West Side Forum

Climate Change in NM “I Have A Lot of Faith in New Mexico:” Interview with Environmental Reporter Laura Paskus Climate change has been on display this summer in the Albuquerque area.  While the snowpack this year was close to normal, stream flows this spring seemed anemic and now the Rio Grande is a ghost of itself.  The temperatures this summer have been consistently above normal and the monsoons missing.  What is happening?  We went to Laura Paskus for answers. Laura Paskus has been writing…

Rene' Horvath has been involved in monitoring West Side development for a long time. She was quite young the first time she rode down Coors Boulevard, amazed at the magnificent scenery with its majestic mountain and bosque views.  She moved to Taylor Ranch in 1982 and, as a resident, was involved in the effort to preserve the petroglyphs which led to the establishment of Petroglyph National Monument in 1990.  She later became involved in development issues, focusing on the changing development patterns along Coors…

Joy Garratt is the State Representative from House District 29. She was elected to the House in 2018, defeating David Adkins by just over 1,000 votes. In 2016 Adkins won this seat by 9 votes out of 14,000 votes cast. It is great that HD 29 elected a Democrat in 2018, but this seat is far from safe. As a retired educator, Joy has worked hard for the children in New Mexico. Joy has also sponsored key legislation to promote sensible gun control, such…

Damian Lara: Grateful and Giving Back to Immigrants Damian Lara arrived in Southeastern New Mexico at the age of 6.  As an immigrant from Mexico, he and his family were welcomed by the small community of Melrose with open arms and big hearts.  “I was so in awe when I came here as a child and was able to thrive with the values of my community and the United States, and I am so grateful for that experience,” Damian recalls. “I never in my…

Let's go win this thing by Kenneth Scott, Chair, West Side Democrats As most of you are aware, Joe Biden finally picked his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California. While she might not have been the first choice for many, we all must take a step back and truly appreciate this tremendous moment in history. Senator Harris represents what the American Dream should be for all: hope. Hope that the daughter of immigrants can aspire to the highest offices of the U.S. Hope…

Cheryl Harris: Pushing for Change and Saving Democracy One Campaign at a Time Cheering for the underdog – while promoting democratic ideals – runs deep in Cheryl Harris’ lineage.  She credits her parents for being role models that propelled her to advocate for change and teach others that the world can be a better place–if you get involved. Cheryl serves as the 2nd Vice Chair for the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County (DPBC) under Chair Flora Lucero, former chair of the West Side Democrats,…

Since we can’t “hit the streets” to Get Out the Vote (GOTV) this year, organizers from the DPNM Coordinated Campaign are helping us to fill the gap. They are offering short, interactive training webinars weekly. Here’s the schedule. Saturday, Aug 15, 2-3 pm Dan’s Textbank & REACH Training. REACH is a tried-and-true software developed by the AOC campaign and it helps us to GOTV by contacting people we know. Sign up here Weekly CD1 Textbank Training Tuesdays, 3-3:30 pm.  Sign up here