by Staff Reporter | Jun 12, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Over the last three years, the city of Phoenix spent over $180 million in its attempts to address its growing homeless population.
New research from The Goldwater Institute suggests that the millions had little impact, if any, in reducing the rates of homelessness. The population grew 92 percent in Phoenix from 2018 to 2023, and 72 percent in Maricopa County from 2017 to 2023. Homeless population totals for 2021 weren’t collected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The growth became evident in certain areas, such as the downtown area unofficially ignored by police for most response calls known as “The Zone.”
The $180 million constitutes a low estimate of total expenditures; when adding in funds from the state, federal government, and private entities considered to be budget line items, that number grows to over $250 million, per their research.
About one-sixth of those city funds went to the Community Bridges organization — $30 million — which provided property and housing services as well as outreach for shelter support services.
The other major contracts put up by the city to address homelessness were $16 million for BRYCON, which provided shelter space and general contracting; $13 million for St. Vincent de Paul, which provided emergency shelter, transitional housing, and hotel operations; $9.4 million for Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS), which provided housing, shelter, and homeless support services; $9 million for Mercy Care, which provided behavioral health and mental health services; $7 million for Human Services Campus, which provided relief sprung structure for shelter; $6.2 million for Salvation Army, which provided shelter and street outreach; $4.6 million for A New Leaf, which provided rapid rehousing and homeless youth reunification; $4.5 million for UMOM Day Centers, which provided shelter and street outreach; $2.6 million for Steel & Spark, the provider of the X-Wing Shelter Units; $2.3 million for Homeward Bound, which provided homeless prevention efforts such as GED and job training; $2 million for St. Joseph the Worker, which provided workforce villages and paying housing costs; $1.2 million for Child Crisis Arizona, which provided shelter for homeless minors; and $1 million for Southwest Behavioral Health Services, which provided criminal justice for the homeless and outreach.
Four of the city’s contractors for homeless services — Southwest Behavioral Health, Chicanos Por La Causa, CASS, and Mercy Care — have seats on the city’s task force to address homelessness.
Per the Goldwater Institute, the city has yet to disburse $63 million for city-owned shelters, emergency rental assistance, property acquisition, hotel conversion, and affordable housing.
The city’s Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) reports that it has committed $140 million since 2021 through the end of this year to address homelessness through shelter and heat relief, outreach, supportive and behavioral health services, homelessness prevention, and supportive housing.
According to the Goldwater Institute, OHS has only provided public accounting for 34 percent of that $140 million. Additionally, that 34 percent consisted of vague reporting, such as the absence of program start and end dates.
The unrelenting growth in the homeless population, despite expensive efforts to stymie, it has prompted alternative actions from city leaders. Earlier this month, the city council enacted an ordinance banning homeless encampments near parks and schools.
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by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 12, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s Republican Senate President is confident that a recently passed measure dealing with border security will survive legal scrutiny if passed by state voters in November.
Over the weekend, State Senate President Warren Petersen issued a statement after the Arizona House of Representatives put the finishing touches on a ballot referral, HCR 2060, to help law enforcement better protect citizens from the dangerous effects of the porous border.
Petersen said, “After Biden, our Governor, and Democrat lawmakers blocked all efforts to safeguard our citizens against the rampant crime from the border crisis, we’re relieved to announce the Secure the Border Act officially passed out of the Arizona Legislature this week and will head directly to the November ballot, bypassing the Governor. During the 12 years I’ve served in state office, never has this crisis been as dangerously severe as it is now, costing Arizona taxpayers more than $3 billion in 2023 alone.
The Senate President added, “Soon, Arizona voters will have an opportunity to take matters into their own hands in response to our federal government refusing to do its job. It’s unfortunate radical special interest groups are suing to try to stop our citizens from voting on an issue they consider a top priority.”
The suit that Petersen referenced was filed by Living United for Change in Arizona, which is a nonprofit corporation in the state. Victory PAC and two other qualified electors joined as plaintiffs in the state.
Democrat State Representative Oscar De Los Santos was one of the plaintiffs in the suit. He posted on his “X” account that he had “joined a lawsuit filed by LUCHA AZ challenging the constitutionality of HCR 2060, one of the most racially discriminatory, anti-immigrant pieces of legislation in Arizona history.
Explaining more about the legal challenge, De Los Santos wrote, “We allege that HCR 2060 – which embraces a hodgepodge of numerous and varied policies – violates Arizona’s single-subject rule, a provision of our state’s Constitution which stipulates that any one act must deal with only one issue.”
One of De Los Santos’ colleagues on the other side of the aisle, State Representative Quang Nguyen, countered the Democrats’ perspective, stating, “I’m an immigrant; elected and re-elected as a rep of a rural county; not caucasian; chair of jud; twice selected as an emerging leader nationally. NO, HCR 2060 is not an immigration bill and it is NOT anti-immigrants. It is anti-criminals.”
President Petersen projected confidence in the success of his side’s proposal going before Arizona voters to deal with the border crisis. He said, “We’re confident the Secure the Border Act will survive any scrutiny in court and will be approved by voters.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 12, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
On Sunday, June 2, authorities estimate that anywhere between two and three thousand Mexican nationals descended upon Phoenix and gathered beneath the scorching Arizona sun to vote. According to the Instituto Nacional Electoral, the Mexican government body charged with organizing the nation’s elections, only approximately 600 of those present at the Mexican Consulate Sunday were able to place their vote. A Spanish language outlet estimated the number to be up to 7,000.
Cuitláhuac Osorio Technical secretary of the Executive Directorate of the Federal Register of Voters of the National Electoral Institute (INE) told Conecta Arizona that the Mexican authorities are evaluating whether in-person voting should continue or if the government should switch to doing so electronically or at additional voting centers in the U.S. to accommodate Mexican nationals who are outside of the country on election day.
“Certainly, we did not foresee such an overwhelming participation, that so many people were going to suddenly appear before a Consulate; Having 2,000 or 3,000 people made the operation difficult for us in terms of being able to organize the lines, the resources and capacities that we had available to serve the citizens within the Consulate,” Osorio said (translated by Google).
In an interview with Maritza L. Félix, director and founder of the outlet, Osorio added, “We did not have that expectation of having that number of people outside the Consulate. It’s part of learning. We will have to evaluate other alternatives: for example, if this in-person modality would have to continue using electronic devices, if we would have to use ballots, if we would have to think about (more) voting centers. Nowadays the legislation does not allow it, that is, we were also limited to making the election within the Consulate. The INE will make a detailed evaluation, with all the recommendations.
Félix noted that likely many of the voters were, “People from New Mexico, from Texas, from northern Arizona, people who perhaps due to their irregular immigration status could not go to their homeland to exercise their right and decided to come to Phoenix.” The Mexican voters arrived as early as 5 AM on June 2nd coming from as far away as El Paso, TX.
“On this election day in which we witnessed there were thousands of people: according to representatives and volunteers of the INE, there were about 7,000 people who could have met at the consular headquarters. People from New Mexico, from Texas, from northern Arizona, people who perhaps due to their irregular immigration status could not go to their homeland to exercise their right and decided to come to Phoenix with the idea that there were 1,500 extra ballots. For example, the majority of people from Sonora who came could only vote for the Senate and the Presidency of the Republic,” Félix explained.
According to the outlet, the total number of Mexican nationals who voted from outside the country was 184,374, an increase of 87% over the previous election in 2018.
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 Daniel Stefanski | Jun 11, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is attempting to bring justice for an Arizona victim but is meeting resistance from the state’s attorney general.
Earlier this month, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced that it had “filed a motion with the Arizona Supreme Court in a move to ultimately seek a warrant of execution for Aaron Brian Gunches.”
Gunches has been sentenced to death twice over the murder of the ex-husband of his girlfriend in 2002.
“For nearly two years, we’ve seen delay after delay from the governor and the attorney general,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “The commissioner’s report was expected at the end of 2023, but it never arrived. In a letter received by my office three weeks ago, I’m now told the report might be complete in early 2025. For almost 22 years, Ted Price’s family has been waiting for justice and closure. They’re not willing to wait any longer and neither am I.”
Attorney General Mayes pushed back against Mitchell’s legal effort, writing, “Only the Attorney General is authorized to seek warrants of execution. Despite what rogue Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell may believe, there is only one Attorney General at a time – and the voters decided who that was 18 months ago. Just three weeks ago, I notified County Attorney Mitchell about my plans for seeking warrants of execution a little over six months from now after the completion of the independent death penalty review. But apparently, conducting this cynical performance to look tough in her competitive re-election primary is more important to the County Attorney than following the law.”
Mayes added, “Make no mistake, I will vigorously defend the authority of this office – and will not stand by as the Maricopa County Attorney attempts to create chaos to save her political career. My office will next move to strike this motion and prevent County Attorney Mitchell from continuing her unauthorized actions related to the death penalty.”
Mitchell disagreed with Mayes’ assessment of her legal limitations in this matter. She said, “I believe that as an attorney who acts on behalf of the state, I also can appropriately ask the Supreme Court for a death warrant. The victims have asserted their rights to finality and seek this office’s assistance in protecting their constitutional rights to a prompt and final conclusion to this case.”
The saga over Gunches execution started in late-2022, when former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the Arizona Supreme Court for a warrant of execution. After the January 2, 2023, transition of power to Katie Hobbs and new Attorney General Kris Mayes, the state desperately attempted to reverse the actions that set Gunches’ execution process into motion. These efforts proved to be unsuccessful, however, when the high court did, in fact, grant the warrant of execution, ordering the state to put Gunches to death on April 6, 2023. The governor refused to comply with the court-issued warrant, stating that the State would not be seeking to carry out the execution at this time. Hobbs’ decision triggered court filings from Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Republican leaders in the Arizona Legislature.
The Arizona Supreme Court declined to force the State of Arizona to carry out the issued warrant for Gunches but would not withdraw it either. The warrant expired last year, leading to County Attorney Mitchell’s attempt to seek this action before the state’s high court.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 11, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Government officials across different jurisdictions are attempting to lay claim to the investigation of the Arizona Governor’s Office over a recent media report that the Hobbs administration may have engaged in an improper, or unethical, or unlawful relationship with an organization receiving taxpayer dollars.
Last week, after her Criminal Division head confirmed the existence of an inquiry, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes transmitted two letters to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Arizona Auditor General Lindsey Perry, over their respective Office’s plans to investigate the Hobbs administration over a recent revelation of alleged impropriety with taxpayer funds from a state agency. Attorney General Mayes told County Attorney Mitchell that “it would not be appropriate or in the best interest of the state to conduct parallel investigations into the same matter,” and that “a separate process conducted by the MCAO could jeopardize the integrity of the criminal investigation that my office will now proceed with.”
Mayes similarly told Auditor General Perry that “while [the Auditor General’s] office is statutorily authorized to examine records and conduct audits at the direction of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, at this time, the assistance of [her] office is not needed by the Attorney General’s Office for our investigation.”
The letters from Mayes to Mitchell and Perry followed a communication from State Representative Matt Gress to the Maricopa County Attorney, which informed the Republican prosecutor that “the Auditor General’s Office stands ready to partner with you in getting the facts about this troubling matter [the interconnected web of financial and political relationships between Sunshine Residential Homes, Inc. and Governor Katie Hobbs].” Gress, the chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, told County Attorney Mitchell that “we will allocate the resources the Auditor General needs to help restore what appears to be a major breach of trust in our government.”
After receiving letters from Senator T.J. Shope and Gress, County Attorney Mitchell let them know that her office was “contacted by the Arizona Auditor General asking that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office serve as the prosecution office that will work with them while they conduct an investigation into this matter.”
Less than a week ago, The Arizona Republic broke a story about the Arizona Department of Child Safety “approv[ing] what amounts to a nearly 60% increase in the rate that Sunshine Residential Homes Inc. charges to care for a child for a day.” The alleged action to approve the rate increase for the one organization was made while “DCS has denied pay increases to home operators and cut loose 16 providers during the contract renewal process.” The Republic also asserted that “no other standard group home provider was approved for any rate increase during Hobbs’ tenure.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 10, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Another national poll has former President Donald J. Trump leading current President Joseph R. Biden in the critical swing state of Arizona.
On June 6, Fox News published a poll, showing that Trump was beating Biden in a November General Election rematch by five percent (51-46%).
The poll was conducted June 1-4, 2024, with a sample of 1,095 Arizona registered voters.
President Trump improved his standing in this poll from an earlier survey in March, when he garnered 49 percent, compared to Biden’s 45 percent.
When other candidates are factored into the race, Trump maintains his five percent advantage over Biden, growing that number from March, when he led the Democrat by four percent (43-39%).
The forty-fifth President of the United States enjoys significant leads over Biden in a number of issues of trust for voters. From the poll, twenty percent more Arizona voters trust Trump than Biden when it comes to immigration and the border (58-38%), while fifteen percent more voters trust the presumed Republican nominee over the economy. Trump also enjoys a double-digit lead in trust when it comes to the Israel-Hamas War.
According to the poll, eleven percent more Arizona voters trust Biden than Trump over climate change (52-41%). The two candidates are closer together with the issues of abortion, health care, and election integrity.
President Trump traveled to the all-important swing state of Arizona on Thursday, where he participated in a packed townhall with supporters. The state’s eleven Electoral College votes will be vital to securing the General Election victory in November, and both Republicans and Democrats figure to spend massive amounts of resources to campaign for the votes of independent voters leading up to the political contest. Arizona also has several other races and initiatives that will be key to the state’s future, including the U.S. Senate, control of the Arizona Legislature, and a number of ballot initiatives.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
