On the last day of school for Clark County, Joe Lombardo’s report card revealed that he received failing grades for addressing the ongoing housing crisis, lowering costs, keeping our communities safe, ethics, helping students succeed, and respecting Nevadans. Lombardo did however receive stellar marks for obeying Donald Trump and putting his agenda over working class Nevadans.
See teachers’ additional comments below:
Balancing budgets:
Less than two weeks after touting fiscal responsibility during his State of the State address, Lombardo fired the state’s budget director after Lombardo presented an unconstitutionally unbalanced budget that would have created a $335 million deficit. Days later, Lombardo’s new state financial system – the one he was “proud to announce” that the first phase of his new $160 million financial system went live on January 2 and is now “paying Nevada’s bills” — failed to pay out critical state expenses, including child support and health savings account payments. Recently, Lombardo’s Department of Corrections announced that it has a $50 million hole in its budget.
Addressing the Housing Crisis:
A recent survey found that under Lombardo, more than 80% of Nevadans believe housing in Nevada is unaffordable. On Lombardo’s watch, Nevada is facing one of the toughest housing crises in the nation with eviction rates in Las Vegas being among the highest in the country and homelessness hitting its highest peak since the Great Recession. Lombardo has blamed his inaction on the looming housing crisis on hardworking Nevadans, telling KTNV that legislation keeping working families in their homes is just a “crutch for lack of performance of the renter.”
Last session, while housing costs continued to grow more expensive, Lombardo vetoed multiple bills that would have lowered the cost of housing across the state and kept more Nevadans in their homes.
Lowering Prescription Drug Prices:
As health care costs continue to rise, Lombardo vetoed a bill that would have lowered the price of prescription drugs to the Medicare-negotiated rate for all Nevadans, not just those on Medicare. Big drug companies then rewarded Lombardo with nearly $100,000 in campaign cash.
Helping Students Succeed:
As food insecurity continues to rise, Lombardo vetoed legislation that guaranteed school meals for public school students – then he flat-out lied about it. Now, parents are having to pay more this school year than last school year for meals and Washoe County parents have accumulated more than $60,000 in school lunch debt because of Lombardo.
Keeping our communities safe:
Lombardo was previously caught having lied while courting the far-right gun lobby on the campaign trail in 2021, when he significantly downplayed the number of untraceable, unregulated weapons known as ghost guns confiscated by law enforcement in Las Vegas. He later vetoed a bill that would have made our communities safer by cracking down on ghost guns.
Additionally, Lombardo has ignored staffing shortages in the Nevada State Police Department. He voted against the union’s collective bargaining agreement that included critical pay increases for officers in 2023. He ordered that they and other state employees who were working under collective bargaining agreements wouldn’t be receiving longevity payments of up to $1,027. In 2023, Lombardo also vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have helped boost state police take-home pay by cutting their share of retirement contributions in half.
Ethics Scandals:
Lombardo was censured and fined by the Ethics Commission for violating ethics law during his gubernatorial campaign. He’s now suing to nullify the Ethics Commission altogether after his cronies – who he appointed days before his ethics hearing – couldn’t protect him from the law. And one of Lombardo’s first acts after being elected was establishing a dark money inaugural committee, breaking with bipartisan precedent so he could keep Nevadans in the dark about who is giving him money and how that money is being spent.
Respecting Nevadans:
Earlier this year, as thousands of Nevadans rallied throughout the state to protest Donald Trump’s price-raising agenda that will cut Medicaid and education funding, Joe Lombardo told a crowd of supporters behind closed doors that the reason Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation is because, “people would rather manipulate the government process and receive unemployment or to sit at home versus occupying a job that’s available.” Lombardo continued, “The central message [of the protests] was, ‘What do you mean? You want me to go back to work? […] What can the government do to give handouts to us?’” Finally, an angry Lombardo concluded with a “f*** you” to anyone who criticizes his performance as governor.
Obeying Donald Trump:
Lombardo, who endorsed Trump early in 2024, has been the Cheerleader-in-Chief to the GOP-manufactured hardship caused by Donald Trump, telling KLAS Nevadans “need to maybe feel a little pain” in response to Trump’s tariffs. When Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating the Department of Education, Lombardo fully supported him. Lombardo has praised Trump’s actions generally since he became president, saying he’s “done good”.
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