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Welcome to the Governor's Office Blog
On this page, you will find behind-the scenes information on current events, news conferences, the 2008 Legislature and much more. Bloggers will include Governor Richardson, Cabinet Secretaries and representatives from the Governor’s Office. Check back regularly for the latest news.
April 9, 2008
Governor Bill Richardson To Hold First-Ever Office Hours Monday in Rio Rancho
SANTA FE - Governor Bill Richardson will hold open office hours Monday, April 14, 2008 in Rio Rancho. Governor Richardson will meet with constituents from 11am-2pm at Rio Rancho’s City Hall.
“As Governor, I’ve paid many visits to Rio Rancho and have helped secure money for schools, roads and economic development for the city,” Governor Richardson said. “I’m looking forward to my first-ever office hours in Rio Rancho as a chance to further strengthen my relationships with my constituency there.”
The meetings will take place on the 3rd floor of Rio Rancho’s City Hall located at 3200 Civic Center Circle NE. The Governor will meet with constituents on a first-come, first served basis. Each meeting will be limited to five minutes.
Those seeking time with the Governor, can begin lining up no earlier than 9:30am and must have a valid New Mexico driver’s license with them. People needing help resolving problems or concerns should bring the proper documentation. The Governor will not grant meetings with anyone who has a formal grievance or lawsuit pending with the state.
February 25, 2008
No Country for Old Men Takes Home Top Oscar Award
“No Country for Old Men,” the film shot almost entirely in New Mexico, won the top award for Best Picture, as well as Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.
“No Country for Old Men” tied for the lead with eight Oscar nominations this year. Three other films nominated this year also took advantage of the state’s film incentives, skilled crew base and varied shooting locations – “Transformers,” “In the Valley of Elah” and “3:10 to Yuma.”
The Coen brother’s thriller was filmed in locations such as Las Vegas and Santa Fe. It is based on Santa Fe author Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name. Golden Globe winner Javier Bardem is considered the front-runner for the best supporting actor award for his role as Anton Chirguh the film’s menacing psychopath. While the film takes place in west Texas, Joel and Ethan Coen say they chose to shoot the majority of it in New Mexico because of the state’s attractive film incentives.
February 22, 2008
New Mexico a Hit in Hollywood
Governor Richardson’s trip to Hollywood this week successfully laid the groundwork for recruiting new productions to the state.
On Wednesday, the Governor and key staff met with top TV executives from over half a dozen major companies. Many have shot in the state before and expressed great interest in returning. They told the Governor their experiences with New Mexico’s film incentives, skilled crews and varied shooting locations make our state an obvious choice for future projects.
Others, who hadn’t filmed in New Mexico before, told the Governor they were impressed with New Mexico’s reputation in the industry and were anxious to bring their projects here. As a result, we expect to be able to announce new projects soon.
While in Hollywood, the Governor also attended the Global Green Pre-Oscar Party. On the “green” carpet he promoted New Mexico’s energy efficiency policies and the state’s Green Filmmaking Initiative. He also expressed his support of the four New Mexico filmed movies that are up for a collective 14 Oscar nominations this Sunday.
February 21, 2008
Legislative Office Hours...a Success!
The Governor met with over 120 people during office hours at the State Capitol today. A total of 70 groups were eager to meet with the Governor – some even showing up hours before the meetings were set to begin. The meetings were limited to legislative matters only.
Hot topics this afternoon were domestic violence, uranium and the biggest – healthcare. Most were concerned that universal healthcare did NOT pass during the regular legislative session.
People came from all over the state – including Carlsbad, Farmington and even Clovis -- to meet with the Governor.
February 18, 2008
The Governor Wants To Hear From You
With the 2008 Regular Legislative Session over, lawmakers and paid lobbyists have cleared the halls of the Roundhouse. Now Governor Richardson is allowing all other New Mexicans to have a voice on the more than 100 pieces of legislation pending on his desk.
Governor Richardson will open up his office for face-to-face constituent meetings this Thursday, February 21 st, from 2 to 5pm. It’s your opportunity to sit down with the Governor for five minutes and tell him what you think about pending bills, including SB 471 which includes capital outlay for nearly 2,000 projects statewide.
The rules for the Governor’s open office hours are simple:
Meetings will be granted a first-come, first-served basis.
- The Governor will not meet with registered lobbyists.
- The Governor will only grant one meeting per organized group. He will either meet with a representative or a small group of representatives of each group.
February 15, 2008
Oops, again.
We reported on the last day of the session that the Governor had signed Senate Bill 333, the package of General Obligation Bonds that will go to voters in November for approval.
Well, the Governor had the bill on his desk, ready to sign – until we found out that Lt. Governor Diane Denish forgot to sign the official version as it left the Senate. The Lt. Governor is the presiding officer in the Senate, and must sign all bills that go to the Governor for his action.
In any case, the Senate Chief Clerk asked the Governor’s Office to return the bill for the Lt. Governor’s signature. We did so, and the delay changed the deadline for the bill. Governor Richardson now has until March 5 to take action on the funding bill, which pays for senior centers, libraries and higher education projects – if voters approve.
February 12, 2008
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
If you tuned in to this afternoon’s episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, you heard Meredith Viera recite the $25,000 question:
Which of the 2008 Presidential candidates claims on their website to be a four time Nobel Prize nominee?
A. Dennis Kucinich
B. Barack Obama
C. Bill Richardson
D. Mitt Romney
The contestant guessed Kucinich….WRONG!
He was then booted off the show.
The correct answer was C. Bill Richardson
February 11, 2008
Off to the Republic of the Philippines
LAS CRUCES – New Mexico National Guard soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 200th Infantry reported for duty today at 1:00 pm and soon will be on their way to the Philippines. The Soldiers will be participating in the Balikatan 2008 Training Exercise.
This will be the first time a unit from the New Mexico National Guard returns to the Philippines since World War II.
You can sense the excitement of the Soldiers. They know how significant this trip is for the New Mexico National Guard. The soldiers are mentally preparing themselves for the high temperatures and sticky humidity in the Philippines.
In the above photo, 1st Sergeant Santiago Delgado conducts an inspection of each and every Soldier to ensure they all have their necessary paperwork and that no problems have arisen that will prevent them from going on this trip. Upon completion of the inspection, it's pretty much the old "hurry up and wait" until weapons are issued.
The unit will head out to Fort Bliss later this evening and will then board a plane to the Republic of the Philippines.
Lt. Col. Ken Nava
New Mexico National Guard
Domestic Violence Bill Headed to Governor’s Desk
This morning lawmakers passed a key piece of Governor Richardson’s 2008 public safety agenda -- a bill that calls for tougher sentencing of repeat domestic violence offenders. The bill, sponsored by Roswell Republican Senator Rod Adair garnered overwhelmingly bipartisan support as it moved both chambers.
SB 68 corrects the disparity in our law books when it comes to domestic violence offenders and other violent offenders. Currently, domestic offenders can rack up one, two, even eight offenses and only face a misdemeanor each time. Compare that to our animal cruelty laws, which call for felony sentences after the third and subsequent convictions.
The bill is long overdue and a major step forward in tackling New Mexico’s domestic violence problem.
Stealth Lobbying
Interestingly, Governor Richardson’s energy efficiency legislation (HB 305), which has had virtually no opposition, has suddenly found a critic as it winds its way toward a final vote in the Senate.
Who can possibly be opposed to this progressive legislation that will go a long way toward energy conservation? Remember Ben Luce? He’s the former head of the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy who became a frequent critic of the Governor and Legislature after leaving his position at CCAE.
Luce has apparently moved to Vermont, but after being tracked down by the media to comment on the Governor’s energy efficiency bill, Luce has decided that his services are needed – all the way from Vermont – by the New Mexico Legislature. Word around the Roundhouse is that Luce is talking to Senators to get them to amend the Governor’s bill.
We’re not sure what Luce stands to gain by changing or killing a bill in New Mexico – while he now resides in Vermont. But his aggressive efforts to shape this legislation raise the question of whose interests he represents, since he is not a registered lobbyist in New Mexico. Shouldn’t New Mexicans know what out-of-state forces are trying to block or kill legislation that would help more New Mexicans save energy and money?
February 8, 2008
Senate Rules Committee...
Governor Richardson takes his responsibility to make appointments to his Cabinet and to state agencies seriously and rightly expects the Senate to review them and take action in a timely manner. They shouldn’t become the subject of political shenanigans or retribution. Unfortunately that appears to be the case in the Senate Rules Committee.
Committee Chair Linda Lopez has recently been complaining that the Governor’s Office is refusing to cooperate with her committee when it comes to sharing background checks on Cabinet nominees. Because of that she says her committee is holding up the confirmation process and the status of several critical appointees remains in limbo.
That’s far from the full story. Senator Lopez has been extremely uncooperative with respect to the Governor’s nominees and has delayed the confirmation process for months. For example, in January of 2007 (during the legislative session) the Governor nominated Johnny Cope and John Hummer for the Transportation Commission, and John Loehr for the State Board of Finance. Those nominations weren’t acted on during that session nor were they acted on during the interim. Finally, just today, the Loehr and Hummer nominations were approved.
Nominees report that Senator Lopez repeatedly fails to allow them to appear before the committee, even though they were scheduled to do so and had traveled across the state to attend the meetings in Santa Fe. The Senator’s actions reflect an ongoing pattern of disrespect for the system, for the nominees, and for the Governor himself. Certainly New Mexicans willing to serve their state deserve better.
The Governor’s office has long had the Department of Public Safety perform background checks on potential appointments. Applicants are thoroughly vetted before the Governor makes a final decision and forwards the names to the committee. Unfortunately DPS mistakenly sent the rules committee some background checks, even though the Executive Branch never agreed to provide such checks. That has been remedied.
The truth is that the Rules Committee only changed its requirements last December to require appointees undergo background checks, and now seems to expect the Governor’s office to handle that process. That’s an inappropriate demand that crosses the line of separation between the two branches of government. The committee has the staff and resources to obtain the background checks, they should handle it themselves.
Budget Pork
The budget bill, passed Thursday by the Legislature, was just clocked in at the Governor’s office (11:30 a.m.), which means the Governor has until Tuesday morning to take action on the $6 billion spending package.
As the Governor begins to scrutinize the budget, and as he looks ahead to the so-called junior budget that legislators are haggling over, he has to make a decision about what’s best for New Mexicans.
With less than a week left in the session, the Legislature has failed to pass a comprehensive health coverage bill. And the budget passed Thursday significantly shortchanges children who don’t have access to Medicaid. The Governor is extremely disappointed by the failure of legislators to take care of children who don’t have access to health insurance. He will closely monitor the movement – or lack thereof – of his HealthSolutions plan as he decides whether to sign or veto the budget.
In addition, the Governor is concerned because the Legislature has yet to fully fund the salary package promised to and negotiated with state employees. The same Legislature voted in 2003 to restore state employees’ rights to collective bargaining. Yet the budget does not reflect the agreement that was negotiated with employees.
Without that funding for employees, and given the fact that the junior budget is packed with unnecessary budget pork, the Governor is inclined to veto the bill if and when it reaches his desk.
Seriously, the state can get by next year without hundreds of thousands of dollars included in the junior budget bill to clean, deodorize and sanitize commercial and residential refuse containers.
What's Hot?
What’s Hotter than this year’s Presidential Election?
The Governor’s beard.
If they aren’t asking who he’s going to endorse, they want to know about the Governor’s beard. He’ll tell you that it’s his way of decompressing after a long year on the campaign trail – and that he’s revolting from all those pesky campaign consultants.
His wife hates it…but the media love it!
On Super Tuesday – Dianne Sawyer compared the Guv to Justin Timberlake – before going to his commentary on the election results.
Time Magazine came to Santa Fe to get a first hand look at his beard, here is an excerpt from the article that hit newsstands today:
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's new beard symbolizes another kind of independence. He started growing it after dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. "I am revolting against my campaign consultants," he said. "For an entire year, every day was programmed. Now that I am wearing a beard, I can finally reflect and decompress."
Checkout the current issue of Time Magazine for more on the “Beard Brigade.”
And the Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist from Seattle’s largest paper also caught on to the Guv’s new addition:
Credit: David Horsey, Seattle Post Intelligencer
February 6, 2008
Update from Chama 
Today crews are moving piles and piles of snow by truck. A total of 25 New Mexico National Guard Soldiers are in Chama and there are plenty of volunteers on hand as well. The National Guard members are working to remove snow and are doing health and welfare checks. Food donations are available for local residents at the Chama Valley fire station. The forecast for tonight calls for more cold, windy and possibly snowy weather.
A fund has been established at Bank of America for donations to disaster relief in Chama and northern Rio Arriba county.
Donations can be made to the Rotary Club of Chama Valley at any Bank of America or by mail at : Bank of America P.O. Box 1252 Chama, NM 887520.
Peter Olson, Spokesperson
Department of Public Safety
February 5, 2008
A Lonely Vote for Coal and Against Conservation
Having passed two House committees and the House floor with unanimous votes, today HB 305 got its first "nay" vote from Senator Tim Jennings. Jennings is the first legislator, Republican or Democrat, to vote against HB 305, a bill that calls for electric utilities to invest in energy efficiency programs—saving energy and reducing costs for consumers.
His rationale? He believes "New Mexico needs more coal-fired plants."
Perhaps Senator Jennings should have taken note of yesterday's article in the Wall Street Journal, wherein Citigroup Inc., JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley concluded that "the US Government will cap greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants sometime in the next few years. The banks will require utilities seeking financing for plants before then to prove the plants will be economically viable even under potentially stringent federal caps on carbon dioxide, the main man-made greenhouse gas."
Investment banks and the insurance industry know that an investment in an old-style coal-fired power plant now is nothing more than an investment in the past. With imminent caps on greenhouse gases, coal is no longer "cheap" power. They also now recognize that addressing climate change makes economic sense. New Mexico, and the nation, need to be looking to the clean energies of the future and conserving energy in the present.
New Mexico's efforts in this arena - strong tax credits for wind, solar, and carbon-clean coal; tough greenhouse gas reduction goals; and regional cooperation - position us well to be a leader in the new clean energy economy that is already emerging. This will mean thousands of jobs for New Mexicans in the years ahead - jobs with companies like Schott Solar that just announced a manufacturing plant in Albuquerque.
Wall Street Shows Skepticism Over Coal:
Banks Push Utilities To Plan for Impact Of Emissions Caps
Transit Districts on Track
In a positive vote for commuters, the House voted 56-9 to pass HB 400 and create a Commuter Rail Transit District in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Valencia Counties.
The bill now goes before the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee.
Should this bill pass the Senate, not only will these transit districts ensure sustainable funding of the Railrunner for years to come, but it also allows for local governments to plan convenient connections to existing bus routes to better serve their local communities.
At a joint election in the four counties this year, voters will be able to choose 1/8 percent county commuter rail gross receipts tax and sustained funding that’s not dependent on Washington. That’s about 12 and ½ cents per hundred dollars. It’s estimated that a one eighth of one percent gross receipts tax in those four counties would generate $26 million, enough to accommodate the Railrunner’s projected operations cost of $19 million for fiscal year 2010.
For those dependent on regional transit system, such as the disabled, senior citizens and students, these districts will enable them to get from home to school, or to their community center, or to destinations cities with ease.
For commuters who wish to reduce their carbon footprint, the Railrunner offers a means of traveling to and from work with less emissions than a car. Already in the year Rail Runner has serviced Bernalillo south, the rail has reduced 3,850 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and has reduced traffic congestion by removing 8.74 million vehicle miles of travel from our busiest highways.
Peak hour traffic between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is projected to grow to over two hours one way by the year 2025. By taking thousands of commuters off our roads each day, the Railrunner will help reduce traffic congestion and keep travel times down between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
The target date for the commuter rail service extension to Santa Fe is December of 2008.
Chama Update
When we heard about the heavy snowfall in the Chama area we certainly couldn’t visualize just how deep it was. These pictures give some idea, but even they can’t quite show the full magnitude of the situation. And it kept snowing, stranding people in their homes and damaging some homes and businesses. That includes the area’s only grocery story, which lost part of its roof.
Governor Richardson was quick to declare a disaster to allow state resources to assist Rio Arriba County clear snow and help the residents. Today two National Guard helicopters flew to the area and had difficulty landing due to the deep snow. You can imagine what rotor wash does to powdery snow. But they were able to land, and brought with them more than a dozen NM National Guard troops.
This afternoon Tim Manning, the state’s director of homeland security and emergency management, went to Chama to survey the situation and coordinate the state’s relief efforts. Tim is the one responsible for overseeing the state’s primary mission- ensuring the welfare of the residents and clearing the roads. A number of people have called the office concerned that they might run out of food or medicine, and crews are checking to make sure everyone is safe.
Collapsed Roof at Chama Valley Supermarket
Yet Another Study
The House just passed a bill authorizing yet another study of our health care system.
Rep. John Heaton, the sponsor of Governor Richardson’s HealthSolutions Act, correctly pointed out that the study bill has no funding, only provides for six months to come up with another comprehensive plan, and does not have any opportunity for public input.
Governor Richardson believes another study is unacceptable to the 400,000 New Mexicans who need access to quality health care now. He urges the Legislature to adopt his HealthSolutions Act, as it was originally introduced so we finally have universal health care in the state. The Health Solutions Act is based on nearly two-years of input from over 100 meetings with citizen groups and legislators, as well as the Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee.
Here is just a sampling of past efforts to study health care in New Mexico:
1982 Statewide Health Coordinating Council
1985 Healthcare Cost and Access Commission
1994 Medicaid Reform Committee
2001 Comprehensive New Mexico Health Care Study
2003 Health Care Coverage and Access Task Force
2004 Medicaid Reform Committee
2004-2005 InsureNM Council
2005-2006 Insure NM Council
2006-2007 Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee
Notable Mansion Guests
Former President Bill Clinton’s visit to the Governor’s residence was the latest in a long list of world leaders, royalty, ambassadors, governors and entertainers who have met with Governor Richardson at the People’s House. They join the thousands of New Mexicans who have had the privilege of visiting the Governor’s residence for everything from fundraising events for charities to celebrations for New Mexico athletic teams.
Notable visitors to the Governor’s mansion:
Royalty:
Duke of York
Crown Prince and Princess of Asturias ( Spain)
Presidents:
President Aznar of Spain
President and Mrs. Fox of Mexico
President Saca of El Salvador
President and Mrs. Joe Shirley of Navajo Nation
Former President Clinton
Former President Lech Walesa of Poland
Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter
Ambassadors and Governors:
Amb. and Mrs. Bremer of Mexico
Amb. and Mrs. Jim Jones
UN Ambassador Satoh and Minister Yamamoto of Japan
Amb. and Mrs. Moreno of Columbia
Amb. Al-Dafa of Qatar
Amb. Jose Bordon of Argentina
Amb. and Mrs. Kato of Japan
Amb. Levitte of France
Amb. and Mrs. Ayalon of Israel
Amb. Icaza of Mexico
Amb. Bernardo Alvarez of Venezuela – dinner and reception
Amb. and Mrs. Zhou of People’s Republic of China – luncheon
Amb. Lee of South Korea w/ US Amb. to Rep. of SK, Amb. Vershbow
Gov. Baeza of Chihuahua, Mexico
Gov. Joe Manchin of West Virginia
Gov. Henry of Oklahoma
Gov. Huntsman of Utah
Former First Lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers
WGA Governors and wives
DGA Governors and wives
Border Governors
North Korean Delegation
Entertainers & Artists:
Robert Redford
Martin Sheen
Rob Reiner
Liam Neeson
Jessica Simpson
John Travolta
William H. Macy
Val Kilmer
Tim Allen
Tommy Lee Jones
Ron Howard
Edward James Olmos
Shirley MacLaine
Ali MacGraw
Gene Hackman
Marsha Mason
Randy and Elizabeth Travis
Jane Fonda
Glenna Goodacre
Dan Namingha
Elias Rivera
Other:
Al Franken
J.C. Watts
La Raza Officials
American/Russian Cultural Cooperative – Pushkin Foundation
Texas Lyceum
NM/Chihuahua Commission
February 4, 2008
Film Update
A standing ovation late this afternoon as the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee voted to permanently table a bill calling for a cap on the state’s film incentives.
As expected, hundreds of opponents to SB 519 made the trek to the Roundhouse today to voice their opposition to the bill. Apparently all that dissent convinced the bill’s sponsor, Sen. John Arthur Smith of Deming, to agree to kill it.
Senate Budget ‘Nip and Tuck’ Protects Polluters
The Senate Finance Committee tucked cuts into its version of the state budget that would essentially punish state agencies that have the audacity to hold oil and gas companies accountable for protecting New Mexico’s environment. The budget cuts look like an effort to retaliate against tough but fair rules and regulations implemented by the Richardson Administration to protect the environment.
The legislators on this committee are retaliating against the Environmental Improvement Board’s passage of clean car standards to reduce vehicle pollution, and the Oil Conservation Division’s proposed pit rules, which hold oil companies to stronger environmental standards for handling and disposing of oil field waste to prevent ground water contamination.
The committee made several amendments to the budget, which was passed by the House last week, to limit the ability of the Environment Department and the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to protect New Mexico’s limited water resources, air quality and natural resources.
The Oil and Gas amendments slash both agencies by about $500,000, which includes cuts to legal staff at EMNRD’s Oil Conservation Division who research and prepare cases when companies violate environmental protections. The amendments transfer money and staff to the Attorney General’s Office, while the enforcement of environment, mineral and natural resource protections remains the legal responsibility of the Environment and Energy & Minerals departments.
Effectively, such a move would weaken the state’s ability to enforce environmental regulations and allow those who contaminate our water, pollute our air, and abuse our land to go unregulated and unpunished.
Film Incentives
Opponents are expected to pack the Roundhouse this afternoon as a senate committee takes up a bill that calls for capping the state's film incentives.
Expect a continuation of a fevered debate that broke out Friday on the Senate floor when SB 519, sponsored by Senator John Arthur Smith of Deming, was brought up during a motion. Some lawmakers accused the state of subsidizing industry at the expense of education. That flawed argument did not set well with other lawmakers who pointed out the two have no correlation as they come from separate funding sources.
As Governor Richardson's administration has repeatedly said, the amount invested in film and television projects is directly proportional to the amount brought in. So if the state is investing more than initially expected, we are bringing in much more than expected--hundreds of millions of dollars in production, hundreds of jobs, and positive economic impact to communities around the state. Since Governor Richardson took office in 2003, 90 major feature film and television projects have shot in New Mexico resulting in an estimated economic impact to the state of $1.5 billion dollars.
Further, the Governor believes any talk of a cap sends the wrong signal to the production community at a time when significant industry players and investors are considering more permanent commitments to New Mexico. The timing is made worse as we face new competition from other states that have seen the successful returns of New Mexico's program and want to get in on the action.
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