After a stunning decision by the Arizona Supreme Court that will allow votes to be tabulated for Proposition 140, which would usher in ranked-choice voting, a coalition has formed to defeat the measure.
The NO on Prop 140 Committee, co-chaired by Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould, has launched a concerted effort to defeat the measure alongside organizations on both sides of the aisle including:
In a statement, Lamb and Gould said, “Special interest groups should not decide how our elections system operates. Arizonans on all sides of the aisle agree: this scheme to transform our elections into a system found in California is a bad idea. We oppose re-writing our Constitution and imposing such a radical, convoluted scheme on Arizonans.”
According to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, one of the groups involved in the bipartisan coaltion, Prop 140 would do the following if enacted:
“Allows one politician, the Arizona Secretary of State, to decide how many candidates qualify for the general election ballot for every single contest, including his or her own race
Would result in some races where candidates from only one political party appear on the general election ballot
Would force voters to navigate two completely different voting systems on the same ballot, with some races requiring voters to rank candidates and others that do not
Will increase tabulation errors, create longer lines at the polls, and significantly delay election results.”
A former superintendent secretary with Yuma County’s Hyder Elementary School District, Nubia Gonzalez, has been indicted for Theft, Misuse of Public Monies, and Forgery. The indictment comes eight weeks after her arrest in Scottsdale in connection with an elaborate fraud scheme against the Cocopah Middle School Association of Parents and Teachers (APT).
A press release from the Arizona Auditor General revealed that Gonzalez has been indicted on allegations that in December 2020 she “embezzled $2,486 when, 3 months after she was terminated, an illicit District check in that amount was deposited in her business checking account.”
As reported by Fox10, court documents revealed that the Yuma County case “is currently with the AZ Attorney General’s Office,” however, Attorney General Kris Mayes’ Office replied to reports that the AG “cannot comment on this matter at this time.”
On July 3rd, Scottsdale Police received a report of suspected fraud from the president of the Cocopah Middle School APT. After returning from travel outside the U.S., the president had found the organization’s savings account emptied.
Per Fox10, court documents showed, “After she saw this, [the APT president] reached out to the former treasurer to ask her about the zeroed out accounts.” The documents noted also, “[the former treasurer] stated that she had no idea what had happened.”
The two APT officials reached out to the organization’s bank investigators. They discovered that the entire balance of the organization’s accounts had been wiped out in a series of withdrawals from their savings and checking accounts, linked to Gonzalez.
Police reported in the court documents that, “The total combined loss between both accounts was $36,512.09. Banking documents were obtained directly from Wells Fargo personnel, which showed Nubia Gonzalez signing each withdrawal slip.”
According to AZFamily, the group’s president said that Gonzalez was elected as treasurer in April and was given control and signing authority over the group’s accounts at Wells Fargo bank. Only the two of them had access. The authorities said, “It became readily apparent” that the suspect “immediately withdrew the money,” once the president had left. On the same day, Gonzalez reportedly deposited $22,300 into her personal checking account which she subsequently used to pay her own bills including “credit cards and other various accounts.”
The court documents described that Gonzalez allegedly told the president she was moving the group’s funds to a higher-yield interest bearing account, however, none was created per the bank. She reportedly sent doctored screenshots and forged documents supporting this claim.
The authorities wrote, “This was a well-thought out fraud scene, which involved counterfeit and forged banking documents.”
The board members promptly voted to remove Gonzalez from her position as treasurer. She later turned herself in following media reports of the allegations and has been charged with theft, fraudulent schemes, and forgery. Funds totaling $14,212.09 are still unaccounted for according to Scottsdale Police.
Per 12News, Gonzalez is being held on a $40,000 bond in Scottsdale and a $30,000 bond in Yuma County.
In a statement to Fox10 the Cocopah Middle School APT wrote:
“The Cocopah APT would like to express our appreciation to the community at large for all the support shown to us. We are moving forward stronger and more united than ever.
We have added additional security measures and will continue to educate and inform other school parent organizations to learn from this incident and adapt their processes as well. Unfortunately at this time, it does not appear the money will be recovered. We are working hard to raise needed funds for our school and students during our current fundraising campaign for this school year.
This investigation is in the very capable hands of Maricopa County and we thank them as well as the Scottsdale PD for their diligent work in this matter.”
The Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act (S. 656), a bill designed to facilitate the transition of U.S veterans into a field requiring a commercial driver’s license (CDL) through GI benefits, was signed into law on October 1st. The bipartisan legislation, championed by Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ), was sponsored by Senator Deb Fisher (R-NE) and passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a voice vote on Sep. 25th after passing the Senate by unanimous consent, making it a very rare, truly bipartisan bill.
The new law will exempt newly opened trucking school facilities from an existing regulatory delay of two years, during which the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and state regulators are required to deny the school the ability to process GI benefits, as long as the primary facility has already been approved. This allows existing schools to expand. In effect, this will streamline the opening of new facilities to train more veterans moving into the trucking industry.
Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act signed into law, offering new rules for VA-approved driver education programs.
The Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act of 2023 (S. 656) was signed into law by President Biden on October 1, 2024, becoming Public Law…
According to a press release from Rep. Crane, “This will allow veterans more accessibility to CDL schools, reducing commuting times, leading to high-paying careers in the trucking industry.”
Crane said in a statement, “I’m proud to play a role in expanding opportunities for veterans in rural Arizona. Expanding the scope of GI education benefits to CDL programs is a way to increase opportunities for those who have put their lives on the line for our country. Bureaucratic obstacles should never inhibit our nation’s veterans from having flexibility in building prosperous lives for themselves.”
Proud to be part of the bipartisan coalition that worked to get this bill signed into law.
A no brainer for veterans and the trucking workforce.
Rep. Edwards told reporters, “It’s high time we take meaningful steps toward better supporting a veteran’s transition into the civilian workforce,” according to Landline. “Too many arbitrary rules are impeding a veteran’s ability to achieve the very American dream that they are fighting for others to pursue, but the Veteran Improvement CDL Act helps to eliminate one of those barriers.”
Edwards shared in a 2023 post to X, that the then-proposed bill was endorsed by the American Legion.
Sen. Fischer said in a statement, “Our veterans deserve every opportunity to participate in the American dream they’ve fought to protect. But when their service is over, many veterans face unfair roadblocks when they look for jobs. My legislation makes it easier for veterans to get their CDL licenses and earn a good living.”
As reported by industry publication FleetOwner, the American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear applauded passage of the act through Congress with a statement hailing it as a way to “help veterans secure rewarding careers and alleviate the truck driver shortage.”
He told the outlet, “When the brave men and women in our armed forces return home, the last thing they should have to worry about is red tape preventing them from achieving the American dream that they fought to defend. Improving veterans’ access to CDL programs will open the door of opportunity to good-paying, in-demand jobs in the trucking industry. We are appreciative of the leadership by Senators Fischer and Padilla and Representatives Edwards and Pappas on this important bill, which will help veterans secure rewarding careers and alleviate the truck driver shortage.”
Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) released a new advertising campaign Thursday taking aim at the enormous economic fallout of the Biden-Harris administration’s fiscal policies. Those policies are also supported by Ciscomani’s Democrat opponent, former Arizona State Senator Kirsten Engel.
Sharing the new ad in a post to X, Ciscomani wrote, “Arizonans are feeling the impact of rising prices, an open border, and out-of-touch politicians pushing failed policies. My opponent, Kirsten Engel, supports the reckless spending that got us here. ‘It’s exactly what we need,’ said Engel. I’m focused on real solutions: bringing costs down, securing our border, and standing up for Arizona families. Watch my latest ad to learn more. #AZ06”
According to a campaign press release, the advertisement is designed to capture, “everyday struggles Arizonans face: rising costs, an open border, and out-of-touch D.C. politicians who continue to push policies that worsen inflation.”
The partisans love to talk without making any progress. As Arizona's most bipartisan member of Congress, I'm delivering results: ✅Better water infrastructure ✅Improved roads ✅Secure border And… 🇺🇸Endorsed by 40+ local leaders, police, border agents, & small businesses
As reported by the Common Sense Institute of Arizona, as of September 2024, the average Phoenix household is spending $1,004/month more than they would have at a 2% inflation rate.
The CSI of AZ reported, “Since the end of 2020, the typical Arizona household would have had to spend a cumulative $39,722 more on food, housing, transportation, and other goods and services to buy the same stuff as they were buying three years ago.”
“In Congress, I’ve been focused on delivering real solutions for Arizona – securing the border, cutting wasteful spending, and lowering taxes for middle-class families,” Ciscomani said in a statement. “My opponent, Kirsten Engel, supports the same reckless, inflation-driving policies that have made it harder for Arizonans to afford everyday essentials. We need leadership that understands our struggles and is willing to take decisive action, not another out-of-touch politician who rubber-stamps the failed policies that got us here.”
Citing Engel’s legislative history of voting against essential measures like the Border Strike Force, Ciscomani continued, “Kirsten Engel’s out-of-touch record speaks for itself. From voting against border security measures to advocating for reckless spending, Engel has proven time and again that she would fit right in with the D.C. politicians who have failed Arizona families.”
Shortly after releasing the ad, Ciscomani addressed the tightly choreographed “Border Visit” conducted by Vice President Kamala Harris in a statement to KVOA saying, “Vice President Harris’ visit to the border smells like nothing more than a photo opportunity to try and score political points. For three and a half years, the vice president has been in a position to address this crisis but instead she has ignored it. As a result border districts, like mine, have suffered under her lack of leadership. Our communities have become less safe and vulnerable people are being exploited by coyotes, human smugglers, drug cartels, and transnational criminal organizations. If she was truly serious about addressing the crisis at the border, she would have done something as the sitting vice president to help border communities that have been calling for help.”
Democrat leaders from across the country gathered Tuesday to lavish praise on former-Phoenix Mayor-turned-Congressman Greg Stanton at a celebration naming the new downtown Phoenix transit hub after him. The new hub, under construction at Central Avenue and Van Buren, is slated to open in 2025. The station is part of a slate of transit projects pushed through by Stanton during his mayoral tenure. It was rolled into a 2015 ballot measure that replaced a sunsetting 0.4 percent sales tax with a 0.7 percent sales tax to spend a projected $17.3 billion in taxpayer dollars on transportation and public works.
Democrats, including House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, assistant minority leader Joe Neguse, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke, and Tempe Mayor Corey Woods were all on hand for the ceremony according to Axios. They publicly lauded Stanton, who was present for the festivities and called the hub a “true game-changer” for the city.
Jeffries joked, “Most will never achieve this honor. Some just hope to have a broom closet named after them. But Greg Stanton has earned this incredible designation for all that he has done.”
Co-Host of the Breaking Battlegrounds radio show & podcast Sam Stone, chief of staff to former Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio and 2022 candidate for City Council, had other ideas to memorialize Stanton’s term as mayor. He wrote in a post to X, “If govt naming conventions were honest we’d call it the Greg Stanton Federal Waste Transfer Station…”
If govt naming conventions were honest we’d call it the Greg Stanton Federal Waste Transfer Station… https://t.co/VDNQuvVfPI
Stone has publicly opposed the controversial move to name the station for Stanton since at least May when he denounced the effort to choose Stanton over the late Rep. Ed Pastor, as a “Blatant Election-year stunt.”
Four days later, Stone urged “civic action” and called upon Phoenicians to attend the City Council meeting to protest. He wrote, “Mayor Kate Gallego is trying to name the new downtown transportation hub after Greg Stanton. This is clearly an election year stunt. It was supposed to be named after Ed Pastor. We need people to go or call into the Phoenix Council meeting tonight to stop this nonsense.”
The initial vote to begin the process passed 7-2 with Councilmembers Betty Guardado and Laura Pastor, daughter of the late- Rep. Pastor, dissenting per KJZZ.
On June 26th, the City Council passed the final measure naming the station in Stanton’s honor. Mayor Kate Gallego told reporters, “I am thrilled that one of our newest additions to the Phoenix skyline—the soon-to-be-completed Central Station Transit Hub—will officially be named after one of Phoenix’s most effective champions for accessible public transportation: former Mayor and Congressman Greg Stanton.” She continued, “Without his leadership, Phoenix would not have achieved the incredible growth of our light rail and bus systems, which move and connect tens of thousands of residents and visitors each and every day. We are building a bright future for Phoenix on the foundations that he worked hard to lay, and he is deserving of this honor.”
