by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 5, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
As the temperature rises across Arizona, so does the interest in the future of water for the Grand Canyon State.
Last week, Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs held a press conference to announce the publication of the Phoenix Active Management Area Groundwater Model, which she described as a “sophisticated, peer reviewed tool that uses the best available science to access our aquifers.” Hobbs stated that the Arizona Department of Water Resources “produced a forecast, using this model that evaluates groundwater conditions for the Phoenix AMA over the next century as part of Arizona’s 100 year assured water supply program.” She highlighted that this Phoenix AMA Groundwater Model and the 100-year groundwater study “are critical tools to help us look into the future and proactively manage our water supplies.”
The first-year governor could not resist another criticism of her predecessor, Republican Doug Ducey, telling reporters that “this 100-year groundwater study expands and improves upon the Hassayampa Report, which had been withheld for years by the prior administration” – and unsealed by Hobbs during her State of the State address back in January.
Though the governor spent a good amount of time discussing Arizona’s secured standing when it comes to its groundwater supply, she made national headlines for her warning about the future of the state’s groundwater and her plan of action to deal with the findings. Hobbs said that the study’s results “show we need to take action once again;” and that if the state does nothing at this juncture, “we could face a 4% shortfall in groundwater supplies over the next 100 years.” She emphasized that “we have to close this gap and find efficiencies in our water use, manage our aquifers wisely, and increase our utilization of renewable supplies.”
Hobbs then announced a pause on “approvals of new assured water supply determinations that rely on pumping groundwater, ensuring that we don’t add to any future deficit.” She attempted to reassure Arizonans and industry leaders, saying that “this pause will not affect growth within any of our major cities, where robust water portfolios have been proven to cover current and future demands.”
Arizona Freshman Representative Austin Smith was closely following the governor’s comments at the press conference, telling AZ Free News, “the fact of the matter is that home builders (large and small) plus agriculture are extremely good stewards of the land and our water resources – specifically groundwater pumping when they use it. We can’t be beating the drum about a housing crisis, and then in the same beat, kneecap the housing industry. Very counterintuitive.”
Smith revealed that he had teamed with fellow freshman representative Alex Kolodin to “lead the charge to secure funding in this year’s budget to start brackish water projects and pilots,” adding, “(we) are working together to keep the economy moving, not pushing to kneecap industries or grow government – but also working for Arizona’s water future 20-30 years from now in brackish groundwater.”
Arizona Senator Sine Kerr, the chair of the chamber’s Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, also weighed in on the news from the Governor’s Office, stating, “This week, the Phoenix Active Management Area Groundwater Model and the Arizona Department of Water Resources released the results of a study of the groundwater supply in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The results show the Groundwater Management Act of 1980 is working as it should. The ADWR report projects 96% of 100-year assured water supply will be met. The remaining 4% of unmet demand over 100 years can be achieved through non-groundwater sources. The state has designated transport basins exclusively for filling these small gaps and because of our wise groundwater management, Arizona has water to sustain us now and in the future. I look forward to working with ADWR to improve accessibility to these plentiful in-state resources.”
Another Republican Leader at the state legislature, Representative Tim Dunn, shared his thoughts on the current and future state of Arizona’s groundwater, reminding Arizonans of the 1991 Arizona Groundwater Transportation Act, which “established Arizona’s plan for meeting unmet demand in the Assured Water Supply program,” setting “aside four groundwater basins, rich in groundwater resources to give urban areas a source of water they could withdraw from, 30 years in the future: the Harquahala, Butler Valley, McMullen, and Big Chino groundwater basins.” Dunn declared the purpose for the creation of these basins was “precisely so we could withdraw from them in moments like today,” calling the basins “Arizona’s water savings account.”
Dunn noted that “the transfer basins contain well above the 4.9 million acre-feet that the Phoenix AMA needs,” and that “Harquahala alone contains between 15 to 20 million acre-feet.” He encouraged state leaders to follow the plan set in motion with the Arizona Groundwater Transportation Act to “begin moving the water,” saying, “We are at an inflection point, but we are prepared.”
Senate President Warren Petersen also responded to the semantics about new housing developments, tweeting, “There is no need to stop homebuilding. Homes use the least amount of water. Meanwhile everything else can continue to be built? Commercial, industrial and apartment buildings that would use way more water but not residential houses? Doesn’t make any sense.”
Petersen retweeted a thread from the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Patrick Ptak, where Ptak cited a release from the City of Phoenix’s Water Services Department, which read, “While the results of the study are important for understanding the groundwater situation, it is crucial for Phoenix Water customers and stakeholders to know that the City’s water security remains unaffected. Groundwater plays a minimal role in Phoenix’s overall water usage, accounting for only 2% of the City’s total water usage each year. The remainder of Phoenix’s water supplies come from renewable resources, such as the Salt, Verde, and Colorado Rivers. Phoenix also reuses more than 95% of its reclaimed water.”
Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes, who has made water issues one of the central focuses of her administration, opined on Hobbs’ announcement, calling for the Legislature, the Governor, and AWDR “to take aggressive and immediate action to expand this model beyond the Valley and conduct these studies in rural communities to protect water supplies throughout this state,” asserting that “groundwater studies have rarely – if ever – been conducted in rural Arizona.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Jun 3, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Gov. Katie Hobbs hung four “Progress” Pride flags from the governor’s office on the first day of Pride Month.
The Progress Pride Flag is an expansion of the traditional rainbow Pride flag: it includes light pink, light blue, and white to represent transgender individuals, and black and brown to represent people of color.
Hobbs said that LGBTQ+-identifying individuals brought “light and energy” to the state.
“I will continue to work alongside you until we have an Arizona where everyone, no matter who they are or who they love, has the safety, freedom, and opportunity to truly live their authentic lives,” said Hobbs.
Pride Month can be traced back to the first Pride marches held in late June, 1970 on the one-year anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, or Stonewall Riots, in Manhattan, New York. The uprising consisted of six days of riots in response to a police raid on a gay bar in Manhattan, New York. At that time, states widely prohibited homosexual relations. Activists commemorated the week-long riots with marches in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.
In Hobbs’ campaign platform, the governor promised to enact anti-discrimination policies that explicitly banned LGBTQ+ discrimination in housing, education, adoption, foster care, insurance, public accommodations, and credit procurement. Hobbs also promised to ban law enforcement profiling based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Hobbs’ first executive order prohibited gender identity discrimination in state employment and contracts.
In a March event with One N Ten, a pro-LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, Hobbs served as the honorary chair. The governor pledged her allegiance to LGBTQ+ individuals.
“It’s been a long time coming to have an ally for the LGBTQ+ community in our state’s highest office. So let me say this loudly, clearly, and unequivocally: with me as Governor, you have one,” stated Hobbs.
One N Ten advances LGBTQ+ ideology in both minors and young adults, ages 11-24. They offered a peer support program to gender transitioning patients from Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
In April, Hobbs vetoed SB 1005, which prohibited a court from granting attorney fees, expenses, or damages to a governmental entity or official concerning a parent’s lawsuit alleging that the entity or official interfered with their right to direct the upbringing, education, health care, or mental health of their child.
Hobbs stated in her veto letter that the bill didn’t protect parental rights but rather removes the consequence for frivolous lawsuits. The governor chastised Republican legislators to “turn down the temperature and rhetoric” to produce solutions.
“Across the country and here in Arizona, schools and teachers have been maligned by bad actors who spread baseless theories, seeking to create conflict with teachers, school boards, and administrators,” said Hobbs. “Parents, acting in good-faith concern for their children, are often caught up in the middle of these conflicts.”
This wasn’t the first year that Hobbs used her state office to display LGBTQ+ paraphernalia. Last year while secretary of state, Hobbs’ administration hung a Pride Flag and waved a transgender flag from their office balcony.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 3, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs is again facing stiff opposition to one of her nominees for leadership with a state agency.
On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Director Nominations voted to reject Martín Quezada’s appointment to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
The committee’s action now puts Quezada’s nomination in jeopardy with the full Senate expected to take up the recommendation in the coming days.
During the hearing, former legislator Adam Kwasman, who appeared to be in attendance, tweeted his strong opposition to Quezada’s confirmation, writing, “The Arizona Senate must soundly reject the nomination of Martín Quezada as the director of the RoC. He has demonstrated, in his political career a consistent, radical anti-Jewish viewpoint. He is one of this state’s BDS leaders. Such bigotry has no place in any administration.”
After the conclusion of the hearing, the panel’s three Republicans shared their thoughts in a press release transmitted by the Senate Republican Caucus. Chairman Jake Hoffman stated, “Mr. Quezada has a history at the Arizona Legislature of spreading antisemitism, which prompted the Israel Heritage Foundation to send Katie Hobbs a letter calling for his termination as ROC Director. What’s equally disturbing are his continual, on-the-record comments made while serving as a legislator regarding hiring and firing practices. According to Mr. Quezada, qualifications for a job are determined by skin color, gender, religion and political affiliation. This is not a philosophy any state agency should ever adopt. The fact that Katie Hobbs is turning a blind eye to this is certainly more indicative of ‘chaos’ and not the ‘sanity’ she promised after taking office.”
Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope added, “The ROC can ultimately make or break the livelihoods of contractors within our state, so it’s important to choose a leader who supports entrepreneurs in their quest to serve our citizens responsibly and honorably. Unfortunately, during his tenure in the Legislature, Mr. Quezada developed a track record of voting against small businesses 82% of the time, according to data released from NFIB. We can’t in good faith sign off on a director who has a history of voting against the community in which he’s tasked with serving.”
And Senate Majority Whip Sine Kerr said, “Some of the more disappointing moments from today’s committee highlighted Mr. Quezada’s baseless and hateful accusations against Republicans as a whole. The ROC Director must be able to work with contractors of all races, genders, religions and political affiliations for the betterment of our state. Unfortunately, Mr. Quezada’s extremist views should automatically disqualify him from serving in this role. I would also argue that any politician who states they don’t believe they need to keep promises made to their constituents is not someone to be trusted in any capacity.”
Hobbs nominated Quezada on January 23, writing, “I have full confidence that the expertise represented in this group of leaders will bring us closer to an Arizona that works for everyone. These directors will rise to both the challenges and opportunities in their departments and in our state.”
The Senate Committee on Director Nominations was formed by Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen earlier in the year and was “tasked with gathering information and evaluating qualifications on the governor’s executive appointments in order to recommend a course of action for the Senate to take on each individual.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Jun 2, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Gov. Katie Hobbs selected her former legislative colleague and longtime lobbyist, Chad Campbell, as her replacement chief of staff. The appointment comes less than a week after the resignation of Hobbs’ longtime right-hand woman, Allie Bones: first as assistant secretary of state and, until recently, chief of staff.
Campbell formerly served as the House Minority Leader for the Democrats for four years of his eight-year tenure as a state representative from 2007 to 2015. For four years, Campbell and Hobbs represented the same district; Hobbs took over as minority leader for Campbell in 2015.
Campbell’s legacy includes passing the 2013 Medicaid expansion under former Gov. Jan Brewer, and lobbying for the 2020 legalization of marijuana through Proposition 207.
Campbell served on both of Hobbs’ transition teams, first as secretary of state and then governor this past year. He will assume his position on June 5.
Last year, Campbell co-founded Lumen Strategies Arizona alongside Stacy Pearson, known for assisting in the 2016 defeat of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the 2020 legalization of marijuana. Prior to that, Campbell served as an executive for two different consultancy firms: Strategies 360 and Resolute Consulting.
Campbell proved his political acumen as recently as the last election, after he predicted the failure of Maricopa County Attorney candidate Julie Gunnigle’s campaign, describing it as resembling the “worst” he’d seen over the last 30 years. Campbell made the remarks in a video call with other Democratic leaders.
“[Gunnigle’s campaign] reminds me of that: not knowing the audience, not knowing the issues that matter to a lot of voters,” stated Campbell. “And I will say this: the vast majority of Democrats that I know all believe that there needs to be reforms in law enforcement, we believe there needs to be more accountability. But almost everybody I talk to, nobody wants to defund the police, everybody knows we need more public safety resources, which will actually make more accountability.”
Hobbs’ recently departed chief of staff, Bones, resigned last week. Bones was the latest in a rapid series of turnovers in Hobbs’ administration.
Bones’ resignation reflected a pattern from Hobbs’ last female predecessor, Jan Brewer, whose first chief of staff also departed within a year. However, both of former Gov. Doug Ducey’s chiefs of staff lasted years.
Bones resignation also followed months of unsuccessful nominations to outfit Hobbs’ cabinet. On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Director Nominations rejected the Registrar of Contractors nominee, former State Sen. Martin Quezada.
In February, Hobbs faced the retraction of two nominees: Dr. Theresa Cullen as director of Arizona Department of Health Services, and Matthew Stewart as director of the Department of Child Services.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 31, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A west-valley lawmaker is speaking out after Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed his bill.
On Friday, Arizona Senator Frank Carroll issued a press release following the governor’s veto of his bill, SB 1100, which “would have increased the maximum weight of all-terrain vehicles or OHVs (Off-Highway Vehicles) subject to registration and vehicle license tax requirements from 2500 pounds to 3500 pounds as a way to update the state law definition to coincide with the evolution of safety features, electrification and other modernizations of these vehicles.”
Carroll included the following statement in his release, expressing his disappointment over the first-year governor’s action against his proposal: “It’s disappointing Governor Hobbs vetoed a bill that had strong bipartisan support, as well as support from the sponsor who established the Off-Highway Study Committee. This bill would have promoted small businesses in Arizona and supported electric alternatives to gas-powered OHVs, which would have helped reduce exhaust and noise emissions. A number of states who regulate weights of OHVs have already updated their statute to coincide with the industry’s technological advancements. Hobbs’ veto shows her lack of knowledge on the issue, which is a complete disservice to our state.”
In her veto letter to the Arizona Legislature, justifying her decision, Hobbs wrote: “I encourage the Legislature to work with my administration to explore current challenges with Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) and recommend mitigation strategies to minimize the impact and destruction of off-trails before increasing the weight limits. To accomplish this, I suggest working with the Off-Highway Vehicle Study Committee and/or the All-Terrain State Parks Advisory Group to study and propose administrative or legislative solutions.”
Senator Carroll, however, was not buying the governor’s reasoning, saying, “Governor Hobbs’ veto letter stated she believes the Off-Highway Study Committee established last session, instead of the Legislature, should determine whether OHVs with cab systems and electric powertrains can be legally operated in Arizona. However, this study committee was formed to address concerns stemming from improper use of OHVs and enforcement issues, not whether policymakers should amend the state’s OHV definition to allow new products to be available for our outdoor enthusiasts.”
The legislation first passed the Arizona Senate 19-10 (with one member not voting) on February 21. It then cleared the House of Representatives 43-15 (with one member not voting and one seat vacant).
During the legislative process, representatives from the Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter and City of Sedona had opposed the bill.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
