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Colorado bill would eliminate second required election for unionization
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado bill would eliminate second required election for unionization

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics A proposed bill that would significantly change Colorado's Labor Peace Act, which details the process for unionization and collective bargaining in the state, has drawn criticism from the business community. Labor organizations argue that it's necessary to balance the power between workers and employers. The Labor Peace Act, signed into law in 1943, sets Colorado apart from other states in that it requires two elections to have the option to establish a union security agreement. The first election must receive a simple majority to proceed to the second election, which requires a 75% "yes" vote. The proposed bill, expected to be introduced during the 2025 legislative session, would eliminate the second election requirement. READ THE FU...
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Colorado judges cannot serve as temporary election workers, ethics panel says
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado judges cannot serve as temporary election workers, ethics panel says

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics The Colorado Supreme Court's ethics panel advised members of the judiciary last month that they cannot serve as temporary election workers. The Colorado Judicial Ethics Advisory Board, which consists of judges, lawyers and a non-attorney, cited two reasons why appointed judges should refrain from serving as elections judges. First, with the exception of nonpartisan elections, temporary workers would have to publicly disclose their political affiliation at the outset. Second, the Code of Judicial Conduct limits the types of appointments state judges can take. "The judicial ethics committees of other jurisdictions have also determined that judges may not accept appointments or serve as election judges because the position is not one that concern...
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Colorado Springs City Council approves $941M budget for 2025, dipping into reserves to balance
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coloradopolitics.com, Local

Colorado Springs City Council approves $941M budget for 2025, dipping into reserves to balance

By Brennen Kauffman | The Gazette Colorado Springs City Council gave the final approval Tuesday for the city's 2025 budget. The final budget covers $941 million in city expenses and revenue next year, including $438 million in spending for the city's general fund. Colorado Springs' budget has increased from the $900 million budget passed for 2024 but is still down from the billion dollar budget the city had in 2023. The new budget continues some of the reductions the city enacted last year to deal with financial crunches, including limiting new department spending and keeping several unfilled positions open. To balance the budget, the city will end up pulling $3.9 million from its reserves. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Colorado River management proposals receive mixed reactions, with hints of possible legal battle
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado River management proposals receive mixed reactions, with hints of possible legal battle

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The U.S. Department of the Interior's alternative proposals to guide the management of the Colorado River received mixed reactions from key negotiators and officials whose support is crucial in the river's successful operation in the years to come. Several reiterated they don't want litigation, which would tie up any plans in the court systems for years, but they also acknowledged — or at least hinted — that a legal battle is a plausible outcome. "We don't want a legal fight," said Tom Buschatzke, the Arizona Department of Water Resources director. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Two water bills by Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper advance in lame duck session
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coloradopolitics.com, National

Two water bills by Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper advance in lame duck session

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The race to get bills signed into law before President Joe Biden leaves office is on, and two water bills sponsored by Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Denver, are trying to get on that list. The first is an extension of the Colorado River Basin System Conservation Act, which earlier this year put $125 million into the system conservation pilot program operated by the Upper Colorado River Commission. Under the latest iteration, the act would be extended until 2026. The system conservation pilot program is a voluntary, temporary, and compensated agreement to conserve consumptive use (or depletion) of agricultural, municipal, or industrial water. It was tested between 2015 and 2018 and allowed lapses, but it was restarted in 2023. However, the progr...
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Trump’s pick for energy secretary, Colorado’s Chris Wright, says the real crisis is ‘energy poverty’
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coloradopolitics.com, National

Trump’s pick for energy secretary, Colorado’s Chris Wright, says the real crisis is ‘energy poverty’

By Scott Weiser | The Gazette, via Colorado Politics President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Energy, Colorado's Chris Wright, views the world divided between the haves and have-nots — with a specific eye toward access to energy, arguing that, instead of a “climate" agenda, America should focus on ensuring a wide array of cheap, abundant and sustainable energy sources that include geothermal, nuclear, oil and gas.  He argued that this approach is the antidote to what he described as an “energy crisis,” in which a minority of the world’s population has access to abundant energy, while the rest lives in “energy poverty.” The approach, which he outlined in several articles for Colorado Politics and The Denver Gazette, will likely serve as a philosophical guidepo...
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Colorado’s new 23rd Judicial District office to open in Douglas County following residential concerns
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado’s new 23rd Judicial District office to open in Douglas County following residential concerns

By Noah Festenstein | Colorado Politics Colorado’s newest judicial district in 60 years has found an office in northern Douglas County following years of planning and residents' pushback on some proposed sites. With a new judicial district comes the need for a new office. The office is intended to house the diversion unit from the Justice Center in Castle Rock. It will also offer pretrial and some probation services. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Business groups warn against changes to Colorado’s union law
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Business groups warn against changes to Colorado’s union law

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A major fight is brewing at the state Capitol, where unions plan to push for legislation they said would give workers "more freedom to negotiate for workplace safety and better pay" but which business groups warned would upend a system that is pivotal attracting companies and keeping Colorado economically competitive. At issue is the Labor Peace Act's requirement that two elections be held in order to form a union and establish "union security." The first election must be won by a simple majority, while the second must receive at least 75% approval. Colorado is the only state with a second vote in which a supermajority is required to pass. Several business groups said the proposed changes could unravel what has been a successful pitch to ou...
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Colorado to pay $1.5 million in same-sex wedding websites case
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado to pay $1.5 million in same-sex wedding websites case

By The Denver Gazette | Via Colorado Politics Colorado agreed to pay more than $1.5 million in attorneys’ fees following the conclusion of a case involving a graphic designer who did not want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples. Lorie Smith, who feared she would run afoul of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act if she refused to create websites for same-sex weddings through her graphic design company, 303 Creative, sued the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the state's attorney general. The case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled last year in favor of Smith, concluding that Colorado sought to "force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance" and therefore violated he...
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Three finalists picked from pool of 34 for Aurora’s open seat on City Council
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coloradopolitics.com, Local

Three finalists picked from pool of 34 for Aurora’s open seat on City Council

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette, via Colorado Politics Aurora councilmembers on Monday picked three candidates to interview for the open at-large position on the council. The interviews will happen in early December. Dustin Zvonek, the city's previous mayor pro tem, announced his early departure from his position from the council in October, opening up a seat on the 11-person body. The council received a total of 34 applications for the position. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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