Arizona’s Democratic leaders and activists are arguing that the legislature’s decision to universalize the state’s school choice program will cause segregation.
After the legislature voted to universalize the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program last week, State Senator Martín Quezada (D-Glendale) pronounced that school segregation would return.
“We are codifying segregation in our school system today,” asserted Quezada.
— Arizona Senate Democrats (@AZSenateDems) June 25, 2022
Save Our Schools Arizona (SOSAZ), the anti-school choice activist group, has accused school choice programs of discrimination consistently. SOSAZ also claimed that school choice would lead to segregation.
Similarly, State Representative Andrea Dalessandro (D-Sahuarita) has accused the state’s school choice program of discrimination.
Vouchers in both my current LD 2 and the new and RURAL LD 19 are discriminatory and don't work. https://t.co/hHY9zqrx9N
— Representative Andrea Dalessandro (@Dalessandro4AZ) May 16, 2022
The argument is a long-standing one from Dalessandro and the rest of the Democratic Party: school choice systems discriminate on the basis of race.
Some get up in arms w/ indignation when word "racism" is mentioned but ask yourself these ?. Who is hurt when funding to PUBLIC education is cut? Who is hurt if school vouchers are expanded against voters wishes? Whose voice is silenced if voting suppression laws are passed? https://t.co/BYOglm5RZ0
— Representative Andrea Dalessandro (@Dalessandro4AZ) April 4, 2021
The ongoing narrative incriminates modern school choice systems using its origins story. The first American school choice program was a form of vouchers that enabled white children to attend white-only schools in response to mandated desegregation through the 1954 Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. A year later, economist Milton Friedman released “The Role of Government in Education,” proposing a different version of the modern voucher system unrelated to the Supreme Court decision. In the decades following this initial paper, Friedman would champion the private market as a means of empowering parental choice in education, as opposed to leaving families trapped by zip code-determined schools.
FACT: Vouchers are rooted in racism and exacerbate modern segregation. Vouchers were started by opponents of desegregation and became a tool for white flight across the South in the 60s. #AZLeghttps://t.co/4xiERGHkm5
The president of the nation’s largest teacher’s union, Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers, referred to school choice systems as the “polite cousins of segregation” in 2017, following the appointment of school choice advocate and former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Although Democrats and mainstream media outlets often refer to the ESA Program as “vouchers,” the two are different. The ESA Program utilizes education scholarship accounts, which allocates funds based on per-pupil spending that can be used for approved educational expenses. By contrast, vouchers allow parents to apply public school funding to the private school of their choice.
Prior to Arizona’s universalization of its ESA Program, those eligible were largely special needs students who relied on the funds to personalize their education. Those also eligible were children in a “D” or “F”-rated school, children whose parents are active military or killed in the line of duty, foster care children, a sibling of an ESA recipient, children of a visually or hearing-impaired parent, or children living on native or tribal lands.
Governor Doug Ducey asserted that universal school choice was the “gold standard” for education. That remark prompted former state representative and withdrawn attorney general candidate Diego Rodriguez to reassert the claim that the program would result in segregation.
We will vote this down again. We wont let you recreate segregation while you kill public schools by draining their resources for your rich friends.
Drew Anderson begs to differ with Democratic leadership’s claims. The South Phoenix Pastor, a registered Democrat, has testified in the Arizona State Capitol and elsewhere repeatedly about how school choice rescued him from failing school systems and a life of crime, dubbed the “school-to-prison pipeline.” The pastor would go on to become a successful NFL player empowered to lift his family out of poverty.
In a statement to AZ Free News, Anderson contended that school choice would actually undo current segregation enforced by a lack of school choice.
“That is truly so false! Many public schools right now are segregated because the kids in a certain zip code are predominately white, black, or brown,” remarked Anderson. “So, school choice isn’t going to lead to segregation, it’s going to lead to competition for seats in the best schools in Arizona.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizonans will pay an average of 17 percent more for their July 4 cookout than last year due to the inflation and supply chain crises. That averages $10 more for 10 people.
Nearly all staples increased by double digit percentages:
2 pounds of ground beef increased 36 percent — $8.18 to $11.12
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts increased 33 percent — $6.76 to $8.99
32 ounces of pork and beans increased 33 percent — $1.90 to $2.53
3 pounds of center cut pork chops increased 31 percent — $11.65 to $15.26
2.5 quarts of fresh-squeezed lemonade increased 22 percent — $3.63 to $4.43
2.5 pounds of homemade potato salad increased 19 percent — $2.75 to $3.27
8 hamburger buns increased 16 percent — $1.67 to $1.93
Half-gallon of vanilla ice cream increased 10 percent — $4.69 to $5.16
13-ounce bag of chocolate chip cookies increased 7 percent — $4.03 to $4.31
Certain foods declined in cost: strawberries by 86 cents, sliced cheese by 48 cents, and potato chips by 22 cents.
The data came from the latest American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) survey. As of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index report from May, inflation in Arizona is at a historic high, rising over eight percent in one year with Phoenix bearing the worst of it at 11 percent.
For last year’s July 4 celebrations, the Biden administration boasted that they helped Americans save an average of 16 cents on cookout foods.
Planning a cookout this year? Ketchup on the news. According to the Farm Bureau, the cost of a 4th of July BBQ is down from last year. It’s a fact you must-hear(d). Hot dog, the Biden economic plan is working. And that’s something we can all relish. pic.twitter.com/7h9qLauIbC
The White House claim was widely criticized, and its corresponding tweet was heavily ratioed: over 23,400 comments and over 17,300 quote tweets, a majority of which were negative, with only over 11,200 likes.
The White House account does not get ratio’d very often but the “we saved you .16 cents on potato chips from last year” has done it.
Critics like Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) pointed out that gas prices at the time were at a seven-year high, or a 42 percent increase from 2020. At present, gas prices are hitting all-time highs in recent weeks — even with adjustments for inflation.
Apparently, no one at the Biden @WhiteHouse has been to the gas station recently.
The average price for a gallon of gas is $3.15.
This is the HIGHEST price for a gallon of gas since 2014 and a 42% INCREASE from last year.
Additionally, last year’s Fourth of July food costs may not have been as good as the White House claimed. The Washington Examiner pointed out that the White House ignored certain food items that rose in price: hamburger buns, potato salad, chicken breasts, chocolate chip cookies, and strawberries. The report noted that the Department of Agriculture data reflected an overall increase in food prices of 1.4 percent.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Most Arizonans will spend July 4 watching fireworks after spending the day with family and friends appreciating the many freedoms they enjoy compared to citizens of every other country.
But the Tucson Women’s March has announced a “F**k The 4th” event for attendees to “bring their anger” to Reid Park at 7 p.m. The event was promoted Friday morning on Twitter by the Pima County Democratic Party, who quickly deleted the tweet and accompanied flyer.
The tweet, however, was seen and saved by many people, including leaders of the Arizona Democratic Party. And while party leaders insisted they did not agree with the language used to publicize the event, they did not reject the intent behind it.
The Arizona Democratic Party does not agree with the language used to publicize a 4th of July event happening in Tucson. We believe there can be room for both celebration and criticism. That is at the core of American freedom.
— Arizona Democratic Party (@azdemparty) July 1, 2022
In another tweet, the Arizona Democratic Party also supported the event’s “let’s mourn” theme even though attendees are set to arrive at the popular park at 7 p.m. while it will be full of families celebrating the holiday.
We are in solidarity with Arizonans who are grieving right now over the Supreme Court, the loss of freedom for many, and other political turmoil.
— Arizona Democratic Party (@azdemparty) July 1, 2022
By Friday afternoon the Pima County Dems returned to Twitter in a series of tweets which vacillated between an apology and a statement of defiance in support of the “F**k the 4th” event.
“The event was organized to help women in our community grieve for the loss of their bodily autonomy, which we consider an elemental right,” one of the group’s tweets read, while another conceded the graphic nature of the flyer advertising the event “was in poor taste.”
But a third tweet on the subject appeared to take a “the end justifies the means” position.
3/3 Our posting of the graphic upset some people. We urge you to save your outrage for the women in this state who will die of botched abortions. Arizona is not a good place to be a woman right now.
— Pima County Democratic Party (@PimaDems) July 1, 2022
State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita expressed disgust at the event being held in conjunction with Independence Day celebrations.
This since deleted tweet by the @PimaDems is disgusting. However, it serves as a reminder of who we are up against this November. Instead of championing ideas and a vision, the Un-American party, aka the Democratic Party, has decided to stoke hate and divisiveness. pic.twitter.com/Qvl1M2i6LN
— Michelle Ugenti-RITA (@MichelleUgenti) July 2, 2022
And Ben Petersen of the Republican National Committee used Twitter to ask if several Democratic Party leaders in Arizona planned to attend the event or intended to denounce it.
The Democrat Party deleted its tweet, but screenshots are forever.
On Tuesday, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office lost an officer to gunfire: Sergeant Richard Lopez, 51. Lopez’s death marked the second officer killed in the line of duty this year. White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department Officer Adrian Lopez, Sr., was killed by gunfire on June 2.
BREAKING NEWS: YCSO DEPUTY SHOT IN LINE OF DUTY. SUSPECT BARRICADED CORDES LAKES – (June 28, 2022) – YCSO is working a scene where a deputy has been shot in Cordes Lakes. The suspect has barricaded himself and SWAT has been called out. No further update.
— Yavapai Co Sheriff's Office (@YavapaiSheriff) June 28, 2022
According to the latest National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) counts released earlier this month, there have been 14 officers shot in the line of duty so far this year in Arizona. Since that report, at least one unidentified Phoenix police officer was shot. That’s more than double the total number of officers shot last year (six). Only one law enforcement official, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Group Supervisor Michael Garbo, was killed by gunfire last year.
National attention fixated on the increased violence against officers last December when Phoenix Police Officer Tyler Moldovan sustained near-fatal injuries from eight gunshot wounds. At the time, Moldovan hadn’t yet received his official police badge. He finally received it on Sunday.
"I'm really proud of you" ⁰ Officer Tyler Moldovan was shot in the line of duty before he could get his official Phoenix Police Department badge.
According to the FOP, ambush-style attacks on law enforcement nationwide increased by 115 percent last year.
Lopez was in pursuit of a theft suspect, later found barricaded in his home and placed in custody on first-degree murder charges. In a press conference on Tuesday, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said they wouldn’t divulge more on the arrest because they lacked the details. The Arizona Department of Public Safety has taken over the investigation.
— Yavapai Co Sheriff's Office (@YavapaiSheriff) June 29, 2022
Governor Doug Ducey was one of many who condemned the lawlessness that led to Lopez’s death.
This is truly terrible. Arizona stands together against this kind of lawlessness. Our thoughts are with Sgt. Richard Lopez’s family, friends and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office colleagues during this tragic time. https://t.co/mhReDmz84E
Sheriff David Rhodes shared that Lopez was known affectionately as “R-Lo,” and a regular participant of the community outreach event for underprivileged or struggling families, “Shop With a Cop.” Lopez leaves behind a wife and two daughters.
“I can’t think of anything low enough to speak of this shooter, this person that decided to take this life. We’re hurt,” said Rhodes. “I’ll tell you this — the violence against law enforcement, it’s escalating everywhere. And it has got to stop.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Wednesday, Unilever sold its Ben & Jerry’s business in Israel to its current licensee, American Quality Products (AQP), effectively reversing the ice cream brand’s boycott of Israeli-occupied territory they believed belonged to Palestinians, or “Occupied Palestinian Territory” (OPT). The move came about six months before Ben & Jerry’s license agreement there was set to expire. Ben & Jerry pledged to continue selling in Israel through a different arrangement after that — just not within OPT.
The British consumer goods conglomerate asserted in a press release that they weren’t supportive of Ben & Jerry’s boycott, which they implied was antisemitic. The company explained that it was slow to take action on the boycott, which began last July, because they wanted to conduct an extensive review with parties involved, including the Israeli government.
“Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance. Antisemitism has no place in any society. We have never expressed any support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement and have no intention of changing that position,” wrote Unilever.
The conglomerate expressed hope that the Israeli and Palestinian governments could reach a peaceful resolution in their conflict.
Ben & Jerry’s insisted that their boycott wasn’t rooted in antisemitism.
Ben & Jerry’s boycotted the Israel-occupied area last July in response to controversy over Israeli forces along the West Bank, which the company asserted was an illegal incursion. In response, State Treasurer Kimberly Yee divested Unilever of state funds in September. The state originally had around $143 million invested in the conglomerate.
At the time, Yee pointed to Arizona law prohibiting state funds from going to entities that boycott Israel.
“I gave Unilever PLC, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, an ultimatum: reverse the action of Ben & Jerry’s or divest itself of Ben & Jerry’s to come into compliance with Arizona law or face the consequences. They chose the latter,” said Yee. “It does not matter how much investment Unilever PLC has in Israel, with Ben & Jerry’s decision to no longer sell its product in the West Bank, the companies are in violation of the law in Arizona. Arizona will not do business with companies that are attempting to undermine Israel’s economy and blatantly disregarding Arizona’s law.”
On Thursday, Yee issued a formal statement commending Unilever for reversing Ben & Jerry’s boycott. However, the treasurer didn’t pledge to restore the divested funds immediately. Yee shared that her office would review Unilever before deciding to reinvest.
“[I] continue to be concerned about the woke decisions of Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors,” remarked Yee in closing.
I am pleased that Unilever overturned the decision made by Ben & Jerry's and changed their course of action to boycott Israel as I had requested in September of 2021. I continue to be concerned about the woke decisions of Ben & Jerry's Board of Directors. See full statement: pic.twitter.com/GSoJWdR6uF
In a statement, Ben & Jerry’s expressed that they didn’t support Unilever’s decision.
“We continue to believe it is inconsistent with Ben & Jerry’s values for our ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” stated the company.
We are aware of the Unilever announcement. While our parent company has taken this decision, we do not agree with it.
AZ Free News sampled 46 legislators’ latest campaign finance reports of the state legislature and found that 22 of 47 legislators sampled received 50 percent or more of their campaign contributions from either lobbyists or PACs.
PACs and lobbyists have significant footing in the legislature. That would explain why the first week of January is known as “hell week” within the legislature — not because they’re in preparation for the new session kicking off, but because lobbyists are scrambling to fundraise for legislators. Arizona law prohibits legislators from receiving lobbyist campaign contributions while in regular session.
The following are state legislators that receive 50 percent or more of their campaign funds from PACs and lobbyists combined:
In the House, Richard Andrade (D-Glendale), about 51 percent; Ben Toma (R-Peoria), about 56 percent; Lorenzo Sierra (D-Avondale), about 62 percent; Steve Kaiser (R-Phoenix), about 64 percent; John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), about 64 percent; Rusty Bowers (R-Mesa), about 64 percent; Diego Espinoza (D-Tolleson), about 66 percent; Joanne Osborne (R-Goodyear), about 74 percent; David Cook (R-Globe), about 75 percent; Justin Wilmeth (R-Phoenix), about 79 percent; John Fillmore (R-Apache Junction), about 83 percent; Tim Dunn (R-Yuma), about 87 percent; and Kelli Butler (D-Paradise Valley), about 96 percent.
In the Senate, Vince Leach (R-Tucson), about 53 percent; T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge), about 56 percent; David Gowan (R-Sierra Vista), about 71 percent; Rosanna Gabaldon (D-Sahuarita), about 73 percent; Lupe Contreras (D-Avondale), about 75 percent; Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu City), about 79 percent; Tyler Pace (R-Mesa), about 82 percent; Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye), about 90 percent; and David Livingston (R-Peoria), about 91 percent.
Of note, all of Gowan’s 32 contributions came from outside of his district — 28 came from Maricopa County. Additionally, $5,000 of Gowan’s $8,950 non-lobbyist contributions came from Phoenix Coyotes owner Alex Merulo.
Butler received over $10,000 from the Tucson branch of one of the largest labor unions in the country: the United Food and Commercial Workers (UCFW). Her PAC contributions totaled $13,000, and $150 of her individual contributions were from lobbyists. There were several inactive lobbyist donors among the individual contributions totaling $250. In all, Butler’s total contributions were over $13,700.
Wilmeth’s ten non-lobbyist donors included three inactive lobbyists and one wife of an inactive lobbyist.
Five legislators sampled reportedly received less than 10 percent of funds from PACs and lobbyists: Morgan Abraham, about 4 percent; Quang Nguyen, about 7 percent; Judy Burges, about 7 percent; Amish Shah, about 7 percent; and Joseph Chaplik, about 8 percent.
There were several legislators sampled that we couldn’t review because their reports haven’t been filed yet — even though they were due well over two months ago.
State Representative Alma Hernandez (D-Tucson) still hasn’t filed her campaign finance report due April 15. Hernandez has been late consistently since her first year in office (2018), accruing $3,500 in fines altogether. Her latest campaign finance report, which she has yet to file, is 76 days late and she owed $1,675 currently — her highest single fine to date. It took Hernandez 69 extra days to file her 2021 cumulative finance report: it was due January 15, but she filed it March 25.
Just over half of Hernandez’s individual donors from her last report, the cumulative one for 2021, were from out of state and made up the majority of those contributions: $5,980 versus the $3,920 from Arizona. Among them were several prominent figures in the Jewish community including acclaimed author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s son, Elisha Wiesel, as well as Broadway star Jonah Platt.
State Senator Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-Tucson) did file her report on time — but like Hernandez, over half of the individual contributors on her latest campaign finance report were from out of state.
It appears that the Hernandez siblings are alike when it comes to campaign finance reports. Since the year his sister took office, Hernandez grew increasingly tardy with filing the reports. For two separate 2020 reports, he accrued over $5,100 in fines. His 2021 cumulative report was filed late by 67 days, and he was fined $1,450 for that. Both the Hernandez siblings are 76 days late on their first quarter report.
Another perennially tardy filer is State Representative César Chávez (D-Maryvale). Like Hernandez, he is 76 dates late and owes $1,675, but for his senate campaign’s first quarter report. Chávez was also late by 58 days to file his senate campaign’s 2021 cumulative report, owing $1,225.
Similarly to Hernandez, Chávez has a history of late filings, the highest of which were 121 days late to file his 2020 pre-general election filing, 163 days late to file his 2016 pre-general election report, and 953 days late to file his 2016 first report for the fourth quarter and post-general election report.
One interesting campaign finance report came from State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff). The report totaled nearly 600 pages, with 586 dedicated to individual contributions alone that totaled nearly $360,000. No lobbyists could be discerned among the over 7,000 contributors, and over 1,600 of them were Arizonans. A vast majority were retired, nearly 4,500 of them, bolstered by the self-employed and small business owners.
Only one PAC donated to Rogers: the Save America PAC gave one contribution of $5,000 in January.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
