by Matthew Holloway | Apr 18, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The “Yes for Glendale” campaign, supporting passage of Propositions 401 and 402, is countering the narrative of Worker Power, the political arm of the California-based labor union UniteHere. “Yes for Glendale” is seeking to address what it calls “false rhetoric.”
According to campaign Chairman and VAI Resort President and CEO Grant Fisher, “The facts are on our side. These out-of-state activists can try to mislead Glendale voters, but we’re separating fact from fiction. The truth is that by voting YES on Propositions 401 and 402 upholding the Glendale City Council’s multiple unanimous approvals of the VAI Resort’s zoning, Glendale voters will be ushering in a transformational resort development that will generate more than 2,000 new jobs and more than $2 billion in new tax revenues for community services like public safety, while at the same time telling a California labor union that its self-serving political agenda isn’t welcome here.”
The campaign published a brief set of fact checks in a press release addressing a series of claims allegedly made by Worker Power.
“FALSE CLAIM: By voting no, Glendale can preserve the real estate for a park or green space. (Source: Arguments submitted by opponents of Proposition 401, including Councilmember Lupe Conchas, for the publicity pamphlet; opponents’ campaign literature.)
FACT: This space was never going to be a park. The sliver of land located to the east of the VAI Resort that is being fought by Worker Power is an area zoned for ‘Development,’ not zoned for parks.
Back in 2007, a prior developer planned to develop it as a mix of a restaurant, a public market, retail shops, urban gardens, an art facility and housing for artists-in-residence, as well as parking. The City’s General Plan Map calls out its proposed use in 2007, referring to it as ‘Parks and Open Spaces,’ but it has NEVER been used for that purpose. The City of Glendale never developed it as a park or as an open green space. While it was once used for agriculture, it has been an undeveloped dirt lot with no grass, shade trees, or seating areas for over 10 years.
FALSE CLAIM: The VAI Resort will use too much water. (Source: Phoenix Business Journal, July 28, 2023)
FACT: The current developers of VAI Resort have dramatically reduced the amount of water the project will use since taking over construction and operations in 2022. The resort is anticipated to reduce its water usage by 50% when compared to its previous zoning. Moreover, the resort will use 80% less water than the farmland that once occupied the same site.
FALSE CLAIM: The City of Glendale has extended VAI Resort an overly generous tax incentive. (Source: Phoenix Business Journal, July 28, 2023; argument submitted by Hector Jaramillo for publicity pamphlet.)
FACT: A tax incentive known as a Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) was included in a package between Glendale and the original developers, not the current developers. There is no GPLET between VAI Resort and the City of Glendale, and the current developers have informed the city they are not pursuing one. (Source: Phoenix Business Journal, June 26, 2024.)”
Fisher added, “VAI Resort will be a world-class destination for Glendale that will create jobs, generate billions in new revenues for core city services, and be environmentally responsible. Vote YES on Propositions 401 and 402 to make this project a reality and send these out-of-state activists back to California.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the Yes for Glendale campaign launched officially in early April and has already found support from prominent West Valley leaders such as Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers, Maricopa County Supervisor Debbie Lesko, and Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 17, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Kari Lake will reportedly be detailed to the U.S. Department of State under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to unconfirmed reports from anonymous sources who spoke to The Washington Post. The story has since been amplified by other establishment media outlets absent any official release from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the State Dept., or the White House. Lake has been serving as Senior Advisor for the USAGM, parent agency of Voice of America.
Lake, who recently joined the USAGM, had been tasked with helping “USAGM implement the policies and strategies needed to streamline the agency, its networks, and its grantees,” according to an email from acting USAGM Chief Executive Roman Napoli. If the anonymously sourced reports put forward are true, they suggest that, following a recommendation from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and White House Special Government Employee Elon Musk, the Trump administration could be preparing to shutter the USAGM and Voice of America (VOA) entirely and are detailing Lake to the State Department to continue her work there.
As The Washington Post reported, “Lake’s move is intended to help her coordinate closely with USAGM and the State Department to scale back the agency and its affiliated outlets to their statutory minimum, a third person familiar with her movements said:
‘She will be detailed over to State to accomplish this mission.'”
Lake told The Washington Post in a statement, “I remain committed to effectuating President Trump’s mission to modernize and reform the way we tell America’s story around the world while protecting the interest of the American taxpayer,” neither explicitly confirming nor denying her potential reassignment.
She added, “In order to do that effectively, we look forward to working with interagency counterparts including the Department of State under the strong leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”
Lake speaking in plural form as “we” could suggest that rather than merely herself, the remaining staff of USAGM and VOA may be folded into the Department of State entirely, a similar fate to what befell another formerly independent agency targeted by DOGE: the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to the Post, Lake presented the upcoming changes as a continuation of her current role in the Trump administration saying, “I am thrilled to be working on behalf of President Trump and this administration. He put me in this role because I’m a fighter. And I’m disgusted how Washington DC and this agency, in particular, has been screwing over hardworking Americans.”
As recently as March 15th, the USAGM announced that Lake was active in her role and in compliance with an Executive Order from President Trump (Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy), which had initiated a series of measures to “eliminate the non-statutory components and functions to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
Among other actions, this included the abrupt cancellation of “obscene over-spending including a nearly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar lease for a Pennsylvania Avenue high-rise that has no broadcasting facilities to meet the needs of the agency and included a $9 million commission to a private real estate agent with connections.”
Lake famously made the determination at that time that “This agency is not salvageable.” She added, “From top-to-bottom this agency is a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer—a national security risk for this nation—and irretrievably broken. While there are bright spots within the agency with personnel who are talented and dedicated public servants, this is the exception rather than the rule.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 15, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne issued a stern warning to Arizona school districts late last week. The warning came after Phoenix’s Kyrene School District voted to adopt a policy that further embeds Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into the district’s day-to-day operations in defiance of policy guidance issued by President Donald Trump.
Horne warned, “Kyrene and any district or charter that is not taking the federal DEI guidance will lose their federal dollars. The U.S. Department of Education has been abundantly clear with its most recent guidance against the use of DEI language in schools. Federal law and the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution are clear that no person shall be discriminated because of race, skin color or ethnicity, and this guidance aligns completely with my philosophy. By contrast, the use of DEI programs does just the opposite and promotes racial discrimination. Schools ignore the federal guidance at their own peril. This is not an empty threat, and districts and charter schools need to treat it seriously.”
In its meeting on April 8th, the Kyrene School District voted unanimously to defy policy guidance from both the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Arizona Department of Education (AZDOE). The move will cause the district to lose access to over $1.5 million in federal funding in favor of its “Staff Social Emotional Wellness Policy” in which it purports to “provide welcoming, inclusive learning environments in which every student is honored, valued, and feels a strong sense of belonging and purpose.”
Guidance from the DOE issued in February explicitly states that, “Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.” It noted that “DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not. Such programs stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes. Consequently, they deny students the ability to participate fully in the life of a school.”
The federal policy explains, “Although some programs may appear neutral on their face, a closer look reveals that they are, in fact, motivated by racial considerations. And race-based decision-making, no matter the form, remains impermissible.” The DOE also cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ruled that “[c]lassifying and assigning students based on their race” is an unlawful practice unless it satisfies a firm legal standard of ‘strict scrutiny,’ under two narrowly tailored instances:
(1) remediating specific, identified instances of past discrimination that violated the Constitution or a statute;
(2) avoiding imminent and serious risks to human safety in prisons, such as a race riot.”
The high court added, “An individual’s race may never be used against him” and “may not operate as a stereotype,” used to justify government polices.
In his remarks, Horne concluded, “The most interesting philosophical divide in our country right now is between those like me who believe in individual merit, and those who want to substitute racial entitlement. DEI is all about racial entitlement. The problem with racial entitlement is that it does nothing to promote hard work, conscientiousness, or creativity. If those advocating for it succeed in having it replace individual merit, we will become a mediocre, third world country. China will become the dominant power.”
Earlier this month, Horne signed an attestation letter to the DOE stating that “Arizona will not have anything to do with race-based programs, DEI, etc.”
Horne shared a handwritten missive to Secretary McMahon from the margins of the letter that AZDOE called “uplifting” which stated, “Sec. McMahon- Thank you for fighting for our Constitution and laws!”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 14, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Goldwater Institute has issued a report praising Arizona for pioneering “a freedom-based environment” for the development, testing, and deployment of autonomous vehicles or AVs.
Goldwater pointed to Executive Order 2015-09, signed by then-Governor Doug Ducey in 2015, which established a framework for development and testing requirements as the starting point for the free-market model.
The report highlighted the benefits of AVs, which for one manufacturer operated with 81% fewer airbag deployments, 78% fewer injury-causing crashes, and 62% fewer police-reported crashes than human-driven vehicles with over 20 million miles of rider-only service as of September 2024.
In a statement to AZ Free News Goldwater explained, “It’s not just about safer roads. AVs are revolutionizing mobility for elderly and disabled riders while unlocking massive economic potential. Unlike human drivers, AVs don’t get tired, distracted, or impaired—meaning fewer crashes and a more reliable transportation network.
“Yet while Arizona embraces the future, other states are slamming the brakes. Burdensome ‘driver in’ laws and city-level red tape threaten to stifle innovation and send AV companies packing. The question for policymakers is simple: regulate for yesterday, or innovate for tomorrow?”
According to the report, the 2015 EO, along with a 2018 follow-up to modernize the existing order to adapt to new technologies, were later enshrined into Arizona law by the legislature in 2021. Since the policy’s inception, 13 AV manufacturers have gained permission from state authorities to test and operate AVs in the state.
In its policy report, Goldwater argues that other states should adopt a policy similar to Arizona’s, referred to as “permissionless innovation” to “avoid erecting unnecessary regulatory barriers to AV innovation in order to reap the full benefits of this game-changing technology.” In particular, Goldwater criticized the innovation stifling single-party system in California where AV makers can wait over two years from proposal to deployment and a bill has advanced that would permit cities to create permitting requirements and restrict AVs’ hours of operations on city roads.
However, they add that other states are skewing in the opposite direction, instead applying regressive “Driver In” bills as well as municipal-level permitting regimes that lead to a Byzantine system of fragmented, inconsistent regulation.
Goldwater noted, “These efforts, driven by special interests and speculative fears, ignore the clear benefits and real-world data accumulated from years of studying AV safety.”
The think-tank observed that the experience gained in Arizona “offers a counterpoint—and a roadmap. States that follow the Arizona Model will not only attract investment and jobs, but also position themselves at the forefront of transportation’s next revolution. The choice facing lawmakers is simple: regulate for yesterday, or innovate for tomorrow. The roads of the future will see autonomous vehicles. And Arizona is already miles ahead.“
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 14, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Navajo Nation’s Democrat President Buu Nygren met with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Council Delegate Germaine Simonson at Window Rock on Wednesday. The trio discussed the ongoing issue of access to critical healthcare on tribal land.
According to a press release issued via X, the meeting centered around “solutions rooted in sovereignty, tradition, and self-reliance.”
Kennedy, as part of his nationwide “Make America Healthy Again” tour, had previously met in Phoenix with members of the State legislature, and traveled to northern Arizona and the Navajo Nation to meet with tribal leaders including President Nygren, First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren, Speaker Crystalyne Curley, members of the 25th Navajo Nation Council, and officials from the Navajo Department of Health.
President Nygren noted in his remarks that much of the disparity and strain on the Navajo Nation healthcare system is linked to the Indian Health Services’ manpower shortage with the service currently running at a 30% vacancy rate.
Nygren emphasized that the solution must come in a way that protects the tribe’s sovereignty, however. “As President, I want to emphasize the importance of protecting and maintaining tribal sovereignty among food and healthcare for the Navajo Nation,” he said.
Answering these concerns, Kennedy expressed his support and provided a roadmap to addressing the tribal government’s concerns. “By lifting the IHS hiring freeze and rescinding the hundreds of employee terminations,” Secretary Kennedy said, “it will not happen.”
“Today we learned many things that HHS could be doing to improve the condition of Navajo health…” he added, with a focus on the need for secured water rights that will allow the Navajo to become self-sufficient once again.
In a post to X, Kennedy described his visit saying, “Today I had the pleasure to visit Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Arizona. I joined Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and members of the Navajo Nation Council for a hike, followed by a traditional blessing and a performance of the Diné Tah Dancers.”
“We discussed Navajo Nation’s efforts to promote health and wellness within their community and how HHS can support these goals. My administration remains committed to making Indian Country a top priority.”
Buu, a Democrat, stressed in a statement that his recent trip to the White House and Kennedy’s trip to Window Rock represented an effort to work with the federal government in the Navajo Nation’s interests, regardless of partisan considerations.
He wrote,” I need our Navajo people to understand that no matter what our political party affiliation is, we must work with the federal administration – whoever is in office – to fight poverty on the Navajo Nation and to protect our interests. In the past two days, I have spoken to several federal officials to discuss the coal industry, our water rights settlements, RECA, the protection of the Indian Health Service, and social programs our people rely on. As a Nation, we must act like a Nation and work with the United States. We must work with the federal government based on our treaty and on a government-to-government basis.”
President Nygren was elected in 2022, defeating incumbent former-President Jonathan Nez by a narrow margin of less than six percent. The Navajo Nation leans heavily Democrat in most elections, however, 2024 exit polling suggested that support for the Trump administration has significantly increased with Native News Online citing polls showing President Trump received 51% of Native American votes in the presidential election.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
