Residents, cultural leaders press county after Fiesta Court barred from public building; commissioners promise policy review and external review

Public comment at the Sept. 30 Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners meeting focused in large part on complaints that county staff prevented members of the Santa Fe Fiesta Council and its court from entering a county public building during recent Fiesta activities.

Dozens of residents, former county employees and local leaders spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, describing the incident as discriminatory and urging the commission to adopt a policy guaranteeing access for cultural events.

What speakers said - "It is not legal to bar an ethnic or cultural group from a public building," said Nicholas Raymond Aranda, who described civil‑rights and equal‑protection statutes and urged immediate action. "Barring an ethnic group from a government building is a racist behavior. Plain and simple," he told the commission. - Virgil Vahir, speaking for a community organization called Unum Proteitiva, said staff physically prevented a Fiesta group from entering a public building and asked the commission to remove staff from leadership positions rather than issue only reprimands. - Several speakers with long histories in the community — including former City of Espanola officials and past pageant ambassadors — urged the county to adopt a formal policy or ordinance guaranteeing access for the Fiesta Queen, princesses and the court. "This is our community," Jennifer Richardine y Garcia de Romero said. "We should not lose the importance of the value."

Board response Commissioners and county staff acknowledged the public concern and said they had begun steps to address the dispute. Commissioner Lisa Kakari Stone described a facilitated dialogue between Fiesta leadership and county management and said it "was a step forward toward healing and understanding." Several commissioners urged development of a clear, permanent policy so access to public buildings during cultural events would not depend on an individual staff decision.

County manager Greg Schaeffer and legal staff told commissioners they had retained outside legal counsel to conduct an evaluation of the incident; staff said the outside review was not complete and promised to report back once legal work is finished. Several speakers and commissioners also asked the county to consider whether staff actions might warrant discipline; others asked for a public apology from county management.

Short‑term measures and community outreach County staff and community volunteers said the county has carried out door‑to‑door outreach and public meetings and that the county clerk’s office and human resources had been involved in follow‑up. Several speakers noted the county had offered some support for affected participants, including advice on filing complaints and on arranging next‑steps.

Where this stands Commissioners pledged a policy review and said they would return with recommendations. Manager Schaeffer said the county’s retained external reviewer would finish a factual and legal assessment and that the board would receive findings at a future meeting. The county did not announce any personnel discipline during the Sept. 30 meeting.

Ending: Several speakers asked the commission to act quickly. Commissioners said they understood the urgency, pledged the board’s attention and asked staff to return with proposed policy language and the outside evaluation for board consideration.