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Kevin Van Winkle, set to leave Senate in a month, appointed by Gov. Polis as Douglas Co. commissioner
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coloradopolitics.com, Local

Kevin Van Winkle, set to leave Senate in a month, appointed by Gov. Polis as Douglas Co. commissioner

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday appointed state Sen. Kevin Van Winkle of Highlands Ranch to the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners. Van Winkle replaced Lora Thomas, who resigned on Dec. 6. Van Winkle was elected to the commission on Nov. 5, succeeding Thomas, who was term-limited. Initially, he submitted a letter of resignation to the state Senate on Nov. 22, effective on Jan. 9, the day before the start of the 2025 legislative session. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis rescinds 200 ‘unnecessary, outdated, wasteful, obsolete’ executive orders
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis rescinds 200 ‘unnecessary, outdated, wasteful, obsolete’ executive orders

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order on Thursday to rescind more than 200 executive orders, almost all of which had been issued before he took office. He said this move would make the government more efficient. From 2019 through Thursday, Polis has issued 586 executive orders, not including clemency orders, which are another form of executive order. The high watermark was 2020's COVID-19 year, when he issued 316. Only two of the 208 orders he canceled on Thursday were orders he issued — one from 2019 and another from 2020. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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As AI technology vaults forward, groups press for national regulation
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coloradopolitics.com, State

As AI technology vaults forward, groups press for national regulation

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics As artificial intelligence is sprinting forward, many argue that the public policy to regulate the technology is falling behind. And with the federal government playing catch-up, states are taking small steps to fill that vacuum, but several sectors, including attorneys general, argue that state-level efforts offer an inadequate, patchwork of rules when what's really needed, they argue, is a uniform standard on the national and international stage. Others cautioned against rushing to regulate without careful analysis of a proposed policy's ramifications for businesses, consumers and companies' freedom to innovate.    READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Hartsook: Colorado Option is a costly failed experiment
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coloradopolitics.com, Commentary

Hartsook: Colorado Option is a costly failed experiment

By Anthony Hartsook | Commentary, Colorado Politics Winter is here, and the dualistic beautiful and brutal nature of this season can result in a lot of unexpected trips for medical care. From accidents on icy roads to collisions on crowded slopes, people need to know they can count on their health insurance to cover the care they need. Accessible health care is often an incredibly serious matter — it is not something to experiment with. Yet, that’s precisely what the state government-controlled Colorado Option does: it treats Coloradans’ access to high-quality health care as a socio-economic laboratory experiment, rather than building on tried-and-true policies. Democratic legislators hastily pushed through the Colorado Option in 2021 with promises of greater consumer choice and lowe...
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Business leaders say they’re deflated by preliminary state rules on carbon management
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Business leaders say they’re deflated by preliminary state rules on carbon management

By Ed Sealover | Colorado Politics Colorado regulators gave preliminary approval on Dec. 5 to the state’s first comprehensive rules on carbon capture and sequestration — rules that business leaders warn could scare off projects that are needed to meet statewide emissions-reduction goals. The rules that Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission leaders are set to give final approval will be included in the state’s application to take regulatory primacy for the growing sector from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They would establish safeguards that ensure the safety of Class VI injection wells and limit the impact they can have on surrounding communities. Operators of such wells sequester carbon coming from industrial sites — typically oil-and-gas drilling pads or o...
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Company that owns three apartment complexes at heart of Aurora TdA gang concerns sues state AG
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Company that owns three apartment complexes at heart of Aurora TdA gang concerns sues state AG

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette vis Colorado Politics The owners of the troubled apartment complexes in Aurora have filed a lawsuit against Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser to block a subpoena for the company’s records in a civil investigation. Filed in Denver District Court last week by Brooklyn-based CBZ Management and its affiliated companies, the lawsuit also seeks a protective order to block the release of personal or financial information obtained in the subpoenas. Weiser declined comment. CBZ Management owns 11 properties in Colorado, including three apartment complexes in Aurora that nabbed national headlines for claims that a Venezuelan gang had taken over the buildings. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Second Democrat to seek Colorado Senate District 29 seat to be vacated by Janet Buckner
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Second Democrat to seek Colorado Senate District 29 seat to be vacated by Janet Buckner

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Maya Wheeler, a community activist and business owner from Aurora, has announced she will be running for the vacant Senate seat in District 29. The seat is currently held by Democratic Sen. Janet Buckner, who recently announced she would be resigning next month after running unopposed in the 2024 election.  Buckner started her legislative career in the House in 2015 through the vacancy process, following the death of her husband, Rep. John Buckner. She was elected to the state Senate in 2020.  Wheeler is not the only candidate seeking the vacated seat. Rep. Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, announced her intention to run for the seat last month. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado crime experts urge ‘misdemeanor reform’ to combat crime
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado crime experts urge ‘misdemeanor reform’ to combat crime

By Noah Festenstein | Colorado Politics via Denver Gazette A panel of experts on Tuesday argued that certain crimes should be a felony, instead of a misdemeanor, and Colorado's policymakers should give law enforcement the right tools to go after criminals. That approach might entail pushing back on policies throughout the state and in municipalities, according to the panelists at the Common Sense Institute’s (CSI) annual summit. Moderated by Executive Editor of The Gazette, Vince Bzdek, three panelists discussed tackling crime through data-driven strategies. The Panelists included 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner, Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams and CSI criminal justice expert and fellow Mitch Morrissey, a former Denver District Attorney. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLO...
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Stephanie Vigil won’t challenge Rebecca Keltie’s victory in state House District 16 race
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Stephanie Vigil won’t challenge Rebecca Keltie’s victory in state House District 16 race

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs, who lost the House District 16 race to Republican Rep.-elect Rebecca Keltie, says she will not challenge the results. An automatic recount, ordered after the race ended in a seven-vote lead for Keltie, brought that race to a tie. But the canvassing board in El Paso County made up of one Democrat, one Republican, and the county clerk, declared that three votes cast for Vigil would not be counted, and Keltie was certified as the winner on Dec. 5. The Secretary of State's office accepted those results. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis criticized for blaming wolf reintroduction program costs on ranchers
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis criticized for blaming wolf reintroduction program costs on ranchers

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis is facing backlash for comments he made during the winter conference of Colorado counties, when he blamed ranchers for the cost of the wolf reintroduction program this year. The topic of wolves at the Colorado Counties, Inc. conference arose in response to Polis' comments about an ever-tightening state budget. The association represents 63 of the state's 64 counties. State economists have estimated that the 2025-26 state budget will be short about $1 billion due to lowering inflation and the end of billions in one-time federal money tied to the pandemic. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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