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Tag: Local Control

Six cities sue Colorado over zoning and parking laws as state stays silent
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State, Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Six cities sue Colorado over zoning and parking laws as state stays silent

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice “As of this writing we have not heard back from the State.” That’s how Greenwood Village Mayor George Lantz summed up the status of a lawsuit the six Front Range cities filed in May against the state of Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis, the Department of Local Affairs and its executive director, Maria De Cambra. The case targets two 2024 laws—HB 24-1313 and HB 24-1304—that, according to the cities, trample Colorado’s constitutional guarantee of Home Rule. The mayors say the fight is about constitutional rights, not political turf wars. “Contrary to some criticisms, the current fight is not based on party politics… Our residents deserve to have a voice about land use in their own communities and neighborhoods,” they wrote in a joint open July 14 let...
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Kerber: How Colorado’s density push is an attack on the single-family home
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The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Kerber: How Colorado’s density push is an attack on the single-family home

By Dave Kerber | Commentary, The Gazette Our neighborhoods and communities are faced with a challenge to the very character of the place we have chosen to live. We live in a unique and astonishing place. People flock to Colorado because of our blue skies, fresh air and mountains. Coloradans have no desire to be New York City. These are two distinct and very different lifestyle choices. Yet, those in charge of Colorado at the moment want to bring that New York density here to Colorado — to change forever what makes Colorado such an incredible place to live and work. As a species, we have always wanted to live and work in larger spaces. It’s human nature. Two hundred years ago, it was common for families to live in a one-room cabin. One hundred years ago, it was normal to have 2-3 peop...
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60 Years Later: DOJ Expands Grip on Elections Under Voting Rights Banner
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Breitbart, Approved, National

60 Years Later: DOJ Expands Grip on Elections Under Voting Rights Banner

By Jasmyn Jordan | BREITBART On the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, under the leadership of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing federal voting laws and protecting ballot access for all Americans. In a video posted Wednesday on X, Dhillon stated the DOJ is “not just marking history” but actively “enforcing the law.” The post highlighted several current initiatives, including: Investigating violations of federal voting laws. Ensuring all 50 states maintain accurate voter rolls. Challenging efforts to suppress or dilute the vote. Suing jurisdictions where ineligible voters remain on the rolls. Reviewing redistricting plans for evidence of racial g...
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Grand Junction says no to climate strings: City declines Urban Trails grant
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The Business Times, Approved, Local

Grand Junction says no to climate strings: City declines Urban Trails grant

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times Despite support from the Urban Trails Committee, the City of Grand Junction confirmed it is not pursuing a state-run climate grant that could have required new local policies, including a potential “vehicle climate fee.” At its July 9 meeting, the Urban Trails Committee, chaired by City of Grand Junction Mobility Coordinator Henry Brown, listed “support for Local IMPACT Accelerators grant” as its No. 1 action item. The grant is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program and administered by the Colorado Energy Office. The grant encourages local governments to adopt “transformative” policies that go beyond current state standards in areas such as transportation, building codes, l...
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Daniel: Colorado’s Budget Crisis Wasn’t an Accident — It Was a Choice
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Daniel: Colorado’s Budget Crisis Wasn’t an Accident — It Was a Choice

By Bobbie Daniel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s budget isn’t just strained — it’s revealing the true priorities of our state’s leadership. While seniors and disabled veterans wait to see if Colorado will uphold a constitutionally guaranteed property tax exemption, Governor Polis was busy polling Coloradans about spending $28 million on a pedestrian bridge in downtown Denver. The result? Over 87,000 people participated in just five days — 93.9% voted “no” and only 3.8% said yes. That kind of public input is rare in state spending these days. If more of our budget decisions had that level of transparency, we might not be staring at another billion-dollar deficit. The crisis we’re in today wasn’t caused by bad luck or global economics. It was the result of del...
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Daniel: The state’s mandates, your money—and why counties are saying “Enough”
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Top Stories, Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Daniel: The state’s mandates, your money—and why counties are saying “Enough”

By Bobbie Daniel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Imagine walking into a restaurant, and before you even look at the menu, someone else orders for the whole table. They choose the most expensive items, add dessert, and go for top-shelf drinks—and when the check comes, they quietly slide it over to you.  That, in a nutshell, is what the State of Colorado is doing to counties.  Every year, new laws and regulations roll out of the Capitol with noble names and lofty goals. But when it comes time to pay for them, the state shrugs and walks away—leaving counties, and local taxpayers, to foot the bill. It’s called an unfunded mandate, and it’s become one of the biggest threats to responsible government in Colorado.  In Mesa County, we’ve always believed in balan...
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Young Rancher’s Win Restores Power to Farmers and Families
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National, Approved, Beef News, Food Freedom

Young Rancher’s Win Restores Power to Farmers and Families

By Beef News Staff | Beef News At 21, Dawson Holle didn’t just change a law—he rewrote the future of food freedom in North Dakota. Backed by cows, commonsense, and coalition-building, he legalized raw milk and cream without corporate lobbying or culture war noise. This is how a farm kid outmaneuvered the bureaucracy—and lit a path every state can follow. It starts with a rotary parlor and a thousand cows. Before the sun comes up in Mandan, North Dakota, Dawson Holle is managing crews, driving the semi to pick up corn or straw, and fielding legislative calls from the Capitol. He’s 21. He’s the youngest elected lawmaker in state history. And this year, he overturned decades of dairy regulation to legalize on-farm raw milk across North Dakota. “I mean, I could go buy sushi. I coul...
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Ganahl: Trump’s new MABA commission puts conservation back in the hands of the people
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Ganahl: Trump’s new MABA commission puts conservation back in the hands of the people

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice While most folks were watching fireworks, President Trump was signing something far more lasting—an Executive Order that could reshape how we care for the land we love. It’s the kind of bold step we need to bring common sense back to how we manage the wild, wide-open spaces that make this country worth fighting for. The creation of the Make America Beautiful Again (MABA) Commission is about more than pretty trails and national parks. It’s about restoring common sense and local control in how we care for the land we love. As a board member of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC), I’ve long pushed for this kind of approach—where conservation doesn’t mean locking up our lands, but opening them to responsible use, careful steward...
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