The Climate Charter on May’s ballot has generated polarizing debate and fear-mongering. Local media coverage has tended to be more of the “he said-she said/they said-they said” variety rather than focused on water, renewable energy, and common-sense approaches to energy-efficient upgrades in future city building.
When I saw the slick anti-Prop K flyer in my mailbox, it became clear what power dynamics are at play in this upcoming election. The misleading flyers reminded me of those powerful people promoting council candidates who made the interests of developers and real-estate speculators a higher priority than working people’s interests.
Powerful forces in our community are working hard and spending lots of money to deter speedier climate action in our city government.
Co-authors and I published the short book, ”Who Rules El Paso?: Private Gain, Public Policy, and the Community Interest” in 2020. We used evidence to document the ways that powerful, non-representative and moneyed forces in our city use political processes to advance their aims.
How? The biggest example involves gaining subsidies for high-profile, often unnecessary but seemingly public efforts that we, the property taxpayers, pay for in bigger budgets. Yes, some are philanthropists, and we appreciate goodwill, but that deters questions about their ultimate aims.
The recent flyers, paid for by El Pasoans for Prosperity PAC, follow the much-hyped Chamber study, from Moscow Idaho, raising...
Published on April 28, 2026 In a determined effort to protect the reputation of one of Africa’s most iconic wildlife destinations, Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority has strongly denied false cl...