Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs and Arizona Legislative Republicans may not see eye to eye on much this session, but there’s one issue that has united Republicans with the state’s chief executive.
Last week, Governor Hobbs signed an executive order, dated April 4, to force “all State Agencies to remove TikTok from State-owned and State-leased information technology and personal devices used for State work.”
Hobbs justified her decision, writing that “TikTok has been found to have security vulnerabilities that, if unresolved, could expose State-owned or State-leased devices to malicious actors creating potential security and privacy risks to State agencies and the systems and data the State is charged with protecting.”
As Hobbs’ order concedes, the Arizona action was not the first in the nation: “TikTok has been banned on government devices by the federal government, several other states, countries, and organizations due to security concerns and concerns about the application’s potential to spread misinformation and propaganda.”
Freshman Representative Matt Gress, the sponsor of the “No TikTok on Arizona Government Devices Act” (HB 2416), cheered on the governor’s action, stating, “I applaud the Governor for taking action to address the security and data collection threats posed by TikTok and similar apps.”
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE🚨
State Representative @MatthewGress Applauds Executive Action Against Real Threat Presented by TikTok on State Devices.
Governor’s Executive Order incorporates parts of Gress’ #HB2416, but it is no substitute for actual changes in law needed to secure… pic.twitter.com/XikHvnxoyk
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) April 6, 2023
Gress, though, urged the governor and his colleagues in the Legislature to pass and sign his bill, saying, “The Legislature still needs to act, and the Governor should sign HB 2416, a comprehensive plan to keep the state’s critical information secure and strengthen public safety. It would expand on the Governor’s order, codifying it permanently into state law, and apply to all government entities, employees, and contractors.”
HB 2416 passed the Arizona House at the end of February with a 31-28 vote – with one Democrat Representative not voting. It recently cleared the Senate Government Committee, and it awaits final action from the full chamber.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes also chimed in on the TikTok news with an announcement, dated April 5, that the use of TikTok was banned on “all computers, mobile phones, and tablets owned by the (Attorney General’s) office.” Mayes explained that “Data security is paramount, especially for government agencies that handle sensitive information. We cannot risk the potential exposure of our data to foreign entities. Banning TikTok on state-owned devices is a necessary measure to protect our operations.”
TikTok is now banned on all @arizonaago owned computers, mobile phones and tablets. This is a necessary measure to protect our operations. Data security is paramount, especially for government agencies that handle sensitive information. https://t.co/rqzPwevV6Jpic.twitter.com/avU3VIcKg6
— Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) April 5, 2023
Mayes revealed that “she was not reassured by recent testimony given by the CEO of Tik Tok to a Congressional panel,” adding, “Given the inability of TikTok’s CEO to definitiely state that the Chinese government cannot access data collected from U.S. users, I remain unconvinced that the app’s security risks have been adequately addressed.”
The action out of Mayes’ Office appears to have taken place earlier in the week. In the release from her office, it was stated that “Attorney General Mayes announced the ban in an email to Arizona Attorney General Office employees earlier this week.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Raquel Terán (D-LD30), the State Sen. Minority Leader until February, launched her congressional campaign on Wednesday.
Terán is gunning for the seat currently belonging to Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03), who announced his Senate bid in January.
Terán’s initial campaign video cited her past leadership roles within the Democratic Party and the legislature, as well as her stint working at Planned Parenthood.
“Arizona is facing many challenges. Our housing prices are out of control. Our reproductive freedoms, including legal and safe abortion, are under attack. Our democracy is in jeopardy,” said Terán in the video. “The super wealthy continue to rig the system against our working families, and we desperately need comprehensive immigration reform.”
It's official: I'm running to represent Arizona's 3rd District in Congress!
For over 20 years, I've been fighting to make it easier to get ahead and provide for our families. I've taken on bullies like Joe Arpaio, Donald Trump, and Kari Lake — and won. pic.twitter.com/cMusvoHzmV
— Raquel Terán #BlackLivesMatter (@RaquelTeran) April 5, 2023
Terán repurposed her state senate campaign website into her congressional campaign website.
According to records available via the Department of Justice (DOJ) Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Terán received funds for her congressional campaign, “Raquel Terán For Congress,” as early as 2020 and 2021: $100 on December 1, 2020, and another $100 on January 2, 2021. Both amounts came from Felipe Carlos Benitez Rojas, who runs a political consultancy firm called Benitez Strategies.
Terán hadn’t announced a run at the time.
This latest announcement from Terán reflects a quick succession of career shifts to position herself for the congressional bid. Most recently, Terán stepped down as Senate Minority Leader in late February. State Sen. Mitzi Epstein (D-LD12) took over Terán’s leadership role.
Terán became the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) chair in early 2021. Then that September, she advanced from the House to the Senate by taking over the seat from former State Sen. Tony Navarrete, who was arrested for alleged sexual abuse of a male minor.
Terán was appointed State Senate Minority Leader for this session in November. Then in December, she gave up the ADP chairmanship.
Terán has also been carving out a political pathway that differs from the state’s top leader. She opposed Gov. Katie Hobbs’ pick for ADP chair, shortly after she’d stepped down for the role. Hobbs backed Maricopa County Board of Supervisors member Steve Gallardo.
Prior to ascending into a leadership role in politics, Terán served as a political activist with a major nonprofit backed by leftist dark money networks, Mi Familia Vota, as well as Promise Arizona. Terán joined Mi Familia Vota around 2006 to combat statewide efforts to combat illegal immigration.
Terán claimed victories over former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, former President Donald Trump, and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have enhanced protections for newborn infants, angering Arizona Legislative Republicans who sent the legislation to her Office.
Hobbs vetoed SB 1600, sponsored by Senator Janae Shamp, which would have required “any infant who is born alive to be treated as a legal person under Arizona laws and have the same rights to medically appropriate and reasonable care and treatment.” The bill also would have required “any health care professional present, when an infant is born alive, to take all medically appropriate actions to preserve the life and health of the born alive infant.”
Hobbs explained her reasoning for the veto in a letter to Arizona President Warren Petersen, writing: “The bill is uniformly opposed by the medical community and interferes with the relationship between a patient and doctor. It’s simply not the state’s role to make such difficult medical decisions for patients. As a candidate I promised to veto any bill that interferes with the reproductive rights of Arizonans. As Governor, I intend to make good on that promise.
But the bill sponsor, Senator Shamp, wasn’t having any of the governor’s justification for her veto. Shamp released her own statement shortly after the action, saying, “Governor Hobbs has refused to carry out the scheduled execution of death row inmate, Aaron Gunches, in order to preserve his life after being convicted of a brutal murder. It’s sickening that she doesn’t feel the same about keeping innocent babies alive. In reality, death by neglect is murder. Healthcare professionals should be required to take action to preserve the life and health of a living, breathing baby. Appropriate medical care ranges from the most invasive to comfort care, and under no circumstances should that ever not be offered. Quite frankly, it’s atrocious that I would even need to write legislation to protect our state’s most vulnerable lives.”
During the legislative process, SB 1600 first passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee with a party-line vote of 4-3, and then the full chamber by a tally of 16-13 (with one Democrat member not voting). The bill was then transmitted to the House, where the Health and Human Services Committee approved its clearance 5-4. The full chamber then gave the legislation a green light with a 32-26 vote (with two Democrat members not voting). Democrat Representative Lydia Hernandez was the lone member of her party to side with Republicans in voting for this bill.
Before the governor’s veto, representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, Arizona National Organization for Women, State Conference NAACP, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona (among others) registered their opposition to the bill; while representatives from the Arizona Catholic Conference and Center for Arizona Policy urged legislators to support the proposal.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Gov. Katie Hobbs ended the free learning loss summer program established by her predecessor, former Gov. Doug Ducey. The remaining funds intended for Ducey’s program, $37.5 million, will now be doled out at the Hobbs administration’s discretion via grants.
While discussing the termination of Ducey’s summer program, an unnamed Hobbs spokesperson erroneously claimed to ABC15 that the free summer camp program, OnTrack, was designed to be a one-time arrangement. Yet, Ducey promised prior to leaving office that OnTrack would occur once more this summer.
Hobbs announced the grant solicitation last month.
We have launched a new competitive grant solicitation for summer enrichment programming! This $37.5M grant program is available to schools, higher education institutions, nonprofits and community organizations. Find full details on OSPB's website: https://t.co/m6OkYQx3Bh
According to a pre-app solicitation video, the Hobbs administration will prioritize programs that lend themselves to equity-oriented outcomes.
This would include programs that emphasize social-emotional learning (SEL) as well as those targeting students from low-income families, students of color, children with disabilities, English learners, migratory students, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth.
The grant process also requires applicants to explain how their program would be “culturally competent” and “gender-responsive”: key words for SEL education. The former refers to acknowledging cultural differences and addressing cultural inequalities; and the latter refers to fixing gender inequalities. Both concepts lend themselves to the greater goal of equity.
Hobbs has committed her administration to advancing equity and social justice. Unlike equality, which proposes equal treatment that may result in unequal outcomes, equity proposes disparate treatment in order to achieve purportedly equal outcomes.
Today is World Day of Social Justice, a day that was created for countries around the world to promote solidarity, equality, and equity. Here in Arizona, I will work to ensure we do that every day. https://t.co/1XVB0FlQsm
Ducey launched the program in March 2022 with $75.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to offset the learning losses and mental health blows caused by COVID-19 pandemic remote learning.
The program funded just under 700 summer camps offering over 110,000 camp opportunities statewide. Over 70,600 students participated in the free program, 68 percent of whom were from Title I schools. Campers reported positive outcomes on 86 percent of learning goals, and those in credit recovery programs earned nearly 5,600 credits.
Arizona OnTrack Summer Camp helped catch our kids up with rigorous, engaging and fun summer learning experiences.
Hobbs’ administration proposed an initial award distribution of 40 percent rural, 20 percent tribal, and 40 percent urban. However, they noted that this allocation structure could be changed to meet internal diversity quotas.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
An attorney for the Friends of David Schweikert Committee filed a Motion to Disqualify Judicial Officer for Cause in the Maricopa County Superior Court.
The motion, submitted to Presiding Judge Joseph C. Welty, pertains to the case assigned to Judge John H. Hannah Jr. The case, Hammon v. Friends of David Schweikert, involves a defamation allegation during the 2022 Arizona primary campaign during Schweikert’s contentious battle with challenger Elijah Norton.
The defendants filing the motion – David and Joyce Schweikert, Friends of David Schweikert, and Americans for Accountability in Leadership – took this action “based on newly discovered information that indicates a political preference on the part of Judge Hannah that Defendant Congressman David Schweikert cease to be a member of Congress.”
Schweikert’s attorney, Tim LaSota, wrote in the motion that he “first received information about various political donations that Judge Hannah made that, based on their nature, require disqualification. Specifically, Judge Hannah contributed money in September of 2019 to Hiral Tipirneni, who was at that time running for the congressional seat held by David Schweikert. In addition, Judge Hannah has given money to an entity called Movement Voter PAC, most recently in September 2020. According to the left-wing site ‘Blue Tent,’ Movement Voter PAC is one of the premier groups to give money to if one wanted to ‘help Democrats Win in Arizona this Year,’ and specifically, ‘we recommend giving to the Movement Voter Project Arizona Fund.’ Judge Hannah also contributed $50.00 to a group called ‘One Nation United,’ dedicated to ridding Congress of Republicans, or at least diminishing their numbers such that the Democratic Party Controls Congress.”
The motion states that “Judge Hannah never disclosed his direct political opposition to Congressman Schweikert.” The filing argues, “To avoid appearances of impropriety, judges have obligations of disclosure and candor, including disclosing any reason why they might be perceived as biased on the case (or they actually are), and any sources of information outside the evidence that has been presented to them, as well as giving parties the opportunity to rebut such evidence. Canon 2.11 provides that ‘[a] judge shall disqualify himself or herself in any proceeding in which the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including but not limited to the following circumstances: [t]he judge has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party or a party’s lawyer…’” It goes on to make the case that “Judge Hannah has made no mention of these specific anti-Schweikert and general anti-Republican political activities during the course of this matter.” And the filing adds, “Judge Hannah’s undisclosed history of backing candidates and causes directly opposed to Congressman Schweikert merits disqualification.”
The Friends of David Schweikert Committee provided the following quote to AZ Free News on the revelations contained in the recently filed motion: “Like all Arizonans, we trust that all judges will take all appropriate steps to avoid bias and impropriety or the appearance of bias or impropriety. At the same time, we would hope that all members of the judiciary will ensure their political activities and donations do not undermine the public’s trust in our judicial system or bring it into disrepute.”
LaSota’s motion makes the point that “Judges will typically recuse at the slightest notion of improper conduct or actual bias, and at the minimum they will disclose issues of ethical conern. When judges fail to do so, they risk stepping outside their anticipated roles as neutral and respected decision-makers and into the role of a partial advocate, which imperils our entire system of justice.”
Former Arizona Legislator Vince Leach would be in agreement of that statement. He told AZ Free News that “After reading the Motion to Disqualify Judicial Officer for Cause, it is disappointing and disturbing that a judge hearing a case involving a United States Congressman would not have seen it proper to recuse himself from this case. Our court system is already looked upon as bifurcated at best, and this does not help that appearance. Arizonans expect fair and unbiased judges. Steps should be taken to make sure that all relevant ethics standards are applied to this judge as warranted through a thorough investigation.”
The motion states that “the Comment to (Ariz. R. Sup.Ct. 81) Canon 3 provides that ‘[a]n independent judiciary requires that judges decide cases according to the law and facts, without regard to whether particular laws or litigants are popular or unpopular with the public, the media…Confidence in the judiciary is eroded if judicial decision making is perceived to be subject to inappropriate outside influences.’ Judge Hannah hearing this case of action is precisely the type of situation that Canon 3, and the other legal authorities, warn of.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The city of Phoenix plans to hike various water rates over the next two years by 25 percent minimum, and cut water allowances by up to 20 percent.
The city has proposed to increase its water rate by 26 percent and wastewater fees by 25 percent over the next two years — and likely more for commercial and industrial customers. They also proposed to cut water allowances by 20 percent in the warmer months of June through September (from nearly 7,500 gallons to just under 6,000 gallons) and just over 16 percent in the cooler months (from about 4,500 gallons to about 3,700 gallons).
The Phoenix City Council will consider the proposed increases at some point this month, then take a final vote come June.
Have questions about the proposed rate increase for #PHXWater? We're here to help! Learn more tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Desert View Village Planning Committee meeting.
The Phoenix Water Services Department stated that additional revenue was necessary to cover higher expenses, improvements on aging infrastructure, development of advanced water purification options, protection of the department’s bond rating, and meeting new stormwater permit requirements.
The department blamed rising costs and both current and anticipated inflationary pressures for the rate increases. Included within the proposed changes were allowances to encourage water conservation, which the department noted may result in an additional $4 charge to some customers come October. This includes an average 25-cent increase beginning in October within the Stormwater Excise Tax (about $3 a year), which pays for compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act.
#DYK#PHXWater uses January, February, and March City Services Bill to calculate your sewer charges for the year? Those 3 months are typically the lowest water use months of the year.
The rate increases will be divided out into three parts over the next two years. For the water usage fee, there would be a 6.5 percent increase (about $2) in October, another 6.5 percent increase in March 2024, and a 13 percent increase in March 2025. For the wastewater service, there would be a 6.5 percent increase ($1.60) in October, another 6.5 percent increase in March 2024, and a 7 percent increase in March 2025.
The department shared that cost increases through the 2023-24 fiscal year were as follows: raw water, 35 percent; water electricity, 12 percent; water chemicals, 136 percent; water personnel, 38 percent; wastewater electricity, 17 percent; wastewater chemicals, 51 percent; and wastewater personnel, 16 percent.
The city noted in its water allowance assessment that only 31 percent of all household bills on average have consumption levels within the existing allowance, first enacted in 1990. Yet, the city stated that the proposed cuts would better align with current average water usage; the city also stated that the cuts would reset the ratio between average water consumption and allowance levels to match those set in 1990, thereby better reflecting the city’s past successes in water conservation efforts.
The cuts would result in nine percent less households falling within the allowance, or 22 percent. The city expressed hopefulness in its report that these cuts would bring the city closer to water conservation goals.
“A larger portion of a customer’s water usage under the volumetric (actual use) rate and not the flat base charge (allowance) will generate a stronger water usage signal to our customers,” stated the city. “The expectation is that a better understanding of usage will encourage people to use less water, helping the City reach its conservation goals.”
As one of only two mayors in the U.S. delegation at the @UN Water Conference this week, I've been proud to share the innovative work we’ve been doing in Phoenix to conserve and secure our water supply. pic.twitter.com/EHiyZ3ZHXo
The city anticipated a $17 million increase in water revenue from the proposed rate increases.
The city began hosting village planning meetings in March and will continue doing so through May to gather public comments on the rate increases. Those interested in attending an upcoming meeting may find the schedule on the water services department’s page, or submit public comment online.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
