🤑 Is it time for Colorado to tax the rich?

🌃 City Council Rejects 4 a.m. Nightclub Proposal

On Monday, Denver City Council voted against a proposal to allow bars and nightclubs to stay open until 4 a.m. Council members struck this proposal from a larger ordinance involving nightclub licensing, venue regulations, and safety requirements — many of which they approved on Monday.

• Why did they strike down the 4 a.m. let-out option? After a spate of late-night violence this summer, including a recent deadly shooting at a nightclub in southeast Denver, City Council decided to delay their vote on the 4 a.m. rule so they had more time to consider community concerns. Ultimately, they decided there wasn’t enough evidence to show that extending closing times would improve safety.
• Different approaches, same goal: Denver’s Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, which proposed the ordinance in the first place, hoped that keeping nightclubs open later, while capping alcohol sales at 2 a.m., would help disperse crowds and violent incidents. Others, including a representative from Mothers Against Drunk Driving on the City Cast Denver podcast last week, said it wouldn’t reduce impaired driving. [Denver Gazette 🔐]
• What is changing? City Council pushed through other safety measures. For instance, bars and nightclubs must now prohibit weapons, create safety plans, keep surveillance cameras, and take reasonable steps to prevent “disorderly conduct” among patrons. [Denver Post 🔐; Denver7]
• Is the 4 a.m. proposal done for good? Not totally. The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection agreed to explore a possible pilot program to test out the extended closing time in certain neighborhoods, including LoDo and Five Points. [Fox31]

🌄 Permament Daylight Savings Time Could Affect Ski Resorts

Mountain resorts across Colorado say a proposed change to daylight saving time could affect their early morning lift operations and pose more challenges for riders driving to the mountains in darkness. At the same time, the change could mean that restaurants and bars at ski resorts stay open later, earning them more revenue. The proposal, which would make daylight saving time (March-November) permanent and remove the “fall back” practice in autumn, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 14 and is awaiting debate in the Senate. [9News]

📈 Graduated Income Tax Proposal Edges Closer to Ballot

A group advocating for a new graduated income tax model has submitted more than 157,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office. The group’s proposal, which could appear on the ballot this fall if 124,238 of those signatures are verified, would raise taxes on Colorado residents making an income above $500k annually, increasing annual state tax revenues by $2.7 billion and funding a variety of public services. [Colorado Public Radio; The Colorado Sun]

💬 Polis Talks Socialism and Tina Peters

Gov. Jared Polis recently sparked controversy for condemning socialism on social media. Then, he went on numerous conservative news networks, where he suggested that President Trump is the one with a socialist agenda. So where do all the lame duck governor’s recent comments leave him?

• So, what’s the deal? City Cast Denver politics contributor Adrian Felix joins producer Olivia Jewell Love to break down the governor’s recent statements (and questionable fashion choices). [CPR; City Cast Denver🎧]