Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano joined 550 KFYI’s Conservative Circus host James T. Harris during a visit to downtown Phoenix’s homeless encampment area known as “The Zone,” where he highlighted faith-based outreach efforts and criticized local leadership over homelessness and public safety conditions.
In a video posted by the Arizona Republican Party, Arellano appeared alongside Harris in the downtown Phoenix area known as “The Zone,” which for years drew public attention over homelessness, drug activity, and crime concerns. The Arizona Republican Party said Harris and members of a faith-based group that “receives NO taxpayer dollars” were serving homeless residents in the area.
The party’s post also characterized The Zone as “where the Democrats in charge keep their homeless community drugged and dangerous.”
Sergio Arellano @surgeshow chairman of @azgop Republican Party spent time with @JamesTHarris and members of a faith-based group that receives NO taxpayer dollars to feed and minister to the homeless in "The Zone." The Zone in downtown Phoenix – is where the Democrats in charge… pic.twitter.com/EFWgPOm9Gk
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) May 27, 2026
“Good morning, I’m Sergio Arellano, and I am here today with the conservative radio talk show host James T. Harris,” Arellano began in the video. “We’re in this place called The Zone in a blue area of what is Phoenix.”
Arellano linked conditions in the area to Democratic governance and urged voter participation ahead of the upcoming 2026 elections.
“We cannot allow what is happening here to happen to the rest of the state in Democrat-controlled communities,” Arellano said. “This is what you get. You get lack of response, lack of resources.”
Arellano also praised the faith-based nonprofit operating in the area and alleged that Phoenix officials under Mayor Kate Gallego had moved to restrict its activities. “People that are making a difference here — this non-profit — are getting kicked out by the liberal city and mayor,” Arellano said.
“That’s why it is very important that you get involved in November. You talk with your neighbors, you register people to vote, and have them turn out this election.”
The chairman warned that Arizona could face worsening homelessness conditions without political change.
“Because if not, you’re going to get amplified times 10,” Arellano said. “Skid Row, exactly like Los Angeles, is coming here to Arizona. We need to stop that. Register to vote. Get up. Make a difference.”
Harris has regularly participated in Sunday outreach efforts in downtown Phoenix with The Bridge for Community Services, a non-profit where he serves as Corporate Vice President and Executive Director, and has previously described the work as a Christian ministry serving homeless residents in the area.
The Zone, located near downtown Phoenix, became nationally known in recent years as one of the city’s largest homeless encampments. The area was the subject of litigation and enforcement disputes involving the City of Phoenix, nearby businesses, and residents, as previously reported by AZ Free News. In 2023, a court ordered Phoenix to clear portions of the encampment following allegations involving crime, sanitation problems, and unsafe conditions.
According to an April 30 report by 12News, after three years, hundreds of homeless people are living in the area again, with outreach teams counting more than 300 living there at the time.
The Arizona Republican Party’s post did not identify the nonprofit involved in the outreach effort, though Harris has previously documented recurring faith-based outreach activities in the area through social media posts.
A timeline endeavoring to document Sen. Ruben Gallego’s friendship with the recently resigned congressman accused of rape, Eric Swalwell, has been released.
FOIAzona published the “day-by-day” timeline dating back to 2009, several years prior to the beginning of Gallego and Swalwell’s friendship. The researcher behind the report, Brian Anderson, said the timeline challenged Gallego’s claim that he never witnessed any improper behavior by Swalwell.
Swalwell resigned from Congress and suspended his campaign for California governor following accusations involving sexual assault and rape.
Gallego has repeatedly denied having ever observed or having any knowledge of Swalwell’s alleged misconduct. The senator did admit that he’d heard rumors over the years alluding to Swalwell’s flirtatiousness, but nothing further. Gallego pulled his endorsement of Swalwell, his longtime best friend, and urged his expulsion within the hour before Swalwell resigned.
Gallego served as the chairman of Swalwell’s brief presidential campaign in 2019, and has been supportive of Swalwell’s AI startup in the past year.
Two incidents tracked in 2009 and 2013 concerned, respectively, a harassment complaint filed against Gallego while he was still chief of staff to a city councilman by a former intern, and a sexual harassment complaint filed against Gallego while he was in the state legislature by two female Democratic lawmakers.
In that former instance, an intern claimed she lost her job as retaliation for filing two complaints about Gallego’s behavior. The city maintained that the intern was one of dozens of employees let go due to budget cuts.
In the latter instance, State Rep. Lydia Hernandez (D-LD24) and State Sen. Catherine Miranda (D-LD11) accused Gallego of issuing sexual remarks toward the pair.
The timeline tracked well over 200 days of interactions between Gallego and Swalwell. Most of the documented interactions occurred from 2015 onward.
Gallego and Swalwell became friends approximately 10 years ago. The timeline reflected some of their earliest interactions: a congressional campaign donation, launch of the Future Forum caucus, and frequent travels together across the country. The two also issued one of their first joint statements together by calling for a total bailout of all student loans.
Approximately a year-and-a-half into his friendship with Swalwell, Gallego filed for divorce from then-councilwoman, now-Mayor Kate Gallego about one month before she was due to give birth to their son in December 2016. The pair had been together for over 15 years.
According to court records first obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, Kate Gallego had not seen the divorce coming. The pair had been together since 2001, when they met at a date auction fundraiser for 9/11 first responders while attending Harvard University. They got engaged at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and married in 2010.
As AZ Free Newsreported earlier this month, Gallego also faced accusations of sexual misconduct. The senator was accused of engaging in sexual romps in the House office building’s basement storage rooms. Gallego has denied the allegations.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna claimed an accuser of Gallego’s has planned to come forward with attorneys. That purported accuser has yet to materialize.
The fall from grace by Gallego’s best friend came days after the senator interviewed with press about his intentions to make a presidential run in 2028.
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The city of Phoenix approved a resolution that will limit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations despite a warning from Arizona Senate Majority Leader John Kavanaugh (R-LD3) against taking such an action.
The resolution by the Phoenix City Council will effectively prohibit immigration-related law enforcement operations on property owned or controlled by the city. In order for federal law enforcement to do their job, the resolution declares they will need to obtain permission from the city — specifically, Phoenix Police Chief Michael Giordano.
Kavanagh called the resolution “meaningless” in an interview with The Center Square, stating that both Arizona and federal law require cooperation with immigration enforcement. The majority leader accused city of Phoenix leadership of “pandering for votes” disguised as policy.
“ICE is not going to listen to them. They have no control over what ICE does in public places, so they can’t even prevent that,” said Kavanagh.
Even after Kavanagh’s warning, Phoenix City Council voted 8-1 to restrict ICE from using city property in its approved resolution on Wednesday.
“Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, using City property as a staging area, processing location, or operations base for civil law enforcement actions, unless approved by the City Manager or their designee,” stated the resolution.
Councilmembers said the vote represented their commitment to protecting all Phoenix residents.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said mass deportations had no positive impact on public safety were “un-American and shameful.” Gallego accused ICE of violating civil rights and committing crimes.
Last month, Gallego and the city council promised to frustrate federal immigration enforcement efforts in a joint press release. They met with residents and sought counsel to determine a pathway for resisting ICE.
Out of these meetings, city leadership developed a response framework, which included the policy framework to allow a restriction on immigration enforcement activities on city property.
Other aspects of the framework included the city’s decision to employ local law enforcement resources to investigate and prosecute federal immigration enforcement.
The city will create an online public complaint portal to document and track allegations of criminal and civil rights violations by federal immigration enforcement, with the intent to submit the reports as criminal referrals to the attorney general’s office. This portal will be connected to one created by the attorney general.
The city will also collect data on immigration enforcement impacts to businesses and city services such as police, fire, the community assistance program, and the office of accountability and transparency.
Along with the portal, the city will create a website detailing the civil rights that immigrants have and sharing data related to community transparency initiative directives. This site and others, including the complaint portal, will have translation capabilities.
The city will require employees to undergo training on how to respond to federal enforcement actions.
In all these efforts, the city of Phoenix will work closely with the attorney general, Tucson, and Flagstaff, and share information with congressional representatives and community-based organizations.
On Monday ICE agents began assisting TSA agents with processing Phoenix Sky Harbor passengers at security checkpoints.
Most travelers expressed support for the ICE presence.
📍 Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
"I like it. I think Trump's doing a hell of a job."
"Most of the travelers we spoke with say… they're pleased to see ICE agents stepping in." pic.twitter.com/PeWNUuc9EP
The newest member of the Tucson City Council is further left than the rest of the council’s Democrats.
That’s because newly elected Tucson Councilwoman Miranda Schubert is a socialist. Schubert’s victory can be credited in part to several powerful national players in progressive politics.
One of those key players is the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The DSA endorsed Schubert; she is also a member of their Tucson chapter.
@MirandaForWard6 is a member of @dsa_tucson and founding organizer of CWA Local 7065 United Campus Workers of Arizona running for Tucson City Council. If elected, Miranda will prioritize housing justice, racial justice, and fighting climate change. pic.twitter.com/pQ5ShEWviJ
— DSA National Electoral Commission (@DsaElectoral) July 28, 2021
The DSA platform is the furthest to the left, policywise, on every issue.
The DSA advocates for:
making all healthcare, college, and childcare free;
cancelling all student loan debts;
decriminalizing all drugs;
abolishing prisons, mandatory minimum sentencing, and cash bail;
stripping police departments of military-grade weapons and equipment;
establishing universal rent control;
providing free counsel for all tenants;
expanding subsidized housing;
mandating paid family leave for all workers;
reducing the regular workweek to 32 hours;
establishing more unions in the workforce;
eliminating fossil fuels;
transferring ownership of transportation and energy infrastructure to the public;
raising taxes on wealthier families, corporations, and private colleges and universities;
mandating a permanent ceasefire in Gaza;
ending military support and commerce to Israel;
closing overseas bases and reducing the military budget;
abolishing borders and immigration enforcement;
ending economic sanctions on foreign countries;
restoring voting rights to felons;
granting voting rights to noncitizens;
establishing statehood for Washington, D.C.;
abolishing the electoral college;
adding more House seats;
ending the Senate filibuster;
and limiting the Supreme Court’s powers
Schubert’s local DSA in Tucson aligns with this platform, and also supports progressive causes like allowing gender transitions for minors.
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the Democratic party machine do not believe in abolition of police, prisons, or incarcerated labor.
Another key player integral to Schubert’s victory was Run For Something (RFS), a political action committee devoted to recruiting and providing campaign assistance to progressive candidates across all 50 states. A former staffer from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, Amanda Litman, and a Democratic Party consultant, Ross Morales Rocketto, launched RFS in 2017.
Schubert was one of two 2025 candidates in Arizona to receive support from RFS. They also provided Schubert support for her unsuccessful council run in 2021; that year she was their only endorsed candidate for Arizona.
IRS records show the social welfare nonprofit arm for RFS — formed in 2020 with the same name as its parent organization — reported over $6 million in revenue, over $9 million in expenditures, and nearly $7 million in total assets in the last available reporting (2023).
Another DSA member won a significant seat across the country on Tuesday night: Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor.
Along with the strength of progressive powerhouses DSA and RFS, Schubert had significant support from the corporate sector: specifically, those assisting in transitioning the state to “clean” energy.
Schubert’s partner, Amanda Maass, is senior managing consultant at Illume Advising, a progressive research and advisory firm with headquarters in Tucson and Madison, Wisconsin. Illume assists utilities, states, and governments with the adoption of “clean” and “green” initiatives such as decarbonization and renewable energy.
Both Arizona Public Service (APS) and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) have been Illume clients. In recent years, Illume worked with both to craft a DEI-driven plan to electrify transportation across Arizona.
Illume has close ties to local and state leaders, including Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Pima County Deputy Administrator Steve Holmes, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and Attorney General Kris Mayes. Romero’s communications and policy advisor, Victor Mercado, was Illume’s marketing and business development principal.
Illume founder and co-owner Anne Dougherty is board chair of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund of Southern Arizona, and director for the Arizona Technology Council as well as Groundswell Capital.
Prior to running for council, Schubert founded a labor union for Arizona’s public universities and some community colleges, CWA Local 7065 United Campus Workers of Arizona, and a local housing and transit advocacy group, Tucson for Everyone.
Schubert also served on two city commissions, the Complete Streets Coordinating Council and the Board of Adjustment.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Matt Giordano, Executive Director of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) and a former Phoenix Police Commander with 20 years on the force, has been named as Phoenix’s next Chief of Police by City Manager Jeff Barton.
Giordano was selected through a lengthy process that produced three top contenders who met at a public forum in June. He was selected over Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland, and Mirtha Ramos, the former chief of the DeKalb County Police Department in Georgia. Giordano will be the first permanent police chief in Phoenix since 2022.
Following a comprehensive national search, the City has named Matt Giordano as the next @PhoenixPolice Chief. Thank you to the neighborhood leaders, community members, and labor groups who provided input and participated in the process. READ MORE: https://t.co/hhw5NHxjgWpic.twitter.com/hBZUveQ6Qh
— City of Phoenix, AZ (@CityofPhoenixAZ) July 8, 2025
Giordano’s selection may give pause to residents who support the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts however, given that he stated the Phoenix Police wouldn’t play a role in enforcing immigration law under them, aligning with the city’s Democratic leaders.
“We have no role in immigration in a local law enforcement perspective,” Giordano told the forum. He cited a recent Phoenix Police press briefing saying, “Phoenix just put out there… they put out a press briefing last week just reminding the community, that we don’t do immigration enforcement. We will not ask about anyone’s legal status.”
In his comments, Giordano blasted SB 1070, the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” of 2010, a defining illegal immigration enforcement bill from the AZ GOP at the time. He said that he “saw the fear and distrust it created in the neighborhood, and it was it was upsetting.”
Giordano complained, “We have spent so many years now after SB 1070 trying to build back those relationships. We’re not there yet. There’s still a lot of work to be done. There’s still a lot of distrust in the community, but I think we’re going in the right direction.”
But then, seeming to refer to the mass deportations undertaken by the Trump administration, he added, “Now it almost seems like we’re going backwards, and it saddens me. And I don’t want to go down that road.”
He continued, “In my current role I have cultivated a relationship with every police chief pretty much every chief or sheriff in the state. We have these discussions and we’re all on the same page now: We talk to our federal partners; we get an idea of sometimes what they’re doing. But they understand that we will not cross that line and engage in immigration enforcement with them because it’s not in anyone’s best interest. It’s not outside of our purview. So that’s what my belief is: for the Phoenix Police Department moving forward to not be involved in any matter.”
Barton said in a statement that the selection of Giordano “reflects what we heard from residents, officers, and community stakeholders. Matt Giordano is a respected leader with deep knowledge of policing in Phoenix, and he has earned a reputation for integrity, accountability, and building trust.”
Phoenix’s Democrat Mayor Kate Gallego also expressed her pleasure at the Chief’s selection in a press release, “I am pleased to welcome back Matthew Giordano to the Phoenix Police Department as our new Police Chief. Chief Giordano has a deep understanding of law enforcement and Phoenix as well as the skills and experience to lead our great department. I look forward to working with him to keep our city safe and continue the reforms instituted by the City Council. I also want to thank Acting Police Chief Dennis Orender, who did an excellent job over the last few months, for his continued service to our city and the department.”
In an interview with Outspoken KTAR hosts Bruce St. James and Larry Gaydos, Republican Phoenix City Councilman Kevin Robinson, a 36-year police veteran, said that Giordano brings a “wide range of experience” and is “exactly what the department needs” to move forward. Robinson went on to highlight Giordano’s insider knowledge combined with an outsider’s perspective as key strengths for rebuilding trust and tackling issues like officer morale within the department.
Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA) President Darrell Kriplean told KTAR host Mike Broomhead that Giordano was the right choice for several reasons. He explained, “Matt has the institutional knowledge of this department having served here for so long, but he’s been gone long enough that he can come in with a fresh perspective and look at all the factors that went into the DOJ report, the things that have been debunked, … our continuous improvement measures and how we are going to continue to improve as an agency,”
In a statement following his selection Giordano said, “I’m honored to return to the department where my career began. I look forward to working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Phoenix Police Department and deepening partnerships with the communities we serve. Together, we will build a safer, stronger, and more unified Phoenix.”
