Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is coming under attack from within her own party over her involvement in events which led a federal jury to award $2.75 million in damages this week to a former policy advisor Hobbs helped fire in 2015.
That staff member, Talonya Adams, had brought it to the attention of Democratic Senate leaders that as a Black female she was being paid significantly less than policy advisors who were White males. Adams had also documented those other staffers received pay raises while she had not, despite no negative performance reviews.
That put Adams’ claims of pay disparity on the shoulders of Hobbs, who was Senate Minority Leader in 2015, making her the top ranking Democrat in the state Senate at the time. And when Adams was terminated a short while later, there was undisputed evidence that Hobbs was intimately involved in the process.
There have been two trials in U.S. District Court stemming from Adams’ federal racial discrimination and retaliatory termination firing lawsuit. In both, juries found in favor of Adams, and this week that second jury’s award of $2.75 million far exceeded the first jury’s award of $1 million.
There was little public attention to Hobbs’ role in the Adams case during the first trial in 2019 despite Hobbs serving as Secretary of State, which puts her in line to be Governor if anything happens to Doug Ducey.
But with Hobbs seeking the Democratic nomination for Arizona Governor, her actions just a few years ago as Senate Minority Leader are coming under intense scrutiny. Even within her own party.
Especially after Hobbs allowed her gubernatorial campaign spokeswoman to issue a press release after the jury’s unanimous verdict. Not only is the statement in the words of the spokeswoman Jennah Rivera instead of Hobbs, but the statement fail to express any concern for Adams.
That statement turned Adams’ struggles into a campaign ad for Hobbs, with criticism of how diversity and wage inequity is currently handled by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Nowhere does Rivera own up to the fact Hobbs was in meetings with other Democrats in 2015 figuring out how to fire Adams just weeks after the employee complained about her pay.
And then there is the claim in Rivera’s statement about how Hobbs “voluntarily” testified. Hours later, Adams tweeted a copy of the federal subpoena which had been served on Hobbs requiring her presence in court for the trial.
In June, Hobbs explained her decision to run for governor by stating she wanted to “deliver transparency, accountability, and results for Arizonans — just like I’ve done my whole career.”
That has left one prominent Democrat calling for a sincere review of Hobbs’ actions both in 2015 and today in dealing with the Adams’ case.
“We need to have an open and honest discussion about what happened, who is accountable, and if we, as Democrats, are prepared to support a nominee for governor who behaved in this manner just a few short years ago,” said former Rep. Aaron Lieberman,
Lieberman, who is considered Hobbs’ top challenger for the Democratic nomination for governor, also says that the Democratic platform on equality and fair treatment for all needs to be more than a campaign motto.
“Being an effective Democratic leader is about more than just participating in partisan fights; it is about holding a key set of values and living those values all the time—especially when no one is watching,” said Lieberman.
Companies in metropolitan areas which have been awaiting 5G cell service will see a bit of a delay now that AT&T and Verizon have put the introduction of some 5G networks on hold until Jan. 5 due to concerns identified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this month.
5G networks, which have been deployed globally since 2019, have greater bandwidth and higher download speeds than 4G systems, making such networks more desirable for use as internet service providers for desktop and laptop computers. Most of the 5G services in the United States will utilize the C-band range is 3700 to 3980 MHz.
AT&T and Verizon are two of the biggest wireless carriers utilizing C-band frequencies for their 5G offerings, with Verizon expected to have nearly 8,000 C-band sites by the end of this year to support its dozen or so C-band compatible 5G devices. But the companies have elected to put off their planned Dec. 5 launch for one month after the FAA expressed concern last week about interference with airplane safety systems.
The FAA went so far as to issue a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) for aircraft manufacturers, radio altimeter manufacturers, operators, and pilots, noting concerns with the forthcoming deployment of 5G wireless broadband networks in the C-band, as well as suggested actions to mitigate any interference with radio altimeters which mostly operate between 4200 and 4400 MHz.
According to the information bulletin, the aviation community needs to remind passengers that all portable electronic devices in checked baggage (including smartphones and other devices) should be turned off and protected from accidental activation and that all portable electronic devices in the cabin and any carry-ons be set to a non-transmitting mode or turned off.
In the meantime, the FAA continues to collaborate with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration “to assess the need for mitigation beyond the recommended action in this SAIB,” the agency said.
The FAA’s SAIB also notes that while wireless broadband deployment has been undertaken in many countries from 3300 to 4200 MHz, it has not gone above 3700 MHz in the United States. So far there have been no reported issues with radio altimeters, according to the FAA.
However, 5G will be initially phased in across the United States between 3700 to 3800 MHz in 46 markets. That is why the FAA is currently conducting a risk assessment as to whether further recommended actions are warranted.
Six public school districts across Arizona are not in compliance with audit reporting requirements and face the loss of state education aid in the coming months, according to the Arizona Auditor General.
Five noncompliant unified districts were advised by Auditor General Lindsey Perry that they have until early January 2022 to rectify their audit issues. Those districts are: Grand Canyon Unified, Pinon Unified, Safford Unified, Show Low Unified, Whiteriver Unified.
Public records show all five districts have failed to submit audited financial statements and reports, as well as a Uniform System of Financial Records for Arizona School Districts (USFR) compliance questionnaire, for year ending June 30, 2020. The items were due Sept. 30, 2021
Those noncompliance notices come on the heels of an advisory issued by Perry’s office in September that the Morristown Elementary School District in Maricopa County did not substantially comply with the USFR following the submission of audit reports prepared by Dobridge & Company PC for the year ending June 2020.
“Our determination is based on the most significant deficiencies cited in the District’s audit reports and USFR Compliance Questionnaire,” Director Cristan Cable wrote on Sept. 21. “These deficiencies are included in the corrective action plan template we provided separately to you and District management.”
Morristown Elementary District’s governing board has until Dec. 21 to implement corrective action or face the loss of state aid.
But while those six districts have found themselves in hot water with the Auditor General, one district recently received good news. In an updated compliance report, the Elfrida Elementary School District in Cochise County is no longer in noncompliance with the USFR.
The noncompliance problem had led the Arizona State Board of Education in December 2019 to direct the Superintendent of Public Instruction to withhold three percent of Elfrida Elementary’s state aid until compliance was achieved.
“We have since received and reviewed the District’s fiscal year (FY) 2020 audit reports and USFR Compliance Questionnaire and reviewed additional FYs 2021 and 2022 records as of September 27, 2021. Based on our review of these documents, the District is no longer in noncompliance with the USFR,” Perry wrote to the State Board of Education.
The Scottsdale Unified School District’s administration is scrambling to do damage control after a group of mothers discovered Governing Board President Jann-Michael Greenburg had access to a Google Drive full of personal information, documents, and photos of about 47 people, including children.
An email sent out Wednesday evening by the SUSD’s Communications Office sought to assure families that their personal and educational data is safe. However, the district also solely blamed the discovered digital dossier* site on Mark Greenburg, the father of Jann-Michael Greenburg.
The damage control appears to be too little too late for many parents in the Scottsdale Unified School District, including Amy Carney, a mother of six, who is among those calling for Greenburg to step down.
“I am calling for the immediate resignation of our board president Jann-Michael Greenburg. We cannot allow anyone in a leadership position to secretly compile personal documents and information on moms and dads who have dared speak out publicly or on social media about their grievances with the district,’ said Carney, who is running for a seat on the Scottsdale Governing Board in November 2022.
Even though Mark Greenburg is listed as the Google Drive owner, records from an Aug. 17 special SUSD board meeting show Jann-Michael admitted sharing a computer with Mark. With Mark and Jann-Michael sharing a computer and a home, there is no way to know which of them has been uploading files (now known as the “G Files”) to the drive, according to concerned parents.
In addition, some parents say that despite Jann-Michael’s denial of involvement with the dossier, they believe there appears to be evidence that Jann-Michael has complete knowledge of the Google Drive files and had shared some of its contents in an effort to intimidate SUSD parents. Parents are calling that an “unacceptable abuse of power.”
The Google Drive files also included information on parents from neighboring school districts, as well as popular conservative radio show host, James T. Harris.
“We request President Greenburg’s resignation from the Governing Board effective immediately for this and other recent embarrassments to our district,” Carney said.
Attorney Alexander Kolodin of the Davillier Law Group expressed his concerns about the situation with the Scottsdale Unified School District.
“These allegations are deeply troubling, especially as concerns the photography of a minor child without parental consent and the taking down of license plate numbers of parents who Mr. Greenberg supposedly perceived as political opponents,” Kolodin said. “Mr. Greenberg is an elected member of the school board. If such a photograph was taken with his express or tacit consent, he would potentially be liable for violations of Arizona’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, which recognizes a parent’s ‘fundamental’ right to consent before the government makes a video or voice recording of the minor child.”
But Kolodin says there are more concerns beyond the mere existence of the Google Drive file, including reports that Jann-Michael Greenberg’s father engaged in some acts while keeping his face hidden under a helmet and while wearing motorcycle gear.
“Both Arizona and the federal government have laws prohibiting both intimidation generally and voter intimidation in particular such as ARS Titles 13 and 16, the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” Kolodin said. “If these allegations are true, Mr. Greenberg and his father might be liable for violating one or more of these laws – though it is difficult to say from the limited facts that have been reported and they must, of course, be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
*Because of the personal and sensitive information it contains, AZ Free News is not posting the dossier at this time.
It took more than seven years, but the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) announced last week its preferred route for the Sonoran Corridor, a 20- mile route through Pima County which will address several traffic issues, including heavy congestion and international traffic on Interstate 10 and Interstate 19 near Tucson.
“Following several years of study, technical analysis and input from communities and stakeholders, the Arizona Department of Transportation has selected a final 20.47 mile corridor through Pima County,” according to the Nov. 5 announcement, which noted several alternative routes were considered. In the end, Corridor Alternative 7 was selected.
The problem, however, is ADOT admits no funding is earmarked for the next round of environmental and engineering studies, let alone any land purchases or construction.
Plans for a Sonoran Corridor started in 2014 but kicked into drive in 2017 when ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) began a Tier 1 environmental review for a potential alternative route connecting I-10 to I-19 south of the Tucson International Airport. The overloaded highway system in that area is not only a public safety concern but also poses an impediment to future economic and population growth in the region.
The announced route connects to I-19 near El Toro Road in Sahuarita, tracks east for about two miles on a road that does not exist, then north on an extension of Alvernon Way. It then follows eastbound on the “Old Vail Connection Road” before connecting into I-10 near Rita Road and the UA Science and Technology Park.
According to ADOT, now that the preferred route for the Sonoran Corridor has identified, more studies must be conducted to further refine the selected 1,500-foot wide Sonoran Corridor and pinpoint a recommended 400-foot freeway alignment. Interchanges and other project elements also still need to be identified. Those studies are not yet funded.
The project is being developed as a phased implementation plan which allows for smaller segments of the selected corridor to advance as separate, independent projects. Additional analysis and opportunity for public / stakeholder review and comments will be available if or when ADOT secured funding to move the Sonoran Corridor forward.
