Planned Parenthood Votes New Mexico Endorsements

Kasandra Gandara is running for Las Cruces Mayor. Gandara has served as a Las Cruces City Councilor for District 1 since 2015 and has been Mayor Pro Tempore since 2019. During her time on City Council, Gandara has collaborated on a number of projects including: developing policy review committees in the priority areas of health, housing, economic, quality of life, transportation, finance, and public safety; establishing programs such as the mayor's suicide task force; Doña Ana Resilience Leaders -- a collective group who work on addressing trauma in communities to build resilient children and families; safety net programs such as the Mano y Mano workforce reintegration program for homeless and near-homeless folks; ”Lift UP" -- an anti-poverty program in the most vulnerable neighborhood to be scaled out throughout the city; and helped shape the way the city works to be accountable and transparent to the public by the creation of the PEAK performance program -- a performance-based budgeting system designed to provide continuous improvement in each department to include its contractors externally.

Gandara retired in 2015 from the State of New Mexico after nearly three decades of service with the Department of Health, as well as Children, Youth and Families. She has also held a number of social work roles within the community prior to her retirement.

Gandara was born and raised in Bayard, New Mexico in a union family who taught her to always fight for what is right. In addition to being driven by her upbringing, Gandara is interested in representing the community by becoming the first Latina Mayor to be elected in Las Cruces history. Kasandra Gandara’s priority areas are improving quality of life through affordable access to opportunities for culturally-uplifting recreation and gathering and economic development through innovative public/private partnership such as healthcare, aviation, creative media, and green energy. Additionally, she will prioritize public safety through increased policy and oversight; updated training for Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD); and smart crime reduction strategies and policies. She will also address sustainability through balancing economic vitality, environmental health, and social responsibility with an emphasis on equitable approaches to addressing climate change, clean energy, and resiliency.

We recommend Kasandra Gandara for Las Cruces Mayor.

Abby Foster is running for Albuquerque City Council, District 4 against incumbent Brook Bassan. Foster is a licensed attorney and mediator who practices adult guardianship law. Foster's law firm, which she owns, protects low-income New Mexicans with disabilities from financial exploitation. Foster serves on the New Mexico State Bar’s Elder Law Section Board and the Parent Advisory Council of PB&J Family Services.

Abby Foster did not return a candidate questionnaire so the information presented is gathered only through public sources.

Foster is interested in protecting New Mexicans with disabilities. Abby Foster’s priorities are reducing homelessness and addiction through a “housing first” approach, expanding affordable housing in Albuquerque, and growing the economy through investment in high-value industries. She wants to lead on sustainable and clean energy by increasing usage of renewable energy for city transit and fleet vehicles. She also wants to lead on education by fully funding the city’s Early Childhood Education program. Foster further states that she is committed to protecting abortion access and reproductive healthcare through city funding that supports reproductive healthcare; reducing gun violence by promoting gun safety laws already on the books; and reducing crime through full funding of public safety departments. While we support a majority of Foster’s priorities, her stated desire to add more funding to the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and to hire more officers gives us pause and is an opportunity for the community to engage in meaningful conversation with Foster if she is elected. 

We recommend Abby Foster for Albuquerque City Council, District 4.

Tessa Abeyta is running for her second term as Las Cruces City Council, District 2, where she has prioritized policies related to child welfare, health, and social services. Abeyta is the Co-Executive Director for the New Mexico Public Health Association. She is the President-Elect for the NM Municipal League, Vice Chair of the El Paseo Redevelopment Project, and Vice Chair of the Local Emergency Planning Committee of Dona Ana County. 

Abeyta’s upbringing, combined with being a proud single mother, drives her interest in continuing to serve in her seat in Las Cruces City Council, District 2. Tessa Abeyta’s priorities are economic expansions by incentivizing small businesses and investing in key labor initiatives including apprentice and pre-apprenticeship programs. She will further prioritize infrastructure and community programs through investments in parks and roads; new affordable housing developments and after-school programs; and community and multi-generational centers. Lastly, Abeyta states she will prioritize public safety through investing in community policing. While Abeyta is generally supportive of police officers, she also focuses her priorities on holistic community safety such as advocating for the Las Cruces Crisis Response Team (LIGHT). 

We recommend Tessa Abeyta for Las Cruces City Council, District 2. 

Johana Bencomo is running for her second term as Las Cruces City Councilor for District 4, where she has focused on ensuring the city prioritizes anti-poverty efforts to improve the quality of life for all Las Crucens. Bencomo was elected to the city council in November 2019, winning almost 63 percent of the vote after two rounds of ranked choice voting in the District 4 race. 

Bencomo is currently the Program Director for the Future Presidents Project with the Women’s Democracy Lab. Prior to that, she served as the Executive Director for the faith-based organizing non-profit in Southern NM, NM CAFé. She is a board member of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, a field instructor for NMSU’s School of Social Work, a WK Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network Fellow, and a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Racial Justice. 

Bencomo was raised by immigrant parents who instilled in her to fight for what she loves, which drives her interest in continuing to serve on her seat in Las Cruces City Council, District 4. Johana Bencomo’s priority areas are community safety through continued investment in the crisis response model and bringing in more mental health and substance treatment resources. She will invest in housing stability by passing a Unified Housing Code and investment in affordable housing development, revitalization of neglected areas, and neighborhood infrastructure through funding a traffic calming project as well as street and sidewalk improvements. 

We recommend Johana Bencomo for Las Cruces City Council, District 4.