staging.rockymountainvoice.com

Menu

coloradopolitics.com

Fundraising for Colorado’s ballot measures picks up with less than three weeks before Election Day
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, State

Fundraising for Colorado’s ballot measures picks up with less than three weeks before Election Day

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics With less than three weeks to go to Election Day, groups working on some of the 14 statewide ballot measures are getting ready for the final spending push. And the backer of Colorado's most advertised ballot measure has been making contributions to other issue committees in the last 48 hours. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
Wildlife commissioners divided on Prop. 127, banning mountain lion, lynx and bobcat hunting
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, State

Wildlife commissioners divided on Prop. 127, banning mountain lion, lynx and bobcat hunting

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A ballot measure that seeks to prohibit the hunting of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx has created a divide among current and former members of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife commission, with animal rights activists arguing that hunting big cats is cruel and unnecessary, and sportsmen asserting that wildlife management should be left to the experts. A number of opinion pieces penned by current and former CPW commissioners have been circulating in newspapers around the state. This practice isn't illegal in itself, but the pieces must include a disclosure stating that the commissioners are expressing their personal views and not those of the state wildlife agency, as it is legally prohibited from taking an official stance on the mea...
Read More
Amendment H: What to expect if judicial discipline measure passes
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, State

Amendment H: What to expect if judicial discipline measure passes

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Voters in this election will decide whether to modify Colorado's current system of judicial discipline through a proposed constitutional measure, Amendment H, intended to increase the transparency and independence of the disciplinary process. The legislature referred the amendment to the ballot following a series of committee hearings. It has the support of the Colorado Judicial Institute, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of the judiciary, informs the public about the courts and supports the continuing education of judges. Although there is no coordinated opposition, the Judicial Integrity Project argues the amendment continues to preserve too much secrecy in the disciplinary process and too little independence fro...
Read More
Millions being spent on state legislative races in final weeks before Election Day
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, State

Millions being spent on state legislative races in final weeks before Election Day

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Outside groups hoping to influence voters about candidates running for seats in the state House and Senate are draining their bank accounts in the final weeks before the Nov. 5 election. That's about $3.5 million between Sept. 28 and Oct. 8, the most recent reporting period. Total spending is now well above $5.3 million, showing that most of those dollars are going to the state's hottest races. The expenditures range from as little as $1.09 for a Google ad to six-figure checks written to support Republican Western Slope candidates running for the state Senate. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
Taxpayer dollars used to buy campaign signs for Englewood bond measure
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, Local

Taxpayer dollars used to buy campaign signs for Englewood bond measure

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The City of Englewood is facing criticism over a possible campaign law violation after using taxpayer dollars to purchase lawn signs advocating for the passage of one of its ballot measures.   According to Colorado Community Media, the signs, encouraging voters to approve an over $40 million bond measure for the city's parks, were purchased on July 1, before the city council officially voted to put the question on the ballot for residents.  About $2,000 in taxpayer funds was used to purchase 250 lawn signs, which read, "Yes to Parks & Recreation - Support Englewood's Parks & Recreation Bond." The signs do not disclose their funding source, another potential violation under Colorado's Fair Campaign Practices Act (FCPA)...
Read More
Fourth Judicial district attorney requests $50,000 salary increase ahead of election
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, Local

Fourth Judicial district attorney requests $50,000 salary increase ahead of election

By Savannah Eller | Colorado Politics Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen is asking El Paso County for a $50,000 salary increase for his own position, spokesperson Kate Singh said Tuesday. The request is part of a department budget that the El Paso Board of County Commissioners will decide on at the end of the year. Allen made a presentation this week on budget critical needs for his office, which included creation of two new District Attorney's Office jobs and an ongoing $100,000 operation expenses increase for its 2025 budget. The presentation did not discuss changes to existing salaries, including his own.  READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
In expected windfall, Colorado owes taxpayers $1.7 billion in TABOR refunds
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, State

In expected windfall, Colorado owes taxpayers $1.7 billion in TABOR refunds

By Luige Del Puerto | Colorado Politics, via The Gazette The Colorado state government owes taxpayers a total of $1.7 billion in refunds mandated under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.  The state collected roughly $1.4 billion more in revenue during the 2024 Fiscal Year than allowed under TABOR, according to a state audit. The state already has roughly $290 million in outstanding TABOR refund liability at the beginning of the fiscal year, bringing the total refund amount to about $1.66 billion. Passed by voters in 1992, TABOR limits the annual growth in revenue to the inflation rate, plus population change. Any amount raised above the limit must be returned to taxpayers. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
Oil & gas debate unveils tension between industry, environmental protection interests
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, State

Oil & gas debate unveils tension between industry, environmental protection interests

By Scott Weiser | The Gazette via Colorado Politics The wide divide between oil and gas development and environmental protection was on full display as a conservation organization representative debated one from the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. Katherine Merlin, of Wild Earth Guardians, and Dan Haley, COGA, debated how much mineral extraction is enough in Colorado at the Colorado Sun SunFest last month at the University of Denver. Merlin is a climate and energy litigator with the conservation organization. Haley is the president and CEO of COGA, a state industry trade association. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
Parks and Wildlife Commission overturns staff on wolf kill, orders payment to rancher
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, State

Parks and Wildlife Commission overturns staff on wolf kill, orders payment to rancher

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Over the last year, a common issue between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and ranchers is the state agency’s slow response in investigating wolves killing livestock and how a lack of training leads to incorrect determinations. Last week, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission rejected a staff recommendation to deny a claim for a calf killed by a wolf on a Silver Spur ranch near Walden. The commission instead voted to approve the payment, ordering CPW to reverse its original decision that is was not a wolf kill. The commission voted 5-4 to reject the staff recommendation and identically to approve the payment. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
Colorado Supreme Court dismisses latest Masterpiece Cakeshop case
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Supreme Court dismisses latest Masterpiece Cakeshop case

By Shawn Shanle | Colorado Politics The Colorado Supreme Court, by 4-3, declined on Tuesday to address the high-profile issue of a Christian baker's refusal to make a cake for a customer celebrating a gender transition, instead concluding the case was not properly filed in the first place. Previously, a trial judge and the state's Court of Appeals agreed Masterpiece Cakeshop, owned by Jack Phillips, denied service to Autumn Scardina based on her transgender status, which amounted to a violation of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA). The Supreme Court subsequently agreed to examine whether Phillips' cake-making was "speech" protected by the First Amendment, notwithstanding the anti-discrimination law. However, the Supreme Court ultimately did not reach ...
Read More