Governor Katie Hobbs’ first executive order prohibits gender identity discrimination in state employment and contracts.
The order directs the Department of Administration to establish procedures by April 1, 2023 regarding gender identity discrimination. The order also directed the department to launch awareness campaigns throughout state government through internal communications and trainings.
Hobbs’ order declared that over 40 percent of LGBTQ+ individuals nationwide report “unfair treatment” at work, such as firings, harassment, or not being hired due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The order also noted that 83 percent of the Fortune 500 companies prohibit gender identity discrimination; those numbers came directly from a Human Rights Campaign report.
The 40 percent estimate appears to have originated from a 2021 study from a UCLA Law think tank. Their survey covered just over 900 LGBTQ+ adults about their lifetime, five-year, and past-year discrimination experiences. 46 percent of these respondents reported experiencing unfair treatment at some point in their lives, with just nine percent experiencing discrimination in 2021.
The think tank estimated that about 8 million American workers identify as LGBTQ+ — if nine percent of that estimate experienced discrimination in 2021, that would amount to just over 720,000 people. Other activist groups’ estimates place the total LGBTQ+ population at a much higher number: over 20 million.
Hobbs’ order could be viewed as a natural progression of policy initiated by a 2020 Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision.
Former attorney general Mark Brnovich interpreted existing anti-discrimination protections to include both sexual orientation and gender identity in a 2020 filing for the case Bruer v. State of Arizona. His filing followed the SCOTUS decision in Bostock v. Clayton County which determined that employers can’t discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Brnovich said that the state legislature would have to amend the Arizona Civil Rights Act to exclude sexual orientation and gender identity specifically if they disagreed with this interpretation.
The state already prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in a 2003 executive order issued by former Governor Janet Napolitano — the last Democrat elected as governor prior to Hobbs.
A former and a future Arizona Governor walk into lunch… and walk out with some great plans for our state! pic.twitter.com/WCtSifpq3N
Governor Katie Hobbs laughed when asked if she would uphold the Arizona Constitution during her swearing in on Monday.
The individual to swear in Hobbs was her longtime lawyer, ally, and friend: Roopali Desai, a recent Biden appointee to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Hobbs exhibited nervous excitement: she required multiple prompts from Desai to finish taking her oath of office.
“Stop it!” exclaimed Hobbs.
VIDEO:
Democrat @KatieHobbs was unable to take the oath of office this morning without stammering and laughing through it. She also banned reporters from attending. #AZGov
Reporters weren’t welcome at the swearing-in, save for one photographer from the Associated Press. Press arrived to the cover the event. They weren’t allowed inside.
The Arizona Republic / @azcentral asked repeatedly to be allowed in, but the Hobbs admin is allowing only a single photographer from @AP. Hobbs aides said yesterday the swearing in will be live-streamed here: https://t.co/jOtRt56QwS
However, reporters will be allowed in the inauguration ceremony on Jan. 5.
After Hobbs took the oath of office, she claimed in a statement that partisanship wouldn’t define her administration. Hobbs promised to work with leaders of all political persuasions, specifically naming public school funding, water security, legalized abortion, and cost of living as initial priorities.
“Today marks a new chapter for Arizona. As we look forward to a brighter future, I pledge that the needs of Arizonans – not partisan politics – will always come first,” stated Hobbs.
The governor’s promise follows reporting that revealed Hobbs holds a different outlook on GOP leaders in private. Last month, Hobbs remarked during the Democratic Governors Association annual meeting that she wouldn’t communicate with GOP leaders due to strained relationships.
Hobbs is Arizona’s first Democratic governor elected in 16 years.
Hobbs’ first executive order prohibited state employment or contract discrimination based on gender identity. The order was issued as part of her “First 100 Days Initiative.”
Today, I began my First 100 Days Initiative by signing an executive order to protect employment opportunity. #Hobbs100pic.twitter.com/5S6G7TDaoT
One of her first moves as governor was to announce a Day of Service on Tuesday. Hobbs encouraged Arizonans to volunteer with their local nonprofits. The governor plans on volunteering with the Arizona Service Project.
Building a better future takes hard work, faith and tenacity – and leaders willing to roll up their sleeves to get things done.
Looking forward to joining @AzSProject for a Day of Service tomorrow.
Adrian Fontes (secretary of state), Kris Mayes (attorney general), Kimberly Yee (state treasurer), Tom Horne (superintendent of public instruction), and Paul Marsh (state mine inspector) were also sworn into office.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
As one of his last acts as governor, Doug Ducey appointed six judges to the Arizona Court of Appeals.
Ducey appointed Michael Catlett, Anni Hill Foster, and Daniel Kiley to Division I, and Lacey Stover Gard, Michael Kelly, and Christopher O’Neil to Division II.
In a press release, Ducey cited the increasing popularity of Arizona as a new home state as the reason for this large slate of appointments.
“These new judges will provide the much needed resources for the Court of Appeals to handle its growing caseload as more and more people choose Arizona as a place to live, work, and start a business,” said Ducey. “Each of these individuals are exceptionally talented and principled. They will faithfully uphold the law, defend the Constitution, and respect the separation of powers. I am proud to have these judges serve the State of Arizona on the Court of Appeals.”
The final year of Gov. @DougDucey’s administration cemented smart policies and solidified transformational achievements. pic.twitter.com/AiFyWYHj2y
Catlett was the former deputy solicitor general under former Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Prior to that, Catlett was a partner at a law firm, Quarles & Brady. Catlett offers pro bono legal services to Paralyzed Veterans of America, the U.S. District Court’s self-represented litigant clinic, and the Ninth Circuit’s pro bono program.
Foster served as Ducey’s general counsel, and formerly served as deputy general counsel. Prior to that, Foster served as general counsel for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the assistant attorney general at the attorney general’s office. Foster is involved with the Arizona State Bar and the Maricopa County Bar Association. She also serves as a commissioner for the Arizona Commission on Access to Justice, and volunteered in the past with the Arizona State University (ASU) Law Pipeline Program.
Kiley has been the Maricopa County Superior Court judge for over a decade, currently serving as the presiding judge of the Lower Court and Administrative Appeals Department. Prior to the superior court, Kiley practiced at the law firm Sherman & Howard, and prosecuted for the attorney general’s office. Kiley volunteers currently with Maggie’s Place, a nonprofit for homeless pregnant women, and formerly volunteered with My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence shelter.
Gard has served as a Pinal County Superior Court judge since 2021. Prior to that, Gard worked in the attorney general’s office as deputy solicitor general and chief counsel of the Capital Litigation Section as well as assistant attorney general in the Criminal Appeals Section. Gard also taught at the University of Arizona College of Law.
Kelly comes from the Hollingsworth Kelly law firm. He formerly worked with the Pima County Attorney’s Office as a prosecuting attorney. Kelly volunteers pro bono legal services for Step Up to Justice. He formerly served as a board member for the Southern Arizona Legal Aid organization, which provides free legal services, as well as the Tucson Village Farm, an urban farm support organization.
O’Neil has served as a Pinal County Superior Court judge. Prior to that, O’Neil was a Casa Grande Municipal Court judge, a staff attorney for the Pinal County Superior Court, and then an attorney for the Haralson, Miller, Pitt, Feldman, & McAnally law firm. O’Neil volunteers as City of Casa Grande Youth Soccer League coach, Cactus School Mock Trial Team advisor, and Casa Grande pastor.
Ducey’s work as governor is available on a new archiving site, “The Ducey Years.”
Thank you to all Arizonans for entrusting me with the privilege of being governor of this great state for the past eight years. pic.twitter.com/K2rgzgNMJn
It appears that Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) wasn’t a white supremacist posing a real threat of violence after all.
On Tuesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) was captured engaging in a friendly conversation with Gosar. This interaction occurred a little over a year after she accused Gosar of white supremacy and threats of violence for posting a meme video portraying her and other Democrats as slain anime villains. Her claims of fear resulted in Gosar’s censuring and removal from two committees.
So then I says "The combustion engine was actually a miracle of engineering that people take for granted today…" pic.twitter.com/oloHkBjlGo
Ocasio-Cortez later clarified to reporters that the floor conversation with Gosar concerned Democrats’ support for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) or Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08) as House Speaker. She toldMSNBC that Gosar spoke to her to keep GOP leadership “honest,” dispelling McCarthy’s claim that he had Democrats’ support.
On her floor convo with Rep. Gosar earlier, AOC tells me that McCarthy made claims within the GOP conf. that some Ds would walk away to lower the threshold. Gosar was asking AOC for clarification — would she walk away? “We would never do that,” AOC told me. Jeffries all the way. pic.twitter.com/yDsbJjFIPU
The fallout from Gosar’s meme occurred in November 2021. Ocasio-Cortez derided Gosar, insisting that the meme portrayed Gosar’s “fantasy” of killing her. She also claimed that institutions don’t protect women of color.
“White supremacy is for extremely fragile people and sad men like him, whose self concept relies on the myth that he was born superior because deep down he knows he couldn’t open a pickle jar or read a whole book by himself,” tweeted Ocasio-Cortez.
So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me
And he’ll face no consequences bc @GOPLeader cheers him on with excuses.
Outcry from Democrats resulted in Gosar’s censure, which took four hours of debate to reach.
The congressman was removed from two committees: the National Resources Committee and the Oversight and Reform Committee. Gosar’s censure broke an 11-year dry spell for censures. Only two Republicans voted with Democrats to censure Gosar: Reps. Adam Kizinger (R-IL-16) and Liz Cheney (R-WY).
WATCH: Complete remarks by Rep. Paul Gosar (@RepGosar) during House debate on his censure.
"I do not espouse violence towards anyone. I never have. It was not my purpose to make anyone upset." pic.twitter.com/a6JI4xxqgt
During the censure vote, Ocasio-Cortez claimed the meme was an incitement to violence. Since the meme’s posting, Ocasio-Cortez hasn’t been subject to any publicized attacks.
WATCH: Complete remarks by @RepAOC@AOC during U.S. House Debate on Resolution to Censure Rep. Paul Gosar.
"What is so hard, what is so hard about saying that this is wrong? This is not about me. This is not about Rep. Gosar. But, this is about what we are willing to accept." pic.twitter.com/nqV8ElU3d3
A prominent liberal think tank that helped suppress media coverage of Hunter Biden’s corrupt foreign business dealings recruited Arizonan government workers and activist leaders for its leadership program.
The Aspen Institute, a prominent liberal think tank, runs 65 programs nationwide to shape communities to its standards: such as the leadership program in Arizona. An independent reporter uncovered this week how one of the institute’s arms, Aspen Digital, coordinated a “tabletop exercise” with social media companies, media outlets, and academia to ensure effective cover-up of the Hunter Biden laptop story released by the New York Post a month later. Twitter’s newest CEO, Elon Musk, uncovered this collusion with the release of internal Twitter communications and documents dubbed the “Twitter Files.”
30. Efforts continued to influence Twitter's Yoel Roth.
In Sept 2020, Roth participated in an Aspen Institute “tabletop exercise” on a potential "Hack-and-Dump" operation relating to Hunter Biden
The goal was to shape how the media covered it — and how social media carried it pic.twitter.com/lQSorONUSh
This revelation adds to another discovery from last November, when The Washington Free Beaconreported that Twitter’s former head of site security, Yoel Roth, served as an advisor for the Aspen Institute’s Commission on Information Disorder. Key advisors on the commission have gone to great lengths to modify public narrative by censoring, filtering, or warping news coverage.
The Aspen Institute was one of numerous key organizations coordinating with social media and legacy media to control public speech and narratives at the government’s behest. Musk emphasized again on Tuesday that the government has been dictating free speech via social media companies.
“Every social media company is engaged in heavy censorship, with significant involvement of and, at times, explicit direction of the government,” said Musk.
Most people don’t appreciate the significance of the point Matt was making:
*Every* social media company is engaged in heavy censorship, with significant involvement of and, at times, explicit direction of the government.
Google frequently makes links disappear, for example.
The Aspen Institute isn’t the only entity to collude with government, social media companies, and other powerful entities to counter public speech. Governor-elect Katie Hobbs, during her term as secretary of state, worked with a middle man organization to censor online speech.
Last year, the Aspen Institute launched its first Arizona-based leadership program: the Greater Phoenix Workforce Leadership Academy, a 10-month stint developed between the institute and the Center for the Future of Arizona. Walmart was the key funder for this program. The academy is part of the “Economic Opportunities Program,” an equity-based program for low- and moderate-income individuals.
“We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice,” reads the program page.
The leadership program’s inaugural 2021 class includes employees of Maricopa Community Colleges, University of Arizona, the City of Phoenix, Arizona Department of Transportation, Mesa Public Schools, Mesa Community College, Arizona Department of Economic Security/EEA, and the Arizona Commerce Authority.
Arizona government workers haven’t just been recruited by the Aspen Institute. In the wake of elections-related controversy over the summer, former Yavapai County Elections Director Lynn Constabile was hired by U.S. Digital Response (USDR), which was co-founded by a former Aspen Institute tech policy fellow along with former Big Tech leaders, and advised by three Obama administration chief technology officers.
USDR is a pro-bono nonprofit that assists governments and organizations with crisis response. Part of their work involves shaping public narratives and perception, such as tackling “misinformation” and “disinformation” by working closely with Big Tech-funded entities like the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL).
The full list of these 24 inaugural Greater Phoenix Workforce Leadership Academy fellows, now part of the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, is replicated below:
Audrey Bell-Jenkins — Workforce Development Manager, UMOM New Day Centers;
Katie Belous — Research Analyst, Pipeline AZ
Colleen Bivona — Associate Director, Grants Development and Management, Maricopa Community Colleges
Miguel Fernandez — Professor, Chandler Gilbert Community College
Eileana Gudiño — Community Development Director, Valley of the Sun United Way
When four college students were killed in Idaho in November, investigators began the arduous task of collecting physical evidence, witness statements, and digital data related to dozens of people. But organizing and analyzing all that information by traditional methods can be overwhelming, and often ineffective, especially when multiple investigators are involved.
It is a problem that Tucson-based Zinatt Technologies Inc. has a solution for.
Zinatt’s patented Quick Tracking Information System (Qtis) makes life much easier for detectives and investigators by providing agencies big and small with robust data tracking software they can use on a regular basis. Or an agency may choose to utilize Qtis when faced with a complex crime scene involving several victims.
“Most agencies are currently using spreadsheets and tables on Word to keep track of intelligence pertaining to their investigations,” Zinatt co-founder Gabriel Reina says. “But detectives need solutions that enable them to keep on top of investigations. Qtis provides law enforcement agencies with the capability they need to organize and access key data that improves case solvability rates.”
Equally important, Qtis is compliant with Criminal Justice Information Systems standards. And unlike many static desktop systems typically used by law enforcement, Qtis can be utilized by investigators on mobile devices.
This allows access to case information “anywhere, anytime,” according to Reina, along with file-sharing capability.
“Qtis was built around the needs of law enforcement. We understand how difficult it can be to keep things organized,” Reina says. “Upload all your evidence to Qtis. Having all your evidence in one place allows you to find what you are looking for in seconds by performing a case wide search.”
And while Qtis has become best known for its law enforcement investigative management capabilities, Zinatt has adapted its software for use by private investigators, public health researchers, and even political campaigns.
“Qtis for political campaigns can be used to identify potential issues with the integrity and accuracy of the voter roll,” says Reina. “It can also store additional contact information related to each unique voter and even the issues most important to each voter.”
To learn more about Zinatt and Qtis please call 520-838-0346 to arrange an interview with Reina. Or you may make contact via Zinatt’s website here.
Terri Jo Neff is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or send her news tips here.
