This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
Got Unpaid Parking Tickets? City to Hold Amnesty Period
Drivers with unpaid parking tickets may get a break on their fine after El Paso City Council this week approved an amnesty period from Feb. 17 through March 7, when the city will waive additional late fees on fines and leave only the original ticket to be paid.
When drivers don’t pay a parking ticket on time, the city charges a $10 fee for every month the ticket goes unpaid, up to $60, on top of the parking violation fines, which range from $25 to $275.
But those who pay their outstanding fine during the three-week amnesty period “will have the total delinquency fees and collection fees reduced to zero,” according to documents from the city.
The City Council approved the amnesty period Wednesday in an attempt to get residents to settle their citations and bring some extra revenue into the city’s coffers. The city last approved a similar amnesty period in 2020, when residents paid off nearly 11,900 tickets worth almost $2 million. The city collected $4.3 million in delinquent citations in 2013, and $2.5 million in 2016 during amnesty periods, according to city documents.
Parking citations may be paid by phone at 915-212-0232, online at elpasotexas.gov/municipal-courts, by mail or in person at six Municipal Court bond office locations throughout the city.
This fiscal year, the city expects to generate $8.2 million from fines and forfeitures, which includes parking and traffic citations, Class C misdemeanors and narcotics reimbursements.
Three El Paso Restaurants Named James Beard Award Semifinalists
A trio of El Paso restaurants have been recognized as semifinalists in the 2025 James Beard Awards, which honor exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries. The semifinalists, announced this week by the James Beard Foundation, highlight local excellence in restaurant service, pastry artistry and beverage programs.
The local semifinalists include:
• ELEMI has been named a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category. The restaurant previously received accolades from the James Beard Foundation when head chef Emiliano Marentes, was named a semifinalist for the organization’s Outstanding Chef category. ELEMI also was one of four El Paso restaurants recognized earlier this year by Texas Monthly as having the best tacos in the state.
• Mateo Herrera of La Puerta del Sol is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category. Herrera launched La Puerta del Sol in 2022 in an effort to bring ancestral foods of the Chihuahuan Desert into people’s homes. La Puerta del Sol offers online subscriptions for tortillas and sometimes other foods, such as tamales and atole, made with corn from De Colores, a farm located between El Paso and Las Cruces.
• Taconeta is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category. The restaurant emphasizes unique pairings that complement its distinctive cuisine. In October, Taconeta’s mushroom taco was named one of the state’s 50 best tacos by Texas Monthly.
Another chef with El Paso ties was named a semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category. Jesus “Chuy” Cervantes, chef at Damian, a contemporary Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles’ Arts District, is an El Paso native who started his culinary career in Austin.
The James Beard Awards, considered among the nation’s highest culinary honors, celebrate talent across 25 categories. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the awards. Finalists will be announced April 2, with winners to be revealed June 16 at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony in Chicago.
El Paso School Districts Call for May Trustee Elections
The El Paso, Socorro and Ysleta school districts took the first steps needed to hold school board elections May 3.
The three school boards approved resolutions during the last two weeks to contract with the county to hold the election. All three districts have four seats up for reelection.
Current seats up for election (and who currently holds the seat) include:
- EPISD
- District 1 (Leah Hanany)
- District 3 (Jack Loveridge)
- District 4 (Isabel Hernandez)
- District 5 (Israel Irrobali)
- SISD
- District 2 (Cynthia Najera)
- District 3 (Ricardo “Richard” Castellano)
- District 4 (Paul Guerra)
- District 5 (Pablo Barrera)
- YISD
- District 1 (Carlos Bustillos)
- District 3 (Shane Haggerty)
- District 5 (Cruz Ochoa)
- District 7 (Kathryn Lucero)
Trustees serve four-year terms and are unpaid.
RELATED: 2 SISD trustees absent from duties for months following indictments
The filing period to have a candidate’s name appear on the ballot started Jan. 15 and runs through Feb. 14.
Early voting starts April 22 and ends April 29. The last day to register to vote for the election is April 3.
Two New Members Appointed to El Paso Electric Board
El Paso Electric has appointed two new members to its 10-member governing board: Patricia Sullivan, associate dean of the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University, and Rudolph “Rudy” Wynter, a former CEO of National Grid’s New York business.
When the J.P. Morgan-owned Infrastructure Investments Fund bought El Paso Electric and took the utility private in 2019, part of the deal was that at least two of 10 board members must live within El Paso Electric’s service territory, and two others have to be past board members, local business leaders or professors at local universities.
Ed Escudero, an El Pasoan and former executive with Petro Stopping Centers, is chair of the board and El Paso banker Rick Francis is the other board member with local ties.
Kelly Tomblin, El Paso Electric’s chief executive, also sits on the utility’s board of directors along with two members nominated by Infrastructure Investments Fund and three other independent directors.
Board members determine the utility’s broad strategic direction. Since El Paso Electric was acquired in 2019, it hasn’t publicly disclosed board member compensation. But in 2019, the last year the utility was publicly-traded, board members who served that full year received cash and stock valued between $291,000 and $407,000, according to documents El Paso Electric submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“As a board, our role is to ensure that El Paso Electric remains steadfast in its commitment to reliable service while embracing the innovations that define the future of energy,” Escudero said in a news release. “The expertise that Dr. Sullivan and Mr. Wynter will bring to the board will enhance the ability of the company to navigate the challenges ahead and drive meaningful progress for our residential and commercial customers.”
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