Albuquerque City Council passes bill aimed at protecting renters
Bill could make 'magic mushrooms' a legal treatment option in New Mexico
The initiative will establish a designated code enforcement officer tasked with holding landlords accountable for neglecting basic living conditions. Councilor fiebelkorn sponsored the legislation and said the effort is designed to reduce the burden on tenants who might otherwise have to go through the court system, which can get expensive quick. The assigned officer will be responsible for fielding calls, issuing citations, and ensuring renters know their rights. Common complaints include: a lack of locks on doors, no heating, unresolved plumbing. These are problems that already fall under city code but often go unaddressed. Recent data from the city's 311 system shows that in just three months, more than 5,000 calls have been related to housing concerns. 'So R-25-120 is proof that this council does understand that people are more valuable than property. That property are things that are temporary and human beings are eternal,' said Lisa Christopherson, PhD, concerned citizen.
The city now needs to find a qualified person to fill the roll.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Pay-For-Play Chips Deal Generates Alarm and Optimism
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's controversial plan to take a cut of revenue from chip sales to China is leading to concerns that the US government will find new ways to start charging companies for a range of business activities with other countries. Experts and people familiar with the matter said the surprise deal, in which Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. agreed to pay 15% of their revenues from Chinese AI chip sales to the US, potentially provides a path to enter the Chinese market despite severe export controls, tariffs and other trade barriers. The US-Canadian Road Safety Gap Is Getting Wider Sunseeking Germans Face Swiss Backlash Over Alpine Holiday Congestion To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in 'Living Shorelines' Five Years After Black Lives Matter, Brussels' Colonial Statues Remain For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets The question that companies must now confront is whether the risk is worth taking. People familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, said companies are struggling to figure out what the president's order means for their future, especially given the unpredictable nature of Trump's decision-making. 'This is truly bizarre and unusual, and the troubling thing — beyond the individual instances of AMD and Nvidia — is the possibility that this will be expanded,' said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. 'Everything is now 'national security,' according to the new definition, which means it's all subject to export licenses and then they give you a license based on your contribution.' There are concerns that US trade agencies could begin charging fees to companies every time there's a meeting to discuss tariffs, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, which issues export licenses, wasn't consulted about the revenue deal, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations. Trump administration officials defend the idea as a smart way to generate revenue for the US government and suggest it will extend well beyond the chips sector. 'I think we could see it in other industries over time,' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Wednesday. 'I think right now this is unique, but now that we have the model and the beta tests, why not expand it?' Bessent defended the deal and rejected any national-security concerns around the decision to sell Nvidia's H20 chip to China — something that had been earlier barred for fear of giving China a boost in the artificial-intelligence race. 'There are no national security concerns here,' Bessent said. 'We would not sell any of the advanced chips. So, the H20, I don't know whether you'd say they're four, five, six levels down the chips stack.' Either way, the deal highlights how Trump has pushed to open a wave of new revenue streams including by taking ownership shares of companies or extracting higher fees to live or work in the US. The US is weighing sales of a so-called 'gold card' residency permit, it won a 'golden share' to have direct say over corporate actions by United States Steel Corp., and it's secured investment pledges and potential revenue-sharing in country-level tariff talks. That's aside from the barrage of product tariffs that have at times left massive dislocations in globally traded markets. The matter further surprised China hawks in Congress, who have been unimpressed by the administration's reassurances. Rep. John Moolenaar, the Michigan Republican who chairs the US House Select Committee on China, questioned the legal basis for the move and suggested it does an end-run around controls put in place to limit the sale of sensitive technology to US adversaries. 'Export controls are a front-line defense in protecting our national security, and we should not set a precedent that incentivizes the government to grant licenses to sell China technology that will enhance its AI capabilities,' he said. It also raises questions about where the administration will steer the revenue. Trump has mused about issuing tariff rebate checks — though he has yet to seriously pursue the idea — while at other times he's said it would go toward narrowing the large budget deficit. The administration had debated launching a sovereign wealth fund before shelving those plans for now. It's too soon to say whether the administration will seek to revive the fund and steer revenue there, one official familiar with deliberations said. 'Trump's aides argue that these measures will strengthen America's AI leadership by maximizing its global influence and market share,' Hal Brands, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a former Pentagon official, wrote in Bloomberg Opinion. 'Yet it is also possible that they will simply eat into America's innovation advantage.' --With assistance from Mackenzie Hawkins and Derek Wallbank. (Updates with details of consultation process in fifth paragraph.) Americans Are Getting Priced Out of Homeownership at Record Rates Dubai's Housing Boom Is Stoking Fears of Another Crash Bessent on Tariffs, Deficits and Embracing Trump's Economic Plan Why It's Actually a Good Time to Buy a House, According to a Zillow Economist The Electric Pickup Truck Boom Turned Into a Big Bust ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio


Axios
14 hours ago
- Axios
Scoop: Schumer courts Peltola for Alaska Senate race
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is quietly pressing former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) to plunge into the Alaska Senate race. Why it matters: Schumer (D-N.Y.) is trying to recruit his way out of a bad map. Landing Peltola would give him a third statewide winner to cause problems for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). Recapturing the majority is still an uphill battle for Democrats, but when they squint — and make some favorable assumptions about tariffs and the unpopularity of the "one big, beautiful bill" — they are starting to see a path back to 51 seats. The focus of Schumer's current charm offensive is Peltola, the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Alaska, and one of just two Democrats to do so this century. Democrats want to convince her to challenge Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who is up for reelection next year. Zoom out: In New Hampshire and Georgia, the state's popular GOP governors both took passes on the Senate, disappointing many in the party. Schumer got who he wanted in Ohio with former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), and in North Carolina with former Gov. Roy Cooper (D). The more states Schumer puts in play, the more resources he will drain from national Republicans, who will have to spend heavily to retain their incumbents. Zoom in: Democrats have been laying the foundation for a challenge of Sullivan. A group associated with a Schumer-linked PAC earlier this year spent more than $600,000 on digital ads bashing Sullivan. The spots focused on the GOP's tax and spending cut package. Alaska's unique ranked-choice voting helped Peltola win a special election in 2022. She received 40 percent of the first round votes, while her two GOP candidates divided the remaining 60 percent. But after former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was eliminated for coming in third place, more of her supporters listed Peltola as their second choice, giving her a majority victory with 51.5 percent. In 2024, House Republicans worked to ensure that only their top vote winner in the primary — who ended up being Rep. Nick Begich — would stay in the race. Begich beat Peltola on the second ballot. What they're saying:"Chuck Schumer's best options in red state Senate races are losers like Mary Peltola," said the NRSC's Nick Puglia. "She would be a standout candidate, which is probably why Sullivan is going around town griping about how nervous he is about next year," said the Senate Majority PAC's Lauren French. The bottom line: Similar to the dynamic in Ohio, there are some Alaska Democrats who would prefer Peltola run for governor.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Deal With Nvidia Offers Path Forward in Global Trade War
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's controversial plan to take a cut of revenue from chip sales to China has US companies reconsidering their plans for business with the country, offering a model for circumventing years of trade tensions. Experts and people familiar with the matter said the surprise deal, in which Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. agreed to pay 15% of their revenues from Chinese AI chip sales to the US, provides a path to enter the Chinese market despite severe export controls, tariffs and other trade barriers. Sunseeking Germans Face Swiss Backlash Over Alpine Holiday Congestion The US-Canadian Road Safety Gap Is Getting Wider To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in 'Living Shorelines' Five Years After Black Lives Matter, Brussels' Colonial Statues Remain For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets The question that companies must now confront is whether the risk is worth taking. People familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, said companies are struggling to figure out what the president's order means for their future, especially given the unpredictable nature of Trump's decision-making. 'This is truly bizarre and unusual, and the troubling thing — beyond the individual instances of AMD and Nvidia — is the possibility that this will be expanded,' said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. 'Everything is now 'national security,' according to the new definition, which means it's all subject to export licenses and then they give you a license based on your contribution.' There are concerns that US trade agencies could begin charging fees to companies every time there's a meeting to discuss tariffs, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. Trump administration officials defend the idea as a smart way to generate revenue for the US government and suggest it will extend well beyond the chips sector. 'I think we could see it in other industries over time,' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Wednesday. 'I think right now this is unique, but now that we have the model and the beta tests, why not expand it?' Bessent defended the deal and rejected any national-security concerns around the decision to sell Nvidia's H20 chip to China — something that had been earlier barred for fear of giving China a boost in the artificial-intelligence race. 'There are no national security concerns here,' Bessent said. 'We would not sell any of the advanced chips. So, the H20, I don't know whether you'd say they're four, five, six levels down the chips stack.' Either way, the deal highlights how Trump has pushed to open a wave of new revenue streams including by taking ownership shares of companies or extracting higher fees to live or work in the US. The US is weighing sales of a so-called 'gold card' residency permit, it won a 'golden share' to have direct say over corporate actions by United States Steel Corp., and it's secured investment pledges and potential revenue-sharing in country-level tariff talks. That's aside from the barrage of product tariffs that have at times left massive dislocations in globally traded markets. The matter further surprised China hawks in Congress, who have been unimpressed by the administration's reassurances. Rep. John Moolenaar, the Michigan Republican who chairs the US House Select Committee on China, questioned the legal basis for the move and suggested it does an end-run around controls put in place to limit the sale of sensitive technology to US adversaries. 'Export controls are a front-line defense in protecting our national security, and we should not set a precedent that incentivizes the government to grant licenses to sell China technology that will enhance its AI capabilities,' he said. It also raises questions about where the administration will steer the revenue. Trump has mused about issuing tariff rebate checks — though he has yet to seriously pursue the idea — while at other times he's said it would go toward narrowing the large budget deficit. The administration had debated launching a sovereign wealth fund before shelving those plans for now. It's too soon to say whether the administration will seek to revive the fund and steer revenue there, one official familiar with deliberations said. 'Trump's aides argue that these measures will strengthen America's AI leadership by maximizing its global influence and market share,' Hal Brands, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a former Pentagon official, wrote in Bloomberg Opinion. 'Yet it is also possible that they will simply eat into America's innovation advantage.' --With assistance from Mackenzie Hawkins. Americans Are Getting Priced Out of Homeownership at Record Rates Dubai's Housing Boom Is Stoking Fears of Another Crash Bessent on Tariffs, Deficits and Embracing Trump's Economic Plan Why It's Actually a Good Time to Buy a House, According to a Zillow Economist The Social Media Trend Machine Is Spitting Out Weirder and Weirder Results ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio