Pueblo City Council: Not wobbly on domestic partner benefits, just disorganized

Pueblo City Council made headlines Monday when it voted 5 to 1 to indefinitely table an ordinance that would have extended benefits to the domestic partners of gay city employees. The move came as a shock to the sponsor of the proposal, to the members of the public who packed the council chambers and to state political analysts long used to seeing solidly Democratic Pueblo lead on gay rights.

Denver protest targets Wells Fargo

A couple of dozen people gather on a busy downtown street with signs and bullhorns, and the question that bystanders and reporters alike want to ask is always the same: “What do you want to accomplish?”

Denver coalition looks to feds to crack city’s alleged coddling of brutal cops

Citing institutional weakness and failure, a Denver activist coalition is demanding federal authorities intervene to address police brutality in the city.

Colorado Progressive Coalition plans ‘organized chaos’ against Wells Fargo

Calling themselves “giant killers” the Colorado Progressive Coalition (CPC) announced a campaign of “organized chaos” against Wells Fargo Thursday morning for what the group said were the bank’s predatory practices and illegal foreclosures.

Education initiative draws lukewarm response from some due to effect of tax on poor

The absence of a progressive income tax structure in Initiative 25 has stopped some progressive organizations from getting on board with State Sen. Rollie Heath’s attempt to stem what has become a yearly bleeding of dollars from public education. While Heath and others agree a graduated tax structure would have been the preferred path, they said the initiative remains education’s best tourniquet while long-term solutions are worked on.

Bill to increase cost of payday loans dies in committee

A bill to increase fees on payday loans died Thursday, leaving consumer advocates happy and payday lenders less so.

AG’s Udis sides with consumers in payday rulemaking

DENVER — After four hours of testimony and deliberation in the old Supreme Court chambers of the state Capitol, First Assistant Attorney General Laura Udis decided to reverse her proposed payday lending rules and effectively reinsert consumer protections which…

Suthers campaign cash hangs over payday loan hearing

Attorney General John Suthers is not writing the new rules that will govern the payday loan industry in Colorado. That’s why he is playing down the $10,000 in campaign donations he has received from the industry, saying the cash won’t influence the final contours of the new state regulations. The person writing the rules, Laura Udis, has worked in the attorney general’s department of consumer protection for more than two decades. She told the Colorado Independent that Suthers has so far not been involved in her work on the path-breaking payday legislation that was passed in the spring and that she expects Suthers to remain uninvolved.

Colorado’s new informed-consent bill celebrated as tool to fight racial profiling

DENVER– On Monday lawmakers and civil rights activists celebrated Governor Bill Ritter signing into law the so-called informed consent bill, which requires police to tell people they have a right to refuse to be searched during interaction with authorities. Although the bill drew rare bipartisan support in the fractious legislature this session, supporters were concerned that Ritter, a long-time tough District Attorney loath to dilute law enforcement power, might veto the bill. He didn’t, which was cause for celebration.

Colorado payday loan regulation battle moves backstage

DENVER– The war to regulate payday loans in Colorado continues behind the scenes at the capitol here. Lobbyists and lawmakers are working hard to shore up votes for and against legislation introduced by Denver Democrats Rep. Mark Ferrandino and Sen. Chris Romer weeks ago. The bill is stalled for now as negotiations over proposed amendments continue.

“We are working the bill hard,” Ferrandino told the Colorado Independent. “And, as you know, the other side is definitely working it hard, too.”