DPLA News:

Registered Democrats are invited to attend the regular monthly meeting of the Democratic Party of Los Alamos County, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, at the Unitarian Church, 1738 N. Sage Loop.

Featured speakers include Rep. Christine Chandler and Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard.

This will be a hybrid meeting will be held in person and via Zoom. To attend via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81654127593, Meeting ID: 816 5412 7593

All attendees, in person or on Zoom, will be required to sign in with their name and email address for Party verification.

Chandler will give an overview of the legislative priorities, and highlight some of the bills that she is sponsoring. One of her key priorities continues to be enacting the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act. She is also working with House Leaderhip on a public safety package and will be proposing legislation designed to curb the potential for discriminatory decisions using AI screening algorithms.

Garcia Richard, first woman, Latina and educator to ever be elected as State Land Commissioner, is responsible for managing more than 9 million acres of state trust lands, which provide a significant portion of the state budget. In her role, she has focused on diversifying revenue sources, providing affordable housing, holding oil and gas companies accountable, and developing renewable energy.

Garcia Richard will talk about projects including:

• Establishing a dedicated revenue stream to provide funding for schools and other essential public services, such as hospitals;
• Developing new programs to ensure oil and gas companies are meeting their obligations to the state; including paying their fair share of royalties, cleaning spills and plugging abandoned wells;
• Promoting the development of renewable energy sources including community solar programs on state land, which allow small neighborhoods and communities to generate their own power.