Arizona lawmakers approved a $9.2 billion budget yesterday.The budget, which still needs Governor Jan Brewer’s approval, shaved off roughly $25 million from Brewer’s proposal for Child Protective Services spending for next year. Between the scandal of thousands of cases getting ignored at CPS, and the growing foster-care system, Brewer’s made…
Ruben Gallego isn’t wasting any time amassing a campaign war chest, announcing earlier this week that he already has $160,000 in campaign contributions from more than 800 donors. Gallego is facing competition from Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and state Senator Steve Gallardo for the open seat in Arizona’s…
The bipartisan Senate bill that would have legalized fantasy sports in Arizona failed before reaching the floor.Although Senate Bill 1468 originally started with a considerate amount of bipartisan support, Republican senator and primary sponsor Adam Driggs believes the bill failed because of a possible conflict with the Arizona’s Indian Gaming…
A proposed contract with new Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher shows his annual compensation package is worth about $50,000 less than his predecessor’s.The contract is scheduled to be considered by the city council at Wednesday’s meeting…
Moviegoers who see “Cesar Chavez” when it opens today can expect a feel-good flick that portrays the Yuma-born legend as almost saintly. The movie doesn’t enlighten viewers about Chavez’s intense opposition to “illegals” and “wets,” as he called undocumented immigrants. You may have heard that Chavez preached against illegal immigration,…
State legislators are proposing a law that says the state isn’t liable for state employees fulfilling its duties on state land.Fighting wildfires happens to fall under the scope of that law, and the proposal is no coincidence, as precursors to lawsuits have been filed against the state in recent months…
Today in Found at the Border: A Mexican woman tried to cross the border in Nogales with five pounds of heroin in her underwear, according to authorities.Cristina Luna-Ramos, 38, tried to drive through the port of entry about 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Officers reported seeing something that’s never good news…
It’s a beautiful day here, outside of the Tempe City Hall and police department, but our blood is boiling because of the PD’s ignorance of public-records law. Tempe police apparently never got the memo Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne sent to the state in December: Taking pictures of public records…
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is praising a Kansas court ruling that he claims will curb the problem of “illegals” voting. A political victory for Horne and anti-illegal-immigrant crusader Kris Kobach, Kansas’ secretary of state, the ruling by U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren in Wichita says that the U.S. Election…
Though the bill proposed at the Arizona Legislature to legalize the sale of Tesla vehicles in the state essentially died, it’s suddenly been brought back to life.The move happens to come just as Arizona and Texas became considered two of four finalists for a large battery factory planned by the…
Budget bills were introduced in the Arizona Senate yesterday, with a spending plan that’s roughly $150 million less than Governor Jan Brewer’s proposal.One of Brewer’s priorities in her budget proposal, more than $73 million in new spending for Child Protective Services, is cut down in Senate President Andy Biggs’ proposal…
Former Arizona lawmaker Scott Bundgaard has dropped the $10 million lawsuit he filed against the city of Phoenix following his 2011 fight with an ex-girlfriend. In a statement released to New Times and other media outlets, Bundgaard says that dropping the lawsuit without being awarded a dime is, somehow, “vindication.”…
Dolores Huerta, the woman who co-founded the United Farm Workers alongside Cesar Chavez, says that state former Representative Ruben Gallego is “one of the brightest and most effective young Latino leaders” that she’s ever worked with. And that’s why she’s endorsing his campaign for the seat of retiring Congressman Ed…
A bill that was blasted by animal-rights advocates as an “ag gag” proposal was watered down a bit before being passed by the House yesterday.In its initial form, House Bill 2587 would have made it a crime to not turn over evidence of livestock abuse within five days — which…
Well before the controversy over Senate Bill 1062, there were complaints that Center for Arizona Policy lobbyist Cathi Herrod’s power at the Capitol essentially made her an unelected lawmaker.In recent weeks, activists have protested at Herrod’s office, complaining that it certainly appears that Herrod, an unelected lobbyist, has too much…
The Arizona Democratic Party is publicly calling for state Treasurer Doug Ducey to fire lobbyist Cathi Herrod as a policy adviser for Ducey’s gubernatorial campaign.Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, has become a popular target for local lefties recently because of her push for passage of controversial Senate…
The Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday to allow the state health department to conduct warrantless searches of abortion clinics, among other things.This comes less than a week after Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1062, pointing out that it had nothing to do with her legislative priorities,…
On Wednesday evening, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1062, pointing out that it had nothing to do with her legislative priorities, like passing a budget and fixing Child Protective Services.By Thursday afternoon, members of the Arizona House of Representatives were back to discussing and advancing bills pushed by the…
Governor Jan Brewer signed the repeal of last year’s House Bill 2305, a bill that made several controversial changes to the elections process in Arizona.After a coalition of non-Republican groups quickly gathered enough signatures to put the issue to voters after the bill’s passage last year, the Republican majority decided…
A bill that would all but destroy the public’s ability to receive public records critical of the government has been approved by a State House committee. The bill, HB 2419, sponsored by Representative David Stevens, a Republican from Sierra Vista, would allow government agencies to charge $20 an hour for…
In yet another embarrassing interview for Arizona, State Senator Steve Pierce defended SB 1062 on Fox News while urging its veto, and he openly worried about “bad publicity” for the state. Pierce, a Republican from Prescott, was interviewed by anchor Martha MacCallum and said the intent of the bill had…
With all the hubbub over Arizona’s Senate Bill 1062, you might be saying to yourself, “Self, don’t these lawmakers have anything better to do?”The answer to that lies in the fact that the senate voted on, and approved, a bill yesterday to recognize gold and silver as legal tender in…
