by Staff Reporter | Jan 15, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Pima County Democratic Party (PCDP) deleted a post in which it blamed a California fire victim critical of the Democratic governance for their plight.
In a since-deleted post captured by The Arizona Daily Independent, PCDP said that victims were to blame for not paying more into the government. California has consistently ranked the highest in terms of tax burdens in the nation.
“Maybe pay your taxes and maybe local gov[ernment]s wouldn’t be so understaffed,” posted the PCDP.
PCDP was responding to a California resident, Wes Nichols, who posted on X that politicians had failed his home of 26 years in the Pacific Palisades.
“I’m mad at what I saw. Our politicians have failed us. Unprepared, unimaginative, understaffed, now overwhelmed. Heads must roll for this disaster,” said Nichols.
PCDP deleted their post after it sparked a flurry of criticism.
Turning Point Action activist Lacey Nagao recalled that PCDP also held a “f**k the fourth” party held in 2022 to protest Independence Day. The advertisements for the event were deleted and PCDP issued an apology following public outcry.
“A group of degenerative lost souls strikes again,” said Nagao.
According to LinkedIn, PCDP’s X account was managed by Shelly Burgoyne-Goode, the organization’s social media and digital strategist and (until last week) their executive director.
Burgoyne-Goode had been with PCDP since 2019; prior to that, Burgoyne-Goode was a digital strategist for Veteran Marijuana Majority, writer and contributor for the left-leaning political site “Blog for Arizona.” Burgoyne-Goode identifies herself as an Army veteran who served during the early years of the Iraq War.
PCDP’s new executive director is Alex Kack, a political consultant launched to significance as the “green shirt guy” who laughed at Trump supporters protesting his sanctuary city legislation at a Tucson City Council meeting. Kack was present that day as a field organizer with the People’s Defense Initiative (PDI), the Tucson-based advocacy organization behind the legislation to make Tucson a sanctuary city from immigration laws.
The Pima County Republican Party (PCRP) criticized PCDP’s post as an “extraordinary lack of compassion combined with a childish understanding of a devastating situation,” which the GOP group ascribed as a common trait of “the far left.”
PCDP has a track record of deleting controversial posts in recent years.
In 2023, PCDP deleted a post in which it advocated for Arizonans to “kill” school choice in its entirety — not just the universal pathway, but all school choice funding.
In 2022, PCDP deleted a post mocking a group of young conservative college men for not having any women present in pictures depicting their showing of the Daily Wire mockumentary, “What is a Woman?” The organization promptly deleted its post after Daily Wire host and mockumentary star Matt Walsh questioned how PCDP recognized there were no women present in the pictures observed, an allusion to the driving question on determining gender in the mockumentary.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 14, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The city of Phoenix reported an overall decline in crime for 2024 but noted a marked rise in violence against police.
Notably, the city reported a “significant decrease” in homicides: around 28 percent. Overall crime declined by four percent. Yet, the incidents of violence perpetrated against police officers continues to increase (only officer-involved shootings declined). The Phoenix Police Department reported 14 incidents in which officers were on the receiving end of gunfire. One of those incidents resulted in the death of an officer.
“These incidents represent a complete disregard for law enforcement, the important role officers play in our community and the sanctity of life,” stated the department. “We have trained our officers well and will continue to take the next steps in advanced training to minimize the risk to our community members and officers as they put their lives on the line every day and night to keep our community safe.”
Phoenix police attributed part of the reduction in homicides to its 2024 Crime Reduction Plan released last June. That plan dedicated the department to prioritizing crackdowns on violent offenders, active areas of crime, prohibited gun possessors, and those with warrants. Police reported the number of juveniles arrested for homicide dropped from 23 in 2023 to seven last year; the number of juvenile homicide victims dropped from 23 in 2023 to 15 last year.
The city’s police attributed the overall reduction in crime to its coordinated investigations of syndicated crime and repeat offenders. These included Operation Makeup Breakup to investigate organized retail theft, Operation Full Court Press to investigate certain violent offenders, an FBI partnership investigating a hotel operating as a brothel, and Operation Night Owl to investigate a drug and money laundering network.
“The Phoenix Police Department will continue to strive to be a self-assessing and self-correcting agency while looking for additional ways to increase accountability and transparency,” said the department.
Phoenix police reported that staffing continued to be a challenge last year. The department took in just under 2,300 applications for sworn police officers, and about 160 started the Phoenix Police Academy (in 2023, there were about 150 recruits).
The top sources for applicants, in order, were the department website, a friend or family member, Indeed, employee referral, and then social media. However, the top sources for hired recruits came, in order, from a friend or family, an employee referral, social media, the website, and then billboards.
The department remains understaffed. The city has budgeted for about 3,000 officers; total sworn officers as of last November amounted to just over 2,500.
During last Tuesday’s meeting for the Public Safety and Justice subcommittee, Phoenix police also reported that their hiring total reduced from 167 officers in 2023 (150 men, 17 women) to 144 officers in 2024 (124 men, 20 women).
In order to improve its numbers, the police department said that it has continued traditional advertisement forms in TV, radio, print, and digital media as well as creating recruitment opportunities with Arizona Christian University, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona State University, and Grand Canyon University.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 13, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The inventor and top distributor of the Taser, Axon Enterprise, scrapped plans for its new headquarters in Scottsdale.
Not only will the Scottsdale-based company not be breaking ground on its new headquarters as planned — they may move out of Arizona completely after over 30 years in the Valley. Axon says that the results of a forthcoming ballot referendum from another state’s labor union are to blame.
Rick Smith, Axon Enterprise CEO and founder, said in a press release that ongoing “political games” from a California-based labor union-led referendum put their entire operations at risk.
“[T]he uncertainty caused by this referendum forces us to confront a tough reality: we can’t allow political games to put our mission or our team at risk,” said Smith.
Apart from its headquarters in Scottsdale, Axon also has offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; London, England; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Tampere, Finland; Sydney, Australia; Melbourne, Australia.
Axon’s decision to cancel the groundbreaking came just two months after the Scottsdale City Council approved the company’s plans for the development.
The labor union, Unite Here, and its Phoenix-based political arm, Worker Power Institute, led on the offending ballot referendum, which would effectively reverse the Scottsdale City Council’s zoning changes allowing residential development.
The planned complex site was formerly established as an industrial zone. The new headquarters would have housed about 1,900 apartments and condos, a hotel, and multiple restaurants.
Last month, reports emerged that Unite Here attempted to coerce Axon into “a shakedown” agreement awarding the union exclusive collective bargaining agency in exchange for a withdrawal of the referendum. A spokesperson with the labor union denied their organization having any contact with Axon; an organization attorney reportedly contacted Axon over the leaked communications.
Under the alleged proposed agreement with Unite Here, Axon would have been required to notify the union of plans to solicit bids or proposals from business operators and require operating businesses to work with the union to screen applicants.
Scottsdale has been home to Axon since its founding in 1993. The company grew from Taser production to other technologies and weapons for law enforcement, military, and civilians.
“Our focus remains on saving lives, improving public safety and attracting the brightest minds to join us,” said Smith. “If that means relocating to a community that fully supports those goals, we’re prepared to make that move. This type of political interference risks not only this project but also Arizona’s ability to attract and retain major employers in the future.”
Axon’s press release also noted that Unite Here and Worker Power Institute led a successful campaign to thwart arena development efforts for the Arizona Coyotes.
“That campaign ultimately led to Arizona losing a major sports franchise,” stated the press release. “Axon’s leadership has raised concerns that such political interference risks undermining Arizona’s ability to attract and retain major employers.”
One impact study cited by Axon projected their new headquarters would support up to 5,500 high-wage jobs, generate $11.5 million in annual city tax revenues, and contribute $3.6 billion to the state’s economy annually.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 13, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Unmarried couples lead significantly more in the occurrences of domestic violence incidents in Phoenix, and guns were least used overall.
New data from the city of Phoenix’s annual Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team (DVFRT) showed that there were nearly 5,700 domestic violence victims that were the boyfriend or girlfriend out of over 11,100 total reported victims in 2023 — nearly 51 percent.
Comparatively there were just over 1,500 domestic victims that were the spouse, over 1,200 victims that were the parent or step-parent, over 900 victims that were the sibling or step-sibling, over 800 victims that were the child or step-child, over 600 victims that were the former spouse, over 100 victims that were the in-law, about 80 victims that were the grandparent, and over 50 victims that were the grandchild.
Although unmarried couples were the leading source of domestic violence occurrences, the DVFRT selected the near-fatality incident of a married heterosexual couple to make the focus of their Case Review Subcommittee assessment.
The case study did share some of the characteristics common among the other domestic violence incidents: past criminal history and alcohol use. Based on that case study, DVFRT recommended greater involvement of the fire department’s Crisis Response Teams, more medical follow-ups with victims, more trainings for EMTs on strangulation when the victim refuses transportation to a medical facility, amending reporting methods to make “strangulation” a separate category when accounting for use of force, and more frequent follow-ups by victim services case management.
Further on in the report, it was revealed that firearms were far from the first choice for perpetrators. In over 6,500 of the reported cases, perpetrators used their body parts (hands, fists, or feet) to assault their victim. These body part calculations included strangulations.
In over 1,200 incidents, the weapon of choice was categorized as “other.” Knives ranked the third most popular: nearly 700 incidents were reported with knives as the perpetrator’s weapon. Handguns and rifles or shotguns came in last: just over 500 incidents involved a handgun, and less than 50 used a rifle or shotgun.
An overwhelming majority of domestic violence incidents were assaults and aggravated assaults (nearly 13,000 incidents), with criminal damages coming in third (over 4,400 incidents), and an order of protection violation coming in fourth (over 2,800 incidents).
In over 2,200 incidents, the perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol; in over 600 incidents, the perpetrator was under the influence of a drug or narcotic. That accounts for over 25 percent of all reported incidents.
The DVFRT report stated that police responded to over 33,700 calls for domestic violence. Of those calls, over 23,100 resulted in incident reports, over 8,500 adults were arrested, and over 400 juveniles were “contacted.” Out of those arrests, nearly 2,800 were for aggravated assault and over 260 were for aggravated domestic violence, which concerns individuals convicted of three or more acts of domestic violence over a seven-year period.
DVFRT is overseen by leaders of the city’s Family Advocacy Center and Phoenix Police Department, with members from the city’s Human Services Department, Arizona State University, Maricopa Association of Governments, Phoenix Fire Department, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the city’s Prosecutor’s Office, Department of Economic Security, the organizations A New Leaf and La Frontera Empact, and Honor Health.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 12, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The newly elected Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) board president is a conservative mother, declining to re-elect the sitting president.
PUSD elected its new president, Heather Rooks, during Thursday’s regular board meeting following their 8-hour study session. Members Janelle Bowles, Jeff Tobey, and Becky Proudfit voted for Rooks, with only board member Melissa Ewing voting against. Ewing didn’t provide an explanation for her “no” vote.
Proudfit attempted to re-elect herself, but only Ewing voted for her.
Public comment on the board president election expressed hope in the prospect of new leadership.
One mother and community advocate, Nikki Eancheff, explained that Rooks helped her navigate school procedures after her daughter encountered a boy in a girls’ restroom at Liberty High School.
“What Mrs. Rooks said earlier today in the retreat, that she was elected by parents to be our voice and be our champion and advocate here in the board room and the district level is the truth,” said Eancheff.
Several other mothers also expressed their overt support for Rooks due to her prioritization of parents while backing public schools.
Kristen Balthis with the Peoria Principals’ Association said that while their organization didn’t endorse any one candidate, they supported the candidate that “can facilitate the education environment that allows our children to thrive.”
Teddy Todd, who has spoken out against PUSD board policies before, expressed her pleasure with the makeup of the governing board for this year, and said she hoped the president would foster “trust, hope, and collaboration” among all members.
However, those aligned with the teachers’ unions disagreed with some parents’ desire for change.
Trina Berg, president of the Peoria Education Association (PEA), asked for the reelection of Becky Proudfit for board president. PEA is part of the Arizona Education Association and the National Education Association. Berg questioned whether Rooks’ lawsuit against PUSD presented a conflict of interest.
In September 2023, Rooks sued PUSD for prohibiting her from quoting Bible verses during board meetings. The First Liberty Institute is representing Rooks in her case, which is ongoing. The Arizona District Court scheduled in-person oral argument for Friday in the case.
Berg also said that Rooks didn’t exhibit the qualities of a president, citing her past decisions to step out of executive meetings she felt should be public as well as Rooks’ decision to not silence certain speech from her supporters.
“Allowing misconceptions and sometimes downright misinformation to flourish and move through your group of supporters on social media without any correction is not leadership material,” said Berg.
Devon Moseler, vice president of PEA, also asked for the reelection of Proudfit for board president.
“We may not always agree with decisions that have been made, but we have appreciated the transparency and willingness to discuss challenging topics in an effort to understand the needs of our educators, administrators, and students,” said Moseler.
Proudfit’s husband, Taylor Proudfit, urged the board members to change their minds on Rooks and vote for his wife. Taylor claimed that board members supporting Rooks weren’t voting in accordance with their constituents.
Rooks’ rise to the leadership position came, in part, from the elections of new members Bowles and Tobey, ensuring the board’s flip to a majority of more conservative-minded members.
In recent years, the PUSD board came under community and even national scrutiny for adopting policies that favored progressive ideologies. This included the alignment with the Biden administration’s interpretation of Title IX which ordered schools to allow bathroom or locker room access based on gender identity. Ewing was one of the defendants of that policy, arguing that discrimination based on gender identity violates Title IX protections.
Rooks attended PUSD and graduated from Sunrise Mountain High School. Rooks first took office in January 2023.
Rooks’ campaign platform prioritized parental rights, academics, and organizational transparency. She ran in opposition to mandates for masks and COVID vaccines, Critical Race Theory ideology, and sexual content materials in classrooms.
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