Nevada
Election immigration fight could upend Nevada’s economy from the desert to the Strip
In the remote Nevada desert, the Baker Ranch couldn’t survive without immigrant guest workers who come every year from Mexico.
About 300 miles to the south In Las Vegas — increasingly a vacation playground for Americans from all political and socioeconomic backgrounds — immigrants are just as vital, keeping the 24-hour economy humming all day, every day.
Immigration has become a source of fear and frustration for voters in this presidential election — with possible outcomes that could take the United States down two dramatically different paths. But immigrants who have been in the country for decades say a nuanced issue has been drowned out by seemingly simpler solutions championed by both parties.
Nowhere are the complicated economic and social realities behind the searing-hot political divide on immigration more clear than in Nevada, a toss-up state that could decide an increasingly close election.
Here are highlights from the AP’s report:
How immigration has shaped the presidential race
The influx of illegal border crossings long strained city and state resources even in Democratic strongholds across the country, even as encounters between immigrants and law enforcement officials have declined sharply in recent months. And yet, immigration has fueled job growth in ways that strengthen the economy and improve the federal government’s fiscal health.
Former President Donald Trump is championing hardline proposals that would force mass deportations, while Vice President Kamala Harris is calling for pathways to citizenship for millions of people in the country illegally. But Harris is also calling for increased funding for border security enforcement and strengthening existing Biden administration actions that tightened rules for immigrants to seek asylum in the U.S. when they arrive at the southern border.
“I think that our focus is completely directed into the border and not toward the people who are already here and have been here for many, many years,” said Erika Marquez, immigrant justice organizer for the advocacy group Make the Road Nevada.
Bipartisan support for guest workers — to a point
Both parties have called for expanding guest worker programs in agriculture.
The Trump administration deemed guest farmworkers essential during the coronavirus pandemic, and the program’s participation rose while he was in office. But he also proposed a rule freezing farmworkers’ salaries for two years, loosening requirements for worker housing and restricting the transportation costs they could be reimbursed for.
The Biden administration wiped out those rules. Since then, more than 310,000 H-2A visas were issued in fiscal year 2023, compared to around 213,000 in fiscal year 2020, the last full one under Trump. But the Biden White House also imposed a series of new rules meant to better protect workers that have occasionally frustrated business owners like the Bakers.
“It is a hot potato and each side’s lobbing one at the other. And, in all honesty, both are to blame,” Janille Baker, who runs the ranch’s financial books, said of immigration. “There is going to come a point where it has to get taken care of. You can’t just keep using fearmongering and scaring people, and then being critical of the people who do or don’t want to do whatever jobs.”
A state economy powered by immigrants
In Nevada, nearly 19% of residents are foreign-born and 9% of the total workforce does not have U.S. legal status. If the state lost all of its workers in the country illegally, Labor Department figures suggest the direct job losses would be roughly as large as those from the 2008 financial crisis, which stalled tourism, triggered a wave of housing market foreclosures and cost the state about 9.3% of its jobs during the subsequent Great Recession.
“In our wonderful, 24-hour economy, we know that these hotels and casinos could not, should not, would not be able to open every day without immigrants,” said Peter Guzman, president and CEO of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Nevada.
And even rounding up people in the country illegally might not count those with temporary protected status, or the guest workers on Baker ranch, all of whom are authorized to be in the U.S.
Haydee Zetino, who scrubs lavish hotel suites at Harrah’s Casino on the famed Las Vegas strip, is an immigrant from El Salvador with only temporary protected status in the U.S. The 62-year-old saw Trump try to strip away many such protections during his first term and worries it could happen again if he wins — even as she can’t vote herself as a non-citizen.
“These people don’t have any conscience,” she said of mass deportation supporters. “They believe they can lift up the country, move the economy forward, but they don’t think of those at the bottom.”
A small state that could be a big factor on Election Day
The Pew Research Center estimates that 11 million people in the country illegally live in the U.S. Big states like California, Texas and Florida have larger numbers who potentially could have even more influence on workforces and communities. But all of those states are all solidly red or blue in presidential races — and aren’t likely to sway the election as toss-up Nevada might.
Despite having just six electoral votes, Nevada could go for either Trump or Harris. Clark County, encompassing Las Vegas, is about 75% of the state’s population and includes a sizeable number of hospitality industry workers represented by Nevada’s powerful Culinary Union, which has endorsed Harris.
But Trump was able to turn out infrequent voters there in 2020, and did well in much of the rest of the state, which is rural and more conservative. Washoe County, home to Reno, is a perennial toss-up. Voters can also choose “None” of the presidential candidates, adding to the Nevada electorate’s famously fickle nature.
It’s all left some voters afraid of what the outcome might be.
“There’s a lot of fear,” said Nancy Valenzuela, a 48-year-old maid who works at the Strat casino. “There are people who don’t have papers. They’re like, ‘They want to throw us all out.’”
Nevada
Vanderbilt Commodores Face Unbeaten Nevada in Charleston Classic Opener
The Vanderbilt Commodores kick off their Charleston Classic tournament on Thursday night, facing the unbeaten Nevada Wolfpack in a clash of contrasting styles.
Both teams are 4-0 and looking to make an early-season statement.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. EST at TD Arena, and the game will air on ESPNU.
For Vanderbilt, this marks the first test of the year after an impressive start in Memorial Gymnasium.
The Commodores are coming off a 94-81 victory over the Jackson State Tigers, a game that showcased their potential from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt drained 16 3-pointers, their highest total since 2022, with five players hitting multiple shots from deep.
Tyler Nickel led the charge, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range, while freshman Tyler Tanner and AJ Hoggard chipped in with three triples apiece.
Nevada also enters with momentum, fresh off an 85-59 dismantling of the Santa Clara Broncos.
The Wolf Pack have won every game by double digits, thriving on efficiency and disciplined play. Led by Nick Davidson, who averages 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, Nevada ranks second nationally in 3-point percentage at 48.6%.
Their deliberate, systematic approach to offense has also been a key to their success. Nevada averages just 10 turnovers per game while dishing out 18 assists, a testament to their precision and execution.
Vanderbilt will counter Nevada’s slow tempo with a more aggressive style fueled by their depth.
Nine players average between 15 and 25 minutes per contest, allowing the Commodores to maintain energy and tempo throughout games.
Jason Edwards leads the team in scoring with 17.5 points per contest, while Devin McGlockton has emerged as a defensive force, ranking second in the SEC and 11th nationally in blocks. McGlockton has recorded multiple rejections in every game this season, providing a critical presence in the paint.
This matchup may hinge on who can control the 3-point line.
Nevada has been lights out from deep, with Davidson converting a remarkable 9-of-11 attempts this season. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, flashed their own shooting prowess against Jackson State after a sluggish start to the season from beyond the arc.
The stakes are high, with the winner advancing to Friday’s semifinal to face either the Seton Hall Pirates or VCU Rams.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Commodores and Wolf Pack, setting the stage for an intriguing showdown as Vanderbilt looks to have their best start to a season since 2015-16.
Nevada
New heat-based worker protections on the books in Nevada
LAS VEGAS — For the first time, businesses in Nevada will have to comply with heat-based hazard regulations in the workplace.
The announcement came from the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Wednesday, following the hottest summer on record in Las Vegas.
This is big news for any organization with more than 10 employees where most employees are exposed to heat illness. These businesses will now have to do a job hazard analysis specifically on heat and adopt a written plan to mitigate worker exposure.
The new regulations are not temperature-threshold specific.
“Because every job is different, whether you’re in a kitchen, whether you’re outside as a landscaper or construction worker or a warehouse, every situation is different where there was no uniform temperature threshold that worked for all types of environments,” Victoria Carreon, Division of Industrial Relations Administrator, said.
Other states that have heat-based workplace regulations include California, Washington and Oregon making Nevada the next in the West to adopt such workplace rules. However, this new regulation did not come from the state lawmakers or from the federal level.
“In this case, this was not required by the legislature, this was something that Nevada OSHA decided was really important for Nevada given our hot, desert climate and the hazard of heat illness,” Carreon said.
Guidance for how this regulation will be rolled out and implemented is expected in the next 30 days. After that, an outreach and engagement initiative will take place over the course of three months to help businesses understand what they need to do to comply with this newest regulation.
Enforcement will begin after that, just in time for next summer.
“Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the employers to determine what the hazards are and implement measures that will protect their employees from heat illness,” Carreon said.
2024’s Extreme Heat
This year, OSHA received 467 heat-related complaints for workplace hazards, which may not be surprising given the record-breaking nature of this season’s hot weather. We experienced 112 days over 100°, with 36 of those days over 110°.
The level of heat-related mortality also rose this year, Clark County has counted over 400 deaths so far this year where hot temperatures played a significant role.
Clark Co. reports 402 heat deaths so far this year
Regulation Outline
The approved regulation (R131-24AP [leg.state.nv.us]) requires businesses with more than 10 employees to implement the following measures:
- Job Hazard Analysis: Businesses with more than 10 employees must perform a one-time job hazard analysis of working conditions that could cause heat illness.
- This analysis is limited to job classifications where a majority of employees have occupational exposure to heat illness for more than 30 minutes of any 60-minute period, excluding breaks.
- Written Safety Program: If the job hazard analysis identifies conditions that may cause heat illness, a written plan is required that includes the following:
- Provision of potable water;
- Provision of a rest break when an employee exhibits signs or symptoms of heat illness;
- Provision for means of cooling for employees;
- Monitoring by a person designated by the employer of working conditions that could create occupational exposure to heat illness;
- Identification and mitigation of work processes that may generate additional heat or humidity;
- Training of employees; and
- Procedures for responding to an emergency.
- Emergency Procedures: Employers are required to designate an individual who will contact emergency services if an employee is experiencing signs of heat illness.
- Training: Employers are required to provide training to employees identified in the job hazard analysis on the following topics:
- How to recognize the hazards of heat illness
- Procedures to be followed to minimize the hazards of heat illness.
- Exemption for Climate-Controlled Environments:
- The regulation’s requirements do not apply to employees who work indoors in climate-controlled environments, including motor vehicles with a properly functioning climate control system.
- If the climate control system becomes nonfunctional or ineffective, the employer shall make a good-faith effort to reestablish an effective system as soon as practicable.
- Until the climate control system is rendered effective, the employer must implement the potential hazards that could cause heat illness.
- Collective Bargaining Agreements:
- Employers can exceed the requirements of the regulation on their own or through collective bargaining agreements.
- Collective bargaining agreements cannot waive or reduce the requirements of the regulation; and
- The regulation does not relieve an employer of contractual obligations under a collective bargaining agreement.
Nevada
Business owners react to NV Energy power outage
RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – NV Energy issued a PSOM in Northern Nevada, in effort to prevent wildfires. “I looked out the windows and the entire neighborhood was dark,” said Mary Doyle, a resident who lost power in West Reno.
15,000 NV energy customers in Northern Nevada, waking up to no power. “The house is cold. That’s the worst part,” added Katie Cole. “The house is cold. It’s warmer out here than it is inside my house.”
The planned outage is hitting business owners hard. “It’s a big hit because customers are affected, employees are affected. We are affected,” said Mimi Butler, who is the owner of Bueno Grill, which has been a staple in the local community for 25 years. “That’s a whole days worth of business. We are open everyday and its a big potential to lose a chunk of sales for the month. It also is worrisome because our employees aren’t coming into work. For them they don’t get their paycheck for today. For our customers, we cant serve our customers.”
Many of the business owners in the Mayberry Landing Complex are adapting to the “no bueno” message this morning. Some owners had to use generators, while others scrambled to alert staff and navigate obstacles.
“Having a little bit more warning would be nice,” said Cole Butler, the manager of Bueno Grill. “We woke up this morning and I just found out about it around 9 o’clock. I was planning on coming in at 10, so I well made a stop at the store and got some dry ice. We may or may not be open today.”
Butler says food and produce preservation is the name of the game. “It’s all about saving products right now when we are not open. The refrigerator is not working. We just kind of need to hunker down and store.”
The restaurant says they will be down a couple thousand dollars, due to the outage. Even the employees will be without a check. “I got word that the power is not expected to come back on until tomorrow at noon. I had to re-text and say it looks like you’re not coming in. We don’t need you today because we won’t be open,” said Mimi Butler.
The owner says the shop is rarely closed throughout the year and she is not used to turning customers away. “I had to change our outgoing message and forward phone calls from the business to my personal phone so I can let our customers know what’s happening and why we are closed. Hopefully, invite them to come back tomorrow when we are open again.”
NV Energy says some of the impacted zones will have power restored tonight and the rest hopefully sometime tomorrow.
Copyright 2024 KOLO. All rights reserved.
-
Business1 week ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health1 week ago
Bird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business5 days ago
Column: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
World1 week ago
Sarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
-
Politics4 days ago
Trump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
Science2 days ago
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Technology3 days ago
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle4 days ago
Some in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs