The calendar may be about to turn to 2016, but State Sen. John Kavanagh has his hate on for Phoenix like it is still 2013

In 2013, Phoenix passed a non-discrimination ordinance that protects LGBTQ people.

This so ruffled the tender sensibilities of many of the Rs at the lege (and their puppeteers at the Center for Arizona Theocracy Policy) that State Senator John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills) proposed a change to Arizona law that would have made it illegal for someone to use a public restroom that's intended to be used by people of the gender that is different than the gender listed on the person's birth certificate.  He clearly targeted the state's transgender population with his proposal, and he and his proposal were widely denounced.

Kavanagh's proposal to criminalize the state's transgender population ultimately failed, but not before bringing yet another wave of ridicule down upon Arizona.

And while that measure has gone away, Kavanagh has not.


Fast forward to 2015 (almost 2016) and Phoenix is still rousing the ire of Kavanagh, this time in his nativist wheelhouse.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Dustin Gardiner, and dated on the evening of December 16, 2015 -

Phoenix will continue exploring a proposal to create a city photo-identification and service card, which could provide IDs to undocumented immigrants and other residents who struggle to get valid government ID.

The City Council voted 5-4 Wednesday night to issue a "request for information," inviting private-sector companies interested in managing the program to come forward with their ideas.

Interestingly, Kavanagh submitted SB1017, a measure to override anything that the city of Phoenix does with municipal IDs by imposing certain conditions upon them (essentially rendering them useless).

And when did he file the measure?

In other words, he knew this was coming and was trying to get ahead of the curve, a little anyway.

2016 will be an even-numbered year.  An election year.

The Rs in the legislature, in addition to their usual mischief-making, will be pushing measures to try to rouse their base.

Basically, we should all expect more measures to counter anything that even resembles simple human decency.