The Landmine has confirmed the State of Alaska paid for a weeklong trip to Switzerland for the board chair and executive director of the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights. Board chair Dorene Lorenz and executive director Rob Corbisier took the trip to attend a meeting of the United Nations in Geneva in early November.
The trip took place amid a travel ban Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska) issued in May. The administrative order mandates “a freeze on all out-of-state travel for state employees, regardless of funding source.” It further states that “exceptions may be granted through a waiver process for essential public safety or mission-critical duties.”
Corbisier told the Landmine the Governor’s Office approved the travel. The Landmine reached out to the Governor’s Office to see why the trip was for essential public safety or mission-critical duties. They have not yet responded.
The Landmine sent a records to the Human Rights Commission on November 18 asking for a cost breakdown for the trip. They have yet to fulfill the request, saying the travel authorizations have not yet been closed out. But Corbisier did tell the Landmine that his plane ticket cost around $2,850 and the hotel in Geneva was $210/night. According to Corbisier, they each stayed for six nights, which would total $2,520 for the two rooms. Depending on the price of Lorenz’ plane ticket and other travel costs, the trip likely cost the state more than $8,000.
Lorenz posted a video of remarks she made during the meeting. After giving a bizarre land acknowledgement to the Swiss, she spoke on the topic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. She also posted a video of remarks Corbisier made about the history of racism in Alaska, the role of the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights, and the importance of resource development for indigenous people.
This might just be a fun one to watch, with Lorenz drawing the first blood.
No blood drawn here, though. Jeff was understandably and unusually circumspect. No “lunatic,” no “radical.” No schoolyard slurs.
This is just par for the Dunleavy course. The Governor’s office not returning calls? Good luck getting anyone to pick up. At this point it barely resembles governing—they’re just running out the clock, cashing the checks, and coasting their way to the finish line.
“Depending on the price of Lorenz’ plane ticket and other travel costs, the trip likely cost the state more than $8,000.“ -Landfield Nothing in this story confirms that the state paid for this travel. All that seems confirmed is that it involved state employees, that the governor approved it, and that it cost several thousand dollars. It may well be that it was paid for by the state. But it also may have been paid by the host UN, or by a good government NGO. Or someone else. But we don’t know. Because no facts showing the actual funding source… Read more »
Despite his numerous biases and other journalistic deficiencies, I think even Jeff would not lead a story with “The Landmine has confirmed the State of Alaska paid for a weeklong trip to Switzerland for the board chair and executive director of the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights” if he had not indeed received said confirmation. True, I might just be gullible enough, but this will undoubtably be followed up. Having worked an appreciable part of my career in numerous countries around the world, sometimes in association with UN agencies, and I think it VERY unlikely the UN is able… Read more »
The UN budgets approximately $47 – $52 million with an overall budget of $10 billion in US dollars on average. To the “Their pockets are not deep.” remark – What are you talking about??
** Thats $47 – $52 million per participating country that is.
Well, you and Dan are both right in your way. But Landfield clearly jumped the gun: There’s no story here, but he couldn’t wait to trot out what little he has.
Is this about Resource Development? Or Human Rights and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People? Or their Vulnerability in losing their resources to development?
Nice cop-out with the “It may well be that it was paid for by the state. But…” who do you honestly believe would pay for something like this? I guess I forgot to consider that there may be any number of “good” NGO like organizations or charitable Alaskans and/or Americans for that matter who truly believe in the daily duties and thankless work of a podunk state like ours, Human Rights Commission… I mean who wouldn’t want to fund an opportunity for such a pivotal organization to attend an event such as that, I mean, honestly, it really could’ve been… Read more »
“………I guess I forgot to consider that there may be any number of “good” NGO like organizations or charitable Alaskans and/or Americans for that matter who truly believe in the daily duties and thankless work of a podunk state like ours, Human Rights Commission………” Alaska Native entities have sought support from the UN Human Rights organization in their subsistence war with the state. Of course, they’d probably pressure the state to fund a trip like this, which is why the Governor might have blessed it despite tight state budgeting and travel restrictions. But a Native entity might have funded it.… Read more »
Hate to break it to y’all, but travel bans and hiring freezes don’t mean shit. Pure theatre. Frequently announced and routinely ignored. Never enforced. It just sounds responsive and responsible, like true government. But it’s pap.
“……..Hate to break it to y’all, but travel bans and hiring freezes don’t mean shit………”
I’m pleased to break it to ya’, but nothing means shit. Words are nothing but tools to deceive. This is the Age of the Lie.
“This is the Age of the Lie.”
You demonstrate that almost every time you post, “Reggie”.
You helped initiate that institutionally, Editor. Thankfully, your model of mass media is pretty much dead.
The whole point of this article is to embarass Lorenz for wasting STATE money on this trip. Because WHO CARES if she got someone else to pay for it. The UN? The Rasmussen Foundation? Human Rights Watch? Amnesty International? Lorenz herself? There is strong evidence in this article that Lorenz took the trip, that the trip cost money, and that her attendance was approved by the Dunleavy Administration (someone had to approve the leave slip). There is ZERO evidence in this article that the state paid for the trip. The state PROBABLY DID pay (or agree to pay), all things… Read more »
I mean he literally said he put in a records request to achieve just that, the details of what exact transactions were made, and how they were all covered by what sources, etc. I think common sense tells us though that if the Executive Director of a state-funded commission who serves at the pleasure of a board that guides the direction of said commission, has a chairperson, and that chairperson would by all accounts, would get funded in the same manner that the ED did to make the SAME trip… not sure why you’re wanting to get so bent on… Read more »
The only question that I have is why is Jeff getting so bent out of shape of this ? He was practically hyperventilating in his FB live. It’s not like this is the first junket that the state has ever paid for.This reads more like a personal attack on Lorenz.
*over
Because that’s what it is, though carefully written so as to not provide more admissible evidence.
Keep in mind that Dunleavy allowed his former AG Treg Taylor to travel the globe at the expense of a right-wing pressure group. From the Alaska Beacon: [Taylor disclosed] $20,000 that a corporate-funded group spent on a trip for Taylor and his wife, Jodi, to the Normandy region of France last summer. Attendees stayed at a five-star hotel favored by Hollywood stars and polo players and dined at Le Côté Royal, where patrons can spend 38 euros on braised pork cheeks . . . .[Taylor] also reported a 2023 trip to South Africa, where attorneys general were scheduled to take an “educational tour” of wine… Read more »
The land acknowledgement and who paid for the trip are red herrings. The Human Rights Council meeting was about the United States not participating in something called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Ergo, the board chair attended a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva and declared that Alaska law enforcement would accept oversight from the UN in light of the Trump administration backing out of the Universal Periodic Review.
Lol I wonder who gave her the green light to declare such a thing, “I with NO authority over any Alaska law enforcement agency whatsoever declare that you can use them still to collect this data that the federal govt. has deemed not important, because what do they know!”
Very good, Jeff. You should be complimented that you are being sued in Dorene Lorenz v. Alaska Landmine, Jeffrey Landfield, Paxson Woelber, & Scott Jensen 1JU-25 00954CI. Sounds like a fun week long junket for Ms. Lorenz and Mr. Corbisier to Switzerland in November 2025 even though Governor Dunleavy had instituted a travel ban in May, 2025. Please keep on them to get the exact details of how much this trip cost which you think could have been about $8,000. In the recent past, I have been posting “Comments” on “Dermot Cole” always with my good name. For the first time today,… Read more »
My comments posted on Dermot Cole. I must have been doing something wrong yesterday. Thanks, Jeff. Really like AK Landmine and you! Will post here again. Good job!
Can we find out why the Anchorage assembly and Mayor went to Japan recently and how much it cost our city and what was the outcome
The mayor and one assembly member went.
It cost the municipality nothing, their trip was paid by a nonprofit.
There is no “city”.
Since 1974.
You should get Google.
The MUNICIPALITY of Anchorage funds most of “Visit Anchorage” via tax revenue.
If the city creates an abstinence only sex ed nonprofit and then funnels half of alcohol tax money into it; “the city is paying for abstinence only sex ed” is a functionally true statement. Or not, according to Mr. Svatass.
Dan should get either some rhetorical ethics or a basic understanding of the concept of a “shell game” because he’s either ill informed, dumb, or deceptive.
“he’s either ill informed, dumb, or deceptive” the three are not mutually exclusive.
“………Dan should get either some rhetorical ethics or a basic understanding of the concept of a “shell game”……..”
Dan is a shell.
Largely seems like a non-story and really published because someones have an axe to grind. It just doesn’t rank.