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‘Congressional inquiry’ triggers $250K legal tab for Denver’s sanctuary city stance
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‘Congressional inquiry’ triggers $250K legal tab for Denver’s sanctuary city stance

By Andrew Kenney | Denverite A high-powered Washington law firm helped Mayor Mike Johnston and the city prepare for a Congressional hearing. The legal bill is coming due for Denver's response to a congressional inquiry. The city recently received an invoice for $250,000 from Covington & Burling, the high-powered Washington law firm the city hired as it faced federal scrutiny over its immigration policies. The city has been represented by Dana Remus, who previously was the White House counsel for former president Joe Biden. The contract began Feb. 1 as Mayor Mike Johnston was preparing to testify before the Republican-led U.S. House Oversight Committee. Over the next two months, the city incurred $250,000 in legal fees with the firm, according to an invoice submitted...
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Denver City Council braces for layoffs, deep cuts—but Mayor Johnston delays details
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Denver City Council braces for layoffs, deep cuts—but Mayor Johnston delays details

By Kyle Harris | Denverite Here’s what Denver City Council members said at their big budget meeting. The Denver City Council met atop Lookout Mountain at Golden’s Boettcher Mansion last week to plan for the 2026 budget. The elected leaders knew they would likely need to make cuts — but nobody knew just how bad the city’s fiscal situation might be. “I’ve been hearing rumors of layoffs and furloughs,” Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said as the all-day meeting began on Friday. The city’s rumor mill is spinning furiously, with some employees fearing budget cuts up to 30 percent, Gilmore said. That would be an extraordinarily high number for an overall budget cut, considering city revenues shrank by 9 percent amid the 2008 financial crisis. Asked for more detail, Gilmore reiterated...
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Denver rent down $65, but rising costs leave renters struggling
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Denver rent down $65, but rising costs leave renters struggling

By Kyle Harris | Denverite When Cassie Welch Rubin moved to Denver in 2022, she paid $1,400 a month for a bug-infested, rundown studio apartment in University Hills, a neighborhood she hated. To get to her job, she took a two-hour bus ride each way.   This year, Rubin left her University Hills studio for a one-bedroom in Capitol Hill. She’s still paying $1,400 – but for a larger place in a central Denver neighborhood. “I’m really happy with the location,” she said.  Trees line the blocks. She’s close to museums, the botanic gardens and the zoo. She wakes up long before dawn for her 3 a.m. shift as a produce manager at King Soopers. But now she’s a short walk — not a two hour-long bus ride — away from her job. Like many other renters in Denver, Rubin has found ...
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New ballot measures in Denver would limit immigrant benefits and raise penalties for theft, public urination
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New ballot measures in Denver would limit immigrant benefits and raise penalties for theft, public urination

By Paolo Zialcita | Denverite Political organizers have submitted four potential ballot measures that would reshape how the city of Denver handles immigration and crime. The proposed initiatives are only in their beginning stages, so some ideas behind them aren’t fully formed.  The city hosted public review sessions last week for the measures, offering a first look at what could be on the ballot this November.  The measures were submitted by Suzanne Taheri, a lawyer who has frequently worked on conservative ballot measures. The conservative Advance Colorado organization also is involved. But the measure’s backers are bipartisan, including one local Democratic voter, according to Michael Fields of Advance Colorado. READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERITE
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More than 50 seniors need help after explosion in Denver
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More than 50 seniors need help after explosion in Denver

By Haylee May | Denverite Ten people were injured and at least 50 more were displaced by an explosion at Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus. Dozens of residents were displaced from their homes after a construction crew dug into a power line at the Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus Wednesday, apparently triggering an explosion and fire.  No one has died as a result of their injuries from the explosion, the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner told Denverite on Thursday. Denver Fire Department Capt. Luis Cedillo said 10 people were transported with injuries to various hospitals, but did not have an update on anyone’s identity or condition as of Thursday afternoon. Fire officials previously said eight people were transported, but that number grew on Wednes...
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New team tackles ‘crime and cleanliness’ near Coors Field with $1M budget ‘funded by a fee on property owners and private money’
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New team tackles ‘crime and cleanliness’ near Coors Field with $1M budget ‘funded by a fee on property owners and private money’

By Kyle Harris, Denverite A team of 18 unarmed ambassadors is starting all-day patrols of the neighborhood around Coors Field today. It’s part of an effort by a new community group to deter crime, offer services and clean up an area where baseball stadium crowds and thousands of residents mingle among many of the city's homeless facilities. The ambassadors will patrol dozens of blocks near the stadium from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. The project is funded by the Ballpark District, a community organization that recently activated a seven-figure budget for services like this. “The focus is … crime prevention and trying to stay on top of the issues down here,” said Jamie Giellis, who works with Ballpark and other communities around the country as they organize and f...
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What would Colorado’s tipped minimum wage bill do? And why does it impact Denver so much?
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What would Colorado’s tipped minimum wage bill do? And why does it impact Denver so much?

By Andrew Kenney | Denverite A proposal to cut wages for some restaurant employees is dividing Colorado Democrats and the restaurant industry. Many restaurant owners say that high labor costs are driving restaurants out of business, and they need a fix to what they say is a flawed law. Meanwhile, many workers and their allies say that HB25-1208 is going to punish hard-working restaurant workers who already can scarcely afford life in the city. At the heart of it all: the rules for how servers and other tipped employees are paid. Here’s what you need to know. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
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Downtown Denver set for $570M tax-funded investment in housing, jobs, culture, parks, mobility
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Downtown Denver set for $570M tax-funded investment in housing, jobs, culture, parks, mobility

By Kyle Harris | Denverite The Downtown Development Authority is set to revamp the central city with hundreds of millions of dollars in spending. The authority previously funded the revitalization of Union Station and the surrounding area. Earlier this year, voters approved changes that will allow the organization to take on $570 million of debt and spread the spending across a broader swath of downtown Denver. On Monday, the Denver City Council approved more detailed plans for how the money will be spent over the next 13 years. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
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Denver rejects private pool, so the developer may try affordable housing instead
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Denver rejects private pool, so the developer may try affordable housing instead

By Paolo Zialcita | Denverite Ilan Salzberg’s decades-long dream of building a private swim club in his neighborhood came to an abrupt end Monday after Denver City Council voted down a rezoning proposal for the project. Salzberg, a developer and West Highland resident, bought 3719 Wolff Street in the West Highland in November 2023 for about $2 million. The 33,000-square-foot parcel of land currently sits vacant, nestled between homes and across the street from a Sprouts grocery store. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
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Fmr. Denver Mayor Hancock now a lobbyist for companies that made hundreds of millions during his tenure
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Fmr. Denver Mayor Hancock now a lobbyist for companies that made hundreds of millions during his tenure

By Kyle Harris | Denverite Former Mayor Michael Hancock has a new lobbying firm, Hancock Global, serving companies that do big business with the city.  He’s registered as a lobbyist in the City and County of Denver. While a few of his clients are obscure, many were major contractors on projects the Hancock administration oversaw, especially at the airport.  His clients have combined for hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with the city, according to city data going back to 2017. Some have worked for the city for decades, long before Hancock took office. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
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