Mountain View
David Heitz
Scooter rules in Aurora under review
Aurora, Colo. -- The Aurora City Council could change the rules scooter operators in the city must follow. Assistant City Manager Laura Perry said during Thursday’s Transportation, Airports and Public Policy Committee meeting that the city is in the process of revamping its scooter requirements. Several new operators have expressed an interest in operating in the city after others have pulled out of Aurora, according to city staff.
Opinion: Permanent supportive housing not a homeless shelter, I pay rent at my Denver apartment
I often find myself explaining to people that I live in permanent supportive housing. Many readers believe that I live in a homeless shelter for free. I do not live in a homeless shelter. I have a lease, and I pay rent. My building is owned and managed by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. There are staff here such as case managers, therapists, property managers, maintenance, security, doctors, and others. All these people work together to keep me stably housed.
Opinion: How homelessness made me a criminal in Denver
One of the most unfair things about homelessness is that you are likely to end up with a criminal record eventually. That is because cities like Denver, Aurora and others across the U.S. make it illegal to do about anything if you are homeless. You cannot cover up with a blanket in a public place, that’s camping. You cannot sit down at bus stations. You cannot sit in your car in a parking lot for an extended period.
City of Denver may buy broken-down RVs from homeless
The City and County of Denver is considering buying broken-down RVs from people experiencing homelessness or allowing them to be exchanged for down payment on housing. Denver homeless czar Cole Chandler said last week that the city would make money available in the 2025 budget to assist people living in their RVs. Chandler said $250,000 has been set aside, which council member Shontel Lewis commented is “not much.” The council and city staff discussed the issue during the budget hearing Wednesday for the Department of Housing and Stability.
Aurora Venezuelan gang, landlord debate spills into Denver
The debate over how to handle Venezuelan gangs and problem landlords in Aurora spilled into Denver Monday. Several people who addressed the Denver City Council during public comment period spoke about the gang issue. Moon Wittstruck said there are no gangs.
Proposed Denver slaughterhouse ban would kill jobs, opposition says
Opposition has formed regarding a Denver ballot initiative that would outlaw slaughterhouses in Denver. Initiative 309 comes from Pro Animal Future and will appear on the November ballot. The group is an animal rights organization that wants to end mass farming. “Pro-Animal Future is a collective of voters, volunteers, and small donors building a political movement to end factory farming,” according to its website. “We use grassroots campaigns to turn public support for animals into law. We are a citizen-led movement away from the exploitation, animal cruelty, and environmental pollution of factory farming, and towards a brighter future based on a more just, sustainable, and compassionate food system. We are brought together by a vision of a world without animal cruelty. Through our campaigns, we are pushing for changes to the industries that cause both animal and human suffering.”
Denver spends another $6 million on migrants
The Denver City Council approved Monday a $6 million contract with a homeless services agency to administer the Denver Asylum Seekers Program, or DASP. Haven of Hope will maintain a waiting list for the asylum seekers program, which currently serves 865, about half of which are children, according to city staff. More than 42,000 migrants have passed through or relocated to Denver since December 2022, according to city officials.
Opinion: Snappers replace clappers to show Denver social justice unity
I admit I am late to this party, but I had no idea what activists were doing when they began to pop up at City Hall meetings to support Palestine. Most of them snapped their fingers furiously when their comrades would speak, sometimes simultaneously with rapid head nods. I never observed this phenomenon in all my 54 years, and I have lived a full life.
Robert Redford, Jane Goodall join cat fight over Colorado Initiative 91
A ballot measure to ban hunting of bobcats and mountain lions has resulted in a cat fight between the two sides of the issue. The group advocating for the ban trotted out celebrity endorsements this week from acclaimed biologist Jane Goodall and movie star Robert Redford. The Sportsman Alliance said those supporting the measure are radicals. “Once again, we’re witnessing animal extremists stopping at no lengths to spread falsities and outright lies to the general public,” said Todd Adkins, vice president of government affairs at Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, in a news release. “They buy signatures, slander hunters and trappers, disrespect Colorado’s professional wildlife managers, and lie to the faces of well-meaning Coloradans to shove their extreme ideology down everyone’s throats. The simple truth is they couldn’t care less about the lives they put in danger by pushing this radical ideology.”
Seventeen people from Denver homeless housing surge die
Seventeen people who moved into hotels or tiny home communities as part of the city’s All In Mile High campaign to house people experiencing homelessness have died. Denver homeless czar Cole Chandler made the revelation Friday during a quarterly meeting with the homeless community at Caldwell African American Library in Five Points. A member of the crowd shouted out, “How many?” as a woman described an overdose death at the former DoubleTree Hotel, 4040 Quebec. Chandler replied “17,” and said his number comes from the public-facing online dashboard for All In Mile High. He said not all the deaths were the result of overdoses.
Taxpayer support for safety net hospitals: Denver Health ballot initiative
As the Mile-High City’s safety net hospital, Denver Health never turns anyone away because of their inability to pay. That can get expensive for a health care provider. Denver Health expects to provide $124 million in uncompensated care in 2025, according to Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne. In 2023, the loss was $103 million, she said. The city in the past few years has made up about $30 million of that annually in payments to Denver Health, she explained.
Aurora police chief begins daily Venezuelan gang call
Aurora, Colo. -- Todd Chamberlain, Aurora’s new police chief, said Thursday during the safety committee meeting that he has started a daily conference call with other agencies to discuss developments related to Venezuelan gangs in the city. “I think it has kind of brought some clarity that I think was missing a bit.”
Affordable housing for Native Americans planned for Denver
The City and County of Denver may give a developer an $8.6 million forgivable loan to build affordable housing for Native Americans at 901 Navajo St. According to a memo from city staff to the Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee of the City Council, the development by MHMP 21 Navajo LLLC would be the first in Colorado “to provide supportive and affordable housing combined with a health clinic focused on serving American Indian/Alaska Native individuals and families. A Federally Qualified Health Center to be operated by Denver Indian Health and Family Services aims to address both the housing and health disparities….”
Aurora targets unregistered, unlicensed drivers, stolen shopping carts
The Aurora City Council gave initial approval Monday to ordinances that allow police to impound vehicles and create a way to recover stolen shopping carts. The impound ordinance gives police the right to tow a vehicle if they suspect it is unregistered and the driver unlicensed and uninsured.
Denver may purchase halfway house for $26.2 million
The Finance and Governance Committee of the Denver City Council approved Tuesday buying a halfway house at 570 W. 44th Ave. for $26.2 million. The city currently leases the space, which is used for a residential community re-entry from prison program. Called the MOORE Center, or Men Overcoming Obstacles Re-Entry, the Second Chance Center runs the space, according to a presentation from city staff to the committee.
Angry crowd blasts Jurinsky, Coffman over Venezuelan reports
Aurora, Colo. -- At least three dozen angry people addressed the Aurora City Council during public comment period Monday, with many blasting Mayor Mike Coffman and council member Danielle Jurinsky for spreading "lies" about Venezuela.
Denver council takes the 'feminine' out of menstrual care products
The Denver City Council voted Monday to change the language in its tax code referencing menstrual care products. The language currently refers to “feminine hygiene products” being tax exempt. The new language is “menstrual hygiene products.”
David Heitz
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I have been in the news business 35 years, newspapering in communities all across the U.S. I write about Denver and Aurora City Hall news as well as homelessness, mental health, and occasionally LGBT issues. As a person with schizoaffective disorder bipolar I type, I've lived in a penthouse and also experienced homelessness. After moving to Denver in 2018, I became homeless for about a year before spending time in the state mental hospital. With God's help, I have come a long way from my bout with psychosis. I consider myself a lucky guy to live in a great place like Denver. I hope my writing reflects the passion I have for living in the Mile High City.
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