Alliance for a Better Utah
@betterutah.bsky.social
Government watchdog | Progressive policy advocates | Occasional connoisseurs of snark | Holding politicians accountable
https://linktr.ee/betterutah
https://linktr.ee/betterutah
Measles is a dangerous, highly contagious disease. It is entirely preventable, and every child deserves the protection vaccines provide. Public health shouldn’t be politicized.
🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/qr2g5Vn
🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/qr2g5Vn
Utah's measles outbreak, among the largest in the country, is likely to get worse • Utah News Dispatch
The measles outbreaks in Utah and Arizona are currently among the largest and more recent in the U.S., and likely to grow.
utahnewsdispatch.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Measles is a dangerous, highly contagious disease. It is entirely preventable, and every child deserves the protection vaccines provide. Public health shouldn’t be politicized.
🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/qr2g5Vn
🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/qr2g5Vn
Utahns deserve real solutions, not talking points. Addressing costs means confronting powerful interests and acknowledging that when families thrive, the whole state thrives.
🔗 Deseret News:
🔗 Deseret News:
Utahns prefer Republicans’ approach to cost of living, bucking national trends
Utahns tend to trust Republicans more than Democrats to address cost-of-living issues, while men and women differ in economic priorities
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Utahns deserve real solutions, not talking points. Addressing costs means confronting powerful interests and acknowledging that when families thrive, the whole state thrives.
🔗 Deseret News:
🔗 Deseret News:
Utah families rely on the Colorado River more than most people realize, and the basin simply doesn’t have the water it once did. Responsible stewardship means planning for scarcity, not assuming that old agreements will hold in a hotter, drier future.
buff.ly/gdkXveC
buff.ly/gdkXveC
How Colorado River talks will affect Utahns and millions more across the Southwest
With less water flowing through the Colorado River, Utah may have to cut back its consumption. That could affect farmers, tribes and cities across the state.
www.sltrib.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Utah families rely on the Colorado River more than most people realize, and the basin simply doesn’t have the water it once did. Responsible stewardship means planning for scarcity, not assuming that old agreements will hold in a hotter, drier future.
buff.ly/gdkXveC
buff.ly/gdkXveC
The Legislature should avoid using opioid funds as a backdoor way to justify a project that still lacks community support and clear evidence it will actually help people stabilize and recover.
🔗 KUER: buff.ly/Sqhpz4w
🔗 KUER: buff.ly/Sqhpz4w
Could Utah opioid settlement cash help with Salt Lake City’s new homeless campus?
A proposal from the Cicero Institute suggests using a portion of Utah's opioid settlement funds to invest in the homeless campus. Organisations that work in harm reduction are skeptical and say this…
www.kuer.org
December 3, 2025 at 5:58 PM
The Legislature should avoid using opioid funds as a backdoor way to justify a project that still lacks community support and clear evidence it will actually help people stabilize and recover.
🔗 KUER: buff.ly/Sqhpz4w
🔗 KUER: buff.ly/Sqhpz4w
Rep. Hollins’ decade of service changed the Legislature for the better. She brought compassion, lived experience, and a steady insistence that every child and every family deserves dignity.
🔗 Deseret News: buff.ly/0SsNFVg
🔗 Deseret News: buff.ly/0SsNFVg
Why Utah’s first Black woman in the Legislature isn’t running for reelection
Rep. Sandra Hollins, the first Black woman to serve in the Utah Legislature, announced she will not seek reelection next year.
www.deseret.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Rep. Hollins’ decade of service changed the Legislature for the better. She brought compassion, lived experience, and a steady insistence that every child and every family deserves dignity.
🔗 Deseret News: buff.ly/0SsNFVg
🔗 Deseret News: buff.ly/0SsNFVg
Utahns deserve open hearings, nonpartisan analysis, and a commitment that any change protects judicial independence—which is essential to fairness and equal justice for every community in our state.
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
Gov. Cox says it’s ‘a good idea’ to add justices to the Utah Supreme Court — and it’s not court packing
Gov. Spencer Cox supports expanding the Utah Supreme Court from five to seven justices and does not consider it to be “packing” the court.
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Utahns deserve open hearings, nonpartisan analysis, and a commitment that any change protects judicial independence—which is essential to fairness and equal justice for every community in our state.
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
Take Action: Contact your state representative and state senator before the December 9 special session and tell them to oppose any constitutional amendment that weakens Utahns’ initiative power.
December 3, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Take Action: Contact your state representative and state senator before the December 9 special session and tell them to oppose any constitutional amendment that weakens Utahns’ initiative power.
Salt Lake City has been the backbone of both the bid and the Games’ infrastructure, and Utahns understand that recognition matters—especially when major events rely on local taxpayers, local workers, and local neighborhoods.
🔗 Axios:
🔗 Axios:
Salt Lake City booted from name of Utah 2034 Winter Games
Organizers say the name is more inclusive; SLC leaders say it's a snub.
buff.ly
December 2, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Salt Lake City has been the backbone of both the bid and the Games’ infrastructure, and Utahns understand that recognition matters—especially when major events rely on local taxpayers, local workers, and local neighborhoods.
🔗 Axios:
🔗 Axios:
Efforts to restrict safe, FDA-approved medication ignore medical evidence and undermine the ability of women and families to make their own health decisions.
🔗 Deseret News:
🔗 Deseret News:
Utah congressional delegation urges HHS to end Biden-era abortion policy
A letter from the House and Senate argues federal mail-order rules violate states’ rights and threaten women’s health.
buff.ly
December 2, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Efforts to restrict safe, FDA-approved medication ignore medical evidence and undermine the ability of women and families to make their own health decisions.
🔗 Deseret News:
🔗 Deseret News:
Utah has long prided itself on resisting political cults of personality, valuing institutions over individuals. But the partisan gap in this poll shows that national polarization is reshaping attitudes here too.
🔗 Deseret News: buff.ly/LCAr1pD
🔗 Deseret News: buff.ly/LCAr1pD
New poll: Americans — and Utahns — believe Trump exercises too much power
Survey comes as the president faces pushback over tariffs and National Guard deployment.
www.deseret.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Utah has long prided itself on resisting political cults of personality, valuing institutions over individuals. But the partisan gap in this poll shows that national polarization is reshaping attitudes here too.
🔗 Deseret News: buff.ly/LCAr1pD
🔗 Deseret News: buff.ly/LCAr1pD
This is a normal transition, but it’s a reminder of how much power political insiders have in filling mid-term legislative seats. Appointments happen quickly, with very little public input.
🔗 KSL:
🔗 KSL:
Utah legislator steps down following Cottonwood Heights mayoral victory
Utah Democrats announced their plan to replace a representative who resigned on Thursday, following her Cottonwood Heights mayoral election victory.
buff.ly
December 2, 2025 at 4:13 PM
This is a normal transition, but it’s a reminder of how much power political insiders have in filling mid-term legislative seats. Appointments happen quickly, with very little public input.
🔗 KSL:
🔗 KSL:
This isn’t just about one politician’s decision to bankroll harmful messaging. It’s about a political system that treats attacks on trans Utahns as acceptable collateral.
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune: buff.ly/9xPg7z8
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune: buff.ly/9xPg7z8
A top Utah politician quietly funded anti-trans ads, prompting complaints. A year later, nothing’s come of them.
After referring the case to the A.G.’s office, Lt. Gov. Henderson now says the anti-trans PAC funded by GOP House Speaker Rep. Schultz insists its records are accurate.
www.sltrib.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:11 AM
This isn’t just about one politician’s decision to bankroll harmful messaging. It’s about a political system that treats attacks on trans Utahns as acceptable collateral.
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune: buff.ly/9xPg7z8
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune: buff.ly/9xPg7z8
For the first time in a generation, voters have a district that wasn’t engineered to dilute their voice. A competitive Democratic field is exactly what a functioning democracy should look like!
🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
Another Democrat joins the race to represent Utah’s new, left-leaning district • Utah News Dispatch
State Sen. Nate Blouin is jumping into the race for a newly drawn congressional district favoring Democrats.
buff.ly
December 2, 2025 at 1:11 AM
For the first time in a generation, voters have a district that wasn’t engineered to dilute their voice. A competitive Democratic field is exactly what a functioning democracy should look like!
🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
The commission was designed precisely to offer voters a nonpartisan alternative to maps drawn for political advantage. When those maps reveal how extreme the Legislature’s gerrymanders truly are, suddenly the commission and courts are doing “too much.”
Rep. Blake Moore says Utah’s redistricting commission has gone against original intent
Before he was elected to Congress, Blake Moore helped lead the Better Boundaries movement. Now he says it’s violated its original goal.
buff.ly
December 1, 2025 at 10:11 PM
The commission was designed precisely to offer voters a nonpartisan alternative to maps drawn for political advantage. When those maps reveal how extreme the Legislature’s gerrymanders truly are, suddenly the commission and courts are doing “too much.”
The push to repeal it isn’t about “restoring legislative authority,” it’s about keeping voters from having a fair shot. Utahns across the political spectrum supported Prop 4 because they wanted fair maps—not the agenda of anonymous donors.
Trump-aligned dark money drives Utah Prop. 4 repeal effort
Securing American Greatness, a Trump‑aligned 501(c)(4), is the sole funder of the Utah GOP's bid to repeal Utah’s anti‑gerrymandering Prop 4—adding $2.175M and pushing the total near $3.3M.
buff.ly
December 1, 2025 at 7:11 PM
The push to repeal it isn’t about “restoring legislative authority,” it’s about keeping voters from having a fair shot. Utahns across the political spectrum supported Prop 4 because they wanted fair maps—not the agenda of anonymous donors.
This special session isn’t about “clarity.” It’s about power. After the courts ruled that Utahns have a constitutional right to reform their government, the supermajority is now trying to rewrite the constitution to take that right away.
🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/34doPy8
🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/34doPy8
www.abc4.com
December 1, 2025 at 5:58 PM
This special session isn’t about “clarity.” It’s about power. After the courts ruled that Utahns have a constitutional right to reform their government, the supermajority is now trying to rewrite the constitution to take that right away.
🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/34doPy8
🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/34doPy8
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would require data centers in Utah to publicly report their water use.The bill would create a statewide reporting standard so policymakers and the public can better understand the pressures on local water systems.
November 26, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would require data centers in Utah to publicly report their water use.The bill would create a statewide reporting standard so policymakers and the public can better understand the pressures on local water systems.
This is welcome news for Utah’s information ecosystem. A healthy democracy relies on informed citizens, and removing the paywall means more Utahns will have access to rigorous reporting about their government and communities.
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
The Salt Lake Tribune will drop its paywall next year, CEO tells donors at NewsMakers gala
After years of requiring people to pay for online news content, The Tribune announced an upcoming change during its 2025 annual NewsMakers Gala.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 10:11 PM
This is welcome news for Utah’s information ecosystem. A healthy democracy relies on informed citizens, and removing the paywall means more Utahns will have access to rigorous reporting about their government and communities.
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
Better mental health care in prisons is not only a moral obligation. It is a public safety necessity. Utah has seen too many instances where untreated conditions lead to self-harm, violence, or long-term instability after release.
🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/cJQ9h1C
🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/cJQ9h1C
‘We can do better’: Utah bill would level up standards for mental health care in prison • Utah News Dispatch
A Utah bill would raise standards for mental health treatment in prison after two recent audits found widespread problems.
utahnewsdispatch.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Better mental health care in prisons is not only a moral obligation. It is a public safety necessity. Utah has seen too many instances where untreated conditions lead to self-harm, violence, or long-term instability after release.
🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/cJQ9h1C
🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/cJQ9h1C
The lake’s problems did not appear overnight, and they will not disappear without structural changes in water allocation, statewide conservation, and land-use planning. Protecting the lake requires courage and long-term commitment, not wishful thinking.
Great Salt Lake is rising again, but it’s going to need a ‘really big’ winter to avoid concerns
The Great Salt Lake appears to have started its annual winter gains early after a rainy October, but it faces an uncertain winter and a long road to recovery ahead.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
The lake’s problems did not appear overnight, and they will not disappear without structural changes in water allocation, statewide conservation, and land-use planning. Protecting the lake requires courage and long-term commitment, not wishful thinking.
Water stewardship must be a shared responsibility. That means stronger rules, improved technology, and financial support for conservation that is accessible to households, not just big water users.
🔗 KUER:
🔗 KUER:
Utah has county-by-county water goals. Is your county hitting them?
Around half of Utah’s counties have met their 2030 conservation goals. Taking a closer look at who is succeeding and struggling offers a glimpse of why it’s hard to save water in Utah.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Water stewardship must be a shared responsibility. That means stronger rules, improved technology, and financial support for conservation that is accessible to households, not just big water users.
🔗 KUER:
🔗 KUER:
This is a sensible step toward accountability.Transparent reporting is the least we should expect from companies using a public resource as critical and scarce as water. Utahns deserve to know who is using what.
🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
Thirsty data centers would have to report water use under Utah bill • Utah News Dispatch
Utah data centers would have to report how much water they’re using every year under a bill advancing in the state Legislature.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 4:11 AM
This is a sensible step toward accountability.Transparent reporting is the least we should expect from companies using a public resource as critical and scarce as water. Utahns deserve to know who is using what.
🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
This is a pattern Utahns have seen before. When powerful interests want to roll back a voter-approved reform, they rarely say so plainly. They muddy the waters and rely on confusion.
🔗 KSL NewsRadio: buff.ly/wxFsGZe
🔗 KSL NewsRadio: buff.ly/wxFsGZe
Prop. 4 proponents calling out methods of signature-gatherers
Signature-gatherers are looking for support to repeal Prop. 4, Utah's congressional maps law. Proponents of Prop 4. are questioning the tactics of the signature-gatherers.
kslnewsradio.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:11 AM
This is a pattern Utahns have seen before. When powerful interests want to roll back a voter-approved reform, they rarely say so plainly. They muddy the waters and rely on confusion.
🔗 KSL NewsRadio: buff.ly/wxFsGZe
🔗 KSL NewsRadio: buff.ly/wxFsGZe
When elected leaders respond to an unfavorable court ruling by attacking the judge’s motives or preparing constitutional changes that weaken the initiative process, it raises serious questions about how power is being used.
🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/u9B1FUS
🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/u9B1FUS
www.abc4.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:11 PM
When elected leaders respond to an unfavorable court ruling by attacking the judge’s motives or preparing constitutional changes that weaken the initiative process, it raises serious questions about how power is being used.
🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/u9B1FUS
🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/u9B1FUS
The field is crowded and ever-shifting, but this is what representative democracy is supposed to look like. Whether voters are focused on housing affordability, wages, reproductive freedom, or public lands protection, they now have a genuine choice.
🔗 Axios:
🔗 Axios:
Derek Kitchen joins race for Utah's redrawn 1st District
The former state senator rose to prominence after a landmark LGBTQ+ rights win.
buff.ly
November 24, 2025 at 7:11 PM
The field is crowded and ever-shifting, but this is what representative democracy is supposed to look like. Whether voters are focused on housing affordability, wages, reproductive freedom, or public lands protection, they now have a genuine choice.
🔗 Axios:
🔗 Axios: