Nevada’s constitutional officers journeyed to foreign lands and Burning Man last year for what they claim is better governance, state financial disclosure reports show.
Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, led the pack of six officers with $45,000 in travel expenses paid by outside groups. He went to South Africa, Poland, Israel and South Korea, trips sponsored primarily by the Attorney General Alliance (AGA), according to his financial disclosure report for 2023.
Trips with the AGA, whose members include U.S. states and territories, are essentially paid for by corporations and lobbyists, who then get an opportunity to rub elbows with officials who regulate their businesses, the Associated Press reported in August.
Companies that have picked up the bill and sent representatives in recent years have been from the pharmaceutical, auto, financial, online gaming and tech industries, among others, the AP reported.
Ford “makes decisions based on the impact they will have on the lives of Nevadans and these trips help him stay abreast of current or prospective issues or concerns that might affect the state,” John Sadler, the communications director for the Office of the Attorney General, wrote in an email to the Review-Journal. “There is nothing untoward occurring on these trips, and the AGA itself is an organization that helps facilitate necessary bipartisan cooperation in tackling issues that affect Americans across state lines.”
Ford, chair of the AGA, reported that the purpose of a $15,000 trip to South Africa sponsored by the AGA centered on “AI, gender violence, animal trafficking.” A $15,000 trip to Poland and Israel, also sponsored by the group, was to “study antisemitism & Palestinian issues.” The purpose of a $15,000 trip to South Korea, sponsored by the AGA and the Korea Foundation, was “intellectual property & Democracy issues.”
Nevada law requires filing the annual report disclosing gifts and meetings, events and travel paid for by outside groups.
Travel, tickets disclosed
Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony, a Republican, traveled to Germany, Mexico and Greece — as well as Iowa and Illinois — at a cost of $15,000 paid by a variety of sponsors: the National Lieutenant Governors Association, Travel Nevada, the Hellenic Council and the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association, according to his disclosure report.
The American Hellenic Council is a non-partisan political advocacy organization with the stated goal of informing the American public and government about issues in southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, according to its website.
The purpose of the Mexico trip was listed as “tourism” and the rest as “informational.”
Most of the costs listed in the constitutional officers’ disclosure forms are not funded by tax dollars. However, Travel Nevada — a state agency promoting tourism that is funded by a lodging tax — paid for a $3,000 trip to Mexico for Anthony, who chairs the Nevada Commission on Tourism.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, stayed closer to home. He disclosed a $575 day visit to Burning Man, sponsored by organizers of the week-long counterculture event in the Nevada Black Rock Desert. The stated purpose was to learn about the festival.
Aguilar also disclosed an $875 ticket to the men’s semifinal of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in New York City, provided by ESPN, to “visit a Nevada ESPN broadcaster.” He reported a total of $10,660 in meeting, event and trip expenses, primarily for government or charity dinners and events, as well as one ticket to a UNR football game and another to a UNLV game.
Controller Andy Matthews, a Republican, disclosed $2,060 for travel expenses for a public policy conference in Florida sponsored by Young Americans for Liberty, a libertarian student activism organization. He also reported $2,600 in travel expenses to public policy conferences in New Hampshire and Texas sponsored by the State Financial Officers Foundation, a conservative, free-market organization.
State Treasurer Zach Conine, a Democrat, disclosed $1,695 in travel expenses for a Vegas Chamber event in Washington, D.C. He disclosed $474 in travel expenses to speak on a conference panel in Seattle sponsored by the Washington CannaBusiness Association. He also reported as a gift a $650 ticket from Republic Services for event access to the Formula One race in Las Vegas last November.
Earlier this year, four Clark County commissioners confirmed to the Review-Journal that they had received a notice of investigation from the Nevada Commission on Ethics in connection with accepting F1 race tickets.
Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, reported no sponsored events, meetings or travel and no gifts.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on X. Hynes is a member of the Review-Journal’s investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing.
Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.
Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.
“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”
During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.
Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.
Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.
For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
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Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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