Council goes on record against Amendment 81. Amendment 82 is next
Members voted 11-0 to oppose the statewide immigration-reporting measure. On Monday they take up a proclamation against the natural gas amendment.
Two statewide constitutional amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot would change how Denver governs itself, and the City Council is taking formal positions on both.
Amendment 81 would require police officers, sheriff's deputies and prosecutors to notify federal immigration authorities when they formally charge someone whose immigration status is in question, if the person has a prior felony conviction or the charge is a violent crime, The Colorado Sun explained. Supporters say it targets people accused of violent crimes. Opponents include Denver District Attorney John Walsh, who has warned that citizens and lawful permanent residents could be reported, 9News reported.
Amendment 82 would create a constitutional right for consumers to buy natural gas for cooking and heating and for distributors to sell it, CPR News reported. The Colorado Municipal League opposes it, saying it would undercut local building-code decisions, according to Axios Denver. Its backers include Advance Colorado.
Constitutional amendments need 55% of the vote to pass.
What our records add
The Amendment 81 vote. On Oct. 19, the Council adopted 26-1501, "A Proclamation Opposing Colorado Amendment 81 ... and Affirming Denver's Public Safety Priorities Act." Its sponsors were Council Member Jamie Torres and Council President Pro Tem Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez (Legistar). The official roll call:
- Yes (11): Alvidrez, Flynn, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Hinds, Kashmann, Lewis, Romero Campbell, Sandoval, Sawyer, Torres, Watson
- Absent (1): Gilmore
Torres read the proclamation into the record (video), and Gonzales-Gutierrez spoke against the amendment, saying it would force local law enforcement to work with ICE and hurt trust (video). The proclamation was first discussed at the Health and Safety Committee on Oct. 14 (video). The Public Safety Priorities Act it cites is Denver's 2017 ordinance limiting city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. CBS Colorado reported at the time that it passed 10-0.
A pattern this fall. This is the Council's second ballot-measure proclamation in two weeks. On Oct. 13 it adopted 26-1464, opposing Proposition 132 on fentanyl penalties, 11-0 with Gilmore absent (Legistar). At committee, Council Member Amanda Sandoval explained that Council rules require committee discussion before the body takes a stance on a ballot measure (video).
Amendment 82 is on Monday's agenda. Proclamation 26-1539, "in Opposition to Amendment 82," is listed for a Council vote on Oct. 26 (Legistar). It was presented at the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Oct. 21. There, Council Member Paul Kashmann introduced it with Council Member Stacie Gilmore as co-sponsor (video). Kashmann described the amendment's right to buy gas for home cooking and heating (video) and cited Denver's own plan to move off fossil fuels by 2040 (video).
A proclamation states the Council's position. It doesn't change any law, and it doesn't change what's on your ballot.
What's next
- Oct. 26: The Council votes on the Amendment 82 proclamation (agenda).
- Nov. 3: Election Day. Mail ballots must be received by 7 p.m. Colorado's Secretary of State explains registration deadlines, and the official measure text is in the state ballot information booklet.