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Tag: Governor Jared Polis

The COvid Chronicles May 16–23, 2020: Deaths dipped—but the definition got slippery
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The COvid Chronicles May 16–23, 2020: Deaths dipped—but the definition got slippery

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board The fifth installment of RMV’s COvid Chronicles covers the strangest stretch yet—when deaths dipped, testing peaked, and the state quietly admitted not every COVID death was what they claimed. The contradictions were harder to hide, the public wasn’t playing along, and the illusion was cracking. Yes, these installments are longer than our usual coverage. So was the list of lies. We’re not about to shrink the story. More than two months into government-mandated shutdowns, Coloradans had lost patience—and begun reclaiming their fearlessness. After surrendering jobs, shuttering schools, isolating loved ones, and forfeiting springtime rites of faith and family, many started asking the obvious: What was all this really for? Yes, people had gotten...
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Home rule vs. housing order: Colorado Springs challenges Polis directive
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Approved, KRDO.COM, Local

Home rule vs. housing order: Colorado Springs challenges Polis directive

By Mackenzie Stafford | KRDO COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - On Tuesday, the Colorado Springs City Council decided to roll the dice on roughly $20 million in funding, according to the city's estimates. It comes after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed executive order D 2025 - 005, which includes blanket statewide housing requirements aimed at improving affordability. The city claims that there are a handful of laws in the order that are not right for the Colorado Springs community. The only issue is that, as part of the executive order, not following these laws could put the city under noncompliance, which is a one-way ticket to getting those dollars pulled.At a city hall meeting on Tuesday, councilmembers voted 7 to 2 on a resolution to reaffirm Colorado S...
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Polis’ $10M ‘bridge to nowhere’ sparks public backlash
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Approved, Axios Denver, State

Polis’ $10M ‘bridge to nowhere’ sparks public backlash

By John Frank | Axios To celebrate Colorado's 150th birthday, Gov. Jared Polis wants to build a pedestrian bridge to nowhere. Why it matters: The project — financed with public and private dollars — is generating significant opposition from those who say it would serve little purpose and upset the aesthetics of downtown Denver. Driving the news: Polis is the chief promoter of the overpass to connect the state Capitol grounds with the state-owned Veterans Park, just across Lincoln Street. He is soliciting donations from private entities, ranging from $10,000 to $1.5 million, including from interests with business in front of his administration. The bridge is set for completion in summer 2026. Yes, but: The design renderings for the 11,000-square-...
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Gabel: State land board pick once cheered eco-terrorism—now she could control 2.8M acres
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Gabel: State land board pick once cheered eco-terrorism—now she could control 2.8M acres

By Rachel Gabel | Commentary, Denver Gazette Much of the land around Vail that is now developed as resorts, ski slopes, and golf courses first belonged to sheep ranchers with Greek roots. By the 1960s, development was pushing them out of the valley and activists were bemoaning the negative effect on wildlife that took place when livestock grazing was replaced by progress. In 1998, Vail Resorts was on the cusp of developing 2,2oo acres of backcountry. The plan riled activists, especially those devoted to preserving the habitats of elk and Canada Lynx that thrived before development came to town. Members of the radical Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the now-defunct Rocky Mountain Animal Defense (RMAD) marched and chanted through Vail with police on their tails, wielding decibel me...
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Gazette editorial board: Colorado’s green agenda is pricing out homeowners
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Approved, Commentary, denvergazette.com, State

Gazette editorial board: Colorado’s green agenda is pricing out homeowners

The Gazette editorial board | Denver Gazette Colorado’s governor and Legislature may claim they want more affordable housing — but they aren’t about to let it stand in the way of their headlong rush toward green energy. Their zero-emissions-at-any-cost dogma seems to trump all other policy priorities. Which helps explain why the state’s Energy Code Board is poised to impose extreme energy standards — even more stringent than those already in effect — on new home construction. The pending rules would turn the screws on wide-ranging aspects of the building code — and are projected to add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home in Colorado. That’s right — it’ll add $25,000 to $35,000, by one estimate, in what is already the most expensive state for housing that is not ...
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Tech industry outcry stalls Colorado’s AI law as Congress weighs ban on state regulations
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Approved, DENVER7, National, State

Tech industry outcry stalls Colorado’s AI law as Congress weighs ban on state regulations

By Brandon Richard | Denver7 DENVER — U.S. Congress is considering banning states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years, adding uncertainty to the future of Colorado’s AI law. In 2024, Colorado became the first state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence. “A.I. in general is just changing so rapidly all the time,” said State Rep. Brianna Titone, one of the prime sponsors of Senate Bill 24-205. Titone said SB24-205 aims to protect consumers from AI systems they may unknowingly come across. “You’re trying to get a job, get a loan, legal decisions, getting into college,” said Titone. “If there’s an AI system making those decisions on behalf of that entity, how is that affecting you? Do you even know that this AI system is be...
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Hunt: Governor signs laws advancing trans agenda, sparking constitutional challenge
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Approved, Commentary, State, TownHall.com

Hunt: Governor signs laws advancing trans agenda, sparking constitutional challenge

By Nicole Hunt | Commentary, Townhall Just as a refreshing wave of reality-based, commonsense policy seems to be sweeping the nation, Colorado lawmakers are doubling down on “trans” policies that can only be described as absurd, unconscionable and unconstitutional. For those of us in Colorado who still believe in parental rights and free speech, the speed at which our state is descending into a dystopian nightmare is terrifying. Here in Colorado, transactivists control the State House, the Senate, and the governor’s seat. Whatever they want to do, however far they want to push the envelope, they can, and they did this legislative cycle. Some of the bills are so radical that even California’s governor refused to sign similar legislation. This session we saw two radical trans bil...
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Governor rejects rideshare reform bill amid corporate exit warnings
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Governor rejects rideshare reform bill amid corporate exit warnings

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis on Friday vetoed House Bill 1291, a bill that would have put more teeth in regulating rideshare companies. Sponsors heavily criticized the veto, saying his claims that he cares about victims fell short and that he didn't engage with the sponsors on the bill until three days before the end of the session.  House Bill 1291 was intended to beef up consumer protections for those who use ride share companies, such as Lyft and Uber. The bill would have required rideshare companies to conduct criminal background checks on drivers at least once every six months and review drivers who have had complaints filed against them by riders. If the company determined that the allegation is "more than likely to have occurred," it...
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Polis backs federal halt after his own AI law faces fierce blowback
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Polis backs federal halt after his own AI law faces fierce blowback

By Bente Birkeland | Colorado Sun Business and industry groups have been begging for a delay. They say the law as it stands is unworkable — they’re urging Colorado’s lawmakers to give all sides more time to try to find a compromise. Nine months: that’s all the time left before companies have to start complying with Colorado’s first-in-the-nation anti-discrimination law for AI systems, unless policymakers act. Business and industry groups have been begging for a delay. They say the law as it stands is unworkable — they’re urging Colorado’s lawmakers to give all sides more time to try to find a compromise. But consumer rights advocates say AI’s rapid spread into more and more areas of life makes it critical to put guardrails on how the technology is working. Many advocates for th...
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Gaines: Polis’ picks for land board proves Colorado’s gone to the wolves
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Approved, Commentary, State, Substack

Gaines: Polis’ picks for land board proves Colorado’s gone to the wolves

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I wrote about Polis advisor Nicole Rosmarino being the sole finalist for the directorship of the State Land Board recently. That newsletter is linked first below if you want or need context.On the heels of that newsletter, I got a message from a reader alerting me to the other two appointments that Governor Polis made to the State Land Board--this is the same board mind you that makes decisions on grazing leases, mineral-extraction (oil/gas) leases, and provides revenue to schools--Mark Harvey from Pitkin County and James Pribyl from Louisville. Harvey was appointed to fill the agriculture seat on the board and Pribyl the citizen-at-large seat.If the name Pribyl sounds familiar, you're not alone. He was a former member of the ...
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