A long-time United States Senator was recently honored by the President and Arizona’s governor.
Late last month, President Joe Biden traveled to Arizona to announce the pending construction of the John S. McCain Education and Community Center.
In his remarks, the president said, “I have come to honor the McCain Institute and Library because they are a home of a proud Republican who put his country first. Our commitment should be no less because democracy should unite all Americans, regardless of political affiliation.”
Biden added, “Our institutions and our democracy are not just of government. The institutions of democracy depend on the Constitution and our character and the habits of our hearts and minds. Institutions like the McCain Institute and the new McCain Library that will be built at Arizona State University with the funding from the American Rescue Plan, which I signed into law when I came to office. A library that’s going to house John’s archives, host dialogue and debate, inspire future leaders around the world, to serve tens of thousands underserved Arizonans as a reminder of our obligation to one another.”
Governor Hobbs was in attendance for the announcement and issued the following statement after the conclusion of the event: “With today’s announcement of the McCain Library, the stories of Senator McCain’s bold defense of Americans’ rights both at home and abroad will become much more than just stories. Everything ranging from advancing human rights, to developing capable leaders, to safeguarding democracy, will run through this center, just as it has run through Arizona. I am proud to make this investment in our state and our community, and I am so looking forward to what we will accomplish together.”
The Governor’s Office shared that “the State of Arizona was instrumental in securing funding for the Library, leading the application through the federal government’s Capital Projects Fund.” The Office also revealed that the new building “included a visitors’ center, conference center, an Arizona home for the Washington, DC-based McCain Institute, and a McCain Library and Archives.”
Arizona State University President Michael Crow said, “John McCain is an important symbol of American democracy, and he holds a special place of respect and appreciation in Arizona and with Arizona State University. We will work with others around the country and in the community to take this unique portion of the ASU Tempe campus and create a place that honors his extraordinary life and legacy, serves the principles he devoted his life and career to, and carries that legacy forward for future generations to learn from.”
According to reports, the library is expected to encompass over 80,000 square feet on a 22-acre property on the sprawling ASU Tempe campus.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Phoenix officers and residents have expressed concerns that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will use a consent decree to take over the Phoenix Police Department (PPD), as they have done for several dozen other major cities across the country.
Activists accused the DOJ of using a rinse-and-repeat playbook: launching opaque investigations into police departments over alleged misconduct that invariably churn out multimillion-dollar consent decrees containing politicized departmental reforms that result in higher crime rates.
Arizona Women of Action (AZWOA), a right-leaning grassroots nonprofit, said they have received emails from police officers expressing concern over Phoenix entering into a consent decree. AZWOA urged their network to have the Phoenix City Council oppose a consent decree in a press release.
“Please VOTE NO to a DOJ consent decree, and protect our city from high crime and high costs that come with it,” stated AZWOA. “Simply issue a letter of acknowledgement instead of taking on the costly and unnecessary Federal Monitor and decree.”
Consent decrees came to be during former President Bill Clinton’s first term in office under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, with the specific goal of remedying alleged civil rights violations based on alleged patterns or practices of racial discrimination or excessive use of force. Under a consent decree, a city agrees to federal reforms and monitoring outlined as Recommended Remedial Measures (RRM) within a court-enforced settlement agreed upon by the city and DOJ. Should a city refuse an agreement, the DOJ will then sue the city to ensure compliance.
The DOJ began investigating PPD in August 2021. Their investigation focuses on types of force used, retaliatory activity against First Amendment-protected activity, discriminatory policing, unlawful seizures or disposals of homeless belongings, and responses to disabled individuals.
In August, two years after initiating their investigation, the DOJ and city of Phoenix offered an update. PPD provided over 20,000 body-worn camera videos, 80,000 documents, 200 hours of ride-alongs, and access to trainings at Phoenix Police Academy to DOJ investigators. PPD Interim Chief Michael Sullivan indicated in a video corresponding with the two-year update that PPD would seek to be independent of DOJ oversight.
“We need to be a self-assessing, self-correcting agency, and that’s not just something that we say,” said Sullivan.
Albuquerque, New Mexico; Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Ferguson, Missouri; Los Angeles County, California; Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Newark, New Jersey; Portland, Oregon; the Puerto Rico Police Department; Seattle, Washington; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Suffolk County, New York are among those major cities who have operated under a DOJ consent decree.
These consent decrees come at a great cost, with cities paying anywhere from several to tens of millions annually. Cleveland taxpayers have paid anywhere from $6 million to $11 million annually since 2015.
Part of the great cost comes from independent monitors charged with ensuring law enforcement’s compliance with the consent decree. Albuquerque has paid out millions to its independent monitor: six figures a month, totaling about $11 million since his work began in 2015. The monitor has made over $1.5 million annually, despite reportedly not living in the city. What’s more, investigative reporters found in April that Albuquerque’s violent crime rate has doubled since DOJ oversight began in 2015. Albuquerque Police Officers Association president Shaun Willoughby said that DOJ oversight has cost much for worsening returns.
“We have spent millions upon millions upon millions of taxpayers’ dollars, for what?” said Willoughby. “What did you get, Albuquerque? What did you receive out of this process but higher crime, a smaller police department, and you’re waiting longer for calls? That’s it.”
Consent decree timelines are subject to change as well.
Despite the worsening crime conditions, Albuquerque may only leave the consent decree if it achieves 95 percent operational compliance; as of May, the city had achieved 92 percent. The city originally agreed in 2015 to attempt full compliance within four years, or 2019, but has been kept under the agreement for over eight years now.
Studies have linked consent decrees to excess crime. A 2020 Harvard University report claimed that consent decrees created the conditions for 900 excess homicides and nearly 34,000 excess felonies.
Axios found that seven of 12 agencies experienced jumps in violent crime rates within the two years after enacting a consent decree.
Earlier this month, Law Officer reported that the city of Phoenix posted a job opening for a DOJ policy writer — despite the DOJ not having yet completed its investigation. The job listing appears to have since been removed.
“We aren’t sure what is happening in Phoenix but the DOJ has not even completed an investigation and it appears that officials within the city are simply assuming that they will be under a DOJ Consent Decree?” questioned the report.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The city of Phoenix will supplement its drinking water supply using recycled wastewater as early as 2030.
Last week, the city approved the expenditure of over $30.4 million to reopen the Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant (CCWRP) that closed in 2009 amid the Great Recession. In all, construction of the plant is projected to exceed $300 million.
The Black & Veatch Corporation (BV) will oversee construction of the CCWRP. Upon its completion, the plant will treat eight million gallons of wastewater daily.
BV is a global construction company specializing in energy, water, telecommunications, and government services headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, with self-reported U.S. revenues of over $4.25 billion last year.
The EPA defines the process of deriving drinking water from treated wastewater as “potable water reuse.”
Phoenix trails behind the city of Scottsdale, which has been the only facility in the state permitted for a pilot program of recycling wastewater into drinking water since 2018. Scottsdale Water Executive Director Brian Biesemeyer said that wastewater recycled into drinking water could hit Scottsdale homes as early as 2025.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is anticipated to propose rulemaking on drinkable, recycled wastewater by the end of this year.
The state of California announced earlier this summer that it planned to establish wastewater recycling systems to reclaim wastewater as drinking water, known as direct potable reuse. Currently, California puts recycled wastewater into an underground aquifer that naturally filters and purifies the water, known as indirect potable reuse.
The CCWRP officially closed due to slow population growth in the surrounding area, after beginning operations in 2002.
The city gave BV $660,000 in July 2017 to conduct a Phase I Feasibility Study to identify design limitations, alternatives for improved performance, and opportunities for reducing operational costs.
In December 2019, following completion of the study, the city gave BV an additional award ceiling of up to $25 million for additional engineering services for CCWRP. This included construction documents, construction administration, and inspection services.
By February 2020, the city gave BV over $12.3 million for the study, additional engineering services, as well as another expanded scope of services, as part of Phase II of the CCWRP.
This $30.4 million to BV falls within their Phase III plans for the CCWRP.
Last November, the city approved an additional $5 million for BW’s services.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A year-long legislative effort finally came to fruition for an Arizona community.
Late last week, Arizona State Representative Alexander Kolodin and Senator Justine Wadsack announced that the Rio Verde Foothills community once again – and finally – had access to water.
The water is back on in Rio Verde Foothills Monday. Thank God, it's done at last. Thank you to all my colleagues who helped make this possible. We can come together to solve our challenges, we really can. pic.twitter.com/nazs0Gp4Aj
In a joint statement, Kolodin and Wadsack said, “After more than a year of failed attempts to resolve the issue, today we stand in celebration as water flows once more to the residents of Rio Verde Foothills. Three months ago, we sent a bill to Hobbs urging she sign the legislation to help restore water for over 700 residents that had relied on the City of Scottsdale for over 30 years. At that time, we applauded the community’s resolve and said, ‘Hold on tight, relief is on the way!’ We are elected to office to get things done for the people of Arizona. Where every other level of government failed, this Republican majority delivered.”
✅FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE✅
Representative Kolodin and Senator Wadsack Celebrate Restoration of Water Access for Residents of Rio Verde Foothills
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Friday, October 6, 2023) – Arizona State Representative Alex Kolodin and Senator Justine Wadsack today issued… pic.twitter.com/89eCPlCG0D
— AZ Senator Justine Wadsack (@Wadsack4Arizona) October 7, 2023
The “X” account for the Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe District also acknowledged the development in this ongoing saga, writing, “Official per RVFSD: The water will flow on Monday 10/9. Thank you to the board for your work, and tireless effort, countless meetings, emails, and support of community partners. Thank you to the City of Scottsdale and EPCOR. Thank you to all who helped. Moving forward!”
🚨🚨🚨 Official per RVFSD: The water will flow on Monday 10/9. Thank you to the board for your work, and tireless effort, countless meetings, emails, and support of community partners. Thank you to the City of Scottsdale and EPCOR. Thank you to all who helped. Moving forward!
— Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe District💧 (@rvfsdaz) October 7, 2023
State Representative Laura Terech also weighed in on the situation, adding, “I am relieved to see water access restored to the Rio Verde Foothills!”
I am relieved to see water access restored to the Rio Verde Foothills! https://t.co/mKr7WjtrTP
Few legislators worked with more intensity at the Arizona Legislature over this issue than Kolodin in the recently completed session. It was Kolodin’s HB 2561 that was added onto SB 1432 as an amendment before both chambers sent the bill to the Governor’s Office. After SB 1432 passed the legislature, Kolodin thanked many of his colleagues, including Senator John Kavanaugh, Wadsack, Terech, and Representative David Cook, for their efforts in ensuring the proposal’s success. Kolodin wrote, “This is not the first water crisis Arizona has faced and it will not be the last. But, today, we proved that the era of kicking the can down the road is over. This legislature is ready, willing, and able to roll up its sleeves and solve the problem – together.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
State lawmakers continue to express messages of sympathy and support for Israel, following the unprovoked and shocking terrorist attacks from this past weekend.
This week, many Arizona elected officials added to the bipartisan crescendo of voices in Israel’s corner. On Tuesday, House Speaker Ben Toma issued a statement, saying, “Hamas’ actions amount to terrorism, plain and simple. There is no place for their hateful ideology in any society and their violent actions of anti-Semitism must be stopped. Israel has a right to live in freedom and to defend their land from these barbaric terrorists. We strongly condemn the senseless acts of violence against the people of Israel and support their right to defend themselves. We stand unequivocally with our Israeli brothers and sisters and grieve with those who have lost loved ones to these unprovoked atrocities. May their memories be a blessing and may justice be swiftly delivered.”
✅FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE✅ Representative@RepBenToma and @AZHouseGOP Condemn Unprecedented Attacks on Israel: "Hamas' actions amount to terrorism, plain and simple. Israel has a right to live in freedom and to defend their land from these barbaric terrorists. We strongly condemn… pic.twitter.com/gWVbDH1XwR
State Senator Frank Carroll also put out a statement in support of Israel on Tuesday. He said, “Arizonans should pray for our ally Israel, the lives lost and those in harm’s way. We also need to be vigilant in these trying times. To predict the future, one only needs to understand the past. The 20th century is rich in history about events that led up to the midcentury global conflict. Here we go again. It should be clear where this is heading. God help us.”
In addition to the statements, hundreds of Arizonans, as well as a bipartisan coalition of government officials, attended a Monday night event in Scottsdale to show solidarity for Israel. From that event, Attorney General Kris Mayes posted, “Shoulder-to-shoulder in support of Israel.”
— County Attorney Rachel Mitchell (@Rachel1Mitchell) October 10, 2023
On Monday night, Governor Katie Hobbs also announced that the Executive Tower was lit ‘blue’ in a demonstration of support for the staunch American ally.
To the people of Israel: Arizona stands with you. Tonight, the Executive Tower is blue in solidarity. 🇮🇱
In a since-deleted article, “Three Women-Led Organizations That Helped Flip Arizona Blue,” principal actors behind several of the most powerful leftist dark money organizations in the state bragged about engineering Democratic voter turnout in the 2020 election.
Vianey Olivarria, then-communications director and current executive director for Chispa AZ, credited work done by her organization and others to turn out Democratic voters. Olivarria also served as a director of Activate 48, a coalition of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) organizations.
“Arizona turning blue is a victory a decade in the making and owed to the tireless work and dedication of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people who organize for justice and liberation,” stated Olivarria.
Chispa AZ is a 501(c)(4) project of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), another 501(c)(4), and sponsored by Way to Win, a national donor network aimed at defeating Republican candidates. Way to Win served as the sponsor to Progress Arizona, formerly and once again led by Gov. Katie Hobbs’ ousted spokeswoman Josselyn Berry.
Per the IRS, a 501(c)(4) organization may engage in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to candidates so long as those activities aren’t the organization’s primary activity.
Discrepancies exist in various organizations’ tax returns disclosing contributions to Chispa AZ’s political arm, Chispa AZ PAC. Neither “Chispa AZ” or “Chispa AZ PAC” exist within the IRS database. Also, Chispa AZ has claimed the same EIN as LCV publicly; however, different organizations’ tax returns have cited multiple, nonexistent EINs for Chispa AZ.
In their 2018,2019, and 2020 tax returns, LCV listed an EIN number for Chispa AZ PAC that yielded no results in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization database. In their 2019 tax return, LCV listed an organization called Fuerte Arts Movement for the Chispa AZ PAC’s address, and listed the same EIN number from 2018. They used the EIN again in their tax return.
In the 2019, 2020, and 2021 tax returns from the California-based Grove Action Fund, a different address and EIN number from that used by LCV were listed for Chispa AZ PAC. The listed address was the correct address for Chispa AZ; however, the EIN listed also doesn’t exist in the IRS database.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona’s 2020 tax return listed that same nonexistent EIN number as well, and offered the Fuerte Arts Movement address.
Tax returns from the Green Advocacy Project (2020) and the Wilderness Society Action Fund (2019) also listed the nonexistent EIN given by LCV, but listed the correct address.
Publicly collected data reflects that Chispa AZ PAC has managed at least around $8.5 million in contributions since 2017. Yet, Chispa AZ has claimed to have total revenues of nearly $26.9 million, net assets of over $18.4 million, and expenses of over $18.9 million.
Chispa AZ is also part of MiAZ, a coalition of nonprofits focused on turning out minority voters.
Other Chispa organizations exist in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, and Texas.
Chispa AZ isn’t the only dark money entity lacking a clear IRS status to have an outsized impact for Democrats in recent elections. There’s also the two Arizona Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AZ AANHPI) related organizations: AZ AANHPI for Equity and AZ AANHPI Advocates. Although AZ AANHPI wasn’t featured in the deleted 2020 article, their communications director was: Alexa Rio-Osaki. She spoke on behalf of a different dark money nonprofit also part of MiAZ: Our Voice, Our Vote.
“We’re doing what we can to ensure everyone’s represented,” said Rio-Osaki.
Rio-Osaki has her hands in multiple leftist dark money organizations: in addition to AZ AANHPI and Our Voice, Our Vote, Rio-Osaki served as the director of Progress Arizona.
Recently, AZ AANHPI for Equity has engaged in lawfare against non-party conservative organizations, demanding transparency of private documents while operating in the dark itself.
AANHPI for Equity and AZ AANHPI Advocates have independent websites, social media pages, and staff, yet the pair are presented as one entity in multiple locations (for example, on the AZ AANHPI for Equity “about us” page). Both were founded in July 2020 by Jennifer Chau, who has served as the director for AZ AANHPI for Equity, an unspecified nonprofit, and executive director for AZ AANHPI Advocates, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, since their inception according to her LinkedIn page.
According to the IRS, AZ AANHPI Advocates had its federal tax exempt status automatically revoked in mid-May for not filing any tax forms in the entire three years of its existence (EIN:85-2344934). The IRS issued its revocation posting earlier this month. No IRS records exist for AZ AANHPI for Equity.
Yet, both organizations’ websites continue to solicit donations and market themselves as nonprofits. The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) awarded AZ AANHPI Advocates good standing for its status as a nonprofit in mid-July as well. No ACC records exist for AZ AANHPI for Equity.
Like Chispa AZ, AZ AANHPI has used EIN numbers of another organization in receipt of funds. In 2021, AZ AANHPI for Equity received $25,000 from Solidago Foundation and gave the EIN belonging to One Arizona, the 30-nonprofit coalition to which all five Arabella Advisors nonprofit arms issued funds. Also that year, AZ AANHPI made its name synonymous with “One Arizona” and used its EIN in its receipt of $35,000 in funding from Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
On its website, AZ AANHPI Advocates discloses that it receives funding from top leftist dark money organizations The Future We Need and Arizona Wins!. The listed address for The Future We Need is the same address for the Arizona Education Association and Progress Now Arizona (now Progress Arizona); yet, no such organization as “The Future We Need” exists per ACC, the IRS, the Federal Election Commission (FEC), or the secretary of state’s campaign finance databases. There does exist a similarly-named dark left political action committee (PAC) entity, “The Future We Want.”
In their entire three years of advocacy and fundraising, only AZ AANHPI Advocates had any campaign finance records filed within the state: just one receipt of $10,000 from Invest in Arizona in August 2021, for “signature gathering.” According to the secretary of state’s campaign finance database, AZ AANHPI has never filed any reports on their contributions or expenditures.
The deleted article was published by Supermajority News: a project of Supermajority and the Supermajority Education Fund, the latter a project of the Arabella Advisors’ New Venture Fund. Arabella Advisors is behind one of the biggest dark money funding networks in the nation; their shadowy dealings prompted the District of Columbia attorney general to issue subpoenas to the organization last month.
Along with their Arizona-based compatriots, Supermajority will also be working to turn out more Democratic voters in the upcoming 2024 election.
Last year, Supermajority reported turning out over 959,000 voters: nearly 116,200 in Arizona. The organization had over 8,000 active members in Arizona. Supermajority reported that they ensured the turnout of 30 percent of women ages 18 to 35 years old, specifically to ensure the re-election of Sen. Mark Kelly and election of Gov. Katie Hobbs. The organization disclosed that their approach consisted of contacting female Democrat voters that sporadically voted in presidential elections but hadn’t voted in midterm elections.
“At the state level, we were able to help elect and support progressive governors who would protect and expand women’s freedoms in their states,” stated Supermajority.
Supermajority took credit for Kelly’s re-election and Hobbs’ election, declaring that 92 percent of Kelly’s margin of victory was made up of their voters and that their 116,200-voter turnout far surpassed Hobbs’ 17,100-vote margin.
The organization also noted its plans for the upcoming 2024 election: contacting 432,300 female Arizona voters who didn’t vote last year, overcoming the projected 10,500-vote victory margin, and electing a Democratic senator to take independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat. The organization also plans to target Georgia and North Carolina.
“We need a Democratic senator in AZ who will work alongside Sen. Mark Kelley [sic],” stated Supermajority.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
