by AZ Free News | Nov 10, 2021 | Economy, News
Over 700,000 jobs are expected to be created in Arizona in the next decade, according to a new report from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO).
According to the OEO report, Arizona employment is projected to increase from 3,030,216 jobs in 2020 to 3,751,905 jobs in 2030. This translates to growth of 721,689 jobs, or 2.2 percent annualized growth.
Arizona’s job growth rate will beat out—by more than 3 times—the expected overall U.S. growth rate over the same period. U.S. employment is projected to grow by 0.7 percent annually from 2020, compared to 2.2 percent in Arizona.
The largest job gains are anticipated in the Education and Health Services (23,906 jobs annually) and Professional and Business Services sector. The Education and Health Services and Construction sectors are expected to see the fastest job growth rates at 3.2 percent and 2.7 percent annualized growth respectively. The report predicts job growth in all 15 counties and all sectors excluding government.
According to a recent story, Arizona is recovering jobs lost during the pandemic faster than most other states, with the third-fastest jobs recovery in the nation. This comes on top of forecast-beating revenue collections reported by JLBC, another sign of economic strength. In addition, personal income in Arizona rose last year at a rate faster than nearly any state in the country.
Over the previous decade, Arizona employment increased by 492,645 jobs, or 1.8 percent annual change, to 3,030,216 jobs in 2020 from 2,537,571 jobs in 2010.
Arizona is leading on economic and workforce development programs. Major companies including Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Lucid Motors have selected Arizona to build and expand their operations. Arizona has emerged as the number one place for new semiconductor investments and was recently dubbed by Forbes as “U.S. Semiconductor Central.”
by AZ Free News | Nov 10, 2021 | News
Governor Doug Ducey ordered flags at all state buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Friday, November 12, 2021, to honor Maricopa County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Chad Brackman who died on Wednesday when he was struck by a vehicle.
Lieutenant Brackman, a 22-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, was struck by a vehicle while conducting traffic control in Scottsdale. He was taken to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. He is survived by his wife and children.
“Arizona is saddened by this terrible tragedy,” said Ducey. “Lieutenant Chad Brackman served his communities and our state honorably, and he had a deep devotion to public safety throughout his 22 years of service. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, along with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the entire law enforcement community. In honor of Lieutenant Brackman’s life and service, I have ordered all flags to be lowered to half-staff.”
by Corinne Murdock | Nov 9, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Invest in Arizona, a campaign to have voters overturn three Senate bills via a ballot referendum, failed a signature review for at least one of their efforts in their three-prong approach: the ballot to overturn SB1783. The Secretary of State’s attorney, Spencer Sharff, shared this information during oral arguments Friday in the case Arizona Free Enterprise Club, et al. v. Katie Hobbs, et al. (CV2021-011491). The campaign reportedly turned in over 123,500 signatures, but only 100,300 were valid. Signature reviews for the other two are underway.
Invest in Arizona characterized SB1783 as a “direct attack” on Prop 208, the ballot initiative passed last year to accrue more educational funds by imposing an additional 3.5 percent surcharge on taxpayers with an annual income over $250,000 for those filing individually or $500,000 filing jointly.
“It gives wealthy individuals a new loophole to use to avoid paying taxes,” claimed Invest in Arizona.
A ruling is pending in the case, which named both Invest in Arizona and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs as defendants. The plaintiff, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, argued that Invest in Arizona’s referendum would violate the state constitution.
“The Arizona Constitution even provides that legislative actions ‘for the support and maintenance of the departments of state government and state institutions’ may not be the subject of a referendum,” asserted the group. “And as our complaint contends, these provisions ‘provide for, and directly relate to, the generation of revenues that are remitted to the general fund and appropriated to various agencies, departments and instrumentalities of the state government.’ That means they are not referable. It also means that [Hobbs] must refuse to accept for filing, verification, or certification any petition in support of these three referendums.”
As AZ Free News reported, out-of-state donors gave millions to Invest in Arizona. One of their principal donors, the National Education Association (NEA), donated over $2.4 million, $30,000 of which Invest in Arizona refunded. The NEA has come under fire by its state associations and the nation at large after it submitted a letter to the Biden Administration requesting parents and community members protesting or getting involved in school board operations be investigated for domestic terrorism.
Just days later, the Biden Administration heeded the NEA’s request. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo directing the FBI and local agencies to investigate the NEA’s claims. It appears that the NEA was comfortable with reaching out for Garland’s assistance: they submitted formal letters of endorsement on behalf of his appointment earlier this year.
In August, the Arizona Supreme Court found that the majority of Prop 208 was “likely unconstitutional,” but remanded the case to a lower court. The justices determined that the constitutionality of the proposition wouldn’t be evident until revenue is accrued: that is, if Prop 208 exceeds the state constitution’s limits on education spending. If the trial court agrees with the supreme court’s assessment, then Prop 208 would be struck down.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Nov 9, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, members of Congress’ ultra-progressive Squad, and the rest of the Democratic Party took offense to a meme video tweeted Sunday and deleted by Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04), characterizing it as violence. The video was a parody of the intro for a popular anime show, Attack on Titan, superimposing Gosar’s face onto the protagonist, Eren Yeager, with both Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) and President Joe Biden depicted as two villains that Gosar as Yager attacks.
The faces of Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO-03) were also superimposed onto protagonists, too – the only two other Republicans featured in the video were Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) and former President Donald Trump. The video also incorporated clips of the border crisis and Border Patrol. Toward the end of the video, there are pictures of Gosar with his enemies: Biden, Pelosi, Vice President Kamala Harris, and NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Pelosi called for the government and police to investigate Gosar for the meme as a threat of violence.
“Threats of violence against Members of Congress and the President of the United States must not be tolerated,” tweeted Pelosi. “@GOPLeader should join in condemning this horrific video and call on the Ethics Committee and law enforcement to investigate.”
Pelosi’s remarks came the morning after the rallying cry of the Squad, a majority of whom tweeted similar condemnations in near-succession on Monday night.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) demanded that Republicans control Gosar.
“His party must reign him in. Fantasizing about killing a colleague is dangerous, deranged, and promotes violence,” wrote Tlaib.
Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO-01) called the meme “violent bigotry” that endangered people.
“Every day these white supremacists push the limits further and further to see how far they can go without consequences,” asserted Bush. “This puts lives in danger. Enough with the violent bigotry. Expel this white supremacist clown.”
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN-05) insinuated that Gosar should step down or be removed from his seat.
“This man should not serve in Congress. Fantasizing about violently attacking your colleagues has no place in our political discourse and society,” wrote Omar.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the video was a fantasy of a man who fundraises for Neo-Nazis killing her, and lamented that this was another attack on women of color that wouldn’t face consequences.
“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 [because] @GOPLeader [Kevin McCarthy] cheers him on with excuses. Fun Monday! Well, back to work [because] institutions don’t protect [women of color.] Remember when [Republican Florida Congressman Ted] Yoho accosted me on the the Capitol and called me a f*****g b***h [?] Remember when Greene ran after me a few months ago screaming and reaching[?] Remember when she stalked my office the first time with insurrectionists & ppl locked inside[?] All at my job and nothing ever happens[.] Anyways, back to business[.] This dude is just a collection of wet toothpicks anyway. 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.”
After the majority of the Democratic Party lobbed their condemnations against Gosar, the congressman tweeted another meme Tuesday morning alluding to left-wing reactions over the deleted video.
The meme featured two popular characters, “Crying Wojak” and “Yes Chad,” in a combination template called “Soyboy vs. Yes Chad.” The former character typically represents a frustrated male that is perceived as more woke, liberal, and soft – hence the term “soyboy.” In this meme, it’s supposed to represent the Democrats outraged by the meme.
The latter character typically represents a masculine man comfortable in his beliefs, depicted as more conservative, rational, and strong. In this case, Yes Chad represented Gosar.
“You’re [sic] cartoon scares me with your jet pack[,] flying[,] and light sabers [sic],” says the Soyboy, with the Yes Chad responding: “It’s a cartoon. Relax.”
This week marks a shift in public discourse over the meaning and significance of memes. On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) classified meme culture as “misinformation” that “poses an increasing danger” in newly-published guidance addressing COVID-19 information. The toolkit also alluded to satire as “misinformation.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Nov 8, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The vast majority of financial backers behind Yes for Safe and Efficient Gilbert Roads – a ballot measure expenditure campaign committee in support of the town’s $515 million transportation bond, which voters approved last week – are all who stand to benefit: builders, architects, general contractors, traffic data analysts, to name a few. Per the committee’s campaign finance reports, those financial backers accounted for $43,100 of the $54,850 they received since their inception.
The following is a breakdown of all those likely to benefit from passage of the transportation bond, and the donation amount associated with them:
- Arizona Chapter of Associated General Contractors of America: $15,000
- Haydon Building Corporation: $10,100
- Matthew Carpenter, COO and Senior Vice President: $10,000
- Grant Larson, PreConstruction Director: $100
- Willmeng Construction: $5,000
- Cactus Asphalt (a division of Cactus Transport Holdings): $5,000
- Josh Swartzendruber, Accounting Director
- Dibble Engineering: $2,000
- Kevin Roberts, President and Civil Engineer
- Kimley-Horn (engineering): $1,700
- Chris Woolery, Project Manager: $500
- David Leistiko, Senior Vice President and Senior Project Manager: $500
- David Rutkowski, Project Manager: $500
- Brent Mutti, Regional Project Manager: $200
- Michael Grandy, Professional Engineer: $50
- Deanna Haase, Project Manager: $50
- Wilson & Company, Engineers & Architects: $1,000
- Rebecca Timmer, Business Development Manager
- Withey Morris PLC (a prominent land use law firm): $1,000
- Adam Baugh, zoning attorney and owner
- All TrafficData Services: $1,000
- Eric Boivin, Co-Founder and CEO
- Clark Transportation Solutions: $500
- Scott Clark, President
- Kittelson & Associates: $450
- Jim Schoen, Senior Principal Engineer: $250
- David Mills, Operations Leader: $200
- HDA Architects: $250
- Bruce Scott, Principal Architect
- SUNDT: $100
- Jeff Hamilton, Project Director and Preconstruction Services
Some of the names leading the charge on in-state donors included the town’s present and former leadership: Vice Mayor Lee-Yung Koprowski gave $500, as did former mayor Jenn Daniels. Although the former mayor doesn’t own or work within an infrastructure-related company, her lobbying firm could stand to benefit as AZ Free News reported. Daniels also pushed her endorsement for the bond initiative through a text alert to Gilbert voters.
Councilwoman Kathy Tilque and Koprowski both serve as committee chairs, though the original filing for their committee didn’t name Koprowski as the chair. The committee formed in June of this year.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Terri Jo Neff | Nov 8, 2021 | News
By Terri Jo Neff |
It took more than seven years, but the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) announced last week its preferred route for the Sonoran Corridor, a 20- mile route through Pima County which will address several traffic issues, including heavy congestion and international traffic on Interstate 10 and Interstate 19 near Tucson.
“Following several years of study, technical analysis and input from communities and stakeholders, the Arizona Department of Transportation has selected a final 20.47 mile corridor through Pima County,” according to the Nov. 5 announcement, which noted several alternative routes were considered. In the end, Corridor Alternative 7 was selected.
The problem, however, is ADOT admits no funding is earmarked for the next round of environmental and engineering studies, let alone any land purchases or construction.
Plans for a Sonoran Corridor started in 2014 but kicked into drive in 2017 when ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) began a Tier 1 environmental review for a potential alternative route connecting I-10 to I-19 south of the Tucson International Airport. The overloaded highway system in that area is not only a public safety concern but also poses an impediment to future economic and population growth in the region.
The announced route connects to I-19 near El Toro Road in Sahuarita, tracks east for about two miles on a road that does not exist, then north on an extension of Alvernon Way. It then follows eastbound on the “Old Vail Connection Road” before connecting into I-10 near Rita Road and the UA Science and Technology Park.
According to ADOT, now that the preferred route for the Sonoran Corridor has identified, more studies must be conducted to further refine the selected 1,500-foot wide Sonoran Corridor and pinpoint a recommended 400-foot freeway alignment. Interchanges and other project elements also still need to be identified. Those studies are not yet funded.
The project is being developed as a phased implementation plan which allows for smaller segments of the selected corridor to advance as separate, independent projects. Additional analysis and opportunity for public / stakeholder review and comments will be available if or when ADOT secured funding to move the Sonoran Corridor forward.
A Sonoran Corridor fact sheet is available at https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/sonoran-corridor-tier-1-environmental-impact-statement/documents
