Nine cops cost city $1.4 million

Settlements in civil suits offer glimpse into officer issues

Settling

Over the past two years, nine law enforcement officers have cost Santa Fe $1.4 million in settlements for civil lawsuits. From car crashes to shootings to sidewalk beatings, and SFR analysis shows the settlements made up 40 percent of all such legal costs to the city during that time. The city of Santa Fe refuses to release disciplinary records for its police officers, so this is one of the only ways the public can gauge which officers might be problem hires. Six of those officers are still on the police force, though being sued as a cop happens and isn't necessarily grounds for firing.

Still running

Steve Pearce lost his second bit for statewide office by more than 14 points a couple of weeks ago when Michelle Lujan Grisham topped the 57 percent mark in the race for governor. He wasn't alone. Republicans took it on the chin up and down the ticket, losing every statewide office, all congressional seats and ceding a huge chunk of territory in the state House of Representatives. The party is looking for new leadership, and Pearce is running for state party chairman ($). He hasn't ruled out challenging Xochitl Torres Small for his old seat (which he reclaimed in 2010 two years after losing his first statewide race for US Senate against Tom Udall).

The vote

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver says she'll urge lawmakers to support same-day voter registration in the upcoming legislative session. Splitting with other prominent Democrats like Speaker of the House Brian Egolf, she'll also support opening primary elections to independent voters.

Future of the fund

The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund is languishing in a sort of limbo that's costing it $2 million a day. The fund began back in the 1960s and has pumped more than $18 billion into projects to preserve wild spaces or build ballfields at city parks. New Mexico has seen hundreds of millions of dollars from it. But right now, Congress hasn't reauthorized the fund. Despite what seems like support on both sides of the aisle, Elizabeth Miller reports for SFR, the bill needs to rise above the partisan fray, fast.

Wasted

The state Oil Conservation Commission's job, at least part of it, is to ensure resources aren't wasted. That was the reasoning some commissioners offered for approving a request from a Texas energy company to be able to double the number of wells it can drill over a 1.3 million acre patch of New Mexico's San Juan Basin. But is leaving oil or gas in the ground tantamount to waste? Conservationists and Navajo Nation members say it isn't, and the commission might have erred. Energy companies say their new drilling will generate more money not just for them, but for the state.

ATF sting defendant out of prison

Yusuf Casanova, the defendant in a federal drug and firearms case, is headed to rehab for the time being, instead of sitting in prison on charges his lawyer says were unfairly leveled at him. SFR and New Mexico in Depth have been following Casanova's case, which was part of a sting that former US Attorney (and current Keller administration police policy man) Damon Martinez said netted "the worst of the worst." Instead, it corralled a bunch of low-level offenders and a wildly disproportionate number of black people.

Serna balks at charges against former mayor

After months spent reviewing allegations of sexual assault against former mayor Javier Gonzales, Santa Fe's district attorney has decided against charges. Marco Serna said in a statement yesterday that the statute of limitations had run out on the decades-old charges that Gonzales abused a cousin. There was no time limit on more serious charges, but Serna said he didn't have the evidence to prove them. Gonzales has said they were politically motivated.

Art future

The art market is changing. Santa Fe has made millions (billions?) off its position as a historical center for craftsmanship and art, but there are no guarantees that will continue. The city of Santa Fe and local artists are trying to figure out what the next step is and whether or not the city is positioned to take it. SFR intern Sarah Eddy reports on the discussion about what's next for the art scene and whether it needs a financial boost from the government.

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