Politics & Government

During a recent interview with Westword, former Congressman Tom Tancredo, who’s running for governor, said City of Denver employees who assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement representatives in ways that go beyond current city policy could be fined up to $1,000. Turns out he’s right, as indicated by a slide from a PowerPoint presentation sent to city employees, one of whom shared it with Tancredo. The graphic, on view below, notes that violations during interactions with ICE agents can lead to fines, jail time and even firing.

South High School has become a haven for refugees who come to Denver from around the world. Author Helen Thorpe spent a year in Eddie Williams’ class, learning from the students as they learned English and how to be an American.

Yesterday, November 13, as we’ve reported, 18th Judicial District DA and Aurora theater shooting prosecutor George Brauchler pulled out of the race for Colorado governor in 2018 in order to run for state attorney general in the wake of AG Cynthia Coffman’s own gubernatorial bid. Shortly after the announcement, Brauchler spoke to us in detail about the motivations behind his decision and his take on both the governor’s contest and the competition for attorney general in a frank Q&A on view below.

In one of the least suspenseful votes in recent Denver City Council history, the cat declawing ban pushed by council member Kendra Black and supported by, among others, Animal Planet star Jackson Galaxy and Paw Project founder Jenny Conrad passed at a meeting held last night, November 13.

On Monday, November 6, Denver City Council voted 9 to 4 to approve $200,000 for an immigrant legal defense fund. It was a $100,000 increase over what Mayor Michael Hancock originally budgeted for the initiative, which he enacted through executive order on August 31 as a supplement to another bill that limits the city’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

George Brauchler, currently the 18th Judicial District DA, has suspended his run for Colorado governor in 2018 in favor of pursuing the office of state attorney general opened up by AG Cynthia Coffman’s own gubernatorial bid.

At 23 years old, Murillo is the youngest council member in Aurora, and the daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first in her family to graduate from high school and college.

On Tuesday night, Democrat Ralph Northam won Virginia’s gubernatorial election against Republican Ed Gillespie, beating him by nearly nine points, higher than pre-race polling showed and Hillary Clinton’s margin of victory in the state in 2016.

With no statewide ballot issues, the election in Colorado yesterday, November 7, was hyper-local, with voters determining the fate of proposals that will directly impact them. Here are the latest numbers for Denver and other municipalities in the metro area in regard to the biggest issues.

Donna Lynne, a Democrat who’s both Colorado’s lieutenant governor and the state’s chief operating officer, is running for governor in 2018. In the following in-depth interview, she touts her experience in both the public and private sectors and her intimate understanding of policy under her current boss, Governor John Hickenlooper, as reasons voters should choose her from among a very crowded field bidding for Colorado’s top elective office.

Part of the City Park stormwater drainage project entails cutting down 260 trees, which protesters were none too happy about at a vigil they held this week for the trees. Readers have their own opinions about the trees and project as a whole.

The numbers of courthouse arrests were far higher than anyone – city officials included – realized: 31 courthouse arrests in Denver between October 2016 and early May 2017.

Vice President Mike Pence might have been the guest of the Colorado GOP, but protesters outside the fundraiser in Denver he was scheduled to visit on October 26 made it clear he wasn’t welcomed.

Our guide to the ballot measures Denver voters will see in November 2017, including I-300 and 2A through 2G.

Denver usually sees the highest demand for shelter space November through April. As we start to experience the first snow storms of the season, Westword checked in with the city to find out what shelter options are available during winter 2017-2018, and how those options may have changed from last season.

A year ago, Dan Baer didn’t think he’d ever run for office. But now, he is in a predicament: what to do next after his campaign, which started with a fundraising bang, came to an abrupt end.

On Thursday, October 25, the plaintiffs — Michaell Baca, Polly Baca and Robert Nemanich — and Secretary of State Wayne Williams announced they had reached a deal that would allow the lawsuit against Williams’s office to move forward with a few conditions.

This week, Denver City Councilman Albus Brooks shared on his Facebook page a racist email he received as a way of underscoring and decrying the hateful speech, messaging and behavior he feels has been unleashed by President Donald Trump and the forces behind his rise to power. According to Brooks, Caucasians and people of color have reacted to the post very differently.

Poor Mike Pence. The vice president of the United States is headlining a Colorado Republican fundraiser on October 26, and apparently the state Republican Party is having such a hard time selling tickets that they’re offering a “Groupon-like deal” to see him: $150 for one ticket or $275, the original price for a single ticket, for two.

If Colorado has an electoral twin, it’d be Virginia. Here’s why we should pay attention to the outcome of the November 7 gubernatorial race in our northern sister state.

Two Democratic challengers raised more than $400,000 last quarter, more than incumbent Mike Coffman’s $300,000+ haul. But that’s both good and bad for Dems looking to take down the five-term congressman.