The Pima County Democrats may have violated open meeting law by neglecting to issue public notice of their meeting and requiring secrecy when selecting potential replacements for former State Rep. Andrés Cano. State law nullifies any actions taken during a meeting found to have violated open meeting law.
The public must receive a 24-hour notice of the meeting details. However, as Tucson Sentinel reported, Pima County Democratic Party leadership initially refused to provide access to the online meeting link.
Leslie Stalc, Legislative District 20 chair, reportedly told the outlet that she “sent out notices to anyone who was concerned” when asked if she issued public notice of the meeting. During the meeting, Pima County Democratic Chairman Eric Robbins reportedly prohibited public participants from recording the meeting or discussing anything that took place.
“No party but the party host may create an audio or video recording of these proceedings,” said Robbins. “No matters discussed here may be disseminated to the public for any purpose not consistent with the goals of the Pima County Democratic Party.”
Later on in the meeting, Robbins reportedly admitted that they hadn’t been as transparent about the meeting as they should have. He denied any malicious intent, predicting that reporters might pick up on the potential open meeting law violation.
“We are trying to accommodate this and be as open and transparent as possible. Again, if people need to level criticism on that point, I understand it,” said Robbins. “It’s certainly news if you have to make it news. But realize we’re not trying to do anything nefarious here.”
The leadership also reportedly opted to not disclose the vote tallies during the meeting, but pledged to do so at a later point.
After the meeting, counsel for the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) declared that leadership met open meeting law requirements by putting a calendar event on their website. The event listing didn’t include information about how the public could attend.
The Pima County Democratic Party calendar only listed the Tanque Verde Valley Democratic Club Monthly Meeting. Legislative District 20 meetings occur on the fourth Monday of each month.
The county party didn’t post about the meeting on any of their social media profiles.
Fellow LD20 lawmakers, State Rep. Alma Hernandez and State Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales, requested a do-over of the meeting in a joint letter to the ADP and the Pima County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
Supervisor Matt Heinz told Tucson Sentinel that it didn’t matter if the public was notified. Even if the meeting did violate open meeting law, Heinz said he would propose that his colleagues consider the three candidates anyway.
“The public notice thing doesn’t make a difference for the process at least with this,” said Heinz.
Cano resigned formally on Independence Day, about a month after announcing his intent to do so. The former lawmaker stepped down to obtain a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Pima County Democrats voted last Saturday for three candidates to replace Cano: Elma Alvarez, Lourdes Escalante, and Betty Villegas.
Alvarez is a Tucson Unified School District teacher. Escalante is the executive director and former co-director of programming of Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras, an activist group across southern border states and Mexico.
Villegas is the development director for the South Tucson Housing Authority, with a brief former stint as a supervisor for Pima County and a longtime housing program manager for the county.
I've submitted my formal resignation from the Arizona House of Representatives.
It has been a true honor to represent the people of District 20 and to serve as the House Minority Leader.
The city of Phoenix paid out $1 million to a mother after two adult brothers were shot and killed during a violent domestic dispute in which police responded. The council agreed to the settlement on Monday, which was originally agreed upon in court on May 18.
In October 2020, police responded to a domestic dispute call placed by Lillian Cocreham, the mother of George Cocreham, 43, and Emmett Cocreham, 44. The mother said that her two sons were engaged in a verbal altercation, that one of her sons had a rifle, and that both men would attempt to attack the officers. She also advised the 911 operator that the police had come to her residence multiple times before due to her sons.
The mother alleged to the 911 operator that she initially called the crisis response line, but hung up after 45 minutes of no response. The mother also said she was afraid her elder son, Emmett, would kill her.
“I am fearful for my life,” said the mother. “I’m barricaded in my bedroom. I’m afraid my son Emmett will beat me up and kill me.”
Upon responding to the Cocreham residence, police reported that they saw one of the brothers holding a rifle despite orders to drop it. Police fired after the brother holding the rifle, George, raised and pointed it at Emmett. Police reported that in pointing the gun at Emmett, George was also pointing the gun in the direction of responding officers.
The brothers repeatedly ignored officers’ commands throughout the entire interaction.
The day after the shooting, an uncle of the Cocreham brothers toldABC15 he didn’t blame the officers because the brothers had a history of family violence, some of which warranted prior police response to the house.
Cocreham filed a $12 million notice of claim in April 2021, alleging that police had wrongfully killed her two sons and issued $10,000 in damage and repairs to her property. The claim alleged that police failed to defuse the situation, didn’t provide evidence that the brothers were armed or fired their weapons, and didn’t provide timely medical care to the brothers after they were shot.
“The two deaths resulted directly from the supervising officers’ failure to gain command and control of the scene and of a non-combative situation well within their grasp,” stated the claim. “[The officers] individually and collectively inflamed a domestic disturbance call into an unacceptably chaotic situation.”
Cocreham sued the city later that year in the Arizona District Court.
In an interview concerning the settlement, Cocreham said that she was still working to recover over the damage her home sustained.
“It cost the city money, it cost taxpayers money, it cost the victims money, but it cost you your soul,” said Cocreham. “They’ll try to bring you down as much as you can, they can and they love it, but you know what? You didn’t win this time, because I didn’t lose my boys.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) is amping up his energy on fundraising efforts for his 2024 Senate campaign.
As part of his efforts, Gallego is leaning into memes to gin up support. Although embattled Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake hasn’t officially announced a run, Gallego cited Lake as a reason to support his campaign.
Gallego issued his tweet warning about “Senator Kari Lake” a day before Lake revealed to Breitbart that she was considering running to challenge incumbent Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). However, Lake disclosed that she had a “lot of options” to choose from, though she didn’t offer details as to what those might be.
“I am contemplating running for office again,” said Lake. “I may run for Senate, I’m considering that.”
Lake convened with the U.S. Senate GOP’s campaign team in May to discuss a possible Senate run. The visit was a follow-up to a February meeting with the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Gallego again relied on a meme to issue an end-of-quarter plea for more funding several weeks ago.
POV: it’s EOQ, and it all adds up when we're all chipping in. Let’s win this!https://t.co/QPMeFHJYUz
According to the latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) data through March, Gallego has raised over $3.7 million since January. Only about 2,200 of his 11,818 contributions have come from Arizona, totaling about $500,000.
Top donors include Evan Goldberg, executive vice president for global technology giant Oracle Corporation; Andrew E. Beck III, managing director for global investment giant D.E. Shaw; and George Pla, CEO of construction engineering giant Cordoba Corporation.
Over $7,000, the single-highest donation, came from the Swallego Victory Fund: the joint committee between Gallego and fellow Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14).
Gallego also received thousands of dollars in early support from a number of national unions: United Food and Commercial Workers International Union; National Beer Wholesalers Association; National Association of Letter Carriers of U.S.A.; National Air Traffic Controllers Association; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; International Association of Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers; International Association of Firefighters Interested in Registration and Education; International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers; International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers; Communications Workers of America
Gallego also received some support from political action committees (PACs) associated with major corporations: Synchrony Financial, Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, Northrop Grummanm, General Dynamics, and Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association.
Several PACs also issued thousands to Gallego: VoteVets, The Next 50 PAC, and Poet PAC.
Since their inception in 2006, VoteVets brought in over $102.6 million. The Next 50 PAC, registered in 2019 and based out of New York, has brought in over $730,000. Poet PAC, established in 2008 and based out of South Dakota, has brought in over $6.3 million.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Multiple Arizona GOP groups deny involvement in an event featuring controversial right-wing speaker Nick Fuentes that purported to have their sponsorship.
The event, hosted by the Arizona chapter of College Republicans United (CRU), claimed support for the event from the Maricopa County Republican Committee (MCRC), the Maricopa County GOP, Yavapai County GOP, Pima County GOP, expelled State Rep. Liz Harris, State Rep. John Fillmore (R-LD16), Prescott chapter of the John Birch Society, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
📢 Exciting News! We're thrilled to announce that Nick Fuentes will be joining us at the College Republicans United State/National Convention in Prescott Arizona July 30th! Reserve your tickets today.https://t.co/cxAT9kneDx
— 𝕮ollege 𝕽epublicans 𝖀nited (@National_RU) July 8, 2023
The MCRC stated that it had never authorized, sponsored, or promoted the event in question.
NEVER AUTHORIZED | NEVER SPONSORED | NEVER PROMOTED: The #MCRC never authorized, sponsored, or promoted the upcoming July 30 College Republicans United convention. Any placement of "MCRC" or "Maricopa GOP" etc on anything associated with the CRU event is unauthorized. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/16Ti5T0hmf
— Maricopa County Republican Committee | MCRC (@MaricopaGOP) July 10, 2023
The other featured guest speaker — the January 6 prisoner Jake Angeli-Chansley, more widely known as the American Shaman — also spoke out. Angeli-Chansley claimed that while he accepted the invitation to speak, he wasn’t made aware of Fuentes’ invitation.
“When I agreed to speak at the AZ College Republicans United event I was not aware that I’d be sharing the stage with someone who wants a 16 year old wife,” said Angeli-Chansley. “Should I back out? Or should I do the event & blow this schmuck out of the water & expose a false prophet?”
Ok, to start, WTF? When I agreed to speak at the AZ College Republicans United event I was not aware that I'd be sharing the stage with someone who wants a 16 year old wife. Should I back out? Or should I do the event & blow this schmuck out of the water & expose a false prophet? https://t.co/grYsJrvpKC
— Jake Angeli-Chansley (@AmericaShaman) July 10, 2023
State Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-LD03) debunked the several GOP groups’ endorsement of the event after speaking with the groups about their alleged support.
“The GOP Committees I have spoken to were surprised to hear about it!” wrote Kolodin. “Whoever is doing this should be treated as a saboteur!”
There is a flyer claiming that @ASU_CRU is hosting a joint event w/ noted POS Nick Fuentes and several county GOP Committees. The GOP Committees I have spoken to were surprised to hear it! Whoever is doing this should be treated as a saboteur! @AriBradshawAZ@AdamKwasman
— Rep. Alexander Kolodin (@realAlexKolodin) July 10, 2023
MCRC Chairman Craig Berland also disputed involvement of MCRC or the Maricopa County GOP in a press release.
Former State Rep. and Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) leader Adam Kwasman reported that the Pima County GOP denied involvement or support as well.
I just got off the phone with Dave Smith, Chair of the Pima County GOP. They knew nothing about the Fuentes event, and they will be issuing a statement shortly.
The GOP group issued their own statement later through Chairman Dave Smith.
“The Pima County Republican Party never authorized nor agreed to sponsor or promote, the Arizona College Republicans United event billed for July 30, 2023,” stated the Pima County GOP. “The Pima County Republican Party holds true to the values of the Republican Party, upholds the principles of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the laws of the state of Arizona and that of our country.”
The Pima County Republican Party never authorized support for or agreed to promote the Arizona College Republicans United event scheduled for July 30th, 2023. Any use of our name or logo was unauthorized. pic.twitter.com/BK8BMKMwv0
— Pima County Republican Party (@RealPimaGOP) July 10, 2023
In response to the backlash, CRU stated that they “love Messianic Jews and all ethnicities who accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.” As of press time, they haven’t followed up their original event announcement with clarification on their inclusion of the GOP groups that dispute their involvement in the event.
We love Messianic Jews and all ethnicities who accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
— 𝕮ollege 𝕽epublicans 𝖀nited (@National_RU) July 10, 2023
Fuentes has advocated for the expulsion of Jewish people from the U.S., and repeatedly pledged his love for Adolf Hitler.
The contested event is part of CRU’s second state and national convention taking place in Prescott.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The Scottsdale legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) won a religious freedom case at the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).
SCOTUS ruled 6-3 at the end of June in 303 Creative v. Elenis against Colorado’s anti-discrimination law, Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), as unconstitutional. The law would prohibit a Christian wedding website designer from refusing to create a same-sex wedding website.
The plaintiff, Lorie Smith, holds the Christian belief that marriage exists only between one man and one woman, and contests against the possibility that she either must produce content that “contradicts Biblical truth,” such as same-sex marriages, or cease business.
Ultimately, SCOTUS determined in a majority opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch that Smith’s creative expression constituted speech and that CADA therefore violated the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause.
“Ms. Smith’s websites will express and communicate ideas — namely, those that ‘celebrate and promote the couple’s wedding and unique love story’ and those ‘celebrat[e] and promot[e]’ what Ms. Smith understands to be a marriage,” stated Gorsuch.
"This is a victory not just for me, but for all of us. Whether you share my beliefs or disagree with them, free speech is for everyone. And the government shouldn’t force anyone to say something they don’t believe. The Court’s decision means we are all more free today than we… pic.twitter.com/wXHqZgAWL2
— Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal) June 30, 2023
Gorsuch further criticized CADA for its fullest possible outcome: compelling speech of all manners and kinds from any commissioned person if their customer belongs to a CADA-protected class.
“Under Colorado’s logic, the government may compel anyone who speaks for pay on a given topic to accept all commissions on that same topic — no matter the message — if the topic somehow implicates a customer’s statutorily protected trait,” said Gorsuch. “Taken seriously, that principle would allow the government to force all manner of artists, speechwriters, and others whose services involve speech to speak what they do not believe on pain of penalty. The Court’s precedents recognize the First Amendment tolerates none of that.”
Smith does have LGBTQ clients; however, Smith won’t create content that runs counter to her beliefs.
After the SCOTUS ruling, ADF CEO and lead counsel Kristen Waggoner stated that differences of beliefs don’t constitute discrimination.
“Disagreement isn’t discrimination, and the government can’t mislabel speech as discrimination to censor it,” said Waggoner. “As the court highlighted, her decisions to create speech always turn on what message is requested, never on who requests it. [T]he government has never needed to compel speech to ensure access to goods and services.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has rightly reaffirmed that the government can’t force Americans to say things they don’t believe. The court reiterated that it’s unconstitutional for the state to eliminate from the public square ideas it dislikes, including the belief that marriage is the… https://t.co/9BtiPg0skn
Following the ruling, critics alleged that Smith fabricated a request for a same-sex wedding website after a news article insinuated she did. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser also derided Smith’s complaint as “a made-up case without the benefit of any real facts or customers.” ADF and Smith rejected those claims.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
