San Luis’ New Vice Mayor Is A Convicted Ballot Harvester Under Probation

San Luis’ New Vice Mayor Is A Convicted Ballot Harvester Under Probation

By Corinne Murdock |

The San Luis City Council selected Gloria Torres as their newest vice mayor, a woman convicted and currently under probation for ballot harvesting in the 2020 election.

During their final meeting last month, the city council voted to select Torres to the position in a close 4-3 vote. Former Vice Mayor Luis Cabrera nominated Torres to succeed him; councilman Matias Rosales seconded the motion. The Arizona Daily Independent first reported on Torres’ appointment.

Torres wasn’t the only option; the council had another nomination put forth to replace Cabrera. Councilwoman Maria Cecilia Cruz nominated councilman Tadeo De La Hoya, who previously served as city manager for six years before his sudden, unexplained ousting from the role by the council in 2021, much to constituents’ chagrin. Cecilia Cruz, De La Hoya, and Javia Vargas voted against Torres. 

Torres pled guilty to ballot abuse last June following an October 2022 indictment for two felony charges of conspiracy and ballot abuse committed during the 2020 election. At the time, Torres was a member of the city council, having first been elected in 2000. 

The Yuma County Superior Court indictment charged Torres with harvesting seven early primary election ballots between July and August of 2020 from another woman, Nadia Lizarraga-Mayorquin (aka Nadia Buchanan). 

The court classified Torres’ crime as a class one misdemeanor rather than a class six felony. The misdemeanor may warrant either up to six months in jail or three years’ probation. Torres received a suspended sentence of 24 months of supervised probation last June. The court dismissed the felony charge of conspiracy. 

Caught in the media crossfire of Torres’ indictment was the local humanitarian nonprofit she’d worked at for over 30 years, Comite de Bien Estar (CBE). CDB has an annual revenue of over $12.7 million. 

In May 2022, officers served a search warrant to Torres at CBE, where Torres has served as a membership coordinator for over 30 years. The warrant sought only information from Torres, specifically a search of her home and confiscation of her phone, but wasn’t aimed at CBE. 

CBE’s executive director is Tony Reyes, a Democratic member of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors and its former chairman. Last year, CBE played host to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Marco Lopez: the former Nogales mayor discovered months earlier to be linked to an $800 million international political bribery scandal involving a construction conglomerate. 

In addition to CBE, Torres served on the National Association of Latino Election Officials (NALEO) and the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. 

Another San Luis leader — former mayor Guillermina Fuentes, under whom Torres served — was likewise charged with ballot harvesting and remains under probation currently. Fuentes was sentenced to one month of jail and two years of probation in October 2022 for collecting and delivering four mail-in ballots.

Fuentes’ ballot harvesting was discovered from video footage taken by local residents monitoring a ballot drop box.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Senators Gowan And Shamp Share Their Priorities For Upcoming Legislative Session

Senators Gowan And Shamp Share Their Priorities For Upcoming Legislative Session

By Daniel Stefanksi |

Arizona Republicans continue to lay out their agenda as the legislative session fast approaches.

Over the past weekend, two Arizona Republican state senators, David Gowan and Janae Shamp, revealed snapshots of their plans for the upcoming legislative session.

Senator Gowan, who represents a southern Arizona district, shared his thoughts on the border crisis affecting the state, saying, “President Biden’s border crisis continues to set records in Arizona. New data released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows the Tucson sector continues to have the dubious distinction as the busiest area in the nation with encounters of illegal aliens for a fifth month in a row! 64,638 immigrants were recorded in November alone. This is horrendous! These aren’t just innocent people looking for a better life. They include dangerous criminals, child sex traffickers, human smugglers, rapists, and terrorists invading our state and country.”

Gowan revealed that he had designated an earmark of $10 million “towards this year and last year’s budget for anti-human trafficking laws to help fight against these heinous crimes.” He again blamed the president for the border crisis, stating that Biden “continues to turn a blind eye to what’s really happening at our border, and in particular, in my district.” The southern-Arizona Senator promised to look into “creating legislation to help law enforcement fight this crisis in the upcoming session.”

Senator Shamp, who represents a district in the southwest Valley, expounded on her plans to “address Arizona’s doctor shortage.” The inspiration behind this idea, according to the legislator, came from a projection “that Arizona has a shortage of nearly 600 primary care physicians right now and around 2,000 more physicians will be needed to meet healthcare demands in the state by 2030 due to increases in retirements, higher rates of chronic diseases, and an aging population.” Shamp pointed to a “lack of residency slots” as a major reason for the existing shortages. She noted that “all medical school graduates must complete a period of GME, or residency training, to be licensed to practice medicine in the United States,” adding that only “around 20% of medical school graduates find themselves unable to attain the residency slot necessary for them to complete their training.”

The Valley-based lawmaker championed her state as having “taken steps to help address this issue,” with “an additional 200 residency position (going) into effect July 1, 2024.” She cautioned, however, against becoming complacent with these additions, leading to her pledge to “identify and establish more ways to help” in the 2024 legislative session.

The Second Regular Session of the 56th Arizona Legislature begins on Monday, January 8, with opening ceremonies for both chambers and the Governor’s anticipated State of the State address.

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Shope: Closing Lukeville Was “Irresponsible And Reckless”

Shope: Closing Lukeville Was “Irresponsible And Reckless”

By Daniel Stefanski |

One Arizona Republican Senator continues to hold the Biden administration accountable over the recent closure of a port of entry at the border.

On Wednesday, State Senator T.J. Shope, reacted to news of the Lukeville Port of Entry reopening, calling the initial move to close the vital border crossing “irresponsible and reckless.”

In his statement, Shope said, “Not only did this create financial turmoil for border communities within Arizona who rely on the tourism traffic to and from Rocky Point to support their families, but the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry also put unnecessary stress and strain on our citizens and commerce who depend on a safe and direct route to this popular destination.”

Over the past few months, the border crisis has deteriorated considerably, forcing the Biden administration to take rather unprecedented measures in a frenzied attempt to mitigate public perception of the massive influx of illegal immigrants into the country. One of those actions was the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry, which is the main thoroughfare to the popular tourist destination of Rocky Point, forcing families or commerce operators to detour hours to the east or west. A local business owner recently told an Arizona outlet that, in the aftermath of the closure, Rocky Point “was like a little ghost town,” noting that “local business, restaurants, hotels, rentals, everything has declined.”

Shope continued to address the situation in southern Arizona in his lengthy statement, blasting the Biden administration for a severe lack of border security. He said, “While I’m glad Lukeville is reopening on Thursday, the official statement from the federal government includes an absurd claim that ‘CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation,’ which is a blatant lie. The American people aren’t dumb. Nothing has changed at the border to prompt the opening of Lukeville. Thousands of illegals, many of which are criminals and terrorists, continue to pour into our state on a daily basis, overwhelming our brave law enforcement personnel. This was purely a political move after Republican lawmakers put immense pressure on the Biden administration to open this critical artery for commerce and legal traffic.”

The lawmaker promised to persist in holding the president accountable to his responsibility to secure the border and to refrain from closing American ports of entry.

Though the border crisis appears to be worsening by the day, legislative Republicans have effectively made the point that the reality for Arizonans could be more daunting if not for their check on the Democrats in the state – especially Governor Katie Hobbs. When Hobbs signed the state budget compromise in May, Senate President Petersen highlighted that his members “prevented the Governor and Democrat Legislators from advancing their extremist agenda…we’re not getting rid of state funded border security resources to keep our communities safe.” In the upcoming session, starting next week, expect Republicans to continue to introduce bills and policies that would give the Grand Canyon State more ability and resources to combat the many scourges of the border crisis.

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Fontes Drops New Elections Procedures Manual, Draws Threats Of Litigation

Fontes Drops New Elections Procedures Manual, Draws Threats Of Litigation

By Daniel Stefanski |

Arizona has a new Elections Procedures Manual for the 2024 cycle, though litigation is all but certain from state Republicans.

On Saturday, just before the statute-mandated deadline of December 31, Democrat Adrian Fontes issued the 2023 Election Procedures Manual, after securing approvals from his fellow Democrat officeholders, Governor Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes. In a statement to accompany the release of the manual, Fontes said, “Free, fair and secure elections have been this group’s commitment to the voter from the very beginning. This is what happens when a committed group of leaders comes together to serve their community. It’s good for our democracy and it’s good for Arizona.”

For the first time since 1978-1979, Democrats control the top three statewide offices in Arizona (Governor: Bruce Babbitt, Attorney General: John LaSota, Secretary of State: Rose Mofford). One of the most significant consequences of securing this power trifecta is the ability to negotiate, craft, and green light the state’s Election Procedures Manual without initial interference from opposing political voices, as required by law every two years.

Arizona Republicans were quick to push back against the elections manual and signaled a willingness to challenge the legality of its contents in court. House Speaker Ben Toma stated, “A lawful Elections Procedures Manual is paramount for the integrity of our elections. It’s been a top priority of the Arizona House Republican Caucus. I’m disappointed that SoS Fontes refused to correct many objections we raised in our comment to the EPM draft. We are preparing for litigation.”

The speaker’s reference to previous ‘objections’ harkened to an August public comment letter, which was submitted by Senate President Warren Petersen and Toma to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office after they reviewed the draft manual. Then, the legislators had identified their chief concern with Fontes’ initial offering, which was the “unlawful delay in the implementation of a 2021 state law that helps prevent voter fraud by requiring county recorders to remove any voters registered on the active early voter list who have not cast a ballot during two consecutive election cycles and have not responded to notification from the recorder that they wish to continue participation.” Petersen and Toma asserted that the consequence of this delay would be the perpetuated issuance “of ballots being sent to the homes of voters who may have moved or no longer wish to participate in this process, opening the door for ballots getting into the hands of unintended individuals.”

In a new statement after the release of the approved EPM, Petersen said, “We warned the SOS early on that we would sue if the Elections Procedure Manual was not corrected to reflect the laws passed by the legislature. Unfortunately that did not happen. I imagine there will be many plaintiffs joining the Senate in protecting our elections.”

Arizona Republican Party Chairman, Jeff DeWit, also promised legal action against the manual, calling it an “egregious destruction of election fairness by the Democrats.”

The AZGOP shared four “concerning elements” from its cursory review of the manual: limitation of free speech, restriction of voter challenges, exclusion of Republican oversight, and refusal to heed legal precedent. In its press release, the state Republican party charged Fontes with “trying to take powers from the state legislature that are not his to take.”

Representative Alexander Kolodin weighed in on the EPM, writing, “Fontes’ EPM is not an Elections Procedures Manual, it is a how-to manual to disenfranchise Republican voters and a breathtakingly unlawful power grab. It cannot be allowed to stand!”

While most Arizona Republicans are united in opposition to the 2023 EPM, so, too, are Democrats in their support of the Secretary of State’s submission. Governor Katie Hobbs, who preceded Fontes, said, “Partisan politics should have no role in how we run our elections. This EPM builds on the 2019 EPM and 2021 draft EPM from my tenure as Secretary of State and will ensure dedicated public servants from across the state will have the guidelines they need to administer free and fair elections. Together, we can protect our democracy and make sure every Arizonan has the opportunity to have their voice heard.”

As Secretary of State, Hobbs was required to finalize the EPM in 2021, but a divided government shared with Republican Governor Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich stymied the quest to secure a green light for the manual. Hobbs and Brnovich were also mired in an ongoing political feud, which resulted in legal bar charges that the Secretary of State brought against the state’s top prosecutor and several of his attorneys. After receiving Hobbs’ updated manual, Brnovich sued the SOS “to compel her production of a lawful EPM.” Brnovich alleged that “the SOS failed to provide the Governor and Attorney General with a lawful manual by October 1, 2021, as required, and instead included nearly one-hundred pages of provisions not permitted under the EPM statute.” The challenge from the former Attorney General was rendered unsuccessful, and the state was forced to revert to the previous cycle’s EPM (2019) to govern the 2022 races.

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.