GenXJen

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GenXJen

GenXJen

@GenXJenDen

Happily married & Trying to Live not by Lies in Denver, Colorado. Picture of the lake and boathouse, City Park 9/2014

Denver Katılım Ağustos 2021
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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
Tuesday, March 17 Denver City Council and the Denver Planning Board will get an update on the “Unlocking Housing Choices” planning process. 🧵 The ends the City seeks are to add units in neighborhoods and increase affordability. The presentation focuses on: are the proposed strategies economically feasible for builders? So far, only builders have been consulted. Denver residents can weigh in starting next week. Note: the dates may change. My thoughts and questions: 1. I think it is wrong to limit gross floor area in order to induce added density on a lot. It limits choice and is enough of an economic cudgel to result in the complete erasure of single family home neighborhoods, one lot at a time. I would encourage Council to reject this strategy. 2. Considering the significant costs added to home building caused by current City policies, codes, and practices, I would suggest that the City get its own house in order if it genuinely cares about building attainable housing. 3. Does the market want this? ADUs have been allowed everywhere, but aren’t getting built without significant subsidies from the City and State. Why? It suggests that a) there is not a lot of demand for homeowners to add households to their lot, or b) it is not economically feasible in Denver given our codes, fees, policies, and permitting practices. 3. I know many of our City leaders and planning staff envision a transit-dependent future and are hostile to parking, but that is not how most Denver residents want to live. The models included 2-4 parking spots on surface lots. I’m curious how appealing that is in scenarios with more than 2 units on a lot and how that ties in with the City’s curb use plans that aim to time-restrict parking on the street…or blocks with no street parking due to bike lanes…or electric car charging codes, etc. Final Thoughts: I live on a block with apartment buildings, old homes divided into 4+ units and single family homes. I’m not opposed to density or creative land use. I am opposed to limiting gross floor area in order to induce more units to be built. Let the market decide and preserve the option for future households to live on a lot without sharing it. Be careful with affordability bonuses and blending deed-restricted and market rate units on the same lot; this could get messy. Be realistic about parking needs. Don’t let your hostility to cars crowd out people’s preferences and needs. If you care about this, watch the meeting next week, attend the public meetings, write/call your Council rep.
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Val L
Val L@SuperOfMyHome·
I believe, like 99.9% sure, that Tabor existed almost 10 years ago when the Dems were not in a majority. During that time our state had a surplus. Accountability for your own party’s bad spending behavior would be nice for once. You all are like a broke college student that thinks a credit card means free cash.
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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
@MiddaKneged He’s done a good job; several worthwhile reports in the last year.
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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
Excellent summary of the Auditor’s key findings on the Mayor’s All-In Mile High program. I’ve read the Auditor’s full report and would add that he also took issue with both the no-bid sole-source Salvation Army contract and the sloppy record keeping on the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless contract. Loose procurement practices, no proof of contract monitoring, and haphazard expense tracking raise the potential for picking pals, higher costs, improper use of funds and outright fraud. The Auditor wants solid goals, a proper needs assessment, strategic plans, careful stewardship of public funds and program evaluation. He shouldn’t hold his breath. The Mayor and staff leading All-In don’t want a needs assessment because it would disrupt their deeply held belief that chronic street homelessness is a housing issue. A needs assessment would put in black and white that most of the people in the hotels are addicts and/or mentally ill people in need of inpatient treatment or structured, accountability-based transitional programs, not an apartment application and a voucher with voluntary services. Meeting a caseworker once a month to fill out benefits paperwork and self-assess their progress toward self-designed goals won’t cut it. But, that’s the easier, softer way by design—the soft bigotry of low expectations held by those who believe harm reduction works. Plus, it keeps the “affordable housing” dollars flowing to those who profit off of dependence and suffering. Heck, CEDP gets cash to run the voucher program AND defend against much needed evictions once the tenant has outstayed their welcome. I expect the evaluation underway will glowingly report how many people were “housed” and not much else. Certainly not how many former All-In clients were evicted or paid off to vacate a unit. Certainly not how many are sober, or mentally stabilized, much less how many are employed and self-supporting. Those would be indicators of recovery; a state of being the Mayor and team have no interest in.
Do Better Denver@dobetterdnvr

The City Auditor just exposed Mayor Johnston COSTLY & INEFFECTIVE All In Mile High homelessness program. @DenverAuditor “The public’s questions about the spending and effectiveness of this program led to my office looking into this initiative. Our audit AFFIRMS THEIR CONCERNS,” Auditor O’Brien said. “Housing thousands of people is a noble ambition, but our audit’s findings do NOT encourage confidence All In Mile High is delivering effective results.” Major findings: 💰They underreported costs by $20.1M!! The city claimed it spent $158M but actual expenses were $178.1M. ❌ No one is tracking citywide expenses. Each department just spends however they want with no consistent rules. ⁉️ They launched the program without doing a real needs assessment. ✅ Success metrics and goals keep changing. The public dashboard throws in EVERY homelessness program (not just AIMH), counts TEMPORARY hotel rooms and couch surfing as “permanent housing,” and doesn’t care if those people end up back on the street weeks later. Mayor’s office response? ‼️ They disagreed with 5 out of 12 basic accountability recommendations. 🙄 Called the $20 million gap “unintentional.” 🤐 Refused to hand over their expense spreadsheets to the Auditor, claiming they’re “deliberative planning documents.” And then there’s Cole Chandler, still out there gaslighting the public nonstop. Telling everyone that everything is great and that we have moved thousands indoors. Uh..housing thousands of drug addicted criminals with taxpayer dollars forever is not a success, Cole‼️

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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
On Monday, Denver City Council will introduce a bill to issue Certificates of Participation (COPs) in the amount of $108 million to finance a new fire alarm system in the Colorado Convention Center. First brought to Council in July 2025, why was this critical need not included in the GO Bonds voters passed in November ‘25? COPs typically have higher interest rates than GO Bonds and if lease revenues from the assets (here 2 parking garages) are lower than the payments, the obligation must be paid out of the General Fund. What is the advantage of COPs for this purpose over inclusion in the GO Bond? I won’t comment on whether the price tag is right (although it seems high to me). Anyhoo, I’m worried about the City of Denver’s finances—still no public update on sales tax revenues in 2026 that I’ve been able to find, which is also concerning. In other news, Council cancelled the Health and Safety Committee meeting typically held on Wednesdays, so no update on the Municipal Sentencing Reform debacle this week. Hopefully that means prosecutors, victim advocates, and citizens raising the alarm over the proposed changes is making an impact.
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Do Better Denver
Do Better Denver@dobetterdnvr·
All in Mile High expenses were actually $20,100,000 higher than reported publicly 👀 The audit found as a subfinding that no single office or individual is responsible for tracking and monitoring All In Mile High expenses across the city, making it difficult to maintain clear oversight of how funds are being spent.
Auditor Tim O'Brien@DenverAuditor

We compared All In Mile High expenses identified in Workday data with expenses reported by the Mayor’s Office. We identified $178.1M in total spending, about $20.1M more than the $158M reported publicly, highlighting gaps in how program expenses are tracked and reported.

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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
@SuperOfMyHome This is really bad, and really broad. This provision suggests that any scholarship where donors get a federal tax break for giving is implicated. Every Catholic school in Denver offers sliding scale tuition subsidized by local Catholics, much less our scholarship programs.
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Val L
Val L@SuperOfMyHome·
Want to guess how the Dems and Polis are going to weasel their ideology into private schools in CO? Remember that BBB money for school choice that Polis so “graciously” accepted and many of us were like what’s the catch? Here’s the catch. HB26-1292 would force scholarship providers and school recipients, through students, to follow CADA. All that gender ideology shoved into private schools.
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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
@citizens_denver I genuinely don’t know. I’d love it if someone from Boulder could theorize. I suspect it’s partly socioeconomic, and despite its leftism, Boulder is a hard place to be downwardly mobile when spiraling out in addiction. Perhaps many move before they’re at the end.
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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
Reading this post, I was surprised that City of Boulder only had 25 fatal ODs in 2025. Denver’s population is 7X Boulder’s (~100k v 700k), yet we had 22X more fatal ODs. If we had the same rate per capita as Boulder, 2025’s total should have been about 175, not 558. Grim.
Boulder Police Dept.@boulderpolice

Officer Seriously Injured in Drug Sales Arrest; Suspect given $100 Bond Option BOULDER, Colo. – A Boulder Police officer was seriously injured last night after a drug suspect tried to run and the pair fell into Boulder Creek during the struggle. Despite the suspect’s criminal history, the serious nature of this crime, and the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office asking for a $20,000 secured bond, County Court Judge Eang Man gave the suspect a $1,000 bond with the option to only pay $100 to be released. “This incident is deeply troubling—not only because one of our officers was injured as a direct result of a suspect fleeing, but because it highlights the very real dangers that drug trafficking poses to our entire community,” Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said. “I also have serious concerns about whether the full risk to our community, the severity of this incident, and risk to and impact on our officers was reflected in the bond decision. This is a pattern that is frustrating because these bond decisions directly impact community safety and the well-being of the men and women who serve Boulder, as well as their families.” Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said, “This defendant is charged with a serious drug felony. It is especially aggravated because it happened in a public space in downtown Boulder. Then, the defendant caused significant and scary injuries to the police officer who attempted to enforce the law. I’m very thankful that the officer has been discharged from the hospital. Given the defendant’s criminal history, his actions here, and the injuries suffered by the officer, our prosecutor asked for a high, secured bond. That was definitely the right thing to do. Our office will continue to fight for justice in this case.” The incident began at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, when officers were patrolling on foot in Central Park at 1236 Canyon Blvd. after receiving community complaints about drug dealing as well as calls of overdoses in the area. Officers saw a woman smoking suspected methamphetamine and while speaking with her, she pointed to a man near the creek who she said had sold her the drugs. Officers then spoke with that man, but when they asked him to sit down, he started to run away. An officer gave chase and the pair fell into the creek during the struggle to take him into custody. Despite the suspect landing on top of the officer and the officer hitting his head on a rock in the water, the officer managed to get up, hold on to the suspect and get him into custody with other officers before he collapsed. His fellow officers called for an ambulance and the officer was transported to the hospital. The officer suffered a serious concussion and cuts and bruises but has thankfully been discharged and is recovering at home. “According to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office, there were 26 fatal drug overdoses in the City of Boulder in 2025, many occurring in public spaces. This is exactly why our officers were proactively working to identify and stop those who are selling dangerous, potentially deadly drugs in our city,” Chief Redfearn said. “Last night, our officers were doing exactly what our community has asked of us. If the water levels in the creek were lower, or higher, this situation could have easily resulted in a life-altering or even fatal outcome. We are incredibly grateful that our officer was not severely injured.” The suspect in this crime—Kai Brown (date of birth 12/06/1976)—was found with several individually-packaged baggies of suspect methamphetamine. He was charged with: · 18-3-204 Assault in the Third Degree - Misdemeanor · 18-18-407 Special drug Offender - Felony · 18-8-103 – Resisting Arrest - Misdemeanor · 18-8-104 – Obstructing a Peace Officer - Misdemeanor · 18-18-405 –Distribution of a Level 1 Drug - Misdemeanor · 18-18-403.5 – Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance - Misdemeanor As in every criminal case, these charges are an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

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Do Better Denver
Do Better Denver@dobetterdnvr·
Also worth noting: Any overtime for DPD officers assigned to these non-police duties would still be paid from the DPD budget, not from DOTI's budget. This move quietly siphons resources away from the police department's core budget and is a form of defunding the police by reallocating costs.
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Denver Police Dept.
Denver Police Dept.@DenverPolice·
#MissingPerson - Plz Read & RT: #Denver can you help us find Ivan Villalobos. He has been missing since approximately 3 pm today from the area of W Evans Ave & S Bryant S. If you see him or know his whereabouts, please call 720-913-2000.
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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
Sure seems like it. The article says he’s on administrative leave, but not what prompted it. I didn’t recall him being named as the whistleblower on the airport land swap deal when it went public last summer. His allegations are different from what we usually see in disgruntled employee suits in the press. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
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Don Marshall
Don Marshall@MarshallDActual·
Every red-blooded American patriotic celebration of the semiquincentennial of the United States of America should have this running on a loop all day long. 🤣
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Jake Fogleman
Jake Fogleman@Jake_Fogleman·
Difficult to say for sure without more specific insight from Xcel on this particular incident, but in general, the distribution grid is just old and getting stressed. Until recently, it was the least sexy part of the grid for policymakers to encourage investment in. All of the attention has been on pushing Xcel to shutter coal, build renewables, and invest in new transmission lines. That changed recently with SB24-218, which basically gave Xcel a blank check to upgrade its distribution grid to advance decarbonization goals. But those investments will take place gradually over the next few years.
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GenXJen
GenXJen@GenXJenDen·
@FreeStateColor1 Really good news; glad common sense prevailed. Too bad it didn't carry over to other committees today.
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FreeStateColorado
FreeStateColorado@FreeStateColor1·
BREAKING: HB26-1301 which would have asked voters for new taxes on alcohol and marijuana FAILS in committee! Big Government Bob Marshall strikes out! The vote was 6 to 5 to stop this bad bill! Rep. Hamrick who is in a swing seat voted yes...
FreeStateColorado@FreeStateColor1

New: Today in the House Health Committee, there will be discussion and a vote on HB26-1301 which would send a new tax on marijuana and alcohol to the ballot this year... Watch to learn more:

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