Governor Jared Polis

The COvid Chronicles May 16–23, 2020: Deaths dipped—but the definition got slippery

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories / / , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More than two months into government-mandated shutdowns, Coloradans had lost patience—and begun reclaiming their fearlessness. After surrendering jobs, shuttering schools, isolating loved ones, and forfeiting springtime rites of faith and family, many started asking the obvious: What was all this really for?

Yes, people had gotten sick. Yes, some had died—mostly the elderly and already ill. But the fear campaign pushed by Gov. Jared Polis, unelected bureaucrats, and a compliant media no longer matched what Coloradans saw with their own eyes.

The warm May sun only strengthened their resolve. As COVID numbers flatlined and trust in “death counts” crumbled, clear-eyed citizens began asking hard questions—and the answers were ugly. Behind the briefings and sanitized soundbites, the state was quietly reclassifying deaths, inflating the data, and overriding doctors who dared to dissent.

The COvid Chronicles May 16–23, 2020: Deaths dipped—but the definition got slippery Read More »

Home rule vs. housing order: Colorado Springs challenges Polis directive

KRDO.COM, Approved, Local / / , , , , , , ,

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Tuesday, the Colorado Springs City Council decided to roll the dice on roughly $20 million in funding, according to the city’s estimates.

It comes after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed executive order D 2025 – 005, which includes blanket statewide housing requirements aimed at improving affordability.

The city claims that there are a handful of laws in the order that are not right for the Colorado Springs community. The only issue is that, as part of the executive order, not following these laws could put the city under noncompliance, which is a one-way ticket to getting those dollars pulled.

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Polis’ $10M ‘bridge to nowhere’ sparks public backlash

Axios Denver, Approved, State / / , , , , ,

To celebrate Colorado’s 150th birthday, Gov. Jared Polis wants to build a pedestrian bridge to nowhere.

Why it matters: The project — financed with public and private dollars — is generating significant opposition from those who say it would serve little purpose and upset the aesthetics of downtown Denver.

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Gabel: State land board pick once cheered eco-terrorism—now she could control 2.8M acres

denvergazette.com, Approved, State / / , , , , , ,

Much of the land around Vail that is now developed as resorts, ski slopes, and golf courses first belonged to sheep ranchers with Greek roots. By the 1960s, development was pushing them out of the valley and activists were bemoaning the negative effect on wildlife that took place when livestock grazing was replaced by progress.

In 1998, Vail Resorts was on the cusp of developing 2,2oo acres of backcountry. The plan riled activists, especially those devoted to preserving the habitats of elk and Canada Lynx that thrived before development came to town.

Members of the radical Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the now-defunct Rocky Mountain Animal Defense (RMAD) marched and chanted through Vail with police on their tails, wielding decibel meters. According to 1998 reporting by Alex Markels, RMAD activists spotted a woman emerging from a fur salon wearing a mink coat, and an altercation ensued. An RMAD member told the woman, “You’d look a lot sexier without 65 dead animals on your back!”

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Gazette editorial board: Colorado’s green agenda is pricing out homeowners

denvergazette.com, Approved, Commentary, State / / , , , , , , , ,

Colorado’s governor and Legislature may claim they want more affordable housing — but they aren’t about to let it stand in the way of their headlong rush toward green energy. Their zero-emissions-at-any-cost dogma seems to trump all other policy priorities.

Which helps explain why the state’s Energy Code Board is poised to impose extreme energy standards — even more stringent than those already in effect — on new home construction. The pending rules would turn the screws on wide-ranging aspects of the building code — and are projected to add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home in Colorado.

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Tech industry outcry stalls Colorado’s AI law as Congress weighs ban on state regulations

DENVER7, Approved, National, State / / , , , , , , ,

DENVER — U.S. Congress is considering banning states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years, adding uncertainty to the future of Colorado’s AI law.

In 2024, Colorado became the first state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence.

“A.I. in general is just changing so rapidly all the time,” said State Rep. Brianna Titone, one of the prime sponsors of Senate Bill 24-205.

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Hunt: Governor signs laws advancing trans agenda, sparking constitutional challenge

TownHall.com, Approved, Commentary, State / / , , , , , , , , , , ,

Just as a refreshing wave of reality-based, commonsense policy seems to be sweeping the nation, Colorado lawmakers are doubling down on “trans” policies that can only be described as absurd, unconscionable and unconstitutional.

For those of us in Colorado who still believe in parental rights and free speech, the speed at which our state is descending into a dystopian nightmare is terrifying.

Here in Colorado, transactivists control the State House, the Senate, and the governor’s seat. Whatever they want to do, however far they want to push the envelope, they can, and they did this legislative cycle. Some of the bills are so radical that even California’s governor refused to sign similar legislation.

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Governor rejects rideshare reform bill amid corporate exit warnings

denvergazette.com, Approved, State / / , , , , ,

Gov. Jared Polis on Friday vetoed House Bill 1291, a bill that would have put more teeth in regulating rideshare companies.

Sponsors heavily criticized the veto, saying his claims that he cares about victims fell short and that he didn’t engage with the sponsors on the bill until three days before the end of the session. 

House Bill 1291 was intended to beef up consumer protections for those who use ride share companies, such as Lyft and Uber. The bill would have required rideshare companies to conduct criminal background checks on drivers at least once every six months and review drivers who have had complaints filed against them by riders. If the company determined that the allegation is “more than likely to have occurred,” it would have had to deactivate the driver’s profile.

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Polis backs federal halt after his own AI law faces fierce blowback

The Colorado Sun, Approved, State / / , , , , , ,

Nine months: that’s all the time left before companies have to start complying with Colorado’s first-in-the-nation anti-discrimination law for AI systems, unless policymakers act.

Business and industry groups have been begging for a delay. They say the law as it stands is unworkable — they’re urging Colorado’s lawmakers to give all sides more time to try to find a compromise.

But consumer rights advocates say AI’s rapid spread into more and more areas of life makes it critical to put guardrails on how the technology is working. Many advocates for the law also feel some in the tech industry won’t be satisfied with anything other than a full capitulation on the policy’s most meaningful consumer protections.

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Gaines: Polis’ picks for land board proves Colorado’s gone to the wolves

Commentary, Approved, State, Substack / / , , , , , , ,

I wrote about Polis advisor Nicole Rosmarino being the sole finalist for the directorship of the State Land Board recently. That newsletter is linked first below if you want or need context.

On the heels of that newsletter, I got a message from a reader alerting me to the other two appointments that Governor Polis made to the State Land Board–this is the same board mind you that makes decisions on grazing leases, mineral-extraction (oil/gas) leases, and provides revenue to schools–Mark Harvey from Pitkin County and James Pribyl from Louisville. Harvey was appointed to fill the agriculture seat on the board and Pribyl the citizen-at-large seat.

If the name Pribyl sounds familiar, you’re not alone. He was a former member of the CPW Commissioners (see the picture heading this post whose text was taken from Pribyl’s Linked In account), a wolf reintroduction advocate, and one of the three co-authors of the op ed in support of Prop 127, the big cat hunting ban.**

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