Santa Fe New Mexican, Dec. 12, 2023

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Supreme Court upholds murder conviction in 2020 killing of basketball star

TOP 10

10 for Tuesday takes look at best girls prep players in state with season underway

Texas high court denies abortion request

LOCAL & REGION, A-7

SPORTS, B-1

PAGE A-2

Locally owned and independent

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 santafenewmexican.com $1.50

Session budget projected over $12.7B Lawmakers urge caution on using influx of cash — which includes $3.48B in ‘new money’ — with growth expected to slow soon

Santa Claus: New Mexico can expect nearly $13 billion in recurring revenue for lawmakers and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to enjoy come January. Citing the famous New York Sun editorial “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus,” Wayne Propst, secretary of the state Department of Finance and Administration, told members of the Legislative Finance Committee on Monday the forecast of nearly $12.768 billion includes $3.48 billion in “new money,” or surplus funds after the state pays for its yearly expenses.

By Robert Nott

rnott@sfnewmexican.com

The head of the state Department of Finance and Administration gave lawmakers some good news Monday when he told them yes, there is a

That means state lawmakers can build a responsible budget in the upcoming 30-day session, scheduled to begin in mid-January, while providing needed services to state residents, he said. Propst said among other initiatives, lawmakers could consider shoring up the rural health care fund, the new Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund and affordable housing projects. While it’s still unclear what initiatives and Please see story on Page A-5

HOPEWE LL MANN AT TACK

Girlfriend of suspect alleged to have helped plan violence Police say Esmerelda Jasso-Laguna, 20, discussed specifics for running over boyfriend’s former romantic partner

PROVIDING A LIFT

By Nicholas Gilmore

ngilmore@sfnewmexican.com

The girlfriend of a man recently accused of attempted murder now faces charges herself, with investigators alleging she conspired in the Sept. 22 attack that left a young Santa Fe woman bloodied and unconscious in a Hopewell Mann parking lot. Police charged Jonathan Castaneda, 21, with attempted murder, stalking and property damage in late November, more than two months after 19-year-old Valicity Lozoya was found lying in the parking lot of Sangre de Cristo Apartments. Lozoya was hospitalized and under an induced coma for at least a month after the attack. Her mother said the woman suffered a traumatic brain injury and is still recovering. The family is hoping for a full recovery. Although police initially believed Lozoya had been beaten, investigators wrote in a statement of probable

Proposed Pallet shelter site has reinvigorated church — and will have chance to do same for city’s homeless if approved by council Wednesday

Please see story on Page A-4

GABRIELA CAMPOS/NEW MEXICAN FILE PHOTO

Family members of people killed by gun violence and members of New Mexico Crusaders for Justice listen to remarks from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at the Capitol during the legislative session in February. Lujan Grisham has made a renewed attempt at an assault weapons ban a priority during the upcoming session.

By Carina Julig

cjulig@sfnewmexican.com

A

year ago, Christ Lutheran Church was considering closing its doors. On Wednesday, it will be seeking approval from the Santa Fe City Council to host the city’s first-ever safe outdoor space for homeless people. “When I tell you this is Holy Spirit-led, it truly, truly is,” Pastor Joene Herr said at a community meeting last week. The City Council approved a resolution establishing the pilot program in April and designated $1 million in federal pandemic relief aid to implement it. The city purchased 25 Pallet shelters for the pilot earlier this year and opened an application for host sites and service providers over the summer. The pilot is part of the city’s Built for Zero model of addressing homelessness.

Applications for host sites were open only to faith-based communities, which will not need to seek zoning approval from the city before setting up the shelters. Christ Lutheran, which has space for a 10-shelter village, was the sole site selected by the city. City officials did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether the church was the only applicant or if there is another reason the pilot is smaller than anticipated. Part of Christ Lutheran’s mission statement, recited at the end of each service, is “ministering to the vulnerable and those on the edge.” “Not knowing where you’re going to sleep at night is about as vulnerable as you can get,” Herr said. Herr had recently returned from a several-month sabbatical when she and a Please see story on Page A-5

ABOVE: Pastor Joene Herr answers a question last week about the proposed Pallet shelter pilot program at Christ Lutheran Church. If approved by the City Council, the church — which had recently considered closing — will host a 10-shelter village where homeless people can stay. “[Church members] were tired,” Herr said. “I really think being able to do something that is going to have a positive impact has brought in new life.” TOP: Building plans and imagery for the proposed outdoor housing space. The City Council is considering whether to allocate $388,000 for the preparation and construction and $440,000 for support services at the site. Herr said she believes the program will save money for the city, which is estimated to spend $14 million a year addressing homelessness. PHOTOS BY GABRIELA CAMPOS/THE NEW MEXICAN

War’s separate fight: Is anti-Zionism antisemitism? INSIDE

By Jonathan Weisman The New York Times

The brutal shedding of Jewish blood Oct. 7, followed by Israel’s relentless military assault on the Gaza Strip, has brought a fraught question to the fore in a moment of surging bigotry and domestic political gamesmanship: Is anti-Zionism by definition antisemitism? The question deeply divided congressional Democrats this week when Republican leaders, seeking to drive a wedge between American Jews and the political party that three-quarters of them call their own, put it to a vote in the

Index

Business B-5

Classifieds B-6

Design and headlines: Jordan Fox, jfox@sfnewmexican.com

u Netanyahu allowed Qatar to help fund Hamas. u Israeli forces push into Gaza’s largest city as defense chief resists calls for cease-fire. PAGE A-4

House. It has shaken the country’s campuses and reverberated in its city streets, where pro-Palestinian protesters bellow chants calling for the Palestinian territories to be free from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. It surfaced in Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate, when Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, said, “If you Comics B-10

Crosswords B-6, B-9

don’t think Israel has a right to exist, that is antisemitic.” The following night, lighting the national menorah behind the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, warned, “When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or identity, and when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism.” Zionism as a concept was once clearly understood: the belief Jews, who have endured persecution for millenniums, needed refuge and self-determination in the land of their Please see story on Page A-4

Local & Region A-7

Lotteries A-2

Opinion A-9

Sports B-1

Gov.: Heinrich’s assault weapons ban bill will be basis for state’s Lujan Grisham says renewed push in 2024 session will also focus on regulating guns on ‘lethality of their internal mechanisms’ By Daniel J. Chacón

dchacon@sfnewmexican.com

The Legislature is poised to consider an assault weapons ban that will be mirrored after legislation U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich helped introduce in Congress last week, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Monday. Heinrich’s Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act “would regulate firearms based on the lethality of their internal mechanisms, as opposed to focusing on cosmetic features that manufacturers can easily modify,” according to his office. The governor called Heinrich’s proposal good work. “Let’s try that vehicle in our own assault weapons ban in New Mexico because one thing that I have that the senator doesn’t have is I’ve got a set of lawmakers that are more likely than not to have a fair debate about guns, gun violence, weapons of war and keeping New Mexicans safe Please see story on Page A-5

Portland drug law reversal Mayor seeks ban on public use as retailers depart. PAGE A-2 Time Out B-9

Main office: 505-983-3303 Late paper: 505-986-3010 News tips: 505-986-3035

Today Mostly cloudy. High 57, low 32. PAGE A-10

174th year, No. 346 Publication No. 596-440


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Santa Fe New Mexican, Dec. 12, 2023 by The New Mexican - Issuu