Opinion No. 22-3479
June 9, 1922
TO: The Clayton News, Clayton, New Mexico.
Publication Proceedings Meetings Boards of County Commissioners in English and Spanish in Same Newspaper.
OPINION
{*161} In reply to your letter of the 7th instant, asking if it is proper to publish the proceedings of the meetings of the Board of County Commissioners in English and in Spanish in the same newspaper, I wish to advise you:
Chapter 72, Laws 1919, which amends Section 4648, Code 1915, provides for the publication, among other things, of the proceedings of the Board of County Commissioners and prescribes the language in which such publications must be made under conditions as set out in the act.
It is provided that in counties, cities and towns in which the publication using either language is between twenty-five per cent and seventy-five percent of the whole, the notices shall be published in both English and Spanish provided there be newspapers published in both languages in the county, city or town by different publishers. Otherwise, publication in either language shall be sufficient.
It would appear from the use of the words "by different publishers," that in order to publish in both languages, the newspapers must be published as stated, "by different publishers." Otherwise, the publication in either the one or the other language in the one newspaper would be sufficient.
I would suggest that you read carefully the above mentioned act and then be governed by its provisions. Since you are publishing both an English and a Spanish paper, the publication of the proceedings of the meetings of the Board of County Commissioners should not be published in both languages in the said paper.