States Quietly Move to Restrict Driving While Colorado Faces Budget Crisis

On August 25, 2025, Kim Monson welcomed Colorado Representative Stephanie Luck to discuss the special legislative session’s budget woes, automotive expert Lauren Fix to expose how states are quietly moving to restrict driving, and citizen advocate Joe Whitney to reveal how Littleton residents are fighting city hall over zoning changes pushed through during holiday meetings.

Colorado’s Special Session Fails to Close Budget Gap

Start listening at 17:14 – Hour 1

Stephanie Luck, Colorado State Representative for House District 60, breaks down the special session convened by Governor Polis to address a billion-dollar budget shortfall. The session addressed only about $350 million of the gap through measures that raid the unclaimed property fund and increase taxes on pass-through businesses, without any actual spending cuts.

Luck explains how the governor’s narrow proclamation effectively legislated from his mansion, leaving no room for meaningful debate. She warns that the policies being pushed actually increase spending rather than close the deficit, putting small businesses at a competitive disadvantage compared to large corporations.

“What he did in his proclamation was legislate from the governor’s mansion, because he narrowed the scope so tightly that he left no room for real discussion about anything beyond what he wanted to talk about.”

Stephanie Luck, Colorado State Representative

Vehicle Miles Traveled Restrictions Threaten Freedom of Mobility

Start listening at 33:10 – Hour 1

Lauren Fix, automotive expert and host of Car Coach Reports, sounds the alarm on Massachusetts Senate Bill S-2246 and similar legislation spreading across states including Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, New York, and California. These bills establish frameworks to track vehicle miles traveled and implement policies to reduce driving over time.

Fix details how the carefully worded legislation avoids explicit mileage caps initially but creates mechanisms for future restrictions. Cities are simultaneously eliminating parking spaces, with New York removing 200 spots on the Upper West Side and Denver eliminating minimum parking requirements for new developments. The strategy makes vehicle ownership increasingly inconvenient, pushing people toward dense 15-minute city models.

With federal EV mandates rolled back by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, states are pursuing VMT restrictions as a workaround to control transportation choices. Fix urges citizens to get involved in local government and carefully vet candidates who will protect mobility freedom.

“There’s also a nice privacy about getting in your car with your family, having a conversation that others aren’t listening to, and just have a moment of peace. You don’t get that when you don’t own a vehicle.”

Lauren Fix, Car Coach Reports

Littleton Residents Fight City Hall Over Zoning Changes

Start listening at 100:17 – Hour 2

Joe Whitney of Rooted in Littleton describes how citizens discovered their city council was quietly trying to rezone all single-family residential areas to allow duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes. The city attempted to pass the change during the holidays using technical language like “ULUC code” instead of “zoning” until the final reading in November.

When 400 residents packed city council chambers in January with three news crews present, the council withdrew the proposal but blamed citizens for not paying attention. A professionally conducted survey found 65% of homeowners oppose increased density and 73% want notification of significant zoning changes. The group has placed a charter amendment on the November ballot to freeze current zoning and require citizen input on future changes.

“And we actually went through the city council archives, and it turns out that they discussed it for a year and a half, but they always used the term ULUC code, which nobody, I mean, regular people don’t know what that is. And they didn’t use the word zoning until November when they got ready to do their first reading. So it absolutely was a covert effort, and it’s really shameful.”

Joe Whitney, Rooted in Littleton