El Paso Politics

An El Paso mother has come forward with deeply troubling allegations against Joseph Dominic Saenz, the son of embattled Justice of the Peace Lucila Najera, including claims of alleged sexual abuse against two children spanning nearly a decade. The case has resulted in a court-issued protective order while an investigation is ongoing, and it adds another layer of scrutiny to a judge who has faced mounting questions about her conduct in office. Heidi Rodriguez, who shares a biological child with Saenz, voluntarily came forward to share her account. The alleged abuse involves two children: Rodriguez's eldest daughter, who is not Saenz's biological child, and the couple's now-12-year-old daughter, who is Saenz's biological child and Judge Najera's first grandchild. According to Rodriguez, the alleged abuse of the eldest daughter occurred while Saenz was serving as her stepfather. Rodriguez states that those allegations were investigated and referred to then-District A...

Justice of the Peace Lucila Najera appears to have YET ANOTHER issue with complying with the law, rules, and regulations as a judge.  At issue is a campaign mailer sent out by the Najera campaign that featured the logo of the County of El Paso.  At first pass it appears to be a blatant violation of the El Paso County Code of Ethics because Section 11.2 specifically says, “County public servants shall not utilize county equipment or supplies of any kind for political purposes.” The county seal/logo is unambiguously county property - it was created by, belongs to, and represents the governmental authority of El Paso County. It is funded by taxpayer dollars and exists solely as an instrument of official county government. Using it on a political mailer constitutes utilizing a county resource for a political purpose, which falls squarely within this prohibition. Texas Election Code § 255.003 independently prohibits an officer of a political subdivision from using public fu...

We have all seen the latest video of police violence. This time it was a restrained woman - already in handcuffs - who was punched multiple times in the face by a cop. The person in custody spat on the cop - and the cop was clearly responding from emotion, not an actual threat, but from emotion.  It was also a disproportionate response to what happened.  This is following another incident of police violence captured on video of a woman with two male police officers on top of her and was punched in the face.  Its time for Mayor Renard Johnson to spearhead the creation of a civilian police oversight board.  There is plenty of precedence across the country for this kind of thing - but I’ll point no further than the fact that our military - far more armed than our police forces - have civilian oversight. It has long been a tradition in our country to have civilian oversight.  This would be no different.  Over the weekend I had a conversation with some ...

I’m gonna say this upfront so nobody gets it twisted: I need to start showing up to Northeast meetings more often. Because if you think the Lower Valley knows how to throw down at a community meeting, the Northeast said “hold my local-establishment hot beverage.” Those meetings? Not boring. Not polite. Not your little rubber-stamp, nod-your-head, clap-on-command situation. Nah. They’re loud, messy, passionate… and honestly, exactly what democracy is supposed to look like when people actually care. And from what I heard, last night did not disappoint. So here’s the scene: Northeast Democrats meeting, decent turnout, and there’s a hot Justice of the Peace runoff race brewing. Naturally, candidates get invited to speak. Pretty standard. Pretty fair. Except - of course - someone had a problem. Because Judge Brian Haggerty didn’t show up. Now let me translate that real quick: he was invited… and chose not to go. That’s it. That’s the whole story. Nobody blocked him at the door. Nobody “sile...

A candidate that is a close political ally of controversial mayor of San Elizario, Texas Miguel Chacon, appears to have violated the 501(C)3 tax-exempt status of not one, but TWO non-profit organizations in San Elizario.  San Elizario is currently undergoing an election involving the mayor and his slate of political allies.  Here is a political ad that was shared on a San Elizario page by an admin who is another political ally of the mayor: The ad very clearly depicts the image of a candidate, the inclusion of the names of two non-profits Ayuda Inc and Familias Triumfadoras, and a plea to vote for the candidate - Debra Venegas. The non-profits and the plea to vote for the candidate are outlined in red with red arrows pointing in their direction. Those do not appear on the original post and are added to emphasize the violation.  (Additionally the portion pleading to vote for Venegas is also a violation of Texas Election Code because it does not include the word "fo...

Alright, I told you I was gonna bring receipts, and unlike certain elected officials in this town, I don’t show up empty-handed and hope nobody asks follow-up questions. So here it is. MAGA’s favorite candidate in a Democratic race right here in El Paso is… sitting down? Good. Justice of the Peace Lucilla Najera. Yeah, I can already hear the objections. “Nah, you’re reaching.” “That’s made up.” “Show proof.” Relax. I came prepared. Let’s start with Exhibit A: Darrel Mond. Now, if you’ve been around El Paso politics long enough, you’ve probably seen this guy floating around events like he’s on a frequent flyer program for ribbon cuttings. And wouldn’t you know it, he and Najera seem to have a standing RSVP together. Event after event. Photo after photo. Smiles, handshakes, the whole “we go way back” energy. At first glance, you might think, “Okay, maybe he’s just another Democrat supporter.” That’s the trick. Because like a lot of Republicans in El Paso who like to play...