Opening remarks
And then there was one (new one)
In June, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that three of four ballot questions brought before the court did not qualify for the November General Election Ballot. Our friends at The Nevada Independent have a great overview of what went down with the 13 petitions submitted to the Secretary of State’s office for the 2022 ballot.
The lone survivor is the well-funded Ranked Choice Voting Ballot Question that if passed in 2022 and again in 2024, will considerably change the way Nevadans select candidates in the General Election.
The addition of RCV brings the total of statewide ballot questions to three. The two other questions on the ballot originated in the Nevada Legislature.
Question 1 – Equal Rights Amendment
Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended by adding a specific guarantee that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this State or any of its cities, counties, or other political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin?
Question 2 – State Minimum Wage Increase
Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended, effective July 1, 2024, to: (1) establish the State’s minimum wage that employers must pay to certain employees at a rate of $12 per hour worked, subject to any applicable increases above that $12 rate provided by federal law or enacted by the Nevada Legislature; (2) remove the existing provisions setting different rates for the minimum wage based on whether the employer offers certain health benefits to such employees; and (3) remove the existing provisions for adjusting the minimum wage based on applicable increases in the cost of living?
We will be profiling each of the questions in more detail soon. In the meantime, please go out and enjoy the summer!
Important Dates
| General Early Voting | October 22 – November 4 |
| General Election | Tuesday November 8, 2022 |
ICYMI
Politico has identified Clark County as one of 20 counties across the nation that will decide the midterms. “With the county’s increasingly diverse electorate usually works in Democrats’ favor, this year’s environment is much less hospitable.” As reported by Jon Ralston, for the first time in decades, Democrats’ voter registration advantage over Republicans fell below 10%, sitting at 9.6%. Now, the county’s registration is 38% non-majors, 35.8% Democrat and 26.2% Republican.
Based on the latest C&E reports, Sisolak enjoys a 10-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over Lombardo. Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak raised almost $1.7 million from April through June. He heads into the general election with more than $10.7 million cash on hand — the most of any candidate running for statewide office. Behind Sisolak was Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, who emerged victorious from the Republican primary after raising more than $822,000 in the last quarter. The amount placed him above other Republican gubernatorial hopefuls but short of Sisolak by about $906,000. He ended the quarter with roughly $1.2 million in the bank.
You know your ABCs, but how about your BDRs? Bill Draft Requests for the 2023 Legislative session have started rolling out. As of right now, there are 69 posted on the Nevada legislature website. As we get closer to the beginning of the 82nd Session, the BDR list will grow to over 1,000!
ECONOMY
Las Vegas Raiders First in 2021 NFL Ticket Revenue
The Las Vegas Raiders were first in the National Football League in ticket revenue in 2021, according to a new report by Sportico. The report said the Raiders brought in $119 million in net ticket revenue.
Red Rocks Resorts selling three properties
Red Rock Resorts announced they plan to demolish three closed Southern Nevada casinos and then sell the properties. Red Rock President Scott Kreeger said it was a “difficult” decision to permanently close Texas Station, Fiesta Rancho in North Las Vegas and Fiesta Henderson, but it would “enable the Company to continue reinvesting in our open properties and move more quickly to develop and deliver the next generation of Station Casinos resorts to the residents and visitors of North Las Vegas, Henderson, and the rest of the Las Vegas valley.”
Red Rock also didn’t reopen the off-Strip Palms Casino Resort, which was sold last year to Southern California’s San Manuel Indian Tribe for $650 million. The tribe reopened the Palms at the end of April.
Earlier this year, Red Rock began construction on the $750 million Durango Station near the 215 Beltway in the southwestern end of the valley. The location, expected to open in 2023.
EDUCATION
“One-stop shop” for Northern Nevada childcare providers now open in Reno
Last week, Nevada Children’s Cabinet Launched the Nevada Strong Start Child Care Services Center in Reno. The CCSCs provides child care providers of all types a one-stop-shop for child care resources and support. Services include financial assistance options, child care subsidy assistance, child care licensing assistance and access to business tools. The Reno location mirrors a Center in Las Vegas that opened earlier this year.
More information can be found at NevadaChildCare.org.
This launch arrived on the heels of Governor Sisolak’s announcement of $50 million investment of federal funds in childcare services. With these funds, Nevada lawmakers are expanding a child care subsidy program, allowing families to get help with daycare even if they were previously considered to be too wealthy for the assistance.
The Nevada Child Care Fund will now be open to families making $60,000 to $70,000 per year for a household of four, nearly double the previous income threshold, which limited access to families that make up to 130 percent of the poverty level ($36,075 a year for a family of four).
ENVIRONMENT
Biden lays out new funds for localities on climate
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden additional spending to help states and cities manage climate disasters — resisting calls from many congressional Democrats to take more aggressive executive action like a declaration of a national climate emergency. Biden also announced steps executive agencies are taking to expand offshore wind development into the Gulf of Mexico and provide funding for local cooling centers.
Smaller pools for more water
The Las Vegas Valley Water District has approved a new rule to limit pool sizes for newly built pools. Pools will be limited to 600 square feet. Water district general manager John Entsminger said we are at the stage now where every drop of water counts in the southwest.
Reno & Vegas are the Fastest Warming Cities in U.S.
Since 1970, summer temperatures in Reno, have risen 10.9 degrees, making it the nation’s fastest-warming city, according to non-profit research group Climate Central, due to a phenomenon known as the “heat island effect,” where dense, urbanized areas with buildings, roads, etc. and little greenery absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat, leading them to become “islands” of higher temperatures relative to outlying area.
HOUSING
‘Slight shift’ to buyers’ market seen in Northern Nevada
This June, interest rates spiked to 5.83 percent – a jump that translates into $1,000 more in monthly mortgage payments for the median home price of $557,250 in Greater Reno. These higher mortgage rates take away some buying power because higher interest rates add to your mortgage payment. In June 2021 the average mortgage interest rate was a historically low 2.98 percent. These record low rates over the past few years fueled a buying frenzy across Reno-Sparks that was exacerbated by an extreme lack of inventory.
“You have to have a flood of inventory to get into a buyers’ market,” said Sierra Nevada Properties owner/broker Darrell Plummer. “It’s feeling like a buyers’ market because interest rates and uncertainty with inflation has buyers pausing.” Reno-Sparks will remain a strong sellers’ market due to the historically low supply of available homes. For perspective, a balanced market has about a six month’s supply of available homes; Reno-Sparks roughly one month’s inventory before interest rates started rising.
Las Vegas home prices falling after heated run
The median sales price of previously owned single-family homes — the bulk of the market — was $480,000 in June, down $2,000 from the record-high set in May, trade association Las Vegas Realtors reported. The price dip was a small one — just 0.4 percent — but it marked the first time in more than two years that Southern Nevada’s median house price fell month-to-month. Overall, the market is cooling off as higher mortgage rates wipe out the cheap money that fueled America’s unexpected housing boom after the pandemic hit, making it all the more expensive to buy a home after a year of huge price gains.
What we’re doing this Interim
The 2021 Nevada Legislature passed Assembly Bill 443, Legislation that fundamentally changed the way the Legislature operates between Sessions. The newly formed Interim Standing Committees have begun meeting, hearing overviews of their mission and setting agendas for the next eleven months.
Click here to view a list of upcoming Joint Interim Standing Committee meetings.
2021 Redistricting Maps
The new boundaries would give 14 of the 21 state Senate districts and 27 of the 42 Assembly districts a voter registration advantage for Democrats over Republicans of more than 4.5 percent.
The Nevada Independent
Please see the links below to view the new district lines for Nevada Assembly, Senate and Congressional delegation.