City of Santa Fe Workers Want Raises

City workers request raises

During a public hearing on the City of Santa Fe’s budget during last night’s City Council meeting, several employees made clear how they think the city should allocate funds for the fiscal year 2023 budget: raises. Workers belonging to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3999, want the city to use some of its $15 million in American Rescue Plan money to finance 10% salary increase for unionized city employees. Other suggestions as the city solicits feedback in advance of April budget hearings included upgrades for parks and sport fields. Two public comments included in writing for last night’s meeting suggested more money for pedestrian and bicycle improvements; along with funding for a “splash pad” for children and increased public bathroom facilities at public parks. As to the latter, the comment reads: “There are often no public bathrooms or locked bathrooms or port-a-poties with heroin needles inside so we always have to leave whenever someone ‘has to go.’ This is a quality issue for families in Santa Fe and it’s come up a lot in local Facebook Parenting groups.”

DOH issues COVID-19 guidance for immunocompromised

The New Mexico Health Department yesterday texted approximately 40,000 immunocompromised New Mexicans in a new initiative geared at those for whom extra measures may be warranted to guard against contracting COVID-19. The outreach follows Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s unexpected Feb. 17 rescission of the statewide indoor mask mandate in most locations (masks remain compulsory in hospitals and congregate settings). Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase, who previewed the efforts to SFR last week, discussed them at greater length in yesterday’s weekly COVID-19 update. “It’s a big, big concern on my part, on my staff at the Department of Health, what will the impact be on immunocompromised people and other vulnerable people when we no longer have a mask mandate,” Scrase said. Specifically, DOH recommends continued masking for those with certain immunocompromised health conditions with a K95 or N95 mask; a fourth vaccine; and a pre-exposure prophylaxis called Evusheld. DOH has set up an “online toolkit” that details these recommendations.

Scrase depicted the pandemic, in terms of both case counts and hospitalizations, as heading in the right direction, describing hospitals as still full but mostly “really feeling like they are out of the woods.” Nonetheless, he also highlighted research that emphasizes the risk COVID-19 poses to people over 65, a demographic to which Scrase belongs. As such, he said: “I continue to be careful and I continue to choose to wear a mask…I would encourage all older individuals to continue to protect yourself and don’t throw off your mask and go to a rock concert and slosh around in the mosh pit any time soon.” He also issued a call for civility: “I’m kind of hoping that we can use that wonderful New Mexico inclusiveness that was part of the reason I moved here…and we can all make some sort of commitment in these discussions to start with being more curious and less accusatory.” Here’s hoping! And here’s a story about yesterday’s small local protest over Santa Fe Public Schools’ decision to end its mask mandate on March 21 after the district’s spring break.

Court: Medical cannabis producers exempt from GRT

The state Supreme Court early this week rejected an appeal from the state Taxation and Revenue Department regarding whether medical cannabis producers can claim state gross receipts tax deductions for prescription medication. Ultra Health CEO and President Duke Rodriguez, whose company is the state’s largest medical cannabis producer, described the decision to the Albuquerque Journal as “huge” and said it could impact a pending request for insurers to cover the cost of medical cannabis purchases for mental health and related treatment. “I think it’s especially important because it sets the precedent that medical cannabis is medication,” he said. The unanimous decision specifically impacts tax deduction claims the state denied that date back to 2014; the law decriminalizing cannabis in 2021 exempted sales for medical cannabis going forward. A state Taxation and Revenue Department spokesman described the agency’ as “disappointed” by the decision but said it was working on assessing the cost estimate of the refunds—it could be in the neighborhood of $24 million—and would be processing them as they are submitted.

Keeping the lights on

PNM will extend operations at the San Juan Generating Station to avoid summer blackouts. PNM filed a plan with the Public Regulation Commission Feb. 17 proposing it keep running one of the two units at the coal-generating San Juan plan until Sept. 30, rather than shutting it down in June. The PRC said yesterday PNM’s timeline to shut down the plant—which it is doing to comply with the state’s Energy Transition Act—is under its own discretion. Under the ETA, utilities are required to achieve 100% emissions-free generation by 2045. While PNM’s plan should curtail potential blackouts this coming summer, 2023 remains a different story, the Albuquerque Journal reports. Two of its leases providing the company power from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona expire next year, and PNM says delays on solar projects mean replacement power sources won’t be on line in time. Moreover, current supply chain disruptions and increasing climatic pressures have created roiling international energy challenges. Here at home, however, PRC Commissioner Cynthia Hall says regulators need a longer-term accounting on resources: “We’ll have climate disruptions in the future, and supply chain issues,” she said during yesterday’s PRC meeting. “PNM bears the burden to make sure they secure more resources in advance of next year.”COVID-19 by the numbers

Many thanks to those of you who sent in positive reinforcement for the newly retooled COVID-19 data section. Feedback always appreciated! (Or at least almost always).

Feb. 23

New cases: 544

Top three counties: Bernalillo County with 175; Sandoval County with 45; Doña Ana County with 44.

Santa Fe County: 20, 14 from the 87505 ZIP code, which ranked 10th in the state among ZIP codes for the most new cases

Breakthrough cases: According to the most recent weekly vaccine report, between Jan. 24-Feb. 21, 48.9% of COVID-19 cases were among people who had not completed a primary vaccination series; 29.5% were among those who had completed the series but had not received a booster; and 21.6% were among those who were fully vaccinated and boosted. For hospitalizations, those figures change to 64.2%, 20.1% and 15.6%. The percentages shift to 61.7%, 22.5% and 15.8% for fatalities.

Deaths: 30, 20 of which were recent, including a female in her 30s from Santa Fe County who had underlying conditions. Santa Fe County has had 245 deaths; there have been 6,821statewide. Hospitalizations: As of yesterday, 350 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. Both regular and ICU bed capacity has increased significantly, according to data shared in yesterday’s weekly COVID-19 briefing.

Vaccinations:

91.8% percent of adults 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 78% have completed their primary series; 44% of adults 18 years and older have had a booster shot; 12-17-year-old age group: 70.9% of people have had at least one dose and 60.8% have completed their primary series; Children ages 5-11: 38% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 28.8% have completed their primary; Santa Fe County: 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 86.9% have completed their primary series

Resources:

Vaccine registration; Booster registration Free at-home rapid antigen tests; Self-report a positive COVID-19 test result to the health department; COVID-19 treatment info: oral treatments Paxlovid (age 12+) and Molnupiravir (age 18+); and monoclonal antibody treatments. Toolkit for immunocompromised individuals. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453.

You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.

Listen up

Feb. 21-27 marks National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and the most recent To Your Health podcast from Santafe.com delves into the signs and symptoms of eating disorders, as well as the available treatments. The Life Link clinical therapist and host Elizabeth Carovillano talks with New Mexico-based therapists Francie Healey and Deborah Whalen, both of whom have experience and expertise in treating people with eating disorders, about this important issue.

Land food

Architectural Digest profiles New Mexico “creative polymath” Johnny Santiago Adao Ortiz-Concha, a chef and ceramicist who runs The Shed Project, described as “a dinner series based on indigenous ingredients and practices.” The artist talks with the magazine about the ceramic traditions of Taos Pueblo, where he grew up and now lives and works. “The material is so beautiful it doesn’t need anything else,” he says, describing how he digs up clay near his home and hand-shapes it into tableware he fires using cedar from nearby mountains. He and his partner Maida Branch also are shown with the milk cows on their property; Branch supports local makers through her platform maidagoods.com. The Shed Project dinner series, the story says, returns this spring. As described on the project’s website: “small scale intimate dinners that are the fruiting body to the processes practiced that reflect in each of their facets a story of the place we inhabit and those who came before, carrying on the tradition of bringing people together through food.” More specifically, the story notes: “Plates flecked with mica might contain young peas, melon, and canyon grape, with a swirl of foraged weeds.”

Santa Fe restaurants in running for James Beard awards

Speaking of local food (a favorite topic), The James Beard Foundation yesterday announced its 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists and four Santa Fe restaurants are in the running. In the best new restaurant category, Zacatlán Restaurant is a semi-finalist. In the best chef category in the Southwest (which includes New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Oklahoma), Ahmed Obo from Jambo Cafe; Fernando Olea of Sazón; and Martín Rios of Restaurant Martín all are in the running. The actual nominees will be announced in April and the winners will be unveiled at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony June 13 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Calling all writers

Just a few days remain to apply for this year’s New Mexico Writers’ grants. The organization has two categories: its annual grant is open to those working in the fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, playwriting and screenwriting genres. Recipients can apply for writing and publishing projects, as well as related activities, such as attending a conference; research-related travel; or time away from employment to work on a project. Grants usually range from $500 to $2,000. The special $1,000 Douglas Preston Travel Grant (funded by writer and Santa Fe resident Douglas Preston) specifically supports an author’s travel needs for a writing project. Applicants must write a proposal no longer than 500 words; and submit a writing sample of no more than 10 pages; and at least one reference letter. Apply here by March 1. Winners will be notified by March 31, and grants will be awarded at the New Mexico Writers annual dinner on April 28 at La Fonda, where grantees will be honored as special guests.

Morning snow

It snowed! Not much, but we will take what we can get. Santa Fe Public Schools are on a two-hour delay. It doesn’t look as though it will snow more today, but grab those hats and gloves: The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny day a high near 36 degrees and west wind 15 to 20 mph.

Thanks for reading! Apropos of absolutely nothing, The Word is watching The Band and The Staple Singers perform “The Weight” in The Last Waltz, which seems as good a way to start the day as any (also dated, albeit less so: this New Yorker interview with Mavis Staples’ about her experience).