Now or Never Event
From Republican House Districts 28 and 30 Join us for a night to connect with local conservatives to discuss schools, elections, how we lost Colorado and how we win it back This event was changed and details are no longer relevant
Author : Lakewood News from Karen
Why shouldn’t we pave over Graham Park?
From Eve S Build! Build! Build! That is the priority of the Ward 1 Council members. I live within a mile of Graham Park and this is the first I have heard of this new Build project. Who asked them to build at Graham Park? Have they done any environmental impact studies? How many trees will they cut down? Graham Park is located at 2345 Routt St. in Ward 1. See Graham Park Improvements | Lakewood Together. Before ruining this park, Lakewood should be required to study the impact of redevelopment on the native and migrating species that have been surviving on this small green space. This research should be done across all seasons so migrating species of insects and birds are not excluded. The existing trees should be examined and their uses should be included. The Lakewood forestry experts do NOT value old growth trees, but these are essential to many insects. Chickadees and raccoons build nests in the rotten spots of old trees, but Lakewood regards big, old trees as worthless. The city removes them and replaces them with non-native saplings. At Belmar Park Lake, the city ignored the requests of many residents to consider our wildlife and our ordinances. Among other negative decisions, they declared that roof tops fulfill the “open space” requirements. The Council members love concrete and asphalt and they hate all natural creatures and plants. Lakewood said: “2025: Funding is allocated in the 2025-2026 budget for the removal of the Graham House and to incorporate passive-use park improvements at Graham Park.” Why do Jeslin and Glenda hate our natural areas so much? Why do they want to pave over every square foot that can be used by wildlife? Ward 1 meeting is scheduled for August 9 at 9:30 am at Holy Shepherd Church at 920 Kipling.
Lakewood Sacrifices Home Rule For No Reason
Lakewood seems to be giving up local control through home rule: The sacrifice is being made in order to gain state funding for local initiatives that ALSO have not been transparent and do not have resident support. Lakewood City Council is throwing away the bedrock of local representation – home rule – in a bid to win political support for zoning changes. New Colorado statutes preempt local zoning code, a move other cities are fighting. But Lakewood is using Colorado’s preemption to show: The majority of Lakewood City Council agree with the proposed zoning changes and have already voted by resolution to accept the proposal (only Councilor Olver dissenting – Ken Cruz and Bill Furman not yet on Council). No Reason With the majority of Council in favor of the proposed code, Council should not have to worry that the changes will pass. There is no need to sacrifice home rule in order to pass the new code. Lakewood could fight for the principle of home rule – a principle Lakewood was FOUNDED ON over 50 years ago – and still enact the zoning code changes that Council feels are necessary. Instead, Lakewood will change its code so that for the first time state statutes will override local zoning (see highlighted insert from the version 3 redline proposal below). No Transparency According to resident Karen Gordey in Lakewood Informer news, the authority for the zoning came from home rule itself. She wrote: “… the Authority section (17.1.5). It originally cited “the city home rule charter” — a key phrase affirming Lakewood’s autonomy. That language? Now redlined. Gone. Instead, we’re left wondering whether the City is scrubbing references to home rule on purpose… or just by accident (which, frankly, would be just as troubling).” There has been no public policy discussion nor vote on whether to yield home rule. Instead, it’s just being quietly edited out. This language may be extended next year because City Council has engaged a City Charter Committee to discuss changes. Note: cities zone to keep order and make sure there is a good balance between residents (cost burden) and businesses (fund providers). But in order to do that, property rights had to be violated to tell people what they could and couldn’t do with their property. Now Lakewood is saying they are “de-regulating” to give property owners more choices, but they are still picking the choices. An owner cannot go back to agriculture property, for example. State Preemption Governor Jared Polis signed an Executive Order forcing states to comply with housing laws in order to receive state funding. From ColoradoPolitics.com, the laws include those listed below: Colorado also passed TEN new laws in 2025 that the Colorado Municipal League determined preempted local control. Instead of fighting against any of these, Lakewood supported key legislation, such as HB25-1093, which reversed a vote of Lakewood residents. Lakewood Council Will Not Fight for Rights Lakewood did not take the opportunity to join the lawsuit that six cities are bringing against Colorado for overstepping home rule boundaries. Thornton recently passed a resolution backing the lawsuit of those six cities. So far, no member of Lakewood City Council has brought something similar forward as a Council initiative. Most Council Members have made comments that Lakewood must comply with the state law. False Argument The argument that Lakewood has no choice but to comply with state law is completely false, as proven by history, other active lawsuits, and a legal opinion provided by the Colorado Municipal League (CML). The Colorado Sun reports that “the Colorado Municipal League this month advised cities in an email that it views the governor’s executive order as illegal. ‘It is CML’s position that this order exceeds the governor’s authority … and promotes arbitrary and capricious agency action.’” State Perspective Lakewood resident Lenore Herskovitz voiced concerns over home rule to a panel of Colorado Democrat leaders. She pointed out: Colorado Representative Rebekah Stewart responded by: Watch the video below: Local Support Lacking Ms. Lenore Herskovitz is one of many residents to bring up mountains of evidence about the abundant housing availability, such as her article titled “Affordable v Housing Crisis” or an article by savebelmarpark.com on Debunking the Supply and Demand Myth. These alternative points of view are not part of official presentations and are routinely dismissed. There doesn’t seem to be an answer to the question of how can a statewide, or even nationwide, affordable housing problem only be solved by changing multiple, unique, local zoning codes. What is known is that Lakewood already has the authority to change its zoning code if the residents support it. Lakewood officials seem to be using the state law as a crutch to win local support, but in the meantime, they are sacrificing home rule control without even bringing it to the attention of residents. As previously reported, Lakewood seems more concerned with getting state funding than gaining resident support for zoning changes. The state deadline for funding is in October 2025. That funding is used for other initiatives that don’t get resident support. Does Lakewood need a City Council if the only concern is what the state would do?
Lakewood Does Provide Sanctuary
Lakewood has reason to be concerned about being placed on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list of sanctuary cities. Email records show they do not comply with federal immigration law, nor do they plan to. Sanctuary was not granted through official vote of City Council; however, sanctuary from federal immigration law was undertaken behind the scenes while using word games to muddy the issue. From the emails, it appears that some Lakewood City Council Members do not appear to know the full extent of Lakewood’s defiance of federal law. On the other hand, DHS knows more than is publicly apparent – which makes sense because they are the ones that have been stonewalled for years. So although Lakewood does not pay for migrant support, it is clear that there is good reason for Lakewood to be placed on a sanctuary list, no matter the word games Lakewood plays. Lakewood City Council has repeatedly denied being a sanctuary city – which is true if defined by formal vote. However, it is not true that Lakewood does not provide sanctuary for illegals. Lakewood DOES provide sanctuary by not verifying immigration status or cooperating with DHS. In the beginning of the sanctuary city debate, the general public understood that a sanctuary city was just that – a safe place where your immigration status wouldn’t be questioned or held against you. Lakewood never made a public motion or official policy stating that they are a sanctuary city but it is apparent that they fully embrace and enable the state’s sanctuary status rather than federal immigration enforcement. No emails asking for removal When Lakewood was placed on the sanctuary city list, Lakewood did not issue a denial. There are no emails to DHS asking to be removed. That would be the first, honest, response from a city that was NOT acting as a sanctuary and was complying with federal immigration law. That’s what Aurora did. There is no email evidence that occurred in Lakewood. There are no emails asking why Lakewood is on the list. This is despite the fact that there is email from Senator Bennet’s office showing that jurisdictions with questions should reach out via email to SanctuaryJurisdictions@hq.dhs.gov. The official response to City Council was a bland email stating that Lakewood staff didn’t know why they were on the list or that they were concerned. Again, parsing the words carefully, staff “didn’t know why they were on the list” is different than “we have no idea why we are on the list.” Lakewood management may not have known the exact reason DHS was citing, but Lakewood would have known what internal procedural changes have been made over the years. Or perhaps Lakewood assumed they wouldn’t be singled out from other cities in Colorado who may have adopted similar, pro-sanctuary polices. Probably, they could rely on not having an official vote cast for sanctuary, which appears to be the case for some Councilors. Someone must have known there is a reason to be concerned, or they would have asked questions openly and honestly. Instead, Lakewood proceeded by investigating “delicately” (see email below). Lakewood declined to comment to the Denver Gazette and Denver 7 inquiries. A quick Google search could find no comment in any press coverage on the subject although Mayor Strom did reply to an msn.com inquiry. Official Response to City Council Don’t Draw Attention to Sanctuary Policies Nowhere anywhere did our investigation turn up evidence that Lakewood cooperates with DHS and ICE on immigration matters. There was never a suggestion that the situation was a misunderstanding. There was no proof emailed to DHS that Lakewood is indeed cooperating with federal immigration. There was one email showing that a Lakewood employee signed up for e-verify for the first time on Monday, June 2, in what may be a coincidence or a panicked response. In this case, Lakewood appears to have taken the approach that the less said the better because Lakewood cooperates with state law. Colorado sanctuary law is obviously intended to conflict with federal law. Lakewood’s cooperation with the state may be seen in multiple subversive actions, rather than one blanket vote by city council for “sanctuary”. And in fact, Ben Goldstein wrote: “Overall, I think the best strategy is to keep our heads down on this one, but perhaps the cat is out of the bag now” (see below). Lakewood Does Not Cooperate With Federal Immigration Proof that Lakewood provides sanctuary by not cooperating with DHS is shown in several ways besides being unable to deny the charge: There are also a couple things conspicuously missing: Complying with Colorado Law Over Federal Law As one example of City Council opinions, Councilor Jacob LaBure believes being placed on the sanctuary city list is “baseless” (see email below). LaBure’s response is the strong denial of an innocent man – which stands in stark contrast to the “keep your head down approach” from Lakewood management. However, strong beliefs or rewriting definitions of sanctuary does not change Lakewood’s support of migrant polices in 2024 or Lakewood’s vote to help Denver with its influx of migrants or Lakewood’s policy to lessen migrants deportation fears. As previously reported, such support is the original definition of a sanctuary city. In 2024 Lakewood Informer filed CORAs regarding immigration policy and did not receive any answers as to enforcement actions. The responding supervisor said the public information officer would be reaching out – an action that didn’t happen. Verbal responses in public meetings align with Jeffco’s response. They say that checking immigration status, which used to be a routine practice, was not the job of local jurisdictions. There is no federal law that says a home rule police department must check immigration status. This was just a matter of routine, like checking to see if you had an out-of-state drivers license. Lakewood no longer regularly does these routine checks. No Use of DHS Database Colorado law requires Lakewood to NOT share personally identifiable information with DHS non-public databases.
Why should habitats including Belmar Park be protected?
From SaveBelmarPark.com Because “biological annihilation” is happening NOW according to Stanford biologists Paul Ehrlich, Rodolfo Dirzo and colleague Gerardo Ceballos. Key quotes from the paper: “Earth’s sixth mass extinction episode has proceeded further than most assume.” What is Lakewood City Council doing locally to help the planet deal with this crisis? Lakewood’s answer is to ignore science and promote luxury housing that will harm a riparian habitat while citing the fake ‘housing shortage’. Yet the city council wants everyone to think there is not enough housing for a ‘growing’ population. City council, when does your denial of reality cross the line from being misinformed to being blatantly dishonest? The county has lost 4% of population in 4 years. The local school district has closed 21 schools since 2021. School buildings are actually up for sale in Lakewood. Lakewood’s housing pipeline already has a 10-15 year supply based on the city’s own study! Zillow shows over 1,500 rentals advertised in Lakewood today including hundreds of units within walking distance of Belmar Park. Council members, if this summation is not correct, then please explain why you refuse to protect habitats including Belmar Park. Eminent domain is at your service if needed. Yes, the Kairoi Belmar housing project, as planned without a science-based raptor buffer zone, will harm the rare riparian wildlife habitat at Belmar Park. Lakewood City Council cannot fix a global problem. But they can show leadership and be a model for how cities can play an important role. City Council, please do not take comfort just because you are not alone in participating in the sixth mass extinction event and stealing from the future of our children. Lakewood, this is exactly how to give the children a planet struggling to support human life. Or worse. Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends a raptor buffer zone at Belmar park based on ‘best available science’! Is that too much to ask? Some might say why worry? There is plenty of wildlife in Africa, so let’s eat, drink and be merry and forget about protecting habitats here. The planet is too big for humans to ever ruin it. Unfortunately, Dr. Lawrence Frank is quoted above regarding the ‘horrific’ loss of wildlife in Africa over the last 200 years. He spent decades tracking and studying lions in Africa. He started back before GPS tracking collars for lions were even available. Back then, once you had a collar on a lion, you had to drive around off road in Kenya to try and get in radio range of the collars using a YAG antenna to track and count the animals. He told me bouncing around on that terrain was very hard on his back. He explains during the Q&A at the end of the video that as humans continue to encroach on habitats in Africa, what wildlife still remains has a very uncertain future. Dr. Ehrlich’s paper points out that species extinctions over the last 200 years should have taken 10,000 years! What is happening is a global crisis. Protecting habitats will be the best and probably the only way out of it. Some might cite the recent example of the dire wolf that was supposedly extinct but brought back to life via genetic engineering by a company called Colossal Biosciences. The hope the company was claiming is that other species could be resurrected from extinction using the same technology. But the company’s chief scientist has now admitted just a few weeks ago the animal was not a true dire wolf but simply a grey wolf with a few modified traits to make it resemble the appearance of a dire wolf. Humans make up less than 0.5% of the total biomass of the planet, yet we are responsible for the ongoing 6th extinction event. Wild mammals make up even less of the total biomass than we do! It is up to us stop it. The Ehrlich paper explains that ecosystem services essential to civilization are already being eroded and damaged. There are 20 to 30 years at most to stop the mass extinction event. It is time to wake up. That includes you, City Council. Wake up. You are responsible for protecting habitats in Lakewood. Please do your job for the sake of your own children. Thanks for listening, Steve
Crystals, Community & Celebration: Mountain Mineral Market’s Solstice Weekend
From Mountain Mineral Market Mountain Mineral Market is excited to announce its next immersive community experience: theSummer Solstice Pop-Up, taking place on Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22, 2025.Open to the public, this vibrant outdoor two-day market will feature local vendor booths,delicious food trucks, and fun summer surprises for all! Don’t miss your chance to join thecelebration! Event DetailsLocation: 2300 Kipling St, Lakewood, CO 80215Dates: Saturday, June 21 & Sunday, June 22, 2025Times: 12:00 PM–5:00 PM Locally owned and operated, Mountain Mineral Market is known for its rare finds of crystals,gemstones, minerals, plants, and jewelry. In addition to pop-ups like the Summer SolsticeMarket, we host monthly Full Moon Parties. These include immersive offerings such as tarotreadings, live music, painting sessions, and henna tattoos, creating a magical andwelcoming space for spiritual exploration and creative expression.We also host Reiki and Aura photography pop-ups most months, typically offered separatelyfrom our market pop-ups and Full Moon events, giving guests more opportunities to trysomething new and expand their energetic or spiritual practice For updates, please visit our social media or website.● facebook.com/mountainmineralmarket● instagram.com/mountainmineralmarket
Potluck Ticketing Update
Due to a bad actor with a penchant for using false names, free tickets are not available at this time. Please email me directly for a free registration with confirmed email and phone number. Karen at thedesk@lakewoodinformer.com These free tickets will not be honored because they didn’t follow the rules but I expect this troublesome group to keep making trouble. But then again, that’s why we are meeting, to figure out how to overcome obstacles like this. Hope to see you there!
Zoned Out: How Lakewood is Selling Out its Neighborhoods
By Karen Gordey You’d be forgiven if you missed it — after all, the City didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for public input — but Lakewood is in the middle of completely rewriting its zoning code. And on May 21st, the Planning Commission passed 16 amendments in one night. Sixteen. Because who doesn’t want to restructure the entire city with the speed and clarity of a late-night city hall cram session? Here’s the kicker: Lakewood is a home rule city, meaning we have the power to make our own land use decisions. But instead of using that power to protect neighborhoods or push back on one-size-fits-all state mandates, the City Council passed a resolution last year (Resolution 2024-62) that basically says, “Tell us what you want, Colorado — we’ll make it happen.” Meanwhile, six other cities are suing the state to protect their local control. Lakewood? We’re sending engraved invitations to the bulldozers. If you’re not paying attention yet, you should be. Because staff expects these changes to take effect in September and if residents don’t start showing up and speaking up, we’ll be stuck with zoning we didn’t ask for, can’t undo, and won’t recognize. “Home Rule vs Statutory Rule” Before we go any further, it is important to understand the difference between statutory rule and home rule. So that there is no confusion, I went to the Colorado Municipal League’s website (www.cml.org). The following is their explanation of the two: “Colorado cities and towns operate under provisions of Colorado state statutes (and are referred to as “statutory” cities and towns) unless voters adopt a municipal charter to become a “home rule” city or town. Home rule is based on the theory that the citizens of a municipality should have the right to decide how their local government is to be organized and how their local problems should be solved. Municipal home rule derives its authority directly from the Colorado Constitution. It affords residents of cities and towns that adopt a local charter freedom from the need for state-enabling legislation and protection from state interference in “both local and municipal matters.” The Lakewood City Charter was established on November 1, 1983. While it has been modified by the voters 5 times (the latest on November 2, 2004, we are still a home rule city. Lakewood City Charter and Lakewood Together Page 27 of the City Charter talks about planning and zoning. According to the charter, the city council could have established Ward Advisory Committees to try to corral all these changes but instead are using Lakewood Together for community input. In fact, I attended the Ward 5 meeting on June 14th and Councilman LaBure said that he tried to create committees last year and did not have support for this. Let’s take a look at the Lakewood Together site. On the front page of the zoning updates section (Lakewood Together Zoning Updates), it clearly references the state law requirements and again we are a home rule city so we are allowed to do what is best for our community. This will be important to remember when I talk about the 16 amendments. The 2024 City Council Resolution: Pre-Commitment to State Zoning Goals The City Council passed a resolution Resolution 2024-62 that sounds harmless — values like affordability, walkability, and sustainability — but when you read the details, it’s a blueprint for surrendering home rule. The resolution adopts state-level zoning goals before zoning code revisions or public feedback were complete. That includes: Bottom line: Lakewood didn’t just “revise” its zoning goals; it absorbed the state’s playbook wholesale. This was covered briefly by the Lakewood Informer: Jedi Mind Tricks – The New Zoning Code WILL BE Good Why Didn’t Lakewood Join the Lawsuit with Other Home Rule Cities? Good question! Recently, six Colorado cities banded together to sue the state over its new zoning mandates — arguing that the laws violate their constitutional rights as home rule municipalities. (6 Front Range cities sue over housing laws, governor’s threat to withhold state funds) Lakewood? We sat that one out. At the Ward 5 meeting on Saturday, June 14th, I asked our Councilors a simple question: Was our absence because of Resolution 2024-62, which essentially pre-commits Lakewood to implementing state zoning goals? And if the lawsuit is successful, meaning those cities win back their rights to local control, won’t we be stuck with sweeping zoning changes we didn’t have to make? Councilman LaBure responded: “We are a home ruled city but we are also a state entity. The state passes things all the time that encroach on local control. The argument has been historically well zoning and parking issues and all those things are matters of local concern and not the state concern. And Judiciary had tended to draw a line there. However, the state has increasingly been making the argument that there is a housing crisis statewide so we need more and more control over local zoning issues because it is actually a matter of state concern. I would have been happy to have jumped on that lawsuit however, other cities already did it and we are part of the Colorado Municipal League (CML). And CML has supported that lawsuit and in that sense we are member and if not the largest so in some sense we are part of that because of our CML affiliation. And it is a fair question to ask about if the lawsuit is successful, then we would be stuck with zoning changes that were not needed.” Translation: we could have stood up for home rule; but we’ll just let other cities take the heat and hope our dues to the Colorado Municipal League somehow cover us by association. Councilor Nystrom added that she did ask the City Attorney the same question but didn’t get a clear answer. She also pointed out that HOAs aren’t safe from this zoning overhaul either. While HOA covenants are seen as contracts between homeowners and their associations, local
Resident Voices Community Potluck with Lakewood Informer June 26
Lakewood Informer wants to hear from you at a community potluck Is Lakewood on the right track? What events triggered you to get involved in Lakewood politics? Do you think Lakewood city management listens to you? And the big question – can you MAKE THEM listen? Join us for a potluck dinner at Addenbrooke Park on June 26, 5:30-9 pm and meet others who are concerned about the city. Bring your stories to share through the Lakewood Informer. Meet Lakewood Informer authors to get the latest information and meet your fellow residents. Discuss actions to get Lakewood’s attention on critical issues. –Karen Gordey on selling out neighborhoods–Lenore Herskovitz on affordable housing–Nancy Pallozi on Emory Elementary–Issues like sanctuary cities, The Bend, home rule, and getting organized–We don’t all agree on any of these items but it’s a starting point for discussion Tickets are free but a $10 donation would help defray costs for shelter rental and make future events possible. Hot dogs provided. Bring shareable food dishes at 5:30 for a meeting start time of 6 pm.Small group discussions start at 7 pmWrap up with solutions at 8 pmCapture your stories with video for sharing all night!Must be vacated at 9 pmWill be held rain or shine Tickets are limited, so please reserve asap. Maximum 2 tickets per person. Ticketing will be enforced to ensure park capacity limits do not prevent the meeting from happening. Summaries and videos of the event will be posted to the Lakewood Informer afterwards. There is a $10 suggested donation to cover costs (like park permit). Get a ticket with $10 donation here: https://checkout.page/s/R7jzvq1NxJ8Bu or scan: Free tickets are also available Due to a bad actor with a penchant for using false names, free ticketing is not available at this time. Please email me directly for a free registration with confirmed email and phone number. Karen at thedesk@lakewoodinformer.com These free tickets will not be honored because they didn’t follow the rules. If you have suggestions for discussion topics or would like to be a discussion leader, please let me know!
Lakewood and Jeffco Called a Sanctuary
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a list of sanctuary cities on Thursday, May 29. Lakewood and Jefferson County were on the list. By Sunday, DHS had taken the list down because of objections by the named jurisdictions. Cities like Lakewood never voted on the issue, just quickly enacted deprioritization policies behind the scenes and then told residents that the increased migrant population is not their problem. Now, DHS is calling out places like Lakewood and Jeffco that hide behind an unofficial policy of not cooperating, while other places do their best to balance a state law that acts against federal law. Lakewood has been through these word games with its residents already. No – Lakewood never formally voted to be a sanctuary city – but only because the state approved sanctuary status so Lakewood politicians didn’t have to take the political risk. At the time, it was apparent that Council would have approved sanctuary status if needed. At that time, around 2018, sanctuary meant being welcoming, resisting ICE cooperation and providing cover for migrant activity. Today, it seems to mean paying for housing and benefits… Because the bar has already been raised! People EXPECT welcoming and resistance to federal immigration. However, DHS is working from the original definition of any jurisdiction not cooperating with ICE. According to the original statement, DHS defined these sanctuary cities as: NOTE: This author seems to remember former Mayor Adam Paul talking about migrants taking refuge in a Lakewood church basement and the need for more placements. Does that sound right to anyone else? Lakewood has still been playing these word games, using “migrant” or “newcomer” instead of “illegal alien”. They would not guarantee that new homeless shelters would not be used for migrants. Instead, some Councilors insisted that all would be welcome. According to an article in The Guardian, the president of the National Sheriffs’ Association, Sheriff Kieran Donahue, “said the list was created without input from sheriffs and ‘violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement’”. Lakewood still “deprioritizes” crime instead of admitting they will not enforce certain crimes or cooperate with certain agencies. Both Lakewood and Jeffco claim that immigration enforcement is not their jurisdiction so no cooperation is necessary. Neither government has any problem cooperating with other federal agencies, such as the FBI. Therefore, according to Lakewood and Jeffco principles, the National Sheriffs’ Association’s objection is without merit because local jurisdictions shouldn’t be cooperating anyway. Note that the DHS list is more granular than others that just highlight the entire state as a sanctuary. DHS did not respond to requests for more information on how the list was compiled, but there were clearly some cities and counties singled out around the state. Lakewood’s Police Chief has described Venezuelan gang activity in Lakewood in a rare Ward 4 appearance. Lakewood thinks residents are so ignorant that they can’t see the deteriorating conditions brought on by “de-prioritizing” crimes. They seem to think that if they don’t use the word “sanctuary,” they can act defy federal law and be fine. And so far, they are right. During the last discussion about Lakewood’s sanctuary city status, Lakewood Informer news noted that the word games continued with a change from “sanctuary” to “being a good neighbor”.