State Feed: Nevada

Nevada: Lawsuit Seeks to Block Anti-Abortion Ballot Initiative

AmandaKathryn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:07:11 -0500

A District Court lawsuit has been filed by groups aimed at stopping an anti-abortion petition from appearing on the election ballot.

“We hope the court will do the right thing and reject the latest attempt to insert the government into personal, private medical decisions Nevada women and families make every day,” said Elisa Cafferata, president and chief executive officer of Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates.

The lawsuit was filed in Carson City on Tuesday by the Planned Parenthood Federation and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Nevada: Early Voting Begins in Recall of Las Vegas City Councilman

AmandaKathryn — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:25:14 -0500

As early voting began today, the negative back-and-forth continued in the special recall election for the Ward 6 spot on the Las Vegas City Council, featuring incumbent Steve Ross and his challenger, Byron Goynes.

Two early voting centers have been operating today for the special election, which Ross claims is being spurred by car dealer Joe Scala, who was denied a waiver to continue operating a dealership in Centennial Hills, which is in Ross’ ward.

Boulder City sues its citizens, attorney speaks out

Paul — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:02:47 -0400

Nevada Governor Signs Trio of Election Bills, Big Changes to For Initiative Proponents

Staff — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:45:40 -0400

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has signed Assembly Bills 81 and 82, and Senate Bill 133 into law, making several important changes to the petition process both good and bad.

Local Politics Often Nastier Than National Politics

Staff — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:37:58 -0400

In February of this year Citizens in Charge Foundation gave Boulder City, Nevada council member Linda Strickland the Lilburne Award for her work defending local citizens from frivolous lawsuits filed against them by their own city government. The city doesn’t seem to appreciate the citizens actually utilizing their First Amendment initiative rights.

This news article in Las Vegas City Life is from last month but provides a bit of an update on the situation in Boulder City:

Nevada: Arena petition may have the signatures according to judge

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:02:52 -0400

A District Court judge has indicated there may be enough valid signatures on an ballot initiative petition seeking a special tax for a $500 million sports-entertainment arena on the Las Vegas Strip. Proceeds from the tax would finance bonds to build the 27,000-seat arena. Judge Todd Russell ordered attorneys to submit closing briefs to determine if there are too many defects with the petition to disqualify the question from being placed on the 2012 Nevada election ballot.

Read the story from the Las Vegas Sun

Nevada Court Sanctions Boulder City

Paul — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:09:39 -0400

The cause of citizen control of government won a big victory last Friday in little Boulder City, Nevada, as a judge ruled in favor of citizens and against the heavy-handed legal tactics the city government used in filing numerous lawsuits designed to threaten and intimidate citizens petitioning their government.

Nevada: Citizens take to the street to protest city council suits

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:22:56 -0400

Bubbling tension over Boulder City’s decision to sue the petitioners of several ballot questions on November’s ballot inspired about 30 residents to march on the front steps of City Hall on Tuesday. The demonstrators held neon-colored signs that expressed their frustration. Some examples: “R.I.P. First Amendment Rights,” “Don’t Silence the People” and “Don’t Sue Me.”

Read the story from the Las Vegas Sun

Citizens in Boulder City, Nevada Protesting City Lawsuits Against Them

Staff — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:39:58 -0400

You may recall our previous stories and articles on the events transpiring in Boulder City, Nevada. Citizens there have been repeatedly sued by their own city council…for the horrible act of collecting signatures and putting measures on the ballot for a vote.

Citizens decided to take to the streets to make their displeasure known:

Setting the Record Straight

Staff — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:18:39 -0400

Citizens in Charge Foundation and Citizens in Charge want to set the record straight with regards to our February 2011 Lilburne Award Winners: Tracy and Linda Strickland.

It seems there was some confusion on the part of one Boulder City resident about the nature of the award and how and why we give it. You can view his blog post here.

Today, Citizens in Charge Foundation president Paul Jacob sent the following letter to the author of the blog post:

Mr. Stubbs,

Nevada: Vegas arena measure denied by senate

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:28:58 -0400

The Nevada Senate passed a resolution Thursday rejecting an initiative petition to create a taxing district for a sports arena on the Las Vegas Strip, sending the measure to the 2012 ballot. Senate Concurrent Resolution 4 was approved on a voice vote and now goes to the Assembly, though with the Senate’s action, the vote there is moot.

Read the story from Bloomberg Business Week

Nevada: Some want to see higher ballot threshold for tax increases

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:17:28 -0500

Liberal activists and labor leaders have spent the early days of the legislative session warning lawmakers they would pursue a ballot initiative to raise taxes if the Legislature fails to act on its own. But conservative activists aren’t standing idly by in the face of those threats. “We can’t let Danny Thompson have the ballet to himself,” Republican operative Robert Uithoven said of the Nevada AFL-CIO boss who has talked about using a ballot initiative for an end run around the Legislature. Conservatives are looking to revive the measure that would require a two-thirds vote of the people to pass any initiative petition to raise taxes. Uithoven helped organize a similar effort in 2008.

Townhall: Sisyphus in Boulder City

Staff — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:40:28 -0500

Boulder City, Nevada officials seem to think repeatedly suing their own citizens is a good idea. In his weekly Townhall column on Sunday, Paul Jacob discusses the situation:

Public officials cannot simply throw dissenters into a gulag and govern by decree. But the city governors in Boulder City, Nevada, have found the next best thing.

Sue the people.

Regularly and repeatedly.

As a method of effectuating an oligarchy, what could be more American?

Nevada: After measure passed by voters, city sues petitioners to nullify

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:17:01 -0500

Boulder City’s lawsuit against five citizens who circulated a petition for a ballot question for November’s election will move forward after District Court Judge Jerome Tao ruled Thursday the defendants weren’t immune from the city’s litigation. The city sued the petitioners Nov. 24 to challenge the legality of the ordinance, which requires the city to receive approval from voters before going into debt $1 million or more. It passed with 58 percent of the vote on Nov. 2.

Read the story from the Las Vegas Sun

Nevada: Contentious meeting ends up with measures going on ballot

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:14:42 -0500

The Boulder City Council this week approved four ballot questions for the next municipal election and rejected three others in a meeting that sparked heated debate over how ballot initiatives are handled. A question to revise the city’s charter to reduce the minimum residency requirement for candidates running for City Council passed unanimously. The requirement would be reduced from two years, set when the charter was established in 1960, to 30 days, the minimum required by state law.

Read the story from the Las Vegas Sun

Nevada: State Supreme Court denies personhood initiative

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 10:04:14 -0500

The Nevada Supreme Court Thursday ruled the battle over the so-called Personhood Initiative was moot at this point and dismissed the appeal. The Personhood Nevada ballot advocacy group headed by Richard Ziser of Las Vegas wanted to put an initiative on the 2010 ballot, which would declare even the most immature human embryos as having all the rights of a person. Opponents said it was simply a backdoor attempt to shut down a woman’s right to choose.

Read the story from the Lahontan Valley News

Nevada: Vegas arena initiative goes to Legislature

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 11:48:10 -0500

A proposal to build an arena on the Las Vegas Strip might be headed for the 2011 Nevada Legislature, but first it will face a legal challenge. The secretary of state’s office says it has verified more than enough voter signatures to move the initiative petition along. Matt Griffin, deputy secretary of state in charge of elections, said Monday that 157,778 signatures were certified as registered voters on the petition. It needed 97,002.

Read the story from the Las Vegas Sun

Nevada: Court rules initiative process legal

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:13:46 -0500

A federal appeals court has ruled that Nevada’s requirements for ballot initiatives are constitutional and do not limit free speech. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a Las Vegas federal court judge’s ruling in a lawsuit by backers of a proposed initiative on the 2008 statewide ballot.

Read the story from KTVN 2

Nevada: Sports arena campaign turns in signatures for measure

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:03:18 -0500

Backers of a proposed sports arena on the Las Vegas Strip said Monday they have enough signatures to take the matter to the 2011 Legislature - or put it to voters the following year. Former Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said organizers collected more than 200,000 signatures statewide from voters in each of Nevada’s three congressional districts - more than twice the number needed.

Read the story from Forbes

Nevada: Ballot measure would change land grab amendment

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:46:12 -0400

The man whose family fought the city of Las Vegas over its move to take their Fremont Street property cannot understand why the Legislature wants voters to “water down” a constitutional amendment that protects people like him. Harry Pappas said he is shocked by Question 4, the proposal put on the Nov. 2 ballot by state lawmakers. If voters approve the question, then they revise the Peoples’ Initiative to Stop Taking Our Land (PISTOL) constitutional amendment that 60 percent of them approved in 2008.