New Mexico Politics - New Mexico - onPolitix

Ken Gonzales confirmed as new federal judge

2013-06-18T14:53:55Z

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) — New Mexico’s top federal prosecutor is New Mexico’s newest federal judge.

The U.S. Senate Tuesday unanimously confirmed Ken Gonzales to replace retiring Judge Bruce Black.

He will work out of Las Cruces because of the heavy federal caseload there.

Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich have recommended that President Obama name one of Gonzales' assistants, Damon Martinez, to be the new U.S. attorney.

Ex-campaign exec pleads not guilty

2013-06-17T23:45:16Z

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) — Governor Susana Martinez' former campaign manager pled not guilty Monday to federal charges that he hacked her campaign email site and hijacked correspondence by the governor, her staff and supporters.

Jamie Estrada was released without bail after entering his plea in federal court in Albuquerque.

He was Martinez' campaign manager for a time in 2009 by she says she fired him at the end of the year.

Estrada allegedly used password and username information to change the computer account for her 2010 campaign organization after she took office.

His attorney claims prosecutors have serious legal and factual problems with the case against his client.

Santa Fe to vote on gun control measure

2013-06-17T22:51:29Z

SANTA FE (KRQE) — The city of Santa Fe is talking tougher gun control measures.

Councilors are set to vote on a proposal that would outlaw high capacity magazines.

Under the plan any magazine that holds more than 10 bullets would be banned.

The bill which was introduced earlier this year comes up for a final vote next week.

Some believe the bill could conflict with federal law and expose the city to lawsuits

Senator touts N.M. tech in first speech

2013-06-13T22:36:20Z

WASHINGTON (KRQE) — In his first speech on the Senate floor Martin Heinrich pressed for continued funding for New Mexico's military bases and national labs.

"Even in this challenging fiscal environment we must make the investments that have paid dividends for our nation time and time again," Heinrich said in the speech broadcast and stream online by CSPAN-2.

During his speech Heinrich pointed out that New Mexico has become the birthplace of technologies that have changed the world.

The Democrat also talked about the important role the state has played in the defense of the country and space exploration.

Both Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory have had to cut positions recently.

New Mexico's military bases have been furloughing civilian employees to deal with budget cuts.

Buyer surfaces for Rio Rancho golf course

2013-06-13T22:20:54Z

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) — The Chamisa Hills Golf and Country Club in Rio Rancho may have a buyer.

City officials say a local group has written a letter of intent to buy the property, but the identity of that group has not been revealed. Any deal must still be finalized.

Realtors say they got several offers during their online bidding, which started at $850,000.

The former owner says a jump in water rates is forcing him to sell.

On Thursday evening city officials will hold a work session on the issue to let the public ask questions and make comments.

That meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Rio Rancho City Hall, 3200 Civic Center Circle.

Chair of medical-marijuana board ousted

2013-06-12T19:54:03Z

SANTA FE (AP) — The state medical marijuana advisory board's chairman is leaving office after not being reappointed by Gov. Susana Martinez's administration.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Dr. Steve Jenison was instrumental in establishing New Mexico's medical marijuana program.

Health Secretary Retta Ward told Jenison in a letter that he will no longer be part of the board.

Health Department spokesman Kenny Vigil declined to elaborate on why Jension isn't being reappointed.

Jenison says the decision may be stem from his efforts to ensure compliance with rules and to press for timely decisions on requests to add medical conditions allowing medical marijuana use.

New Mexico Drug Policy Alliance Executive Kaltenbach says Jenison has done a good job and that she's sorry he's not being reappointed.

Council votes on Bernalillo Co. fireworks ban

2013-06-12T18:17:34Z

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) — Fireworks are officially banned in Bernalillo County.

Commissioners voted unanimously on the ban Tuesday night.

Fireworks that shoot up or out in the unincorporated areas of the county are no longer allowed.

Albuquerque's city council passed a similar ban earlier this month.

The deadline for more cities and counties to approve drought-based fireworks restrictions is at least 20-days before a holiday, like July 4th.

Governor presses local fireworks limits

2013-06-11T21:13:41Z

SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is asking local governments to restrict fireworks because of dry conditions and the risk of wildfires. Martinez urged city and county leaders in a letter Tuesday to take quick action.

Under state law, local governments must approve drought-based fireworks restrictions at least 20 days before the July Fourth holiday that allows the sale of fireworks.

Cities and counties can ban the sale and use of certain fireworks - firecrackers and aerial fireworks, such as roman candles and bottle rockets.

During severe or extreme drought conditions, local governments can restrict the use of - but not ban - other fireworks such as cones, fountains and sparklers. Those can be limited to paved areas or places with a readily accessible source of water.

Payments to ex-Rep. Wilson questioned

2013-06-11T19:19:58Z

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson collected nearly half a million dollars in questionable payments from four federally funded nuclear labs after she left office, the Energy Department's inspector general says in a new report.

Wilson failed to provide documentation for the work she did to earn $20,000 a month from the Los Alamos and Sandia national labs in New Mexico from January 2009 to March 2011, the report said. Officials at the Nevada Test Site and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee acknowledged there "were no deliverables" associated with $30,000 the two labs paid Wilson. And Sandia and Los Alamos appear to have asked Wilson to help them secure more work for the labs, an apparent violation of her contract, the report said.

In total, nearly $450,000 in questionable payments were identified, the bulk from Los Alamos and Sandia.

The contractors that run the labs billed the payments to the government, "even though they did not receive evidence that work performed under the agreements had been completed," the report said. The payments were fully reimbursed by the government.

The contractors, which include Lockheed Martin, Bechtel and other companies, have since paid back most of the money to the government, but an investigation continues. In all the government recovered $442,877 of $464,203 paid to Wilson, the report said.

In a statement emailed Tuesday to The Associated Press, Wilson said the report "confirms that the labs were satisfied with my work. The work was done in full compliance with the contracts we signed and under the direct supervision of lab sponsors."

The report called Wilson's agreements with the labs unusual and in some cases "highly irregular." And it said the agreements and the lab operators failed to include or enforce "even minimum" invoicing standards required under federal regulations.

Wilson, a Republican who represented New Mexico's 1st Congressional District, collected much of the money in between two unsuccessful runs for the U.S. Senate. She was defeated last year by Democrat Martin Heinrich during a campaign that highlighted her connections to Los Alamos and Sandia. The labs conduct classified research on nuclear weapons.

Wilson, a former Air Force officer, has a doctorate in international relations and is a former staffer for the National Security Council. She campaigned as an expert on defense, arms control, and intelligence matters.

During the 2012 Senate campaign, the AP sought copies of Wilson's contracts with the labs after she disclosed income from Los Alamos, Sandia and Oak Ridge. And all three labs called the documents confidential.

Saying much of her work was classified, Wilson's campaign declined to release the contracts. But it said her work included helping Oak Ridge establish a senior advisory group on intelligence; providing advice to senior managers at Los Alamos on nuclear deterrence and threat reduction programs, and serving on the Intelligence Advisory Panel for Sandia National Labs.

"Her relationship with our national labs goes back over 20 years and she has worked on a wide range of projects with different groups of scientists and engineers over time," her campaign said last year.

In a statement, Los Alamos said it "was reasonable and appropriate" to seek Wilson's services, calling her "uniquely qualified to advise the lab on a variety of issues related to our national security missions."

Even so, the lab added, "we acknowledge we did not document her services consistent with our own expectations for subcontract management." The lab, which is managed by Bechtel, Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services, the University of California and others, said it was taking steps to avoid similar concerns with future consulting agreements.

Sandia issued a similar statement, but claimed it has documentation that "demonstrates we received commensurate value" from Wilson in support of the lab's missions.

The National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the national labs, requested the DOE review of whether the agreement between the contractor that runs Los Alamos and Wilson was properly administered.

In addition to problems with the contracts and documentation of services provided by Wilson, the report said an agency contract officer was "subjected to pressure'" when Los Alamos National Security, LLC, which runs Los Alamos, requested approval to enter an agreement with Wilson. The report said inspectors were unable to identify any evidence of that pressure.

It noted that the separate investigation continues. The report was issued by the civil division. The office also conducts criminal investigations. The report is the latest in a string of reprimands from government oversight agencies for a lack of oversight of contracts and projects at the nation's nuclear facilities.

Congress has created a special committee to study a potential overhaul of the NNSA, which oversees about $8 billion in federal contracts. The agency suffered another blow last month, when its acting director suddenly announced she is stepping down after less than six months in the top spot.

Wilson is a member of the oversight panel, having been appointed by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. A nuclear watchdog group called on Wilson to recuse herself or be barred from the committee.

"The problems are not limited to Ms. Wilson," said Greg Mello, who heads the Los Alamos Study Group in Albuquerque.

"There are pervasive problems with improper contracting at NNSA. Billions of dollars in contract extensions can be awarded by the stroke of an administrator's pen."

Wilson gave up her seat five years ago to run for the nomination to replace her mentor, longtime New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici. She lost in a tight primary, but ran again last year against Heinrich in a race to replace retiring Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Democrat.

Wilson called herself a consultant and said she turned down a top spot at Sandia to make her second run for Senate.

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Clausing reported from Albuquerque, N.M.

NM AG sounds off on horse slaughter plan

2013-06-11T12:53:13Z

SANTA FE (KRQE) — New Mexico Attorney General, Gary King, is now weighing in on the horse slaughter debate as a horse meat plant could open soon in Roswell.

The statement is a clear warning saying “tainted horse meat production is prohibited in New Mexico,” but does the opinion actually make any difference for the one company looking to start up operations?

The AG’s office says the statement is a chance to clarify state law, but the company looking to start horse slaughter in New Mexico says it doesn’t change a thing.

In the statement released Monday afternoon, Attorney General Gary King said, “our legal analysis concludes that slate law does not allow for production of meat that is chemically tainted under regulations. New Mexico law is very clear that it would be prohibited and illegal.”

Read the full brief>>

The office calls it an “advisory opinion.” It drafted the opinion after getting questions from New Mexico State Senator Richard Martinez about whether or not horse meat was considered “adulterated meat” (tainted meat) under state law.

“That points out what New Mexico law says, in this case, by the New Mexico Food Act which would prohibit certain kinds of chemicals from being in horse meat that's produced, manufactured, sold, whatever in New Mexico, it's prohibited under the Food Act,” said Phil Sisneros, a spokesman for the New Mexico AG’s office.

Sisneros says according to the AG’s research, most horses in the US carry some kind of chemicals that aren’t allowed in meat processing under state law.

“Our research showed that in fact it would under most circumstances, any horse in the United States used for food purposes, would likely meet those restrictions and a number of the chemicals that the FDA has in effect banned from the food system and our act in particular that therefore none of that could actually take place in New Mexico,” said Sisneros.

While some think the tough talk could shut down horse slaughter for Valley Meat before it starts, the company thinks otherwise.

“It really doesn't change anything,” said A. Blair Dunn, an attorney for Valley Meat Company.

Dunn says the plant won't be violating any state law because it screens all the horses it slaughters for any chemicals that could taint the meat.

"We have the testing and the procedures and the protocols in place to make sure it doesn't enter the food chain, which it won't in this case for Valley Meats,” said Dunn.

Those tests are approved by the Federal Government.

"USDA is the authority on this, they have the jurisdiction,” said Dunn.

Another state office agrees. The New Mexico Environment Department released a statement Monday about the issue.

“USDA determines what meat can be consumed by humans, and USDA has their own definition of “adulterated.” USDA regulates the slaughter of meat. NMED regulates the processing of meat (for example, turning leg quarters into steaks) and the service of meat (i.e. serving a steak at a restaurant). The New Mexico Environment Department has been actively engaged with Valley Meats on other matters within our jurisdiction, such as composting and discharge permitting. In each of these areas, the department has exercised its authority and will continue to do so as necessary.”

Valley Meat Attorney A. Blair Dunn says it will likely be able to move forward with its operation.

"Because it's an interstate product, it really does fall under the federal jurisdiction and the state can't really do something to interfere with interstate commerce in making rules that are so strange that it makes it impossible to ship something out of the state,” said Dunn.

"It's unfortunate that General King feels the need to politically grand stand on this issue, but it's really not his daily wick,” said Dunn.

Gary King has announced he is running for Governor.

Valley Meat says it’s hoping to get a final stamp of approval from the USDA in the next couple weeks. After that, it will be about another week until opening.