Southwest
New Mexico officials approve legislative bill to reduce gas emissions in vehicles by 20% in 2030
New Mexico’s Legislature has approved a bill aimed at reducing climate-warming pollution from cars and trucks through financial incentives to reward businesses that produce cleaner fuels.
The Senate voted 26-15 Tuesday, on a party-line vote with Republicans in opposition, to send the bill to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who supports the initiative.
California, Oregon and Washington already enforce law carbon fuel standards. New Mexico would be the first to follow suit.
The bill calls for a reduction in the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions for transportation fuels used in the state — of 20% by 2030 and 30% by 2040.
It would require producers of high-polluting fuels to buy credits from producers and importers of low-carbon fuels.
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The program and its market for carbon credits would be established by mid-2026, with oversight by the state Environment Department.
Democratic sponsors of the bill anticipate it will spur investments in new fuels and new technologies. The transportation sector is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Mexico behind the oil and natural gas industry.
The Round House is pictured as New Mexico legislators seek to lower car pollution by 2030. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)
State Sen. Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque rattled off a list of more than 20 companies and coalitions including Chevron that have expressed interest in the low-carbon fuel market under the proposed reforms. She also touted the health benefits through anticipated reductions in airborne pollution that contribute to ozone.
Earlier this month, the bill narrowly won House approval on a 36-33 vote amid concerns about impacts on fuel prices on consumers in the nation’s No. 2 state for oil production.
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“I am concerned about what this bill will do to the price of transportation fuel,” Sen. Greg Nibert of Roswell said during Tuesday’s Senate floor debate. “It’s going to be felt the harshest by those who have the least, who can least afford these transportation fuels.”
Bill cosponsor and Democratic state Rep. Kristina Ortez of Taos pushed back against those worries.
“We believe this is fear mongering,” she told a Senate panel Tuesday. “I come from a district that is very poor. I certainly would not bring a bill that would have an impact on my constituents and New Mexicans.”
Republican Senate Leader Greg Baca of Belen cautioned legislators against imposing new pollution regulations on rural communities with clear skies in a sparsely populated state.
“Let’s use common sense … not this voodoo science that’s being produced for us telling us that we have dirty air in this state in a populace of only 2 million, that we’re somehow contributing to this global catastrophe that’s being pushed on us.”
Separately, a final House concurrence vote sent a $10.2 billion budget plan for the coming fiscal year to the governor for consideration and possible line-item vetoes.
New Mexico would set aside well over $1 billion to guarantee tuition-free college and sustain government spending in case its oil production bonanza fades in the transition to cleaner energy sources, under the general fund spending bill.
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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