LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A day after the Las Vegas City Council voted to unanimously approve future development of the former Badlands Golf Course property and to reject creating a proposed "Animal Advisory Committee," Mayor Shelley Berkley held a press conference with reporters at Las Vegas City Hall to discuss those actions and reflect on her first two months in office.
Berkley called her first 10 weeks "intense" but also "fun and rewarding."
"I'm learning a lot, and I've developed a very strong appreciation for the staff," Berkley said. "I think the City of Las Vegas has an outstanding staff that shares my belief in public service and doing what's best for the community and the people we represent."
A majority of the conversation, though, was dominated by the city's recent Badlands settlement and its subsequent ripple effects on city operations.
"Obviously, this is not how I anticipated coming into the mayor's office with these financial constraints," Berkley said.
As 13 Investigates has reported, the city had to find ways to pay the more than half-billion dollar Badlands settlement, which has meant selling the property to developer Lennar Homes, using city savings, delaying some capital projects and placing a hiring freeze on several city positions through the 2027 fiscal year.
"I think it would be extremely irresponsible to spend money we don't have," Berkley said. "Our future is extraordinarily rosy. It's just–right now–you take a step back and take a deep breath, tighten your belt, and look toward the future. That's exactly what we're doing."
That future includes the sale of the Cashman Center property, which hits the auction block for the second time on February 27 after failing to receive a bid the first time at auction last November. The city anticipates the sale will cover nearly $40 million of their hefty Badlands tab.
I asked Mayor Berkley what her vision is for Cashman Center's future.
"What my vision is, I haven't decided yet, but it'll be the highest and best use of the property," Berkley responded. "I feel very confident at this point that it will, in fact, go in the second auction, and we're going to see a building there that's beneficial to the city."
Berkley also addressed the city council's rejection of the Animal Advisory Committee proposal last night in a 6-1 vote, essentially calling the ordinance insufficient, in her view, to address the scope of the problem in Southern Nevada.
"It would meet four times a year, it would have no authority and nothing that they did would be binding on anyone," Berkley said when talking about the failed proposal. "I thought, given the situation across Southern Nevada, when it comes to our four-legged friends, we could and must do better."
For Berkley, that means a cross-jurisdictional approach.
"Where we're all working together, interacting with professionals–veterinarians, people running rescues—and finding out what we can do to solve the challenges that we have," Berkley said.
That's how she hopes to address the valley's homelessness crisis, too, especially with the city's new camping ban that took effect earlier this year.
"It's my belief that no human being should be living on the streets," Berkley said. "If it's mental health therapy they need, if it's drug or alcohol therapy, then we provide them with that and help them become self-sustaining through job training."
I asked Berkley how she plans to navigate working with other local municipalities—Clark County and the cities of Henderson and North Las Vegas—given that the city hasn't always worked well with the county in the past.
She highlighted her experience serving across multiple levels of government and personal relationships with many local officials in response.
"I know there have been some issues in the city and the county, but that preceded me. I don't have any issues with the county. I have friendships with the county," Berkley said. "There isn't anybody I can't call and talk to, so I think I'm ideally suited. If anybody can do this, I think it's me, not because I've been imbued with any special powers. It's just that I've been around so long."
"I always make this joke," Berkley continued. "I've been around so long that people that didn't like me like me because they can't remember why they didn't like me."
Berkley said she called the press conference Thursday because "she's committed to transparency," and plans to hold regular press conferences every other week going forward.
