by Matthew Holloway | Apr 25, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Chamber of Southern Arizona announced Tuesday that Alison Flynn Gaffney, chief executive officer of Banner – University Medicine Tucson, will serve as chair of its Board of Directors beginning July 1, 2026.
Gaffney oversees more than 8,000 employees across Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, Banner – University Medical Center South, Diamond Children’s Medical Center, and 28 clinics in Tucson and surrounding communities, according to the organization. Banner – University Medical Center Tucson was ranked the No. 4 hospital in Arizona and the top hospital in Tucson for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report.
According to a press release from the Chamber, Gaffney will succeed current board chair and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) CEO Susan Gray, who has served in the role during the organization’s recent merger of Sun Corridor Inc. and the Tucson Metro Chamber.
“Susan Gray did a tremendous job, and I am excited to continue the momentum she helped build,” Gaffney said. “The Chamber is a strong organization, and I look forward to contributing to its mission to help our communities and businesses flourish.”
Gray said the combined organization has focused on economic development and business advocacy.
“I am immensely proud of the work over the last two years,” Gray said. “With The Chamber of Southern Arizona, we have created a new powerhouse organization driving sustainable economic growth and job creation.”
Chamber President and CEO Joe Snell said the organization is focused on regional competitiveness and economic development.
“We’re excited to welcome Alison as Chair,” Snell said. “We’re at a critical juncture where regionalism, competitiveness, and leveraging our region’s strengths for economic development success are top focus areas.”
The Chamber also announced three new members to its Board of Directors: Jose Arias, Vice President of Business Banking at First Citizens Bank; Marco Melancon, General Manager of Bombardier Aviation’s Tucson Service Center; and retired Gen. Robin Rand, President and CEO of the Kyl Institute for National Security.
According to the organization, the Chamber of Southern Arizona represents businesses employing approximately 85,000 people and works with leaders from the private sector, government, nonprofit organizations, and academia on economic development, advocacy, and public policy initiatives.
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 24, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Democratic congressional candidate Joanna Mendoza declined to answer questions this week about campaign support from Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and a political action committee founded by former Democratic California Congressman Eric Swalwell.
Mendoza, who is running in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, has publicly highlighted endorsements from both Gallego and Future Forum PAC, a political organization founded by Swalwell.
In a September social media post, Mendoza wrote, “ENDORSEMENT ALERT! Honored to have the support of Future Forum PAC!” She added, “Future Forum is dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders in Congress, and together we’ll deliver a stronger, fairer future for every family in #AZ06.”
Future Forum PAC was founded by Swalwell, though references to him have reportedly since been removed from the PAC’s website.
Mendoza’s campaign website also prominently displays endorsements from Gallego and Future Forum PAC.
According to Breitbart News, Mendoza declined to answer multiple questions regarding her continued acceptance of support from Gallego and organizations linked to Swalwell following recent allegations against the former congressman.
During the exchange, Mendoza was asked whether she still supported Gallego despite his longtime friendship with Swalwell and whether she believed Gallego’s statements that he was unaware of allegations regarding Swalwell’s conduct. Mendoza did not respond to the questions.
“Lobbyist Joanna Mendoza’s website still touts her endorsement from Ruben Gallego and an Eric Swalwell-founded PAC while she refuses to ditch their money,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement released alongside video of the exchange. “Mendoza has gone radio silent, but Arizona voters see right through it.”
Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign and later resigned from Congress after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced.
One accuser, Lonna Drewes, alleged during a press conference that Swalwell sexually assaulted her after they met socially in 2018. Drewes said Swalwell offered to help her software business and invited her to public events before the alleged assault.
“He raped me, and he choked me, and while he was choking me, I lost consciousness, and I thought I died,” Drewes said during the press conference, according to the outlet.
“I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant,” she said. “He was my friend.”
Swalwell has denied the allegations.
Gallego later distanced himself from Swalwell following the allegations. However, Gallego has also faced allegations of misconduct.
Last week, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office and Senate ethics officials were reviewing information related to allegations involving Gallego as well as possible campaign finance violations, as reported by CBS News.
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 23, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled Tuesday that the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) did not comply with state law when implementing a policy that restricted residential development in parts of Maricopa County.
In the order, the court found the agency “did not comply” with Arizona law in adopting the challenged requirements and declared the policy invalid.
The policy, commonly referred to as the “Unmet Demand” approach, was used by ADWR in evaluating whether proposed developments could meet the state’s requirement to demonstrate a 100-year assured water supply in the Phoenix Active Management Area.
Arizona law requires developers in designated areas to obtain a certificate of assured water supply demonstrating access to sufficient groundwater or other supplies for 100 years before construction can proceed.
According to the lawsuit, ADWR’s application of an “Unmet Demand” standard required consideration of projected groundwater demand across the broader management area rather than focusing on the water supply available to an individual development.
The court rejected the agency’s justification for the policy, stating that its interpretation of the law “lacks merit.”
The case was filed in January 2025 by the Goldwater Institute on behalf of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, challenging the policy’s legality under state administrative procedures.
In a statement following the ruling, Goldwater Institute Vice President for Legal Affairs Timothy Sandefur said the court’s decision invalidated the agency’s approach to regulating development under the policy.
He explained, “The reality is that although Phoenix is a desert, there’s plenty of water to serve the needs of development. Yet the ‘Unmet Demand Rule’ transformed overnight how home building could work in Maricopa County—restricting construction at a time in which the limited supplies of residences have caused housing prices to soar. And that was illegal, because the Department had no power to adopt the ‘Unmet Demand Rule’ in the first place.”
He added, “State law sets forth a process for creating new rules, and the Department didn’t bother trying to comply with those processes. Instead, it claimed that it had simply discovered somehow that this was what the law required all along.”
The challenged policy had affected development planning in portions of the Phoenix metropolitan area, including Buckeye and Queen Creek, where groundwater availability determinations are required for new subdivisions, according to court filings and statements in the case.
Sandefur called the ruling “a crucial victory for Arizonans, not just in Phoenix but throughout the state, who might well have been on the Department’s target list had it been allowed to get away with redefining the rules in this way.”
He added, “The case is also a reminder of the dangerous power that the pervasive ‘administrative state’ wields over our daily lives—as unelected and unaccountable bureaucracies exert authority over every detail of construction, business, and property ownership, to cite just a few examples. The only solution to the arbitrariness and lawlessness of these agencies is to rein in their power—and for courts to ensure that they obey the law.”
The court’s ruling focused on whether ADWR followed the procedures required under Arizona law to implement new regulatory requirements. The order concluded that the agency did not follow those procedures in adopting the “Unmet Demand Rule” approach.
In a statement to Capitol Media, a Department of Water Resources spokesman said the agency intends to appeal Judge Blaney’s ruling, stating, “Although there is no final judgment yet, the Arizona Department of Water Resources intends to challenge the decision once it is final.”
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 22, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Senate Democrats voted Monday against two Republican-backed memorials urging the federal government to designate both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as terrorist organizations.
House Concurrent Memorial 2001, sponsored by Rep. John Gillette (R-LD30), urges the president and Congress to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization and asks Arizona law enforcement agencies to identify and monitor organizations linked to the group operating within the state. The measure passed the Senate on a 17-12 vote, with one senator not voting. Sen. Catherine Miranda (D-LD11) was listed as not voting on the measure.
House Concurrent Memorial 2002, also sponsored by Gillette, urges the president and Congress to designate CAIR as a terrorist organization and to pass H.R. 4097, known as the “Designate CAIR as a Terrorist Organization Act.” The measure also passed the Senate in a similar 17-12 vote, with Miranda not voting.
In a statement posted to X, the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus wrote,
“Republicans voted YES to back President Trump and urge Congress to label this radical Islamist network — ideological founder of Hamas — a foreign terrorist group and stop its support for jihad and infiltration. Calling this ‘racist’ is a pathetic Democrat lie. It’s a political terror network, not a race or peaceful Muslims. The Trump administration already designated multiple Brotherhood branches for material support to Hamas. Why are Democrats shielding a group that threatens Arizona families and U.S. security?”
HCM 2001 states that the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has “a long-documented history of promoting Islamist extremism” and argues that it has inspired or spawned terrorist organizations, including Hamas and al-Qaeda. The memorial also cites Hamas’ charter, which describes Hamas as “one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine.” It further urges the Arizona Attorney General and law enforcement agencies to “identify, monitor and report any Muslim Brotherhood-linked organizations operating within Arizona, including financial, educational and advocacy groups.”
The memorial references evidence introduced during the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial, including internal Muslim Brotherhood documents describing what prosecutors called a “civilization-jihadist process” intended to undermine Western society from within. It also references CAIR, describing the organization as “widely considered a front group for the Muslim Brotherhood by counterterrorism experts.”
HCM 2002 argues that CAIR should be reviewed for terrorist designation based on alleged ties to Hamas and the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case. The memorial notes that CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation prosecution and adds that the FBI suspended outreach with the organization after evidence presented in the case established a relationship between CAIR and Hamas.
The memorial also cites terrorism-related convictions involving several former CAIR officials or affiliates, and the decision by the United Arab Emirates to designate CAIR as a terrorist organization in 2014.
CAIR Arizona and allied organizations opposed HCM 2002 earlier this year, arguing that the memorial relied on allegations that have not resulted in criminal charges or a federal terrorist designation. The coalition stated that CAIR has never been charged or convicted of terrorism-related crimes and argued that the memorial could contribute to discrimination against Muslim communities.
Both memorials now move forward as formal requests from the Arizona Legislature to federal officials, including the president, Congress, the U.S. Attorney General, and the U.S. Secretary of State.
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 21, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona lawmakers approved a resolution affirming Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria with House Concurrent Resolution 2047, sponsored by State Representative David Livingston (R-LD28), in a Senate vote on Monday.
The measure recognizes what lawmakers described as the historical, biblical, and legal legitimacy of Judea and Samaria and formally rejects the term “West Bank,” applied to the region during the Jordanian occupation in 1948. The resolution follows the passage of House Resolution 2002 in February, which applied the same policy and recognition, but was limited in scope to the Arizona House of Representatives.
HR 2002 took effect upon House passage in February, while HCR 2047 completed legislative approval with Monday’s Senate vote. The resolutions received bipartisan support after first clearing the House Appropriations Committee earlier this year.
“Today, as Israel honors those who gave their lives defending the nation, Arizona stands with the truth about that nation’s history,” Livingston said in a statement released after the vote. “Judea and Samaria are central to Jewish history and faith. They are not political labels to be swapped out for convenience. This resolution affirms what is true and rejects language created to deny it. I thank my colleagues for standing with Israel and supporting this effort.”
In a February statement following the House vote, Livingston observed, “The Arizona House chose accuracy over politics. Judea and Samaria are not invented terms, and they are not negotiable facts. They are central to Jewish history, faith, and national identity, and Arizona will not participate in language meant to deny that truth.”
“This vote shows that respect for history still matters,” he added. “Arizona stands with Israel, speaks plainly about the facts, and refuses to bend to political pressure.”
The resolutions also state that Judea and Samaria are important to Israel’s security and to the United States’ interests in preventing terrorist-controlled territory from emerging in the region. Livingston said Arizona lawmakers were standing against efforts to “rewrite the historical and legal record.”
Supporters of the measures argued that the term “West Bank” originated during Jordan’s control of the territory between 1948 and 1967, following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and does not accurately reflect the region’s Jewish history.
Israel Bachar, Israel’s Consul General to the Pacific Southwest, praised the Arizona House action and said the state had “set a gold standard” for state-level support of Israel.
In a statement, Bachar said Arizona had previously opposed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement through House Bill 2617 in 2016 and adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism through House Bill 2675 in 2022. He also thanked Livingston, House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-LD29), House International Trade Committee Chairman Tony Rivero (R-LD27), and other lawmakers who helped advance the resolution.
Bachar wrote, “In formally rejecting the term ‘West Bank,’ labeling it a modern political construct, and opting instead to use the indigenous terms ‘Judea and Samaria’ in all official state communications, documents and references, the Arizona House of Representatives attests: the indigeneity of Judea and Samaria and their rightful place in the history of the Holy Land and modern-day Israel are eternal and undebatable.”
Bachar also said Livingston’s visit to Judea and Samaria in late 2025 helped him understand what the consul general described as the initiative’s strategic importance to Arizona-Israel and U.S.-Israel relations.
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.
