submit 500 valid petition signatures required to appear on the ballot.
The plaintiffs in both suits are represented by Jacob Candelaria and Antonio Maestas.
Garcia issued a calling the lawsuit a 鈥淭rump-style political tactic meant to distract voters.鈥� She writes she did get enough signatures and calls on the Albuquerque Ethics Board and the city鈥檚 Inspector General to investigate ties between Quezada and the current District 3 commissioner, Klarissa Pe帽a.
recently that Telles, who is one of four candidates vying for the District 1 seat, is seven signatures short of the 500 minimum. Telles has disagreed and asked for a recount.
According to the Journal, she alleged to the city鈥檚 Ethics Board that Scott Forrester,the campaign manager for one of her opponents, tried to pay her to drop out of the race. Maestas is representing Forrester, who said the allegations lack credibility.
Confidential city of Albuquerque watchdog reports remain in limbo - Colleen Heild,
City officials continue to keep at least six controversial investigative reports into alleged malfeasance at City Hall under wraps, despite months of delay and a $30,000 quality assurance review by an outside contractor.
The investigative reports from the city鈥檚 independent, nonpartisan Office of Inspector General, have been finished for months, but an oversight committee appointed by the mayor and City Council has yet to formally review and release them.
The director of the independent watchdog agency, Peter Pacheco, told the Journal Tuesday that he hoped at least several of the investigations, some of which were finished nearly a year ago, would be ready for release prior to the city鈥檚 Nov. 4 general election.
Back in June, city officials said the reports could be approved when the city鈥檚 Accountability in Government Oversight Committee met in late July. But that didn鈥檛 happen.
City Council President Brook Bassan told the Journal Tuesday that she isn鈥檛 concerned that the reports have yet to be made public.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think up to this point there has been any shenanigans going on,鈥� Bassan told the Journal. With the continued delays and the confidentiality involved in the approval process, she acknowledged, 鈥淚t has the potential to look suspicious.鈥�
But Bassan, who sits as a non-voting, ex-officio member of the AGO, said she hopes the reports, or at least some of them, will be ready for release before the election.
The Albuquerque firm, REDW, was hired under a $30,200 contract to evaluate the six reports, though Bassan said she couldn鈥檛 say in detail what the firm recommended other than there were 鈥渃hanges that needed to be made.鈥�
But she said there will be no alterations of the original reports, just footnotes or separate statements issued.
Under city ordinance, the reports can鈥檛 be released until reviewed by the oversight committee, which doesn鈥檛 hold public meetings. The committee can either approve or disapprove the findings, but the reports are released either way.
In an 鈥淯pdate to Citizens of Albuquerque鈥� posted in late March on the OIG website, then-city Inspector General Melissa R. Santistevan wrote that the pending reports 鈥渄eal with fraud, waste, or abuse that impact our City.
Some of these reports have been completed for months without citizen awareness.鈥�
In a Journal interview, she wouldn鈥檛 disclose the topics.
In a written response, AGO committee chair Victor Griego stated the committee had 鈥渕ultiple concerns鈥� about the quality of the reports and the underlying investigations.
Within weeks, the AGO put Santistevan on paid leave, and decided not to renew her contract. Based on AGO recommendations for a new OIG, City Council voted June 13 to hire William Hoffman, owner of a workplace investigations firm in San Diego.
But because of pay issues, Hoffman later declined to take the job, Bassan said.
Hoffman couldn鈥檛 be reached by the Journal for comment.
The city is now advertising for new applicants for the OIG post, which pays between $116,396 to $141,981 a year.
Bassan said the delays in releasing the reports aren鈥檛 related to the vacancy created when Hoffman turned down the OIG job.
Santistevan鈥檚 attorney, J. Edward Hollington, sent Bassan and Griego, an Albuquerque accountant, a letter last week contending her removal was 鈥渋mproper and illegal.鈥�
Hollington contended that the AGO had no authority to appoint an interim OIG, and that Santistevan 鈥渟hould immediately be reinstated to her position as Inspector General.鈥�
He also said the city violated the OIG ordinance by failing to take a vote on whether she should have been reconfirmed before appointing Hoffman.
The current vacancy 鈥渙ffers the opportunity to the City Council and the AGO to reverse the blatant violations of City Ordinance...as Ms. Santistevan remains the only duly appointed IG for the City,鈥� his letter states. Bassan disagreed, defending the process used.
She said the AGO, which also oversees the city鈥檚 Internal Audit office, has previously appointed interim directors.
Criminal charge against Jon Jones dismissed - Olivier Uyttebrouck,
Prosecutors dismissed a criminal charge against Albuquerque mixed martial arts fighter Jon Jones alleging he left the scene of a two-car collision in February at an Albuquerque intersection.
The dismissal led to a cancellation of a bench trial that had been scheduled Tuesday in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. Jones, 38, had faced a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident without injuries.
Joshua Boone, chief deputy district attorney, filed the dismissal late Friday afternoon ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
鈥淎fter further investigation, the State has reason to believe (Jones鈥�) alibi defense is credible,鈥� Boone wrote in the two-sentence dismissal.
Jones, an upstate New York native who has lived in Albuquerque for 16 years, .
Long considered one of the top MMA fighters of all time, Jones amassed a 28-1 record 鈥� with the one loss being a disqualification for a rule that has since been revoked 鈥� and last fought in November, beating Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight championship.
The criminal complaint accusing Jones of leaving the scene of an accident was filed June 17, just days before he announced his retirement.
Jones鈥� attorney, Christopher Dodd, said in a statement Tuesday that the dismissal 鈥渇ully vindicated鈥� Jones, who had argued that he had not been present at the scene of the crash.
鈥淔rom the very beginning, we explained that a woman made a false allegation against Jon in an effort to avoid being arrested for DWI, and unfortunately, the police accepted that claim without properly weighing the facts,鈥� Dodd said in the statement.
Jones said Tuesday in a social media post that he had been falsely accused and thanked the 2nd Judicial District Attorney Office for 鈥渧indicating me completely.鈥�
鈥淚n this case, there was a rush to judgment before any real evidence was gathered,鈥� Jones .
鈥淚 understand that, in the court of public opinion, the allegations may have seemed believable, especially given my past mistakes. But by the time these claims were made public, I had just retired from competition, and that moment was stolen from me by someone who made false accusations to avoid a DWI and any real accountability.鈥�
The case stemmed from a two-car collision on Feb. 21 at the intersection of Lomas and San Mateo NE, according to two criminal complaints filed in June in Metropolitan Court.
A June 30 criminal complaint charged Jones with leaving the scene of an accident and using a phone to make threats for allegedly making threatening statements by phone to a police service aide. That complaint was dismissed Aug. 13.
According to a June 17 complaint charging Jones with leaving the scene of an accident, the driver of one vehicle told police she was driving a red Ford east on Lomas and entered the intersection with a green light when she was struck by a white sedan travelling south on San Mateo.
The woman also told police the driver of the white sedan left the scene on foot, the complaint stated.
Albuquerque Police in June from police service aides and an officer from the scene.
The video showed a half-clothed woman, who admitted she had been drinking and had consumed mushrooms, seated in the passenger seat of a white sedan.
In the video, the woman repeatedly told officers that it was her car and that 鈥淛on Jones, the fighter鈥� was the driver, and that he fled after the crash.
Court records show police subpoenaed Jones鈥� phone records, which indicate his phone called the woman in the car multiple times that night in the time frame police were at the crash scene.
Jones鈥� attorney said the cellphone records 鈥渕ade it undeniably clear that he was nowhere near the scene of the crash.鈥�
鈥淲e are grateful that the district attorney鈥檚 office took the time to conduct a full and fair review of this case, which ultimately confirmed Jon鈥檚 innocence,鈥� Dodd said.
New Mexico Governor announces new federal quantum computing partnership - Danielle Prokop,
New Mexico leaders said a federal partnership announced Tuesday will help launch the state as the 鈥渘ext Silicon Valley鈥� in the frontier of quantum computing, a nascent technology that boosters say will revolutionize problem solving from cancer research to code-breaking.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a $120 million dollar partnership with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 鈥� the research and development wing of the U.S. military 鈥� will ensure companies can deliver on their proofs of concept for advanced computing.
The state and DARPA may contribute up to $60 million dollars each over four years to vet projects promising advanced computers. If companies can prove their prototypes work at a utility-scale,
The partnership, called the Quantum Frontier Initiative, will push development, testing and validate emerging technologies, she said.
Lujan Grisham said she wanted New Mexico to be known as the 鈥渉ome of quantum computing,鈥� during an announcement Tuesday in Roadrunner Venture studio, as Albuquerque hosts 1,500 researchers for a national conference.
After the announcement, Lujan Grisham told Source NM the state was looking to build the ecosystem for quantum to thrive, noting that DARPA鈥檚 certification program would attract companies from across the U.S.
鈥淲hen companies come here to do a proof of concept, then my job is to keep them here,鈥� Lujan Grisham said. 鈥淚t creates a migration of companies, and that鈥檚 what Silicon Valley did.鈥�
The promise of quantum computing would mean the power to perform calculations beyond a traditional computer鈥檚 abilities.
Even with recent developments in quantum computers, they remain expensive to build, error-prone and fragile to interference, since information is encoded into supercold atoms or in extremely small circuits.
If realized, quantum computing poses risks to the encryption that governments and companies use to protect sensitive information.
The State of New Mexico has made a totaling tens of millions of dollars in quantum computing in recent years.
In April, Lujan Grisham signed a bill to set up the inside the state鈥檚 Economic Development Department with $40 million to seek private or federal investments in emerging technologies.
New Mexico is also a finalist for $160 million over 10 years from the National Science Foundation to develop for both civilian and military uses.
Last week, the state gave to develop a downtown hub to build an 鈥淚nnovation District鈥� focused on quantum computing.
Officials said the state gets a boost from the development of projects at the state鈥檚 two national laboratories in and and the at Kirtland Air Force Base.
鈥淲e bring the capacity of our national laboratories adding to those workforces, adding to that with our universities, tying that in with [Central New Mexico Community College] creating a quantum boot camp,鈥� Economic Development Secretary Rob Black said. 鈥淲e are building the workforce.鈥�
DARPA, which has invested in research and development projects for everything from to , will provide $60 million to researchers to stress-test quantum computer proposals, said , a program manager for Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.
Altepeter got his start in quantum research at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a graduate student in 1999.
He described himself previously as a 鈥渟keptic,鈥� but said recent developments in the technology raise the question if it鈥檚 possible to develop a working quantum computer by 2033. He said the certification program aims to separate working proposals from hype.
鈥淚t is an extraordinarily difficult job to figure out to forecast, maybe 10 years in the future, whose phenomenal plan, which is great on paper, is really gonna work鈥eally deliver or transformative change and which ones aren鈥檛,鈥� Altpeter said.
process is a series of three phases to try and determine if quantum companies can develop a computer valuable enough to be worth the cost. DARPA will not necessarily keep an office in the state, but researchers and contractors evaluating the projects will frequently visit Albuquerque or live in-state.
Developing quantum will benefit the whole state, 鈥渘ot just Albuquerque or just scientists,鈥� by increasing the tax base and diversifying the state鈥檚 economy, Nora Meyers Sackett, the director at the NM Technology and Innovation Office, told Source NM.
鈥淨uantum is the next revolution of technology, and we鈥檙e working to make that revolution happen right here in New Mexico,鈥� she said.
NM Gov issues emergency order after Mora County flooding - Patrick Lohmann,
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has authorized $1.5 million in emergency spending to help Mora County residents recover from recent flooding, according to a Tuesday news release from her office.
Heavy rainfall between Aug. 26 and 27 caused flood damages on public and private property, according to the governor鈥檚 office. The flooding disrupted essential services such as transportation, emergency response and utilities, according to an emergency order the governor signed.
The order cites continued damage from the 2022 , which burned a 485-square-mile area, including much of Mora County, in Northern New Mexico.
County officials have requested the state鈥檚 help with procuring sandbags, along with emergency county-road repair and swift water rescue teams, according to the governor鈥檚 office.
National Weather Service reports show that flash flooding caused small creeks to flow above their banks in at least eight places along NM Highway 518, a major roadway, north of Cleveland, NM. Reports also show 鈥渆xtreme damage鈥� to NM 434 prompted emergency responders to close it for repairs.
The fund $750,000 apiece to the state鈥檚 emergency management and military affairs departments, according to the governor鈥檚 office. The governor can also authorize new funding, $750,000 at a time, as needed.
Post-fire flooding ha , which is the biggest in New Mexico history. Those who see damaged or lost property due to flooding are eligible for compensation from the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire Fire Assistance Act, a
The governor鈥檚 office said those who have an outstanding claim with the should reach out to their 鈥渘avigators,鈥� who help claimants through the process, if they have damages from the flooding last week.
The governor鈥檚 office also said updates about the state鈥檚 response will be published to
Albuquerque city councilor seeks purchase of San Mateo Walmart -
The Walmart Supercenter located near Central Avenue and San Mateo Boulevard in Albuquerque has been closed since 2023. The property is for sale and is listed at $9 million.
Nob Hill News reports Albuquerque鈥檚 Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency was interested in the property, but could only come up with $2 million for the property, and so negotiations were not successful.
Albuquerque City Councilor Nichole Rogers has requested $10 million from New Mexico鈥檚 congressional delegation in Washington for the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency to buy the property.
The request is now among those scheduled for consideration by the House Appropriations Committee.
Rogers told Nob Hill News that she鈥檚 also interested in an ordinance to dis-incentivize the possession of vacant commercial properties in the International District.
City Councilor Joaquin Baca recently sponsored a successful measure addressing vacant properties in Albuquerque鈥檚 downtown.
Updated: New Mexico AG to take over rape, murder case in Gallup alleging DA failed to prosecute - Danielle Prokop,
Last week, Attorney General Ra煤l Torrez filed a petition for the state鈥檚 highest court to , citing violations of the law and a hostile work environment including 鈥測elling, screaming, and belittling behavior.鈥� Martin has denied all allegations of hostile work environments. On Sept. 2, following the initial publication of this story, the state Supreme Court
A voicemail, text message and email to Martin were not returned before publication.
The petition was sparked after state lawmakers voted to remove and gave it to the neighboring district attorney in San Juan County, a move spearheaded by Senate Finance Chair George Mu帽oz (D-Gallup), citing turnover of Gallup prosecutors.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the budget, but Martin has refused to cede financial control and filed a lawsuit in Santa Fe court against lawmakers, the governor and San Juan District Attorney Jack Fortner in July, which remains ongoing.
Torrez said in a news release Friday the failure to prosecute cases with defendents accused of murder and rape endangers the community and trust in the office, and will be added to the petition for Martin鈥檚 removal.
鈥淭he decision to dismiss these cases without properly referring them to another prosecutor jeopardized not only the pursuit of justice for the victims and their families, but also the safety of our communities. By stepping in immediately, we are making sure these cases move forward and sending a clear message: no victim in New Mexico will be abandoned, and no community will be left unprotected,鈥� Torrez said in a statement.
Further, the New Mexico Department of Justice requested the state鈥檚 highest court require the McKinley County District Attorney鈥檚 office to provide all information regarding case dismissals and refusals since Jan. 1 2021, saying it鈥檚 necessary to determine 鈥渉ow pervasive this problem is.鈥�
Both cases are several years old, which pushes the clock for statutes of limitations in bringing charges or finding evidence, the news release said.
The first case was dismissed in 2023, against Tyson Long, now 28, who Gallup Police accused of murdering an unidentified man on Dec. 6, 2022.
In court documents, police say they saw Long confronting the victim with a gun before shots were fired and fleeing the area.
The petition to dismiss Long鈥檚 case noted that then-Chief Deputy District Attorney Mandana Shoushtari had stated there was a conflict of interest.
When reached by phone on Friday, Shoushtari told Source NM she was ordered by Martin to dismiss the case and send it to another district attorney鈥檚 office for prosecution.
鈥淎ll the witnesses in the case were defendants I was prosecuting in other cases at the time, so by law, I couldn鈥檛 put them on the stand and cross-examine them,鈥� she told Source NM.
Shoushtari said she was unclear on the timeline, but said she believed Martin tried to hand the case over to another office.
鈥淥ther DAs were not willing to take cases from her, for whatever reason, but I did know she tried to conflict it out,鈥� Shoushtari said.
Shoushtari no longer works for Martin鈥檚 office, saying she was let go in September of 2024 after 鈥渂utting heads because I disagreed with the way she was running the office.鈥� Shoushtari is now a deputy district attorney for the 10th Judicial District overseeing De Baca, Harding and Quay counties.
The second case involves Valentino Roderick Johnson, now 30, who was arrested by McKinley County Sheriff鈥檚 deputies on Oct. 28, 2023. According to police reports, a passerby saw a car crash and said he came upon Johnson, heavily intoxicated and on top of a woman screaming for help and banging on the horn, saying that Johnson had raped her.
Just over a week later, Martin dismissed the case, writing 鈥渢his complaint is dismissed without prejudice, for reason, conflict for District Attorney鈥檚 Office.鈥�
In the news release, the New Mexico DOJ says that 鈥淢artin indicated the defendant was a friend of her children.鈥�
鈥淲hether it was negligent or intentional, I find it unacceptable that DA Martin dismissed this case [Valentino Roderick Johnson] due to a personal connection to the suspect and it was never refiled,鈥� said McKinley County Sheriff James Maiorano III in a statement.
鈥淭he victim in this case deserves better, the deputies that worked this case deserve better, and the community deserves better. We are thankful to the NMDOJ for helping us to seek justice.鈥�
This story was updated on Sept. 2 to include the state Supreme Court鈥檚 order.