A former middle school teacher out of Tucson will lose his Arizona teaching certificate several years after threatening to shoot a Trump merchandise store and kill a lawmaker.
As the Arizona Daily Independentreported, Donald Glenn Brown sent an email under the alias “Jessica James” to The Trumped Store in Show Low, Arizona on July 4, 2022 threatening to shoot up the store as well as murder State Senator Wendy Rogers. Brown was arrested in September of that year on the charge of attempting to commit terrorism, a class four felony.
Brown’s graphic email is replicated below from the Arizona State Board of Education (ASBE) meeting content regarding his case:
“Hello you Mother-F**king Disgusting Piece of Shit….this is Jim & Jessica James, we are friends of Ron Watkins, We are parked today July 4 at the Sonic Restaurant (Show Low), with a pair of AR-15s, We are going to walk in your f**king joke of a store, and start shooting, and put the barrell [sic] of a gun to Wendy Rogers face and pull the trigger and bow her f**king head off…and enjoy watching that f**king traitor grifting disgusting lying sick Bi*ch Wh*re C*nt Die, and her brains, head, blood sprayed all over your f**king store…and then we’re going to start shooting your f**king shit-hole up with a few AR15 rounds-some real patriots are going to Hit Back and F**king C*nt Rogers is going to die…..F**k You Traitor…..tRump Ass-licking C**k Sucker.”
Not until he pled guilty earlier this year in April did Brown resign from the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). The Navajo County Superior Court sentenced Brown to two-and-a-half years in prison.
Brown’s hearing before ASBE is scheduled for next Monday, where it is anticipated he will lose his teaching certification. Brown didn’t appear before the Professional Practices Advisory Committee (PPAC) for his July hearing, due to his imprisonment; PPAC voted unanimously to recommend revocation of Brown’s teaching certification.
Brown maintains a preK-12 music education certificate set to expire next September. Brown taught at the Pistor Middle School within TUSD.
In addition to engaging in violent political threats, Brown appeared to be addicted to pornography.
According to his ASBE case information, Brown had his teaching credentials suspended in another state, New Mexico, based on a 2016 complaint by a female teacher that she had seen a picture of a naked woman bent over on Brown’s school computer screen. Brown later admitted to viewing pornography during school hours on a classroom computer when no students were present.
Brown applied for a substitute certificate with the state of Arizona during his suspension for the pornography viewing, which was part of a settlement agreement with the New Mexico Public Education Department.
In addition to his “Jessica James” alias, ASBE reported that Brown created a separate alias email “Marina Aleximov” to serve as “an outlet for political rage and tool for sexual gratification.” Under this alias, Brown pretended to be a young, ex-Mormon woman from Russia attacking Republicans online, including Rogers, and curating content from male porn stars, fintess models, and celebrities.
“[Y]ou need to move to Mar-a-Lago so you can be one of ex-King tRump’s wh*res,” wrote Brown. “You want to f**k Donald J Trump sooo bad, right? You worship and adore him, you even pray to him, go to Florida and suck his little orange c*ck and f**k him.”
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The Corporation Commission recently unanimously voted to support Tucson Electric Power’s (“TEP”) Midtown Reliability Project (“Midtown”). The Midtown project is a much-needed improvement for the City of Tucson’s antiquated and overloaded 46kV sub-transmission system. The equipment will be upgraded to a 138kV system in the area adjacent to the University of Arizona and Banner University Medical Center. The project would also replace a portion of the 4kV distribution lines located in the Midtown neighborhoods. These systems are over 50 years old and no longer meet the needs and demands of the area as the system has become increasingly overstrained and unstable.
Fragile wooden poles that are susceptible to damage will be replaced with larger capacity metal poles and more powerful transmission lines. Up to eight 46kV existing substations and 19 miles of current 46kV line will be removed, resulting in a reduced number of substations and overhead power lines in Midtown Tucson. The upgrades will benefit all of TEP’s customers; the transmission lines will improve system redundancy and grid resiliency, allowing power to bypass lines and areas that might be down or overloaded. In supporting the proposal, the Commission rejected calls by the City of Tucson leadership and neighborhood groups who demanded the new lines be “undergrounded” as opposed to the standard more affordable above ground installation.
Tucson voters overwhelmingly rejected Prop 412 in March 2023, which was supported by Tucson’s Mayor and TEP. The proposition would have extended TEP’s franchise agreement with the city, and in return would have established additional fees to fund the undergrounding of the Midtown project and establish a “Climate Action Fund.” The defeat left the franchise agreement renewal in limbo, but it also required TEP to move forward with an alternative plan to complete the needed and already delayed improvement. City leaders continued to call for the undergrounding of equipment, a beautification effort where costs would have been picked up by all TEP ratepayers, not just the customers who will benefit from the Midtown project improvements.
During the Commission proceedings, some claimed the incremental cost difference between underground and above ground lines was negligible, and that the historic nature of the area and neighborhoods called for a greater standard of beautification. There are two important responses to those viewpoints. First, the region already has above ground power lines. Any sort of undergrounding would be a luxury the area currently doesn’t enjoy. And as previously noted, the above ground upgrades will actually reduce the total number of transmission lines and substations. Second, there is a huge price difference. Project estimates for the cost difference between underground and above ground are $64 million dollars. An additional $64 million that would have to be funded by all TEP ratepayers, the far majority of whom live nowhere near Midtown.
Last year, the Commission adopted a transmission line policy statement that utilities under the Commission’s jurisdiction should avoid incurring higher costs from underground installation of transmission lines unless it was necessary for reliability or safety purposes. Undergrounding lines for purposes such as stakeholder or community preferences are not valid reasons on their own. And concerned third parties such as cities or neighborhood groups can still seek to cover the cost difference to underground through other means such as forming an improvement district.
With most rate design, there’s a degree of “subsidization” that exists, wherein equipment upgrades or power line installations are spread out across an entire ratepayer base for that utility’s customers. However, when a project or proposal clearly only benefits a small subset of customers, it is our duty as a Commission to look out for all ratepayers. We must ensure the desires of a few do not adversely impact the pocketbooks of the many.
It’s not uncommon for the Commission to review proposals that subscribe to what some refer to as “luxury beliefs.” Ideas and opinions that benefit a group of people who are better off while often inflicting greater costs or more harm on less fortunate classes. We see this most frequently amongst climatism promoters, who advocate to end the use of hydrocarbons and rapidly transform our electric grid, with no concerns for the price tag to ratepayers. It’s akin to advocating for ratepayers to subsidize electric vehicle charging stations that benefit a small set of utility customers, while the far majority of other customers either do not want an electric vehicle or can’t afford one.
During the hearing, proponents of line undergrounding attempted to rationalize the cost increase due to the unique history and beauty of the area. They argued the monthly cost to underground the Midtown project is negligible when spread out across the entire customer base. While I am sympathetic to the preferences of property owners, how can I as an elected official possibly rationalize to ratepayers in South Tucson that their neighborhood isn’t worthy of receiving the same special treatment?
With this vote, the Commission honored the will of Tucson voters and protected the pocketbooks of TEP ratepayers. We also took big steps to improve the long-term reliability and durability for all TEP customers in the Tucson area.
Kevin Thompson was elected as a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission in 2022. He previously served as a member of the Mesa City Council for eight years, representing the fastest-growing area of the city.
During its meeting on September 5th, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), led by Republican Commissioner Nick Myers, voted unanimously to approve a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) allowing the Midtown Reliability Project of the Tucson Electric Power (TEP) company to move forward.
The project is a comprehensive upgrade to the now-overloaded 46 kV high-voltage transmission lines that run through midtown Tucson to a “more flexible, higher voltage” 138 kV monopole line above ground, according to a press release from the Commission.
A major controversy unfolded with some in Tucson calling upon the ACC to select a partially underground routing that would increase the cost of the project by millions of dollars and meet the expense through an end-user fee.
The proposed Midtown Reliability Project would add up to 12 miles of overhead power lines to our local grid and, in turn, remove 19 miles of older lines in the same area. Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer Todd Hixon shares some of the benefits: https://t.co/DhWnCYX9UMpic.twitter.com/N5Jxip5J24
Commissioner Myers commented after the vote, “I understand why some Tucson residents would want this project constructed below ground. However, constructing the project below ground is not needed for safety, reliability or other utility operational reasons; therefore, it is not acceptable for all TEP customers to shoulder the $67 million cost for undergrounding the project.”
He added, “I am pleased the Commission approved this important grid-reliability project, while at the same time protecting TEP customers from unnecessary undergrounding expenses.”
In a corresponding press release, TEP explained, “The ACC voted unanimously today to authorize above-ground construction along TEP’s preferred route for the project, which primarily follows West Grant Road, North Park Avenue, Euclid Avenue and East 36th Street to link two TEP substations to the planned Vine Substation north of the University of Arizona campus. The ACC also authorized construction along an alternative route. An interactive map of the approved corridors can be viewed online.”
The utility added a timeframe saying, “With growing energy demands nearly reaching the capacity of existing, lower-voltage facilities, TEP will work to complete the transmission line and substation by the summer of 2027 to maintain service reliability.”
Myers’ fellow Republican, ACC Chairman Jim O’Connor, told KOLD, “A big kudo to the parties for finding a solution that will enable this project to move forward. This transmission project will further enhance reliability and modernize a critical portion of our electric grid in Tucson.”
The local outlet noted that a sticking point for the project has been pushback from the midtown community and many advocating for subterranean lines. In 2023, KOLD’s Jack Cooper wrote in a post to X that the opposition to the above-ground routing were “worried about property values and want the lines buried.” However, as the ACC noted in its release, “The Commission unanimously decided to protect ratepayers from that financial impact.”
The Tucson City Council is looking to implement a new transaction privilege tax to pay for a number of social projects.
The transaction privilege tax would be temporary (10 years) and amount to one-half cent (.5 percent). The city projected the tax would generate $80 million annually, or $800 million total.
With the council’s approval during their upcoming regular meeting on Wednesday, the transaction privilege tax under the “Safe and Vibrant Tucson” ballot measure would come before voters in a special election next March. The election wouldn’t be in person, but rather a vote-by-mail election.
The city projected the cost of conducting this special, mail-only election wouldn’t exceed $1.1 million.
The ballot measure was intended to take place last month; however, the city’s intent had the potential of breaking state law requiring local sales tax proposal elections to appear only on November ballots in even-numbered years. Following a request to review the issue by Democratic Senator Rosanna Gabaldon, Attorney General Kris Mayes issued a legal opinion in March defending the city’s desire to hold a tax-related ballot measure on their own terms rather than those permitted by law.
Even with Mayes’ blessing, city leadership opted to forfeit the July date for their special election, instead pushing it back to March of 2025.
Disbursements of the tax revenue would first prioritize capital investment for first responders (30 percent), enhanced emergency response (22 percent), affordable housing and shelter (17 percent), neighborhood and community resilience (16 percent), and then technology investments (12 percent).
Capital investments for first responders (30 percent) would include funding for: more police and fire personal protective equipment; specialized fire apparatus such as fire trucks, fire engines, fire pumpers, ambulances, and support trucks; unmarked police vehicles and speciality units used by SWAT teams; and upgrades and modernization for fire stations, police substations, and major equipment.
Enhanced emergency response (22 percent) would include funding for increased staffing for police, fire departments, 911, and 311. Police staffing funds would specifically include employment of more commissioned officers, community service officers (CSOs), and professional staff investigators (PSIs).
Affordable housing and shelter (17 percent) would include funding for: Tucson’s Housing First program; increased access to emergency shelters and transitional housing; down payment assistance to qualifying residents; a new Mobile Court function and investments in other specialty courts; progressive addiction treatments like harm reduction; physical investments in public, rental, and private houses such as long-term maintenance, weatherization, and climate resilience; large-scale housing projects; development impact fees for qualifying affordable housing projects; and moving current rental properties into the market for local home ownership.
Neighborhood and community resilience (16 percent) would include funding for: Pima Early Education Program Scholarships; youth workforce development programs; expanding the Community Safety, Health, and Wellness programs to teens; opening up VIVA locations; deploying Community Service Officer resources; beautification programs such as Team Up to Clean Up and Somos Uno Master Plan; cleaning up public transit; and expanding workforce training programs.
Technology investments (12 percent) would include funding for: improving 911 and 311 call systems; modernizing air support functions within Community Safety Awareness and Response Center by adding a fixed-wing aircraft, replacing the aging helicopter fleet, and advancing the use of unmanned aircraft; and accessing and managing all video and data collected by police body-worn cameras.
The proposed ballot measure’s primary focus on funding police and public safety was a reflection of results from over 800 respondents to a community budget survey the city issued earlier this year.
In its agenda materials, the city did note that the ballot measure excluded funding for road infrastructure.
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On Monday, an Arizona court ruled that government “prevailing wage” mandates for businesses were unlawful.
The Maricopa County Superior Court issued a ruling against the cities of Phoenix and Tucson concerning their prevailing wage ordinances, which required contractors on public works to pay its workers according to city and federal rate determinations. The Department of Labor defines prevailing wage as that average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in that area of intended employment.
The Maricopa County Superior Court agreed that state law (A.R.S. § 34-321(B)) prohibited any city from enacting such prevailing wage ordinances as the cities of Phoenix and Tucson had done in January.
“This Prevailing Wage Statute, by its plain language, prohibits any Arizona political subdivision, such as the City of Phoenix and the City of Tucson, from enacting an ordinance that requires contractors and subcontractors to pay their workers less than the prevailing rate of wages. Nevertheless, both cities did just that on January 9, 2024,” read the ruling.
Phoenix Ordinance G-7217 and Tucson Ordinance No. 12066 required city contractors or subcontractors under a contract with an aggregate value of $4 million or more and $2 million or more, respectively, to pay workers not less than the prevailing wage rate for the same class and kind of work in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Both cities required certain record keeping and instilled penalties for violations including contract rescission, disqualification from future city contracts, and liquidated damages up to three times the wages owed.
Yet, the cities argued that their ordinances were protected under Proposition 202, or the Raise the Minimum Wage for Working Arizonans Act. The cities claimed that the act functioned under the doctrine of implied repeal: since the act and state law were inconsistent, the act took precedence since it came after state law. The superior court rejected that interpretation, since the act itself didn’t address the term prevailing wage, and there remained definable differences between prevailing wage and minimum wage.
“A prevailing wage ordinance is not a minimum wage law, and the Minimum Wage Law did not impliedly repeal the prevailing wage prohibition because the two laws can be harmonized by ‘reasonable construction,'” stated the court. “They have fundamentally different underlying policy goals. Moreover, unlike minimum wage laws, which set a single, across-the-board floor on wages, prevailing wage measures impose a complex, fluctuating schedule of wage standards (determined by federal law and regulation) meant to approximate average wages for specific occupations and localities.”
The Goldwater Institute, in partnership with attorney Robert G. Schaffer, sued Phoenix over its prevailing wage ordinance on behalf of the Associated Minority Contractors of Arizona, the Arizona Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, and the Arizona Builders Alliance.
The institute’s vice president for legal affairs, Timothy Sandefur, said in a press release that the ruling protected fairer wages for workers.
“Today’s decision is a victory for Arizona taxpayers — who deserve to have public works projects run as closely as possible to true market conditions, instead of having their costs decreed by politicians in order to benefit their political friends,” said Sandefur. “It’s also a win for workers themselves, who deserve to do work in a competitive environment where wages are based on merit, instead of political dictate.”
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