by Matthew Holloway | Jun 28, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a Monday morning press conference, the Common Sense Institute Arizona (CSI) announced the release of its comprehensive report on “Arizona’s Ongoing Fentanyl Crisis,” for 2024. The prognosis for the state of Arizona is grim with the report detailing the rapidly mounting cost of the fentanyl epidemic in economic terms. From 2015 to 2019 Arizona’s Department of Health Services reported opioid-related encounters in Arizona hospitals skyrocketed from 41,400 to 56,600, an increase of 37%. And the economic cost has leapt to a staggering $58 billion. The US Drug Enforcement Agency has also reported the total seizures of fentanyl in the nation jumped from 6,800 pounds in 2019 to 29,200 in 2024 or by about 320%.
In other key findings published by the Institute, the study found that nationally, the opioid epidemic cost the American people as a whole almost $1 trillion in 2017, with $22 billion of that falling on Arizona alone, and the situation has only become worse in the intervening seven years. Despite the incidence of opioid-related fatal overdoses seeming to peak, they’ve really more plateaued, holding steady at a near all-time high with declines that “have been modest,” and the institute warns “it is premature to assume success in dealing with this crisis.”
Turning to the medically focused economic impact of the crisis the institute cited CDC modeling of economic costs associated with use-disorder and fatal overdose with the Arizona Department of Health Services reporting over 56,600 opioid hospital encounters at a total cost to the state system of $676 million working out to about $12,000 per medical encounter.
Touching tangentially on the Biden administration’s border policies, the report also noted that “border states have begun to experiment with enforcement of border security – a role traditionally filled by federal authorities,” and observed that Texas has allocated over $5 billion toward the border while Arizona’s expenditure peaked in 2022 under Republican then-Governor Doug Ducey at $560 million.
The institute wrote, “Considering these figures through 2023 and based on state-reported changes in the rate of opioid use and overdose, inflation, and other cost changes, CSI estimates that the cost of the opioid epidemic in Arizona reached an all-time high last year – a staggering $58 billion. This is more than double the $22.5 billion estimated by the CDC in 2017 when then-Gov. Doug Ducey declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. The surge appears almost entirely attributable to the rise in fentanyl abuse since then, the source of which appears to be Arizona’s porous southern border.”
Glenn Farley, Director of Policy and Research said in a press release sent to AZ Free News, “The fentanyl crisis is not just a public health issue, it’s also a significant economic and social challenge that affects all Arizonans. The $58 billion cost to our economy is staggering and our report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the crisis to better inform policymakers and the public on what we are truly dealing with.”
With the increase in border security expenses and the medical fallout being accounted for, the obvious final element is the most prevalent in lower income neighborhoods as well: crime. Fentanyl addiction of course brings medical crisis and death, but first it often brings a rapid downward spiral into crime, misery, family dissolution, homelessness and violence that has touched nearly every family in Arizona and the nation writ large.
The institute explains, “In 2017, then-Gov. Ducey declared opioid misuse a statewide public health emergency. At the time there were 950 fatal opioid overdoses occurring annually. Today, the number is nearly 2,000 fatal overdoses every year. Crime, too, is on the rise – in Arizona and nationally. Since 2014 the violent crime rate in Phoenix has risen 38%. According to estimates, 25%-50% of all violent crimes are drug-related. Homelessness, too, is on the rise – and despite massive investment, resources are mostly targeted towards housing and shelter, even as homelessness is highly correlated with drug abuse and dependence. Police resources in Arizona have failed to keep pace with the rising demands created by the border, drug, and homelessness crises.”
The report concludes with a chilling reminder that the cost of the opioid epidemic in Arizona is still rising, citing “inflation, widespread availability of the drug at very-low street prices, and continued high incidence of opioid use disorder among Arizonans combined.” As an analysis, the report is thorough and comprehensive in all but one respect which an academic finding cannot possibly satisfy and CSI rightly doesn’t attempt: the crushing, devastating, and brutal human cost that only someone who has lost a loved one to this plague can truly understand.
The study does however, conclude on an appropriately cautionary note: “The battle with fentanyl – in Arizona and nationally – is far from over.”
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 28, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s children may be safer from predators thanks to the work of one Republican state senator this legislative session.
This week, State Senator Janae Shamp touted the signing of her bill, SB 1232, which will “classify sexual conduct with a minor as a class 1 felony punishable by natural life imprisonment if the minor is 12 years old or younger and suffers serious physical injury” – according to the overview by the Arizona House of Representatives.
Governor Katie Hobbs signed the bill into law on June 21.
“I’m incredibly grateful for this new law to crack down on these evil crimes. It’s heartbreaking such a law was even needed in the first place,” said Senator Shamp. “If a criminal sexually abuses a child so badly that it causes them serious physical injury, they should NEVER experience the free world again. I strongly believe this, which is why I worked to ensure these offenders face life in prison.”
Shamp added, “We are sending a message to the nation that in Arizona, these wicked acts will not be tolerated, and these monsters engaging in them will face the full force of the law. I dedicated this session to protect our innocent children from these animals, but I know there’s still more work to be done.”
In her press release, the first-term Republican state senator also reminded readers of two other bills she had sponsored this year, that had been signed into law by Hobbs. One was SB 1236, which “will soon require additional level one sex offenders convicted of Dangerous Crimes Against Children to be published on the internet sex offender website.” Another was SB 1404, which “will ensure schools are notified if a parent of a child attending that school is a registered sex offender convicted of a Dangerous Crime Against Children.”
Back in February, this legislation passed the Arizona Senate with an overwhelming 23-5 vote (with two members not voting). The bill received a green light from the Arizona House this month with a near-unanimous 57-1 result (with two members not voting).
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, Middle Ground Prison Reform, American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, Arizona National Organization for Women, State Conference NAACP, and Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice had signed in to oppose the proposal as it was being considered by the state house and senate. Christine Accurso endorsed the bill.
SB 1232 will go into effect 90 days from the adjournment of the 2024 Arizona Legislative Session, which occurred earlier this month.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jun 27, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A Democratic election worker was arrested Tuesday for the theft of keys and a security fob belonging to the Maricopa County Elections Building (MCTEC) where he volunteered.
MCTEC surveillance footage captured 27-year-old Walter Ringfield Jr. putting the keys and fob in his pants pocket last Thursday, June 20. An employer discovered the theft and confronted Ringfield about it. Though Ringfield initially denied the theft, the keys were discovered later in his vehicle.
The fob remained missing, according to a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office press release. Ringfield claimed to law enforcement that he returned the fob approximately 20 minutes after taking it. The county reprogrammed the fobs and disabled the one Ringfield claimed to have returned.
Ringfield reportedly told police that he returned the fob out of regret and a desire to “clean up” his life, starting with permanent employment at MCTEC.
The Arizona Daily Independent reported that Ringfield filed a statement of interest last year to run as a Democrat for U.S. Senate this year.
On Wednesday, the Arizona Senate GOP posted that they now suspected that Ringfield stole from a Senate employee earlier this month. The GOP coalition reported that the Department of Public Safety has undertaken an investigation into the matter.
“The suspect appears to be the same individual recently arrested for stealing from Maricopa County,” said the Senate GOP. “In response to requests from the public, we are releasing surveillance video of the incident.”
According to a since-deleted LinkedIn profile, Ringfield volunteered at Our Voice Our Vote and graduated from Arizona State University. Ringfield also interned for Tempe City Council member Berdetta Hodge and former state representative and congressional candidate Jevin Hodge.
The latter Hodge resigned earlier this year from the House of Representative amid allegations of a past sexual assault.
Ringfield’s Truth Social profile, which is still active as of this report, prompted some media outlets to initially label him a straightforward Republican or, at the very least, right wing. Ringfield did repost some content supportive of President Donald Trump and retweeted content from right-wing individuals, politicians, and outlets, among them Melania Trump, Steven Crowder, Fox News, Townhall, Conservative Brief, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Sean Hannity, and The Federalist.
However, Ringfield has also posted remarks like, “We are a nation built on enslaved immigrants,” and “Transgender people is not new transphobia is.”
One picture he posted depicted him with a woman named Sofia (Sonya) Schmerer, his longtime girlfriend who supports Black Lives Matter and goes by “they/she” pronouns per her social media, alongside CNN Analyst Bakari Sellers, and both Berdetta Hodge and Jevin Hodge.
More telling of Ringfield’s political interests and beliefs are apparent under his online persona “Alphonso SunDevil.” His Facebook profile header, updated at the beginning of June, reposted the city of Phoenix’s graphic for its Pride Day pronoun badge/button making with ASU Museum: the LGBTQ+ flag with the Sun Devils hand gesture superimposed.
Other photos from Ringfield’s social media show his involvement or support for the Arizona Education Association, Senator Mark Kelly, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Phoenix Vice Mayor Lauren Kuby, Congressman Greg Stanton, and Tempe Mayor Corey Woods.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 27, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Thanks to a veto from the governor, Arizona’s attempt to find solutions for the future of its groundwater supply was marked ‘incomplete’ following the conclusion of the state’s legislative session.
Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed multiple pieces of legislation pertaining to the vital issue of water in the state of Arizona, while signing a series of those bills.
The most contentious of the latest round of vetoes appeared to be SB 1172, which would have “allow[ed] a person who owns land with an irrigation grandfathered right within an active management area to permanently retire the land from irrigation use and to retain a physical availability credit” – among other things, according to the purpose from the Arizona State Senate. The bill was sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope.
Senate President Warren Petersen was extremely disappointed in the governor’s veto of the proposal. He issued a statement over the past weekend, saying, “It’s incredibly disappointing the Governor did not sign SB 1172. Although we engaged her office on this proposal in January, they waited until May to do their due diligence and reneged last minute on an agreement. Her administration dropped the ball, and homebuyers will be the ones losing out because of her inaction.”
Petersen did note that Hobbs had signed three other groundwater-related bills, though he said that those proposals were meant to align with SB 1172 to have the maximum impact for the state. He added, “Three bills to increase housing supply while reducing groundwater pumping in Arizona, sponsored by Senate Leadership, were signed into law. All three measures transition higher-water-use land to lower-water- use housing developments through voluntary programs. While it was important for the state to look for new supplies, we get an equal benefit from reducing the demand on our aquafers. This legislation will allow Arizona to both conserve and grow. However, these bills were part of a package of four that would have made a far greater impact had they all been signed.”
In explaining why she had vetoed SB 1172, Hobbs wrote, “The concept at the core of this bill – conversion of agricultural lands to lower water use development – is a policy that has broad potential benefits and is one that my Administration supports. However, it is critical that the legislation be carefully crafted to ensure that the water conservation savings and consumer protections are guaranteed. It is clear that the unique data among Arizona’s Active Management Areas (AMAs) does not support universal adoption of this program across all four of the state’s initial AMAs (Phoenix, Pinal, Prescott, and Tucson), and that more time is needed to develop this concept in collaboration with stakeholders and lawmakers to ensure the legislation is crafted appropriately.”
The governor said that she “remain[s] committed to these discussions and finding a path forward to responsibly enact this concept.”
At the end of her veto letter to Arizona Legislative leadership, Hobbs highlighted that she had signed three water-related bills. She said, “While more work needs to be done on the ‘ag-to-urban’ legislation, I have signed several key pieces of legislation that promote responsible development and continued sustainable growth, including SB 1081, SB 1181, and SB 1242.”
Those bills were sponsored by Senators Sine Kerr, Petersen, and Shope.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 26, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
After an alleged error cost the Republican Party’s favored candidate for Maricopa County Recorder the chance to participate in a televised debate, Arizona PBS is reportedly trying to make amends with Arizona State Rep. Justin Heap and his supporters.
As reported by The Arizona Daily Independent, the June 11 debate made headlines for all the wrong reasons when just two of the three candidates in the GOP Primary were invited, namely Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and Don Hiatt. Heap’s absence was notable, public, and embarrassing for the public broadcaster.
Both Richer and Hiatt capitalized on the State Representative’s absence, taking rhetorical shots at Heap and moderator and “Arizona Horizon” host Ted Simons. Simons, who severs as Managing Editor of the platform, failed to acknowledge the error before the debate commenced.
Sources near the Heap campaign told ADI that they weren’t contacted by Arizona PBS until an hour before the event was to take place. Heap himself only became aware of it after seeing it on Richer’s X feed. Producers from Arizona PBS asked at 3PM on the 11th if he could get to the studio by 4PM… from East Mesa… in rush-hour. He replied that he could get there by 4:15PM at the earliest, and Arizona PBS informed him that would be too late.
It wasn’t until later that a request was found emailed to Heap’s official legislative email account. And had he replied to it, political consultants advised, he could be prosecuted for violating state law by using public resources for a partisan campaign.
After contacting Heap with a formal apology, Arizona PBS will air a one-on-one interview with Heap Thursday at 5 PM, an hour before the CNN Presidential Debate. In a letter to Heap, Arizona PBS political news producer, Grace Provenzano, apologized to the candidate.
In the letter obtained by the Independent, Provenzano wrote, “I want to apologize, once again, for our failure to reach you in a timely fashion in advance of the Maricopa County Recorder debate event yesterday. We know that it placed you and your campaign at a disadvantage and for that we are truly sorry.
In order to provide equitable airtime, we would like to schedule a one-on-one interview with you and Horizon host Ted Simons to offer you the opportunity to discuss your campaign platform and issues for our viewers. The interview would be pre-taped to air during the regular broadcast of Arizona Horizon the same day it is recorded. We would like to schedule the on-set interview as soon as possible so it can be seen prior to the beginning of the early primary voting.”
The outlet reported that the interview will be aired Thursday, June 27 at 5 PM.
In a post to X, Heap answered his opponents’ comments on his absence from the debate, writing in part, “The desperation from my opponents & their supporters is just embarrassing at this point They’re laughably trying to claim I’m too ‘scared’ to debate them in the government-subsidized PBS debate. Let’s clear something up, we’ve already debated once, and I won easily. We also have a Clean Elections Debate coming up. In fact, tonight’s debate is yet another example why we shouldn’t have state-subsidized media outlets like PBS. Their incompetence is so glaring that they couldn’t even manage to properly contact me or my campaign about the debate. …or maybe they just wanted to help their preferred Democrat-friendly candidates. Whatever the reason, it’s PBS with their total of ~53 viewers. FWIW, I made a good faith effort to rearrange my schedule and attend; however, it simply wasn’t possible without disrespecting the voters who had already made plans to come and meet with me about my plans for the Recorder’s office.”
Heap would later participate in the forum presented by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission on June 24 and made serious accusation against incumbent Stephen Richer saying that election rules were not followed and that Arizonans have a right to be skeptical about election results. He said that legal safeguards weren’t followed according to 12News and that the signature verification process for mail-in ballots was “inadequate.”
“I do not trust the system as it is currently being operated,” Heap added.
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 Matthew Holloway | Jun 26, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Goldwater Institute, acting on behalf of Former Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane, local activist Susan Wood, and AZGOP Member-at-Large Yvonne Cahill (CD1) filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court against the city of Scottsdale on June 18. In the complaint, the plaintiffs allege that the city is mischaracterizing a proposed new sales tax set to be voted on by the public in November with “objectively false or misleading information.”
According to court documents, the Goldwater Institute and the plaintiffs allege that the proposed tax’s “titles and tagline text are misleading, obscure the principle provisions of the measure, and constitute a ‘bait and switch.’” They go on to explain, “The Resolution is deceptive and inherently misleading, and fundamentally unfair.”
The controversy has arisen from a 0.2% Land Acquisition Tax that was approved in 1995 which is set to expire no later than June 30, 2025, and another in 2004 at 0.15% which funded the land purchase and construction of trailheads in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve respectively and a newly proposed 0.15% sales tax that would last for 30 years to provide funds for city parks.
In the 2025 Scottsdale 0.15% Sales Tax: Questions and Answers, the new tax description claims, “The ballot proposal would replace and reduce an expiring 0.20% city sales tax with a 0.15% sales tax to provide funds solely for capital replacements and improvements at city parks and recreational facilities and additional maintenance, preservation and protection, including police and fire protection, of city parks and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. This tax would expire after 30 years.”
As the lawsuit notes, “the New Parks & Rec Tax does not, and cannot, ‘replace’ the Land Acquisition Tax that was scheduled to expire already. And likewise, the New Parks & Rec Tax “does not, and cannot, ‘reduce’ the current Land Acquisition Tax,” which without any intervention would already be eliminated as scheduled.
The City wrote that the new tax, which it calls a “replacement tax,” would provide:
- 51% for capital asset replacements and improvements to aged Indian Bend Wash parks and other citywide parks (see further discussion of capital replacements and improvements below)
- 14% for increased citywide park maintenance including additional maintenance workers and contracts to enhance park maintenance
- 7% for the Police Park Ranger program including additional resources for enforcement and education to provide better safety and security for city parks and the Preserve.
- 18% to increase maintenance, protection, and care for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and its desert plants and wildlife, including trail and trailhead maintenance; protecting wildlife habitat; assessing and protecting archaeological, ecological, and cultural resources; and removing invasive plants to reduce wildfire risk (known as fire fuel mitigation)
- 10% for the Fire Department wildland fire fuel mitigation program with additional resources to remove/reduce overgrown plants and weeds around the Preserve and in city open spaces that pose ongoing wildfire risk during dry summer months, and additional Fire Department resources including technical rescue teams for citywide parks and the Preserve.
Goldwater Institute spokesman Joe Seyton told the Daily Independent, “They are deceiving voters because they are claiming a tax increase is actually a tax reduction, but what they are not saying is that voters will pay a lower sales tax if they vote no than if they vote yes.” He added, “Arizona law prohibits ballot measures from communicating information that is objectively false or misleading. It’s a bait and switch.”
In a statement published by the Goldwater Institute Cahill said, “Our own city leaders are deceiving taxpayers so that we’ll vote to raise taxes on ourselves. We deserve honesty from our local officials—especially when it comes to the money hardworking Arizonans are required to fork over to the government.”
Speaking with The Scottsdale Progress, Mayor David Ortega lashed out at his predecessor saying, “It is sad that former Mayor Jim Lane, who saturated our city with 23,689 apartments during his tenure, now tries to stop citizen-driven renewal of our 48 city parks, the Green Belt and protection of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.” He continued, “Adding new Police, Fire and Park Ranger personnel for our safety is also a key element of the ballot measure. In Scottsdale, we value our treasured open space legacy, and commitment to pass them on in great shape to future generations.”
The mayor continued, “Lane and opponents failed to show up during months of deliberations, so we will see them in court.”
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.
