Around the Roundhouse

Jonas Moya has a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it.

Over the weekend, the Democratic Party of New Mexico held its pre-primary convention where party delegates voted to designate candidates for the June ballot. Candidates needed to receive at least 20% of the vote to earn a spot on the ballot. Those who failed to meet the threshold need to submit additional petition signatures by next week to run in the primary.

As a Democratic candidate for state land commissioner, Moya received about 7% of the vote at the convention. On Thursday, Moya said he needs about 1,700 more signatures to qualify for the primary.

On the latest episode of “Around the Roundhouse,” Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón speaks with Moya about why he’s decided to keep fighting to stay in the race and discuss what his priorities would be if he were to be elected state land commissioner.

A fourth-generation rancher from Tucumcari, Moya is a former Joe Biden-appointed state director of the Farm Service Agency. He talks about his experience working in the agency and his other relevant experience.

Moya shares what he would focus on if elected, including addressing an incoming “tidal wave” of retirees at the State Land Office, building and diversifying revenue streams, and using state land for affordable housing projects. He also talks about how he would address dumping on state land.

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Albuquerque-based radio host Eddy Aragon has spent several years looking into what went on at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch and has received calls from listeners who he says have provided insight about the workings of the property south of Santa Fe.

In 2019, Aragon received an anonymous email alleging the bodies of two foreign girls were buried near Epstein’s property. “Both died by strangulation during rough, fetish sex,” the anonymous email said. The writer claimed to be a former staff member at the ranch. Aragon forwarded the email to the FBI, and the email is among the millions of documents released in the Epstein files.

Aragon, who hosts “The Rock of Talk” on KIVA 1600 AM, spoke with Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Daniel J. Chacón on the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast to discuss his history with the Epstein case. He talks about how the public’s curiosity spurred his early interest in the case. He also expresses his frustration with the lack of attention Epstein’s wrongdoings received from state officials and the media until the release of the Epstein files.

Aragon says he knows who the sender of the anonymous email is and that he relayed that information to an FBI agent. He also claims to know who many of the people who were employed at the ranch were and their relationships with each other.

Aragon shares his thoughts on the new Epstein “truth commission” that was formed during the state’s recent 30-day legislative session to investigate what went on with the ranch.

“We need to get this stain off of our state of New Mexico,” he said.

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An opportunity to connect with survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein prior to the State of the Union address Tuesday had a powerful impact on Andrea Romero, a New Mexico state representative who co-sponsored a resolution to create a so-called “truth commission” to investigate Epstein’s activities at Zorro Ranch in southern Santa Fe County.

The Santa Fe Democrat, who was a guest of U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury at the State of the Union, shared her experience in the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, saying the survivors told her that out of Epstein’s operations in various states, “New Mexico was basically the worst.”

During the episode, Romero speaks with Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón about the formation of the Epstein “truth commission,” its mission, its members and how it plans to operate as it creates its reports over the next year. “This isn’t about politics, it’s about bringing justice to survivors,” Romero said.

Romero also discusses the recently completed legislative session and two pieces of contentious legislation she co-sponsored — the Clear Horizons Act and a bill that would have banned the sale of some “extremely dangerous weapons” in New Mexico. Both bills failed to pass.

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The 2026 30-day legislative session came to a close Thursday with Democrats largely touting it as a success following an overhaul of the state's medical malpractice law, the funding of universal child care and more. 

One of the bigger news items to come out of the final full day of the session was an omnibus tax package with 1% raises for state employees. Rep. Derrick Lente and other House Democrats helped get the raises across the finish line after they had been previously removed from the budget in the Senate. 

In the latest episode of "Around the Roundhouse," Lente joins Santa Fe New Mexican politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to talk about how it took a creative solution to reinstate the raises for state employees. Lente, who chairs the House Tax committee, also shares his thoughts on the power of the Senate Finance Committee, which had previously stripped the raises.

Chacón also asks Lente about his position on a measure that will go before voters to determine whether state legislators will receive a salary, how he feels about what lawmakers accomplished during the session, and how he decompresses at the end of a session.

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With just over a week left in New Mexico’s 30-day legislative session, a handful of bills have been passed and signed into law but there’s still a lot up in the air for lawmakers. Some of the bills passed so far have had bipartisan support, but others have faced strong opposition by the Republican minority in both chambers.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong joins Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to offer her take on the good, the bad and the ugly of the session so far.

The Magdalena Republican starts with sharing her support for the interstate compacts for doctors and social workers, and the medical malpractice reform bill that is still working its way through the Legislature.

Armstrong also discusses her opposition to the passage of House Bill 9, a bill to ban local governments in New Mexico from contracting with the federal government to detain undocumented immigrants and others with pending civil immigration cases. She later talks about Senate Bill 17, a gun control bill Republicans have called unconstitutional.

Chacón asks Armstrong about Republicans’ hopes of picking up seats in the Legislature in the upcoming election. She discusses what it’s been like being in the minority party, saying “we’re really sick and tired of being pushed around” and that better balance is needed in the Roundhouse.

Armstrong ends the podcast by talking about her House district, which is the largest in the state and very rural. “I probably have more cows and elk than I do people. I kind of like it like that,” she says.

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New Mexico made national headlines last year with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s announcement that it would be the first state in the country to offer child care to all families at no cost. Elizabeth Groginsky, secretary of the state Early Childhood Education and Care Department, was at the governor’s side during the news conference and has been a key figure in the landmark initiative.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Groginsky joins Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to discuss the progress of the program since the September announcement, the national recognition the initiative has received and the challenges ahead.

The governor’s push to remove all income limits to the child care assistance program is one of the most discussed issues during the current 30-day legislative session as lawmakers hash out a budget for the coming fiscal year. Groginsky speaks on her department’s desire for fully funding the program and on concerns regarding child care provider capacity.

To learn more about applying for universal child care and to access a child care finder, visit https://www.nmececd.org/child-care-assistance/.

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Cristina Parajón’s first day at the Roundhouse as a lawmaker got off to a bit of an awkward start when the  sergeant-at-arms initially wouldn’t let her in her seat in the House chamber because he thought she looked too young to be a legislator. With some notable early legislative successes, the now 28-year-old is relishing the opportunity to have a seat at the table and is making a name for herself at the Capitol.

The Albuquerque Democrat, who is the youngest woman serving in the Legislature, helped pass a bill last year that allows semi-open primaries in New Mexico. It allows voters who don’t state a party affiliation to cast a ballot in a Democratic or Republican primary without changing their registration.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Parajón joins Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to discuss her path to the Roundhouse, her early legislative victories and her priorities for the current 30-day session.

Born to a Nicaraguan father and a Taiwanese-American mother who are both medical professionals, Parajón took an interest in health care access and housing issues at an early age. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard, a master’s degree in business and economics, and is now in her second year of law school.

Parajón was appointed to represent House District 25 in 2023 and won the seat in an election the following year. Chacón asks her about the legislation she’s helped pass thus far and how she views the opportunity to be a voice for younger generations of New Mexicans.

Parajón also discusses some of her priorities for the current session, including a constitutional amendment to pay legislators a base salary and a bill that would continue a pet food manufacturer fee that helps fund statewide spay and neuter programs.

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During his years serving in the Legislature, state Sen. Jeff Steinborn has championed and passed a wide variety of legislation including the creation of an independent ethics commission, setting campaign contribution limits and banning the storage of high-level nuclear waste in New Mexico. This year, some of the bills Steinborn is working to pass bills involve increasing lobbyist transparency and holding data center microgrids in the state to renewable energy standards.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast the Las Cruces Democrat joins Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to discuss the first week of the 30-day legislative session and offer insight into some of the bills he’s championing.

Steinborn, a member of the Legislative Finance Committee, speaks on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s plan to provide universal child care to New Mexico residents and if he thinks the state can fully fund it.

Steinborn also talks about the reintroduction of a lobbyist transparency bill, House Bill 35, that would require lobbyists to report when they lobby on a bill and if they were for it or against it. It would also require reporting if a lobbyist was involved in the creation of a bill prior to a session.

In 2025, the lobbyist transparency bill Steinborn co-sponsored passed the Legislature but was vetoed by the governor. Steinborn goes over why the governor said she vetoed the bill and discusses the changed that were made for the new bill.

Another major piece of legislation Steinborn is pushing for is a microgrid oversight act that would require new microgrids creating self-generated power to adhere to the same renewable energy mix required of publicly owned utilities. Currently, Steinborn said microgrids that power data centers are not required to generate any power through renewable sources. He said 40 percent of energy generated by public utilities in the state today must come from renewable sources.

Steinborn discusses how the proposed legislation could impact Project Jupiter, a massive data center project in Doña Ana County, and other projects in New Mexico.

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Residents in communities across New Mexico have felt the impact of a physician shortage that has led to patients facing long wait times and a struggle to schedule appointments. A bipartisan group of state legislators has been working to help improve access to health care through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which would allow fully licensed physicians in one member state to obtain licenses more quickly in other member states.

State Sen. Linda Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, is a lead on the bill that will be introduced as the 30-day legislative session opens next week. She joins the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast to speak with Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón about the importance of the bill, the changes that have been made since last year, and her level of confidence that the bill will reach the governor’s desk.

Trujillo discusses other bills she’s been working on, including legislation that deals with nontraditional health care options being included in health coverage plans, a bill addressing human trafficking and a juvenile justice bill.

Chacón asks Trujillo, a member of the Legislative Finance Committee, if she anticipates a battle over child care funding between legislators and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The LFC’s budget plan that was released last week didn’t fully fund the governor’s free universal child care initiative.

Trujillo also talks about how she preps for the legislative session, what the transition has been like going from the House to the Senate, and how her background as superintendent of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department has helped her now that she’s back in the Legislature.

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New Mexico’s 30-day legislative session is less than two weeks away and the Legislative Finance Committee just released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2027. The committee’s $11.1 billion spending plan is similar to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s but doesn’t fully fund the governor’s free universal child care initiative.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Rep. Nathan Small, the LFC chair, joins Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to discuss the committee’s budget proposal. He delves into how the committee develops its budget recommendations, highlights its priorities, and talks about the key differences between the LFC’s plan and the governor’s.

Small, a Democrat from Las Cruces, also discusses his upbringing in El Cerro Mission, his connection with the outdoors, and how he views the responsibility of being the LFC chair. 

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