On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema heaped praise on the Biden-Harris Administration for the nomination of Sharad Desai as a U.S. District Court judge.
Sharad is the brother of a sitting 9th Circuit Court Judge, Roopali Desai.
Sharad, Vice President and General Counsel for defense contractor Honeywell, worked as a civil litigator for Arizona law firm Osborn Maledon. At Honeywell, he focused on IT, Digital, and Strategic matters as well as Supply Chain and Electronic Solutions, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to his civil practice he worked as a law clerk for now-retired Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch during her 13-year tenure as Vice Chief Justice.
In a joint press release, Sinema said, “Sharad Desai possesses the experience, integrity, and intellect to serve as a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. I’m proud to have recommended his nomination to the White House and I look forward to securing his bipartisan confirmation by the United States Senate.”
Kelly added, “The President has nominated Mr. Desai, who is experienced and well-regarded by Arizona’s legal community, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.” He added, “I congratulate him on this important nomination and look forward to working towards his confirmation in the United States Senate.”
As reported by Reuters, Sharad was in attendance at his sister’s confirmation hearing where she told the Senate Judiciary Committee that her brother and sister, who is an Arizona law professor, are her “biggest cheerleaders.” The outlet also noted that Roopali Desai was an election lawyer prior to her appointment and has worked for Sen. Sinema’s political campaigns.
While both Desais are highly experienced attorneys with impressive qualifications, the political significance of Roopali Desai’s work in recent years cannot be overstated, or overlooked. And whether the political efforts of then-counselor Desai influenced the nomination of one or both of them will very likely play into Sharad Desai’s confirmation hearing, along with any potential nominations that University of Arizona Law Professor Shefali Milczarek-Desai might see in the future.
The Citizens Clean Elections Commission’s U.S. Senate debate on October 9th is currently slated to include Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Ruben Gallego, excluding Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana due to new requirements brought about this year. But now, Lake has intervened in support of Quintana, and it remains to be seen if Gallego will follow suit.
On August 23rd, Quintana made a public appeal via a post to X, that as a ballot qualified candidate he should be included in the debate and criticized the Commission writing “if you are truly ‘non-partisan’ organization, you have a duty to the voters to include every qualified candidate!”
I am a ballot qualified candidate for the U.S. Senate race here in #Arizona. I have every right to be on the debate stage with @KariLake and @RubenGallego.@AZCCEC, if you are truly “non-partisan” organization, you have a duty to the voters to include every qualified candidate! https://t.co/KZHHH2bNpr
— Eduardo Quintana for U.S. Senate 🌻 (@Quintana4Senate) August 23, 2024
In a statement released Wednesday, Kari Lake agreed.
According to a press release from the Lake campaign, “On Wednesday, the Lake Campaign contacted the Citizens Clean Elections Commission and agreed to them extending an invitation to every candidate on the ballot, which would include Arizona’s Green Party candidate, Eduardo Quintana. However, Clean Elections said that Gallego would first have to agree to including Quintana in the debate as well. Notably, Quintana has made several pleas for both campaigns to ‘stand up for the right of voters to hear from all candidates running’ and advocate for his inclusion in the debate.”
In a statement Lake said, “The Green Party’s nominee for U.S. Senate Eduardo Quintana will be on the ballot in November, and I believe we need to ensure that every candidate and every voter is heard and respected.
I urge Ruben to accept the proposal for Eduardo to be included in our debate. You cannot claim to be a ‘defender of democracy’ when you refuse access to third-party candidates.”
As reported by KJZZ, Chris Kline, president and CEO of the Arizona Media Association, explained that in order to be eligible for a general election debate, each candidate must have at least 1% of the total ballots cast in all primaries for the office. For the statewide U.S. Senate Election, that works out to 12,400 votes, nearly forty-four times the 282 write-in votes Quintana received in the primary.
Kline responded to the outlet that it is unclear if the Green Party candidate will be able to join the debate. “That is something we are navigating right now,” Kline said. He clarified, “We are reaching out to the Gallego campaign and trying to navigate where they are,” indicating that the ball is very much in the Democrat’s court as of this report.
Quintana followed with another post Wednesday evening calling out Gallego, “So, here’s the main issue I have with this; Why does @RubenGallego have to consent to my inclusion in the debate stage? I’m a qualified candidate that will be on the ballot, same as Gallego and Lake. I have every right to be there and for voters to hear me debate.” He added, “The @AZCCEC is supposed to be non-partisan, yet they’re deliberately blocking myself and other Green Party candidates like Athena Eastwood in CD6 from participating in their debates. It is wrong. It is voter suppression. It is an affront to democracy itself.”
Speaking to KTAR’s Mike Broomhead Thursday, Lake told the host, “I’m calling for everybody who’s on the ballot to be in there. Apparently, they did not invite the Green Party candidate. I think that’s not cool.” She added, “I would be calling for all of the candidates that are on the ballot for the U.S. Senate race to be present and able to make their case at this debate.”
In a post to X, Quintana lauded Lake for her efforts writing, “I thank @KariLake for advocating for our campaign’s inclusion in the upcoming @AZCCEC sponsored Senate debate. Kari and I have several important disagreements on policy, that’s no secret. But I applaud her for stepping up and demanding that all candidates be allowed to debate.”
Lake took the opportunity to fire a scathing shot at both Vice President Kamala Harris and Gallego in a follow-up comment noting, “Quintana4Senate got 282 more votes than @KamalaHarris. Don’t tell me he should not be on that stage, @RubenGallego”
A progressive Democrat incumbent legislator is key to her party’s hopes of flipping both chambers in Arizona.
Mariana Sandoval is running for reelection to the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 23. She was first elected in November 2022 and has served alongside Republican Michele Peña in the state House over the past two legislative sessions. In the House, Sandoval is a member of the Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee and the Ways & Means Committee.
On her campaign website, Sandoval proudly promotes endorsements from left-leaning organizations, including, Human Rights Campaign PAC, Save Our Schools Arizona, Living United for Change in Arizona, National Organization for Women Arizona Political Action Committee, Sierra Club, Arizona Education Association, Climate Cabinet, Moms Demand Action, and others.
Over her first term in office, Sandoval has proven that she does not share the values of many of the men and women who she represents. In 2023, she voted no on SB 1063, which would have “prohibit[ed] a city, town or other taxing jurisdiction from levying a transaction privilege tax, sales, use, franchise or other similar tax or fee on the sale of food and certain beverage items intended for home consumption.” After Republicans passed the bill out of both chambers, Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed it, writing, “From potential cuts to service – including public safety – to increased property taxes, it’s clear that this bill doesn’t actually eliminate costs for our residents.”
When Hobbs rejected the proposal, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen blasted her decision in a statement. He said, Senate Republicans have been working toward introducing legislation necessary to provide financial relief to all Arizonans, especially low-income families who are feeling the tremendous burden of inflation. It’s very clear the governor has no interest in helping with that financial burden.”
Sandoval also opposed legislation that protected Arizona’s children. In February, she voted against HB 2586, which would have “add[ed] a new section of statute regulating the publishing and distribution of material harmful to minors on the internet.” Hobbs vetoed this bill, claiming that it went “against settled case law.” Other advocates for the proposal disagreed with Hobbs and her Democrat allies, including Arizona Women of Action. Amid the legislative process, the organization posted, “This nonpartisan bill needs SUPPORT. It would effectively protect AZ kids from accessing pornography. Age verification is a must.”
Terry Schilling, the president of the American Principles Project, also weighed in on the governor’s action. She said, “Up until now, protecting kids from online porn had been a cause with nearly unanimous, bipartisan support. Polls have shown the vast majority of American voters, across the political spectrum, back these laws. Both Democrat and Republican governors in a dozen states from Louisiana to Utah to Virginia have signed this legislation. And many more are on track to join this list shortly.”
This week, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) vetoed HB 2586, which would have required that adult websites implement age verification in order to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content. pic.twitter.com/Mb8myTVpdD
Additionally, Sandoval opposed efforts to enhance safeguards for law-abiding Arizonans who have increasingly fallen prey to the rising tide of criminal activity across the state. This year, she voted against SCR 1021, which would “statutorily require an adult who is convicted of a class 2 felony for any child sex trafficking offense to be sentenced to natural life imprisonment.” The measure was passed by the Arizona Legislature and transmitted to the Secretary of State for inclusion on the November General Election ballot.
When the legislation was introduced, Senator Shawnna Bolick, the Republican sponsor of the effort, said, “We believe in holding traffickers accountable for their heinous crimes, and that’s why we’ve filed legislation for a ballot referral to put convicted child sex traffickers behind bars for life. Our message is clear: our children are not for sale, and we will not tolerate heinous crimes against them. Join us in this fight to protect our most precious resource – our children. Perpetrators, not here, not now, not never.”
According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, Legislative District 23 has a competitive vote spread of 16.9% between Democrats and Republicans over the past nine state elections. Out of those elections, Democrats have won all nine contests.
Sandoval will run in November’s General Election alongside Matias Rosales, who emerged from the July 30 Primary Election for the Democrat Party. She obtained 9,194 votes, and Rosales acquired 6,811 votes. James Holmes finished third in the primary, garnering 2,919 votes.
Both Sandoval and Rosales will face off against Peña. In November 2022, Peña had more votes than either of her Democrat opponents with 12,850, compared to 10,101 for Sandoval and 8,030 for Jesus Lugo Jr.
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Arizona voters will decide this November whether to require the diversity of geographic distribution for ballot initiative signature gathering.
The legislature passed this proposal last year along partisan lines (Senate Concurrent Resolution 1015), now on the ballot as Proposition 134. Per the proposal, signature gatherers would have to gain support across all 15 counties for ballot initiatives, rather than focusing on the most populated ones.
The law currently allows signatures to be gathered from any area within the state. Proponents of Proposition 134 hope to ensure representation from the more rural areas of the state.
Proposition 134 would require 10 percent of registered voters from each of the state’s 30 legislative districts for statewide initiatives, 15 percent from each legislative district for constitutional changes, and five percent from each legislative district for referendums.
Current law only requires 10 percent of registered voters for any statewide initiative, 15 percent of registered voters for any constitutional changes, and five percent of registered voters for any referendums.
Per the secretary of state’s latest voter registration data, there are over 4.1 million voters in the state. Nearly 60 percent of voters live in Maricopa County (over 2.4 million voters).
Under current requirements, signature gatherers only have to obtain about 411,000 voter signatures for statewide initiatives, 616,400 voter signatures for constitutional changes, and 205,500 voter signatures for referendums.
The Goldwater Institute operates the organization AZ Ballot Fairness in support of Proposition 134.
In a press release, AFB said that allowing “one big county” to pass initiatives without input from rural residents was unfair and could impose unintended consequences.
“Right now, rural Arizonans are completely ignored in the process. It is easier to sit on college campuses and densely populated areas like downtown Phoenix to collect all the requisite signatures than to get the buy-in from the diverse interests of Arizonans in other parts of the state,” said the Farm Bureau. “These diverse interests have a right to a voice in determining whether an issue will appear on the ballot.”
AFP argued that the burden for signature gathering would be too great, citing the hypothetical of initiatives dying for a shortage of signatures in even one district.
“If only one district fails to collect enough signatures, the referendum, initiative, or amendment will fail to appear on the ballot no matter how popular or relative it is to the rest of the state,” said AFP.
APHA argued that the proposed signature gathering requirements would hinder and delay health campaigns as well as critical interventions.
“Public health advocacy often relies on the ability to mobilize quickly and effectively to address emerging issues,” said ADH.
Opponents argue that the measure would actually decrease representation by requiring its diversification.
Not every state has a citizen initiative process, but for those that do, around half have a signature distribution requirement.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
A Republican embedded in a Democrat-leaning legislative district is key to her party’s chances of retaining control of the Arizona House of Representatives.
Michele Peña is running for re-election for the state House of Representatives in Arizona Legislative District 23. Though the district leans to the left, Peña surprised many in the state by winning a spot in the chamber during the November 2022 General Election. She will attempt to recreate the same strategy and momentum that previously propelled her campaign to victory.
As a member of the Arizona House, Peña serves as the Vice Chairman of the Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, and on the Education and Regulatory Affairs Committees.
In the primary election on July 30, Peña was the only Republican in the race for state House and finished with more votes than her two eventual Democrat opponents (9,597). After her strong finish, she posted, “Dear friends and supporters, I am incredibly grateful for your overwhelming support and for making me the top primary vote-getter in my race. This accomplishment is a testament to the trust and confidence you have placed in me, and I am deeply honored. A special thank you goes out to everyone in Legislative District 23, in Yuma, Maricopa, Pima and the 2 from Pinal. Your unwavering support has been instrumental in our success.”
🧵Dear friends and supporters, I am incredibly grateful for your overwhelming support and for making me the top primary vote-getter in my race. This accomplishment is a testament to the trust and confidence you have placed in me, and I am deeply honored.
— Representative Michele Peña (@michelepenaaz) August 10, 2024
The election result wasn’t solely for her benefit as Peña makes clear in her continuing statement: “If this trend continues, we will help maintain our majority, ensuring that our values and priorities are well represented. With your continued support, I am committed to serving you with dedication and integrity, just as I have over the past two years. Together, we can achieve even greater things for our community. Thank you once again for your faith in me.”
If this trend continues, we will help maintain our majority, ensuring that our values and priorities are well represented. With your continued support, I am committed to serving you with dedication and integrity, just as I have over the past two years.
— Representative Michele Peña (@michelepenaaz) August 10, 2024
Peña has a heart for service to her community, which drove her desire to represent the men, women, and children of her district at the Arizona Legislature. On her website, she shares the reason for her motivation to serve, writing, “As the daughter of an immigrant and a resident raised in Yuma with experience in Pima County, love anchors my family in this district. Our priorities are rooted in God, Country, Family, and Community. I’m committed to addressing economic concerns, safeguarding our children, and meeting the unique needs of rural communities.”
The first-term lawmaker adds, “In my role as a representative, I’ve championed these values, winning a write-in race in 2022. I believe in policies that benefit all Arizonans while preserving our freedom and way of life. Your trust and vote for re-election in 2024 would be an honor. God bless Arizona.”
Representative Peña has a heart for the veterans’ community in her district and around the state. Earlier this month, she revealed a meeting with a veteran while campaigning. She said, “As I went door knocking this evening, I met a wonderful veteran who gave me great support. When re-elected, I will continue to work hard for our veterans in the AZ State House.”
— Representative Michele Peña (@michelepenaaz) August 27, 2024
She also recently promised to continue to “keep AZ safe & grow our economy” should voters return her to the state legislature, highlighting, “As your State Rep, I’m fighting for a balanced state budget, secure border, resources for law enforcement, & our local businesses.”
— Arizona Police Association (@AZPoliceAssc) June 19, 2024
On Peña’s campaign website, she lists several priorities for her current and future terms in office. The first is education, where she writes that “Your zip code shouldn’t dictate your future, and I will always advocate for choice and access in education.” The second is agriculture, where she writes that “my family’s long-standing connections to southern Arizona and the agricultural industry have provided me with firsthand insight into these issues.” The third is fiscal responsibility, where she writes that “our children’s future shouldn’t be jeopardized for immediate gains.” The fourth is water, where she writes that “water is the lifeblood of our communities, and I will resist any efforts to diminish or restrict water access for the people of Arizona – especially our farmers.” The fifth is health care, where she writes that “Accessible healthcare is crucial, and individuals should not face exploitation by insurance companies or hospitals.” The final issue Peña addresses is opposing corruption, where she writes that “I stand unabashedly opposed to all forms of corruption in our government.”
According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, Legislative District 23 has a competitive vote spread of 16.9% between Democrats and Republicans over the past nine state elections. Out of those elections, Democrats have won all nine contests.
Peña will run in November’s General Election against Democrats Mariana Sandoval and Matias Rosales, who both emerged from the July 30 Primary Election for the Democrat Party. In July, Sandoval obtained 9,194 votes, and Rosales acquired 6,811 votes. James Holmes finished third in the primary, garnering 2,919 votes.
Both Sandoval and Rosales will face off against Peña, who will again employ the “single shot” strategy on behalf of her party in an attempt to keep the Democrat-leaning seat in Republican hands. In November 2022, Peña had more votes than either of her Democrat opponents with 12,850, compared to 10,101 for Sandoval and 8,030 for Jesus Lugo Jr.
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The Scottsdale-based national homebuilder, Taylor Morrison, is accused of attempting to silence a home inspector over his viral videos exposing what he says are poor and even dangerous workmanship.
The inspector, Cyril (Cy) Porter, has accrued nearly 1.2 million followers collectively across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube for his informational videos. Porter operates independently through his company, CyFy Home Inspections. A number of the homes he finds fault with were approved by city or county inspectors.
A Taylor Morrison representative, “Jennifer,” filed a complaint with the State Board of Technical Registration (SBTR) against Porter in April according to public records. Taylor Morrison sought disciplinary action against Porter, as well as a requirement that he delete past videos and cease posting his exposés in the future.
During its hearing on Tuesday, SBTR voted against taking disciplinary action against Porter, however they also voted against dismissing the claim. SBTR issued a nondisciplinary letter of concern against Porter.
Taylor Morrison accused Porter of three violations: fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or concealment of material facts in advertising, or soliciting; use of derogatory sexualized terms for female professionals; and endorsing products for profit.
“Taylor Morrison would like Cyril Porter, on behalf of himself and his companies, to stop posting any videos to social media about Taylor Morrison. This request includes using, showing, typing, or tagging them by name, logo, signage, and/or image for any purpose, intended to or reasonably expected to identify the builder, including but not limited to, using their tag lines or wearing t-shirts in social media postings with a version of their name. This conduct is unrelated to actual home inspecting and is actually advertising that violates BTR standards. Taylor Morrison also requests that past videos be removed. In addition, Taylor Morrison would like Registrant disciplined for his harassing, falsified, and bullying advertising/social media posting that does not serve his clients or the public, his taking payment in product endorsements, and his use of repeated sexually suggestive references to female professionals in his videos. Finally, Taylor Morrison would like it made clear that retaliation for bringing this complaint will not be tolerated by the BTR.”
Porter’s work, showcased by his viral videos, has resulted in his being booked out through most of 2026.
A number of commenters have asked Porter if he had any builders that he recommended. Porter said no, that “all [builders are] the same,” referring to poor and even dangerous workmanship.
In a statement provided to 12 News earlier this summer, Taylor Morrison called Porter’s social media posts “sensationalist” and unprofessional.
“While we have no issue with the home inspections Cy Porter conducts, we do believe his advertising through sensationalist social media postings violates the professional conduct standards set forth by the Board of Technical Registration, which licenses and regulates home inspectors, and we trust the board to review and make an assessment,” said the company.
Even in million-dollar new homes, Porter documents often finding and struggling to have builders resolve: improperly installed, inadequate, or damaged A/C units, ducts, stucco, counters, trusses, electrical, cabinets, doors, showers, tubs, toilets, sinks, roofing, flooring, furnaces, water heaters, walls, plumbing, rain caps, and windows; and trash and debris inside the build or left around the property.
Many of the issues Porter finds are more than just cosmetic issues: they pose major health and safety hazards. At times, builders have attempted to prevent Porter from accessing certain areas of the home for inspection, namely roofs and attics.
In addition to Taylor Morrison, Porter has documented the poor practices and/or workmanship of Alamar, Brightland Homes (Gehand), D.R. Horton, Express Homes, Fulton Homes, Homes by Towne, KB Home, Landsea Homes, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Richmond American Homes, Shea Homes, and Starlight Homes.
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