South side politics

One recent Sunday, Gina Auz and her partner, John Paul Granillo, set up a folding table and chairs on a shady strip of concrete at a strip mall off Airport Road. As customers walked into popular south-side hangout Chapin & Mex Restaurant for breakfast, the two greeted them with a chipper chorus of "buenos días."

Auz has been a regular Sunday morning presence at the strip mall since September. Her goal: To encourage Latino voters on Santa Fe's south side — an area Auz said has long been ignored by city officials — to cast a ballot in the upcoming election and equip them with the voter information they need to do so.

"This is our Santa Fe. That's home. ... That means we need to be clear with the community and explain, 'This is home, and you need to care about home,' "

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