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Morning Word
Santa Fe councilors propose new outdoor shelter idea
Tomorrow night’s Santa Fe City Council meeting will feature a first-look at a new proposal for providing outdoor shelter to unhoused people. A resolution sponsored by Mayor Alan Webber and Councilors Renee Villarreal and Jamie Cassutt notes the most recent “point in time” estimation for people experiencing homelessness in Santa Fe (considered an undercount) was 260, with at least 119 experiencing chronic homelessness, and a financial impact on the city—from emergency services and clean-up of public spaces, for instances—at approximately $14 million. The resolution, thusly, directs the city manager to identify available and appropriate physical locations for safe outdoor spaces, with landowners willing and able to provide 24/7 security, hygiene facilities and electrical services in direct partnership with social services providers. The resolution also calls for a city contract with a provider that “can deliver comprehensive outreach and social services that directly support the stability of people staying in SOS, including meals, case management and healthcare, and pathways to permanent housing.” Lastly, the resolution requires the city to work with the service provider to create a “good neighbor” agreement between the service provider and those living in proximity to the safe outdoor space.
A fiscal impact report for the proposal notes the city has identified $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds for establishing the pilot program, and notes that if “this legislation is not adopted, the unsheltered homeless population will continue to use unsanctioned encampments as a means of sheltering.” After tomorrow night’s introduction, the proposal will be heard by the Finance, Quality of Life and Public Works and Utilities committees before winding its way back to the council (right now it’s scheduled to return to the governing body on April 26).
City seeks feedback on affordable housing
The City of Santa Fe’s Office of Affordable Housing yesterday kicked off the public comment period for the draft plan for how it will spend federal Department of Housing and Urban Development funds over the next five years. The public comment period will run through May 10 in advance of the city submitting its proposal to HUD for review and approval before the start of the next fiscal year on July 1. An executive summary for the draft plan includes a needs assessment and market analysis, which concludes that “cost burden—paying 30% or more in income in housing costs—is the most prevalent housing problem among city of Santa Fe residents.” The 475 residents who participated in a survey in advance of the plan identified the city’s top three housing priorities as: more affordable rental housing; more affordable homeownership; and responding to homelessness. The funding priorities in the draft plan include emergency home repair through Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity; public services for homeless community members via Santa Fe Public Schools’ Adelante Program, the Interfaith Community Shelter; and Youth Shelters and Family Services; facility upgrades at Sonrisa Supportive Family Living Program at St. Elizabeth Shelters; and the creation of a commercial kitchen space for a youth job training program with YouthWorks. Written comments on the plan can be submitted to office of Affordable Housing Project Manager Cody Minnich at cjminnich@santafenm.gov. For more information about the plan or to receive a paper copy, call the Office of Affordable Housing at (505) 955-6574. A public hearing will be held following the review period at the Santa Fe City Council’s May 10 meeting. “It’s a pretty important five year plan,” Minnich tells SFR, “and will be the basis for how we spend our HUD funding. We definitely want people to pay attention to the needs assessment and the goals and the proposed funding and to share their thoughts.”
NM in the running for hydrogen bucks
A consortium including New Mexico has applied for billions of federal dollars to advance several western states’ forays into hydrogen energy. The Western Interstate Hydrogen Hub LLC—developed last year between New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming—recently submitted an application for a $1.25 billion grant from the US Department of Energy in response to the DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs funding opportunity. WIH2′s proposal identifies eight projects with qualified project partners across the four states, with at least one project in each state. “Through bipartisan collaboration with states and project partners, we are advancing a vital economic development initiative that will power the nation and create thousands of jobs—all while reducing emissions,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. In New Mexico, the projects include: one with AVANGRID to produce hydrogen on the Navajo Nation in San Juan County and in Torrance County; one with Libertad Power to produce hydrogen power in San Juan and Lea counties to serve off-takers across the Southwest in heavy haul transportation and power generation/storage; one with Navajo Agricultural Product Industries in San Juan County—a 275,000-acre Navajo Nation-owned commercial farm seeking energy self-sufficiency—to raise produce in greenhouses for the benefit of tribal members; one with Tallgrass Energy to produce hydrogen to serve the power, transportation and other industrial markets through its eH2Power project in New Mexico and Front Range Hydrogen project in Colorado and Wyoming.
US House Speaker McCarthy stumps for Herrell
Former Republican US Rep. Yvette Herrell, who represented New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District for one term before losing the seat last year to Democratic Congressman Gabe Vasquez, is running again. She announced her new run for Congress yesterday in Las Cruces at a rally attended by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (right around the 35-minute mark), whose appearance also brought protesters to the event, the Las Cruces Sun News reports. McCarthy’s speech focused primarily on Republican priorities, with him noting to attendees: “We are at a crossroads like none I’ve seen in my life.” Republicans have mounted a legal challenge to the new boundaries for the 2nd Congressional District that resulted from redistricting. When she lost her seat last year, Herrell blamed the loss on gerrymandering. “Two years ago, the Democrats in Santa Fe announced they would gerrymander our district to ensure they would totally control our state’s federal delegation,” Herrell said at the time. “They did just that, ignoring the will of the people in the process…Stay tuned!”
COVID-19 by the numbers
Reported April 10: New cases: 286 (ostensibly includes the holiday weekend); 676,660 total cases. Deaths: four; Santa Fe County has had 402 total deaths; 9,150 total fatalities statewide. Statewide hospitalizations: 60; patients on ventilators: five
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent April 6 “community levels” map shows improvement for New Mexico, with just one county—Union—yellow with medium levels, down from two the prior week, none red and the rest of the state with green—aka low—levels. Corresponding recommendations for each level can be found here.
Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez said yesterday SFPS will continue practicing COVID-19 safety protocols, despite the end of the end of the state’s emergency public health order last month, and will continue contact tracing through April.
Resources: Receive four free at-home COVID-19 tests per household via COVIDTests.gov; Check availability for additional free COVID-19 tests through Project ACT; CDC interactive booster eligibility tool; NM DOH vaccine & booster registration; CDC isolation and exposure interactive tool; COVID-19 treatment info; NMDOH immunocompromised tool kit. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453. DOH encourages residents to download the NM Notify app and to report positive COVID-19 home tests on the app.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Listen up
Will artificial intelligence ultimately be oppressive or innovative? According to Chat GPT, to which we posed the question, it “depends on how it is designed, implemented and regulated, and the specific context in which it is used.” Perhaps the real-live scientists working on the issue will prevaricate less when they delve in at 7:30 pm tonight at the Lensic Performing Arts Center for the free 2023 Santa Fe Institute Community Lecture Series, featuring Arizona State University Professor of Computer Science Stephanie Forrest; University of New Mexico Department of Computer Science Professor Melanie Moses; and Santa Fe Institute Professor Cris Moore. All three will discuss their work on AI and algorithms in health, housing, criminal justice, cybersecurity and energy, along with their thoughts on where new tools like ChatGPT are heading. Reserve free tickets but, if you can’t attend in person, SFI will stream the lecture live on its YouTube channel (where it also will be recorded for future viewing).
In the pipeline
Just outside Albuquerque served as the primary location for the recently released film How to Blow Up a Pipeline, which—spoiler alert—depicts a group of young activists’ “daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline” in what the film’s logline describes as a “taut and timely thriller that is part high-stakes heist, part radical exploration of the climate crisis.” Adapted from Swedish climate activist/author Andreas Malm’s 2021 manifesto of the same name, the movie, the New York Times writes, explores the inherent tension behind not knowing what the future will bring nor how our actions today may impact what’s to come. The LA Times talks with Director Daniel Goldhaber, who acknowledges the film’s title gives away its plot, and also cautions it’s not a call to action: “We didn’t necessarily want the movie to be directing the audience to go out and take a particular action,” Goldhaber says. “And I think that’s the fundamental difference here between a drama with a political point of view and a piece of propaganda.” FWIW, Rolling Stone Magazine thinks it’s the “hottest date movie of the season.” Back to New Mexico: Goldhaber told Filmmaker magazine last year the production had spent 22 days outside Albuquerque for its principal photography period. Actress Sasha Lane, who plays the character Theo, tells A.frame (the digital magazine of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) the production had its challenging moments: “It was around Christmastime, so there were definitely times where you’d think, ‘I could be home, but I’m doing this and we’re out here. Do I really want my nose to bleed today?’ It was cold. It was dusty. We were outside a lot.” And composer Gavin Brivik, who scored the film, tells Variety magazine he flew to New Mexico to record music samples—the first time he’s ever “traveled to a set to sample and record actual oil drums, pipes and found sounds to create a score.” You can listen to the movie’s opening track, “Why I Destroyed Your Property,” which uses those drum samples, here.
Liquid tourism
According to Thrillist, New Mexico’s favorite new combo is: wine and hot springs. “Turns out pairing the two activities is genius,” Thrillist writes, “because really, what better way to banish a hangover than a leisurely rest in healing waters?” (We would maybe add the obvious disclaimer that doing these things simultaneously if you’re new to the altitude; and/or dehydrated; and/or driving afterward; or have any sort of health issue is inadvisable. But we digress.) Thrillist proffers several recommendations for visiting both vineyards and hot springs/spas across the state, starting in the southern part of the New Mexico with La Viña Winery; Rio Grande Vineyards and Winery; Fort Selden Winery; and Shattuck Vineyard in the case of the former and, for the post-vineyard soak, Riverbend Hot Springs in Truth or Consequences (natch). In Santa Fe, visitors are advised to check out the Gruet Tasting Room at Hotel St. Francis and nearby Hervé Wine Bar, and to soak off their imbibing at Ten Thousand Waves. The story also has recs for Albuquerque and Taos where—as is the case with the rest of the state—there’s more wine than water, but enough of both for those who want to plan their travel around the concepts of “sip and soak.”
Feel the heat
The National Weather Service forecasts a sunny warm day with a high temperature near 74 degrees and northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. The rising temperatures also bring warnings from the state health department about how to avoid heat-related illnesses.
Thanks for reading! The Word woke up wanting to hear what Stephen Colbert had to say about Clarence Thomas (about four minutes in...you’ll hear the boos).
