The utility must secure state regulatory permission before moving forward with the Meta-backed power plant. by Elida S. Perez January 18, 2026 EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – El Paso Electric is seeking state approval to build a new natural gas-powered electric plant to support Meta Platform’s future data center needs – a move that is raising
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Proposed ordinance change could make it easier for El Paso residents to build casitas and add affordable housing units by Elida S. Perez August 19, 2025 Sign up for essential news about El Paso. Delivered to your inbox — completely free. The city wants to address a housing shortage in the city’s urban core by loosening restrictions
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No salary increases for El Paso County leaders, employees in next year’s budget – and what that could mean to your county tax bill by Elida S. Perez August 12, 2025 Sign up for essential news about El Paso. Delivered to your inbox — completely free. For the second year in a row, El Paso County employees
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by Elida S. Perez July 31, 2025 Sign up for essential news about El Paso. Delivered to your inbox — completely free. Orange traffic drums generally hint at active construction sites and caution drivers to be careful. But the ones lined along Pellicano Drive in Far East El Paso also serve as a constant reminder of what
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by Elida S. Perez, El Paso MattersFebruary 15, 2024 The city may be violating its contract with MountainStar Sports, which operates Southwest University Park, if it builds an indoor-outdoor amphitheater at Union Depot. City officials have not mentioned the ballpark contract clause in public discussions about the amphitheater proposal, and it’s unclear if City Council
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by Elida S. Perez, El Paso MattersOctober 2, 2023 An unspecified Sun Metro property located in Downtown El Paso is being environmentally assessed as a possible alternate site for the city’s Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Center. There are three Sun Metro properties located Downtown: Union Plaza Transit Terminal and parking garage on San Antonio
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by Elida S. Perez, El Paso MattersAugust 30, 2023 The city’s Ethics Review Commission has dismissed an ethics complaint that alleged city Rep. Alexsandra Annello misused her city-issued fuel card. The commission voted 5 to 3 Wednesday night to dismiss the complaint. Deborah Paz, who filed the complaint, and Annello gave testimony for about three
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Hiring a new El Paso city manager is on hold as City Council on Tuesday rejected a recommendation to hire an executive search firm because the council wants to interview the top firms before selecting one. “It’d be great that they would come in front of council, in front of the community and do a
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by Elida S. Perez, El Paso Matters June 11, 2023 Former city Rep. Claudia Rodriguez filled up her gas tank in Carlsbad, New Mexico, during the Fourth of July weekend in 2021 using her city-issued gas card – one of five times she used taxpayer dollars to purchase fuel out of town in less than
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For the third year in a row, homeowners are having sticker shock as they open their recently mailed 2023 property valuation notices from the El Paso Central Appraisal District.This is the third straight year the appraisal district conducts a mass reappraisal of properties in El Paso County. Residential property owners began receiving their property valuations
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City Rep. Brian Kennedy did not violate the city’s ethics ordinance, the Ethics Review Commission determined late Wednesday. The ethics commission, which convened for the first time in two years, met on Wednesday to review a complaint filed against Kennedy that stemmed from the first meeting of the year on Jan. 3 where Kennedy was
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Two new City Council members owed the city money and were ineligible to be sworn in Tuesday morning prior to their first meeting, city officials said late Wednesday. “The City Attorney’s Office was informed today that Rep. Brian Kennedy and Rep. Art Fierro had outstanding balances with the City of El Paso for moving and
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EL PASO, Texas — Early voting for the runoff election to determine who will represent three City Council districts begins Wednesday and continues through Tuesday, Dec. 13. Six candidates for city representative are in the runoff, including District 6 incumbent Claudia Rodriguez, who’s vying to retain her seat after not winning enough votes to be
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When Emma Bowar quickly organized a protest in El Paso against police brutality toward Black Americans days after George Floyd was murdered under the knee of a then-Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, she didn’t anticipate it would garner much attention. On Friday, May 29, 2020, according to court documents, Bower posted an invitation
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City Rep. Cissy Lizarraga, who is eligible for reelection, will not run again – a move that guarantees that the West Side will have two new city representatives. Four City Council seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 8 general election, two on the East Side and two on the West Side, where District
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EL PASO, Texas — The city’s proposed tax rate — though slightly lower than last year’s rate — will result in tax relief for few, if any, El Pasoans because it doesn’t offset a sharp rise in property valuations. Under the city’s proposed budget and tax rate, the city’s portion of a tax bill on
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City Manager Tommy Gonzalez is getting a pay raise for the second time this year, while City Attorney Karla Nieman is receiving a third salary increase — both after being evaluated earlier this month. The city released the final performance evaluations for Gonzalez and Nieman on Wednesday. Both received “exceeded standards” scores for the evaluation
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EL PASO, Texas — Upper Valley homeowner Perla Aguilera will have to reevaluate her family’s spending habits as she prepares to pay higher property taxes this year. Like thousands of El Pasoans, Aguilera saw a spike in her home valuation in 2021. That means that even though some taxing entities kept the same tax rates for
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EL PASO, Texas — Houston preservationist J.P. Bryan has funded a legal battle against El Paso’s proposed downtown multipurpose arena and donated tens of thousands of dollars to El Paso City Council candidates in the last two elections. Last month, he reached out to Mayor Oscar Leeser — a recipient of a $5,000 Bryan campaign
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EL PASO, Texas — A lawsuit by former state Rep. Joe Pickett alleges the city of El Paso is hiding tax increases in water bills, using a fee that purportedly is to pay for damages to streets caused by the city’s own sanitation trucks. In the lawsuit, Pickett seeks damages of up to $100,000 and
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EL PASO, Texas — El Paso Matters reached out to Mayor-elect Oscar Leeser and council members who will lead the city, beginning with their swearing-in and first council meeting on Jan. 5 at 8 a.m. at City Hall, to find out what the priorities will be for the first few months of 2021. Leeser won
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