Last Wednesday, the town of Gilbert apologized for creating a document ranking residents based on their support or opposition of a road widening project.
Maricopa County island resident Rich Robertson presented the document to the Gilbert Town Council during last week’s meeting item discussing the project. The document listed the affected homeowners, their parcel, their address, the landowners’ stance on the project, and a “vocal level” of 1-4. A rating of “1” indicated the resident was among the most vocal in opposition, while a rating of “4” indicated that the resident was reasonable.
“The town of Gilbert has created, effectively, an enemies list,” said Robertson. “Why are we as residents — who are trying to exercise our rights — being ranked by your staff on how compliant we are with you? This is, I suspect, not how the council really wants its residents to be treated. I think it’s outrageous.”
The city issued an apology statement last Wednesday from Public Works Director Jessica Marlow.
Marlow apologized for using the “vocal level” category, and said that the intent wasn’t to label anyone. She explained that the intent was to prepare city leaders for meetings with affected homeowners last October. Marlow admitted that the document should’ve been named differently, in hindsight.
“It was meant to help staff better understand how to address concerns ahead of the meetings,” wrote Marlow.
Awareness of the issue was made possible due to three freshman council members who placed the item on last week’s agenda: Jim Torgeson, Chuck Bongiovanni, and Bobbi Buchli. The trio and Mayor Brigette Peterson vocalized their dismay over the document. The mayor noted that she wasn’t aware of the document before the meeting, and apologized.
“I don’t know anything about it, and I am just appalled that something like that might be going around,” stated Peterson. “I do believe that you don’t deserve any of that. I apologize for that.”
Robertson, who was rated a “2,” rejected the city’s claim that the classification wasn’t intended as a list of enemies.
“I think that’s what leads to those kinds of characterizations,” said Robertson. “It certainly wasn’t inadvertent. It was clear that it (the document) was intended to identify the people who were problems and to steel themselves against those people.”
Robertson speculated that he received the “2” ranking due to writing letters frequently to the council.
The project that inspired so much controversy about residents intended to widen Ocotillo Road into a 110-foot right-of-way. The expansion would require several new bridges to span a section of missing roadway. It was included in the FY2023-2032 Capital Improvement Plan, with funds from 2022 General Obligation (Transportation) Bonds.
Watch the discussion of the “vocal level” controversy below:
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizona State University (ASU) began paying for children’s gender transitions at the start of the year, as part of a health care plan similar to one provided by at least one other state university.
ASU offers up to $10,000 in tax-free reimbursements for these treatments, which it dubbed “gender-affirming” medical care. Both employees and their dependents are eligible for the reimbursements.
ASU isn’t the only university to offer this benefit. The University of Arizona (UArizona) is also paying up to $10,000 for gender reassignment surgeries for employees and their dependents.
Employees or their dependents are eligible for these reimbursements if the gender transition services aren’t covered by the Arizona Department of Administration’s health care plan.
Reimbursement is available for gender-affirming medical care services not currently covered by the Arizona Department of Administration health care plan.
Minors may not receive gender transition surgery in the state, according to a bill codified in April of last year, SB1138. The legislation nearly died in the Senate Health & Human Services Committee. Former State Sen. Tyler Pace initially refused to support the bill. Pace changed his mind after reviewing the standards of care issued by the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) at the time.
Last September, WPATH modified their standards of care to declare that minors are capable of giving informed consent through a legal guardian.
Federal policy doesn’t address gender transition procedures as part of Medicaid coverage. In 2021 the Biden administration began enforcing a rule modifying the Affordable Care Act (ACA) non-discrimination provisions to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes.
In November, a federal court rejected the Biden administration’s attempted expansion of sex-based discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
ASU’s Educational Outreach and Student Services provides a “trans-specific” resource page, which includes an 11-page guide informing faculty on proper transgender student inclusion in the classroom. Their advice included using pronouns in email signatures, attend training workshops to receive an “ally” placard and image to include in their communications, vocalize their pronouns on the first day of class, using gender-neutral terms on class documents, requesting pronouns from students prior to class, and establishing anti-bullying policies.
The guide characterized bullying as any negative commentary and the intentional use of incorrect pronouns.
“Blatant misgendering and transphobic comments create an unsafe and hostile learning environment for all students,” read the guide.
A new @asuSOLS study is the first to indicate the perceived impact of an instructor revealing her LGBTQ identity to students in the U.S.https://t.co/nXuHw1eFq4
ASU also offers a $79, four-hour course for K-12 teachers to address the “social, emotional, and educational needs” of transgender students. Behind the course is the program manager for the Transgender Education Program (TEP), Cammy Bellis, who’s work at ASU over the past decade concerned establishing safe and affirming K-12 environments for LGBTQ+ students. TEP has existed for nearly seven years. Bellis was formerly an education training coordinator and board member for the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) chapter in Phoenix.
GLSEN is a national organization pushing LGBTQ+ ideologies onto minors.
ASU disclosed that their surveys revealed an increase in transgender or LGBTQ+ students over the years, with an estimate that there would be one or more transgender or LGBTQ+ student in every classroom.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The city of Flagstaff is proposing to effectively decriminalize abortion. The proposed resolution is listed currently on the draft agenda for next week’s planned formal meeting.
The resolution would permit Flagstaff police to deprioritize alleged violations of abortion crimes by referring them to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), and by not arresting the alleged offenders.
“The City Council supports the Flagstaff Police Department in establishing law enforcement priorities that consider the need to protect the physical, psychological, and socioeconomic wellbeing of pregnant persons and their care providers,” stated the resolution. “The City Council supports the Flagstaff Police Department in establishing policies that require a report of an alleged violation of [statute] that is reported to have taken place at a medical facility, be referred to the Arizona Department of Health Services for investigation and that no physical arrest be made by the Flagstaff Police Department.”
The resolution also opposed A.R.S. §§ 36-2321 through 2326 specifically, which outline bans on abortions after 15 weeks gestation except in the cases of medical emergencies, as well as “all provisions of Arizona law criminalizing abortion.” The council petitioned the legislature to repeal all laws criminalizing abortion.
As justification for its position, the council’s resolution cited the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ claim that abortion bans harm women’s health. The council claimed that pregnancy has a 14 times higher risk of death than abortion. It also cited statistics indicating that rural area, minority, and lower-income women more often rely on abortion and therefore will be disproportionately impacted by it.
The proposed resolution arose out of a citizen petition submitted to the council last August by the Flagstaff Abortion Alliance. Vice Mayor Austin Aslan, at the time still a member of the council, advanced the petition. According to Women’s March Flagstaff, the city plans to implement stronger protections for abortionists and women obtaining abortions, such as restrictions on surveillance, arrest, and prosecution, in the near future.
Only Councilwoman Lori Matthews opposed the resolution at last week’s meeting. She broke it to the many pro-abortion activists present at the meeting that the city couldn’t truly protect citizens from abortion laws. Matthews stated that there were other pressing issues that the council should be facing, but that it was caught up in this issue of resisting current law.
“The Flagstaff City Council cannot change the law and we cannot protect your right to abortion,” said Matthews. “[W]e can only make a politically charged statement.”
Matthews added that those supportive of the resolution seemed to not understand that current state law doesn’t ban all abortions, just those following 15 weeks gestation. She further alluded that the council shouldn’t support a resolution that would contradict their oath of office: upholding state law.
“We cannot pass an ordinance protecting abortion rights, so why are we talking about this very politically and emotionally charged issue just to make a political statement that clearly doesn’t represent the community as a whole?” said Matthews. “We took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution, to uphold the state constitution, and its laws. And until those laws change, we have to abide by them because that’s the oath of office we take.”
The council cited the cities of Tucson and Phoenix as inspiration for their resolution to effectively decriminalize abortion.
Tucson decriminalized abortion last June, shortly after the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) draft opinion leaked revealing their overturning of Roe v. Wade through the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. About a month earlier, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover promised to not give jail time to those seeking or assisting abortions.
Phoenix followed Tucson months later, decriminalizing abortion last October.
The discrepancy between state law and both local and state leadership is more evident following the midterm election. Last week, Attorney General Kris Mayes joined a multistate lawsuit against the FDA in an attempt to remove restrictions on the abortion pill, mifepristone. Arizona signed onto the lawsuit with Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Delaware, Illinois, Connecticut, Colorado, Vermont, New Mexico, Michigan, and Rhode Island.
Mayes and the other attorneys general claimed that mifepristone is safer than Tylenol. The FDA restricts mifepristone and 59 drugs under the Risk Evaluation & Mitigation Strategies (REMS). Other drugs under these restrictions include opioids like fentanyl and high-dose sedatives. Mayes cited FDA assessment that serious complications with mifepristone are rare. Mifepristone can cause bacterial infections and prolonged, heavy menstrual bleeding.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The city of Phoenix will vote on whether to ban income discrimination for housing during the next upcoming council meeting. The ban would likely have the most significant impact for the homeless and low-income who receive housing vouchers.
According to the proposed ordinance, those who discriminate based on a homebuyer or renter’s source of income would face civil penalties of up to $2,500, as well as daily penalties of up to $2,500.
In a letter to City Manager Jeff Barton, several members of the council claimed that income discrimination violated a civil right to fair housing. Federal law only prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, and disability.
“Too often, the practice of considering a source of income is used to discriminate against renters who use housing vouchers, Social Security disability, foster family credits, or benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs,” stated the letter.
Councilmembers Laura Pastor, Betty Guadardo, and Carlos Garcia signed off on the letter, disclosing that Mayor Kate Gallego and four other members of the council support this proposed ordinance.
19 states and Washington, D.C. have banned income discrimination for housing.
The vote will come about a week after the House passed a bill banning local governments from requiring hotels and motels to accept housing vouchers from the homeless passed the House.
HB2379 by State Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD04) specifically prevents cities, towns, and counties from requiring hotels and motels to participate in housing programs for the homeless, thereby allowing them to refuse housing voucher payments for an unoccupied guest room. Voucher funds come from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The House passed Gress’ bill along party lines, with all Republicans voting for it and all Democrats against it.
House Minority Leader Andrés Cano (D-LD20) claimed that the bill wasn’t compassionate. He alluded that a housing-first approach was the right solution for the homeless.
“What message is the state of Arizona sending if we have vacant hotel rooms and people living on the street?” said Cano. “It is the message that we can’t have people in our state housed. I’m worried that’s what this bill does. Democrats stand ready, we are absolutely ready, to address their long-term needs.”
Gress rebutted that his bill was common sense. He cited the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association recommendation against requiring hotels and motels to accept housing vouchers, due to the fact that staff weren’t equipped to handle the needs of the homeless.
“This legislation is trying to prevent what would amount to a takings of private property, to force unequipped and untrained hotel workers to help address the situation with homelessness. Many of these individuals struggle with mental health and addiction issues,” said Gress. “We’ve seen too many bad ideas being exported from California, and this is another one we’re trying to prevent.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
TikTok may soon be banned from Arizona’s government devices, according to a proposed bill that passed out of committee on Wednesday. The House Government Committee passed the legislation unanimously.
State Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD04) introduced the ban through a strike-everything amendment rewriting HB2416. Gress coordinated with House Government Committee Chairman Tim Dunn (R-LD25) to craft the legislation.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE🚨
Arizona State Representative @MatthewGress Announces Plan to Ban TikTok on State Devices.
Plan seeks to keep critical information secure, strengthening public safety.
During the committee hearing, Gress relayed remarks from FBI Director Christopher Wray issued last year concerning national security concerns on government devices with TikTok. Wray warned that the Chinese government is capable of controlling recommendation algorithms to implement influence operations, or control software on devices with the option to possibly compromise personal devices.
Gress reminded the committee that other bad actors rely on TikTok besides the Chinese government, such as the Mexican cartels. The ban would include specific carveouts for law enforcement addressing cartels relying on the app.
“The cartels use TikTok to recruit many of their contractors to wreak havoc in the United States,” said Gress.
In a Tuesday press release ahead of the committee approval of the legislation, Gress reminded Arizonans that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which controls TikTok, is capable of gathering data on American citizens’ internet activity through the app.
“When I was sworn into office, I took an oath to defend my constituents and all Arizonans from enemies both foreign and domestic,” said Gress. “This legislation fulfills this promise as the security risks associated with the use of TikTok — an application owned and operated by the Chinese Communist Party with the capabilities of gathering crucial details about personal, private internet activity — can’t be ignored.”
The legislation would require the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) to remove TikTok from all information technology devices used for state business and public services within 30 days after enactment.
25 states have banned TikTok on all state devices, with three states banning the app from certain state devices. The states that have banned the app from all state devices are Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Florida, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia banned the app from certain state devices.
Last November, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee that the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, could monitor Americans through the app.
“There’s a number of concerns there as to what is actually happening and actually being done,” said Wray. “That’s probably something that would be better addressed in a closed, classified setting, and I could see what information we might be able to share that way, but that’s probably not much more than I could add to that, other than to say it is certainly something that’s on our radar, and we share your concerns.”
ByteDance also revealed to U.S. reporters last year that it had planned to use TikTok to monitor the physical location of specific Americans for surveillance purposes.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
