Housing policy experts warn that urban sprawl creates other problems, such as the lack of transportation infrastructure needed to connect people to jobs, food and other resources.  (Photo: Elizabeth Beard, Getty Images)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

Nevada’s housing crisis isn’t new, nor is the push by local and state elected officials to open up federal land beyond city limits to build more affordable units.

Yet land availability is just one part of the equation, and experts say the state would be better served focusing on permanent funding for affordable housing projects on available land within the metro area’s current boundaries.

As President Joe Biden made his way to Southern Nevada in March to speak on federal solutions to address the nationwide housing crisis, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo sent a letter criticizing the White House for not making more federal land available to build more housing.

“To address the housing crisis, the State of Nevada and our local communities need to access the land that is within their respective borders,” Lombardo wrote. “Unfortunately, we must rely on acts of Congress and severely backlogged federal agencies to secure the land necessary to grow. The federal process for privatizing land for development is too slow, too complex, and contributes to higher costs for Nevada families seeking homeownership.” 

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) estimates Nevada lacks more than 78,000 affordable homes for extremely low-income households, defined as those with incomes at or below the federal poverty level, which is about $31,000 for a family of four.

“At the end of the day, what makes affordable housing affordable is the financing,” said Wally Swenson, the vice president of corporate affairs at the nonprofit developer Nevada HAND, which builds affordable housing units. “For Nevada HAND and our developers’ perspective, it’s about having robust financial resources to build, it’s having affordable and available land to build on and it’s having favorable zoning.”

The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law by Biden in 2021, allocated billions of dollars of federal funds to Nevada. 

Former Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, pledged $500 million of ARPA dollars for housing, which gave the state needed dollars to address financing gaps and either build or preserve affordable housing projects. 

Swenson said it created an unprecedented amount of funding for the development of affordable housing. But those dollars are finite and will only go so far.

Around 3,000 units are being built statewide using federal relief money.

“It’s not going to get us out of our crisis alone,” he said. “What we can do as a community is come together to identify the different ways to address this crisis, from land availability to making additional financing available to developers.”

Lombardo didn’t respond to the Current’s emailed questions about what specific proposals, if any, his office has looked at to address financing gaps in building and developing affordable housing projects.

Yonah Freemark, the research director for the Land Use Lab at the D.C. based economic think tank Urban Institute, said some communities throughout the country have looked at identifying new revenue sources, such as various tax increases, to fund affordable housing projects. 

Maurice Page, executive director of the Nevada Housing Coalition, said the coalition is “looking at best practices around the country” but isn’t ready to back a particular idea. 

He said the state could include looking at real estate taxes or property taxes. 

“We have to be very creative in where we can raise taxes without affecting our current workforce,” Page said. “We have to be able to offset some of these costs. These are issues where we have to be able to look at and analyze to see if that would be a win for us and a win for the state.”

Another area the policymakers should consider is seeking more support for housing from corporations when they locate to Nevada, and “seeing if they would be willing to put in their budgets money for housing for their workforce,” Page said. 

With the high volume of people in need of housing – Swenson said Nevada HAND gets thousands of inquiries every week – the state has reached “a point in time where every conversation should be on the table.”

“The conversation of tax increases have been thrown out by legislators in session,” Swenson said. “That hasn’t moved forward.”

‘You push up transportation costs’

Though land is needed to build more housing, not all types of land are the same. 

The majority of federally owned lands are on the perimeter of the Las Vegas Valley, meaning its development will result in more urban sprawl.

Housing policy experts warn that urban sprawl creates other problems, such as the lack of transportation infrastructure needed to connect people to jobs, food and other resources.  

“Land plays a huge part,” Page said. “Let’s not also forget the fact that when we’re opening up more land and trying to get homes built, we also look at the infrastructure. We have to look at child care, transportation, utilities. We have to look at all of that as well. All of that costs money.” 

Alex Horowitz, the project director of the Pew Charitable Trust Housing Policy Initiative, said the further people get from work, grocery stores and school, “even if you’re adding more housing you push up transportation costs.” 

“Transportation is often the second biggest item in a families budget after housing,” he said. “If you add housing further and further out from the places people go every day, that’s usually a recipe for extending commute and pushing up transportation costs.” 

Freemark added that just because federal land might be an option, “doesn’t mean we should necessarily build housing on it.”

“I do approach the use of federally owned lands with a bit more skepticism because it’s often going to result in negative outcomes for sensitive ecologies,” Freemark said. “And frankly, it’s going to encourage more driving.”

M.J. Maynard, the CEO with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, warned Clark County commissioners in April that future revenue projections indicate the agency could start seeing a $156.3 million deficit starting in 2028. 

Those projections are just for maintaining existing roadways.

Building housing on new federal land further away from city limits would also require building, and then maintaining, new roadways and transportation infrastructure. 

While there has been a push to use federal land, there are no parameters on the type of housing could be built there if freed up. 

The Current reached out to the Howard Hughes Corporation, a real estate developer that has built master planned communities like Summerlin, to see how making more federal land available would affect their ability to develop more housing. 

They declined to comment.

Swenson said Nevada HAND’s model is to identify infill development, which utilizes existing urban spaces. The nonprofit developer, he said, has worked with local governments to address zoning barriers to build more units. 

Horowitz said there are still more solutions cities and states can research to address its housing shortage. 

“We see states making sure certain types of housing are not prohibitive by localities that have adopted exclusionary zoning,” he said, referring to laws that restrict the types of homes that can be built. “Nine states have legalized accessory dwelling units when a single family house or duplex usually has a basement or backyard apartment or they can convert a garage into an apartment.” 

Horowitz points out the City of Las Vegas is triple the size of Paris, which he added “has more than triple the population of Las Vegas.”

It’s possible to build more housing within the city limits. 

“Even though sometimes cities, you hear people say if the city is built out because if there isn’t a lot of open space or green fields to build on, we see jurisdictions can succeed at adding housing within city limits,” he said. “Often that means people can live closer to the places they go every day.”

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Voters have already started receiving mail ballots, and early in-person voting begins Saturday, May 25. (Photo: Hugh Jackson/Nevada Current)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

Ahead of Nevada’s June 11 primary election, Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar outlined new guidance around when counties should start tabulating votes in order to make sure results are released as soon as possible.

Nevadans have already begun receiving ballots in their mailboxes, and in-person early voting begins Saturday, May 25 and runs through Friday, June 7.

Speaking to press on Wednesday, Aguilar said his office is instructing county officials to begin tabulating early voting returns and mail ballots at 8 a.m. on Election Day.

Counties are being instructed to submit their results to the Secretary of State’s office by 6 p.m. to “allow our internal team to conduct verification and quality assurance as we always do,” he said. 

“The new guidance is very important as more and more voters opt to participate in the electoral process in different ways either during early voting or by mail,” Aguilar said. “We will be able to release more data to the public more quickly with this new process.”

The timeline, Aguilar said, will not only aid in transparency and allow for results to be released quickly, but also help “get ahead of any potential misinformation” around the election. 

Republican officials, encouraged by former President Donald Trump, have used lag times in election results and the voting process itself to baselessly claim there was rampant voter fraud in recent election cycles. 

Aguilar said 120 voters have cast their ballots through Nevada’s Effective Absentee System for Elections (EASE), which is available for military and overseas voters, tribal members and people with disabilities. 

More than 4,700 mail ballots have been returned statewide.

Though vote-by-mail was made universal, voters can submit a form to opt out from receiving a mail ballot. There have been hiccups in that process. 

The Reno Gazette Journal reported that 2,700 people in Washoe County received a mail ballot despite requesting not to receive one.  

Aguilar said the state is in the process of implementing a new “top down voter registration system” that would help address glitches like that seen in Washoe County. 

“I think you’re seeing the challenges of the legacy system,” he said. 

He added that the county “has done a tremendous job addressing the issues and getting out in front of them” and that he didn’t “foresee any future issues.”

The Secretary of State’s office originally announced they would implement the new voter registration system prior to this year’s June primary, but that timeline was amended after county election officials expressed concern.

In addition to new guidance, Aguilar highlighted recent efforts statewide to ramp up recruitment efforts to get more poll workers, which has included reaching out to veterans and youth 16 and older. 

“Last month we announced a new partnership with Vet the Vote to encourage the veteran community, who know the value of serving and protecting our fundamental rights, to step up again for our community,” he said. 

Aguilar campaigned on efforts to protect poll workers, who experienced greater levels of harassment as the result of misinformation and conspiracy theories.  

The state last year passed an Election Worker Protection Act to make it a felony to threaten or intimidate election officials. 

Sigal Chattah, a Republican who lost her 2022 attorney general race by the largest margin of all the statewide races that year, filed a lawsuit challenging the bill on behalf of three plaintiffs, including a virulent right-wing conspiracy theorist and regular GOP donor.

A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in April. 

“Despite the challenges to our Election Worker Protection Act, we’re focused more than ever in ensuring our poll workers are safe and protected through June primary and November general,” Aguilar said.

The post Nevada Secretary of State outlines timeline for counting primary election ballots appeared first on Nevada Current.

A volunteer packs food at Three Square Senior Hunger Campus. (Photo courtesy Three Square of Southern Nevada)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

Food insecurity climbed across Southern Nevada last year with an estimated one in five children uncertain where their next meal is coming from, according to the latest findings from Three Square Food Bank.

Data released Thursday as part of the Feeding America’s 2024 Map the Meal Gap Study comes after food pantries and services providers warned in 2023 that end of pandemic era benefits on top of rising costs could increase the number of people relying on food assistance programs.

“The surge in food insecurity underscores pressing challenges Southern Nevadans face,” Beth Martino, the president and CEO of Three Square Food Bank, said in a statement. “Inflation and rising living expenses, especially grocery prices and rent, are causing financial strain for too many of our neighbors.”

The report, which includes data from Clark, Nye, Esmerelda and Lincoln counties, all within Three Squares service areas, found 341,480 people, or one in seven, were deemed food insecure.

Combined food insecurity rates for all four counties increased from 12% in 2022 to 14.7% in 2023. An estimated 14.6% of Clark County residents were food insecure, up from 12% the previous year.  

The highest rates are among Esmeralda and Nye counties, at 18.4% and 17.3% respectively. Both counties had a 13.9% rate the previous year.  

The report also found that rates among children spiked from 17.8% in 2023 to 22%. Roughly one in five children, about 115,000 children, live in food-insecure households.

The fear that more people might need to rely on food banks began last year after the supplemental allotment for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, ended. The additional monthly payment began during the pandemic. 

Martino spoke to state lawmakers at the interim joint Committee for Health and Human Services April 8 about the rise in demand the nonprofit has seen.

“Most recently from September through the end of February we saw a 23% increase,” she said. “What’s unique about what we see now in the data is not as many new people are coming into food pantries but people who were food insecure in the past are becoming repeat customers.”

Three Square, which provides food with the assistance of 150 community service providers, distributed more than 43 million pounds of food last year throughout Southern Nevada and anticipates the amount to grow this year.

Martino cited a report earlier this year that found “Nevada has the second highest grocery prices in the country,” and said that coupled with skyrocketing rent prices has added to the strain.

“Those earning minimum wage in Nevada at $11.25 an hour, potentially without health insurance, need to work 82 hours a week in order to afford a one-bedroom apartment,” she noted. 

Martino encouraged lawmakers to revisit universal free school lunches in the next legislative session as a way to keep “children well fed and nourished so they can learn and ultimately live their best lives.”

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill carried by Democrats in 2023 that would have provided universal free lunch for K-12 students. 

“Having universal access to free school breakfast and lunches is something that can make a meaningful difference in the life of the child, but also to a family as a whole who may be struggling to put food on the table,” she said. 

The post Southern Nevada food insecurity increased last year, Three Square says appeared first on Nevada Current.

(Getty Images)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

As local governments in Nevada have used one-shot federal recovery relief dollars toward mental and behavioral health services, city and county officials stressed the importance for state lawmakers to figure out a sustainable funding source.

During Monday’s Interim Committee of Health and Human Service, officials from Clark County, Washoe County, the City of Las Vegas and rural Nevada updated lawmakers on successes and failures of efforts to connect people experiencing mental health crises to behavioral health services. 

The options for people needing emergency mental health services largely have been for them to go to the emergency room or be arrested and jailed. 

Jurisdictions have been able to use dollars provided by the American Rescue Plan Act, a relief package signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021, to begin setting up regional crisis stabilization centers, operating mental health courts and expanding mobile outreach programs as an alternative. 

Those funding operating many of those programs is finite. 

Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones noted the county was able to use ARPA dollars to purchase a psychiatric hospital to turn into a crisis stabilization center. 

“The state has provided fantastic funds for many programs such as the funding for a crisis stabilization center,” Jones said. “In order to make that facility or any facility viable, there has to be a dedicated funding stream for years to come.” 

Many jurisdictions across the country that are able to offer more robust mental health services have access to stable and consistent funding sources that Nevada does not, Jones added.

“In San Diego County, they benefit from a millionaire tax,” he said. “In Miami-Dade County, they collect a 1% sales tax on food and beverage for homeless programs that support mental health services.” 

Local governments during Monday’s hearing highlighted various efforts in recent years to fund a 988 crisis line and expand mobile crisis teams that come to meet people in help

UMC, which Clark County is working with for its crisis stabilization center, is in the process of contracting a mental health provider to administer and staff it. 

The center is expected to start taking patients starting late December. 

“We don’t think one crisis stabilization center is going to meet the entire needs of Clark County,” said Abigail Frierson, the deputy county manager with Clark County. “We believe we need three or four.”

Officials said additional types of care are needed when people leave the crisis stabilization center. 

“Where do people who are unhoused go to continue their care once they’ve been stabilized?” Frierson asked. 

The City of Las Vegas is looking to expand its Recuperative Care Center, which  offers medical services for the unhoused population, to also offer mental and behavioral health.

Sabra Newby, the deputy city manager with the city of Las Vegas, said the city contracts with the federally qualified health center, Hope Christian Health Center, to operate the facility within the Corridor of Hope, the area downtown where homeless services are located. 

The center currently has 40 beds. The expansion would increase the number of beds to 76. 

“That would add the crisis stabilization unit to the facility and let us service the type of patient that we currently can’t serve that may be both recovering from sort of injury or illness or surgery but may have a higher level of mental health need,” Newby said. 

Newby said the city was awarded a $10 million grant from the state, which came from the ARPA dollars, for the expansion. It is taking an additional $7 million from the city’s share of ARPA funding.

While the city is still determining the exact costs of the project, Newby said early estimates indicate the city will be short about $5 million. 

Similar to efforts in Southern Nevada, a crisis stabilization is in the process of opening in Washoe County later this year, in partnership with Renown Regional Medical Center. 

Steve Shell with Renown said ARPA dollars are being used to renovate the space and cover operating expenses in the first year.

“I want to stress we really have to think beyond the first year at sustainability,” he said. “It’s great to stand up centers like this but we are going to really need to make sure they can sustain for the long haul. I don’t think anyone wants to stand up a new model that can’t continue beyond a certain time.”

Aside from a sustainable funding source to operate facilities, health officials also named other issues hindering access to behavioral health services, including low Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers and the lack of mental and behavioral health providers within the state. 

The post One-shot federal funding for NV behavioral health services is winding down. Now what? appeared first on Nevada Current.

Naomi Duerr, left, and Angie Taylor. (Campaign photos)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

A Democratic veto-proof majority in the Nevada Legislature could come down to the race for Senate District 15, a previously Republican-held seat that was redrawn to give Democrats an advantage. 

The Nevada Senate Republican Caucus, which identified the Northern Nevada district as one of four seats it needs to win, said in a fundraising email this week that a Democratic legislative supermajority would result in “bad liberal policy.”

First-term Assemblywoman Angie Taylor, who has been endorsed by the Nevada Senate Democratic Caucus and leads in fundraising among all the candidates, said she isn’t thinking about what policies could be passed if Democrats have enough votes in both the Senate and the Assembly to override Gov. Joe Lombardo’s vetoes in 2025. 

“When I’m knocking on doors you know what I’m not hearing? Supermajority,” Taylor said. “When I’m knocking on doors and talking to constituents, that’s not where they are focused on and that’s not what I’m focused on.”

Democrats hold 13 of 21 Senate seats, which is one shy of a two-thirds supermajority. 

Democrats already hold a supermajority in the Assembly, which Gov. Joe Lombardo and his fellow Republicans are hoping to break this election year.

Lombardo vetoed 75 bills, a record number in the 2023 session. 

The bill that were killed included modest tenant protections, rent protections for seniors for one year, funding for universal free lunch for K-12 schools, and health care coverage for pregnant undocumented women. 

Taylor said “there is an opportunity to bring some of those back if there is a supermajority in both houses” but added her attention is first on winning the primary.

“At the end of the day, supermajority or not, I want to win the seat and represent what’s best for people,” she said.  

The seat was previously held by Republican state Sen. Heidi Seevers Gansert, who decided not to seek re-election. Democrats redistricted the seat along with Senate District 18 in 2021.

There are currently 31,466 registered active Democrats in SD 15, 26,521 registered active Republicans and 28,979 active nonpartisans. 

While the seat is seen as competitive, Democrat challengers have outraised Republicans. 

Taylor has raised $69,539 according to the most recent campaign finance report, while Democratic Reno City Councilwoman Naomi Duerr has raised $28,775 in an attempt to win the primary. 

The Republican caucus endorsed Mike Ginsburg over Sharron Angle, a former Assemblywoman who lost against Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid in 2010. Angle also ran, and lost in the U.S. House Republican primary for Nevada’s 2nd congressional district in 2006 and again in 2018.

Ginsburg has raised $12,500 while Angle has raised $4,500

The third Republican candidate on the primary ballot, Charles Mark Nuemann, has reported no campaign contributions.

None of the Republican candidates responded to requests for comment.

State Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus said in an email this week that if Democrats obtain a veto-proof majority, it “will result in more ‘Ram-and-Jam’ marathons that we saw under the previous Democratic trifecta, indifferent to industry testimony or public concern.”

“The same bad liberal policy coming out of places like California and Oregon will be passed right here in Nevada, despite our state being split into even partisan thirds of Republicans, Democrats, and Nonpartisans,” she said

Duerr said she prefers to be a collaborator and “if I was asked to overturn a veto I would have to do my homework.”

Lawmakers, she added, could potentially look at a “sweep of bills that address housing, evictions and tenants rights” if they had a supermajority.  

‘Still work to do’

Taylor served on the Washoe County School Board for eight years. She resigned from the position when she was elected to the Assembly in 2022. 

With her background in education, she said she would want to reduce school classroom sizes and increase teacher pay. 

Lawmakers in 2023 approved Senate Bill 231, which allocated a $250 million matching fund designed to provide raises for educators and others employed by districts.

“I’m very proud to be part of the largest education increase in the history of our state,” she said. “As big of an increase as it is and as big of a step as it is, it doesn’t get us to the national average so there is still work to do.”

Taylor said the biggest concerns she has heard when knocking on doors has been around health care costs, including high prescription drug prices. She wants lawmakers to look at ways to address health care affordability and accessibility. 

“I’m a breast cancer survivor,” she said. “While I was diagnosed, a friend of mine was also diagnosed. I had better health coverage. We both beat it, thank God. But my experience was better than hers …. It shouldn’t be the case based on money.”

Duerr has served on the Reno City Council since 2014 but is termed out. 

If she wins the seat, she named affordable housing as one of her top priorities. The state, she said, should look at ways to limit “the rate rents can rise” specifically for seniors who lived on fixed incomes.

As a geologist with a background in water policy, she is said she would focus on addressing the climate crisis and water issues if she won the seat. She said the state should look at how it treats groundwater and surface water differently even though they are interconnected.

Similar to Taylor, she said fixing Nevada health care shortage, including lack of resources to address mental health, was a priority for her.

Duerr also wants to fix Nevada’s veterinarian shortage.

Animal shelters in Northern Nevada, she said, are backed up with requests for services including spay and neutering services and “the demand is very great.”  

If students leave Nevada to study veterinary medicine, she said the state could look for ways to entice them to come back. 

“Vets have huge education bills the same as doctors,” she said. “It would be great to come up with a way to defray their expenses if they come back to Nevada.”

The post The race could decide if Dems win a veto-proof Legislature, but they don’t want to talk about that appeared first on Nevada Current.

(Photo: April Corbin Girnus/Nevada Current)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

The Nevada Democratic Senate Caucus, which has a credible chance of winning a veto-proof majority this year, has yet to endorse a candidate in Senate District 18, while Republicans in the primary race have a sizable lead on fundraising, endorsements and party support from Gov. Joe Lombardo. 

The district, which was left vacant after the term-limited Republican State Sen. Scott Hammond resigned in October, was previously considered a solidly red district in past elections. 

Democrats redrew the district in 2021 and made it more competitive. 

SD 18 currently has 30,866 active registered Democrats, 33,663 active registered Republicans and 32,729 active registered nonpartisans.

Former Clark County Fire Department Chief John Steinbeck, who is endorsed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, Assemblyman Richard McArthur, and businessman Josh Leavitt, who is endorsed by Hammond, are running in the Republican primary. 

Steinbeck has raised $69,542, according to campaign finance reports. Leavitt has raised $17,875, and McArthur has raised $21,000.

On the Democratic side, Ronald Bilodeau, who finished a distant second in the SD 18 Democratic primary in 2020, and first-time candidates Iman Joseph and Donald Connors have reported no campaign contributions.

The Nevada Senate Democratic Caucus has not endorsed any of the three Democratic candidates ahead of the June 11 primary.

“SD 18 is on our list of emerging districts and one we’ll continue to monitor as we enter the General Election,” Greg Lademann, the executive director for the Nevada Senate Democratic Caucus, said via email.

Nevada Current also asked the caucus how it planned to be competitive in SD 18, in a campaign cycle with a veto-proof majority on the line, if Democratic candidates aren’t raising money?

The caucus declined to answer. 

Meanwhile, Connors and Bilodeau said they have yet to make any connections with the caucus. Joseph was unavailable for comment.

Further underscoring a seeming indifference to the district from Democratic officials and stalwarts, groups typically aligned with Democrats are making endorsements – not in the Democratic primary, but in the Republican one.

Leavitt has received a primary endorsement from the Nevada Conservation League while Steinbeck received one from the AFL-CIO. 

Both Leavitt and Steinbeck were the only Republican Senate candidates to receive endorsements from either group. 

The last time the district was contested – prior to redistricting – when Republicans held a far greater voter registration advantage in SD 18, the Nevada Democratic Senate Caucus endorsed Liz Becker months ahead of the primary. 

Less than 11,000 people voted in that primary in which Becker crushed Bilodeau, receiving nearly 90% of the vote.

Hammond won the seat in the general election with 56% of the vote.

With the Republican voter registration edge narrowed after redistricting, Republican primary candidates acknowledge the seat is more competitive than in prior campaign cycles.

“Both sides have a big stake in SD 18 going one way or another,” Leavitt said.

Steinbeck said the district won’t be an easy win. 

“Republicans do outnumber the Democrats in that area but independents are even with Republicans almost,” he said referring to nonpartisan voters. The Republican nominee will have to  “appeal across the aisle and certainly to the independents to win this seat,” Steinbeck predicted.

McArthur didn’t respond to requests for comment. 

On the Democratic side, Connors also views the seat as “very competitive.” While Democratic voter registration still lags both Republicans and nonpartisans, “the numbers aren’t that bad,” he said. 

“I am stunned Democrats haven’t done more to select a candidate,” he said. “This is one of the seats that if they actually do win it, and I think it’s very winnable all things being equal, this would make them a veto-proof legislature.”

Democrats already hold a veto-proof majority in the Nevada Assembly, and hope to retain it after the November election. Combined with a veto-proof Senate, Democratic lawmakers could enact a legislative agenda and/or stymie that of Gov. Joe Lombardo.

But both Connors and Bilodeau said they’d prefer Democrats use the process of compromise and finding bipartisan solutions rather than just relying on veto overrides. 

Bilodeau said since the Republicans have already garnered a lot of support “it is going to be an uphill battle” to be competitive in the race going into the general election.

“I hope after the primary (the Nevada Senate Democratic Caucus) will jump in and say, ‘hey, we want to challenge the Republicans,” he said. “That’s yet to be seen. I’m waiting to see what happens.”

‘Cherry picking who they want’

Leavitt criticized Lombardo’s endorsement of Steinbeck and is arguing that he is a better choice to ensure the district remains a Republican seat. 

“I think it’s pretty well known that the Lombardo machine is cherry picking who they want as loyalists to be up there,” he said. “I look at that and I think that is the wrong approach. Legislators need to work for the people and not the governor.”

Leavitt added that there has been “pressure that has been put on me to drop out from a variety of people aligned with the governor.” Leavitt declined to name names.

Steinbeck pushed back, saying if elected he’s not going to be a Lombardo “yes man.”

“The governor asked me to come up there because he knows how effective I am,” he said. “He understands I’m effective at making policy and also at getting a group of people to work in a cohesive manner and find compromise. He didn’t ask me so that he could run to control me. He asked me to run so I could be an asset.”

Leavitt said a 2011 investigation of Clark County firefighters abusing sick leave and overtime pay could make Steinbeck, the former fire chief, vulnerable to Republican attacks. 

“I think Lombardo’s team made an error and miscalculated when choosing who was their loyalist,” Leavitt said. “They completely forgot that 2011 firefighter scandal.”

Leavitt pointed to information on Transparent Nevada that shows Steinbeck’s base pay in 2009 was $71,346 and overtime pay was $80,515.

“This is something that could be brought to attention and put Republicans at risk,” he added.

Steinbeck dismissed Leavitt’s claim, saying he wasn’t the chief of the department at that time, and that while others were disciplined, he wasn’t one of them. 

“I have no discipline for overtime within my entire career or improper use of sick leave for my entire career,” he said. “He’s grasping for straws on that.”

And if Democrats do win a veto-proof majority?

Steinbeck said one of his “biggest concerns about a veto-proof majority is to see some of the policies come through that the governor has already had to veto.” 

That included Assembly Bill 298, which capped rents at 10% for one year for seniors older than  62 and Nevadans relying on disability insurance benefits

He also worried Democrats would enact criminal justice reforms. 

“When we take a look at L.A, Portland, Seattle and the law enforcement posture they’ve taken in those cities and the incredible detrimental effects that’s had, my fear is that kind of policy could be pushed here,” Steinbeck said.

Leavitt said he understands wanting to protect the power of the governor’s veto. However, he said wants to focus more on finding compromise on legislation, saying “Democrats and Republicans want to solve the same problems, just with different approaches.”

“The mantra is protect the veto,” he said. “The veto is a good tool to have but if it’s used, it’s a failure of the legislation. You didn’t compromise. You didn’t work together.”

The post Even after district was redrawn to be competitive, Senate Dems give it the cold shoulder appeared first on Nevada Current.

More than a dozen Nevada Republicans are hoping to convince voters that they are congressional material. (Photo: Jeniffer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

As Congressional Democrats look to flip the House this election, which Republicans currently control with a razor-thin margin, Nevada’s three Democratic congressional incumbents are running to retain their current seats.

A slew of Republican candidates are hoping to take on the three Democrats in the general election. The overwhelming majority of them have previously lost other state and federal offices on numerous occasions, and several of them are running predominantly self-funded campaigns.

Several of the Republican contenders have announced support for, and mimicked the positions of, former President Donald Trump. He has yet to endorse any of the Nevada Republican primary candidates for Congress.

Many of the candidates have attacked Democratic opponents for positions on immigration and called for Congress to “secure the border.” Trump earlier this year tanked a bipartisan-supported bill, opposed by immigrant and civil rights groups, that included tougher immigration enforcement while expanding presidential powers to expel migrants. 

Absent from Republican candidates’ campaign websites is any stance on abortion access.  

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which Trump has taken credit for, the support for abortion access has been a pivotal question among voters as more states have adopted harsher laws restricting abortion and punishing people for seeking them. 

Congressional District 4

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford has raised nearly $3 million in the first quarter of this year, according to the most recently available report from the Federal Election Commission. 

He has $1.7 million cash on hand. 

Horsford first won the district in 2012 but was unseated in the red wave of 2014. He regained the seat in 2018 and has held the seat since.

State lawmakers shifted more Democratic voters into the district during 2021’s redistricting process. The upcoming race is deemed “likely Democrat” according to The Cook Political Report. 

Horsford will face off against one of three Republicans, a group including former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee. 

Lee is the only current candidate running in all congressional districts who has received an endorsement from Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.

During his time in the state assembly and senate, Lee was a Democrat. He was then ousted in a primary by Democratic state Sen. Pat Spearman in 2012. He was elected mayor for North Las Vegas in 2013.

Lee switched his party affiliation to Republican in 2021, preparatory to a race for governor in the 2022 Republican primary, finishing fourth.

During that race Lee wrote an op-ed for the Reno Gazette Journal citing his opposition to abortion rights as a key reason he left the Democratic Party.

“This year, our nation has a historic opportunity to end the atrocity of abortion,” Lee wrote.  “On Dec. 1, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case, a case I pray will overturn Roe v. Wade and deliver a historic victory for our nation, the unborn and the global pro-life movement.”

He also falsely claimed Democrats, and some moderate Republicans, supported “abortions up to the moment of birth.”

Transgender Day of Visibility, which has taken place on March 31 every year since 2009 to recognize trans people, this year fell on the same day as Easter, which occurs the first Sunday after the full moon of the spring Equinox. 

Trump’s campaign criticized Biden for acknowledging the annual event on Easter Sunday. Lee joined in on attacks against Biden and Horsford asking on social media “is this how you are showing respect to the many denominations observing this holy Easter weekend?”  

Both Biden and Horsford sent out tweets celebrating Easter. 

Despite the name recognition and endorsements, Lee, who has raised $737,000 with $640,000 cash on hand according to recent FEC filings, doesn’t have the biggest campaign warchest  among contenders in the CD4 Republican primary. Most of Lee’s contributions, $500,000, are in the form of a personal loan from the candidate. 

David Flippo, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, has raised $871,000 according to the FEC’s current filings. However he has less cash on hand than Lee with $292,000. Flippo has contributed $667,000 to his own campaign, according to the FEC

Flippo ran for a Nevada Assembly seat in 2022 but came in third in the Republican primary.  

Another Republican candidate, Bruce Frazy, a former attorney and accountant, hasn’t raised any money. 

Horsford also faces opposition in the Democratic primary from first-time candidate Levy Shultz.

Independent American Party candidate Russell Best and Libertarian Party Tim Ferreira have also filed as candidates in CD4.

Congressional District 3

Despite Trump winning the 3rd Congressional District in 2016, the Congressional seat has been held by Democrats for four consecutive terms. 

Democratic U.S. Rep Susie Lee was first elected to the district in 2018.

Potentially the most competitive race in Nevada, the seat is currently ranked “lean Democrat” by the Cook Political Report. She won her 2022 race by nearly three points.

One of the half-dozen Republicans who have filed to unseat Lee is former Nevada Treasurer Dan Schwartz, who is making his second bid to win a Republican CD3 primary. 

He lost the 2020 Republican primary to Dan Rodimer, a former pro-wrestler who was recently charged with murder. 

Schwartz has run, and lost, in various other Republican primaries, including a 2022 bid for lieutenant governor, where he came in fourth, and the 2018 primary for governor, where he finished a distant second to Adam Laxalt.

The first time he ran for Congress was a bid in CD4 in 2012. He came in fourth.

The CD3 race this year also includes Drew Johnson, a former think tank founder and policy analyst who narrowly lost his bid against Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones in 2022, music composer and first-time candidate Marty O’Donnell and former Nevada state Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien, who served in the Nevada state Senate in 2010 but resigned in 2012.

Helgelien ran for Senate District 8 in 2018 but lost in the Republican primary. 

Lombardo initially endorsed Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama, who dropped out of the race in January. He hasn’t offered another endorsement. 

Helgelien is endorsed by former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and current U.S. Senate candidate Jim Marchant, a former state assemblyman and election denier who lost in the 2022 race for Nevada Secretary of State.

All the candidates have called for “securing our borders.” 

On his website, Schwartz wrote “we must close the southern border until Congress does its job and fixes America’s broken immigration system.”

Johnson has also called on Congress to “secure the border.” In February, he said he wouldn’t have supported the proposed Congressional border bill saying in a statement that it “won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe.”

“I could not support a bill that doesn’t secure the border, provides taxpayer-funded lawyers to illegal immigrants, and continues to fund endless war overseas without any checks and balances,” he said in a statement.

It’s not just the Republican candidates who have criticized Biden on immigration. 

Lee was recently slammed by immigration advocates after she joined Republicans to vote for a resolution which denounces the Biden administration for creating “the illegal alien crisis at the southwest border” by “halting border wall construction” and “mass releasing millions of illegal aliens into the country.”

So far, Lee has more money on hand than all her opponents, by a large margin. Current FEC filings show she raised $3.1 million in the first quarter of 2024 and has nearly $2.2 million cash on hand 

Schwartz reports raising $818,000 – $800,000 of it consisting of a loan he made to his own campaign – with $723,000 cash on hand. O’Donnell has raised $523,000 with $477,000 cash on hand. Johnson reports $411,000 in receipts, including $300,000 he has loaned to his campaign, and has a little more than half of it in cash on hand. Helgelien has raised $243,000 and has $42,000 on hand.

Other Republican candidates are in the race but filings indicate they haven’t raised any money yet. 

Brian Nadell previously came in fifth in the Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District in 2022 and fourth in the Republican primary for CD 3 in 2020. 

Steven Schiffman previously ran as a Democrat in two election cycles. He came in sixth in both the 2020 CD 2 Democratic primary and 2018 CD 3 Democratic primary.   

Independent American Party Jon Kamerath is also in the race.

Lee will first face off against first-time candidate RockAthena Brittain in the Democratic primary. 

Congressional District 1

According to FEC filings, the top fundraiser in the race for the 1st Congressional District is Flemming Larsen, who has $1.8 million, the vast majority of it in the form of personal loan from the candidate. He currently has $1.5 million on hand 

Democratic U.S. Rep Dina Titus, who isn’t facing a primary challenger this cycle, raised about $1 million and has $982,000 cash on hand. 

The district has long been seen as politically safe for Titus, who was first elected to the seat in 2013, winning by double digits. 

State lawmakers siphoned off Democratic voters from that district during redistricting and put them into CD 3 and CD4. Despite that, Titus still won her 2022 election by nearly 6 points. 

During her last race Titus faced Mark Robertson, a retired army colonel and certified financial planner. He is running again in the Republican primary this year. 

Larsen, who narrowly lost to Democratic Assemblyman Max Carter in 2022, is endorsed by Republican Lieutenant Gov. Stavros Anthony.

Also running in the primary is Michael Boris, who has raised $30,761 and has $108 on hand. 

The remaining candidates are Jim Blockey and Evan Stone. They don’t have finance reports listed. 

Independent American Party candidate William Hoge and Libertarian Party David Havlicek are also running in CD1.

And Victor Willert, Ron Quince, Gabriel Cornejo and David Gooseen are running as independents with no party affiliation. 

Congressional District 2

Republican U.S. Rep Mark Amodei is running against one other Republican Fred Simon.

Simon, a medical doctor, came in sixth during the Republican primary for governor in 2022.

There is no Democrat running in the election. 

The race also features Independent American Party candidate Lynn Chapman, Libertarian Party Javi Tachiquin. Independent Greg Kidd filed for the seat as an independent with no party affiliation. 

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NSHE Regent Michelee Cruz-Crawford, left, and state Assemblywoman Clara Thomas.

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

The Nevada Senate Democratic Caucus endorsed Michelee “Shelly” Cruz-Crawford, a first-term Nevada System of Higher Education Regent, over Assemblywoman Clara Thomas, in the Democratic primary for Senate District 1. 

In an interview with Nevada Current, Thomas attributed the party caucus’s decision to back a regent instead of a fellow state legislator to Thomas’s opposition to Democratic-sponsored restorative justice reforms from a previous legislative session that had ​​made it more difficult for schools to suspend or expel children.

“They decided to speak of the elephant in the room and basically tell me I went against the caucus,” Thomas said, referencing her endorsement meeting. “I felt that was not necessary. They brought up the fact that on these two bills I went against a caucus member and I just don’t understand.” 

The initial restorative justice reform, she said, was passed in 2019 to address the disproportionate discipline practices for students of color, particularly Black students. 

Since the restorative justice measures created by the bill were adopted right before the pandemic, Thomas said it didn’t receive proper funding nor sufficient time to be implemented. 

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo campaigned on rolling back criminal justice reforms passed in 2019 as well as repealing the restorative justice law. 

Lombardo’s broader efforts to reverse earlier enacted criminal justice reforms was largely ignored by Democrats, and only received a hearing in the final days of session during intense budget negotiations where the legislation was considerably scaled back. The restorative justice repeal supported by Lombardo, on the other hand, had garnered early support from Democrats. 

Thomas said her vote against the 2023 bills, which gives more leeway for school administrators to be able to suspend or expel, reflected what her constituents wanted. She added she was elected as a “legislator to be the voters’ voice” and not simply support the caucus. 

“If we sit there and are sheep and press the green button to say yes to whatever, what are we doing up there?” she said. “Why are the citizens sending us up there? They could just send robots.”

She was one of four Democrats to vote against both pieces of legislation in the Assembly. Democratic state Sen. James Ohrenschall, whose seat isn’t up for re-election this year, was the lone Democrat in the senate to vote against the bills.

Cruz-Crawford, who is a principal at Ronnow Elementary School, agreed with using restorative justice in schools adding any programs adopted have to be properly funded and staffed.

“If we’re not supporting it financially, or with the manpower or training or curriculum we need, it’s just another unfunded mandate,” she said. 

In addition to providing resources to address the root causes of student behavior, Cruz-Crawford said lawmakers need to monitor any measure that could lead more Black and brown students being disproportionately suspended.

“In order for something like that to work we need a principal in the legislature,” she said. 

Thomas, who was first elected to the assembly in 2020, and Cruz-Crawford, who won a seat on Nevada Board of Regents in 2022, are vying to replace the termed-out state Sen. Pat Spearman.

Spearman also endorsed Cruz-Crawford in September. 

The winner will face off against Republican Patricia Brinkley, though the district has an overwhelming Democratic majority.  

Democratic lawmakers already have a majority in the senate but are one vote shy of a veto-proof majority. 

Cruz-Crawford said if they get a veto-proof majority they can ensure school vouchers, a priority for Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, never get funded and take steps to further protect reproductive health. 

Thomas and Cruz-Crawford both criticized Lombardo for vetoing several tenant protection bills, including legislation that would have temporarily capped rents for seniors for one year. 

“Right now we have seniors being evicted and we could have prevented that from happening,” Thomas said. “We have to bring back all of those housing bills the governor vetoed.” 

For the last few years, Cruz-Crawford said she has had to navigate the housing crisis by directing families to rental and utility assistance. 

On top of addressing housing, Cruz-Crawford said lawmakers “need to look at raising the minimum wage.”

When they had a trifecta, Democrats passed legislation in 2019 to raise the minimum wage gradually to $12, far lower than push from organizers for $15 but deemed palatable by Democratic leadership.  

Cruz-Crawford didn’t have a specific figure in mind. 

“I would leave that to the subject matter experts and economists to look at how many hours someone would have to work to afford a one bedroom apartment,” she said.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that it would cost $23 an hour to afford a one bedroom apartment and not be considered rent burdened.   

During her time at the legislature, Thomas helped pass Assembly Bill 140, which made Juneteenth a state holiday, and Assembly Bill 119, which expands the Maternal Mortality Review Committee to explicitly review disparities among persons of color, 

While she hasn’t served as a state lawmaker, Cruz-Crawford said as a regent she helped draft Senate Bill 352, which passed in the 2021 session. The legislation creates a path for education support staff to go through an accelerated student teacher program.

Cruz-Crawford said the bill is designed to increase the number of teachers of color to be more reflective of the community. 

The post Senate Dems pass over assemblywoman, endorse NSHE regent to join their ranks appeared first on Nevada Current.

Annette Walker, whose son died while in prison, and attorney James Urrutia speak during a press conference Monday. (Photo: Michael Lyle/Nevada Current)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

A year after 44-year-old Christian Walker died in prison after being beaten by corrections officers, his family  sued the Nevada Department Corrections over what they say was excessive use of force that led to his death.

But families of people incarcerated in Nevada have warned Walker’s death is not the only instance of excessive use of force within the prison system.

Walker’s mother along with the prison advocacy group Return Strong, which is composed of families of those incarcerated, demanded an investigation into incidents of abuse against inmates during a press conference Friday. 

“The pattern of these abuses are really beginning to cast a shadow over the integrity of the prison system,” said Jodi Hocking, the founder of Return Strong. “We can no longer stand by and just watch what is happening and not create an uproar about it.” 

Christian Walker’s family filed a wrongful death suit April 12.

His family has been trying to get answers ever since he died at High Desert State Prison on April 14, 2023. 

Walker was transferred there from Southern Desert Correctional Center three days before he died. Prior to his death, the lawsuit says he was assaulted by officers who used batons and pepper spray.

“I guarantee you we’re going to find, in part of our lawsuit, that they already destroyed video and photographic evidence to hide their crimes,” said James Urrutia, the attorney representing the family.

Teri Vance, a spokeswoman with the department, said NDOC doesn’t comment on pending litigation. 

Walker’s autopsy report stated he had trauma to his head and neck as well as blood smeared across his face, but ruled the cause of death natural causes.

Urruita said corrections staff “beat him and left him to die in a cell all by himself.”  

The coroner’s findings, Hocking said, has since been independently reviewed by a former Clark County medical examiner.

“He concluded the autopsy was flawed and incorrect,” she said. “The only plausible explanation for Christans death according to him was brain swelling caused by the assault. There was no way this was the result of natural causes as stated in the original autopsy.”

On Friday, Return Strong also called on Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson to initiate an independent public fact finding review of the autopsy report. High Desert State Prison northwest of Las Vegas is in Clark County.

Annette Walker, Christian’s mother, said the suit isn’t “seeking vengeance, but I do want to seek answers,” 

“Christian’s death raises questions about the treatment of inmates, about the conditions of the prisons system and the very nature of our justice system, who is in charge and why is no one being held accountable for such horrific behavior against human rights,” she said.  

Her son, she said, wasn’t perfect. 

In the 25 years her son was incarcerated, she said he had made strides to turn his life around, which included “turning to faith and becoming a minister.” 

“He dreamed of the day he would walk free, eager to share his journey and contribute to society. And to live the rest of his life as a testimony of the power of change and forgiveness,” she said. “Christian’s life was cut short under circumstances no human being should ever have to go through.” 

Urrutia said other families of those who are incarcerated tell similar stories of inhumane treatment, including not receiving medical care or having basic needs met.

That includes Ruben Tovar, whose son is incarcerated at Ely State Prison 

Tover, who spoke alongside Annette Walker, said on his transit to the facility last summer, his son “suffered grotesque violence, abuse and torture at the hands of the very people entrusted to keep him safe as humanely possible.”

During the ride, Tover said the bus pulled over at a gas station for 45 minutes. 

“A guard turned up the heater to the max in the middle of summer during a heat wave,” he said, relating what was later told to him by his son. “After they arrived at Ely, my son was brutally beaten and had his fingers deliberately broken. We reached out to the prisons immediately and couldn’t get any answers. His visitations were canceled so we could not lay eyes on him. ” 

Along with the lawsuit over Walker’s death, Return Strong and families are demanding an investigation into the officers involved with transit to Ely State Prison.

Hocking said that in “in multiple use of force complaints that we’ve received” the same corrections officers keep reappearing. 

The group, she said, received 354 letters from inmates that had complaints of correctional abuse, retaliation and assault from January 2023 through March of this year. Complaints named 56 corrections officers and medical staff.

For several years, she added, the group has heard rumblings about officers who oversee the transit abusing inmates during transportation. 

When asked how NDOC examines use of force complaints, Vance said cases are referred to the Inspector General’s office and it determines if there is a need for an investigation. 

“The IG’s Office will determine findings and may recommend disciplinary action,” Vance said. “The IG’s Office may refer the incident to an outside agency for criminal charges.”

The investigation, including reports, documents, results or interviewers conducted, are confidential and can’t be shared “without authorization by the Inspector General, Director or appropriate legal authority,” Vance added. 

Return Strong has recently worked with state lawmakers to bring reforms to the prison system, including setting up an independent ombudsman’s office.

NDOC Director James Dzurenda told lawmakers at an interim legislative committee meeting in February that the office is in the process of finding an independent vendor to oversee the office.

While Hocking said she had hoped the ombudsman’s office would be able to eventually look into issues of abuse, the work wouldn’t happen immediately. 

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“One of the reasons the program isn’t as popular as you may think is because we’ve seen a lot of states roll this out with a lot of fast food restaurants participating,” a state official said. “There is an argument that it’s not healthy food.”(Stock photo via Canva)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

The Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services is looking to implement a meal program that allows unhoused folks and people with disabilities to use food assistance benefits at partnering restaurants.

The proposal is in its early stages and part of several efforts outlined at Monday’s Interim Committee on Health and Human Services to address food insecurity across the state.

Data provided to state lawmakers by the Division of Public and Behavioral Health within the Department of Health and Human Services showed 13% of the state’s population faced food insecurity and struggled with obtaining enough to eat in 2021. 

While Black residents make up about 11% of the state population, they are disproportionately affected by food insecurity at 21%. 

There are programs the department oversees to help people pay for food, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, formally known as food stamps. 

“We know there are a lot of people who don’t have a home or a place to cook food,” said Kelly Cantrelle, the deputy administrator for the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. “There are a lot of seniors or disabled individuals who maybe can’t cook for themselves.”

The Restaurant Meals Program, if established, would allow people 60 or older, those who are disabled and people experiencing homelessness enrolled in SNAP to buy meals at participating restaurants.  

Nine states operate a restaurant meal program, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. 

“One of the reasons the program isn’t as popular as you may think is because we’ve seen a lot of states roll this out with a lot of fast food restaurants participating,” Cantrelle said. “There is an argument that it’s not healthy food.”

She said the program is only in its infancy and didn’t have a timetable for when it could be rolled out. The division is working with the UNR’s Extension Education program to identify more restaurants that offer nutritious options.

“We are in our infancy stage so there is a lot we don’t know yet,” Cantrelle said.

The division is also requesting a waiver from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services in order to start being able to complete SNAP applications over the phone. Right now, they don’t have the needed tools to collect and store signatures from phone calls. 

Once implemented, she said the move “will help with individuals who can’t get to the office,” including those who are disabled or elderly. 

There are also issues with connecting eligible people to other types of assistance, such as Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, programs. WIC provides supplemental food and nutrition resources specifically for low-income women who are pregnant or have children up to 5. 

Sarah Rogers with the Division of Public and Behavioral Health said around 105,000 current SNAP recipients are eligible for WIC as well, but only about half of them are taking advantage of the assistance.

There were 54,059 WIC recipients in 2023, an increase from 51,073 in 2022, lawmakers were told Monday. 

In total, the division “estimated that 116,000 families in Nevada qualify for WIC,”  she said.

For those using SNAP, nearly 87% use it for infant formula. Another 79% put it toward fruits and vegetables. 

“If you can use WIC for a lot of that formula, then maybe you could use SNAP benefits for other food you need,” Cantrelle said. 

Democratic state Sen. Fabian Doñate said the stigmatization attached to receiving benefits can lead to eligible people declining assistance they need. 

He asked whether it’s possible to enroll prospective clients the state knows are eligible and “if they choose to disenroll that’s up to them.”

The division, Cantrelle said, does automatically refer women with children under 5 who use SNAP benefits to the WIC program.

“We did learn a while back that when we do that and (women) reach out they say, ‘we weren’t interested in that’ or ‘we didn’t ask for that,’ ” she said.  “We don’t know why exactly. We just know better if we ask individuals rather than send the referral.”

The department is implementing a training program to ensure staff understand income limits and requirements for WIC and to figure out ways to “effectively close that gap and make sure all the children who are eligible receive the benefits from WIC,” she said.

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