As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.
...The post regarding the planned activities of the Arizona Legislature this week is here.
...In D.C., both chambers of Congress will be back in session this week, and should be until the week of Memorial Day at the end of May/beginning of June.
- The House's floor schedule is here. As might be expected during a week where they will be getting back up to speed after two weeks off (and most of a year devoted to health care reform), the schedule is kind of light. Only one bill looks like it might generate some serious controversy, H.R. 4715, the "Clean Estuaries Act of 2010." It amends the Clean Water Act, and the only "amendment" to that Act that the Rs will accept is a complete repeal. They aren't getting it with this.
- The Senate's website is unavailable at this writing, but they are expected to take up an extension of unemployment benefits, one that expired for hundreds of thousands of Americans due to Republican obstructionism.
...Back here in AZ -
- The Arizona Corporation Commission will hold a Securities, Safety, and Utilities meeting on Tuesday. They are holding "special" meetings on Wednesday and Thursday, and Thursday and Friday. Lastly, the ACC's regular hearing schedule is here.
- The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has two regularly scheduled meetings on tap this week. Monday's "informal" session will be focusing on renewable energy contracts for the Jefferson St. Garage and the Downtown Justice Center. Wednesday's "formal" meeting looks to be longer but pretty mundane.
- The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District is holding a "work session" on Tuesday evening. The scheduled topic of the meeting is "EFFECTIVE TEACHING & LEARNING – ON-LINE/IN-CLASS/HYBRID?"
- The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will hold a rate setting workshop for its customers on Thursday. Preliminary rate schedule here.
- The Tempe City Council isn't scheduled to meet this week. The Council's Calendar is here.
- The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday. Things look pretty mundane so far. The agenda has been revised to announced the appointment of John Washington to the Channel 11 Programming Commission by Councilman Tony Nelssen. Info on Washington is here. He was a write-in candidate for mayor in 2008 and is acting as the treasurer for Nelssen's reelection committee. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Not meeting this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Arizona Board of Regents
Showing posts with label Scottsdale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scottsdale. Show all posts
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Scottsdale Councilman Nelssen reveals that he has cancer
From AZCentral.com -
While Councilman Nelssen and I are usually on the opposite side of most political issues (with him being on the wrong side, of course :) ), I wish him all the best in his fight against his cancer. He's got a tough fight ahead of him and he and his family will need all the support they can get.
Scottsdale City Councilman Tony Nelssen said Tuesday he has been diagnosed with cancer.
Nelssen made the announcement during the public comment period of the City Council meeting. He expects to start treatment next week.
Nelssen, who is running for re-election, said he doesn't expect the diagnosis to affect his official duties or plans to seek another term.
While Councilman Nelssen and I are usually on the opposite side of most political issues (with him being on the wrong side, of course :) ), I wish him all the best in his fight against his cancer. He's got a tough fight ahead of him and he and his family will need all the support they can get.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
The coming week - everybody but the lege edition
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies (except where noted) and subject to change without notice.
Changing up the order this week (normally, the lege schedule is posted first), because, well, mostly because I feel like it.
Oh, and one of the most interesting events of the week won't be at the lege. :)
On to the post...
...Both chambers of the U.S. Congress are still in recess this week.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have any regular meetings scheduled for this week, but it will have a special meeting on energy preparedness for this summer on Thursday and Friday. The ACC's hearing schedule is here. The only item of interest, in fact the only item on the docket this week, is a public comment session on some rate hike proposals from Arizona American Water. If you live in the Anthem Water District, Sun City Water District, Anthem/Agua Fria Wastewater District, Sun City Wastewater District, or Sun City West Wastewater District and do business with AAWC, you may want to attend the meeting in Anthem on Wednesday evening.
...The highlight of the week has to be Monday's special meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to discuss and take action on Andy Thomas' resignation as County Attorney. They are expected to initiate the process for naming an interim CA to replace Thomas in the office.
Expect *lots* of smiles on West Jefferson (where many county offices are located). :)
...The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week. Their Council Calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council will meet on Tuesday. The agenda includes the City's monthly financial report, issuing the official call for this fall's elections (OK, the primary will be in August, but that's close enough for blogging :) ), and discussion of possible projects to include in the 2010 bond election. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
An AZ Republic article on the City's proposed budget is here.
...Not meeting this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and Maricopa Integrated Health System.
Later...
Changing up the order this week (normally, the lege schedule is posted first), because, well, mostly because I feel like it.
Oh, and one of the most interesting events of the week won't be at the lege. :)
On to the post...
...Both chambers of the U.S. Congress are still in recess this week.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have any regular meetings scheduled for this week, but it will have a special meeting on energy preparedness for this summer on Thursday and Friday. The ACC's hearing schedule is here. The only item of interest, in fact the only item on the docket this week, is a public comment session on some rate hike proposals from Arizona American Water. If you live in the Anthem Water District, Sun City Water District, Anthem/Agua Fria Wastewater District, Sun City Wastewater District, or Sun City West Wastewater District and do business with AAWC, you may want to attend the meeting in Anthem on Wednesday evening.
...The highlight of the week has to be Monday's special meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to discuss and take action on Andy Thomas' resignation as County Attorney. They are expected to initiate the process for naming an interim CA to replace Thomas in the office.
Expect *lots* of smiles on West Jefferson (where many county offices are located). :)
...The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week. Their Council Calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council will meet on Tuesday. The agenda includes the City's monthly financial report, issuing the official call for this fall's elections (OK, the primary will be in August, but that's close enough for blogging :) ), and discussion of possible projects to include in the 2010 bond election. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
An AZ Republic article on the City's proposed budget is here.
...Not meeting this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and Maricopa Integrated Health System.
Later...
Monday, March 29, 2010
The coming week - everybody else edition
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.
...The schedule of activities at the Arizona Legislature was covered in an earlier post here.
...In D.C., both chambers of Congress are in recess/district work period for a couple of weeks.
...Back here in Arizona...
- The Arizona Corporation Commission has a regularly scheduled utilities meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. The agenda is here. The ACC's hearing schedule is here.
- The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has two regularly scheduled meetings on tap this week.
At Monday's "informal" meeting, the normally quiet agenda has a couple of items of possible controversy - an update and some contractual items regarding the Downtown Court Tower project, and a move to initiate litigation over Sheriff Joe Arpaio's purchase of a really expensive inmate transport bus. AZRepublic coverage of that last item here.
The agenda for Wednesday's "formal" meeting includes an item for a settlement in the case of "Robert Cole v. Maricopa County and Joseph Arpaio."
- The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will meet on Thursday. Its agenda is here; its Public Policy Committee meeting agenda is here.
- The Tempe City Council isn't scheduled to hold any regular meetings this week. The Council Calendar of activity is here.
- The Scottsdale City Council isn't scheduled to hold any regular meetings this week. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Also not meeting this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Governing Board of Maricopa County Community College District
Later...
...The schedule of activities at the Arizona Legislature was covered in an earlier post here.
...In D.C., both chambers of Congress are in recess/district work period for a couple of weeks.
...Back here in Arizona...
- The Arizona Corporation Commission has a regularly scheduled utilities meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. The agenda is here. The ACC's hearing schedule is here.
- The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has two regularly scheduled meetings on tap this week.
At Monday's "informal" meeting, the normally quiet agenda has a couple of items of possible controversy - an update and some contractual items regarding the Downtown Court Tower project, and a move to initiate litigation over Sheriff Joe Arpaio's purchase of a really expensive inmate transport bus. AZRepublic coverage of that last item here.
The agenda for Wednesday's "formal" meeting includes an item for a settlement in the case of "Robert Cole v. Maricopa County and Joseph Arpaio."
- The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will meet on Thursday. Its agenda is here; its Public Policy Committee meeting agenda is here.
- The Tempe City Council isn't scheduled to hold any regular meetings this week. The Council Calendar of activity is here.
- The Scottsdale City Council isn't scheduled to hold any regular meetings this week. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Also not meeting this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Governing Board of Maricopa County Community College District
Later...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The coming week - everybody else edition
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
...In the U.S. House of Representatives, last week is blending into next week as they are still in session even as I write this, working toward a vote on the latest health care reform package. As such, no agenda has been posted online as yet. Once that agenda is posted, expect a quiet week as the members look to recover from this week's exertions.
...Over in the U.S. Senate, a lot of their time will be taken up (presumably, assuming passage by the House) with consideration of a reconciliation bill relating to HCR. On the Senate's committee schedule, there is one item of direct interest to Arizonans - the Armed Services Committee's consideration on Tuesday of the nomination of Katherine Hammack to the post of Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment. Ms. Hammack is a senior manager at Ernst & Young in Phoenix.
...Back in Arizona...
- The legislature's committee schedule is covered here.
- The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have any full meetings scheduled this week, but their hearing schedule is here.
- The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m. No agenda available online as yet.
- The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District will meet on Tuesday, with an executive session planned for 5:30 p.m. and a regular meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Agenda here. Looks relatively quiet thus far, though there is one item of interest to political geeks like me - a consent agenda item to participate in a program from First Things First to pay fees at the Children's Learning Center at Gateway Community College for qualifying parents.
The same First Things First that the legislature wants to eliminate.
- The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System has two meetings this week. On Monday, there is a special session scheduled, with an executive session component. On Wednesday, there will be a full meeting. The agenda includes consideration of proposed rate changes for services.
- The Tempe City Council will meet on Thursday. The agenda is here, and it includes approval of the results of Tempe's election from two weeks ago. The Council Calendar is here.
- The Scottsdale City Council will meet on Tuesday. First up will be a special meeting devoted to appointments to some of the City's Boards and Commissions. The agenda for the regular meeting includes, as with Tempe, approval of the election results from earlier this month. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Arizona Board of Regents, and the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project.
...In the U.S. House of Representatives, last week is blending into next week as they are still in session even as I write this, working toward a vote on the latest health care reform package. As such, no agenda has been posted online as yet. Once that agenda is posted, expect a quiet week as the members look to recover from this week's exertions.
...Over in the U.S. Senate, a lot of their time will be taken up (presumably, assuming passage by the House) with consideration of a reconciliation bill relating to HCR. On the Senate's committee schedule, there is one item of direct interest to Arizonans - the Armed Services Committee's consideration on Tuesday of the nomination of Katherine Hammack to the post of Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment. Ms. Hammack is a senior manager at Ernst & Young in Phoenix.
...Back in Arizona...
- The legislature's committee schedule is covered here.
- The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have any full meetings scheduled this week, but their hearing schedule is here.
- The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m. No agenda available online as yet.
- The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District will meet on Tuesday, with an executive session planned for 5:30 p.m. and a regular meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Agenda here. Looks relatively quiet thus far, though there is one item of interest to political geeks like me - a consent agenda item to participate in a program from First Things First to pay fees at the Children's Learning Center at Gateway Community College for qualifying parents.
The same First Things First that the legislature wants to eliminate.
- The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System has two meetings this week. On Monday, there is a special session scheduled, with an executive session component. On Wednesday, there will be a full meeting. The agenda includes consideration of proposed rate changes for services.
- The Tempe City Council will meet on Thursday. The agenda is here, and it includes approval of the results of Tempe's election from two weeks ago. The Council Calendar is here.
- The Scottsdale City Council will meet on Tuesday. First up will be a special meeting devoted to appointments to some of the City's Boards and Commissions. The agenda for the regular meeting includes, as with Tempe, approval of the election results from earlier this month. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Arizona Board of Regents, and the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
The Coming Week - Everybody Else Edition
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
...In Congress, most of the MSM attention will be on health care reform but there are other matters on the agenda this week.
- In the House of Representatives, their agenda includes many of the usual memorial, congratulatory, building naming and similar "window dressing" motions.
However, there are also a few items that could generate some heat.
- H.R. 4621, the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act. This one is targeted at groups and organizations that have sent out fundraising mailers that look like official Census documents. Like the GOP.
- H. Con. Res. 248, a privileged resolution by Dennis Kucinich to compel the President to remove American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. It won't pass, but it will take hours of debate to not pass it. Unless leadership decrees that is should just be tabled. Only the most progressive Democrats will support this one and all Rs will oppose it. Where things could get cute is if there is a move to table the resolution or to refer it to committee, the Rs could vote to keep it on the floor. As a privileged resolution, the measure takes precedence over almost everything else so they will have to deal with it before any other measure (like HCR) can be considered.
- H. Res. 1031, to impeach federal judge G. Thomas Porteous of Louisiana for ethics breaches. More info here.
...The Senate's committee schedule is here.
...Here in Arizona:
...The Arizona Board of Regents will meet on Thursday and Friday at U of A in Tucson. The agenda includes setting tuition and fees (there are other items related to tuition, but the link is the big one).
...The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have a full meeting this week. Their hearing schedule is here, however.
...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System don't have a meeting this week, but they are scheduled to be at MIHS' employee picnic on Friday.
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will hold a joint meeting with the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association on Friday in Phoenix.
...The Scottsdale City Council isn't meeting this week. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...The Tempe City Council also isn't meeting this week. The Council Calendar for the week is here.
Also not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Election Commission, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
...In Congress, most of the MSM attention will be on health care reform but there are other matters on the agenda this week.
- In the House of Representatives, their agenda includes many of the usual memorial, congratulatory, building naming and similar "window dressing" motions.
However, there are also a few items that could generate some heat.
- H.R. 4621, the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act. This one is targeted at groups and organizations that have sent out fundraising mailers that look like official Census documents. Like the GOP.
- H. Con. Res. 248, a privileged resolution by Dennis Kucinich to compel the President to remove American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. It won't pass, but it will take hours of debate to not pass it. Unless leadership decrees that is should just be tabled. Only the most progressive Democrats will support this one and all Rs will oppose it. Where things could get cute is if there is a move to table the resolution or to refer it to committee, the Rs could vote to keep it on the floor. As a privileged resolution, the measure takes precedence over almost everything else so they will have to deal with it before any other measure (like HCR) can be considered.
- H. Res. 1031, to impeach federal judge G. Thomas Porteous of Louisiana for ethics breaches. More info here.
...The Senate's committee schedule is here.
...Here in Arizona:
...The Arizona Board of Regents will meet on Thursday and Friday at U of A in Tucson. The agenda includes setting tuition and fees (there are other items related to tuition, but the link is the big one).
...The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have a full meeting this week. Their hearing schedule is here, however.
...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System don't have a meeting this week, but they are scheduled to be at MIHS' employee picnic on Friday.
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will hold a joint meeting with the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association on Friday in Phoenix.
...The Scottsdale City Council isn't meeting this week. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...The Tempe City Council also isn't meeting this week. The Council Calendar for the week is here.
Also not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Election Commission, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The coming week - the everything but the lege edition
The lege's schedule this week - almost no committee hearings while the lege "focuses" on the budget - has been covered here, in a post at Blog for Arizona.
...As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
In Congress, most of the week will be spent on committee hearings and behind-the-scenes work on health care reform and jobs bills. The short agenda for the House's floor activity mostly covers a number of non-controversial memorial and congratulatory resolutions. Even the one meaningful bill, HR4247, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (CRS summary here; an AP article on the need for the proposed legislation, via AZCentral.com, here) should pass easily...after the Rs oppose even bringing the measure to the floor, of course (they oppose everything these days, no matter the worthiness of the legislation),
The Senate also has a long committee schedule (media highlight: the Commerce Committee's hearing looking into Toyota's recalls). Floor work may include consideration of the jobs bill recently passed by the House and an extension of the Patriot Act.
...Here in Arizona...
...The Arizona Corporation Commission will be holding a "utilities" meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. The ACC's hearing schedule is here.
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will be meeting on Thursday in Casa Grande. CAP's Public Policy Committee will also meet on Thursday, as will its Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District & Underground Storage Committee.
...The Tempe City Council is scheduled to meet Thursday evening for a regular meeting (agenda here); earlier on Thursday, they are going to hold a special meeting on balancing the city's budget (agenda here). On Friday, they'll hold an executive session as part of the process of choosing a new City Clerk for Tempe (agenda here). The Council's calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday (agenda here). The Council's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Maricopa Board of Supervisors, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District (though they have some kind of "retreat" scheduled for Tuesday evening), Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
...As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
In Congress, most of the week will be spent on committee hearings and behind-the-scenes work on health care reform and jobs bills. The short agenda for the House's floor activity mostly covers a number of non-controversial memorial and congratulatory resolutions. Even the one meaningful bill, HR4247, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (CRS summary here; an AP article on the need for the proposed legislation, via AZCentral.com, here) should pass easily...after the Rs oppose even bringing the measure to the floor, of course (they oppose everything these days, no matter the worthiness of the legislation),
The Senate also has a long committee schedule (media highlight: the Commerce Committee's hearing looking into Toyota's recalls). Floor work may include consideration of the jobs bill recently passed by the House and an extension of the Patriot Act.
...Here in Arizona...
...The Arizona Corporation Commission will be holding a "utilities" meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. The ACC's hearing schedule is here.
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will be meeting on Thursday in Casa Grande. CAP's Public Policy Committee will also meet on Thursday, as will its Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District & Underground Storage Committee.
...The Tempe City Council is scheduled to meet Thursday evening for a regular meeting (agenda here); earlier on Thursday, they are going to hold a special meeting on balancing the city's budget (agenda here). On Friday, they'll hold an executive session as part of the process of choosing a new City Clerk for Tempe (agenda here). The Council's calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday (agenda here). The Council's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Maricopa Board of Supervisors, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District (though they have some kind of "retreat" scheduled for Tuesday evening), Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
Monday, February 22, 2010
2010 Campaign Committee Update
Some of this material has been covered elsewhere but it merits inclusion here...
...In CD3, attorney Paulina Morris has filed for a run at the R nomination to replace the soon-to-be retired John Shadegg. A name familiar to most AZ political geeks, Lisa Graham Keegan, has signed on as Morris' campaign treasurer. Keegan is a McCain confidant/ally and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
...In CD8, R candidate Thomas Carlson has ended his run for the chance to take on Democratic incumbent Gabrielle Giffords. I don't know much about him or his reasons for running, but his reason for dropping out may be related to the fact that he raised a little over $2K for his campaign.
...In CD8, R state senator Jonathan Paton has finally resigned from the Senate to pursue his quest to unseat Giffords. He filed for his run weeks ago, so this wasn't unexpected.
...In CD1, R candidate Thomas Zaleski of Sedona has filed for a run at Democratic incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick.
...In CD5, perennial R candidate Susan Bitter Smith has filed for another run at Democratic incumbent Harry Mitchell. She is a former member of the Scottsdale City Council and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project. She is also a long-time lobbyist, mostly for the telecom/cable TV industry. Her entry into the race has long been rumored, so this isn't exactly a surprise.
...Also in CD5, R candidate Eric Wnuck has withdrawn from the race for his party's nomination. He cited family/business concerns, but a growing field in the R primary and a shrinking pool of available money may have had an impact on his decision, too. In his latest campaign filing, he listed donations at $52K; his first filing listed contributions of over $160K. That's a significant drop during a period when most campaigns are ramping *up* their fundraising efforts.
In Arizona offices...
...State Rep. David Bradley has filed for a run at Arizona Corporation Commission (filer ID 201000475). AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has coverage here.
...Doug Ducey, a Scottsdale businessman, has filed to enter the race for the Republican nomination for State Treasurer. Ducey is the former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, so he has deep pockets, but he isn't exactly as popular as Cold Stone.
...In a sign that the Rs consider Democratic Attorney General Terry Goddard to be a very strong candidate, the Republican Governor's Association has set up a PAC in Arizona so that they can expend monies attempting to influence the governor's race this year (filer ID 201000467).
...In Scottsdale, Republican Linda Milhaven, the former Chair of the Scottsdale Cultural Council, has entered the race for Scottsdale City Council. Her entry into the race has long been rumored and isn't a surprise. There are now eight active committees for runs for the three available seats on the Scottsdale City Council.
Later...
...In CD3, attorney Paulina Morris has filed for a run at the R nomination to replace the soon-to-be retired John Shadegg. A name familiar to most AZ political geeks, Lisa Graham Keegan, has signed on as Morris' campaign treasurer. Keegan is a McCain confidant/ally and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
...In CD8, R candidate Thomas Carlson has ended his run for the chance to take on Democratic incumbent Gabrielle Giffords. I don't know much about him or his reasons for running, but his reason for dropping out may be related to the fact that he raised a little over $2K for his campaign.
...In CD8, R state senator Jonathan Paton has finally resigned from the Senate to pursue his quest to unseat Giffords. He filed for his run weeks ago, so this wasn't unexpected.
...In CD1, R candidate Thomas Zaleski of Sedona has filed for a run at Democratic incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick.
...In CD5, perennial R candidate Susan Bitter Smith has filed for another run at Democratic incumbent Harry Mitchell. She is a former member of the Scottsdale City Council and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project. She is also a long-time lobbyist, mostly for the telecom/cable TV industry. Her entry into the race has long been rumored, so this isn't exactly a surprise.
...Also in CD5, R candidate Eric Wnuck has withdrawn from the race for his party's nomination. He cited family/business concerns, but a growing field in the R primary and a shrinking pool of available money may have had an impact on his decision, too. In his latest campaign filing, he listed donations at $52K; his first filing listed contributions of over $160K. That's a significant drop during a period when most campaigns are ramping *up* their fundraising efforts.
In Arizona offices...
...State Rep. David Bradley has filed for a run at Arizona Corporation Commission (filer ID 201000475). AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has coverage here.
...Doug Ducey, a Scottsdale businessman, has filed to enter the race for the Republican nomination for State Treasurer. Ducey is the former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, so he has deep pockets, but he isn't exactly as popular as Cold Stone.
...In a sign that the Rs consider Democratic Attorney General Terry Goddard to be a very strong candidate, the Republican Governor's Association has set up a PAC in Arizona so that they can expend monies attempting to influence the governor's race this year (filer ID 201000467).
...In Scottsdale, Republican Linda Milhaven, the former Chair of the Scottsdale Cultural Council, has entered the race for Scottsdale City Council. Her entry into the race has long been rumored and isn't a surprise. There are now eight active committees for runs for the three available seats on the Scottsdale City Council.
Later...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Early ballot time
There are March elections all over the state, and early ballots for those elections are hitting mail boxes now.
Some are regularly scheduled municipal elections (such as Tempe's), school override-related special elections {such as the Kyrene school district's), or a mixed-bag special election (such as Scottsdale's).
Since I live in Scottsdale, that election ballot is the one that showed up in my mail box.
That one has six questions on it - five related that changes to the City's charter and one proposing to raise the City's bed tax (hotel tax) and apportion the funds raised to tourism promotion efforts.
The election pamphlet is here.
The charter amendment questions look to be relatively harmless ones. The ones to watch will be the ones that come up for consideration in August. Those will contain the language changes written by The Orange Coalition/Goldwater Institute/Arizona American Water that seek, under the guise of "protecting private property rights," to make it practically impossible for the City to acquire any private property without the highly-overcompensated consent of the current owners of said private property.
However, that's a post for another time, perhaps once the proposed language is finalized.
Back to the current election...
Proposition 100 would change the method of calculating what constitutes a majority for the purposes of determining the winner of a general election. In municipal elections, there is generally an early general election and a run-off election. The run-off is held if a candidate doesn't get a majority during the first election, which is frequently the case when there are more than two candidates for a single office. The proposed change would change the standard from the number of ballots cast to the number of legal votes cast. It sounds like a small change, but the first standard allows for the inclusion of spoiled ballots in determining the total necessary for a majority. This can create a problem when there is a close election between two candidates and the vote total difference between the two candidates is small and the number of spoiled ballots pushes the number of "ballots cast" high enough that neither candidate gains a "majority."
It actually happened in Scottsdale's mayoral election in 2008 between incumbent Mary Manross and eventual winner Jim Lane. The second election didn't make a difference in the outcome.
Proposition 101 would remove the need for a general (first) election for offices for which only two candidates are on the ballot.
Proposition 102 would change the names of the City's general (first) election and run-off (second) election to "primary" (first) and "general" (second).
Proposition 103 would change the notice requirements for an election to whatever the requirements are under state law, however those may change.
Proposition 104 would specify that any referendum/initiative questions that are approved by the voters but that conflict with the charter would not be enacted until the charter has been changed.
Proposition 200 would raise the City's bed tax and earmark the revenue for tourism-development activities.
My take: the first four propositions look like harmless housekeeping measures and I will have no problem voting "yes" on them. Prop 104 looks like it may be a way to inhibit the electorate's ability to override some of the changes that will be proposed for ballot consideration later in the year. I'm not sure how I will vote on that one.
However, the one that I am really not sure of is the bed tax. In a year when services and schools are being slashed all over the state, including in Scottsdale, and voters everywhere are being asked to approve levies to mitigate some of those cuts, this proposal is for a tax that directly benefits big businesses, not Arizona's residents.
Yes, this tax increase would be paid for by tourists, but I'm not sure that taxing outsiders because we have been shortsighted for decades is fair.
On the other hand, tourism is a big part of Scottsdale's economy.
I'm really not sure how I will vote on this one.
Later...
Some are regularly scheduled municipal elections (such as Tempe's), school override-related special elections {such as the Kyrene school district's), or a mixed-bag special election (such as Scottsdale's).
Since I live in Scottsdale, that election ballot is the one that showed up in my mail box.
That one has six questions on it - five related that changes to the City's charter and one proposing to raise the City's bed tax (hotel tax) and apportion the funds raised to tourism promotion efforts.
The election pamphlet is here.
The charter amendment questions look to be relatively harmless ones. The ones to watch will be the ones that come up for consideration in August. Those will contain the language changes written by The Orange Coalition/Goldwater Institute/Arizona American Water that seek, under the guise of "protecting private property rights," to make it practically impossible for the City to acquire any private property without the highly-overcompensated consent of the current owners of said private property.
However, that's a post for another time, perhaps once the proposed language is finalized.
Back to the current election...
Proposition 100 would change the method of calculating what constitutes a majority for the purposes of determining the winner of a general election. In municipal elections, there is generally an early general election and a run-off election. The run-off is held if a candidate doesn't get a majority during the first election, which is frequently the case when there are more than two candidates for a single office. The proposed change would change the standard from the number of ballots cast to the number of legal votes cast. It sounds like a small change, but the first standard allows for the inclusion of spoiled ballots in determining the total necessary for a majority. This can create a problem when there is a close election between two candidates and the vote total difference between the two candidates is small and the number of spoiled ballots pushes the number of "ballots cast" high enough that neither candidate gains a "majority."
It actually happened in Scottsdale's mayoral election in 2008 between incumbent Mary Manross and eventual winner Jim Lane. The second election didn't make a difference in the outcome.
Proposition 101 would remove the need for a general (first) election for offices for which only two candidates are on the ballot.
Proposition 102 would change the names of the City's general (first) election and run-off (second) election to "primary" (first) and "general" (second).
Proposition 103 would change the notice requirements for an election to whatever the requirements are under state law, however those may change.
Proposition 104 would specify that any referendum/initiative questions that are approved by the voters but that conflict with the charter would not be enacted until the charter has been changed.
Proposition 200 would raise the City's bed tax and earmark the revenue for tourism-development activities.
My take: the first four propositions look like harmless housekeeping measures and I will have no problem voting "yes" on them. Prop 104 looks like it may be a way to inhibit the electorate's ability to override some of the changes that will be proposed for ballot consideration later in the year. I'm not sure how I will vote on that one.
However, the one that I am really not sure of is the bed tax. In a year when services and schools are being slashed all over the state, including in Scottsdale, and voters everywhere are being asked to approve levies to mitigate some of those cuts, this proposal is for a tax that directly benefits big businesses, not Arizona's residents.
Yes, this tax increase would be paid for by tourists, but I'm not sure that taxing outsiders because we have been shortsighted for decades is fair.
On the other hand, tourism is a big part of Scottsdale's economy.
I'm really not sure how I will vote on this one.
Later...
Sunday, February 07, 2010
The coming week - everybody else edition
After a one-week hiatus due to other things needing my attention, it's time for another one of these. A separate post on the activities of the AZ legislature is here.
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.
First up: Congress, where they have a short week with nothing scheduled for Monday or expected on Friday, followed by a week of district work next week.
In the U.S. House, the agenda seems to be short, but colorful.
- H.R. 2701, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. This act involves money (even though it is only an "authorization", not an "appropriation") which always means arguments. What is curious is that not only are we well into FY2010 already (and trust me, they've been spending $$$ on "Intelligence" activities), but this bill was introduced last June and not acted upon since then.
Why are they just getting to it now?
- Also on the agenda is an as-yet-unnumbered bill titled the "Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act." I don't have any details on the bill, but if it in any way lives up to the title, expect some serious screaming from the Republicans in the House.
...The Senate's hearing schedule is here. Nothing seems to be specific to Arizona, though hearings on Don't Ask, Don't Tell and global warming (Thursday, though no link is available as of this writing) may generate some interest.
...Back here in AZ, the Arizona Corporation Commission isn't holding any formal meetings this week, but their hearing schedule is here.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has two regularly scheduled meetings this week.
- Monday at 9 a.m., they'll be holding their "informal meeting." The agenda includes the appointment of a state senator for LD6, budget presentations from the various county officials and the judicial branch.
Oh yeah - there's an executive session component, too. No, I'm not shocked by that either.
- Wednesday at 9 a.m., they'll be holding their "formal meeting." Looks pretty mundane so far, but things are sort of fluid with the supes and the Sheriff and County Attorney. Changes to the agenda could happen anytime.
...The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week, but their Council Calendar is here.
...On Tuesday at 5 p.m., the Scottsdale City Council has a joint meeting with the McDowell Corridor/South Scottsdale Economic Development Task Force, followed by a short agenda Special Meeting. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and the Maricopa Integrated Health System, and the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District.
...Later...
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.
First up: Congress, where they have a short week with nothing scheduled for Monday or expected on Friday, followed by a week of district work next week.
In the U.S. House, the agenda seems to be short, but colorful.
- H.R. 2701, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. This act involves money (even though it is only an "authorization", not an "appropriation") which always means arguments. What is curious is that not only are we well into FY2010 already (and trust me, they've been spending $$$ on "Intelligence" activities), but this bill was introduced last June and not acted upon since then.
Why are they just getting to it now?
- Also on the agenda is an as-yet-unnumbered bill titled the "Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act." I don't have any details on the bill, but if it in any way lives up to the title, expect some serious screaming from the Republicans in the House.
...The Senate's hearing schedule is here. Nothing seems to be specific to Arizona, though hearings on Don't Ask, Don't Tell and global warming (Thursday, though no link is available as of this writing) may generate some interest.
...Back here in AZ, the Arizona Corporation Commission isn't holding any formal meetings this week, but their hearing schedule is here.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has two regularly scheduled meetings this week.
- Monday at 9 a.m., they'll be holding their "informal meeting." The agenda includes the appointment of a state senator for LD6, budget presentations from the various county officials and the judicial branch.
Oh yeah - there's an executive session component, too. No, I'm not shocked by that either.
- Wednesday at 9 a.m., they'll be holding their "formal meeting." Looks pretty mundane so far, but things are sort of fluid with the supes and the Sheriff and County Attorney. Changes to the agenda could happen anytime.
...The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week, but their Council Calendar is here.
...On Tuesday at 5 p.m., the Scottsdale City Council has a joint meeting with the McDowell Corridor/South Scottsdale Economic Development Task Force, followed by a short agenda Special Meeting. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and the Maricopa Integrated Health System, and the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District.
...Later...
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The coming week...
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, and subject to change without notice...
...In Congress, it will be a rather brief week due to the President's State of the Union address on Wednesday.
Possibly controversial items on the House's scheduled agenda -
- An as-yet-unnumbered bill titled "Emergency Aid to American Survivors of the Haiti Earthquake Act" from Rep. Charlie Rangel
- An as-yet-unnumbered bill regarding "additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958" from Rep. Nydia Velazquez
There won't be any business conducted in the House on Thursday and Friday so that the House Republicans may meet in an issues conference.
Over in the Senate, they'll be attending the State of the Union address with the members of the House, but before and after that, they'll be conducting business. Their committee schedule is here. There doesn't seem to be anything of specific interest to Arizona this week, though something could crop up.
...The committee schedule for the Arizona legislature was covered in a separate post here. There is one additional meeting to add: the Joint Committee on Capital Review will meet on Tuesday at 8 a.m. in HHR4.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission will be holding a Public Comment Meeting in Litchfield Park on Monday at 6:30 p.m. They will be soliciting public input on a rate increase request from Liberty Water, formerly known at Litchfield Park Service Co. ACC's full hearing schedule is here.
...The Citizens Clean Elections Commission will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. No agenda posted as yet, but expect at least an informal discussion of the recent court ruling outlawing CE's matching funds provisions. (Note: CE is appealing the decision.)
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will hold an informal meeting on Monday and a formal meeting on Wednesday (agenda available on this page).
...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System will have a busy week -
- An executive session on Monday at 1 p.m.
- A formal meeting on Monday at 3 p.m.
- Another formal meeting on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District will meet on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., with an executive session at 5:30 p.m.
...The Tempe City Council's Calendar is here. No formal council meetings are scheduled for this week. However, since last week's meeting was postponed due to the weather issues in the area, it may be rescheduled for this week. Stay tuned.
...The Scottsdale City Council will have a busy Tuesday -
- A 3:30 p.m. Executive Session
- A 4 p.m. Special Meeting on Board and Commission appointments
- A 5 p.m. Regular Meeting, assuming that all will still be running according to schedule.
The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
On Monday, the City's Charter Review Task Force will be meeting on Monday evening. An AZRepublic preview of the meeting is here.
Not meeting this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project
...In Congress, it will be a rather brief week due to the President's State of the Union address on Wednesday.
Possibly controversial items on the House's scheduled agenda -
- An as-yet-unnumbered bill titled "Emergency Aid to American Survivors of the Haiti Earthquake Act" from Rep. Charlie Rangel
- An as-yet-unnumbered bill regarding "additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958" from Rep. Nydia Velazquez
There won't be any business conducted in the House on Thursday and Friday so that the House Republicans may meet in an issues conference.
Over in the Senate, they'll be attending the State of the Union address with the members of the House, but before and after that, they'll be conducting business. Their committee schedule is here. There doesn't seem to be anything of specific interest to Arizona this week, though something could crop up.
...The committee schedule for the Arizona legislature was covered in a separate post here. There is one additional meeting to add: the Joint Committee on Capital Review will meet on Tuesday at 8 a.m. in HHR4.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission will be holding a Public Comment Meeting in Litchfield Park on Monday at 6:30 p.m. They will be soliciting public input on a rate increase request from Liberty Water, formerly known at Litchfield Park Service Co. ACC's full hearing schedule is here.
...The Citizens Clean Elections Commission will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. No agenda posted as yet, but expect at least an informal discussion of the recent court ruling outlawing CE's matching funds provisions. (Note: CE is appealing the decision.)
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will hold an informal meeting on Monday and a formal meeting on Wednesday (agenda available on this page).
...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System will have a busy week -
- An executive session on Monday at 1 p.m.
- A formal meeting on Monday at 3 p.m.
- Another formal meeting on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District will meet on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., with an executive session at 5:30 p.m.
...The Tempe City Council's Calendar is here. No formal council meetings are scheduled for this week. However, since last week's meeting was postponed due to the weather issues in the area, it may be rescheduled for this week. Stay tuned.
...The Scottsdale City Council will have a busy Tuesday -
- A 3:30 p.m. Executive Session
- A 4 p.m. Special Meeting on Board and Commission appointments
- A 5 p.m. Regular Meeting, assuming that all will still be running according to schedule.
The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
On Monday, the City's Charter Review Task Force will be meeting on Monday evening. An AZRepublic preview of the meeting is here.
Not meeting this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Coming Week... - Everybody but the lege edition
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevant political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.
...In the halls of Congress, expect developments regarding health care reform, though those could be accelerated/slowed by the results of the special Senate election in Massachusetts.
There are other matters on the agenda, regardless of the outcome in MA.
- - The House agenda has a few items of interest to Arizonans.
- H.R. 725, Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ4). CRS summary here. Heard under "suspension of the rules," so a 2/3 vote is required for passage.
- H.R. 1065, White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ1) and cosponsored by the rest of the Arizona delegation. CRS summary here. Subject to Rules Committee consideration.
- - Over in the Senate, they will be getting back to work on Wednesday. Their committee schedule is here.
Highlights of that list include a Wednesday hearing of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that will look into the failed Christmas Day explosive underwear attack. Former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, the current Secretary of Homeland Security, is scheduled to appear. There will also be a Thursday meeting of the Armed Services Committee to look at the findings of an independent review of the Fort Hood shootings. An FBI press release on the shootings, dated January 15, 2010, here.
...Back here in Arizona, the legislative session is in full swing; their committee schedule for the week was covered in this post.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission isn't meeting this week. Their hearing schedule is here, however.
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project isn't formally meeting this week, but their Finance, Audit, and Power Committee will meet on Thursday. In addition, they will be holding a Work/Study session on "ADD Water."
...The Tempe City Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday. The agenda is here. The Council Calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council won't formally meet this week. However, they will be part of a joint meeting and dinner with the Tempe City Council at the District 1 Police Station on McKellips Road. That is scheduled for Tuesday evening. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Arizona Board of Regents, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District.
...In the halls of Congress, expect developments regarding health care reform, though those could be accelerated/slowed by the results of the special Senate election in Massachusetts.
There are other matters on the agenda, regardless of the outcome in MA.
- - The House agenda has a few items of interest to Arizonans.
- H.R. 725, Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ4). CRS summary here. Heard under "suspension of the rules," so a 2/3 vote is required for passage.
- H.R. 1065, White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ1) and cosponsored by the rest of the Arizona delegation. CRS summary here. Subject to Rules Committee consideration.
- - Over in the Senate, they will be getting back to work on Wednesday. Their committee schedule is here.
Highlights of that list include a Wednesday hearing of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that will look into the failed Christmas Day explosive underwear attack. Former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, the current Secretary of Homeland Security, is scheduled to appear. There will also be a Thursday meeting of the Armed Services Committee to look at the findings of an independent review of the Fort Hood shootings. An FBI press release on the shootings, dated January 15, 2010, here.
...Back here in Arizona, the legislative session is in full swing; their committee schedule for the week was covered in this post.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission isn't meeting this week. Their hearing schedule is here, however.
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project isn't formally meeting this week, but their Finance, Audit, and Power Committee will meet on Thursday. In addition, they will be holding a Work/Study session on "ADD Water."
...The Tempe City Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday. The agenda is here. The Council Calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council won't formally meet this week. However, they will be part of a joint meeting and dinner with the Tempe City Council at the District 1 Police Station on McKellips Road. That is scheduled for Tuesday evening. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Arizona Board of Regents, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Candidate update - Scottsdale City Council
A quick visit to the City of Scottsdale's campaign finance webpage reveals that a new candidate has formed a committee for next year's election to fill three seats on the Scottsdale City Council.
Jose Luis Penalosa, Jr. filed his paperwork with the Scottsdale City Clerk last Wednesday.
According to his filing, he is an attorney and a Republican (and markets himself as such).
As I am totally unfamiliar with him, I did a quick internet search. Apparently his law practice specializes in immigration law (with that name and career path, I'm guessing that he's not part of the teabagger branch of the GOP...though that is *just* a guess) and is an amateur running enthusiast. In addition, according to the list of alumni of Scottsdale Leadership, he's a graduate of their program.
Note: Scottsdale Leadership is a networking group for the city's leaders and would-be leaders (Chamber of Commerce contingent).
More info as it becomes available.
Edit to add:
Mr. Penalosa joins the three incumbents, Wayne Ecton, Bob Littlefield, and Tony Nelssen, as well as former Councilman Ned O'Hearn and former candidate Bill Crawford in the race.
There are other potential candidates rumored to be mulling entry into the race, but they haven't announced yet.
Scottsdale voters should remember that they can sign only three nominating petitions, so they might want to consider putting off signing any until the candidate field stabilizes.
...End edit...
Jose Luis Penalosa, Jr. filed his paperwork with the Scottsdale City Clerk last Wednesday.
According to his filing, he is an attorney and a Republican (and markets himself as such).
As I am totally unfamiliar with him, I did a quick internet search. Apparently his law practice specializes in immigration law (with that name and career path, I'm guessing that he's not part of the teabagger branch of the GOP...though that is *just* a guess) and is an amateur running enthusiast. In addition, according to the list of alumni of Scottsdale Leadership, he's a graduate of their program.
Note: Scottsdale Leadership is a networking group for the city's leaders and would-be leaders (Chamber of Commerce contingent).
More info as it becomes available.
Edit to add:
Mr. Penalosa joins the three incumbents, Wayne Ecton, Bob Littlefield, and Tony Nelssen, as well as former Councilman Ned O'Hearn and former candidate Bill Crawford in the race.
There are other potential candidates rumored to be mulling entry into the race, but they haven't announced yet.
Scottsdale voters should remember that they can sign only three nominating petitions, so they might want to consider putting off signing any until the candidate field stabilizes.
...End edit...
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The coming week...
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
As with last week, the current schedule is a light one due to the holiday on Friday.
...In Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate are in recess until the new year, at which point they will start wrangling over health care reform.
...The Arizona legislature is doing its most beneficial work of the year for the people of AZ this week - no committee hearings, no legislative sessions, no nothing this week. They won't be actively making things worse for Arizonans this week (though some legislators may be making plans for just that during the coming session).
...The Arizona Corporation Commission has no public meetings scheduled this week, though there is a light hearing schedule. Everything seems to be focused on rates for Litchfield Park Service Co. and Global Water-Palo Verde Utilities Co.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a special meeting scheduled for Monday at noon. The agenda includes an executive session component as well as an open meeting component. The highlight of the open meeting portion is the adoption of financial disclosure standards for county elected officials. You know, the kind of stuff that Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas have used to cause so many problems for Supervisor Don Stapley et. al.
MCBOS' 2010 meeting schedule is here. There are already a couple of adjustments - the 1/5/2010 meeting will be held on 1/7 and the 1/13 meeting will be held on 1/12.
...The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week, though their Council Calendar is here. It's all Insight Bowl-related events.
...The Scottsdale City Council also isn't meeting this week. Their Community Meeting Notice is kind of light - nothing is planned for the week.
...The biggest meeting of the week looks to be AHCCCS' Public Hearing on Governor Brewer's recently-ordered cap on KidsCare enrollment, a hearing that will take place on Tuesday. Full details at this earlier post.
Not meeting at all this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Boards of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System and the Central Arizona Project, the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College System, and the Arizona Board of Regents.
Later...
As with last week, the current schedule is a light one due to the holiday on Friday.
...In Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate are in recess until the new year, at which point they will start wrangling over health care reform.
...The Arizona legislature is doing its most beneficial work of the year for the people of AZ this week - no committee hearings, no legislative sessions, no nothing this week. They won't be actively making things worse for Arizonans this week (though some legislators may be making plans for just that during the coming session).
...The Arizona Corporation Commission has no public meetings scheduled this week, though there is a light hearing schedule. Everything seems to be focused on rates for Litchfield Park Service Co. and Global Water-Palo Verde Utilities Co.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a special meeting scheduled for Monday at noon. The agenda includes an executive session component as well as an open meeting component. The highlight of the open meeting portion is the adoption of financial disclosure standards for county elected officials. You know, the kind of stuff that Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas have used to cause so many problems for Supervisor Don Stapley et. al.
MCBOS' 2010 meeting schedule is here. There are already a couple of adjustments - the 1/5/2010 meeting will be held on 1/7 and the 1/13 meeting will be held on 1/12.
...The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week, though their Council Calendar is here. It's all Insight Bowl-related events.
...The Scottsdale City Council also isn't meeting this week. Their Community Meeting Notice is kind of light - nothing is planned for the week.
...The biggest meeting of the week looks to be AHCCCS' Public Hearing on Governor Brewer's recently-ordered cap on KidsCare enrollment, a hearing that will take place on Tuesday. Full details at this earlier post.
Not meeting at all this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Boards of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System and the Central Arizona Project, the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College System, and the Arizona Board of Regents.
Later...
Saturday, December 19, 2009
The coming week...
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies (except where noted), and subject to change without notice...
This will be a quick post, mostly because almost everybody is on a holiday schedule this week. Meaning that almost nothing will be happening.
...Having said that, let's start off with the highest profile exception to that statement, the U.S. Senate. They'll be in session most of the week, considering health care reform (LA Times). Expectations are that a final vote will be taken by Christmas, meaning that the bill won't go to conference committee until after the new year as the House is adjourned for the holidays. (Actually, there's a session planned for Wednesday, but that seems to be a pro forma session. I'll update if that changes.) The Senate's committee schedule is here; there's only one committee scheduled to meet this week - Judiciary on Thursday.
...Back here in AZ, the Arizona Corporation Commission has a Securities and Utilities meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Agenda here. The ACC's full hearing schedule is here. It's a light one.
...The Arizona Board of Regents isn't meeting this week. However, they are looking for a President of the Board.
...The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week, but their Council Calendar is here. There's one item on it this week - a holiday open house on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
...The Scottsdale City Council isn't meeting this week, but the Community Meeting Notice is here. Summary: there's nothing scheduled this week. You might think that there is a holiday or something coming up. :)
...Everybody else isn't going to meet this week: Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Arizona State Legislature.
Have a happy and safe Christmas everybody, even Republicans...and a certain Libertarian commenter! :))
This will be a quick post, mostly because almost everybody is on a holiday schedule this week. Meaning that almost nothing will be happening.
...Having said that, let's start off with the highest profile exception to that statement, the U.S. Senate. They'll be in session most of the week, considering health care reform (LA Times). Expectations are that a final vote will be taken by Christmas, meaning that the bill won't go to conference committee until after the new year as the House is adjourned for the holidays. (Actually, there's a session planned for Wednesday, but that seems to be a pro forma session. I'll update if that changes.) The Senate's committee schedule is here; there's only one committee scheduled to meet this week - Judiciary on Thursday.
...Back here in AZ, the Arizona Corporation Commission has a Securities and Utilities meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Agenda here. The ACC's full hearing schedule is here. It's a light one.
...The Arizona Board of Regents isn't meeting this week. However, they are looking for a President of the Board.
...The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week, but their Council Calendar is here. There's one item on it this week - a holiday open house on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
...The Scottsdale City Council isn't meeting this week, but the Community Meeting Notice is here. Summary: there's nothing scheduled this week. You might think that there is a holiday or something coming up. :)
...Everybody else isn't going to meet this week: Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Arizona State Legislature.
Have a happy and safe Christmas everybody, even Republicans...and a certain Libertarian commenter! :))
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The coming week...
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.
...In the U.S. House, the agenda looks to be pretty non-controversial, with the notable exception of possible consideration of a conference report on H.R. 3326, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. Anything with that much money attached to it is certain to generate a fuss.
The House is expected (no guarantees on this however) to finish its business for the calendar year by Friday.
...The U.S. Senate will also be in session. Its committee schedule is here. Of interest to Arizonans: An Armed Services Committee hearing considering, among other things, the nominations of AZers Douglas Wilson as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Mary S. Matiella as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller.
Wilson's bio is on this page near the bottom (summary - he's a DLC Dem who spent most of the 1990s working for the Clinton administration); Matiella's bio is part of this article (she's held a number of finance-related positions in government, including for HUD and the Forest Service. She has been appointed to the Audit Subcommittee of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board.)
...Back here in Arizona, the intersession makework schedule seems to be nearing its end.
- On Tuesday, the House Study Committee on Sentencing will meet at 9 a.m. in HHR5.
- Wednesday, the Joint Committee on Capital Review will meet in SHR109 at 1 p.m. and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) will meet at 2 p.m in the same room. Both agendas contain an executive session component on private prisons. The item language on the respective agendas differs slightly so they may or may not pertain to the same matter. Either way, they address sending public money to private corporations that exist to profit from incarceration.
No sign of a special session. There were rumors that one more would develop before the end of the month, but that doesn't seem likely at this point. Things could change Monday morning, but... :)
...The Arizona Corporation Commission is scheduled to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday. The agenda of that "utilities" meeting is here. Its hearing calendar is here.
...The Citizens Clean Elections Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday. Agenda here.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has an "informal" meeting scheduled for Monday, agenda here. The highlight of this one is the presentation and discussion regarding adoption of financial disclosure standards for County elected officials.
Whatever comes out of this one, you can be sure that Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio a) won't like it, and b) won't think it applies to themselves.
The supes have a "formal" meeting scheduled for Wednesday, agenda here.
...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District looks to have a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday night, at least according an item on the previous meeting's agenda. I can't find an agenda for a meeting this week, though a phone call to the district on Monday morning should definitively confirm/refute the existence of a special meeting.
...The Tempe City Council isn't scheduled to meet this week; the Council Calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council isn't scheduled to meet this week; the Community Meeting Notice is here. The highlights of that are a meeting of the Charter Review Task Force on Monday and a meeting of the City Manager Recruitment Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday (members: Mayor Lane and Council members Littlefield and McCullagh).
Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and Maricopa Integrated Health System.
Later...
...In the U.S. House, the agenda looks to be pretty non-controversial, with the notable exception of possible consideration of a conference report on H.R. 3326, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. Anything with that much money attached to it is certain to generate a fuss.
The House is expected (no guarantees on this however) to finish its business for the calendar year by Friday.
...The U.S. Senate will also be in session. Its committee schedule is here. Of interest to Arizonans: An Armed Services Committee hearing considering, among other things, the nominations of AZers Douglas Wilson as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Mary S. Matiella as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller.
Wilson's bio is on this page near the bottom (summary - he's a DLC Dem who spent most of the 1990s working for the Clinton administration); Matiella's bio is part of this article (she's held a number of finance-related positions in government, including for HUD and the Forest Service. She has been appointed to the Audit Subcommittee of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board.)
...Back here in Arizona, the intersession makework schedule seems to be nearing its end.
- On Tuesday, the House Study Committee on Sentencing will meet at 9 a.m. in HHR5.
- Wednesday, the Joint Committee on Capital Review will meet in SHR109 at 1 p.m. and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) will meet at 2 p.m in the same room. Both agendas contain an executive session component on private prisons. The item language on the respective agendas differs slightly so they may or may not pertain to the same matter. Either way, they address sending public money to private corporations that exist to profit from incarceration.
No sign of a special session. There were rumors that one more would develop before the end of the month, but that doesn't seem likely at this point. Things could change Monday morning, but... :)
...The Arizona Corporation Commission is scheduled to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday. The agenda of that "utilities" meeting is here. Its hearing calendar is here.
...The Citizens Clean Elections Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday. Agenda here.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has an "informal" meeting scheduled for Monday, agenda here. The highlight of this one is the presentation and discussion regarding adoption of financial disclosure standards for County elected officials.
Whatever comes out of this one, you can be sure that Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio a) won't like it, and b) won't think it applies to themselves.
The supes have a "formal" meeting scheduled for Wednesday, agenda here.
...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District looks to have a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday night, at least according an item on the previous meeting's agenda. I can't find an agenda for a meeting this week, though a phone call to the district on Monday morning should definitively confirm/refute the existence of a special meeting.
...The Tempe City Council isn't scheduled to meet this week; the Council Calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council isn't scheduled to meet this week; the Community Meeting Notice is here. The highlights of that are a meeting of the Charter Review Task Force on Monday and a meeting of the City Manager Recruitment Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday (members: Mayor Lane and Council members Littlefield and McCullagh).
Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and Maricopa Integrated Health System.
Later...
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Out of a comfort zone and lessons learned
Let me start off by saying that I have a newfound respect for anyone who steps in front of a crowd of (mostly) strangers to speak to them.
A few weeks ago, I wrote of an incident at a meeting of the Scottsdale City Council where a speaker criticized some members of the Council (which while poorly done in this instance, is part of a public official's lot) and the wife of a Council member (family members = off limits under most circumstances).
As this wasn't the first time such things have happened with the Scottsdale City Council and the fact that the Mayor issued a very tepid response (perhaps not-so-coincidentally, the targets of the speaker's ire were the Mayor's adversaries on the Council), I felt it was necessary to step up and say something, to let folks know that this behavior was not representative of Scottsdale's residents as a whole.
So, at Tuesday's Council meeting I did so.
And have never been so scared in my life.
I've spoken in front of small groups of people that I've known (friends, coworkers, etc.) but never in front of strangers, much less a group where I knew going in that most of them were not going to be receptive to what I had to say.
This was definitely out of my comfort zone.
So, as it was a rookie outing for me, it could best be described as "inartful."
Still, it could have been worse - at least I didn't drool on my notes or break into Pig Latin when I got nervous. :)
Among the lessons learned - the three minutes alloted to each speaker that can seem interminable for listeners just flies by for speakers. Even though I tried to keep my remarks brief and on point, the Mayor still cut me off before I finished. To be fair to the Mayor, I got my three minutes, so I am not criticizing him...for this. There will be other occasions for that.
Plenty of them.
In other news: the Council appointed current Deputy City Attorney Bruce Washburn to the vacant City Attorney's job. The initial over/under on his job tenure will be set at 16 months (April 2011) unless Lane's faction remains in the majority after next year's elections.
In other, other news: the Council failed to reappoint an associate city judge (or at least was well on their way to not reappointing - I had to leave for the D17 holiday party) because they didn't feel they didn't have enough info to make the reappointment..but not before they gave the floor to one of Mayor Lane's allies to engage in an off-topic diatribe against photo radar.
Which I thought was rather ironic because on Tuesday evening, one of the City's photo radar vans was situated on Civic Center Boulevard near Scottsdale Stadium, perhaps 1000 feet from City Hall.
Later...
A few weeks ago, I wrote of an incident at a meeting of the Scottsdale City Council where a speaker criticized some members of the Council (which while poorly done in this instance, is part of a public official's lot) and the wife of a Council member (family members = off limits under most circumstances).
As this wasn't the first time such things have happened with the Scottsdale City Council and the fact that the Mayor issued a very tepid response (perhaps not-so-coincidentally, the targets of the speaker's ire were the Mayor's adversaries on the Council), I felt it was necessary to step up and say something, to let folks know that this behavior was not representative of Scottsdale's residents as a whole.
So, at Tuesday's Council meeting I did so.
And have never been so scared in my life.
I've spoken in front of small groups of people that I've known (friends, coworkers, etc.) but never in front of strangers, much less a group where I knew going in that most of them were not going to be receptive to what I had to say.
This was definitely out of my comfort zone.
So, as it was a rookie outing for me, it could best be described as "inartful."
Still, it could have been worse - at least I didn't drool on my notes or break into Pig Latin when I got nervous. :)
Among the lessons learned - the three minutes alloted to each speaker that can seem interminable for listeners just flies by for speakers. Even though I tried to keep my remarks brief and on point, the Mayor still cut me off before I finished. To be fair to the Mayor, I got my three minutes, so I am not criticizing him...for this. There will be other occasions for that.
Plenty of them.
In other news: the Council appointed current Deputy City Attorney Bruce Washburn to the vacant City Attorney's job. The initial over/under on his job tenure will be set at 16 months (April 2011) unless Lane's faction remains in the majority after next year's elections.
In other, other news: the Council failed to reappoint an associate city judge (or at least was well on their way to not reappointing - I had to leave for the D17 holiday party) because they didn't feel they didn't have enough info to make the reappointment..but not before they gave the floor to one of Mayor Lane's allies to engage in an off-topic diatribe against photo radar.
Which I thought was rather ironic because on Tuesday evening, one of the City's photo radar vans was situated on Civic Center Boulevard near Scottsdale Stadium, perhaps 1000 feet from City Hall.
Later...
Monday, December 07, 2009
Let the screaming in north Scottsdale begin...
From AZCentral.com -
The website of the Arizona Medical Board lists 21 medical doctors with a specialty in cosmetic surgery.
7, or 33%, list a Scottsdale address on their licenses. An eighth lists an address in Paradise Valley, but that addy is physically on Scottsdale Road. The doctor in question literally just has to cross the street to be in Scottsdale. That's 38% in or right next to Scottsdale.
According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Arizona has more than 6,300,000 people in it.
According to the same source, Scottsdale has 235,000 people, or roughly 3.7% of the state's population, living in it.
3.7% of the general population, but more than 38% of the plastic surgeons.
Hmmm...
:)
Note: These numbers don't include the 7 licensees who list out of state addresses. I believe that most of them practice in Scottsdale when they are in-state, but belief is not proof. Also, the numbers do not include the doctors who have a cosmetic surgery component to their practices, but do not claim it as a specialty with the Medical Board. So far as I know, there is no requirement that they do so.
But it does make running numbers on this topic a little more difficult. :)
Senate eyes cosmetic surgery, Botox taxTo those readers who think that I am being inappropriately snarky toward my oh-so trendily-dressed and impeccably-coiffed neighbors to the north, know this -
Last week, the Senate began debate on an $848 billion health care reform bill that includes a 5% excise tax on elective cosmetic surgery, beginning Jan. 1, 2010. The provision would raise an estimated $5.8 billion in the next decade.
The website of the Arizona Medical Board lists 21 medical doctors with a specialty in cosmetic surgery.
7, or 33%, list a Scottsdale address on their licenses. An eighth lists an address in Paradise Valley, but that addy is physically on Scottsdale Road. The doctor in question literally just has to cross the street to be in Scottsdale. That's 38% in or right next to Scottsdale.
According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Arizona has more than 6,300,000 people in it.
According to the same source, Scottsdale has 235,000 people, or roughly 3.7% of the state's population, living in it.
3.7% of the general population, but more than 38% of the plastic surgeons.
Hmmm...
:)
Note: These numbers don't include the 7 licensees who list out of state addresses. I believe that most of them practice in Scottsdale when they are in-state, but belief is not proof. Also, the numbers do not include the doctors who have a cosmetic surgery component to their practices, but do not claim it as a specialty with the Medical Board. So far as I know, there is no requirement that they do so.
But it does make running numbers on this topic a little more difficult. :)
Sunday, December 06, 2009
An open letter to Scottsdale's Mayor and City Council
This letter was submitted to them via the City's website contact form -
Later...
Mayor Lane and members of the Scottsdale City Council,
On Tuesday you will be considering a consultant’s report on the possible acquisition of Arizona American Water Company’s (AAWC’s) operations in Scottsdale.
I am writing to you to urge you to consider the report with an open mind, and during your discussions keep an eye toward protecting the long term interests of the residents of Scottsdale.
You are certain to hear from a number of interested parties on this matter, including many representatives of an organization calling itself The ORANGE Coalition. They will flatly oppose even the mere possibility of the City of Scottsdale acquiring the troubled local operation and assets of Arizona American Water. While they profess to be an Arizona-based organization dedicated to protecting the private property rights of “farmers and ranchers and other land owners,” that description of their purpose may not be a complete one.
According to records from the Arizona Corporation Commission, The ORANGE Coalition was incorporated on November 12, 2008 and listed the addresses of its directors as “1025 Laurel Oak Rd., Voorhees, NJ 08043.”
That is the address of corporate headquarters of American Water Works, the parent company of AAWC.
The inference is clear here – The ORANGE Coalition is an “astroturf” group formed specifically to further the interests of its industry backers, and nothing more.
While all of the residents of Scottsdale (your constituents), even those who work directly (or indirectly) for AAWC, have the right to have their opinions heard, the fact that certain individuals represent AAWC shouldn’t give you reason to confer greater weight to their opinions.
To conclude, let me reiterate the beginning of this note – please consider the report with an open mind and let your decisions in the matter be based on what best serves the needs of the residents of Scottsdale.
Thank you for your time.
Regards,
[cpmaz]
NOTE –
The ACC page for The ORANGE Coalition is here: http://starpas.azcc.gov/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=wsbroker1/names-detail.p?name-id=14878680&type=CORPORATION
SEC info on American Water’s address from its initial registration is here: http://www.sec.gov/news/digest/1993/dig052193.pdf
American Water’s contact page from its website, with corporate HQ address, is here: http://www.amwater.com/about-us/contact-us.html
Later...
The coming week....
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies (except where noted) and subject to change without notice.
...This should be the last "busy" week of the year as most political bodies try to get a month's work into the first two weeks of that month.
...In the U.S. House, the agenda includes the as-yet-unnumbered Tax Extenders of 2009 act some info here; it looks to be a bill to extend some tax relief for charitable contributions, alternative fuels development and more. Also on the agenda is H.R. 4173, The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009. CBO summary here. House Rules hearing on Tuesday.
This will pass the House but the Republicans will absolutely hate it, and enough Senate Dems (Baucus, Schumer, Lincoln, etc.) could cross over on this one and block it from passing the Senate or at least balk enough to remove any teeth from this bill.
...The Senate will continue to consider health care reform. They have hundreds ofobstructions amendments proposed by the Rs to slog through. Other than that, the Senate's committee schedule is here. Perhaps of greatest interest to Arizonans is Wednesday's hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. There, they will consider a number of executive branch nominations, including that of Phoenix's P. David Lopez as general counsel (chief lawyer) for the EEOC. Lopez' statement from a November hearing is here. Lopez is an ASU alum and has worked for the EEOC since 1994, primarily as a trial attorney.
...Back here in Arizona, the Legislature's makework schedule is abating somewhat.
- On Monday, Sen. Sylvia "6000 years" Allen's Ad Hoc Committee on Mining Regulations will meet at 9 a.m. in HHR1.
- Also on Monday, the Ad Hoc Committee on Agriculture Regulations will meet at 1 p.m. in HHR1.
Look for these to be industry lobby-fests, and nothing more.
- Still on Monday, the Senate's Committee on Natural Resources, Infrastucture, and Public Debt will meet at 2:30 p.m. in SHR109 to discuss the state of the state's finances with JLBC and State Treasurer Dean Martin.
Look for this to be a combination bashfest (blaming Democrats for everything) and stump speech/posturing by unofficial candidate for governor Martin.
- In other lege news, House Democrats is inviting the public to legislative issue and advocacy forums in Tucson (Monday), Yuma (Tuesday), and Sierra Vista (Wednesday.) There will be more opportunities to meet with legislators about the state's budget issues and learn how to make their voices heard on West Washington.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission is scheduled to hold a special open meeting on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday concerning resource planning/rulemaking and APS' permanent rates. ACC's complete hearing schedule is here.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has special meetings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
Monday's agenda is devoted hearing a presentation on the issues facing the County in the next five years and strategic planning.
Tuesday's agenda isn't posted yet, but an executive session regarding the latest litigation spawned by Joe Arpaio and Andy Thomas is well within the realm of possibility.
,,,The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System will hold a special meeting Monday afternoon. The agenda includes both executive and open session components regarding assignment of contracts from MedPro to the newly-formed District Medical Group.
...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District will meet on Tuesday. The agenda includes an executive session at 5:30 p.m. and a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. The current agenda looks to be pretty mundane, though there will be special meetings on Wednesday (5:00 p.m.) and next Tuesday (6:30 p.m.) and officer elections in January, all of which promise to be interesting.
...The Tempe City Council will meet on Thursday. The Council's Calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council will meet on Tuesday. The regular meeting agenda includes the appointment of a new City Attorney while the agenda for the executive session (planned for 2 p.m.) includes items regarding discussion of and legal advice pertaining to the acquisition of real property, including assets of Arizona American Water within Scottsdale. More on that last in a later post.
Scottsdale's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Arizona Board of Regents, the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project.
...This should be the last "busy" week of the year as most political bodies try to get a month's work into the first two weeks of that month.
...In the U.S. House, the agenda includes the as-yet-unnumbered Tax Extenders of 2009 act some info here; it looks to be a bill to extend some tax relief for charitable contributions, alternative fuels development and more. Also on the agenda is H.R. 4173, The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009. CBO summary here. House Rules hearing on Tuesday.
This will pass the House but the Republicans will absolutely hate it, and enough Senate Dems (Baucus, Schumer, Lincoln, etc.) could cross over on this one and block it from passing the Senate or at least balk enough to remove any teeth from this bill.
...The Senate will continue to consider health care reform. They have hundreds of
...Back here in Arizona, the Legislature's makework schedule is abating somewhat.
- On Monday, Sen. Sylvia "6000 years" Allen's Ad Hoc Committee on Mining Regulations will meet at 9 a.m. in HHR1.
- Also on Monday, the Ad Hoc Committee on Agriculture Regulations will meet at 1 p.m. in HHR1.
Look for these to be industry lobby-fests, and nothing more.
- Still on Monday, the Senate's Committee on Natural Resources, Infrastucture, and Public Debt will meet at 2:30 p.m. in SHR109 to discuss the state of the state's finances with JLBC and State Treasurer Dean Martin.
Look for this to be a combination bashfest (blaming Democrats for everything) and stump speech/posturing by unofficial candidate for governor Martin.
- In other lege news, House Democrats is inviting the public to legislative issue and advocacy forums in Tucson (Monday), Yuma (Tuesday), and Sierra Vista (Wednesday.) There will be more opportunities to meet with legislators about the state's budget issues and learn how to make their voices heard on West Washington.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission is scheduled to hold a special open meeting on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday concerning resource planning/rulemaking and APS' permanent rates. ACC's complete hearing schedule is here.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has special meetings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
Monday's agenda is devoted hearing a presentation on the issues facing the County in the next five years and strategic planning.
Tuesday's agenda isn't posted yet, but an executive session regarding the latest litigation spawned by Joe Arpaio and Andy Thomas is well within the realm of possibility.
,,,The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System will hold a special meeting Monday afternoon. The agenda includes both executive and open session components regarding assignment of contracts from MedPro to the newly-formed District Medical Group.
...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District will meet on Tuesday. The agenda includes an executive session at 5:30 p.m. and a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. The current agenda looks to be pretty mundane, though there will be special meetings on Wednesday (5:00 p.m.) and next Tuesday (6:30 p.m.) and officer elections in January, all of which promise to be interesting.
...The Tempe City Council will meet on Thursday. The Council's Calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council will meet on Tuesday. The regular meeting agenda includes the appointment of a new City Attorney while the agenda for the executive session (planned for 2 p.m.) includes items regarding discussion of and legal advice pertaining to the acquisition of real property, including assets of Arizona American Water within Scottsdale. More on that last in a later post.
Scottsdale's Community Meeting Notice is here.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Arizona Board of Regents, the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project.
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