New Mexico Foundation for Open Government

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New Mexico Foundation for Open Government

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The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government -- We open the doors to democracy. For everyone.

10/15/2026

It’s a great day to hand out awards.
Today we are proud to present Dixon Freedom Awards to six New Mexicans.

10/12/2026

There are reasons people sometimes don't want public records revealed.

Even when those records are more than 500 years old.

Because they might reveal uncomfortable truths. Truths that force us to reconsider what we've been taught about history and the people we've been told to admire.

All of that is a long way of saying Christopher Columbus enslaved Indigenous people and allowed the s*x trafficking of young girls.

And we know this because of historical records, including Columbus's own words.

In 1493, before Columbus's second voyage to the Americas, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella explicitly ordered him not to harm the Indigenous people of the Caribbean and to punish anyone who mistreated them.

Seven years later, Columbus was arrested and returned to Spain in chains, following accusations of brutal treatment of the Indigenous Taíno people while he was governor of Hispaniola.

Trying to defend himself, Columbus wrote a letter to a woman with close ties to Queen Isabella, who had financed his voyages.

In that letter, he described the trafficking of women and young girls:

"A hundred castellanos are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm ... there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten are now in demand."

Nine- and ten-year-old girls.

Those were his own words, written more than five centuries ago.

The letter doesn't prove Columbus personally sold those children. But it does prove he allowed s*x trafficking of children to happen.

As for the slavery, some might argue that it was simply accepted in those days, but Columbus had been ordered by the Spanish monarchs not to enslave the Indigenous people.

Which raises a question:

Why did we ever celebrate a holiday honoring this man?

In 2019, New Mexico replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day.

And that's something worth celebrating.

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day.

10/11/2026

Six months. More than 30 meetings. Countless hours of discussion.

New Mexico’s public records Task Force held its final meeting Friday. Its report, with recommendations to the state Legislature, is expected by Thursday.

The task force — offically called the Inspection of Public Records Act Task Force — faced a difficult challenge shared by states across the country: Help government agencies manage a dramatic increase in public records requests without sacrificing public access.

Members brought very different perspectives to the table. Some advocated for people requesting records. Others represented the government employees responsible for providing them.

They didn’t always agree.

But throughout the meetings, discussions remained respectful, thoughtful and constructive. Members listened to opposing viewpoints and worked to find common ground.

That’s something worth celebrating.

Today, we recognize eight people who devoted extraordinary time, energy and expertise to tackling this challenge.

Thank you for your service and your willingness to listen, even when you disagreed.

Special thanks to the New Mexico Department for organizing, chairing and guiding the process over the past six months.

IPRA TASK FORCE MEMBERS
· Madeleine Zaritsky — New Mexico Department of Justice
· Greg Williams — New Mexico Foundation for Open Government
· Lalita Moskowitz — ACLU of New Mexico
· Belinda Mills — New Mexico Press Association
· Michael Eshleman — New Mexico Association of Counties
· Rebecca Martinez — New Mexico Municipal League
· Kenneth Stalter — Attorney representing members of the public in public records lawsuits
· Ethan Watson — Attorney representing government agencies in public records litigation

Regardless of what comes next, these eight New Mexicans demonstrated something important: People with deeply different perspectives can sit at the same table, listen to one another and work toward solutions.

And that’s something our democracy needs more of.

10/08/2026

Just one week left to get your tickets to the Dixon Awards!

So, what are we doing cleaning a vintage stagecoach clock?

Our theme this year is “Now’s the Time.” And we decided to take that literally.

Every table at the Dixon Awards will have a different clock as its centerpiece — and every clock will be up for bid in our silent auction.

There’s a Waterford crystal clock. A silversmithed Christmas chiming clock. A flying frog clock. This vintage stagecoach clock. And quite a few others.

So while we’ll spend the afternoon honoring six New Mexicans who decided now was the time to stand up for democracy, you might also go home with a pretty great reminder that now’s the time for the rest of us to make a difference, too.

📅 Thursday, Oct. 15 | 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
📍 Sandia Event Center, Albuquerque

Get your tickets: https://www.nmfog.org/dixon-award-luncheon

10/07/2026

Join us Thursday, Oct. 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for NMFOG’s annual Dixon Freedom Awards Luncheon, celebrating six New Mexicans who stood up for democracy, public record access and First Amendment freedoms.

And come ready to bid.

Our silent auction includes some incredible items:

🎈 A hot-air balloon ride for two
🏀 Courtside Lobo basketball tickets
💎 Diamond and gemstone jewelry
♨️ A $1,000 Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa gift certificate
🍽️ Dining and other experiences

Come for lunch. Celebrate some remarkable New Mexicans. Bid on something you love. And help support NMFOG’s work defending access to public records and meetings and protecting First Amendment freedoms.

📅 Thursday, Oct. 15
⏰ 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

To get your ticket to our good cause, please go to our website: https://www.nmfog.org/dixon-award-luncheon

10/02/2026

The state Livestock Board spends taxpayer money on formal investigations into its employees.

Back in 2017 and 2018, the agency investigated several people, including a former deputy director, in relation to claims of gender discrimination and pay disparity.

Ever since then, people have asked to see the findings.

Just this year, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that the public has a right to inspect these kinds of investigative reports.

The Livestock Board *did* release them. But the documents were completely redacted.

Every sentence. Every word. Every period. All 37 pages.

There’s a problem with that: The New Mexico Supreme Court said government agencies can’t do this.

The justices ruled that investigative reports of public employees cannot simply be withheld in their entirety. People have a right to see the underlying facts and other nonexempt information.

And the Court warned that allowing agencies to withhold entire investigative reports “would invite abuse and frustrate … the fundamental right to inspect public records.”

That’s why we’re suing.

You have the right to see the records.
And, like always, when a government agency refuses to provide records you are entitled to, FOG will fight for your rights.

09/21/2026

Domestic violence and trafficking survivors shouldn’t have to risk their safety to get public records.

That seems like something everyone would get behind.

But apparently not.

Several months ago, certain members of the state’s Public Records Task Force — officially called the IPRA Task Force — suggested that people from outside New Mexico should have to pay for public records or shouldn’t be allowed to get them at all.

We pointed out the problem with this: To know who’s from New Mexico and who isn’t, everyone requesting a public record would have to provide proof of who they are and where they live.

That would mean giving a driver’s license, voter registration or utility bill.

With a person’s real name. And real address.

And for domestic violence and trafficking survivors, that could mean real danger.

Because that information becomes a public record that an abuser could request.

We raised this concern with task force members at the time. Over and over.

They brushed us off. Every time.

Those same task force members, still pushing to make everyone prove who they are and where they live, want the task force to send a version of their proposal to the Legislature.

Email the IPRA Task Force at [email protected] by Thursday, Sept. 24 — the deadline was extended — and tell them that no one should have to choose between getting a public record and protecting their safety.

09/19/2026

Under a proposal being considered by the Public Records Task Force, you would first have to prove you live in New Mexico — and give ID — before you can get a public record.

Even if all you want is a copy of a car crash report.

The Public Records Task Force met this week to consider what changes to public records law it will recommend to the Legislature. One proposal would charge out-of-state requesters for records. For example, someone in Texas requesting a copy of a New Mexico government contract could be charged $30.

But there’s a catch:

To charge people from outside New Mexico, the government has to determine who lives in New Mexico.

That means every requester would have to prove residency — and provide some form of identification — before getting a public record.

There are states that already do this, where requesters are required to provide documentation such as a driver’s license, voter registration or utility bill.

But what if you don’t have those documents?

Would that mean you can’t get public records?

That would create a very real barrier for people experiencing homelessness or escaping domestic violence or human trafficking — people who need government documents to get housing, jobs or other assistance.

So why are some members of the task force supporting this?

For one reason: It would stop people from making record requests.

And record custodians, who are overwhelmed, would then have fewer requests to deal with.

We sympathize with overwhelmed record custodians. But no one should have to prove who they are and where they live to get a public record.

These records are public so we can keep an eye on the government — not the other way around.

The online comment portal has closed, but you can still tell the Public Records Task Force what you think through Monday.

Email your comments to [email protected].

09/16/2026

There’s only a month left to get your ticket to the Dixon Awards.

A ticket means you get to enjoy chicken enchiladas and beef fajitas while honoring six people who stood up for democracy and First Amendment freedoms.

But your ticket does something else.
Every ticket is also a donation that allows us to help New Mexicans stand up for their own rights.

They might need expert help when a government agency denies them access to public records they have a legal right to inspect.

They might need an advocate when they’ve been shut out of a public meeting they have a legal right to attend.

They might be a journalist, a parent, a student, a retiree — or simply someone who asked their government a question and was told “no.”

Your Dixon Awards ticket helps make sure they don’t have to take “no” for an answer without knowing their rights

Join us Oct. 15 at the Dixon Freedom Awards and help us keep doing this work.

To buy a ticket or table, go here: https://www.nmfog.org/dixon-award-luncheon

09/08/2026

Nothing says “we needed the long Labor Day weekend” quite like making a video about Labor Day — and forgetting to post it on Labor Day.

Better late than never. Here’s a little backstory about why you got yesterday off.

Address

Albuquerque, NM

Telephone

+15057643750

Website

https://nmfog.org/, https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/UVLA6SHGEFSEC

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Anton Chico Land Grant Assoc.
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