Special thanks to Kit Carson Electric Co-op for our meeting space!
2019 Community Forums: 3rd Tuesday of the month @ KCEC
Presenters: Common Grounds Jill Cline and two of her students: Natasha and River
Common Grounds is still pursuing a building permit for their Youth Facility and Cafe to be located on Kit Carson Road.
Announcement: March 22nd: 11:30AM – 3 PM @ Taos High School
Teen H.O.P.E 3 on 3 Event: 8 Teams of Students challenge 8 Teams of Adults, playing basketball matches to win money for 16 Youth/Teen Focused Non Profits. The purpose of the event is to build relationships so that teens feel more familiar with possible crisis responders involved with the suicide prevention line project. Many nonprofits already have made donations and will have tables at the event.
How to help: Form an adult team: https://taoscommongrounds.org/teenhope3-on-3/
For more information: Email:
Website: taoscommongrounds.org
Christy Holden
- Despite Senator Cisneros explicit statement to Taos United that he would support women’s right to choose, he voted against HB 51 (Abortion Decriminalization) which failed to pass. According to Christy, the Senator said opponents “hadn’t done enough work”. Please contact the Senator with your comments. Phone: (505) 670-5610 or email: carlos.cisneros@nmlegis.gov (Ed Note: We’ll be writing postcards on this Topic — see below.)
- Call Governor Lujan-Grisham and urge her NOT to sign “stealth bill” HB 546 – which passed on the last day of the Legislative Session. This bill allows fracking (recovered) water to be sold for agriculture after it’s been seriously polluted. Tell the Governor: NO FRACK WATER (505) 476-2200
SUCCESSES IN THE 2019 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Marjorie Luckey & Diane Shifrin summarized bills we got PASSED and Work Left to Do 309 bills passed out of over 1600 passed.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Food Tax Killed
(Compromise) Minimum Wage
Counties Cannot Enforce “Right to Work”
Increased Incentives for the Film Industry
$933 Million for Infrastructure
Office of Outdoor Recreation created
TAX REFORM
Working Families Tax Credit Increased 10% ->17%
Established new Top Income Tax Bracket (5.9%)
ENERGY/ ENVIRONMENT
Healthy Soil Act
Energy Transition Act
Ban on Coyote Killing Contests
Identification and Protection of Wildlife Corridors
LGBTQ RIGHTS
Sex Designation on Vital Records
Anti-Bullying
Closed loophole on “Matthew Shephard” Murder Defense
HEALTHCARE
Insurance Coverage mandated for Contraception and Pre-Existing Conditions
Health Security Plan study – funding secured
Expanded Indications for Medical Marijuana
EDUCATION
$450 Million in New Money
6% Raise for Teachers
Community School Framework
Early Childhood Department Created
A-F School Grading Ended
VOTING RIGHTS and GOOD GOVERNMENT
National Popular Vote Compact
Election Day Voter Registration
Expanded Voter Registration at MVD and other State Agencies
Campaign Finance Reporting Law
Post-Session Lobbying Reporting
Columbus Day replaced by Indigenous People’s Day
CRIMINAL JUSTICE and GUNS
Expanded Background Checks
Removal of Firearms from Domestic Abusers
Missing/Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force
Decriminalization of Small Amounts of Marijuana
Restrictions on Solitary Confinement
WORK TO DO
- Call the Governor (505-476-2200) to
- Veto item in HB 546 which will allow oil & gas companies to “sell” post-fracked water for agriculture
- Line item veto of the seed preemption language that found its way into HB2 that would undermine seed sovereignty and benefit Monsanto.
- More climate protections including methane capture, solar tax credit, more rapid attainment of 100% renewable energy portfolios
- Permanent funding for early childhood programs
- Decriminalization of abortion
- Immigrant friendly status statewide
- Fairer NM tax code
- Native American voting task force
- State Bank
- Legalization of recreational marijuana
- End of life options
Jean Stevens – Director of the Taos Environmental Film Festival
Jean is a filmmaker, scriptwriter and retired teacher — 24 years in Taos
This year’s festival dates: April 18-22nd
$5 Suggested Donation
In conjunction with the festival will be a photo exhibit by Cyril Christo
plus a film on his family at 4 PM
Tentative April 13th-22nd at the Phillip Bareiss Gallery
Volunteers Needed!!
https://taosenvironmentalfilmfestival.com/
jeanstevens@hotmail.com 575-751-3189
Susan Baker, atty and Reese Murphy
Danger of 5G and TWACS
Keep 5G out of Taos
“stupidest thing our world has ever thought about doing”
After Canon smart meters were installed in the El Salto area, Susan moved to alleviate symptoms (numbness headaches etc. bloody noses ringing in the ears ) she believes were caused by TWACS (“Two-Way Automatic Communication System”) and dirty electricity.
Kit Carson is creating a “smart grid” to which residents have not been offered an opt-out.
See https://stopsmartmeters.org/ for more information
Petition circulated. Contact Susan: sbaker@ouraynet.com
Anjeanette Brush, Taos Dem Party Vice Chair
**** SAVE THE DATE ****
Hear from our new Education Secretary Kate O’Neill
Monday April 8th 5:30
Taos Democratic HQ –729-A Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos, NM
(corner of Cruz Alta, by Walgreens)
“Growing your own teachers”
Dr. Patrick Valdez will add the UNM perspective.
Cliff Bain
Update on Abeyta Settlement Intervention last week.
Advocates developing alternative to ceep aquifer extraction
State police were fairly civil. Cliff felt the officers “acknowledged the peace and power of the ceremony”
Karen Monson
- Gun Resolution 2019-13 rescinded March 19th by the Taos County Commissioners.
- Energy Transition Act — this bill is complicated and needs due diligence
RPS Standards are important
but PNM needs to be OUT of the process
Nat Troy, new Field Director of the Taos Democratic Party
We filled complete slates for 23 out of the 36 precincts in Taos County. We partially filled 3 additional precincts, and 10 precincts are totally vacant. As I mentioned in my remarks, we picked up quite a few more County Central Committee positions because of our high turnout in 2018. We now have a total of 158, of which we have filled 126. So, we need just 32 more registered Dems to step up.
North of Questa
Precinct 3 (Amalia) needs 1 person.
Precinct 4 (Cerro) needs 4 people.
Precinct 7 (Red River) needs 2 people (used to be Sheriff Hogrefe’s wife)
Precinct 8 (San Cristobal) needs 2 people (chair is John A. Walsh)
Precinct 10 (Valdez/Lower Des Montes) needs 3 people
Precinct 14 (Ranchitos/Upper Ranchitos, west and northwest of town) needs 2 people (including good chair)
Precinct 17 (huge area emanating southwest of town, as far south as golf course, and as far west as Lower Las Colonius and Rabbit Valley Rd.) needs 7 people
Peñasco Valley/High Rd
Precinct 22 (Ojo Caliente) needs 2 people
Precinct 24-26 (Rio Lucio, Vadito, Placitas) need 1 person per precinct
Precinct 27 (Chamisal) needs 2 people
Precinct 36 (Picuris Pueblo) needs 1 person
Precinct 33 (TSV) needs 1 person
Action: Contact Nat at: 703 489 1542
Mya Coursey
A two-day live reading of Emily Wilson’s recent translation of Homer’s Odyssey will be performed at Somos (March 30th and finishing on March 31st) by twelve Taoseños.
https://somostaos.org/submissions#event=27444550
Jean Stevens
LANL may resume plutonium bomb production
“We are an endangered species until we disarm”
LANL Budget That big blue piece of the pie is for nuclear weapons.
Thanks for attending and supporting Taos United.
Don’t forget to like and follow us on FACEBOOK
The Postcard Posse meets Thursdays 4 PM-5 PM at the Democratic HQ.
All are welcome to drop in and write. For more details, contact Diane dshif@well.com