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Next CCIA Meeting: 11 January 2024
Kitchen Kraft
980 N Telshor Blvd,
Kitchen Kraft
980 N Telshor Blvd,
Latest News
Rick ReynaudNovember 30, 2023Sound-OffGrade InflationThis information is out there everyday and the users of public ed just seem to ignore it and accept the grade their child got as the gospel truth. Yes this is NYC, but aren’t NM schools rated as the worst in the nation which puts many behind these schools? If wondering where increased crime and street inhabitants are coming from look no further than the generator of them, public education.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2023/7/10/23777035/nyc-schools-pandemic-learning-grading-policy-nx-failing-courses-college-readiness/ [...]
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Sarah SmithNovember 30, 2023Sound-Offhttps://xn5m6.mjt.lu/nl3/kCRCFtTOshGgGJ-okKPA2w?m=AWgAADBWnc0AAAASbvwAAC6sXhIAAAABAQQAAUXkABYAzgBlZ7wqeRjN0FjJT8uJdvfuuhZmIwAVuHc&b=f5b55e28&e=9984800f&x=uZ0STxfeCmTaGBaY0HddryccInd1qqGYm00a1FB8M74
Dear Las Crucens,In October, a committee of 4 teachers and 3 parents voted 6-to-1 in favor of keeping the sexually explicit book The Jack of Hearts and Other Parts in the Mayfield High School (MHS) library. Based on that recommendation, the Superintendent decided to retain the book in the school library. However, through a public records request, we have now obtained proof that the book review committee was not chosen impartially. The committee was not chosen in good faith as being representative of our community. For instance, below is a text message from School Board Member Patrick Nolan (who is the husband of City Councilor Johanna Bencomo) where he tells book review committee member Lucas Herndon that the committee was “stacked” against the parents who filed the complaint (myself and Juan Garcia – CCIA). Note that we have never called for “book banning.” The book is freely available for anyone to purchase and should remain so. However, we are asking the school district to assess the book for age appropriateness. Lucas Herndon, who was texting with Board Member Patrick Nolan during the book review committee meeting, is an activist for Progress Now New Mexico. Herndon was one of the parents who was chosen for the book review committee by the school board. Here is a Twitter post that Herndon released during the book review committee hearing, where he called concerned parents fascists for challenging the sexually explicit book.CALLING OUT THE UNETHICAL ACTIONS OF THE BOARDJuan Garcia and I spoke at the Las Cruces School Board meeting last night to publicly call them out on their dishonesty in the book complaint process. We also presented additional evidence that the book is “pervasively vulgar” and not appropriate for the 13-14 year old children who could access it in the school library. Here are recordings of our comment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtAAEMr8VZQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmvpw6WHZ_8NEXT STEPSA hearing is scheduled for Friday December 8th at 9am in order to appeal the Superintendent’s decision to retain the book at Mayfield High School. Juan has called for School Board Members Patrick Nolan and Robert Wofford to be recused from the December 8th appeal hearing, as the public records evidence shows they cannot be impartial about this matter. We are awaiting a decision from the school board.Please stay tuned; there is more to come on this issue. Standing with you in solidarity,Sarah Smith Free People of the Southwest (local action)New Mexico Freedoms Alliance (statewide action)Standing with you in solidarity,Sarah Smith Free People of the Southwest (local action)New Mexico Freedoms Alliance (statewide action) [...]
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Rob WoodNovember 29, 2023Sound-OffEducation Versus Parental ExpectationsWhen one asks a question be ready for an answer.Over ten years ago I asked my State Representative why NM K-12 outcome was so dismal. Without even the slightest pause his answer was, “Parents have low expectations of their children”. A few years later I was seated on a flight next to a Silicon Valley high school educational coach who helps soon to graduate high schoolers choose a higher ed path. I explained our dilemma. He said the way to improve ed is to get more Asian children in it because Asian families have high expectations of their children and put the ed system on call to meet it.This article substantiates his critique.https://www.the74million.org/article/fear-of-competition-research-shows-that-when-asian-students-move-in-white-families-move-out/Rob [...]
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Sarah SmithNovember 29, 2023Education / Knowledge Boxlink: https://youtu.be/sV3Aix1e_SA?si=X83hMjTDGC1Aa3ny [...]
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Las Cruces City GovernmentNovember 24, 2023Education / Knowledge BoxAn effort to help citizens of LC better understand their city government and how it works. 10 week sessions- Wed from 6-8pm
https://www.lascruces.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=13623
https://www.lascruces.gov/216/Services
https://www.lascruces.gov/FormCenter/Community-Engagement-16/Neighborhood-Leadership-Academy-2024-169 [...]
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BethNovember 21, 2023Knowledge Boxhttps://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/courts/2023/11/21/las-cruces-judge-james-martin-reprimanded-by-new-mexico-supreme-court/71659509007/?utm_source=las-cruces-sun-news-daily-briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailybriefing&utm_term=Content%20List%20-%20Stacking%20-%20optimized&utm_content=pnm2-e-nletter65 [...]
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Sarah Smith - FPSWNovember 16, 2023Sound-OffDear Las Crucens,
Given our recent wins and misses in the City and School Board elections, I’ve been doing some post-election analysis to better understand what did and didn’t work out. Below are my main takeaways, and I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.
Maybe these were obvious to y’all, but I’ve had no involvement in elections or local politics until the last few years and am still trying to catch up.
Juan Garcia (CCIA) and I have a short video discussing the Las Cruces election results in general here:
Election Takeaways
More People Voted
More people voted in this election than in former local elections. For instance, the overall voter turnout was 18% in 2023, as compared to 11% in 2021 and 16% in 2019.
Looking at the Mayor’s race specifically, there were ~10% more votes in 2023 than in 2019.
Rank Choice Voting Can Work in Our Favor
Although Rank Choice Voting (RCV) can be confusing, this year’s results showed that by understanding how it works and being strategic, RCV can result in good outcomes.
For instance, in the Mayor’s race, because of Rank Choice Voting, Eric Enriquez was able to beat Kasandra Gandara even though she was leading in votes after the first round.
With Rank Choice Voting, a candidate does not win until they achieve 51% or greater of the votes. If no candidate achieves 51% of the vote, there is an instant run-off election.In each subsequent round of voting, candidates who received the fewest votes are removed and their votes are redistributed to whoever was ranked next on each person’s ballot.
The Mayor’s race went 6 rounds before Enriquez finally gathered enough votes to beat Gandara.
Isabella Solis voters actually swung the whole Mayor’s election. Through multiple rounds of RCV, Gandara was leading against Enriquez. It wasn’t until Isabella Solis’ votes were redistributed that Enriquez was able to jump into the lead with enough votes to win the election by over 600 votes.
You can look at the results of each round of RCV in the Mayor’s election here: https://electionresults.sos.state.nm.us/ViewRCVFile.aspx?rid=9274&cty=07%20&eid=
Strategies That Work for Rank Choice Voting
Some of the things that helped RCV work in our favor in the election were:
Making sure that voters know to rank ALL candidates so their votes will still count in subsequent rounds of voting.Whether or not we can all align on who to vote for #1, it helps if we align on who we want to vote against and rank that person LAST on the ballot.
Risks to Not Ranking ALL Candidates in Rank Choice Voting
As each round of RCV was tallied, there were fewer and fewer votes. When voters do not rank ALL candidates, their votes will potentially not count by the time the final RCV round is counted.
For instance, in the Mayor’s race, there were 948 more votes in the first round of RCV than the last round. Those voters who only ranked a few of the candidates and did not rank Enriquez or Gandara had NO vote in the final RCV round.
School Board Losses
Two of the school board seats were retained by progressive candidates because there were multiple conservatives splitting the vote. School board elections are NOT Rank Choice Vote elections, so when there are multiple conservatives running against one progressive, that is a losing strategy.
For instance, from looking at the vote count, Julia Ruiz would have easily won against School Board President Teresa Tenorio if latecomer Edward Howell hadn’t split the conservative vote. The final tally was:
Teresa Tenorio: 1,451 votesJulia Ruiz: 1,305 votesEdward Howell: 997 votes
Now the school board is composed of ALL progressives for at least the next two years. This is bad news for families as the progressive agenda includes allowing sexually explicit inappropriate books in schools, transgender bathrooms and locker rooms, extended classroom time and school years, lowering academic standards, and other issues.
An all-progressive school board also means that, in the event that the Governor imposes any harmful mandates, the school board will go right along with whatever she has decreed.
Las Crucens Want Change
Overall, the election showed that Las Crucens want change.
Las Crucens voted out the most powerful progressive on the ballot, Mayor Pro Tem Kasandra Gandara (District 1 City Councilor and wife of Senator William Soules). In addition to electing Enriquez as Mayor, Las Crucens also voted in Independent Bill Mattiace for City Council District 2. New Mexicans very rarely elect Independent candidates, and this says a lot!Both Enriquez and Mattiace were running on a platform of increasing public safety and fighting the growing crime problem. The school board elections, too, show that Las Crucens wanted change (even though that was stymied by poor strategy among conservative candidates).
Important Success
The significance of Gandara being voted out in the Mayor’s race is huge. She was running with a large budget alongside the endorsement of many prominent progressives in the state, including congressional and state senators and representatives.
Her loss in the election shows that, with persistence and dedication, we can make an impact for the good of New Mexico.
Let’s keep pushing so we can have favorable results in next year’s election, too!
Sarah Smith
Free People of the Southwest (local action)
New Mexico Freedoms Alliance (statewide action) [...]
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Rob WoodNovember 15, 2023Sound-OffIn today’s world the purpose of American government is to create more government. The design and true focus of all our governmental bureaucratic organizations is the maintenance and expansion of the organization themselves. Over time its initial intended purpose becomes secondary and remains only as the title of the entity for promotion and expansion purposes. I can think of no government organization that was created to address an issue that addressed the issue and was then disbanded. If there is one, it probably was combined with another department, so it is hidden under a different name.
In a report on the management of our Indian reservation populations the point was made that when combined the Bureau of Indian Affairs, The Bureau of Indian Health and all the associated sub departments, there are more government employees in them than there are reservation Indians.
In my community, and it appears across the nation, there is much uproar over public education implementing teaching policies that parents feel are detrimental to their children and the believed purpose of school. Hillsdale College’s recent Impimis newsletter https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/education-as-a-battleground/ President Larry Arnn highlights what is going on with a graph showing that over the past 20 years the portion of education purposed for district administration has increased by 87% while the student and teacher increase has been under 9%.
How does this happen? It happens intentionally as they create a problem out of thin air like racism and sexism, find some obscure state or federal policy to back it up or maybe not if they have enough inhouse marketing clout to self-promote and create totally new departments to address it. This is most obvious in public and many private colleges because it has been going on for longer. Of serious note is the fact that the graduates of those schools are now a part of the administrative side of K-12 public ed. The mania has nothing to do with the actual ongoings at the schools themselves as they take new education funding necessary for academic improvement and divert it to expand the administrative side justifying it by selling phantom problems.
A perfect example of bloated administrative expansion, can be found at UC San Diego and its departments tasked with addressing ghosts in the name of equity, diversity, and inclusion:
UC San Diego Diversocrat Agencies
Chancellor’s Diversity Office
The Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Equity
The Assistant Vice Chancellor for Diversity
The Faculty Equity Advisor
The Graduate Diversity Coordinator
The Staff Diversity Liaison
The Undergraduate Student Diversity Liaison
The Graduate Student Diversity Liaison
The Chief Diversity Officer
The Director of Development for Diversity Initiatives
The Office of Academic Diversity and Equal Opportunity
The Committee on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Issues
The Committee on the Status of Women
The Campus Council on Climate, Culture, and Inclusion
The Diversity Council
Director of the Cross-Culture Center
Director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center
Director of the Women’s Center
All of this comes out of the thinking that is created in the mandatory undergraduate classes that address: Theoretical or analytical issues relevant to understanding race, culture and ethnicity in American society that must incorporate at least 3 of the following: African Americans, American Indigenous people, Asian Americans, Chicano/Latino Americans, and European Americans.
If seriously interested in creating change in K-12 one must follow the money. A school board manages money, that is their main role. They look for ways to get more, and as seen mainly use it so they have a larger administration to manage. The students are just a necessary inconvenience needed to expand their agency. As I was told by a person in the know, with every passing of increased education funding another floor is added onto the school district administration building. LCPS just expanded into the old DMV next door.
If interested in a more in-depth look into this subject, I recommend “The Diversity Delusion” by Heather Mac Donald. If it is applied, knowledge is power.
Rob Wood [...]
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Stu Cvrk via RedStateNovember 15, 2023Knowledge Boxhttps://redstate.com/stu-in-sd/2021/06/07/how-to-resist-effectively-n392243?bcid=c6432d6c078b69624909e087c2479956 [...]
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Jody KincaidNovember 15, 2023Sound-OffMr Ruiz, we met at two of your meet and greet events earlier this year. I am the retired veterinarian that had volunteered with the Gadsden schools in the past. As a member of CCIA , we are concerned about the quality of education delivered by our school system. Part of the problem with truancy, poor classroom performance and other behavioral issues revolves around the role of parents in their children’s educational experience. Many parents are not versed in proper coaching, study and support activities, in addition to being busy trying to put food on the table. Perhaps we can help . In CCIA we have a number of retired teachers and professional persons with lots of life experience to share and lots of time to do so. What would your thoughts be about establishing evening programs at individual schools for parents and students presenting methods of organizing study time and materials, study approaches that increase the learning experience and general tips on how to get the most benefit from homework? With qualified presenters,such as we have, we believe that we can make the learning process easier and more effective. Giving parents tips on how to help their children gets them more involved in the learning process and makes them more effective in their help. When successful engineers,doctors and educators share their experience it can motivate students and parents as well as teach them practical methods for improving their learning skills. You mentioned a program that you had in the Clark County schools supporting parental involvement . Your efforts to improve the proficiency rates have to have family involvement if they are going to succeed. Still, you have a lot to deal with as you take over here . Please consider our offer- I think that evening programs, limited to an hour that are offered at schools throughout the district would be well received. I can say that I was involved in a program like this in the Canutillo district that was well received by parents. What say you? Community support for schools is essential for a viable outcome- the faculty of the schools may present the materials but they are assimilated and understood by the students as they do homework . We can’t put a coach in every home but we can share techniques with the parents ( and students that attend) to improve learning efficiency. We are more than happy to help you. If you believe that this idea has merit and want a more detailed outline of what we might discuss, just let me know. Thank you.
Sincerely, Jody Kincaid DVM ND [...]
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Sarah Smith - ActivistNovember 13, 2023Knowledge BoxDear referendum volunteers,
I am mailing out a box with a total of 4,487 petition signatures to the statewide referendum organizers. THANKS TO YOU for all your efforts in gathering these numerous signatures!These are the signatures counts being mailed in:
HB7: 775 signaturesSB397: 766 signaturesSB13: 754 signaturesHB207: 740 signaturesSB180: 748 signaturesHB4: 704 signaturesTOTAL: 4,487 signatures across all Bills
That brings our totals mailed out thus far to:
HB7: 1,820 signaturesSB397: 1,754 signaturesSB13: 1,731 signaturesHB207: 1,252 signaturesSB180: 1,744 signaturesHB4: 1,683 signaturesTOTAL: 9,984 signatures across all Bills
Please continue to collect signatures. We are aiming to collect nearly 6,000 signatures per Bill (~35,000+ total signatures) for Doña Ana County. You can see that we still have a long way to go. Perseverance is key. I know you may be weary of this effort (I am, too!!), but we need to keep pushing forward nonetheless. It is possible some of our missing signatures can be made up in other counties, but with Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Santa Fe counties also running low on signatures, we all need to push as best we can to keep increasing our numbers. Now that the elections are over, hopefully we will all have a bit more time to devote to this effort.
If you want to see a snapshot of what is happening statewide with the petitions, below is a summary from Bob Dickenshied. (THANKS Bob!) We can continue to work on this for several more months, so let’s see what we can all do working together!
New Mexico County 10 % GoalEstimate to Date Bernalillo *24,6146,984 Catron 20345 Chaves 1,6382,943 Cibola 68927 Colfax 493525 Curry 1,0281,100 De Baca 78116 Dona Ana *5,7981,746 Eddy 1,6764,338 Grant 1,175289 Guadalupe 1768 Harding 4283 Hidalgo 1672 Lea 1,4042 Lincoln 8381,750 Los Alamos 1,018314 Luna 592200 McKinley 1,9561,000 Mora 25058 Otero 1,769810 Quay 305729 Rio Arriba 1,30242 Roosevelt 467700 Sandoval *6,1371,783 San Juan 4,0164,016 San Miguel 95083 Santa Fe*6,981629 Sierra 495156 Socorro 619300 Taos 1,339235 Torrance 55782 Union 15227 Valencia 2,5542,074 Totals471,47733,047 * County not likely to be able to reach their goal Values in cells shaded light blue have been tabulated already. White indicate values updated by Captain or others. Also HB207 is NOT included in the averaging which makes the resulting values a little highter since HB207 scews values lower because we got the form for HB207 late.
Sarah–Sarah Smith
Las Cruces, NMFree People of the Southwest (local)New Mexico Freedoms Alliance (statewide)National Coalition for Health Integrity (national)Let’s Connect: Telegram / Facebook [...]
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BethNovember 13, 2023Education / Knowledge Boxhttps://www.lascruces.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=13623 [...]
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Chandler Farnsworth/NewsBreakNovember 13, 2023Knowledge Boxhttps://share.newsbreak.com/5eiebp77 [...]
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Juan GarciaNovember 12, 2023Action AlertThe Las Cruces Bulletin has a Local Community Activist award and our colleague; Sarah Smith, is on the list of candidates ……
Select Community Activist for your choice.
https://www.lascrucesbulletin.com/bulletins-best-2024/#/gallery?group=469326
Voting Period Nov. 3 through Nov. 24, 2023.
You can vote once per day per category.
Show Sarah your appreciation with this much deserved award……..VOTE….
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Maureen Mackey/Fox NewsNovember 11, 2023Knowledge Boxhttps://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/veterans-day-lessons-leadership-america-former-marine-mission [...]
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Sarah SmithNovember 10, 2023Action AlertDear Las Crucens,Here is an update on the situation with the formal book challenge that was filed with Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) about The Jack of Hearts and Other Parts book at Mayfield High School (MHS). This book contains graphic sexual content, including pedophilia, that is not appropriate for children. You can view the content of the book here: www.nmfa.us/jack BOOK COMPLAINT RESPONSE FROM SUPERINTENDENT RUIZFollowing the formal hearing on October 12, the decision was up to LCPS Superintendent Ruiz to decide whether or not to keep the book in the MHS library. I received the response letter from Superintendent Ruiz yesterday, and he has decided to keep the book in the school. He has deemed it to be “age appropriate” and did not find the content to be “pervasively vulgar.” NEXT STEPSJuan Garcia (CCIA) and I will be filing a formal appeal against the Superintendent’s decision. Per the district policy, that appeal will allow the LCPS school board to vote on whether to overturn the Superintendent’s decision.We know the likely outcome of the appeal process, but nonetheless it is important to complete the district’s process before we take additional steps. We are working on several other initiatives for this as well, in a strategic way, so we can continue to challenge the Superintendent’s decision. This book has no place in a taxpayer funded high school, and we will continue the fight. HOW YOU CAN HELPWe need to raise public awareness of this issue. Parents and grandparents, especially, need to know about this book and the Superintendent’s decision. Please share this link widely: www.nmfa.us/jackPlease stay tuned; there is more to come on this issue. Standing with you in solidarity,Sarah Smith Free People of the Southwest (local action)New Mexico Freedoms Alliance (statewide action) [...]
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BethNovember 8, 2023Sound-OffFrom: David Tofsted<[email protected]>Date: On Wed, Nov 8, 2023 at 09:59Subject: Fw: Yesterday’s Election – A Mixed Bag, but Ranked Choice Worked in Mayor’s RaceTo: Cc: Hello All,I can’t say that I am ecstatic about the results of yesterday’s elections, but I can say that it seems like people are beginning to “get it” with regards to how the ranked choice election system works.In the mayor’s race, first off, my condolences to both Mike and Isabella. I’m sure you gave it all you had and it just didn’t work out. On the other hand, what we didn’t end up with was a rabidly far-left mayor. (See below.) Instead, we got a moderate Democrat mayor in Enriquez, because the ranked choice voting system worked like it was supposed to.Unlike 4 years ago where hundreds of votes dropped out at every stage of the ranked choice elimination system, instead voters got to pick their favorite candidates first and then choose their second, third, and fourth choices after. And while some 800 votes were lost at the point where Mike and Isabella were eliminated, ultimately over 1,600 of their votes shifted over to Enriquez and this made the difference in the outcome.Congratulations also to Bill Mattiace, who defeated Tessa Abeyta. As a result we will have a board that is 5-2 instead of 6-1 where I’m viewing Miyagishima as the “moderate.” Although we know that isn’t true, it’s clear that he is to the right of the rest of the board. And further, now that Enriquez has won with many Republican votes one would hope that he will be more responsive to our side of arguments and in setting priorities.
Mayoral RCV rounds: [...]
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BethNovember 7, 2023Education / Knowledge Boxhttps://www.prageru.com/video/detrans-trailer [...]
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BethNovember 6, 2023Sound-OffCouncilor GandaraMs Luchinni’s comments today were strictly her own.For the record, and you can quote me on this ” CCIA has never stated the Council wanted to defund the police”. Only I or Beth Bousquet, our Communications Lead, speak for CCIA. There are some folks in the community that believe the council did “defund”. Especially during the 2020 BLM riots. Not all are associated with us. How they arrived at that point, and what “defund” means, I cant always follow.What I did state today (without naming her publicly because it was my opinion) was Councilor Bencomo seemed “visibly” perturbed during the 15 June 2020 LC Council Zoom meeting when LCPD asked for additional resources. Compared to public works….You can confirm this.What I have stated publicly, was I disagreed with the number of officers requested by LCPD, even though Chief Dominguez seemed ok with the number. He didnt agree with the formula used in various parts of the nation. Having spoken to various NMSP, to include senior officers, all felt more officers would make more of an impact. I think we can all agree with this thought. Please adjust your comments made today (6 Nov 2023) accordingly. Thank you
Juan D Garcia575-449-5821 [...]
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Sarah SmithNovember 3, 2023Action AlertDear New Mexicans,Despite evidence that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and flu vaccines are harmful and ineffective, the NM Department of Health (DOH) is using taxpayer dollars (via the CDC) to manipulate people through their hair stylists to attempt to increase vaccine uptake. CHAIR CARE PROGRAM The NM DOH has funded a grant for the Chair Care program, wherein hairdressers will be paid to convince clients to get vaccinated for flu and COVID-19. Hairdressers will be trained in “motivational interviewing” techniques by Serna Solutions, in partnership with Presbyterian Community Health. The hairdressers will then use their new skills to “encourage behavioral changes that promote better health outcomes, with a primary focus on addressing vaccine hesitancy.”Hairdressers will be paid a stipend of $4,000 to participate in this program, and they are to focus on increasing vaccination in “Latinx/Hispanic, Black/African American, Native/Tribal and politically conservative populations.” PLEASE EMAIL NOW AGAINST THE CHAIR CARE PROGRAMHere is a quick-and-easy form to email the NM DOH, Serna Solutions, Presbyterian Community Health, and the UNM Prevention Research Center against the Chair Care Program 👇👇👇: https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=21387 Email NM DOH Against Chair Care Thanks for your help in pushing back against this unethical program. [...]
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Richard FarrOctober 31, 2023Sound-OffSuperintendent Ruiz,
As one of the presenters at the LCPSB hearing for the book Jack of Hearts (and other parts), I was understandably disappointed by the hearing results. Although I have serious concerns about how objectively and transparently the prescribed process / regulation (KEF-R) was implemented, those are issues to be addressed another day. The only issue more questionable than the process implementation, however, was the inexplicable determination so peremptorily arrived at by the LCPSB review panel to retain the Jack of Hearts in the Mayfield school library.
Somehow the debate was framed as the protectors of the Constitutionally guaranteed free speech vs the “book banners” when the underlaying issue was anything but that. Absolutely NOBODY was calling for any “banning” of any books; quite to the contrary, those objecting to including the subject book in our school libraries, myself included, are fierce defenders of our 1st Amendment. Rather, the true issue is whether certain materials are appropriate, under any circumstances, to be placed in school libraries – particularly at taxpayer (my) expense.
So, Superintendent Ruiz, the final determination of this issue is up to your discretion and judgment. Here are some materials from BookLook.org to help inform your decision. The BookLook.org mission is to review various potentially objectionable books for the purpose of providing parents information upon which they can make their own informed decisions.
The Jack of Hearts book was rated by BookLook.org as #5 (Aberrant Content appropriate for Adults only).The Book Rating System used by BookLook.org is presented in detail on their website at this link here. The BookLook.org website provides excerpted material from the Jack of Hearts (link here) supporting their rating and you will find that those materials are sufficiently salacious and objectionable to any objective parent or administrator to justify that rating (apologies in advance.
Superintendent Ruiz, I urge you to further review and consider the appropriateness of the book Jack of Hearts for any school library in the light of the review rating and review criteria per the links shown above, and also please consider ALL the written and oral materials presented at the hearing.
Now, go forth and do the right thing for the LCPS students, their parents, and the entire LCPS community.
Respectfully,
Richard Farr
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Joan SchererJuly 30, 2023Knowledge Boxhttps://www.lascruces.gov/2499/Ranked-Choice-Voting [...]
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Joan Scherer/Annette WatsonJuly 11, 2023Action AlertFrom: Annette Watson <[email protected]>Sent: Monday, July 10, 2023 7:29 PMTo: Annette Watson <[email protected]>Subject: Be Advised: PARENTAL/GUARDIAN NOTIFICATION/CONSENT SCHOOL FORM Hello Everyone,The Republican Party Caucus came up with this plan to try to protect our children. We are grateful for this effort because…1.) It will grow the awareness to the public about the bad laws which will be directly affecting their children.2.) Hopefully it will drive parents to pull their kids out of the public schools and into alternative schools or home school and defund some of their corruption.3.) They’re going to feel the heat from the parents, teachers and attorneys.We are moving forward as planned because…1.) If the school admin complies (which is highly impossible with the woke culture already created in the curriculum) it only addresses SB397 and HB7. We still have the other 2 elephants in the room HB207 and SB13.2.) The school admin will be instructed to follow the new law HB7 and affirm. Do you want to wait and see how they react to the consent form? Not with My Kid!3.) The people need to vote all 6 bad bills out of existence and move forward to get rid of the corruption in our government, schools and media.Download the Document, pass it around to parents and have it at your signing tables for parents. It would be beneficial to keep a log of the schools that the parents are going to present the consent form to.If we can get 10 kids from each school disenrolled, they will lose about 80k. Take their money and take their power! Let them influence each other in empty classrooms, not our kids.Thank you and please continue getting lots of signatures!Annette Castillo
v2-Parental-Notification-Form-House-GOP-23-07-10Download [...]
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Sarah SmithJune 29, 2023Sound-Off / UncategorizedDear New Mexicans,You may have heard that the Secretary of State is spreading misinformation and trying to obstruct the Referendum Project; nonetheless we will persevere! The referendum process is a constitutionally-protected right in NM. Statewide efforts are continuing in order to gather enough petition signatures to get 6 egregious laws on the November 2024 voting ballot. If you have note yet signed the petitions, please go here to learn where you can sign the Referendum Petitions in your county. More volunteers are also needed to help with collecting signatures: 👇👇👇https://bettertogethernewmexico.org/the-referendum-project-county-events/Referendums By County UPDATES AND NEWS COVERAGEMultiple legal challenges have been filed against the Secretary of State. Last week a judge in Roswell denied the SOS’s motion to dismiss a complaint against her. Another judge has denied the injunction to stop the laws from taking effect, but the judge did not challenge that the Referendum process is still allowed to proceed. There is a lot of media attention being directed at this, which is good. Here are some of those articles:Abq Journal: The truth behind the referendum project – https://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/the-truth-behind-the-referendum-project/article_b85c7894-0c91-11ee-a0a0-b7ac40931763.htmlEstancia News: Ethics Complaint Filed Against New Mexico Secretary of State for Attempting to Sabotage New Mexicans’ Right to Referendum Laws – https://estancia.news/ethics-complaint-filed-against-new-mexico-secretary-of-state-for-attempting-to-sabotage-new-mexicans-right-to-referendum-laws/New Mexico Sun: Referendum Project leader collects signatures to ‘protect the people of New Mexico’ – https://newmexicosun.com/stories/644346151-referendum-project-leader-collects-signatures-to-protect-the-people-of-new-mexicoSanta Fe New Mexican: Coalition pushing for statewide referendum to stop voting, abortion rights laws – https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/coalition-pushing-for-statewide-referendum-to-stop-voting-abortion-rights-laws/article_f48b642a-dec3-11ed-8bb6-576f85a99583.htmlRoswell Daily Record: Laws being targeted for referendum take effect – https://www.rdrnews.com/news/local/laws-being-targeted-for-referendum-take-effect/article_cd20dc18-0d3e-11ee-9c4b-3fcf29e5ef8e.htmlKRWG: Lawmakers don’t want decrees challenged – https://www.krwg.org/local-viewpoints/2023-06-12/lawmakers-dont-want-decrees-challenged WHAT’S IN THE BILLS?Below is the actual HB7 Bill passed by the NM Legislature, so you can see why we are collecting signatures to challenge this law on the November 2024 ballot. HB7 Summary:Unrestricted access to abortion or transgender services for children without parental consentStrips municipalities of the right to restrict access to abortion and gender transitioning servicesPenalizes teachers, nurses, etc with $5,000 fine if they “interfere” with access to abortion or gender transitioning services by telling parentsDoes not allow people to opt-out of participation due to moral or conscience objectionsThis is just one of the 6 Bills that we believe the people of NM have a right to vote on. You can see summaries of all 6 Bills here: https://www.nmfa.us/petitions TWO WAYS TO HELPPlease SIGN the petitions and HELP US COLLECT SIGNATURES across the state. Wherever you are, additional signatures will be helpful, as thousands of signatures are still needed. Go here to learn where you can sign and get involved in your county:👇👇👇https://bettertogethernewmexico.org/the-referendum-project-county-events/ Thanks in advance for your help as we challenge the bad bills! Donations to support our work are gratefully accepted here:https://www.givesendgo.com/NMFA Standing with you in solidarity,Sarah Smith, Karen Larré, and Melanie RubinNew Mexico Freedoms AllianceNational Coalition for Health Integrity [...]
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Sarah and JoanApril 29, 2023Action Alert / UncategorizedFrom the 4/27 meeting presented by Sarah and JoanREFERENDUM-TO-STOP-BAD-BILLSDownload [...]
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Rob WoodApril 29, 2023Knowledge Box / UncategorizedTo those looking for options:La Academia Dolores Huerta Dual Language Charter Middle School is in Mesilla Park.
https://www.ladh.org/index.php?d=Home [...]
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Juan GarciaApril 29, 2023Knowledge Box / Uncategorizedhttps://share.newsbreak.com/3pd3kkmq [...]
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Jody KincaidApril 18, 2023Sound-Off / UncategorizedMs Bencomo, after viewing the video of some of your response on the subject of the Burn Lake homeless encampment I must say that I am appalled. Your callous disdain for the productive citizens of Las Cruces and society in general is beneath contempt. Our culture was founded on the principles of a meritocracy, which is dependent upon the hard work and skill sets which produce goods and services beneficial to the mainstream society. I grant that the world is not fair and that some of the homeless population are there because of bad fortune ( ie medical bankruptcy) – this consideration brings up the subject of making society more just and opportunity for work and self improvement available to more people. However, many of the homeless population don’t want to change their status, give up their drug habit, or work hard because they know that at this time ignorant liberals will continue to support them financially and emotionally. As I learned in business school, the actions you support are the ones that will persist and grow,whether for good or not. Continuing to reward the homelessness despite any efforts or lack thereof on their part is foolish and wasting the taxpayer’s money. . At some point you need to reward the efforts of those that demonstrate willingness to resume a more productive role and stop supporting those that choose not to do so. Mr and Mrs Huff worked to achieve what they have and do not deserve to lose the ambiance of their home. Why do you hate mainstream American values? Social workers have never shown interest in helping people stand on their own, but rather developed systems of societal control and dependency. Let the homeless camp out in your front yard if you feel so strongly about it. Sincerely Jody Kincaid DVM ND
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Lori EnglishApril 16, 2023Knowledge Box / UncategorizedUltra Health CEO predicts ‘year of reckoning’ for New Mexico’s cannabis market
https://www.demingheadlight.com/2023/04/15/ultra-health-ceo-predicts-year-reckoning-new-mexicos-cannabis-market/?fbclid=IwAR3HOL0r1kh_FhuScijLqkIPW9rOIaCxQF9S5fnoJNvU65M__LW9MRdOIkw
Article by Algernon D’Ammassa, Deming Headlight
April 1 marked one year since New Mexico’s adult-use cannabis marketplace made its debut. It was marked by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham with the exuberant announcement that adult-use sales (as opposed to medicinal products sold to enrolled patients) hit $300 million over the year — meeting a goal set by her administration.
“In just one year, hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity has been generated in communities across the state, the number of businesses continues to increase, and thousands of New Mexicans are employed by this new industry,” the governor wrote in an April 4 statement.
State lawmakers legalized cannabis for possession and use by adults in 2021 and charged the Regulation and Licensing Department with creating a new Cannabis Control Division and constructing a regulated marketplace of dispensaries selling products for both medicinal and non-medicinal use. (New Mexico legalized medical cannabis in 2007, with patient enrollment administered by the state health department.)
The state reports that approximately 633 cannabis retailers are licensed, along with 351 growers, 415 micro producers and 507 manufacturers of products, amounting to nearly 2,000 cannabis licenses altogether.
The state reported that March saw a record $32.3 million in adult-use sales and $15.4 million in medical sales, leading to $27 million in cannabis excise taxes for the state’s general fund and local governments. That’s in addition to gross receipts taxes collected for adult-use sales. Medical cannabis is tax-free.
The sales data is reported by the Cannabis Control Division on its website, which has also taken on an unusual role in promoting the new industry that it regulates.
“From the governor’s signing of the legislation, to standing up the Cannabis Control Division and rolling out this new industry, the New Mexico cannabis industry has shown great promise,” RLD Superintendent Linda Trujillo stated in the anniversary announcement. “We’re looking forward to even more growth in year two.”
Yet Duke Rodriguez, CEO of Ultra Health, the largest cannabis operator in the state, told the Headlight $300 million was always a conservative benchmark: “You couldn’t miss it if you tried.”
Over the past year, he has frequently voiced warnings that New Mexico’s cannabis market is underperforming and cannot support the number of operators entering the market. He has also pointed to declining participation in the medical cannabis program as an issue of concern.
Ultra Health CEO Duke Rodriguez. (Courtesy of Ultra Health)
In a new interview with the Headlight, he again cautioned the public and industry professionals to view RLD’s monthly sales reports, often been accompanied by celebratory news releases from Santa Fe, as a preliminary outlook. The meat in the sandwich, so to speak, is in the number of active operators filing returns and actual tax revenues collected, he argues.
For instance, New Mexico’s cannabis excise tax rate is 12 percent. $27 million suggests taxes have been collected on just $225 million. While reporting from the state Tax and Revenue Division may lag a month or so, Rodriguez said that doesn’t account for the gap in figures. While he did not go so far as to suggest the gross sales number is deliberately fake, he said he doubts the total; and even if it is accurate, sales to adults are still lower than they ought to be.
Meanwhile, enrollment in the medical cannabis program is declining. Asked why, Rodriguez said, “The purchase limits are unattractive. They can buy more as an adult. Sometimes participation (in the medical cannabis program) was a get-out-of-jail card. The benefit of the card is very limited now, other than the tax scheme.”
Among lawmakers’ rationales for legalizing cannabis was decriminalizing it and establishing a regulated and safe marketplace to compete against the illegal market. Yet the price per gram in New Mexico remains high compared to street prices and even the legal market in neighboring Colorado. (Cannabis remains illegal under federal law.)
“The price per gram has not fallen,” Rodriguez said, estimating that it has dropped less than a dollar since legalization and remains close to an average of $10 per gram.
“If you use the regulated market, you get the benefit of being able to pay about 20 percent taxes on top of it,” he continued, combining GRT and the state excise tax. “We have made buying from ‘homie’ even more attractive. Times are tight and the illicit market has been given great latitude to grow.”
Yazmeli Martinez-Jaquez, one of the founders of Deming Cannabis Company, agreed with that assessment to an extent, but remarked, “As in any other emerging market, that is how it is at the beginning. New Mexico is only one year into recreational cannabis and the prices will continue to drop as they have in other states.”
She and her two partners opened their dispensary on Deming’s west side last October.
Yazmeli Martinez-Jaquez, center, with partners Heraclio Martinez and Fermin Jaquez as seen at their business, Deming Cannabis Company, in January. (Headlight staff photo by Billy Armendariz)
Rodriguez went on to comment that transfers of sales from medical to non-medical products amounted to “taking from our left pocket and putting it in our right.”
“In my mind, we probably picked up new sales of somewhere closer to less than $200 million, maybe more like $150 to $180 million in new cannabis sales. because we had so many people in the medical program already,” he said.
While he hopes for growth, Rodriguez said “a year of reckoning” is likely in store for New Mexico, in the form of market corrections that put smaller operators out of business in oversaturated markets.
“I understand the desire by our leadership to raise people’s hopes and dreams of great fortunes ahead; that’s the nature of politics,” he said. “But I don’t think they are being truthful and kind. There’s going to be, ultimately, a lot of people hurt. If you do a market analysis of New Mexico’s population and its potential demand, compare to other states doing this longer, a reasonable estimate … is probably under 200 stores.”
Market corrections coming in year two?
Deming reportedly sold $3.8 million in cannabis products in March, averaging about $38 per transaction, per CCD data. That includes $2.5 million in adult-use sales and $1.4 million for medical cannabis.
According to the most recent monthly distribution report from TRD, the city of Deming collected $7,848 in excise taxes in January on top of gross receipts taxes.
Deming currently is home to four dispensaries, including Ultra Health, Canna Company, Deming Cannabis Company and Deming Ganja Lounge.
Rodriguez said Deming dispensaries have grown at a “rational” rate compared to many other New Mexico communities where he said retailers have proliferated far beyond what the market can support. Even so, he predicted: “Deming cannot support four dispensaries.”
While that is in part a calculation of supply and demand, he added that the illicit market’s presence, and its lower prices, provide an additional factor that could tempt some operators to break the rules.
Terry Brenner, seen in April 2022, shortly after the opening of the Canna Company dispensary in downtown Deming. (Headlight staff photo by Billy Armendariz)
“If you build too many coffee shops, some will go away. Cannabis will behave differently,” he said. “In this industry, there are these intermediate steps you can take which are unfortunately not proper or lawful. … If you find yourself falling behind, maybe this month I don’t submit my gross receipts tax — maybe that’s one reason the numbers are lower. Maybe this month I don’t submit my excise tax. Maybe next month I start paying my employees in cash.”
Moreover, he said producers could be tempted to unlawfully import product from outside New Mexico to circumvent state limits on cultivated plants.
New Mexico’s Cannabis Regulation Act called for a marketplace where smaller operators may coexist with larger industrial operators like Ultra Health. Rodriguez said the goal was laudable, but argued reducing the price per gram will require production to scale by larger operators, pushing smaller and local business aside in the process.
“The price will come down,” he said. “We’re inching down. We’re pushing and we will make it — we’re just not there, yet.”
Martinez-Jaquez, operating her smaller enterprise in Deming, suggested dispensaries could compete in other ways.
“Retailers that are customer focused, meaning that they are willing to take the time to talk to their customers and patients about their specific needs, offer education and follow up, should not worry,” she said. “Those are the companies that will continue to thrive and build relationships with the people in their communities.”
Algernon D’Ammassa can be reached at [email protected]. [...]
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Juan GarciaApril 14, 2023Knowledge Box / Uncategorizedwww.youtube.com/watch?v=sX7ZkzxCyeE&t=5s [...]
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Jim NewApril 14, 2023Knowledge Box / Uncategorizedhttps://parentalrights.org/understand_the_issue/supreme-court/ [...]
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Juan GarciaApril 14, 2023Sound-OffMs WarnimentAlthough I appreciate your transparency, it was disappointing and appalling to hear you state during the Extended Calendar Town Hall “academically and also for the student well being”… and ” one thing that makes a difference for students both academically and social emotional is more time with adults that matter and the adults who matter are the teachers in the classroom“. Really? Not dad, or mom or Abuela ? Those are not the adults that matter? (LCPS Live Meetings on Livestream – about 57:00) and Attached audio clip.The extended calendar with full of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), ( Dr. Soña Alaniz Saiz, LCSW, is the Coordinator of Mental Health and Academic Counseling for Las Cruces Public Schools and a founding member of SEL4NM ) is intended to expand the replacement of parents in the student’s (children’s) life with teachers ? “Teachers” paid by the state who will “teach” what is being forced upon them from the PED (social justice, identity politics, etc….) or their own individual ideology. This is called INDOCTRINATION. Our “trusted” local school and elected officials (LCPS and LCPS School Board) “accepted” your comments without question. Complicit perhaps? What is the purpose and responsibility of the school? The family? You are attempting to replace the family with “big brother”.As a parent, I am not ready and willing to transfer ownership of my child to you or the state. Elected and public officials: You have kids, grand kids, etc… are you willing to abdicate your family rights to the “state”? Are teachers the adults that matter?
Thank you…..
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Juan GarciaMarch 28, 2023Knowledge Boxhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiIdN56HvZs [...]
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Juan GarciaMarch 28, 2023Knowledge Box / UncategorizedWilhelmina Yazzie named New Mexico Woman of the Year (yahoo.com) [...]
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Joan SchererMarch 8, 2023Knowledge Box / Uncategorizedhttps://estancia.news/secretary-of-state-maggie-toulouse-oliver-caught-using-illegal-software-to-combine-results-in-new-mexico-elections-breaking-mulitple-state-and-federal-laws-in-the-process/ [...]
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Juan GarciaFebruary 10, 2023Knowledge Box / Uncategorizedhttps://ladailypost.com/arnold-tool-pre-trial-risk-assessment-crutch-or-crystal-ball/ [...]
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Ethel MahargFebruary 7, 2023Sound-Off / UncategorizedHello Everyone,
In the midst of all the insanity going on in Santa Fe we have cause to celebrate.
Curtis Boyd at the late term abortion clinic Southwest Women’s Options has stopped performing late term abortions. They will no longer perform abortions to birth. The cut off for them is now 23 weeks, 6 days, confirmed by their website and phone calls by former abortion worker Kelly Lester of Abby Johnson’s organization And Then There Were None.
This was the results of many lawsuits and many years of hard work by Attorney Mike Seibel at Abortion on Trial, Elisa Martinez, Bud and Tara Shaver, and many others.
I don’t know about you but I am so happy that we are no longer “The Late Term Abortion Capital of the World.” Do we still have abortion? Yes, but this is a great start. We have 2 counties and 3 communities that have stopped abortion in their areas and now this. WOOHOO!
Life is Winning!
Thank you for all you do for the cause of life.
My Favorite Right is Life!
God bless,
Ethel Maharg
Executive Director [...]
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