by Jason Beck | Oct 10, 2023 | Opinion
By Mayor Jason Beck |
I ran for Mayor of Peoria on the slogan of helping Peoria “Realize Its Full Potential.” When Jane and I discussed running for office, we were filled with gratitude for the great blessings Peoria has been to our family. We have created a successful business here, have a rich faith community, taken advantage of good schools, and numerous other community activities such as sports and charitable events that have connected us with so many. We had also been close to the public safety officials in Peoria and many of them told us they were not given the support they needed. With those motivations and many others, I decided to run for Mayor. During my run, I pledged to put public safety first, and so far I have kept that pledge. We have hired more police officers, given public safety raises, found ways to increase support for mental health and the culture, and right now we are looking for a new police chief to take our growing community to the next level of safety and security.
During my run for Mayor many good people wondered why I would subject myself to running for office and jokingly questioned my sanity. Now I think I understand why. Recently the Arizona Republic has run a number of hit pieces on me and the Peoria City Council for having a high standard of ethics and accountability. You read that right. We are being attacked for having high standards, instead of being celebrated for making changes the voters demanded and fulfilling our campaign pledges. I can ignore unjust criticism. It comes with any position of leadership, but I want to set the record straight on one topic because it concerns my entire council. I want to explain why I asked Councilmember Denette Dunn to resign.
First, the Peoria City Council unitedly signed a letter we gave to Councilmember Denette Dunn asking her to resign her position on the city council. We did not take that step lightly. Denette is a personal friend. She and I vote together on nearly all council related issues. She was the first member of the city council to endorse me for Mayor. She’s been a friend, a guest at my home and at my businesses. During our time together on the campaign trail, she shared her personal stories with me. I pledged to respect her privacy, supported her right to live whatever personal lifestyle she chooses, and we developed a relationship of trust.
In August it was brought to my attention that Dennette had a sex offender living in her home, who was not registered at her home. This was a serious breach of public trust in my view, and this view was shared by the councilmembers Denette serves with. The sex offender registry is designed to protect children and families so that they are aware of who is living in their neighborhood. The person living in Councilmember Dunn’s home spent a decade in jail in California for serious charges such as forcible rape, pimping, and giving hard drugs to a minor. Hearing about this, I reached out to Dennette personally before talking with the council. I wanted to hear directly from her what the situation was. When I called her to talk, she asked if she could come to my place of business to discuss the matter. When we spoke, she mentioned that the man had been living in her home with his mother most days, that he sometimes spent the weekend at his girlfriend’s home, and that he was registered at a homeless shelter in Phoenix. I warned Denette that she had not been in compliance with the law, that the purpose of the registry was for sex offenders to be registered to where they were living to notify neighbors for their safety, that she had a responsibility to comply with the law and notify the neighbors, and that this breach of public trust and public safety was not ok. I believe elected officials in a position of authority and trust need to be transparent with the public and keep public safety the top priority. Hearing this, Dennett seemed genuinely concerned and asked me what I thought she should do. I told her that she should consider stepping down to take care of her personal matters, which are many, and because of this breach of ethics and the law, she should step away. She replied that she would give it some thought.
The next day at City Hall she asked to meet in my office. She told me she was going to resign from her boards and commissions but did not want to resign from office. I did not think that was sufficient. She then asked me to do the unthinkable; she asked me to cover it up. Councilmember Dunn asked if I would get the police who had investigated the matter not to report it and said that only a few people knew about the situation. I told her I was not interested in hiding anything from our colleagues or the public. Knowing that I knew and would be sharing the facts with the council, instead of deciding to do the right thing, discuss the issue with her colleagues, or consider telling the public first, Dennette went to the Arizona Republic.
She hired a lawyer, went to the media, and accused the council of secretly trying to take away her job as a city councilmember. Of course, in the first article the Republic posted, Dunn didn’t say why the council wanted to ask her to step away from her public position. She simply said we were out to get her fired, and of course the AZ Republic wrote it!
While the council asked her to voluntarily resign, we are aware that the Peoria charter does not give us the authority to remove her from office. We did feel it our duty to ask her to do the right thing. Instead of taking accountability, Dunn has decided to go to the media, fabricate lies, and try and smear myself and my fellow councilmembers.
I’m truly disappointed in Councilmember Dunn’s behavior. We have worked together on many public policy issues, and it gave myself and the Peoria City Council no pleasure to ask her to step down. We also understand that if she does not do the right thing and hold herself accountable, it will be up to the voters of Peoria to hold her accountable. In the meantime, we will continue to do the business of the city of Peoria and not let the tabloid media distract us from the great work we continue to do to serve and protect the public with the highest ethical standards of conduct.
Sincerely, Mayor Jason Beck
Mayor Jason Beck was elected mayor by the voters of Peoria in the November 2022 election. He began serving as mayor in January 2023.
by Tiffany Benson | Oct 10, 2023 | Opinion
By Tiffany Benson |
Depravity abounds in Arizona’s public education system. From Buckeye, to Phoenix, to Tucson—and many school districts in between—the Valley is infested with radical board members, sleazy administrators, and predatory educators. All of these are working overtime to usurp parental rights and corrupt the next generation.
When creating the following list, I took into consideration cases of child sexual exploitation, race- and gender-based curricula, dangerous bathroom policies and failing test scores. Readers are cautioned against ranking these districts from “worst” to “best.” The list is purely based on the volume and severity of complaints I’ve personally investigated—seven is a very modest number!
Without further ado, here is my top seven list of Arizona’s worst school districts:
1. Mesa Public Schools. In 2015, MPS adopted a secret transgender support plan to aid in the social and sexual transition of minor students without parental knowledge. Shout out to Board Member Rachel Walden for exposing the plan. In the summer of 2023, a majority of the board, led by President Marcie Hutchinson, approved contracts for an unvetted suicide prevention program as well as Brain Solutions—a network of psychiatric clinics that appear to have no medical physicians on staff. In an alleged attempt to bypass public discussion, Hutchinson violated Open Meeting Law 7.7.5 by arranging both contracts under the Consent Agenda. Parents are in danger of losing their children to the LGBTQ+ agenda that’s overtaking this district.
2. Washington Elementary School District. In an unprecedented display of bigotry and lawlessness, WESD board members voted 5-0 to terminate student-teacher contracts with Arizona Christian University (ACU). Despite an 11-year, incident-free partnership with the college, Board Member Tamillia Valenzuela—a cat ear-wearing individual who spurns the Pledge of Allegiance—motioned to cancel ACU due to the organization’s stance on traditional marriage. Valenzuela and her vile counterpart, Board Member Nikkie Whaley, also spontaneously erupt into racist rants against their colleagues, including the night Whaley was unseated from the presidency. While the fully reinstated student-teacher contracts offer a degree of hope, past and present board members have resolved to highlight and celebrate alternative sexualities in prepubescent children. Therefore, WESD remains an unsafe and morally corrupt district.
3. Tucson Unified School District. TUSD is an unforgivable case of sexual perversion and abuse that should send every loving parent over the edge. Notwithstanding one Tucson Magnet High School (TMHS) counselor who organized the first student-led drag show on campus—and was later arrested for sexually assaulting a minor—Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo sought legal advice from Michael Areinoff to host a second event in April 2023. Another counselor and drag show organizer, “Sunday” Hamilton, serves as the point of contact for TMHS’s Q Space club. Board President Ravi Shah, who referred to drag shows as “art,” bragged about attending with his minor children and encouraged community support in the exploitation of gender confused students. Meanwhile, TUSD students are testing below 40% proficiency in math and reading across all grade levels.
4. Catalina Foothills School District. Sadly, this entire board of education, led by President Eileen Jackson, continually proves to be anti-parent, anti-student safety, and anti-common sense. In matters of sex and gender, CFSD has side-stepped parental rights at least since 2021, and in March 2023, Jackson banned all bathroom policy discussions from future agendas. One month later, several concerned CFSD citizens were locked out of the board meeting as radical activists occupied at half capacity to protest the permanent, binary reality of human sexuality. CFSD educators also feel at liberty to bypass parental consent and privately discuss gender ideologies with minor students. Shout out to the Center for Excellence in Public Schools for standing firm amid the onslaught of debauchery in this district.
5. Scottsdale Unified School District. SUSD is a never-ending nightmare of agenda-driven, moral violations. From covert gender-identity student clubs to hidden pronoun surveys, students are constantly bombarded with perversion and secular humanism. Superintendent Scott Menzel—who infamously called white people “problematic”—is the mastermind behind the leftist ideologies and corruption that appear as a recurring theme on the Scottsdale Unites media page. Board President Julie Cieniawski and Board Member Libby Hart-Wells are known to display a lack of decorum as they bully, interrupt, and chastise their colleagues…and anyone else they can’t control. What a shame that Scottsdale’s next generation is being raised by wolves.
6. Chandler Unified School District. During the CUSD board meeting on July 12, 2023, the CFO’s report revealed a steady decline of student enrollments, prompting Board Member Kurt Rohrs to ask:“Why don’t parents want to send their kids to our schools?” The superintendent astutely pointed to parental choice while Board President Jason Olive—in an apparent case of narcissism and willful ignorance—stated: “It sounds like there’s a lot of parents who just don’t know any better…” Perhaps Olive slept through CUSD employees encouraging minors to attend gender utopia workshops, and the district’s alleged cover up of a teacher who reportedly sexually assaulted multiple students. Of course, only the best school district promotes immorality and graduates half its students without basic math and reading skills.
7. Peoria Unified School District. This anti-parental rights district is the epitome of corruption and subversion. Since my last op-ed, interim Superintendent Kevin Molino is now overseeing plans for a third bathroom—an open concept, transgender-friendly facility that offers biological females no protection. Rather than announce the plan, Molino is conducting private meetings with select parents, administrators, and constituents (my meeting with him was a waste of time). Molino acts as if he’s listening but assures community members there’s “nothing he can do” to help during his short-term appointment. Well, at least he’s not lying. Meanwhile, the biological boy—with unrestricted access to female spaces on campus—allegedly assaulted a fellow student. Most parents also don’t know that Chief Student Service Officer Jason Nuttall is researching how to effectively profile children and report data to the federal government via MTSS (“multi-tiered system of support”).
Honorable mention: One-n-ten. While this technically isn’t a school district (yet), One-n-ten is the parent organization of the “Queer Blended Learning Center” in Phoenix. With a mission to “provide LGBTQ and Straight Allied Youth a welcoming and safe space to earn their high school diploma,” QBLC now accepts ESA vouchers to cover tuition for gender-confused middle school students. When One-n-ten hosted sex and gender spring break activities this year, teachers and counselors in Chandler Unified School District gladly made recommendations. At best this is moral kidnapping, at worst our tax dollars are financing the emotional, mental, and sexual exploitation of minors.
Whether readers agree or disagree with my picks on this list, it’s obvious that district representatives and government employees are coming after our children. As long as parents and fearful teachers remain ignorant and silent, mayhem and perversion will increase its presence and influence across the Valley. It’s time to wake up, pay attention, show up, and speak at board meetings. Don’t stop asking questions. Never go silent. Confront the perpetrators and issues that threaten your child’s safety and well-being on school grounds.
Finally, where alternative and private education options exist, every parent is without excuse for not exploring them to the fullest extent.
For nearly two decades, Tiffany Benson’s creative writing pursuits have surpassed all other interests. When she’s not investigating the Kennedy assassination and other conspiracy theories, she enjoys journaling and contributing to her blog Bigviewsmallwindow.com. Join her and other engaged citizens at WestValleyParentsUniting.com.
by Jeff Caldwell | Oct 9, 2023 | Opinion
By Jeff Caldwell |
Radical Leftists and solar panel companies are freaking out over the upcoming Arizona Corporation Commission meeting on Wednesday, October 11 at 10:00am! But, based on the available public comments, they are the only ones who have contacted the Corporation Commission to express their desired actions regarding what’s on the agenda.
Currently, Arizona regulations force utility companies in the state to buy the extra solar power each solar customer puts into the grid. The Arizona Corporation Commission sets the rates that utility companies pay those customers.
On Wednesday, the Corporation Commission could vote to change the amount utility companies pay to match the break-even cost of the companies. This would reduce the vast majority of Arizonans’ energy bills.
In 2007, the Corporation Commission implemented a policy that required utility companies to pay retail price of solar power to their customers who put solar power back into the grid.
Those customers are still getting that rate today, even though the price of solar power has decreased tremendously over time. The customers are locked into that amazing deal for 20 years from the date of installation.
The 2007 policy ended in 2016 when the Corporation Commission decided utility companies should pay wholesale pricing to customers. However, there was a “great negotiation” between those who wanted the policy to remain in place—the Radical Left & solar power companies—and the Corporation Commission. The new policy implemented allowed for a maximum of only a 10% reduction in the price utility companies pay these customers every year. Since 2016, customers are locked into the rate they are paid for 10 years from the date of installation. Oh, and yes, those customers who installed solar panels between 2007-2016 are still locked in to get paid retail pricing for 20 years from the date of installation.
Because the maximum reduction of the rate utility companies pay to solar power customers who give to the grid is only 10% per year, there is still a huge discrepancy between the true wholesale solar power price and the rate utility companies are forced to pay these customers.
APS calculates their “Avoided Cost” at almost $0.05. This means APS would nearly break even on paying five cents per kWh to solar panel customers giving power to the grid. However, APS is forced to pay nearly $0.09 per kWh. For ten years, APS has to pay this rate to every solar panel customer who gives power to the grid, even though solar power is more than likely going to continue to fall.
The Arizona Corporation Commission sets the maximum profit rate of utility companies. APS’ is set at 8.7%. Being forced to pay customers more for their energy than the break-even cost causes utility companies to charge customers who do not have solar and are not giving to the grid a higher price for energy to meet profits.
If APS is allowed to truly match wholesale pricing for all solar panel customers giving to the grid and pay each one of them just under five cents per kWh, APS would be forced to cut the cost of energy for all of their customers, use the extra funds left over to reinvest, and/or expand its energy providing capabilities.
That’s why, if you really believe in clean energy or just want cheaper utility bills, it’s important to make your voice heard by speaking up, giving public comments, or submitting written public comments.
Right now, the only folks who have been doing so are those who own solar panels and don’t want their pay to decrease or solar panel companies who may face tougher economic hardship. But all customers deserve a say in our state’s energy prices both now—and in the future.
Jeff Caldwell currently helps with operations at EZAZ.org. He is also a Precinct Captain, State Committeeman, and Precinct Committeeman in Legislative District 2. Jeff is a huge baseball fan who enjoys camping and exploring new, tasty restaurants! You can follow him on X here.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Oct 7, 2023 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
It’s time for COVID mandates to go away forever. And last month, one Arizona town took a step in this direction when it passed a resolution that needs to be a trend in every city throughout our state.
With a desire to take proactive measures to protect citizens’ constitutional rights, the Queen Creek Town Council passed Resolution No. 1540-23 with a unanimous vote during its regular meeting in September. And it’s quite clear. While the town recommends that people exercise personal responsibility to prevent illness, it committed to not implementing mandates concerning masks, vaccines, business closures, curfews, or “any similar measure.”
But this great ordinance didn’t stop there…
>>> CONTINUE READING >>>
by Jeff Caldwell | Oct 4, 2023 | Opinion
By Jeff Caldwell |
Have you ever shown up to vote and were told at the voting location that your voting information does not match the information on your driver’s license? If this has happened to you, have you wondered if your vote was counted?
We finally know why this happens! And there’s someone fighting for you!
EZAZ.org put out a Call to Action for its Grassroots to speak at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Meeting on September 27. One of the talking points included that voters are unknowingly being re-registered as a different political party or even in a different county than the county they live in. One of the commenters utilized this talking point.
Maricopa County’s legal team followed up by stating that during the MVD and Service Arizona process, when someone re-registers their vehicle in another county, sometimes the opt-out box is mischecked and changes voter registration without the voter knowing. Maricopa County Elections Director, Scott Jarrett, agreed.
Yes, this is the same elections department run by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. Both offices stated that the MVD and Service Arizona process is allowed under state statute. They are saying their hands are tied, and they can’t do anything about it.
This means that a voter could get mismatched information or be registered under the wrong party affiliation for something like re-registering a vehicle, registering a new vehicle, or getting a new license… And the voter wouldn’t even know until it’s too late!
So, then what would happen? If someone shows up to vote and their voting registration information is different from the information on their driver’s license, the voting location provides what is called a provisional ballot.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office says, “Provisional ballots are a fail-safe measure designed to ensure that all eligible voters have their ballots counted.” The county is supposed to go back and determine if voters who cast provisional ballots were legal and then count the ballots of those who are legal. But if provisional ballots are such a fail-safe measure, then consider this.
There are currently over 9,000 provisional ballots not counted in the Arizona Attorney General race. Abe Hamadeh is still fighting in the courts because his team has discovered many of these voters tend to vote in every election and some were mysteriously re-registered in another county. There are only 280 votes separating Mayes from Hamadeh.
Abe’s team has been trying for months to get access to the envelopes of provisional ballots to verify information of those who did cast a vote in such a way, but the counties have not allowed this to happen. This is ridiculous!
It’s time for the MVD and Service Arizona to change its misguided process. And it’s time for the courts to force the counties to allow Abe’s team to inspect the provisional ballot envelopes. After all, real election integrity ensures that every legal vote is counted.
Jeff Caldwell currently helps with operations at EZAZ.org. He is also a Precinct Captain, State Committeeman, and Precinct Committeeman in Legislative District 2. Jeff is a huge baseball fan who enjoys camping and exploring new, tasty restaurants! You can follow him on X here.
by Jeff Caldwell | Oct 3, 2023 | Opinion
By Jeff Caldwell |
The City of Phoenix posted on X today asking the public to come to their council meeting tomorrow.
On Wednesday, October 4 at 2:30pm, the City is going to vote on Agenda Item 37, which states that the City has the ability to tax its citizens $180 million if it doesn’t have the money elsewhere.
Now, it’s up to the public to put a stop to this.
Earlier this year, the City passed a $6 billion budget that includes a $137 million surplus. Also, in November, the City is asking Phoenicians to approve 4 different Bond Propositions that equate to half a billion dollars.
Now, the City wants to have the ability to go into $180 million in debt “to fund or refinance the costs of acquiring, constructing, expanding and improving real and personal property for technology upgrades, solid waste facilities and equipment, public safety property, systems and equipment, and other municipal facilities for the City of Phoenix. The debt will be supported by a pledge of excise taxes or other available funds for such purposes, and to pay financing costs granting an exemption to Phoenix City Code section 42-18 to include indemnification and legal remedy limitations. Further this request authorizes the City Controller to receive and expend all necessary funds related to this item.”
The City is leveraging its ability to implement a $180 million tax to move forward without a vote by the public. Phoenicians have the ability to let the City know whether or not to pass it through public comment.
To review the history of excessive spending in Phoenix, what has the City of Phoenix done when they get extra money?
- Implemented a city-wide COVID lockdown without consulting with the Medical Director for Disease Control of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health who recommended to not lock down at that time and to only wear a mask if you are sick and absolutely must go out. – SOURCE
- The City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department closed playgrounds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, and fitness areas because of COVID. – SOURCE
- Implemented mask mandates – SOURCE
- Implementing the 15-minute city framework
- “Our goal by 2050 is to make walking, cycling, and transit commonly used and enjoyed in every Phoenix neighborhood. This goal will result in 90% of the population living within one-half mile of transit and 40% of the population choosing to commute by walking, biking, or transit. Currently, 86% of the population lives within one-half mile of transit, while less than 10% of the population currently commutes by walking, biking or transit.” To do this one action, the City is planning is to “[Develop] 15 vibrant compact complete centers throughout the city to provide the majority of services residents need within their local community.” – SOURCE – SOURCE
- Implementing road diets – reducing the amount of traffic to slow traffic, altering driving experiences, implementing bike lanes, bus rapid transit, and/or light rail. – SOURCE
- Implementing Meat Consumption Mitigation – Policies that will lead to future reduction of meat consumption – SOURCE
- Sold $60 million of water rights to the federal government and stated that it will have no impact on City water customers. – SOURCE
- Increased water rates – SOURCE
- Implementing housing first homeless policies – SOURCE – SOURCE
- Teamed up with ASU to implement global policies to obtain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – SOURCE
- Dedicated the Office of Arts & Culture to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. – SOURCE
- Equity teaches people and has policies based on the belief that there is systemic racism, and that they are entitled to reparations and more because of the color of their skin. – SOURCE
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion teaches students and people that white people are oppressors. – SOURCE
- Phoenix has its highest rate of inflation dating back to at least 2002. – SOURCE
- The unemployment rate in Phoenix has skyrocketed nearly 38% in 4 months. – SOURCE
- Phoenix air ranks among the most polluted. – SOURCE
- Homelessness has increased every year since 2017 and is the highest it’s been since at least 2016. – SOURCE
- Tried to house homeless people on a site the City knew was previously used for illegal dumping. – SOURCE
- History of failed homeless shelter programs. – SOURCE
- The City has spent $12 million to install cool pavement over the last four years. It actually makes people hotter. – SOURCE
- Created the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The office is meant to ensure equitable distribution of City services. – SOURCE – SOURCE
- Created the Equal Opportunity Department. It can give people money if they believe they are a victim of housing discrimination because of gender expression or gender identity. – SOURCE
- The Office of Arts and Culture hosted the Racial Equity Learning Cohort Program. – SOURCE
It’s critical for the people of Phoenix to stand up, speak up, give public comments, or submit written public comments. You can find out more about how to make your voice heard here. But don’t wait. The meeting is tomorrow, and it’s up to the public to put a stop to this radical tax.
Jeff Caldwell currently helps with operations at EZAZ.org. He is also a Precinct Captain, State Committeeman, and Precinct Committeeman in Legislative District 2. Jeff is a huge baseball fan who enjoys camping and exploring new, tasty restaurants! You can follow him on X here.
