💸 Mayor Mike’s $100M jobs plan

💸 Mayor Announces $100M for Growing Jobs

Late last week, Mayor Mike Johnston unveiled a $100-million investment in the city’s economy with the aim of adding at least 10,000 jobs over the next three years. Dubbed the “Denver Jobs Agenda,” the four-part funding package is intended to attract businesses to Denver, expand funding for existing small businesses, and revitalize downtown. [Denverite]

• Jobs shrink statewide: The initiative is a response to shrinking job growth in Denver and across the state in 2025. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the state hadn’t reported a loss in jobs since 2010. [Bureau of Labor Statistics; Colorado Public Radio]
• Who’s footing the bill? Mayor Johnston’s plan is supported by the Denver Downtown Development Authority, along with state and federal sources. He emphasized that it will use only a small percentage (roughly $1 million) of the city’s general fund, which is already straining to maintain jobs and prevent further slashes to services amid cuts “to the bone.” [CBS News; Axios Denver]

🏀 Class Action Lawsuit Forms Against Kroenke Sports Company

Drake Solomon, a previous mascot for the Denver Nuggets, is just one of 24 former Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) employees now involved in a class action lawsuit against the company. Solomon stepped into the shoes of Rocky the Supermascot after his dad retired from the mountain lion suit in 2021. He is alleging that KSE violated multiple worker’s protections laws. [Westword]

• Why is this a class action? “We know Kroenke is a big employer here and they use a template severance agreement, so all of the violations that were in Drake’s severance agreement, we have a pretty strong basis to believe would be in additional ones,” Virginia Hill Butler, attorney at Rathod Mohamedbhai, told Westword.

🚖 Colorado Taxi Companies Sue Waymo

As Waymo moves toward offering public rides in Denver, two Colorado companies have filed separate lawsuits challenging the autonomous driving company; specifically, how it plans to roll out its latest car. Denver-based plaintiff Metro Capital Group argued that Waymo seeks to add its new Ojai vehicle to the roads via an unusual exemption for luxury limousines that will give the company unfair advantages. [Denverite]

🗳️ Marx and Weiser Spar As Governor’s Race Begins

Hours after Victor Marx was declared the winner of the GOP primary for governor, he and Democratic nominee Phil Weiser began trading shots across the bow.

• Marx on Weiser: "Phil Weiser, he's a smart fellow, but he represents the current system because he is part of it. And that current system has made Colorado more expensive, less safe and harder for regular families to trust the government. In order to change this, we must win."
• Weiser on Marx: "From the little we know about Victor Marx, his views and style are far out of step with Coloradans, and his nomination for governor is a threat to our state's values and our future. Governing is serious business, and Coloradans have a clear choice in this race: a politics of showing up, listening, and fighting for the rights and freedoms of all – or a politics of deception, demonization, and distraction.” [CBS News]

🏔️ Telluride Town Leaders Found Not Guilty of Conspiracy

An independent investigation into the town leaders of Telluride and Mountain Village found no evidence of illegal action related to their reported offer to buy the Telluride ski resort from real estate investor Chuck Horning. Late last year, the acquisition offer prompted accusations of illegal conspiracies, which led to the leaders’ eventual resignations. [The Colorado Sun]