A freshman state senator from Rio Rancho, Republican Jay Block made headlines during his first legislative session by introducing a plan to create an office in New Mexico similar to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. In 2022, Block was also in the spotlight when he ran to be the GOP candidate in the governor’s race. He recently joined Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón for the latest episode of “Around the Roundhouse” to discuss what lies ahead for his DOGE-like idea and to share his thoughts on the 2026 governor’s race, including if he plans to run again. 

The interview includes Block discussing his military background, which spanned more than 20 years as a nuclear weapons officer. He also shares his experience when he volunteered for a combat tour in Afghanistan in 2005-06, which he describes as his best and worst tour in the military. 

Block is asked about his thoughts on potential cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, what it was like in his first term as a state senator serving in the minority party, and how he feels about the candidates that have declared for the governor’s race so far.

A freshman state senator from Rio Rancho, Republican Jay Block made headlines during his first legislative session by introducing a plan to create an office in New Mexico similar to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. In 2022, Block was also in the spotlight when he ran to be the GOP candidate in the governor&rsquo;s race. He recently joined Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chac&oacute;n for the latest episode of &ldquo;Around the Roundhouse&rdquo; to discuss what lies ahead for his DOGE-like idea and to share his thoughts on the 2026 governor&rsquo;s race, including if he plans to run again.&nbsp;
The interview includes Block discussing his military background, which spanned more than 20 years as a nuclear weapons officer. He also shares his experience when he volunteered for a combat tour in Afghanistan in 2005-06, which he describes as his best and worst tour in the military.&nbsp;
Block is asked about his thoughts on potential cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, what it was like in his first term as a state senator serving in the minority party, and how he feels about the candidates that have declared for the governor&rsquo;s race so far.

The Santa Fe New Mexican’s weekly podcast hosted by state government and lead politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón features the policies, politics and personalities at the state Capitol during New Mexico's 2025 legislative session.

The Santa Fe New Mexican&rsquo;s weekly podcast hosted by state government and lead politics reporter Daniel J. Chac&oacute;n features the policies, politics and personalities at the state Capitol during New Mexico's 2025 legislative session.

Around the Roundhouse

The Santa Fe New Mexican&rsquo;s weekly podcast hosted by state government and lead politics reporter Daniel J. Chac&oacute;n features the policies, politics and personalities at the state Capitol during New Mexico's 2025 legislative session.

State Sen. Jay Block speaks on his military background, his DOGE-like idea for New Mexico and the governor's race

Stephanie Garcia Richard took over as New Mexico state land commissioner in 2019 and later that year put an end to a decades-long lease that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to use over 1,200 acres of state land around his Zorro Ranch property south of Santa Fe.

Epstein, though his company Cypress Inc., leased the land for livestock grazing, but the State Land Office canceled those leases in part on suspicion that they had been obtained through “illegitimate means for purposes other than ranching or agriculture,” Garcia Richard said of the cancellation.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Garcia Richard speaks with Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón about the failings that allowed the sex offender and financier to lease state land and what her office has done to try to ensure something like that will never happen again.

Garcia Richard begins the interview by discussing what the State Land Office is, and the many legitimate grazing lease agreements it has with ranchers throughout the state. She said there were people in state and federal government, including the King family and the late Gov. Bill Richardson, who played a role in protecting Epstein and his use of the state land. She also said the State Land Office had lacked a culture of due diligence and wasn’t making sure some of its lessees were in compliance with their agreements.

Chacón goes on to ask Garcia Richard about the Trump administration’s recently announced plans to end protections in the 10-mile buffer zone surrounding Chaco Canyon National Historical Park. She shares her concerns about the move, saying “this is a disaster, plain and simple,” and discusses what efforts her office is taking to try to disrupt what the Trump administration is attempting to do.

Garcia Richard also talks about the construction of a border wall as it relates to state land. She said the Trump administration has continually been breaking laws along the border, both environmental and regarding the acknowledgment of land status.

With her final term as state land commissioner months away, Garcia Richard also speaks on the office’s accomplishments during her time in office, and shares what her priorities are for the duration of her term.

Stephanie Garcia Richard took over as New Mexico state land commissioner in 2019 and later that year put an end to a decades-long lease that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to use over 1,200 acres of state land around his Zorro Ranch property south of Santa Fe.
Epstein, though his company Cypress Inc., leased the land for livestock grazing, but the State Land Office canceled those leases in part on suspicion that they had been obtained through &ldquo;illegitimate means for purposes other than ranching or agriculture,&rdquo;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nmstatelands.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/9.4.19-Cypress-Lease-Cancellation.pdf">Garcia Richard said</a>&nbsp;of the cancellation.
In the latest episode of the &ldquo;Around the Roundhouse&rdquo; podcast, Garcia Richard speaks with&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;state politics reporter Daniel J. Chac&oacute;n about the failings that allowed the sex offender and financier to lease state land and what her office has done to try to ensure something like that will never happen again.
Garcia Richard begins the interview by discussing what the State Land Office is, and the many legitimate grazing lease agreements it has with ranchers throughout the state. She said there were people in state and federal government, including the King family and the late Gov. Bill Richardson, who played a role in protecting Epstein and his use of the state land. She also said the State Land Office had lacked a culture of due diligence and wasn&rsquo;t making sure some of its lessees were in compliance with their agreements.
Chac&oacute;n goes on to ask Garcia Richard about the Trump administration&rsquo;s recently announced plans to end protections in the 10-mile buffer zone surrounding Chaco Canyon National Historical Park. She shares her concerns about the move, saying &ldquo;this is a disaster, plain and simple,&rdquo; and discusses what efforts her office is taking to try to disrupt what the Trump administration is attempting to do.
Garcia Richard also talks about the construction of a border wall as it relates to state land. She said the Trump administration has continually been breaking laws along the border, both environmental and regarding the acknowledgment of land status.
With her final term as state land commissioner months away, Garcia Richard also speaks on the office&rsquo;s accomplishments during her time in office, and shares what her priorities are for the duration of her term.

How Epstein exploited New Mexico land leases: Commissioner says ‘there were people protecting him’

A 13th generation New Mexican with a 5-month-old daughter, Juan De Jesus Sanchez III says he’s running for state land commissioner with an eye toward the future.

The farmer and conservation advocate who lives in Valencia County was the first candidate to announce an intention to succeed Stephanie Garcia Richard as leader of the State Land Office and he received the most votes from delegates at last month’s Democratic Party of New Mexico’s preprimary convention. He's running in the primary against state Rep. Matthew McQueen of Galisteo and Jonas Moya, a former state director of the Farm Service Agency.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Sanchez joins Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to share his background and discuss what his priorities would be if elected to office.

Sanchez has spent years working with water as a former natural resource specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a technical advisor for the New Mexico Acequia Commission. He said he’s “trying to bring more of a long-term vision” to the State Land Office and wants to “protect areas that are sacred and special to us.”

Chacón asks Sanchez about his thoughts on greater oversight of leases to private land owners considering Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to lease public land through the State Land Office for grazing purposes until the agency canceled the leases in 2019, when Epstein was indicted in New York and arrested on charges of child sex trafficking.

Sanchez, a former political director and deputy campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, speaks about how he plans to balance the pursuit of revenue while considering environmental stewardship. He also talks about wanting to decentralize the State Land Office and ensure there are jobs throughout the state by working with universities to open satellite offices that would allow the department to have employees on the ground across New Mexico.

A 13th generation New Mexican with a 5-month-old daughter, Juan De Jesus Sanchez III says he&rsquo;s running for state land commissioner with an eye toward the future.
The farmer and conservation advocate who lives in Valencia County was the first candidate to announce an intention to succeed Stephanie Garcia Richard as leader of the State Land Office and he received the most votes from delegates at last month&rsquo;s Democratic Party of New Mexico&rsquo;s preprimary convention. He's running in the primary against state Rep. Matthew McQueen of Galisteo and Jonas Moya, a former state director of the Farm Service Agency.
In the latest episode of the &ldquo;Around the Roundhouse&rdquo; podcast, Sanchez joins&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;state politics reporter Daniel J. Chac&oacute;n to share his background and discuss what his priorities would be if elected to office.
Sanchez has spent years working with water as a former natural resource specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a technical advisor for the New Mexico Acequia Commission. He said he&rsquo;s &ldquo;trying to bring more of a long-term vision&rdquo; to the State Land Office and wants to &ldquo;protect areas that are sacred and special to us.&rdquo;
Chac&oacute;n asks Sanchez about his thoughts on greater oversight of leases to private land owners considering Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to lease public land through the State Land Office for grazing purposes until the agency canceled the leases in 2019, when Epstein was indicted in New York and arrested on charges of child sex trafficking.
Sanchez, a former political director and deputy campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, speaks about how he plans to balance the pursuit of revenue while considering environmental stewardship. He also talks about wanting to decentralize the State Land Office and ensure there are jobs throughout the state by working with universities to open satellite offices that would allow the department to have employees on the ground across New Mexico.

Juan De Jesus Sanchez III seeks to bring long-term vision to New Mexico's State Land Office

With 24 years of experience in the FBI and well over 30 years in law enforcement, New Mexico state Rep. Bill Hall has spent much of his life in the pursuit of justice. Now, the retired FBI agent is part his home state’s investigation into criminal acts of abuse that took place at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch south of Santa Fe.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Hall joins Santa Fe New Mexican senior politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to offer insight on the progress the so-called Epstein “truth commission” has made thus far, what it’s next steps are and what hurdles the committee faces as it seeks to uncover what happened at Zorro Ranch.

One of four members of the bipartisan commission, which was formed during New Mexico’s recent legislative session, Hall said he admires his state for “stepping up” to take on a massive fact-finding mission aimed at pursuing allegations of abuse that were never fully investigated while Epstein was alive.

In the episode, Hall address the challenges of investigating such a sprawling case with allegations of criminal activity and corruption that took place many years ago.

"This is a big endeavor. I don't know how it'll look over time, but we're willing to take the challenge on,” he said.

With 24 years of experience in the FBI and well over 30 years in law enforcement, New Mexico state Rep. Bill Hall has spent much of his life in the pursuit of justice. Now, the retired FBI agent is part his home state&rsquo;s investigation into criminal acts of abuse that took place at Jeffrey Epstein&rsquo;s Zorro Ranch south of Santa Fe.
In the latest episode of the &ldquo;Around the Roundhouse&rdquo; podcast, Hall joins&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;senior politics reporter Daniel J. Chac&oacute;n to offer insight on the progress the so-called Epstein &ldquo;truth commission&rdquo; has made thus far, what it&rsquo;s next steps are and what hurdles the committee faces as it seeks to uncover what happened at Zorro Ranch.
One of four members of the bipartisan commission, which was formed during New Mexico&rsquo;s recent legislative session, Hall said he admires his state for &ldquo;stepping up&rdquo; to take on a massive fact-finding mission aimed at pursuing allegations of abuse that were never fully investigated while Epstein was alive.
In the episode, Hall address the challenges of investigating such a sprawling case with allegations of criminal activity and corruption that took place many years ago.
"This is a big endeavor. I don't know how it'll look over time, but we're willing to take the challenge on,&rdquo; he said.

State Sen. Jay Block speaks on his military background, his DOGE-like idea for New Mexico and the governor's race

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