The curious case of the Clark County teachers union

Happy Saturday. Artificial intelligence is reportedly on the cusp of being able to create more powerful versions of itself, by itself, taking over the wheel, as it were. And as their hack of Hugging Face indicates, AI agents can be lying cheating little sociopaths.

None of which appears to bother the Clark County Education Association. 

The play this week by the union’s transaction-driven leader to earmark data center tax revenue to education (see below) also smacks of an attempt to provide political cover to data center cheerleader Joe Lombardo, whom the teachers union (in another purely transactional act) has endorsed for reelection as Nevada’s governor. 

Yes, fascinating, I’m sure.

Meanwhile, broad bipartisan public opposition — and hostility — to data centers isn’t just about data centers. Duh. It’s also about the behemoths literally empowering a technology so disturbing it makes a growing share of humanity wonder how or if humanity and the technology can coexist.

CCEA Executive Director John Vellardita’s blithe willingness to shove all that under the rug while yet again hoping to be the lobbyist tail wagging the state government dog is, in the scheme of things, irrelevant.

But before recursive self-improvement kills everyone, and for whatever’s left of posterity, it should be noted that the leadership of the union representing teachers in the nation’s fifth largest school district can be not merely tawdry, but also repulsive.

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Correction: In last Saturday’’s newsletter, which was later republished in the Current as a column (see below), I incorrectly wrote that as a Republican state senator in 2015 James Settelmeyer voted for the tax package pushed by then-Gov. Brian Sandoval — or as it’s referred to in a Joe Lombardo ad, “the largest tax increase in Nevada history.” While Settelmeyer did vote for some of the Sandoval tax increases and extensions as the legislation made its way through the Senate, he did not vote for the final bill. 

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Here is some of the stuff we published in the Current this week we wouldn’t want you to miss.

April — ‘This industry is the future:’ Clark County teachers union wants state to bargain with data centers and K-shaped economy taking toll on Las Vegas, top tourism official warns 

Dana — Judge denies motion to dismiss felony charge against former Mesquite police chief and Public defender challenging incumbent in Clark County Dept. 21

Jen — Ballot measure gives Boulder City voters a chance to weigh in on data centers

My column — Joe Lombardo and the largest tax increase in Nevada history

Good luck