Nevada

Nevada Gov. Lombardo seeks stiffer penalties for theft, faster election results

Published

11 months ago

January 16, 2025

Nevada Gov. Lombardo seeks stiffer penalties for theft, faster election results

Striking an optimistic tone and urging bipartisanship, Gov. Joe Lombardo delivered a State of the State address Wednesday night with proposals to finish vote counting on Election Day, make more thefts qualify as felonies, and get more homes and apartments built.

“The state of our state is steadily improving,” he said. “We are certainly headed in the right direction and the outlook is positive.”

“Combining the collective will of the 63 of you and me, we can build more than houses; we can convert Nevada’s promise into reality, a place where every family can thrive, every community can grow, and every dream can find a home,” Lombardo said, referencing the number of state Senate and Assembly members. “That’s the Nevada way.”

The Republican governor’s desire to work together this year comes as no surprise given that in 2023, the majority-Democrat Legislature called Lombardo’s bluff by passing bills the governor said he wouldn’t sign. He delivered a record 75 vetoes.

After November’s election, he still faces a Legislature where Democrats dominate but do not hold a supermajority, making his veto pen a real threat in negotiations. Bipartisanship will be required to get approval for significant bills.

His remarks were greeted with punctuations of applause from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle. Along with frequent water-bottle breaks, he got looser as he went along, smiling, addressing people in the gallery and going off-script to make a few jokes.

He announced a $12.7 billion budget that he said would make teacher pay raises permanent and extend them to charter school teachers.

The next legislative session starts Feb. 3 and officially lasts 120 days.

Nevada Gov. Lombardo’s top 5 proposals

Lombardo, a former Clark County sheriff, summarized five priorities he plans to push in the Legislature.

Before announcing them, he told the gallery of lawmakers at the Nevada Assembly, “I would ask that before some of you say ‘No,’ work with me, collaborate with my agency heads, ask questions, give input, offer alternatives and set aside partisan politics.”

• Nevada Housing Attainability Act: Lombardo said this proposal would streamline permits, reduce building fees and prioritize state funding that will support $1 billion in new “attainable” housing units across Nevada, rather than the buzzword of “affordable.”

He blamed Nevada’s housing crisis on the federal government’s reluctance to release some of its land — it controls more than 80% of the state — and said that he expects President-elect Donald Trump to help make that happen “but, while we press for federal action, we’re not waiting.”

Also highlighted was the recent approval of a $200 million public-private partnership to provide homeless services called the Campus for Hope.

• Nevada Healthcare Access Act: Lombardo noted that, “With some of the lowest provider-to-patient ratios in the nation, far too many Nevadans are left waiting for care or worse, going without it.”

To partly address this, he said, he would propose that by 2028, all health insurance plans in Nevada will be required to adopt standardized and digitized prior authorization plans, reducing delays for patients and providers.

He said he would double the state’s investment in graduate medical education and incentivize providers to set up in underserved areas. The plan would also create an Office of Mental Health to expand access to behavioral health services and improve coordination of care.

• Nevada Accountability in Education Act: Lombardo said he would revisit his efforts to expand school choice, after noting he’s unsatisfied with Nevada consistently ranking near the bottom nationally on education measurements.

“No child should be trapped in a failing school because of their ZIP code or held down because of how much their parents or grandparents earn,” he said.

He added his bill proposal would include “transportation support” to help families choose other schools for their children.

• Nevada Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act: This would reduce the amount of a theft that would trigger a felony charge and increase penalties for repeat offenders.

It would also prohibit the use of diversion courts for offenders who commit crimes against children or the elderly.

• Economic Development Policy Reform Act: Earlier in his remarks, Lombardo mentioned Nevada’s highest-in-the-nation unemployment rate of 5.7%. His economic plan would give tax credits to childcare facilities so that they could potentially charge lower rates and help more people enter the workforce.

• Creating More Government Effectiveness: He vowed to evaluate each of the state government’s more than 300 boards and commissions to see which ones have outlived their usefulness.

Democratic responses to Gov. Lombardo

Speaker of the Nevada Assembly, Democrat Steve Yeager, gave a recorded response to Lombardo’s State of the State.

“This past November, Nevada voters again overwhelmingly voted for Democrats to lead our state Legislature,” he said.

Asking the governor not to break his veto record from the previous session, he urged that Lombardo work with Democrats while also emphasizing differences with Republicans.

Democratic legislators, he said, will:

Strongly reject any Republican efforts to restrict abortion rights.
Oppose any proposal that would make it harder to vote — despite lopsided support for a voter ID law in November.
Prioritize “common sense gun violence prevention measures because guns are all too often used in violent crime.”

In response to Lombardo’s crime proposal, Yeager said, “We must not backtrack to the failed ‘tough on crime’ legislation of the 1990s that was expensive, wasteful and ineffective without making us any safer.”

Democratic groups also released statements criticizing Lombardo.

Nevada State Democratic Party executive director Hilary Barrett sent out a lengthy, detailed memo criticizing Lombardo’s first two years in office.

“When it comes to housing, health care, education and public safety, Nevadans are measurably worse off due to the actions of Lombardo and his commitment to prioritizing powerful special interests and his own political self-interest,” she said.

Laura Martin, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said corporate landlords are artificially inflating housing costs and that the governor’s proposal to use federal land for more housing will make things worse.

“Lombardo’s plan that promotes urban sprawl as a solution to the housing crisis will only exacerbate the existing climate crisis, when we should be prioritizing infill,” she said.

“We should be investing in the future of Nevada by making sure our aging communities and schools are climate resilient, not with another stadium, movie studio, or mass deportations.”

Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.

Source link

Click to comment

Nevada

California school district near Nevada caught up in a dispute over transgender athlete policies – WTOP News

Published

7 minutes ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

California school district near Nevada caught up in a dispute over transgender athlete policies – WTOP News

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Lake Tahoe school district is caught between California and Nevada’s competing policies on transgender student…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Lake Tahoe school district is caught between California and Nevada’s competing policies on transgender student athletes, a dispute that’s poised to reorder where the district’s students compete.

High schools in California’s Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District, set in a mountainous, snow-prone area near the border with Nevada, have for decades competed in the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, or NIAA. That has allowed sports teams to avoid making frequent and potentially hazardous trips in poor winter weather to competitions farther to the west, district officials say.

But the Nevada association voted in April to require students in sex-segregated sports programs to play on teams that align with their sex assigned at birth — a departure from a previous approach allowing individual schools to set their own standards. The move raised questions for how the Tahoe-Truckee district would remain in the Nevada association while following California law, which says students can play on teams consistent with their gender identity.

Now, California’s Department of Education is requiring the district to join the California Interscholastic Federation, or CIF, by the start of next school year.

District Superintendent Kerstin Kramer said at a school board meeting this week the demand puts the district in a difficult position.

“No matter which authority we’re complying with we are leaving students behind,” she said. “So we have been stuck.”

There are currently no known transgender student athletes competing in high school sports in Tahoe-Truckee Unified, district officials told the education department in a letter. But a former student filed a complaint with the state in June after the board decided to stick with Nevada athletics, Kramer said.

A national debate

The dispute comes amid a nationwide battle over the rights of transgender youth in which states have restricted transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams, barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors and required parents to be notified if a child changes their pronouns at school. At least 24 states have laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some of the policies have been blocked in court.

Meanwhile, California is fighting the Trump administration in court over transgender athlete policies. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February aimed at banning transgender women and girls from participating in female athletics. The U.S. Justice Department also sued the California Department of Education in July, alleging its policy allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams violates federal law.

And Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has signedlaws aimed at protecting trans youth, shocked party allies in March when he raised questions on his podcast about the fairness of trans women and girls competing against other female athletes. His office did not comment on the Tahoe-Truckee Unified case, but said Newsom “rejects the right wing’s cynical attempt to weaponize this debate as an excuse to vilify individual kids.”

The state education department said in a statement that all California districts must follow the law regardless of which state’s athletic association they join.

At the Tahoe-Truckee school board meeting this week, some parents and one student said they opposed allowing trans girls to participate on girls teams.

“I don’t see how it would be fair for female athletes to compete against a biological male because they’re stronger, they’re taller, they’re faster,” said Ava Cockrum, a Truckee High School student on the track and field team. “It’s just not fair.”

But Beth Curtis, a civil rights attorney whose children attended schools in Tahoe-Truckee Unified, said the district should fight NIAA from implementing its trans student athlete policy as violating the Nevada Constitution.

Asking for more time

The district has drafted a plan to transition to the California federation by the 2028-2029 school year after state officials ordered it to take action. It’s awaiting the education department’s response.

Curtis doesn’t think the state will allow the district to delay joining CIF, the California federation, another two years, noting the education department is vigorously defending its law against the Trump administration: “They’re not going to fight to uphold the law and say to you at the same time, ‘Okay, you can ignore it for two years.’”

Tahoe-Truckee Unified’s two high schools with athletic programs, which are located about 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) in elevation, compete against both California and Nevada teams in nearby mountain towns — and others more distant and closer to sea level. If the district moves to the California federation, Tahoe-Truckee Unified teams may have to travel more often in bad weather across a risky mountain pass — about 7,000 feet (2,100 meters) in elevation above a lake — to reach schools farther from state lines.

Coleville High School, a small California school in the Eastern Sierra near the Nevada border, has also long been a member of the Nevada association, said Heidi Torix, superintendent of the Eastern Sierra Unified School District. The school abides by California law regarding transgender athletes, Torix said.

The school has not been similarly ordered by California to switch where it competes. The California Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment on whether it’s warned any other districts not in the California federation about possible noncompliance with state policy.

State Assemblymember Heather Hadwick, a Republican representing a large region of northern California bordering Nevada, said Tahoe-Truckee Unified shouldn’t be forced to join the CIF.

“I urge California Department of Education and state officials to fully consider the real-world consequences of this decision—not in theory, but on the ground—where weather, geography, and safety matter,” Hadwick said.

Copyright
© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Source link

Nevada

Proactive power outage slated for northwestern Nevada

Published

12 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Proactive power outage slated for northwestern Nevada

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Because of heightened fire weather conditions forecast for northwestern Nevada, a proactive outage is slated for Friday, Dec. 19, in Carson City, Clear Creek, Jack’s Valley, Genoa and Glenbrook from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to a NV Energy news release.

The outage would affect about 715 customers, the release said.

During a Public Safety Outage Management event, the utility proactively de-energizes power for customers in high-risk zones to help protect the community and environment from wildfires, the release said.

If weather conditions change, the potential proactive outage will be adjusted or cancelled.

Customers potentially impacted have been notified via phone, text messages and email.

NV Energy will continue to monitor conditions and provide updates.

The outage timeframe includes the duration of the weather event and an estimated time for crews to inspect the lines for damage, vegetation or debris to begin safely restoring power.

The restoration time may change based on weather conditions or if repairs to equipment need to be made.

Source link

Nevada

Meet the 2025 Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada girls soccer team

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Meet the 2025 Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada girls soccer team

First team

Kloe Abdalla, Faith Lutheran — The junior was named the Class 5A player of the year by the coaches and helped the Crusaders win the state title. She is committed to Kansas.

Posie Armstrong, Faith Lutheran — The senior defender was a 5A all-state selection for the 5A state champion.

Julia Anfinson, Faith Lutheran — The junior scored 14 goals for the 5A state champion.

Anabelle Coe, Faith Lutheran — The senior was a first-team All-5A league midfielder to help the Crusaders win the 5A state title. She is committed to California Lutheran.

Cate Gusick, Coronado — The senior was named the 5A defensive player of the year for the 5A state runner-up. She is committed to Montana.

Emma Flannery, Bishop Gorman — The senior midfielder was a 5A all-state selection with six goals and 11 assists. She is committed to UNLV.

Allison Kleiner, Coronado — The senior was a 5A all-state selection for the 5A state runner-up. She is committed to Vanderbilt.

Emily Marks, Arbor View — The junior was named the 5A goalie of the year and helped the Aggies finish third in the 5A Southern League.

Kenadie Mashore, Doral Academy — The senior goalie was named the 4A player of the year. She recorded 14 shutouts and 141 saves for the 4A Southern Region and state champion.

Daniela Mayorga, Canyon Springs — The senior scored 67 goals, a state record in a season by a player in the top classification (5A/4A), and added 27 assists.

Jazmine McCallum, Coronado — The senior midfielder was a 5A all-state selection for the 5A state runner-up.

Alexandra Milano, Coronado — The senior midfielder was a 5A all-state selection for the 5A state runner-up.

Olivia Petty, Faith Lutheran — The 5A all-state goalie recorded 74 saves and allowed six goals in 20 games for the 5A state champion.

Allie Rabe, Faith Lutheran — The senior defender was a 5A all-state selection for the 5A state champion. She is committed to UC Irvine.

Ella Schultz, Coronado — The junior defender was a 5A all-state selection for the 5A state runner-up.

Olivia Stark, Faith Lutheran — The senior 5A offensive player of the year scored 22 goals and added 14 assists for the 5A state champion. She is committed to UC Irvine.

Taylor Takahashi, Coronado — The sophomore scored a team-high 17 goals and added seven assists for the 5A state runner-up.

Sienna Turco, Doral Academy — The senior was named the 4A Mountain League offensive player of the year and scored 50 goals and added 18 assists for the 4A Southern Region and state champion.

Coach of the year

Kurt Divich, Doral Academy – Guided the Dragons to the Class 4A Southern Region and state titles, the program’s first state title.

Second team

Audrey Ancell, Green Valley — The senior was named the 4A Desert League defensive player of the year as the Gators allowed just eight goals in 18 games.

Taylor Bringhurst, Palo Verde — The senior was the 4A Sky League goalie of the year and helped the Panthers reach the state tournament.

Darien Cox, Green Valley — The senior was named the 4A Desert League offensive player of the year and scored 27 goals and 13 assists.

Gianna Davis, Doral Academy — The senior was a 4A all-state defender to help the Dragons win the 4A Southern Region and state titles.

Olivia Gastwirth, Palo Verde — The sophomore was named the 4A Sky League offensive player of the year and scored 34 goals to help the Panthers reach the state tournament.

Olivia Geeb, Green Valley — The senior was named the 4A Desert League goalie of the year as the Gators allowed just eight goals in 18 games.

Devyn Giraldo, Bishop Gorman — The senior was a 5A all-state selection who scored 10 goals.

Peyton Hedstrom, Doral Academy — The junior was a 4A all-state defender who helped the Dragons win the 4A Southern Region and state titles.

Taylor Johnson, Shadow Ridge — The senior was a 5A all-state selection for the state semifinalist. She is committed to Utah Tech.

Brooke Kramer, Liberty — The senior was a 5A all-state goalie. She is committed to UNLV.

Cristal Lara, SECTA — The senior scored 38 goals and led the state with 39 assists.

Elliott Lujan, Faith Lutheran — The senior scored nine goals and had six assists for the 5A state champion. She is committed to St. Mary’s (California).

Alayna Malloy, Centennial — The freshman scored 12 goals for the 5A state semifinalist.

Danielle Morales, Arbor View — The junior was a 5A all-state selection and scored seven goals.

Dasha Rosas, Doral Academy — The junior scored 19 goals and added 18 assists to help the Dragons win the 4A Southern Region and state titles.

Briana Salguero, Equipo Academy — The senior was the 3A region player of the year and scored 29 goals and added 15 assists to help the Yeti reach the state tournament.

Sophia Sachs, Arbor View — The junior was a 5A all-state selection and scored seven goals.

Aleah Warner, Bishop Gorman — The freshman scored nine goals and was a 5A all-league selection.