Susana Martinez

New Mexico National Guard adjutant general set to retire

December 4, 2021 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico National Guard's top uniformed general is stepping down.

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Nava announced Friday his last day as the state adjutant general before retiring will be Dec.

Gov. Lujan Grisham grants clemency for 19 people

June 26, 2020 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has granted clemency for 19 people convicted of crimes in the state, the governor’s office announced Friday...

US Energy Department fined $304K over waste documentation

June 24, 2020 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy has been fined $304,000 over missed deadlines in documenting waste shipments at Los Alamos National Laboratory, department officials said...

Legislative roundup, Feb. 26, 2019

The New MexicanFebruary 26, 2019 GMT

Days left in the session: 18

Confirmed: The Senate on Monday voted 34-0 to confirm Jackie White as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

White, 44, previously worked as a captain for the Albuquerque Fire Department.

Legislative roundup, Jan. 22, 2019

The New MexicanJanuary 22, 2019 GMT

Days left in the session: 53

Lottery tuition bill: The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously Monday to advance a bill by Sen. Liz Stefanics that would allow students with disabilities who attend schools in other states because of their needs to take advantage of New Mexico’s lottery scholarship program.

The chaotic world of part-time lawmakers

Milan SimonichJanuary 14, 2019 GMT

Life at the state Capitol was stodgy and predictable when Republican Susana Martinez was governor.

She carried on a cold war with Democrats who controlled the Legislature. It got so ugly that Martinez ignored the Democrats even when she vetoed their bills.

Rancher and oilman to fill New Mexico Senate seat

By Andrew Oxford | aoxford@sfnewmexican.comDecember 22, 2018 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez appointed Gregory Fulfer to the New Mexico Senate on Friday, handing off the seat longtime lawmaker Carroll Leavell vacated earlier this month.

Fulfer, a Republican from Jal, will represent a district nestled in New Mexico’s Southeastern corner and spanning from Carlsbad to Hobbs.

Governor’s race gets nastier after debate

Tripp StelnickiOctober 18, 2018 GMT

New Mexico viewers struck by the combative tone of the televised gubernatorial debate Tuesday night likely can expect more of the same over the final three weeks as the race to succeed term-limited Gov.

Netflix to bring new US production hub to New Mexico

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYANOctober 9, 2018 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Netflix has chosen New Mexico as the site of a new U.S. production hub and is in final negotiations to buy an existing multimillion-dollar studio complex on the edge of the state's largest city, government and corporate leaders announced Monday...

Two face off for district judgeship in Rio Arriba County

By Phaedra Haywood | phaywood@sfnewmexican.comMay 20, 2018 GMT

In late March, Gov. Susana Martinez appointed former Deputy District Attorney Jason Lidyard to fill the state First Judicial District Court’s Division V vacancy created by Judge Jennifer Attrep’s appointment to the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

State adds money for summer school; program will serve more than 22,000 kids

By Robert Nott | The New MexicanApril 16, 2018 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez announced Monday that the state will spend $28 million on a summer school program offering 25 extra days of instruction to some of the state’s neediest students.

Martinez said a record 22,121 students from all 50 school districts and charter schools that applied for the grant will participate in the classes.

Poll: Martinez’s approval rating up; Heinrich, Udall see numbers fall

By Andrew Oxford | The New MexicanApril 14, 2018 GMT

A recent poll shows New Mexicans are taking a slightly more favorable view of outgoing Republican Gov. Susana Martinez but are souring on their two Democratic senators on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is running for re-election this year, saw his approval rating among registered voters decline from 46 percent at the end of 2017 to 41 percent.

Arizona, Texas send 400 troops to border after Trump’s call

By PAUL J. WEBER and NOMAAN MERCHANTApril 7, 2018 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arizona and Texas announced Friday that they would send 400 National Guard members to the U...

Governor appoints S.F. prosecutor to judgeship

The New MexicanMarch 31, 2018 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez on Friday appointed Santa Fe prosecutor Jason Lidyard to a First District Court judgeship.

Lidyard, 36, was already running for the seat in the forthcoming primary election.

Governor says she’ll sign teacher pay raise

By Andrew Oxford | The New MexicanMarch 7, 2018 GMT

New Mexico’s lowest-paid teachers are in for a raise.

Gov. Susana Martinez said Monday she will sign Senate Bill 119, increasing the minimum salaries for teachers, with the lowest level of pay rising from $34,000 a year to $36,000.

Martinez signs bill to curb ‘step therapy,’ vetoes raises for elected offices

By Steve Terrell | The New MexicanMarch 2, 2018 GMT

A bill designed to rein in “step therapy,” the insurance company practice of requiring patients to try a less expensive medication before using a costlier option, will become law in New Mexico.

Governor vetoes funds for committee in dispute over confirmation backlog

By Andrew Oxford | The New MexicanJanuary 26, 2018 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez signed a bill Thursday to pay for this year’s 30-day legislative session but vetoed funding for one particular Senate committee.

House Bill 1 provides $4.7 million for the session and another $16.1 million for a year-round staff of lawyers, economists, analysts and other aides.

New Mexico state income rises on energy rebound

By MORGAN LEEJanuary 26, 2018 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is receiving a windfall in government income as the oil industry comes roaring back, economists for the state told lawmakers on Thursday.

Revenue estimates were revised upward by $189 million for the current fiscal year and by $93 million for the coming year that starts July 1, largely due to rising oil prices combined with expanding production.

Tax cuts won’t ensure a happy holiday

By Milan Simonich | The New MexicanNovember 24, 2017 GMT

In this season of goodwill, the president is optimistic again. He says all things are possible on his watch.

The president is the same politician who a year ago promised I’d become sick of winning if he were elected.

Governor’s appeals court picks draw challengers

By Andrew Oxford | The New MexicanOctober 12, 2017 GMT

Correction appended

Democrats are lining up to challenge Gov. Susana Martinez’s three recent Republican appointees to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in next year’s election.

Though judicial races are typically low-key, the contests could nonetheless prove influential, potentially changing the makeup of a court that regularly weighs questions at the heart of the constitution and is often the last stop for cases wending through New Mexico’s justice system.

It’s just business, New Mexico-style

By Steve TerrellSeptember 24, 2017 GMT

That’s just “the way we do business in New Mexico.”

I thought of those immortal words from former State Treasurer Michael Montoya — said while he was shaking down an investment adviser for campaign contributions in the early part of this century — when reading the now-infamous article on the International Business Times website last week.

Jump in May revenue brings windfall to New Mexico

By Bruce Krasnow | The New MexicanJuly 27, 2017 GMT

Spring travel and construction have enhanced New Mexico’s economy, bringing soaring tax revenues after the state cut spending to balance its budget.

A revenue tracking report released Wednesday by the Legislative Finance Committee showed that recurring tax revenue for the state in May was up $141 million, a jump of 32 percent from a year ago.

Slogans only as good as a candidate’s word

Milan SimonichJune 26, 2017 GMT

As New Mexico stagnates while the rest of the Southwest prospers, it’s easy to forget that Gov. Susana Martinez’s campaign slogan was Bold Change.

Martinez made plenty of promises as a candidate, then became bored by the daily demands of holding office.

Our view: A balanced budget — for now

The New MexicanMay 31, 2017 GMT

Talk about sound fiscal policy.

Speaking about New Mexico’s precarious financial position — the budget was balanced by borrowing bond money — fiscal conservative and Democrat Sen. John Arthur Smith had this to say: “That is not responsible financing of state government.” He was speaking as the special session, convened last week, came to end Tuesday after a recess of several days over the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Supporters of methane rule make final plea

By Rebecca MossThe New MexicanMay 9, 2017 GMT

Supporters of an Obama-era methane rule are making a final push to convince the U.S. Senate to keep the regulation in place as a Thursday deadline looms for congressional action on the measure.

The Bureau of Land Management’s rule, finalized in November, requires oil and gas drillers on federal and tribal land to capture methane pollution by reducing venting, or flaring, of gas, monitoring wells more frequently and installing leak-capture technology.

Gov. stays silent on health care overhaul

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanMay 9, 2017 GMT

One person missing from the debate over President Donald Trump’s proposed health care overhaul is the very person who could make some of the biggest decisions about how it will affect New Mexicans.

Where is outrage over dysfunctional government?

Milan SimonichMay 1, 2017 GMT

All three branches of government in New Mexico will collide in a courtroom in two weeks. It’s a train wreck.

What’s surprising is that state residents, the people forced to live through this spectacle of awful government and incompetence by Gov.

Our View: Focus, governor: It’s the budget, and that’s all

The New MexicanApril 30, 2017 GMT

Once more, Gov. Susana Martinez is displaying an unwillingness to focus on what matters when it comes to governing.

The financial crisis in the state — one entirely of her making — is that the $6.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year is unbalanced.

Reader View: What should tax reform look like?

By Jerry Ortiz y PinoApril 30, 2017 GMT

One of Gov. Susana Martinez’s pointed criticisms of the recent legislative session was that it failed to enact tax reform. She has dangled the need for such action as something that a special session will have to address if she is to sign any balanced budget proposal.

Unions question need for state furloughs as Martinez advances plans

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanApril 26, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez is taking the next step toward furloughing state employees after warning that New Mexico could run out of cash before the budget year ends in June. But unions representing many government workers say the state has enough money to make payroll and argue that forcing civil servants to take days off without pay could unnecessarily pinch thousands of families.

Commentary: State furloughs aren’t necessary

By Miles D. ConwayApril 25, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez may be bluffing, or she may shut down government by imposing five unpaid furlough days on state employees before June 30. She claims the state is broke, but that is simply not true.

Judge sides with N.M. in dispute over Pojoaque gaming compact

By Robert NottThe New MexicanApril 24, 2017 GMT

A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal by the U.S. Department of the Interior and Pojoaque Pueblo that would have given the agency the right to negotiate a gaming compact with the tribe over the objections of the state government.

My View: Reform movement failing students

By Jeff CarrFor the New MexicanApril 24, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez‘s education policy, as administered by state Public Education Department Secretary Hanna Skandera is not only a complete failure, it has damaged our children and education professionals beyond a measure we may never know.

Higher ed veto nixes nearly $3B in funding

By Steve TerrellThe New MexicanApril 20, 2017 GMT

The breadth of Gov. Susana Martinez’s veto earlier this month of New Mexico’s higher education budget was more far reaching than previously understood, totaling nearly $3 billion, according to a close examination of her markups of House Bill 2, the legislation that would fund state government for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Martinez’s approval rating sinks in new poll

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanApril 12, 2017 GMT

A new poll ranks Gov. Susana Martinez as the 10th least popular governor in the country. She dropped to the bottom 10 after tying the disapproval rating of Alabama’s governor, who resigned Monday amid corruption allegations.

Governor signs state budget bill; vetoes campaign reform measure

The New MexicanApril 7, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez on Friday morning signed the state budget bill, but vetoed various parts of the spending plan.

Martinez has said repeatedly that she will call a special legislative session for further work on finances and the $6 billion state budget.

Governor in Tennessee as bill-signing deadline looms

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanApril 5, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez took an out-of-state trip this week as a Friday deadline approaches for her to act on about 200 bills passed during the legislative session that ended last month.

A spokesman said Martinez plans to return Wednesday from the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Women in Law Enforcement Conference in Nashville.

Legislators wait Gov. Martinez’s decision on $6.1B spending plan

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanApril 4, 2017 GMT

Time is running out for Gov. Susana Martinez to sign a budget package that legislators passed last month, but top lawmakers say they are not entirely sure what she will do with the spending plan.

“We’re in wait-and-see mode,” Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said Monday of the $6.1 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins in July and $350 million in accompanying tax and fee changes.

Letters to the editor, April 3, 2017

Staff WriterApril 3, 2017 GMT

If Gov. Susana Martinez wants to start shutting down “nonessential” state services (“Then and now in the Legislature,” Our View, March 21), she should start with the Governor’s Office, as it has done nothing of value for our state since her election.

Oh, for the days of true discussion

Steve TerrellApril 2, 2017 GMT

I got back from my post-Legislature vacation last week just in time for the start of the trial in the case of the Santa Fe Reporter vs. Gov. Susana Martinez. The city’s weekly tabloid sued the administration for allegedly freezing them out because the governor and her people didn’t like the critical way the Reporter covered Martinez.

SFPS fires back at public education chief over ‘snow day for action’

By Robert NottThe New MexicanMarch 31, 2017 GMT

Top officials at Santa Fe Public Schools have accused New Mexico Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera of singling out the district for engaging in the very same practices she does: using school resources, facilities and students to advocate for public education.

Our view: Feeding kids is smart policy

The New MexicanMarch 31, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez has the opportunity to make New Mexico first in the nation by signing a bill that recognizes that children should not go hungry because their parents don’t pay the bills. The bill, in this case, is for school lunches.

Scope of Martinez’s plan to consolidate HR offices by July up in air

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanMarch 31, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez hopes to move human resources departments from agencies across state government into a smaller, single office by July, a change that she says should also include personnel in sections of New Mexico’s bureaucracy that she doesn’t control.

In open-records suit, governor’s lawyer questions media expectations of access

By Steve TerrellThe New MexicanMarch 30, 2017 GMT

An attorney for Gov. Susana Martinez suggested Wednesday in a state courtroom in Santa Fe that Martinez has no obligation to speak with reporters.

The governor, her public information staff and campaign spokesmen have boasted repeatedly for years that Martinez operates the “most transparent administration” in the history of the state.

State leaders at odds over cash crunch causes, fixes

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanMarch 29, 2017 GMT

New Mexico lawmakers seemed to stave off a budget crisis last fall when they cut spending to narrow a deficit estimated at more than $400 million.

But in January, legislators were back at the Capitol, faced with another hole in the budget, this one for $80 million.

After six years of sniping, is Martinez’s rhetoric working?

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanMarch 26, 2017 GMT

Through much of her time in office, Gov. Susana Martinez has been unsparing in her criticism of the Legislature. She and her spokesmen referred to longtime Senate majority leader Michael Sanchez as “Boss Sanchez,” a taunt dating to the days when powerful and often corrupt patróns controlled New Mexico politics.

Cutbacks weighed as shutdown threat continues

By Andrew OxfordThe New MexicanMarch 23, 2017 GMT

Officials with Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration say they are considering a wide range of cuts to government services, including motor vehicle offices, museums and even the number of days students attend public schools.

Our view: There’s no need for shutdown

The New MexicanMarch 23, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez does not seem to be giving up on the notion of shutting down government.

A statement from her spokesman, Michael Lonergan, put it bluntly: “The governor has met with [Department of Finance Authority officials]; they tell her that soon we won’t be able to cut checks.

Martinez slams ‘do-nothing Senate,’ repeats call for special session

By Steve TerrellThe New MexicanMarch 21, 2017 GMT

Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration on Monday continued its attacks on the state Legislature — specifically the “do-nothing Senate” — and reiterated the governor’s plan to call a special session to deal with a state budget and potentially other issues.

Republican senator trades barbs with governor’s camp

By Steve TerrellThe New MexicanMarch 17, 2017 GMT

Republican state Sen. Sander Rue didn’t take kindly to a nasty tweet by one of Gov. Susana Martinez’s political committees, sent shortly after the Senate approved Rue’s bill to shine a light on how the governor spends her contingency fund.