by Staff Reporter | Oct 29, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Phoenix City Council member Anna Hernandez is advocating for the city to reduce its police presence and funding.
Hernandez joined a press conference hosted by Semillas Arizona and Pueblo Unido por la Democracia Y La Educacion/People United for Democracy and Education (PUDE), two newer progressive sister advocacy groups.
Activists held signs with messages including “NO PEACE STOP FUNDING POLICE” and “YOU CAN’T SHOOT POVERTY AWAY” during the Monday press conference designed as a precursor to the city council policy session on Tuesday.
Hernandez said during the press conference that law enforcement shouldn’t be responding to calls concerning issues with mental health or homelessness.
“We cannot keep relying on law enforcement to respond to behavioral health crises, poverty, housing instability, and challenges facing our community while underinvesting in the services that actually address these conditions,” said Hernandez.
During Tuesday’s policy session, Hernandez also said that police need to stop engaging with the youth. Hernandez’s criticisms were in response to the Phoenix Police Department’s draft strategic plan to improve public safety and community transparency.
“I don’t believe our officers should be engaging with our youth, considering what we’re seeing happen, especially by some of our school resource officers, not just in the city of Phoenix but across the state of Arizona and across the country,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez said that police interactions with the homeless or mentally ill would only serve to “criminalize” these populations. Hernandez concluded her remarks with an apology to the audience for Phoenix police’s draft strategic plan.
“I’m so sorry, you should not be experiencing this,” said Hernandez to the meeting attendees. “We failed you.”
Hernandez’s impetus for serving in an elected office is based on the fatal shooting of her brother, Alejandro Hernandez, by Phoenix police in 2019. At the time of his death, Alejandro was walking through a canal high on methamphetamine, noncompliant with officers’ commands, and repeatedly pointing a replica gun disguised to look like a real rifle at police. Hernandez had called police on her brother for violating her family’s order of protection against him.
“[T]he evidence indicates that the officers […] believed it was possible Mr. Hernandez was carrying [a] loaded firearm,” stated the ruling. “Accordingly, when Mr. Hernandez brought the toy to his face and pointed the gun towards the officers just prior to being shot, [the] officers on the scene reasonably believed they were in immediate and life-threatening danger.”
Hernandez’s mother sued the city of Phoenix over Alejandro’s death, but the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona ruled the shooting to be justified in 2024.
Prior to serving on the Phoenix City Council, Hernandez served in the Arizona Senate from 2023 through 2025.
While in the state legislature, Hernandez sponsored bills proposing major reforms to police conduct and oversight.
Senate Bill 1074 proposed to reclassify suspects harmed or killed by police use of force as “victims,” require investigative attorneys to provide interpreters for suspects who don’t speak English, and permanently ban from law enforcement and withhold pensions for officers involved in a shooting or in-custody death from law enforcement.
Senate Bill 1419 proposed to prohibit police from using unmarked vehicles to stop and detain individuals.
According to its Facebook page, Semillas Arizona’s founders and current leadership consist of illegal aliens. The organization characterizes its more than 7,000 members as “migrant, indigenous, and working-class” Arizonans advocating for the abolition of ICE, multiculturalism, and reduced police presence in neighborhoods.
PUDE, according to its website, shares the goals of Semillas Arizona and realizes them through endorsements of candidates in its Voceros program and campaign support for political candidates in its Semillero de Voceros program. PUDE also founded and leads the political action committee Harmonize AZ Now!, which provides a voting guide that ranks political candidates based on their alignment with the PAC’s beliefs.
PUDE’s first three endorsements were Bobby Nichols, Tempe City Council member; Elizabeth Lee, Democratic nominee for the 5th Congressional District; and Ed Hermes, Phoenix City Council candidate.
No campaign finance data exists for PUDE or Harmonize AZ Now! as of this report. Semillas Arizona received its tax exemption in March of this year according to IRS records, though social media activity reflects the organization existing as far back as 2020.
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by Staff Reporter | Oct 28, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Gov. Katie Hobbs has so far declined to sign a cross-partisan election stability pledge.
The pledge from Leadership Now Arizona, issued to candidates earlier this month, contains the following six commitments: following Arizona’s election laws, promoting a peaceful election environment, protecting elections workers, respecting all eligible voters, resolving disputes lawfully, and accepting certified election results.
Leadership Now Arizona noted in its announcement of candidates supportive of the pledge that Hobbs has so far rejected the commitments.
“Gov. Katie Hobbs has acknowledged receiving the pledge but has not signed it,” stated the organization. “Leadership Now Arizona welcomes her campaign’s continued consideration and will update this record if additional candidates respond.”
Hobbs’ opponent Andy Biggs, the Republican nominee for governor and 5th District congressman, signed the pledge, as did other top Democratic candidates.
Attorney General Kris Mayes, Democratic incumbent, signed the pledge, as did Warren Petersen, the Republican challenger in the race. So did Adrian Fontes, the Democratic nominee and incumbent for secretary of state; Nick Mansour, the Democratic nominee for state treasurer; and Teresa Leyba Ruiz, the Democratic nominee for superintendent of public instruction.
Leadership Now Arizona is a coalition of Republicans, Democrats, and independents, and a state chapter of the Leadership Now Project, a national organization. The parent organization was founded and is led by Daniella Ballou-Aares, a former senior advisor in the Obama administration and a young global leader for the World Economic Forum.
Although the parent organization endorses Hobbs’ reelection as part of its sweeping slate of Democratic candidates, Hobbs hasn’t agreed to the terms of the pledge to support election integrity.
Leadership Now Arizona was co-founded by Adam Goodman and John Fees.
Goodman is the CEO of Goodmans Interior Structures, an architectural company, and board chair of the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. Goodman said in a statement that those who don’t sign the election stability pledge are signaling opposition to the stability, predictability, and confidence of elections.
“Our businesses depend on stable institutions, predictable rules, and confidence in the rule of law, and prolonged election uncertainty puts that at risk. It’s encouraging to see candidates from both parties put these commitments on the record,” said Goodman. “But the real test comes after November 3, when they’ll need to show the same respect for the process they’re committing to today.”
Fees is co-founder and CEO of GradGuard, a tuition and renters insurance provider, and former chair of Education Forward Arizona. Fees echoed Goodman’s sentiment, stating that candidates determine the public’s response to election proceedings and results.
“Elections don’t end when the polls close, and in Arizona, we know that counting every eligible vote takes time,” said Fees. “Candidates have an enormous responsibility to set the tone for what happens next. That means giving election officials the time and space to do their jobs, rejecting speculation and unsubstantiated claims, and reminding voters that a careful, lawful process is more important than a rushed result.”
The Leadership Now Project has eight state chapters across Arizona, California, Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts. It has a pilot student chapter in Massachusetts, and 22 states where members are present without a state chapter.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 27, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC) lacks the authority to revoke a candidate’s eligibility for public campaign funding once the candidate has been certified.
The Arizona Supreme Court clarified in a ruling last Friday that the CCEC does not possess greater authority than the secretary of state to determine which candidates qualify for Clean Elections funding.
The court ruled that the CCEC cannot overturn the secretary of state’s certification of qualifying contributions, which are $5 donations from individual donors that candidates must collect to qualify for public funding.
The case began after two Green Party candidates sued the CCEC in September: Risa Lombardo, who is running for governor, and DuWayne Collier, who is running for secretary of state. This latest ruling sides with the argument Lombardo and Collier made: that the CCEC was acting beyond its statutory authority by attempting to claim the power to override the secretary of state’s certification authority.
Tom Collins, CCEC executive director, sent letters to Lombardo and Collier in August accusing them of falsifying their qualifying contributions and warning them against further spending of their campaign funds. Collins advised Lombardo and Collier that they would be ordered to repay the millions in funds the pair received collectively.
Lombardo received about $2.8 million and Collier received about $739,000 from the CCEC.
In response, Lombardo and Collier accused the CCEC of threatening them with punishment prior to a formal investigation. The pair claimed the letters from Collins caused them to effectively suspend their campaigns. Both candidates say they felt too threatened to spend the Clean Elections funding the secretary of state certified them as eligible to receive.
The CCEC advised both Lombardo and Collier that they would have to repay the funds they received pending the outcome of the investigations. The CCEC gave Collins until later this week to submit the results of his investigation into Lombardo and Collier — Thursday, October 29, or five days before the general election.
The Arizona Supreme Court took on the case about a week before it issued this latest ruling.
In the ruling against the CCEC, Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer cited A.R.S. §§ 16-950(B) and (C), state law that assigns the secretary of state and county recorders the role of certifying candidates that receive adequate qualifying contributions. Timmer also noted that the CCEC’s own rules also define those roles set forth by state law.
“The statute does not confer authority upon [the CCEC] over that process, nor do the rules contemplate it,” stated Timmer in her court ruling.
However, the CCEC will be permitted to continue its investigations into Lombardo and Collier.
Timmer said that the court would address the CCEC’s authority to investigate and power to punish candidates after the commission undertakes its investigation and in the event that it imposes a punishment. Timmer noted that the CCEC is no longer including the secretary of state’s certification of the candidates as part of its investigation; therefore, the court didn’t rule on whether the CCEC has the authority to order the candidates to return the public funds.
“Those issues are best addressed after [the CCEC] investigates any alleged malfeasance and imposes a remedy if malfeasance is found,” stated Timmer.
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by Staff Reporter | Oct 27, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Gov. Katie Hobbs authorized $16 million more in grants to build additional shelter beds and maintain services for the homeless in Arizona.
The Hobbs administration sourced the $16 million from the state’s Housing Trust Fund, which was originally established by the legislature nearly 40 years ago to assist low-income families with housing. The fund exists within the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH), and unclaimed property makes up one of its main sources of income.
ADOH Director Ruby Dhillon-Williams said in a press release issued last week that the additional investment would fund “solutions that help reduce the number of unhoused Arizonans.”
Hobbs said in the press release that health and safety come from the availability and access to shelter.
“Access to safe shelter is critical for the security and wellbeing of Arizonans,” said Hobbs. “With this funding, we will ensure more Arizona families have a roof over their heads and the services they need to get back on their feet.”
This latest investment is a continuation of the Hobbs administration’s housing first approach.
Housing first refers to policies in which homeless individuals are given housing prior to receiving treatment for the root causes of their homelessness, like drug addiction. City of Phoenix officials identified the housing first approach as the causation for “The Zone,” the city’s mass homeless encampment plaguing its downtown.
One of Hobbs’ first investments as governor in the way of homeless solutions was the city of Tucson’s Housing First program. Hobbs hasn’t openly advocated for housing first since taking office; on the campaign trail, Hobbs expressly advocated for housing first but acknowledged that it wasn’t an approach widely accepted by voters.
“Housing first is a model that works. We know it works. I don’t think we have a lot of political will to institute programs like that here. But we know it works and we should be utilizing models that are successful to address this issue,” said Hobbs in an interview with The Copper Courier in November 2022, several days before winning the gubernatorial election.
The grant awardees for this latest investment include:
- Flagstaff Shelter Services in Flagstaff, $2 million
- UMOM New Day Centers in Phoenix, $2 million
- ARM of Save the Family Foundation in Mesa, $1 million
- Catholic Charities Community Services in Bullhead City and Flagstaff, $1 million
- City of Phoenix, $1 million
- City of Tucson, $1 million
- COPA Health in Phoenix, $1 million
- Keys to Change in Phoenix, $1 million
- Primavera Foundation in Tucson, $1 million
- Central Arizona Shelter Services in Phoenix, $901,000
- Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona in Sierra Vista, $815,000
- Phoenix Dream Center in Phoenix, $700,000
- Sister Jose Women’s Center in Tucson, $700,000
- Justa Center in Phoenix, $500,000
- Coalition for Compassion and Justice in Prescott, $499,000
- Cornerstone Mission Project in Kingman, $249,000
- Gila Valley Samaritan Home in Graham and Greenlee counties, $197,000
- La Frontera Center in Tucson, $140,000
The Hobbs administration previously gave $38 million through the state’s Housing Trust Fund to implement housing first approaches for preventing and addressing homelessness.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 27, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A state lawmaker is proposing the creation of a new commission to address the water crisis.
State Senator Tim Dunn (R-LD25) announced the proposed commission in a Monday press release in which he also urged for the passage of HR 10420, legislation from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) that Dunn helped to craft.
Dunn said that he is drafting the legislation to create the Arizona Colorado River Commission.
Arizona is the only Lower Basin state in the Colorado River Basin without a state-level commission dedicated to handling the state’s water allotment. Dunn says a commission will strengthen the state’s position at the bargaining table when it comes to water rights.
The Colorado River Basin has reached historically low levels, forcing the federal government to proceed with water cuts across the seven western states relying on the supply.
Dunn criticized the federal government’s planned water allotments for Arizona — the largest cuts in the Colorado River Compact — as unworkable. Arizona faces a reduction of approximately 30%, or about 760,000 acre-feet annually. Arizona, along with the other Lower Basin states of California and Nevada, faces cuts while the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico face no mandatory cuts.
“Arizona families, farmers, and businesses cannot afford a future defined only by deeper cuts and higher costs,” said Dunn. “Conservation is essential, but telling our state to stop growing and simply make do with less is not a strategy. Arizona feeds the nation and supports industries critical to America’s independence and defense.”
Instead, Dunn says that the state needs to strengthen its advocacy for its preferred water plans.
“Congress must advance these projects, and I am drafting legislation to establish an Arizona Colorado River Commission so we can strengthen our water contract holders’ position in negotiations with other Basin states,” said Dunn.
Biggs’ bill, shaped by Dunn, would authorize $19 billion for water supply and infrastructure across the seven states in the Colorado River Compact. The funding proposes to empower utilities, private entities, and state, local, and tribal governments to take up projects to maximize the existing water supply, such as desalination, aquifer recharge, storage, treatment, and infrastructure to move water.
Additionally, the legislation would authorize $1 billion to restore, modernize, and expand the Yuma Desalting Plant, and invest another $1 billion for desalination projects in Mexico. The bill would also authorize $12 billion for federal water infrastructure support, including feasibility studies for capturing water discharged to the ocean off the California coast.
Last week, Arizona joined a lawsuit initiated by the state of Nevada against the Trump administration over the water reduction plan.
Tom Buschatzke, chair of the Arizona Water Banking Authority, told reporters last week that the Law of the River supports Arizona’s right to a certain volume of water from the Colorado River.
“We believe that, under the Law of the River, the federal government has an obligation to operate the Colorado River system to comply with the terms of the compact, including the volume of water that, under the law, is supposed to move from the Upper Basin to the Lower Basin,” said Buschatzke.
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