Gov. Jared Polis continued to be vague about his housing policy plans this year when speaking Thursday night at a Colorado Sun event previewing the 2024 legislative session. (Watch a recording of the event here.)
He suggested that he plans to make another attempt at preventing local governments from restricting certain types of housing, whether that’s by policing building heights or limiting parking and accessory dwelling units, also known as granny flats. Such preemptions spelled the demise of the major housing measure Polis pursued in 2023.
“I think that defending property rights is a basic Colorado value,” he said. “And too often those property rights are infringed upon by government.”
When pressed on what preemptions may be on the table in 2024, the governor sidestepped the question.
Polis said, however, that he is “very supportive” of reforming Colorado’s construction defects laws, which govern when and how homeowners can sue homebuilders. Democratic leaders in the legislature are less jazzed about that idea, telling The Sun this week that they are more focused on other affordable housing paths.
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MORE: Some other big takeaways from the governor:
COLORADO LEGISLATURE
Top lawmakers talk taxes, migrants and name-calling at Colorado Sun event
State Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, had a message for short-term rental owners who are bitterly opposed to legislative plans to quadruple their property taxes: “The sky is not falling.”
Hansen said to expect “significant amendments” to a proposed bill that would tax many homes offered as short-term rentals at the same property assessment rate as hotels — a rate four times higher.
The bill, endorsed by an interim committee on tax policy this fall and set to be introduced at the Capitol this year, would bump all short-term rental homes up to the higher rate if they’re rented for more than 90 days a year. Hansen said that the measure is likely to be amended to tailor tax rates to how many days a year a short-term rental is rented, with properties that are rented out more days facing higher taxes.
“The balance that we’re trying to strike is to be able to allow people to own second, third properties, use them on a part-time basis and making sure that they’re taxed at an appropriate rate for that,” he said, “but then treating that differently from the corporate properties, the giant conglomerates that own thousands of these units across the state that are basically running them as hotels.”
“I think we’re just trying to do a thoughtful job of creating tax fairness,” Hansen added. “The intent here is not to destroy a certain business model or make things really tough on folks who do part-time rentals.”
On property taxes more broadly, Hansen and Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen expressed hope for bipartisan tax relief this year, after a November special legislative session saw little cooperation across the aisle. But how and whether to offset the impact of tax cuts on local services remains a wide gulf between the two sides.
Lundeen, R-Monument, insists the government collects too much money, period.
“The governor says we’re collecting too much in taxes,” he said. “I agree with that statement. We are collecting too much in taxes — property taxes, income taxes. We’re sitting on massive reserves, and we need to let that stay with the people.”
Lundeen said he wants to see two things in particular next session: cuts to commercial property taxes and allowing seniors to keep their homestead exemptions when they move. Hansen offered another idea for tax relief: an expanded income tax credit for renters, who have long felt overlooked in the property tax discussions.
Like the senators, House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, said they are looking forward to recommendations from a property tax task force, which must report to the legislature in March.
“Let’s hope the governor does not have a predetermined idea of what he wants this commission to come up with,” Lynch said.
The two leaders disagreed on how to deal with the influx of migrants in Colorado.
McCluskie praised a recent emergency appropriation of $5 million for nonprofits trying to help the migrants, who have largely come from Venezuela. She said her caucus will “continue to support Denver in their efforts to help migrants as they arrive and make that transition a smooth and safe life.”
Lynch said “we can’t be without compassion” for the newcomers, but taking care of migrants perpetuates the problem — “if we keep on giving that expectation that you’re going to be taken care of, they’re going to keep coming.”
“This is really a federal issue in that we’ve got our borders wide open right now,” he said. “But, once (migrants) are here, we’ll have to figure out how to make sure that we’re not letting people die on our streets. I see it being elevated to the state level sooner than later.”
MORE: Lynch and McCluskie said they’re working to address discord in their caucuses and in the House overall. Both blamed social media vitriol and national political friction seeping into the statehouse for creating an environment that prompted two first-year House Democrats to resign last month.
“We are underway with work to help our members better understand some of the expectations,” McCluskie said.
Lynch said there is a delicate balance of trying to maintain decorum and infringing on someone’s free speech rights.
“I’m very cautious to make sure that we don’t in the process … throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he said.
THE NARRATIVE
Adam Frisch is still framing his 3rd District bid around Lauren Boebert
Lauren Boebert may be gone, but she’s not forgotten.
Democrat Adam Frisch continued to frame his 3rd Congressional District bid around the Republican congresswoman from Garfield County after she announced last week that she was moving her reelection bid to the 4th Congressional District.
“Replacing Lauren Boebert in 2024” was the subject line of a Dec. 30 fundraising email sent out by Frisch’s campaign. The campaign sent out another email later in the day saying “we’re just $71,436 away from our goal and what we need to … replace Lauren Boebert in Congress.”
Frisch’s Boebert-themed emails continued in the new year.
“Adam is running for Congress again to replace Boebert — and although no one gave him a chance in 2022, every single political pundit now says that Adam absolutely can win in 2024,” Frisch’s campaign said in a fundraising email sent out Tuesday.
The irony is that while political observers did believe Frisch could beat Boebert this year, they now think his campaign is a longshot, assuming Republicans don’t nominate a candidate — say, former state Rep. Ron Hanks — who is as electorally shaky as the congresswoman.
“This is good news for Republicans’ chances of holding onto (the 3rd District), as Boebert was the main reason it was in so much jeopardy,” posted Dave Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst at the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election prognosticator. “Will move from toss up to lean (Republican).”
Frisch has been a fundraising juggernaut. It’s not clear he will be able to keep up the momentum now that Boebert has exited the race.
Meanwhile, Democrats running a longer-than-longshot campaign in the 4th District are trying to use Boebert’s entrance into their contest to fundraise themselves.
We received 18 emails from Dec. 27 through Wednesday from two Democratic candidates in the district: military veteran Ike McCorkle, a two-time loser to Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck in the 4th District, and John Padora, an addiction recovery advocate and newcomer to the district.
McCorkle sent 10 of the fundraising missives while Padora sent eight. Some of the subject lines: “No more nutjobs.” “Lauren Boebert is a grifter.” “Lauren Boebert ditches her district to run against me.” “I’m laying a trap for Boebert in her new district.”
Two other Democrats — Trisha Calvarese of Highlands Ranch and Karen Breslin of Elizabeth —have also filed to run in the 4th District.
STORY: Lauren Boebert will switch congressional districts to improve her chances of winning in 2024
STORY: Top Republican at Colorado Capitol jumps into crowded 4th Congressional District race
COLORADO NEWSLINE: Ike McCorkle arrested for alleged protection order violation
MORE: Hanks jumped into the Republican primary in the 3rd District last week. We reached out to see if he now lives in the district or if he still resides in Fremont County, which is in the neighboring 7th Congressional District.
Hanks’ campaign said “Ron is finalizing residency in Mesa County, and will be working his campaign for CD3 from there and from Pueblo County. The campaign added that “over the last 12 months, he has actively been looking at property up near Dinosaur National Monument.”
However, Hanks is registered to vote at an address in Fremont County, just south of Cañon City. His voter registration has been tied to the address since January 2019, according to records obtained by The Unaffiliated.
EVEN MORE: State Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, says he won’t run to represent Colorado’s 3rd District.
“We assembled a great team and amassed a competitive war chest, but ultimately decided the shortened calendar, which conflicts with the legislative calendar, is challenging,” Soper said in a text message Friday morning. “Therefore, I won’t be entering the CD3 Republican primary.”
ADDENDUM: Padora attacked Boebert on X for being a carpetbagger, but the reality is he hasn’t lived in the 4th District — or Colorado for that matter — for all that long himself.
Padora ran as a Democrat in 2020 to represent Pennsylvania’s 27th Legislative District in that state’s legislature. He lost to Republican Melinda Fee in the Lancaster County district by a whopping 46 percentage points. (Fee has held the seat, which leans heavily in the GOP’s favor, since 2013.)
Padora’s campaign website says shortly after the loss, he and his family relocated to Severance. (He registered to vote in Colorado in October 2021.) He said he has long ties to Colorado because he visited his aunt and uncle, who live in the Boulder/Estes Park area, in the summers. Those towns are in the 2nd Congressional District.
YOU HEARD IT HERE
MORE: House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, endorsed Boebert’s bid for the 4th District nomination Wednesday — the same day she made her district switch official with the Federal Election Commission.
“I am proud to endorse and fully support her campaign for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District,” Johnson wrote. “We need fighters like Lauren Boebert in Congress.”
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THE POLITICAL TICKER
VACANCY APPOINTMENT: A Democratic vacancy committee in House District 37 on Wednesday night selected Chad Clifford, treasurer of the Arapahoe County Democratic party, to replace state Rep. Ruby Dickson, who resigned from the legislature last month because of the vitriolic atmosphere at the Capitol. Clifford beat out activist and political scientist Ashish Vaidya in a 22-19 vote in the second round of voting. The appointment will reduce the number of women in the legislature to 48 from 49. Clifford will be one of 29 lawmakers serving in the Colorado General Assembly this year who at some point were appointed to a position in the Capitol by a vacancy committee.
ELECTION 2024: Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser this week endorsed Denver attorney Sean Camacho in the Democrat’s House District 6 primary bid against state Rep. Elisabeth Epps. “Sean Camacho is a talented lawyer, a committed public servant, and a quality person,” Weiser said in a written statement. “I know that he will lead with humility, a commitment to dialogue and problem solving, and compassion for others.” Weiser lives in House District 6.
LEGISLATURE: Former Thornton City Councilwoman and attorney Jacque Phillips, a Democrat, is the second candidate to file to run in House District 31, where Democrat Said Sharbini resigned last month. A vacancy committee vote to fill the seat is scheduled for Jan. 18. Mental health counselor Max Woodfin is a Boulder Democrat running to represent House District 49, the seat being vacated by state Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, as she runs for state Senate. Vivian Smotherman, of Durango, filed to run as a Democrat against state Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa. Samantha Halloran filed to run as a Republican to represent the open House District 18 seat in Colorado Springs where two Democrats are also running. The Unaffiliated has a full list of legislative candidates here.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The state spent $86 million less than expected in the 2022-23 fiscal year, which ended June 30. Gov. Jared Polis this week proposed spending most of the leftover money, $58 million, to reduce the state’s competency restoration waitlist. The money would provide 162 additional beds at mental health hospitals, allowing for quicker evaluations and treatment of those deemed incompetent to stand trial.
K-12: Economic forecasts show local property taxes will generate more money for K-12 schools than previously expected. But schools won’t necessarily benefit. Instead, Polis this week proposed a change to his 2024-25 budget plan that would redirect $50 million from schools to other state programs.
MEDIA: Vic Vela, the Colorado Public Radio host and reporter who once covered politics, is leaving CPR after nine years, he announced on X, formerly known as Twitter. Vela said he will announce his next career move in the future.
STORY: What’s Working: Colorado workers can start taking paid family leave Jan. 1
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Trump asks U.S. Supreme Court to review Colorado ruling barring him from the ballot over Jan. 6 attack
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Gun rights groups sue Colorado over ban on “ghost guns,” which lack serial numbers
THE DENVER POST: The first 10 years of legal marijuana in Colorado were a wild ride. What will happen in the next decade?
CBS DENVER: New report details grisly discoveries at Colorado funeral homes, recommends tougher regulation
9NEWS: Democratic leadership in State Capitol to deal with division, policy issues returning from break
9NEWS: Denver mayor says migrant crisis could cost city $180 million in 2024
COLORADO POLITICS: Colorado state Rep. Elisabeth Epps claims she has been expelled from Capitol office
COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO: Families with trans kids flee to Colorado as other states ban gender-affirming care
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Corrections & Clarifications
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