00:00:00
Speaker 1: You're the third non-party, but you're the third candidate of merit in the governor's race. This is Greg Lopez running for governor as an independent. Greg, welcome back to the show.
00:00:09
Speaker 2: Well, thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.
00:00:11
Speaker 1: So let's start with the questions on everybody's minds. How hard is it to file a proper campaign finance return? How has your campaign struggled through this Herculean task?
00:00:23
Speaker 2: Well, it's not difficult. It really isn't.
00:00:25
Speaker 3: You know, if you pay attention to detail, you have the right people working with you.
00:00:29
Speaker 2: It's pretty simple. I mean, every candidate has to do this.
00:00:31
Speaker 3: You have to remember, every single candidate that's running for office right now in the primary and in the general, they all have to follow the same rules. So it's not like it's new information. For any candidate that's serious.
00:00:43
Speaker 1: Now, has the questions about the campaign finance reports of now both of your competitors, Victor Marks, just biggest fine ever in the history of Colorado. Phil Weiser has now been notified that he also accepted illegal campaign or they're investigating. Have you gone back and look over your finances and just be like, let's make sure?
00:01:05
Speaker 2: Of course.
00:01:06
Speaker 3: And actually, Mandy, someone did file a complaint against my campaign. And just last week, the Secretary of State's office said there's no merit here. We looked at it. There's no merit. There's no need for him to do any corrections. But, yeah, you know, when you're running for office, and specifically at this high level, everybody expects you to know the rules, know the laws, and they expect you to follow them.
00:01:27
Speaker 1: So, Greg, you are a I don't want to say perennial candidate, but you've run for some stuff. OK, you were mayor of Parker. You've run for several different offices. What is it about this time? What it is about this moment that people should look at you with fresh eyes and say this is a viable candidacy?
00:01:44
Speaker 3: Well, I will tell you, you look at the numbers of the registered voters in the state of Colorado, when over 50% are unaffiliated and only 25% are Democrat and 23% are Republican. The people are saying we no longer trust the parties and the major parties, so-called major, now they're minor. And so my voice is starting to resonate with people. You have to remember, Mandy, that in 2022, the Democrat Party spent $ 2 million against me in the primary, so I wouldn't make it to the general. And I lost going to the general by 49,000 votes statewide. So people are thirsty for new leadership. They're frustrated with both parties. And that's why you see all this anger coming out from the younger generation as it pertains to they want something different. And so I do bring something different to the table because my governing philosophies do not align with any party. They align with people and it's people over politics. do no harm, and do what works. And people really like to hear that type of governing approach.
00:02:45
Speaker 1: So you have been a Republican for a very long time.
00:02:49
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:02:49
Speaker 1: Where have you broken with the party? Where do you remain in your heart on the same plane? Which values? Where did that split happen?
00:02:58
Speaker 3: Well, let me tell you, I've always been a compassionate conservative. I've always cared about people. I've always cared about the quality of life of individuals. I'll tell you right now, you know, I'm not happy at all with the war that we're.
00:03:10
Speaker 2: Dealing in in Iran. That's wrong.
00:03:13
Speaker 3: Look at what's happening to our gas prices with that. You know, when you look at Remember, I was in Congress. I sat on the Budget Committee. So when we're $ 40 trillion in debt and we're spending more and more money that we don't have, that's a problem. We need to save the money for our people. And so there's a lot of things that I'm not happy with anymore as it pertains to how the Trump administration is moving forward. Another example I will give you, they are trying to redefine the definition of small business. They don't want small businesses to only be companies that have less than 100 employees. They want small businesses to be companies that have less than 500 employees. They're raising the cap on the revenue stream. This is going to kill small business.
00:03:58
Speaker 1: And how does that change things for small business? Is that in terms of having monies available for expansion and growth? Why would that kill small business?
00:04:08
Speaker 2: All of the above. Because all of a sudden, access to capital, right?
00:04:12
Speaker 3: When people want to say I'm giving to small business, they're no longer interested in giving to mom and pop shops. When I was the head of SBA, I talked to bankers, and they would tell me, Mandy, look, Greg, it takes me the same amount of paperwork to issue a $ 60, 000 loan to a small business or a $ 3 million loan to a bigger company. I'm going to go with a $ 3 million loan. It's more revenue for the bank. It's more revenue stream for everybody. And so this is how it's going to hurt small businesses. They're no longer going to have access to capital. Contract opportunities are now going to go to bigger companies. And so small businesses are going to struggle just to be small.
00:04:52
Speaker 1: Those headphones are giving you a fit. There you go. Greg's like, I'm just giving it up. It's fine. In the state of Colorado, I'm going to just say it. I wouldn't ask you to agree. I left the Republican Party. It has devolved into a hot mess of people obsessed with an election that happened six years ago who have created the impression in Colorado among many, many independents that they're just crazy. The reputation of the Republican Party is absolute trash in this state. I don't think anybody's going to argue against that. But there are people who say, well, Greg, why didn't you stay in the party and try to fix it?
00:05:33
Speaker 3: Look. I describe it like Humpty Dumpty, right? It's so broken. I don't know if you can fix it. And I'm more focused on the people of the state, not a specific party. I want to help all the individuals that are living in Colorado that are struggling today. I don't forget where I come from, Mandy. My mom and dad grew up working in the fields. My dad had a sixth grade education, never really learned to read and write. And my mom has a 10th grade education. And so I've always wanted to help people enjoy the quality of life or live the American dream. I feel that America has offered me the opportunity to be successful.
00:06:09
Speaker 2: I've worked hard.
00:06:10
Speaker 3: I stayed out of trouble to the best of my ability like everybody else. But at the end, if you do stay out of trouble and you work hard, you can achieve some things that you never imagined were achievable. And that's the message that I'm bringing to the state of Colorado is that, look, these candidates that are running as major candidates, they represent a party. I represent a different way of I represent a way for people to feel that their voices are being heard because I have no loyalty, like you just said. I have no loyalty to the Democrat Party or the Republican Party.
00:06:41
Speaker 2: My loyalty is to the people.
00:06:43
Speaker 3: And so I think people really want to hear that and want to see someone that has the experience and the background to actually achieve what they're talking about.
00:06:52
Speaker 1: So let's talk about nuts and bolts kind of governing. Let's just say the Lopez administration has an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature to deal with. And I don't know if you, and I'm trying to think of a nice way to say this. I don't know if you've looked at some of these left-wing candidates that are running. Some of them are legit, I think crazy. Like they're nuts. They would pull the legislature, which has already been pulled to the left, even further left. How do you work with a legislature that is so diametrically opposed? to free markets, to low regulation, to all of the things that used to make Colorado great, which have now been strangled by these same people. Right.
00:07:33
Speaker 3: The one thing that I've been doing this already, I've been visiting with the Senate president. Senator Coleman. And we've been talking about how do we work together? And so the idea is that we need to have conversations. Now these individuals that are younger, that are really trying to push the Democrats to the left, you have to remember, Their life experience is only 35 years. And when you look at what they've experienced in the latter part of their years from their 20s to 35, they don't even recognize what America really is because they've never lived it. And so it's having those conversations. But more importantly is making sure that I'm building relationships. So one of the things that I'm going to do is have a weekly lunch with four or five people. legislatures to come in and just have a conversation. Learn more about, it's kind of like, remember the Titans. Remember the coach said, hey, you guys need to learn each other's family. You need to learn where you come from. That type of approach that we realize we're not monsters. We have just a different way of looking at the world. And the other thing, when they are doing something on either side, if they're introducing legislation that I believe is harmful, I'm gonna go into their districts. I'm gonna go have town hall meetings with their voters and encourage in those legislatures to come with me. And I will make my case as to why I feel that if there's a problem with this legislation, and they can make their cases why they believe it's good. This is what people are thirsting for, right? It's real information from their elected officials. And that's what I'm gonna bring as part of my governing principles is always putting people first.
00:09:07
Speaker 1: We now have a progressive income tax on the ballot. People are gonna be voting for this. We also know that our competitiveness across the country has taken a nosedive in the last five, six years. Totally coincidentally, at the same time, we've had full democratic control, I'm sure. I'm positive it's just a coincidence. But we're, I mean, it doesn't take much to go into sort of death spiral, especially when you're looking at downtown Denver and you're looking at how empty downtown Denver still is. What do you do in terms of reversing that? Because like I said, same people that pass those laws. are still in the legislature. So how do you convince them to undo what they themselves already did?
00:09:49
Speaker 3: Well, the first thing I'm gonna do is work with the chambers of commerce and economic development groups. You have to remember, I used to be the president of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. And all chambers are wanting to see more business come into the communities. Because we all recognize that's the the vitality of a community's business. And so working with those respected individuals, not the legislature to begin with, because they will make the decision. But you and I both know Mandy that everybody has a circle of influence. Everybody has advisors that they listen to. And if we are all saying the same thing about the importance of getting regulations out of the way, so small business and big business can come back and feel that Colorado truly embraces them. You have to also remember it's not only the business owners, but also the employers that they're able to live here in Colorado, that they can afford to live that American dream here in Colorado right now.
00:10:43
Speaker 2: So there's a lot of.
00:10:44
Speaker 3: Fixing we need to do, but it's going to take time. I'm a firm believer Colorado can do better to your point. You know, I ask people, Is your life better eight years from the last time that there was a new governor elected? You know, is housing more affordable? Is your groceries more affordable? Are you feeling safer in your communities? Do you have more trust in your government? And if the answer is no, then why would you vote for more of the same? Because that's really what they're looking at. And so having those candid conversations with people, and I had them because I had to get signatures from over 12,000 people. And so I know how to keep my hand on the pulse of what people are feeling, and that's what I'm gonna do as governor.
00:11:26
Speaker 1: So you just mentioned housing affordability. This is a big one, especially for young people who feel like they can't buy a house, they can't get ahead. What would you see being able to accomplish soon, quickly, as governor that would have an impact on the housing market right now?
00:11:42
Speaker 3: So here's the way I'm going to approach it. There's a two-prong approach. So how do you do something quickly? I first want to work with the legislature to pass a law that says all renters, all renters should be able to deduct their entire rents payments for the entire year off their income tax.
00:12:00
Speaker 2: Because whether you have.
00:12:01
Speaker 3: A deed or you've signed a lease, you're paying the same every single month to have a roof over your head. And that's one of the biggest expenses that we have. And I've talked to a lot of renters that that would help me tremendously. If I could write off my rent at the end of the year on my income tax, just like homeowners do, I think that's fair. I say, I totally agree with you. The other thing I was just talking to somebody, you know, it's interesting because I went to go get an oil change because I'm putting a lot of miles on my car. And I was sitting next to a gentleman and he happened to recognize me and he goes, Wait a minute, aren't you Greg Lopez?
00:12:34
Speaker 2: I said, yeah. He goes, you're running for governor. I said, yeah. We started talking. We talked about housing.
00:12:40
Speaker 3: He asked me, he goes, do you know how much it costs for a tap fee and a sewer fee here in Parker, Colorado?
00:12:47
Speaker 2: I said, let me guess, right? I said, $ 60, 000? He goes, no, it's $ 106, 000 for a one-inch tap fee.
00:12:59
Speaker 3: See, a lot of people don't understand that a lot of the cost of the home is buried in the ground.
00:13:04
Speaker 2: Right. You don't even see it.
00:13:06
Speaker 3: So we got to work with developers, builders, and communities to make sure that they're not overcharging just to have water into your home or to have a sewer tap. This can be done. Remember, I used to be the city manager and the mayor for the town of Parker. I know land use. I know regulations. That's what we're going to do quickly. We don't need the legislature to get involved in that. It's having a governor work with CML, the Colorado Municipal League, and the county commissioners. All those individuals that make these decisions, we can turn this around. It's going to take some time, but we can do it.
00:13:44
Speaker 1: You know, one of the things that I hear all the time from people in the house building business is permitting. And whether it is trying to open a new establishment. I have a friend who almost went bankrupt trying to deal with the town of Parker and permitting and inspections and everything else. Is there a role from the state level to either force or change behavior at the local level to streamline so if somebody does want to open a brick-and-mortar location, they can do so in a timely fashion so they're not out of money before they even open the doors?
00:14:21
Speaker 2: I believe there is.
00:14:21
Speaker 3: Look, as a governor, I'm very supportive of local control. However, if they're dragging their feet, if they're not issuing permits or giving... You know, direction of what is holding up this paperwork. That is a problem because that's hurting the entire state of Colorado. You cannot look at your jurisdiction and say, well, we're just doing it here. No, you're part of a bigger piece of the picture. And so I would like to see if I'm hearing that because I do hear it in Denver.
00:14:50
Speaker 2: I hear it.
00:14:50
Speaker 1: I have friends in construction that will not do, they will not bid a job in Denver ever again because the last job, I think he told me, they bid the job and it took 256 days to get a permit.
00:15:03
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:15:04
Speaker 1: And it wasn't like, they didn't tear anything down. This is inside someone's house and he said never again. That's crazy.
00:15:10
Speaker 2: It's crazy. It's the bureaucracy.
00:15:12
Speaker 1: And that means people in Denver have fewer choices.
00:15:14
Speaker 2: Yes, yes.
00:15:15
Speaker 3: And so we do need to get everybody together and say, stop it.
00:15:19
Speaker 2: We need to be efficient.
00:15:21
Speaker 3: In government because this is the type of thing that lets people believe government doesn't care about them. Government really doesn't care about their quality of life, doesn't care about what you want to achieve. Government just want to continue to put their hand in our pockets and take more money out. So I totally agree with you. There's ways that we can streamline the... permitting process, but you've got to have a governor that understands it, not just talk about it. He's been in the realm. He's been in working with the planning departments and the building departments and knows how it works.
00:15:54
Speaker 1: This texter and I'll ask this question, then we're going to take a break. I'm with Greg Lopez. He's an independent running for governor. You can text your questions for Greg. He's going to stick around for the last half hour, so you've got plenty of time to ask questions. Mandy, can you ask Greg about the controversy around the firm he hired to collect signatures getting him on the ballot? Will you address that? Of course. Yeah, let's do it.
00:16:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, so let me tell you this, right?
00:16:17
Speaker 3: This company was certified by the Secretary of State's office. They got issued a license by the state itself.
00:16:24
Speaker 2: And so I looked at the list.
00:16:25
Speaker 3: I ran into some of their employers as I was out gathering signatures. And so when they said, hey, we're willing to help, I looked at them, I went to the Secretary of State's office, made sure that they were registered with the Secretary of State's office, made sure that they had an EIN number, and all the things, right? I don't look at the owners, I don't look at the personalities of the people that put this together. I make sure that it's being recognized officially by the Secretary of State's office. So that's what I did. And the Secretary of State's office said, yeah, you can use this company. We gave them a license and they're good to go. So for those who don't know why that's controversial... Well, for those that, you know, someone submitted a complaint that said, I hired someone that somehow or another was involved with transgender.
00:17:10
Speaker 2: I mean, it gets crazy. It gets crazy, right?
00:17:13
Speaker 3: It's like, hey, I'm not looking at the background of the people. I'm looking at the company.
00:17:18
Speaker 2: So you did.
00:17:19
Speaker 1: The due diligence as the due diligence was available and had no reason to suspect otherwise. A lot of people are pointing out that the mortgage deduction is not for the entire mortgage payment. So now they're saying, well, wait a minute. You're basically giving renters a better deal than the homeowners. So do you want to address that?
00:17:38
Speaker 2: Let's talk about that. Yeah, I think this is a great conversation.
00:17:41
Speaker 3: You and I know when we first buy our home, for the first 10 years, it's predominantly all interest. Maybe $ 30, $ 40 of it goes to principal, right? And so why is it wrong to allow that for a renter when they're not even earning equity?
00:17:57
Speaker 2: They're not buying anything.
00:17:58
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be opposed to some kind of renter's benefit, but I don't know if I'm willing to go... You know, the full Monty. Let's talk about it.
00:18:08
Speaker 3: Again, this is how we start having good creative conversations, because right now the renters are struggling just as much as homeowners are.
00:18:16
Speaker 1: Oh, everybody. I mean, we could argue the affordability crisis in Colorado is acute.
00:18:21
Speaker 3: Right.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: But when we get back with Greg Lopez, I've got a couple of really good questions.
00:18:25
Speaker 2: Perfect.
00:18:27
Speaker 1: A question about ridiculous and restrictive gun laws. I think those two qualifiers say how this person feels about it. This one about helping teachers buy a home. So we'll do all of this with Greg Lopez when we get back. I put a link on the blog today at mandyblog.com to his website if you hear him on the show and you'd like more information about him. And I don't even know if you know this, Greg. You have locked up the Klingon vote. Did you know this?
00:18:52
Speaker 2: I did.
00:18:53
Speaker 1: Have you not seen the video? Oh, someone made a video for you, and it is magic. It is also on the blog today. Greg Lopez. Greg, is there a plan to debate? Phil, you guys were just at Club 20 together.
00:19:07
Speaker 2: Yes, we were.
00:19:08
Speaker 1: Do you know if they videotaped? That wasn't a true debate, was it?
00:19:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was.
00:19:11
Speaker 1: That was a true debate.
00:19:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know what was unique about it, Mandy, is that we both got four minutes to ask each other questions without the moderator.
00:19:19
Speaker 1: Oh, nice. I actually like that about political debates, being able to ask each other's questions. I'll find out if Wayne Harley is going to put that online somewhere. And if it is, I will share that so people can make a decision about what they want to do. Oh, yeah, the Klingon vote, all about Greg Lopez. We'll be back after this. Making the case that if you're tired of the two-party system, which voter registration would say we're tired of the two-party system, on why you should give him your vote. Now, a couple people have asked Greg, specifically on the text line. One of them said they want to see you against Bill Weiser because you know Victor won't show up. So they want to see you against Phil. You guys were together at the Club 20 debate. I've reached out to Wade Harley from Club 20 to see if they actually recorded them, and I'll be more than happy to share it. But you guys don't have any more joint appearances together, right?
00:20:09
Speaker 3: No, we did one in Colorado Springs like two weeks before Club 20. And it was on Channel 5, and it was sponsored by the Colorado Springs Gazette and Colorado Politics.
00:20:18
Speaker 1: I can find that one.
00:20:19
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:20:19
Speaker 1: Okay, I'll find that, and I will put it on the blog when I get back from vacation. So, because that's not going to do it when I get home today. Anyway, this texter said, I'd like to hear your comments on the ridiculous and restrictive gun laws that have been passed, and how do we correct them? I think this is probably the biggest problem that you will have, because... The divide lines on this are intractable, and anything you try to do, Tom Sullivan will be there as the father of a victim in the Aurora theater shooting to shout it down and tell you that you're a horrible person.
00:20:54
Speaker 3: Right.
00:20:55
Speaker 1: So how do you fix that?
00:20:56
Speaker 3: Well, I tell you, look, I believe in the Constitution. I believe in the Second Amendment. I have a concealed carry permit. I believe that everyone should be able to own a gun if they choose to do so. Because we all know that it's not the gun that's doing the harm, it's the person behind the gun.
00:21:16
Speaker 2: And so I will be talking to people.
00:21:18
Speaker 3: I will be making sure that people understand what are we trying to do here? Because if we have the poor that are trying to protect themselves and they can't afford this new law, they got passed that you have to take 12 hours of classes, you know, $ 400 just to be able to exercise your constitutional right.
00:21:36
Speaker 2: That is a problem.
00:21:38
Speaker 3: And I don't think people are being honest about what it is that they're trying to do. CPW right now, Mandy, they're trying to pass some rule that says you cannot use bullets that have a certain amount of lead in it.
00:21:50
Speaker 2: Think about that for it. Yeah.
00:21:52
Speaker 1: Those have been around for a very long time because bullets that don't use lead are more expensive, therefore creating another barrier to entry if you want to protect yourself. Now, the good news is there's multiple cases that are working their way through the Supreme Court right now, one of them an assault weapons ban. I do think that as these things make their way up to the Supreme Court, they will be struck down as a clear violation. But in the meantime... As governor, is there anything specific that you could see that you would be willing to employ or even if it comes down to the we're not going to enforce this or the mechanism to enforce it on any level, would you continue to have the attorney general of the state of Colorado defend the state of Colorado in these cases should they make it to the Supreme Court?
00:22:38
Speaker 3: Again, the separation of the attorney general's office and what the governor is able to do I will definitely voice my opinion that this is not something we should be spending money on, right, is to try to tell people that the Constitution doesn't apply to people.
00:22:51
Speaker 2: In the state of Colorado.
00:22:52
Speaker 3: I think we need to let the Supreme Court make that decision. I can't see a single argument where anyone could say. you know what, the Constitution is wrong. It doesn't apply to citizens, so we're gonna do away with it. I will be working with CPW and prioritizing. And I don't see enforcing this gun law as a top priority for what CPW should be doing. I think we need to be watching our way of life as it pertains to the Western Slope. our wildlife, all those things that really matter to the state and its economy. And so it would be a low priority for me to have CPW do all this stuff that we all know it's not helping our economy or helping keeping people safe.
00:23:36
Speaker 1: So let's just say for the sake of argument that Janet Griswold becomes the new Attorney General. And she continues what your opponent, Phil Weiser, has done, which is just relentlessly suing the Trump administration over and over, even when it has not a damn thing to do with Colorado. And if you don't believe me, we joined a lawsuit to stop a merger between Warner Brothers and Paramount.
00:23:59
Speaker 3: What?
00:23:59
Speaker 1: I mean, but our tax dollars went to spend this. How do you, as governor... If you have this activist attorney general, which there's no doubt in my mind Jenna Griswold would be an activist attorney general, how do you combat that? What do you do in that situation when you're at odds with another constitutional office like that?
00:24:18
Speaker 3: Well, remember first, right, the governor puts together the budget. The legislature's joint budget committee has to approve it. So the one thing that I will be doing is making sure people understand how each one of the branches is spending their money. How are they spending their money, and is this really the way you want to do it? If you notice, Attorney General Phil Weiser, when he wins a lawsuit or gets a settlement, everybody thinks it goes back to the general fund.
00:24:45
Speaker 2: It doesn't.
00:24:46
Speaker 3: He gets to keep it in his office and he gets to use it however he wants to use. He's the one that's giving out grants. He's the one that's doing using that money. And yet we are one point six billion in the red going into next year.
00:24:59
Speaker 2: I have a question.
00:25:01
Speaker 3: Why is he allowed to keep money that we spent taxpayers money to help Colorado? Why is that not going back to the general fund? Now, some will say, well, there's a little glitch in the rules that says if he can prove that it was designed specifically for a certain defense, then he should be able to keep it.
00:25:18
Speaker 2: Okay, well, let's talk about that, right? Should he keep 100% of it?
00:25:21
Speaker 1: Well, here's my question, and I think it's a valid question, and I sure would love to see Kyle Clark and the folks over at 9 News. dig into exactly how much Attorney General Phil Weiser has spent on lawsuits suing Donald Trump that don't have anything to do with Colorado. I'll even give him the benefit of the doubt on a couple like, okay, we have invested interest there, that makes sense. But for all of the nonsense and idiocy that he has simply done to keep putting his name in the news, and I truly believe that, is just to keep his name in the news cycle, I'd like to know how much all that cost. Did we make more than that back? And if not, then to your point, shouldn't we keep the money that we did make while you're basically running around suing the president of the United States over and over again.
00:26:06
Speaker 2: You're absolutely right, Mandy.
00:26:07
Speaker 3: And what people forget is the governor is the only elected position that is the voice for the entire people across the state. Everybody else has a district that they represent. And so when we're mismanaging or we're misusing funds of the state, the taxpayers' dollars, It's up to the governor to let everybody know this is what's happening. If he can't correct it through his executive administrative responsibility, then it's his job to notify everybody.
00:26:34
Speaker 2: Look, I need help.
00:26:35
Speaker 3: I need you guys to understand what's going on out there. And this is how we need to fix it. But you don't see a governor doing that these days. And I'm going to be that type of governor that encourages people to get involved.
00:26:46
Speaker 1: Greg Lopez is my guest. He is running as an independent for governor. By the way, he had not seen that he had the Klingon vote locked up. I just showed him this video that's on the blog today. He had never seen it. And I don't know who made this, but it is. So funny. And yeah, the Klingons love you. I mean, is that an endorsement you're going to run with that you've now been.
00:27:06
Speaker 2: Endorsed by the Klingons?
00:27:08
Speaker 1: I mean, why not?
00:27:09
Speaker 2: Why not?
00:27:09
Speaker 1: I want to ask specifically about our oil and gas industry. We peaked in oil and gas development in 2019. We have been declining in oil and gas development since then. And there was a story today, I didn't put it on the blog because I don't care that much, about how much money RTD got, like $ 40 million from oil and gas specifically.
00:27:29
Speaker 3: Right.
00:27:30
Speaker 1: We're running one of the most lucrative businesses in terms of tax revenue out of the state is that reversible because what i am afraid is that oil and gas companies are not stupid they know that at any minute the colorado legislature could just plop more restrictions on them you've got the city and county of boulder suing suncor and exxon right has that ship sailed too far out to bring it back.
00:27:54
Speaker 3: In I don't think so, Mandy. I think if there's a ship that's sailed, it's the bigger ship. But I think there's smaller oil and gas companies that are wanting to stay in Colorado. They want to hire people in Colorado to make sure that they can grow the industry.
00:28:10
Speaker 2: But you're right. When corporate America looks at what.
00:28:13
Speaker 3: The state has done over the last eight years really kicked them out. They can't mobilize as quickly to come back to Colorado as a small producer can. And so I do think that the severance tax is a huge component of what the local communities are missing.
00:28:30
Speaker 2: And here's another fact that I learned.
00:28:33
Speaker 3: In order to balance the budget, what the governor has been doing is sweeping some of the departments that get the servants tax. He's sweeping money away from the Department of Natural Resources. He's sweeping money away from the Department of Local Affairs to the tune.
00:28:50
Speaker 2: Of $ 90.
00:28:51
Speaker 3: Million that he's taken away from them to balance the budget. And this is all from the servants tax that comes from oil and gas. People don't even know that, and it's wrong, because the people said the service tax should go to help schools, should go help local communities, and the governor has decided he's going to sweep those accounts, and he can do it.
00:29:11
Speaker 1: Well, let me do this. Let's take our last time out. If you have a last question for Greg Lopez, get it in now at 56690 on the Common Spirit Health text line. This texter said something that I'm not going to say. We'll talk about CPW one more time when we get back. If you're looking for an alternative to the two-party system, he is running as an independent. Got a couple of questions, Greg, that I want to throw in very quickly. We've got multiple questions from the Common Spirit Health text line. Mandy asks, if governor, if he would take control of RTD. I used to work for RTD and the amount of monetary waste and budget shortfalls would put most companies out of business. I think a better question was, why would you take over RTD and would you?
00:29:54
Speaker 2: You know what?
00:29:55
Speaker 3: I don't know that I would. I would question it. Remember, this is the taxpayers' dollars. We're all paying into RTD. And again, as a governor, you need to let people know what is happening. I do believe that it's being mismanaged. I do believe there's not good management and leadership at RTD. And that's why we're losing. It can't even self-sustain itself. So maybe it's time to talk about does RTD go away as an authority? Does someone else take it over?
00:30:22
Speaker 2: I don't know. But we do know this.
00:30:24
Speaker 1: The problem with public transit, it's never profitable. It's never break even. It never comes close. So then the argument becomes how much? Do we want to supplement this? How much are we going to prop it up? And are we propping it up effectively? I'm terribly afraid that this idiotic front range rail is going to pass. And then we're going to be stuck with another white elephant of mass transit that no one rides after we spend billions of dollars. So the RTD thing, it's like, how much do we want to pay so other people can have a ride? Right. That's the reality.
00:30:56
Speaker 2: It is. There should be a limit.
00:30:59
Speaker 3: Whether it's only 20% and you got to do 80% self-sufficient. But I agree with you. This train is going to be a disaster for the state of Colorado if it moves forward.
00:31:09
Speaker 1: One of the things that I loved about Barb Kirkmeyer's campaign was Barb said... She would spend the first hundred days firing a lot of people on various boards and commissions.
00:31:20
Speaker 2: Right.
00:31:21
Speaker 1: Does the Lopez administration do that?
00:31:23
Speaker 2: Oh, yes.
00:31:23
Speaker 3: Look, I've been to the CPW commission meetings. That commission's out of control.
00:31:28
Speaker 1: They are. I can't even with that. I'm glad you said it. We've hired a bunch of people to oversee our hunting and fishing economy that hate hunting and fishing.
00:31:40
Speaker 2: Yes. Yeah.
00:31:41
Speaker 1: It's insane.
00:31:42
Speaker 2: He's done that. Governor Polis has put people in all boards and commissions.
00:31:45
Speaker 1: No, no, his husband has. Let's be real. His husband has told him who to put on these boards and commissions, and that is who he's appointed.
00:31:52
Speaker 2: And so to your point, you know what?
00:31:54
Speaker 3: Yes, we need to clean up all those boards and commissions because the people that are sitting there today do not have Colorado's best interests at heart. They're trying to fulfill an agenda of a person individually, an agenda of an individual person. That's not the way Colorado works. We need to give back the state to the people and make sure that we're actually doing what those commissions are supposed to be doing.
00:32:15
Speaker 1: And the thing that makes me the most upset is I've now gotten to know a handful, not a ton, but a handful of actual Colorado Parks and Wildlife's biologists and workers. You talk about people who love Colorado and they love our wildlife and they love hunting and fishing. So they're now being led by these people that are diametrically opposed to how they want to live in Colorado. What would a Lopez administration look like? Give me the first 100 days. Give me priorities, what you do, how you hit the ground running.
00:32:45
Speaker 3: You know, the first 100 days, remember, it starts right after the election because I won't get sworn in until January. But the first hundred days is going to be review the budget, review all the people that are on the commissions themselves, identify cabinet members. And I will have Democrats, Republicans and non affiliates as cabinet members because there are good people out there, regardless of party affiliation. They're smart. They understand how to protect our state. That's why they moved to Colorado to make Colorado a state that we can all be proud of. It's the political ideology that gets in the way. This is what's happening with CPW. And so we've got to clean all that up. But I will make sure that everybody understands there's a new governor in the governor's office. And his goal is to put the people first. And he's going to challenge and question everything to make sure that we are moving forward together. as a state, and we stopped the division of the Western Slope and the urban corridor. It's about the entire state of Colorado, and I'll make sure that all the legislatures understand. I'm going to meet with the leadership on the first two weeks of both sides, and we're going to meet, and we're going to have a conversation about what are we looking to achieve over the next two years.
00:33:57
Speaker 2: Let's work together.
00:33:58
Speaker 3: Let's make sure we're not hurting anybody, but let's move forward. This is the type of governing that I'm going to do coming in for the state.
00:34:05
Speaker 1: I put a link on the blog today for Greg Lopez's campaign. You can find out more about him. I also put the clear explainer video of why he's the choice for Klingons. That is also on the blog. And I just added a few minutes ago, Wade Harley sent me the video of the Club 20 debates. I started it at the 31-minute mark. That is when you and Phil Weiser debated. I just told Greg, I'm like, oh, my goodness, you guys are like tiny. You're like little ants on the... on the screen but you can clearly hear it the the audio is good so if you want to hear um probably the only substantial debate between gubernatorial candidates it happened at club 20 on september 19th so we've got that on the blog as well mandy don't forget the cpw lady who's petitioning to collect annual fees for photography of wildlife i mean what else can they tax What else? If that happened, could you imagine the Instagram police would be going around like, I'm so sorry, I need to see your license for this photograph of a bird taken in Colorado.
00:35:04
Speaker 3: Right.
00:35:04
Speaker 2: 30 seconds.
00:35:08
Speaker 1: Why should people vote for you?
00:35:09
Speaker 3: Look, if you want something different, if you want a government that cares about the people and doesn't want to play politics, has no loyalty to the Republican or Democrat Party, then I ask you to vote for me because it's time for Colorado to have a different voice, a voice that represents everyone and making sure that we improve the quality of life for every individual that makes Colorado home.
00:35:34
Speaker 1: That's Greg Lopez. Find his information at mandiblog.com.
Speaker 1: You're the third non-party, but you're the third candidate of merit in the governor's race. This is Greg Lopez running for governor as an independent. Greg, welcome back to the show.
00:00:09
Speaker 2: Well, thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.
00:00:11
Speaker 1: So let's start with the questions on everybody's minds. How hard is it to file a proper campaign finance return? How has your campaign struggled through this Herculean task?
00:00:23
Speaker 2: Well, it's not difficult. It really isn't.
00:00:25
Speaker 3: You know, if you pay attention to detail, you have the right people working with you.
00:00:29
Speaker 2: It's pretty simple. I mean, every candidate has to do this.
00:00:31
Speaker 3: You have to remember, every single candidate that's running for office right now in the primary and in the general, they all have to follow the same rules. So it's not like it's new information. For any candidate that's serious.
00:00:43
Speaker 1: Now, has the questions about the campaign finance reports of now both of your competitors, Victor Marks, just biggest fine ever in the history of Colorado. Phil Weiser has now been notified that he also accepted illegal campaign or they're investigating. Have you gone back and look over your finances and just be like, let's make sure?
00:01:05
Speaker 2: Of course.
00:01:06
Speaker 3: And actually, Mandy, someone did file a complaint against my campaign. And just last week, the Secretary of State's office said there's no merit here. We looked at it. There's no merit. There's no need for him to do any corrections. But, yeah, you know, when you're running for office, and specifically at this high level, everybody expects you to know the rules, know the laws, and they expect you to follow them.
00:01:27
Speaker 1: So, Greg, you are a I don't want to say perennial candidate, but you've run for some stuff. OK, you were mayor of Parker. You've run for several different offices. What is it about this time? What it is about this moment that people should look at you with fresh eyes and say this is a viable candidacy?
00:01:44
Speaker 3: Well, I will tell you, you look at the numbers of the registered voters in the state of Colorado, when over 50% are unaffiliated and only 25% are Democrat and 23% are Republican. The people are saying we no longer trust the parties and the major parties, so-called major, now they're minor. And so my voice is starting to resonate with people. You have to remember, Mandy, that in 2022, the Democrat Party spent $ 2 million against me in the primary, so I wouldn't make it to the general. And I lost going to the general by 49,000 votes statewide. So people are thirsty for new leadership. They're frustrated with both parties. And that's why you see all this anger coming out from the younger generation as it pertains to they want something different. And so I do bring something different to the table because my governing philosophies do not align with any party. They align with people and it's people over politics. do no harm, and do what works. And people really like to hear that type of governing approach.
00:02:45
Speaker 1: So you have been a Republican for a very long time.
00:02:49
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:02:49
Speaker 1: Where have you broken with the party? Where do you remain in your heart on the same plane? Which values? Where did that split happen?
00:02:58
Speaker 3: Well, let me tell you, I've always been a compassionate conservative. I've always cared about people. I've always cared about the quality of life of individuals. I'll tell you right now, you know, I'm not happy at all with the war that we're.
00:03:10
Speaker 2: Dealing in in Iran. That's wrong.
00:03:13
Speaker 3: Look at what's happening to our gas prices with that. You know, when you look at Remember, I was in Congress. I sat on the Budget Committee. So when we're $ 40 trillion in debt and we're spending more and more money that we don't have, that's a problem. We need to save the money for our people. And so there's a lot of things that I'm not happy with anymore as it pertains to how the Trump administration is moving forward. Another example I will give you, they are trying to redefine the definition of small business. They don't want small businesses to only be companies that have less than 100 employees. They want small businesses to be companies that have less than 500 employees. They're raising the cap on the revenue stream. This is going to kill small business.
00:03:58
Speaker 1: And how does that change things for small business? Is that in terms of having monies available for expansion and growth? Why would that kill small business?
00:04:08
Speaker 2: All of the above. Because all of a sudden, access to capital, right?
00:04:12
Speaker 3: When people want to say I'm giving to small business, they're no longer interested in giving to mom and pop shops. When I was the head of SBA, I talked to bankers, and they would tell me, Mandy, look, Greg, it takes me the same amount of paperwork to issue a $ 60, 000 loan to a small business or a $ 3 million loan to a bigger company. I'm going to go with a $ 3 million loan. It's more revenue for the bank. It's more revenue stream for everybody. And so this is how it's going to hurt small businesses. They're no longer going to have access to capital. Contract opportunities are now going to go to bigger companies. And so small businesses are going to struggle just to be small.
00:04:52
Speaker 1: Those headphones are giving you a fit. There you go. Greg's like, I'm just giving it up. It's fine. In the state of Colorado, I'm going to just say it. I wouldn't ask you to agree. I left the Republican Party. It has devolved into a hot mess of people obsessed with an election that happened six years ago who have created the impression in Colorado among many, many independents that they're just crazy. The reputation of the Republican Party is absolute trash in this state. I don't think anybody's going to argue against that. But there are people who say, well, Greg, why didn't you stay in the party and try to fix it?
00:05:33
Speaker 3: Look. I describe it like Humpty Dumpty, right? It's so broken. I don't know if you can fix it. And I'm more focused on the people of the state, not a specific party. I want to help all the individuals that are living in Colorado that are struggling today. I don't forget where I come from, Mandy. My mom and dad grew up working in the fields. My dad had a sixth grade education, never really learned to read and write. And my mom has a 10th grade education. And so I've always wanted to help people enjoy the quality of life or live the American dream. I feel that America has offered me the opportunity to be successful.
00:06:09
Speaker 2: I've worked hard.
00:06:10
Speaker 3: I stayed out of trouble to the best of my ability like everybody else. But at the end, if you do stay out of trouble and you work hard, you can achieve some things that you never imagined were achievable. And that's the message that I'm bringing to the state of Colorado is that, look, these candidates that are running as major candidates, they represent a party. I represent a different way of I represent a way for people to feel that their voices are being heard because I have no loyalty, like you just said. I have no loyalty to the Democrat Party or the Republican Party.
00:06:41
Speaker 2: My loyalty is to the people.
00:06:43
Speaker 3: And so I think people really want to hear that and want to see someone that has the experience and the background to actually achieve what they're talking about.
00:06:52
Speaker 1: So let's talk about nuts and bolts kind of governing. Let's just say the Lopez administration has an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature to deal with. And I don't know if you, and I'm trying to think of a nice way to say this. I don't know if you've looked at some of these left-wing candidates that are running. Some of them are legit, I think crazy. Like they're nuts. They would pull the legislature, which has already been pulled to the left, even further left. How do you work with a legislature that is so diametrically opposed? to free markets, to low regulation, to all of the things that used to make Colorado great, which have now been strangled by these same people. Right.
00:07:33
Speaker 3: The one thing that I've been doing this already, I've been visiting with the Senate president. Senator Coleman. And we've been talking about how do we work together? And so the idea is that we need to have conversations. Now these individuals that are younger, that are really trying to push the Democrats to the left, you have to remember, Their life experience is only 35 years. And when you look at what they've experienced in the latter part of their years from their 20s to 35, they don't even recognize what America really is because they've never lived it. And so it's having those conversations. But more importantly is making sure that I'm building relationships. So one of the things that I'm going to do is have a weekly lunch with four or five people. legislatures to come in and just have a conversation. Learn more about, it's kind of like, remember the Titans. Remember the coach said, hey, you guys need to learn each other's family. You need to learn where you come from. That type of approach that we realize we're not monsters. We have just a different way of looking at the world. And the other thing, when they are doing something on either side, if they're introducing legislation that I believe is harmful, I'm gonna go into their districts. I'm gonna go have town hall meetings with their voters and encourage in those legislatures to come with me. And I will make my case as to why I feel that if there's a problem with this legislation, and they can make their cases why they believe it's good. This is what people are thirsting for, right? It's real information from their elected officials. And that's what I'm gonna bring as part of my governing principles is always putting people first.
00:09:07
Speaker 1: We now have a progressive income tax on the ballot. People are gonna be voting for this. We also know that our competitiveness across the country has taken a nosedive in the last five, six years. Totally coincidentally, at the same time, we've had full democratic control, I'm sure. I'm positive it's just a coincidence. But we're, I mean, it doesn't take much to go into sort of death spiral, especially when you're looking at downtown Denver and you're looking at how empty downtown Denver still is. What do you do in terms of reversing that? Because like I said, same people that pass those laws. are still in the legislature. So how do you convince them to undo what they themselves already did?
00:09:49
Speaker 3: Well, the first thing I'm gonna do is work with the chambers of commerce and economic development groups. You have to remember, I used to be the president of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. And all chambers are wanting to see more business come into the communities. Because we all recognize that's the the vitality of a community's business. And so working with those respected individuals, not the legislature to begin with, because they will make the decision. But you and I both know Mandy that everybody has a circle of influence. Everybody has advisors that they listen to. And if we are all saying the same thing about the importance of getting regulations out of the way, so small business and big business can come back and feel that Colorado truly embraces them. You have to also remember it's not only the business owners, but also the employers that they're able to live here in Colorado, that they can afford to live that American dream here in Colorado right now.
00:10:43
Speaker 2: So there's a lot of.
00:10:44
Speaker 3: Fixing we need to do, but it's going to take time. I'm a firm believer Colorado can do better to your point. You know, I ask people, Is your life better eight years from the last time that there was a new governor elected? You know, is housing more affordable? Is your groceries more affordable? Are you feeling safer in your communities? Do you have more trust in your government? And if the answer is no, then why would you vote for more of the same? Because that's really what they're looking at. And so having those candid conversations with people, and I had them because I had to get signatures from over 12,000 people. And so I know how to keep my hand on the pulse of what people are feeling, and that's what I'm gonna do as governor.
00:11:26
Speaker 1: So you just mentioned housing affordability. This is a big one, especially for young people who feel like they can't buy a house, they can't get ahead. What would you see being able to accomplish soon, quickly, as governor that would have an impact on the housing market right now?
00:11:42
Speaker 3: So here's the way I'm going to approach it. There's a two-prong approach. So how do you do something quickly? I first want to work with the legislature to pass a law that says all renters, all renters should be able to deduct their entire rents payments for the entire year off their income tax.
00:12:00
Speaker 2: Because whether you have.
00:12:01
Speaker 3: A deed or you've signed a lease, you're paying the same every single month to have a roof over your head. And that's one of the biggest expenses that we have. And I've talked to a lot of renters that that would help me tremendously. If I could write off my rent at the end of the year on my income tax, just like homeowners do, I think that's fair. I say, I totally agree with you. The other thing I was just talking to somebody, you know, it's interesting because I went to go get an oil change because I'm putting a lot of miles on my car. And I was sitting next to a gentleman and he happened to recognize me and he goes, Wait a minute, aren't you Greg Lopez?
00:12:34
Speaker 2: I said, yeah. He goes, you're running for governor. I said, yeah. We started talking. We talked about housing.
00:12:40
Speaker 3: He asked me, he goes, do you know how much it costs for a tap fee and a sewer fee here in Parker, Colorado?
00:12:47
Speaker 2: I said, let me guess, right? I said, $ 60, 000? He goes, no, it's $ 106, 000 for a one-inch tap fee.
00:12:59
Speaker 3: See, a lot of people don't understand that a lot of the cost of the home is buried in the ground.
00:13:04
Speaker 2: Right. You don't even see it.
00:13:06
Speaker 3: So we got to work with developers, builders, and communities to make sure that they're not overcharging just to have water into your home or to have a sewer tap. This can be done. Remember, I used to be the city manager and the mayor for the town of Parker. I know land use. I know regulations. That's what we're going to do quickly. We don't need the legislature to get involved in that. It's having a governor work with CML, the Colorado Municipal League, and the county commissioners. All those individuals that make these decisions, we can turn this around. It's going to take some time, but we can do it.
00:13:44
Speaker 1: You know, one of the things that I hear all the time from people in the house building business is permitting. And whether it is trying to open a new establishment. I have a friend who almost went bankrupt trying to deal with the town of Parker and permitting and inspections and everything else. Is there a role from the state level to either force or change behavior at the local level to streamline so if somebody does want to open a brick-and-mortar location, they can do so in a timely fashion so they're not out of money before they even open the doors?
00:14:21
Speaker 2: I believe there is.
00:14:21
Speaker 3: Look, as a governor, I'm very supportive of local control. However, if they're dragging their feet, if they're not issuing permits or giving... You know, direction of what is holding up this paperwork. That is a problem because that's hurting the entire state of Colorado. You cannot look at your jurisdiction and say, well, we're just doing it here. No, you're part of a bigger piece of the picture. And so I would like to see if I'm hearing that because I do hear it in Denver.
00:14:50
Speaker 2: I hear it.
00:14:50
Speaker 1: I have friends in construction that will not do, they will not bid a job in Denver ever again because the last job, I think he told me, they bid the job and it took 256 days to get a permit.
00:15:03
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:15:04
Speaker 1: And it wasn't like, they didn't tear anything down. This is inside someone's house and he said never again. That's crazy.
00:15:10
Speaker 2: It's crazy. It's the bureaucracy.
00:15:12
Speaker 1: And that means people in Denver have fewer choices.
00:15:14
Speaker 2: Yes, yes.
00:15:15
Speaker 3: And so we do need to get everybody together and say, stop it.
00:15:19
Speaker 2: We need to be efficient.
00:15:21
Speaker 3: In government because this is the type of thing that lets people believe government doesn't care about them. Government really doesn't care about their quality of life, doesn't care about what you want to achieve. Government just want to continue to put their hand in our pockets and take more money out. So I totally agree with you. There's ways that we can streamline the... permitting process, but you've got to have a governor that understands it, not just talk about it. He's been in the realm. He's been in working with the planning departments and the building departments and knows how it works.
00:15:54
Speaker 1: This texter and I'll ask this question, then we're going to take a break. I'm with Greg Lopez. He's an independent running for governor. You can text your questions for Greg. He's going to stick around for the last half hour, so you've got plenty of time to ask questions. Mandy, can you ask Greg about the controversy around the firm he hired to collect signatures getting him on the ballot? Will you address that? Of course. Yeah, let's do it.
00:16:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, so let me tell you this, right?
00:16:17
Speaker 3: This company was certified by the Secretary of State's office. They got issued a license by the state itself.
00:16:24
Speaker 2: And so I looked at the list.
00:16:25
Speaker 3: I ran into some of their employers as I was out gathering signatures. And so when they said, hey, we're willing to help, I looked at them, I went to the Secretary of State's office, made sure that they were registered with the Secretary of State's office, made sure that they had an EIN number, and all the things, right? I don't look at the owners, I don't look at the personalities of the people that put this together. I make sure that it's being recognized officially by the Secretary of State's office. So that's what I did. And the Secretary of State's office said, yeah, you can use this company. We gave them a license and they're good to go. So for those who don't know why that's controversial... Well, for those that, you know, someone submitted a complaint that said, I hired someone that somehow or another was involved with transgender.
00:17:10
Speaker 2: I mean, it gets crazy. It gets crazy, right?
00:17:13
Speaker 3: It's like, hey, I'm not looking at the background of the people. I'm looking at the company.
00:17:18
Speaker 2: So you did.
00:17:19
Speaker 1: The due diligence as the due diligence was available and had no reason to suspect otherwise. A lot of people are pointing out that the mortgage deduction is not for the entire mortgage payment. So now they're saying, well, wait a minute. You're basically giving renters a better deal than the homeowners. So do you want to address that?
00:17:38
Speaker 2: Let's talk about that. Yeah, I think this is a great conversation.
00:17:41
Speaker 3: You and I know when we first buy our home, for the first 10 years, it's predominantly all interest. Maybe $ 30, $ 40 of it goes to principal, right? And so why is it wrong to allow that for a renter when they're not even earning equity?
00:17:57
Speaker 2: They're not buying anything.
00:17:58
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be opposed to some kind of renter's benefit, but I don't know if I'm willing to go... You know, the full Monty. Let's talk about it.
00:18:08
Speaker 3: Again, this is how we start having good creative conversations, because right now the renters are struggling just as much as homeowners are.
00:18:16
Speaker 1: Oh, everybody. I mean, we could argue the affordability crisis in Colorado is acute.
00:18:21
Speaker 3: Right.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: But when we get back with Greg Lopez, I've got a couple of really good questions.
00:18:25
Speaker 2: Perfect.
00:18:27
Speaker 1: A question about ridiculous and restrictive gun laws. I think those two qualifiers say how this person feels about it. This one about helping teachers buy a home. So we'll do all of this with Greg Lopez when we get back. I put a link on the blog today at mandyblog.com to his website if you hear him on the show and you'd like more information about him. And I don't even know if you know this, Greg. You have locked up the Klingon vote. Did you know this?
00:18:52
Speaker 2: I did.
00:18:53
Speaker 1: Have you not seen the video? Oh, someone made a video for you, and it is magic. It is also on the blog today. Greg Lopez. Greg, is there a plan to debate? Phil, you guys were just at Club 20 together.
00:19:07
Speaker 2: Yes, we were.
00:19:08
Speaker 1: Do you know if they videotaped? That wasn't a true debate, was it?
00:19:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was.
00:19:11
Speaker 1: That was a true debate.
00:19:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know what was unique about it, Mandy, is that we both got four minutes to ask each other questions without the moderator.
00:19:19
Speaker 1: Oh, nice. I actually like that about political debates, being able to ask each other's questions. I'll find out if Wayne Harley is going to put that online somewhere. And if it is, I will share that so people can make a decision about what they want to do. Oh, yeah, the Klingon vote, all about Greg Lopez. We'll be back after this. Making the case that if you're tired of the two-party system, which voter registration would say we're tired of the two-party system, on why you should give him your vote. Now, a couple people have asked Greg, specifically on the text line. One of them said they want to see you against Bill Weiser because you know Victor won't show up. So they want to see you against Phil. You guys were together at the Club 20 debate. I've reached out to Wade Harley from Club 20 to see if they actually recorded them, and I'll be more than happy to share it. But you guys don't have any more joint appearances together, right?
00:20:09
Speaker 3: No, we did one in Colorado Springs like two weeks before Club 20. And it was on Channel 5, and it was sponsored by the Colorado Springs Gazette and Colorado Politics.
00:20:18
Speaker 1: I can find that one.
00:20:19
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:20:19
Speaker 1: Okay, I'll find that, and I will put it on the blog when I get back from vacation. So, because that's not going to do it when I get home today. Anyway, this texter said, I'd like to hear your comments on the ridiculous and restrictive gun laws that have been passed, and how do we correct them? I think this is probably the biggest problem that you will have, because... The divide lines on this are intractable, and anything you try to do, Tom Sullivan will be there as the father of a victim in the Aurora theater shooting to shout it down and tell you that you're a horrible person.
00:20:54
Speaker 3: Right.
00:20:55
Speaker 1: So how do you fix that?
00:20:56
Speaker 3: Well, I tell you, look, I believe in the Constitution. I believe in the Second Amendment. I have a concealed carry permit. I believe that everyone should be able to own a gun if they choose to do so. Because we all know that it's not the gun that's doing the harm, it's the person behind the gun.
00:21:16
Speaker 2: And so I will be talking to people.
00:21:18
Speaker 3: I will be making sure that people understand what are we trying to do here? Because if we have the poor that are trying to protect themselves and they can't afford this new law, they got passed that you have to take 12 hours of classes, you know, $ 400 just to be able to exercise your constitutional right.
00:21:36
Speaker 2: That is a problem.
00:21:38
Speaker 3: And I don't think people are being honest about what it is that they're trying to do. CPW right now, Mandy, they're trying to pass some rule that says you cannot use bullets that have a certain amount of lead in it.
00:21:50
Speaker 2: Think about that for it. Yeah.
00:21:52
Speaker 1: Those have been around for a very long time because bullets that don't use lead are more expensive, therefore creating another barrier to entry if you want to protect yourself. Now, the good news is there's multiple cases that are working their way through the Supreme Court right now, one of them an assault weapons ban. I do think that as these things make their way up to the Supreme Court, they will be struck down as a clear violation. But in the meantime... As governor, is there anything specific that you could see that you would be willing to employ or even if it comes down to the we're not going to enforce this or the mechanism to enforce it on any level, would you continue to have the attorney general of the state of Colorado defend the state of Colorado in these cases should they make it to the Supreme Court?
00:22:38
Speaker 3: Again, the separation of the attorney general's office and what the governor is able to do I will definitely voice my opinion that this is not something we should be spending money on, right, is to try to tell people that the Constitution doesn't apply to people.
00:22:51
Speaker 2: In the state of Colorado.
00:22:52
Speaker 3: I think we need to let the Supreme Court make that decision. I can't see a single argument where anyone could say. you know what, the Constitution is wrong. It doesn't apply to citizens, so we're gonna do away with it. I will be working with CPW and prioritizing. And I don't see enforcing this gun law as a top priority for what CPW should be doing. I think we need to be watching our way of life as it pertains to the Western Slope. our wildlife, all those things that really matter to the state and its economy. And so it would be a low priority for me to have CPW do all this stuff that we all know it's not helping our economy or helping keeping people safe.
00:23:36
Speaker 1: So let's just say for the sake of argument that Janet Griswold becomes the new Attorney General. And she continues what your opponent, Phil Weiser, has done, which is just relentlessly suing the Trump administration over and over, even when it has not a damn thing to do with Colorado. And if you don't believe me, we joined a lawsuit to stop a merger between Warner Brothers and Paramount.
00:23:59
Speaker 3: What?
00:23:59
Speaker 1: I mean, but our tax dollars went to spend this. How do you, as governor... If you have this activist attorney general, which there's no doubt in my mind Jenna Griswold would be an activist attorney general, how do you combat that? What do you do in that situation when you're at odds with another constitutional office like that?
00:24:18
Speaker 3: Well, remember first, right, the governor puts together the budget. The legislature's joint budget committee has to approve it. So the one thing that I will be doing is making sure people understand how each one of the branches is spending their money. How are they spending their money, and is this really the way you want to do it? If you notice, Attorney General Phil Weiser, when he wins a lawsuit or gets a settlement, everybody thinks it goes back to the general fund.
00:24:45
Speaker 2: It doesn't.
00:24:46
Speaker 3: He gets to keep it in his office and he gets to use it however he wants to use. He's the one that's giving out grants. He's the one that's doing using that money. And yet we are one point six billion in the red going into next year.
00:24:59
Speaker 2: I have a question.
00:25:01
Speaker 3: Why is he allowed to keep money that we spent taxpayers money to help Colorado? Why is that not going back to the general fund? Now, some will say, well, there's a little glitch in the rules that says if he can prove that it was designed specifically for a certain defense, then he should be able to keep it.
00:25:18
Speaker 2: Okay, well, let's talk about that, right? Should he keep 100% of it?
00:25:21
Speaker 1: Well, here's my question, and I think it's a valid question, and I sure would love to see Kyle Clark and the folks over at 9 News. dig into exactly how much Attorney General Phil Weiser has spent on lawsuits suing Donald Trump that don't have anything to do with Colorado. I'll even give him the benefit of the doubt on a couple like, okay, we have invested interest there, that makes sense. But for all of the nonsense and idiocy that he has simply done to keep putting his name in the news, and I truly believe that, is just to keep his name in the news cycle, I'd like to know how much all that cost. Did we make more than that back? And if not, then to your point, shouldn't we keep the money that we did make while you're basically running around suing the president of the United States over and over again.
00:26:06
Speaker 2: You're absolutely right, Mandy.
00:26:07
Speaker 3: And what people forget is the governor is the only elected position that is the voice for the entire people across the state. Everybody else has a district that they represent. And so when we're mismanaging or we're misusing funds of the state, the taxpayers' dollars, It's up to the governor to let everybody know this is what's happening. If he can't correct it through his executive administrative responsibility, then it's his job to notify everybody.
00:26:34
Speaker 2: Look, I need help.
00:26:35
Speaker 3: I need you guys to understand what's going on out there. And this is how we need to fix it. But you don't see a governor doing that these days. And I'm going to be that type of governor that encourages people to get involved.
00:26:46
Speaker 1: Greg Lopez is my guest. He is running as an independent for governor. By the way, he had not seen that he had the Klingon vote locked up. I just showed him this video that's on the blog today. He had never seen it. And I don't know who made this, but it is. So funny. And yeah, the Klingons love you. I mean, is that an endorsement you're going to run with that you've now been.
00:27:06
Speaker 2: Endorsed by the Klingons?
00:27:08
Speaker 1: I mean, why not?
00:27:09
Speaker 2: Why not?
00:27:09
Speaker 1: I want to ask specifically about our oil and gas industry. We peaked in oil and gas development in 2019. We have been declining in oil and gas development since then. And there was a story today, I didn't put it on the blog because I don't care that much, about how much money RTD got, like $ 40 million from oil and gas specifically.
00:27:29
Speaker 3: Right.
00:27:30
Speaker 1: We're running one of the most lucrative businesses in terms of tax revenue out of the state is that reversible because what i am afraid is that oil and gas companies are not stupid they know that at any minute the colorado legislature could just plop more restrictions on them you've got the city and county of boulder suing suncor and exxon right has that ship sailed too far out to bring it back.
00:27:54
Speaker 3: In I don't think so, Mandy. I think if there's a ship that's sailed, it's the bigger ship. But I think there's smaller oil and gas companies that are wanting to stay in Colorado. They want to hire people in Colorado to make sure that they can grow the industry.
00:28:10
Speaker 2: But you're right. When corporate America looks at what.
00:28:13
Speaker 3: The state has done over the last eight years really kicked them out. They can't mobilize as quickly to come back to Colorado as a small producer can. And so I do think that the severance tax is a huge component of what the local communities are missing.
00:28:30
Speaker 2: And here's another fact that I learned.
00:28:33
Speaker 3: In order to balance the budget, what the governor has been doing is sweeping some of the departments that get the servants tax. He's sweeping money away from the Department of Natural Resources. He's sweeping money away from the Department of Local Affairs to the tune.
00:28:50
Speaker 2: Of $ 90.
00:28:51
Speaker 3: Million that he's taken away from them to balance the budget. And this is all from the servants tax that comes from oil and gas. People don't even know that, and it's wrong, because the people said the service tax should go to help schools, should go help local communities, and the governor has decided he's going to sweep those accounts, and he can do it.
00:29:11
Speaker 1: Well, let me do this. Let's take our last time out. If you have a last question for Greg Lopez, get it in now at 56690 on the Common Spirit Health text line. This texter said something that I'm not going to say. We'll talk about CPW one more time when we get back. If you're looking for an alternative to the two-party system, he is running as an independent. Got a couple of questions, Greg, that I want to throw in very quickly. We've got multiple questions from the Common Spirit Health text line. Mandy asks, if governor, if he would take control of RTD. I used to work for RTD and the amount of monetary waste and budget shortfalls would put most companies out of business. I think a better question was, why would you take over RTD and would you?
00:29:54
Speaker 2: You know what?
00:29:55
Speaker 3: I don't know that I would. I would question it. Remember, this is the taxpayers' dollars. We're all paying into RTD. And again, as a governor, you need to let people know what is happening. I do believe that it's being mismanaged. I do believe there's not good management and leadership at RTD. And that's why we're losing. It can't even self-sustain itself. So maybe it's time to talk about does RTD go away as an authority? Does someone else take it over?
00:30:22
Speaker 2: I don't know. But we do know this.
00:30:24
Speaker 1: The problem with public transit, it's never profitable. It's never break even. It never comes close. So then the argument becomes how much? Do we want to supplement this? How much are we going to prop it up? And are we propping it up effectively? I'm terribly afraid that this idiotic front range rail is going to pass. And then we're going to be stuck with another white elephant of mass transit that no one rides after we spend billions of dollars. So the RTD thing, it's like, how much do we want to pay so other people can have a ride? Right. That's the reality.
00:30:56
Speaker 2: It is. There should be a limit.
00:30:59
Speaker 3: Whether it's only 20% and you got to do 80% self-sufficient. But I agree with you. This train is going to be a disaster for the state of Colorado if it moves forward.
00:31:09
Speaker 1: One of the things that I loved about Barb Kirkmeyer's campaign was Barb said... She would spend the first hundred days firing a lot of people on various boards and commissions.
00:31:20
Speaker 2: Right.
00:31:21
Speaker 1: Does the Lopez administration do that?
00:31:23
Speaker 2: Oh, yes.
00:31:23
Speaker 3: Look, I've been to the CPW commission meetings. That commission's out of control.
00:31:28
Speaker 1: They are. I can't even with that. I'm glad you said it. We've hired a bunch of people to oversee our hunting and fishing economy that hate hunting and fishing.
00:31:40
Speaker 2: Yes. Yeah.
00:31:41
Speaker 1: It's insane.
00:31:42
Speaker 2: He's done that. Governor Polis has put people in all boards and commissions.
00:31:45
Speaker 1: No, no, his husband has. Let's be real. His husband has told him who to put on these boards and commissions, and that is who he's appointed.
00:31:52
Speaker 2: And so to your point, you know what?
00:31:54
Speaker 3: Yes, we need to clean up all those boards and commissions because the people that are sitting there today do not have Colorado's best interests at heart. They're trying to fulfill an agenda of a person individually, an agenda of an individual person. That's not the way Colorado works. We need to give back the state to the people and make sure that we're actually doing what those commissions are supposed to be doing.
00:32:15
Speaker 1: And the thing that makes me the most upset is I've now gotten to know a handful, not a ton, but a handful of actual Colorado Parks and Wildlife's biologists and workers. You talk about people who love Colorado and they love our wildlife and they love hunting and fishing. So they're now being led by these people that are diametrically opposed to how they want to live in Colorado. What would a Lopez administration look like? Give me the first 100 days. Give me priorities, what you do, how you hit the ground running.
00:32:45
Speaker 3: You know, the first 100 days, remember, it starts right after the election because I won't get sworn in until January. But the first hundred days is going to be review the budget, review all the people that are on the commissions themselves, identify cabinet members. And I will have Democrats, Republicans and non affiliates as cabinet members because there are good people out there, regardless of party affiliation. They're smart. They understand how to protect our state. That's why they moved to Colorado to make Colorado a state that we can all be proud of. It's the political ideology that gets in the way. This is what's happening with CPW. And so we've got to clean all that up. But I will make sure that everybody understands there's a new governor in the governor's office. And his goal is to put the people first. And he's going to challenge and question everything to make sure that we are moving forward together. as a state, and we stopped the division of the Western Slope and the urban corridor. It's about the entire state of Colorado, and I'll make sure that all the legislatures understand. I'm going to meet with the leadership on the first two weeks of both sides, and we're going to meet, and we're going to have a conversation about what are we looking to achieve over the next two years.
00:33:57
Speaker 2: Let's work together.
00:33:58
Speaker 3: Let's make sure we're not hurting anybody, but let's move forward. This is the type of governing that I'm going to do coming in for the state.
00:34:05
Speaker 1: I put a link on the blog today for Greg Lopez's campaign. You can find out more about him. I also put the clear explainer video of why he's the choice for Klingons. That is also on the blog. And I just added a few minutes ago, Wade Harley sent me the video of the Club 20 debates. I started it at the 31-minute mark. That is when you and Phil Weiser debated. I just told Greg, I'm like, oh, my goodness, you guys are like tiny. You're like little ants on the... on the screen but you can clearly hear it the the audio is good so if you want to hear um probably the only substantial debate between gubernatorial candidates it happened at club 20 on september 19th so we've got that on the blog as well mandy don't forget the cpw lady who's petitioning to collect annual fees for photography of wildlife i mean what else can they tax What else? If that happened, could you imagine the Instagram police would be going around like, I'm so sorry, I need to see your license for this photograph of a bird taken in Colorado.
00:35:04
Speaker 3: Right.
00:35:04
Speaker 2: 30 seconds.
00:35:08
Speaker 1: Why should people vote for you?
00:35:09
Speaker 3: Look, if you want something different, if you want a government that cares about the people and doesn't want to play politics, has no loyalty to the Republican or Democrat Party, then I ask you to vote for me because it's time for Colorado to have a different voice, a voice that represents everyone and making sure that we improve the quality of life for every individual that makes Colorado home.
00:35:34
Speaker 1: That's Greg Lopez. Find his information at mandiblog.com.
