Nevada
Nevada governor calls for more affordable housing for ‘missing middle’ households
Gov. Joe Lombardo called on industry leaders’ support in getting his housing bill through the Nevada Legislature one day before its scheduled first public airing in front of lawmakers.
Arguing that a supply issue is behind the challenge of affordable housing for Nevada residents, the Republican governor, home builders and tradesmen introduced key elements of Assembly Bill 540 during a Tuesday press conference at Heirloom at Pebble, a 55-plus, income-restricted apartment complex Ovation Development plans to open next month in Las Vegas.
Steve Aichroth, administrator of the Nevada Housing Division, said the agency has seen firsthand the challenges facing affordable housing development.
“The housing division occupies the space where developers, absent financial assistance, cannot — literally cannot — develop because the deals don’t pencil,” Aichroth said. “When the deals don’t pencil, stuff like this just does not get built.”
Proponents of AB 540 contend the bill would make housing more affordable for the “missing middle,” households who can’t afford to buy a home but don’t qualify for affordable housing units. The bill proposes allocating $250 million in state funds for “attainable housing” projects, expanding the definitions of affordable housing to allow it to benefit people with up to 150 percent of area median income, reducing prevailing wage requirements to preferences and expediting processing for attainable housing developments, among other policy proposals.
“These essential workers are education, public safety and healthcare leaders in our community, and they deserve access to affordable and attainable homes in the very neighborhoods they serve,” Lombardo said.
Jess Molasky, chief operating officer of Ovation Development and Management Group, said the governor’s staff spoke to the general contractor and apartment management company and others in the industry to develop their proposal.
“Unlike deeply subsidized housing, market-rate apartments are scalable, sustainable and flexible. They don’t require years of layered financing or depend on limited public subsidies. They can get built and fast,” Molasky said, adding the bill’s Attainable Housing Account could help restart projects that have stalled because of rising interest rates and construction costs.
Lombardo also said he’s working with the federal government to establish what federally owned land could be released for more development. He said he expects to have a memorandum of understanding by May 1 that will allow the Bureau of Land Management to identify that available land.
Assembly Democrats highlighted their own housing proposals in a press conference Thursday, including bills reforming summary eviction, limiting rent increases for seniors and Social Security users, setting transparency requirements in rental agreements and others.
At the press conference, Lombardo said he continues to “hold the line” against policies like rent control and other bills with the same language as ones that were vetoed in 2023.
He also said that “out of state investors” — an issue he mentioned in his State of the State address in January – had to be addressed through other legislation. Lombardo said he was aware of some bills that could address that. Senate Bill 391, sponsored by Dina Neal, would limit the number of housing units a business could purchase in a year to 100.
“Housing is one of the most critically important issues to Nevadans right now,” Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, said in a statement Tuesday. “I look forward to learning more about the long-awaited Governor’s housing proposals tomorrow evening and continuing to collaborate on all things housing with both the Senate Majority Leader and the Governor, including working to ensure that those who are currently housed aren’t abruptly and unfairly evicted.”
AB 540 will have its first hearing at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the chamber’s Commerce and Labor Committee.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
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Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
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