Welcome to Briefly, Colorado Politics’ daily news briefing. Here’s what’s happening today:

Boebert’s CONVEY Act signed into law; BLM will sell 31-acre parcel to Mesa County

President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill sponsored by U.S Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) to bring economic development to Mesa County. 

The Clifton Opportunities Now for Vibrant Economic Yields Act, or CONVEY Act, directs the Bureau of Land Management to sell 31 acres of land to Mesa County for economic development in the town of Clifton, outside Grand Junction. The county has been trying to acquire the land for over six years but faced barriers from the federal government, despite the Bureau of Land Management designating the land for disposal. 

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“I am very proud and happy for Mesa County to finally get our CONVEY Act signed into law!” said Boebert. “This legislation was the result of working directly with local stakeholders to find a solution when bureaucracy and red tape had gotten in the way for over half a decade. With the CONVEY Act signed into law, our leaders in Mesa County can now move forward with creating job opportunities and growth for the great Coloradans on the Western Slope. I am thankful for House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, the Mesa County Commissioners, and Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet for working together to produce a major win that puts Coloradans first.”

State accepting applications for public safety grants 

The Colorado Division of Criminal Justice is now accepting applications for the 2025 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) Grant. The grant supports innovative, community-focused strategies to address crisis intervention and improve public safety. About $1.5 million is available through the grant. 

“We are taking bold action as a state to make our communities safer,” said Gov. Jared Polis. “I encourage communities and local organizations to apply for this critical funding to prevent and reduce crime, supporting our local law enforcement.”

The SCIP Grant Program was created through the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 and focuses on crisis intervention and preventing gun violence in Colorado communities. 

“This grant program is an investment in Colorado’s communities and their ability to address public safety challenges through collaboration and innovation,” said Matthew M. Lunn, Director of the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice. “We look forward to supporting initiatives that create safer environments and enhance the well-being of all who call Colorado home.”

Local government agencies, including federally recognized tribes, are eligible for the grant. Funding can be used for a number of projects, including court-based programming, referrals for community-based services for people in crisis, and Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) programs. 

Applications will be accepted through March 10. 

Boulder man arrested for involvement in Jan. 6 insurrection

Four years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach in Washington, D.C., a Boulder man has been arrested for his involvement in the insurrection. 

Jonathan “Duke” Valentour, 26, was arrested on Jan. 6 and charged with the felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. Valentour is also charged with five misdemeanor offenses, including engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings. 

Duke’s father, Joseph Valentour, 66, of Centerville, Ohio, was arrested in Ohio on Jan. 3 and charged with the same crimes. 

According to court documents, both men interfered with law enforcement officers, with the older Valentour allegedly grabbing an officer’s shield at one point, causing him to fall down a flight of stairs. The younger Valentour allegedly attempted to charge a police line multiple times and pushed another rioter into the officers before being pepper sprayed. 

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Cincinnati, Denver, and Washington field offices.

U.S. Rep Gabe Evans votes in support of Laken Riley Act

Newly-sworn in U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) announced that he cast his vote in support of Congress’s Laken Riley Act, which would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue detainers and take custody of individuals who came to the country illegally and have committed theft-related crimes. The bill would also allow states to sue Executive Branch officials if they believe immigration actions such as parole or violation of detention requirements have harmed their citizens. 

“As the grandson of an immigrant and a former police officer, I support efforts to prioritize deporting gangsters, not grandmas,” Evans said. “Nationally, the first step in addressing our broken immigration system is helping local law enforcement crush the gangs and career criminals terrorizing our communities. However, the sad reality is Colorado law prohibits law enforcement from honoring an ICE detainer. Until our state stops prioritizing dangerous illegal immigrants over public safety, Colorado will be stuck in a tailspin.”

The bill is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia college student who was killed by a man who had entered the United States illegally from Venezuela.

The bill has passed through the House and will now make its way to the Senate. 

Colorado joins DOJ, 13 other states in filing complaint in landlord suit

Colorado has joined 13 other states and the Department of Justice in filing an amended complaint in their antitrust lawsuit against a property management software, suing six of the country’s largest landlords for participating in algorithmic pricing schemes that the lawsuit says negatively impacted renters. 

The complaint alleges the landlords — Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC, Blackstone’s LivCor LLC, Camden Property Trust, Cushman & Wakefield Inc and Pinnacle Property Management Services LLC, Willow Bridge Property Company LLC, and Cortland Management LLC — participated in an illegal scheme to decrease competition in apartment pricing.  

Cortland Management operates multiple apartment complexes in Colorado, and while the Department of Justice says it has reached a settlement with the company, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the state is not in a position to join it at this time. 

“Many Coloradans are struggling to afford housing and pay rent, Weiser said. “We look forward to learning more about the Cortland settlement and are always willing to consider collaborative solutions. As for the other landlords added to the lawsuit, if they engage in irresponsible and harmful conduct that raises rents, they must be held to account.”

According to the amended complaint, the six landlords participated in a scheme to set their rents using each other’s sensitive information through RealPage’s pricing algorithms, as well as communicating with competitors’ senior managers about rents, occupancy and other sensitive topics, conducting regular “call arounds” to share competitively sensitive information, and participating in “user groups” hosted by RealPage to discuss how to modify the software’s pricing algorithm. 

Colorado joined the Department of Justice in suing RealPage last August, arguing that the company enables collusion between landlords and distorts the housing market for renters by selling software to landlords who agree to share sensitive data.

RealPage’s software combines this data and feeds it into an algorithm to provide daily, near-real-time pricing recommendations to landlords. The software also tracks the number of available apartments, enabling landlords in markets with high demand to keep properties off the market and drive up rents. 

The attorneys general of Illinois and Massachusetts joined the amended complaint along with the original plaintiff states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.