Arizona Democratic Party statement on the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy

From an email -

ADP Chairman Don Bivens today issued the following statement on the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy:

"We are truly saddened at the news of Senator Edward Kennedy's death. The country has lost not only a leader but a genuine statesman and public servant. He loved his country deeply, devoting his nearly 47 years in the Senate to the people of Massachusetts and people in need everywhere. He championed the plight of the overlooked, creating a body of legislative work - from the Americans with Disabilities Act to the Family and Medical Leave Act - that has touched the lives of millions. Despite today's sad news, it is comforting to know that Senator Kennedy's legacy will be felt for generations. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones."

Ted Kennedy 1932 - 2009

Ted Kennedy, one of the last remaining lions of the Senate, has succumbed to brain cancer at the age of 77.

Pic of Senator Kennedy throwing out the first pitch for the Boston Red Sox this past April found at DemocraticUnderground.com.

My condolences go out to Senator Kennedy's friends and family and to all who looked up to him and his long record of public service.

CNN coverage here.

For those Republicans in the lege who support texting while driving

This video is currently a big hit on YouTube.

It should be required viewing for any legislator who opposes Rep. Steve Farley's next attempt to ban texting while driving.

Warning - the video is graphic and not for those with tender sensibilities or weak stomachs.

Huppenthal case continued until Thursday

Expectations were that the verdict in the misdemeanor theft and political sign tampering case against state Sen. John Huppenthal was going to be announced on Tuesday.

However, a quick glance at the online record of the case shows that a "status conference" on the case has been scheduled for Thursday, August 27 at 4 p.m.

I'm not sure what is causing the delay.

Stay tuned a little longer...

McCain gets promoted during his health care forum

During John McCain's forum opposing the health care reform proposed by President Obama, Shirley McAllister of Sun City asked a pointed question (emphasis mine) -

"Why are so many people opposed to a government-provided health care option? I believe you, Senator Kennedy...[crowd laughs]...I just promoted you...[more laughter]...Senator McCain, I'm sorry...I believe you have had access to government-provided health care for most of your life, and I would imagine that most of us here are on Medicare, and there may be some who would like to give up their Medicare. [shouts of "NO" from the crowd] No, none of us do, so what is so wrong with government-provided health care?"

Legislative Update - Sine Die planned for today

OK, so there is a reason that I'm glad that I blew off a trip to West Washington.

They're not going to do anything significant today.


Right now, the plan is to adjourn the third special session of the lege "sine die" in order to give the Governor 10 more days to deal with the package of budget bills that the lege sent to her last week (think: the classic prank of leaving a flaming bag of dog poop in front of somebody's door, ringing the door bell, and running away.)

After her sign/veto decisions, they plan to enter a *fourth* special session to "fix" the budget some more.

Ummm...this whole mess brings to mind one question.

Would it be possible to amend the state constitution to require the lege to pass a balanced budget by the start of the fiscal year, and in the event that they don't do so, build a holding cell for 91 (got to have space for the Governor) to hold them until they do so? Think Arpaio's Tent City without the creature comforts.

I'm pretty sure that after a week of finding out which one of their colleagues snores the loudest while trying to ignore the pervasive "eau de bank of porta-potties" wafting through the tents all day and night, most of Arizona's legislators will start thinking (and saying) "[bleep] Grover, I just want to go home," a balanced budget will get passed.

More later...

Scottsdale water update for NIBW residents

For those of you who don't know - NIBW is the acronym for the "North Indian Bend Wash" Superfund site. Info at the link.

The following is an email from Vicki Rosen, the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator for NIBW -

Dear NIBW CIG,

This note is to let you all know about an external water leak that occurred last Thursday, August 20, at the Scottsdale Central Groundwater Treatment Facility (CGTF). As you know, the facility uses a "pump and treat" system to treat groundwater contaminated primarily with trichloroethylene (TCE) from the NIBW site. The CGTF is operated by the City of Scottsdale, including its four extraction wells.

Here's what happened according to a phone call we received from the City of Scottsdale:

First, and most importantly, the City reported that the leak was not associated with the drinking water system.

At approximately 7:00 am on August 20, an employee at the Coronado Golf Course noticed a water leak and advised the City. When City employees arrived at 8:00 am, they found that it was coming from an air release valve on a water line connected to one of the extraction wells (S71). City staff immediately shut down valves upstream from the leak to stop the flow of water in addition to the associated well. The leak originated at a coupling between the water line and the air release valve. The water flowed into an irrigation ditch which feeds into a lake on the golf course.

Here's what the City reported was done to address the leak:

- The City followed the EPA-approved Contingency and Emergency Response Plan

- The coupling between the air release valve and the water line was repaired and back in operation by 10:00 am the same day

- The City inspected all air release valves on all the pipelines as a preventative measure and repaired any that were of concern

- Water samples were collected at several locations including the point where the leak originated, a ditch that received the runoff and two locations at the lake on the golf course (where water enters the lake and where it exits)

- A soil sample was taken at the location of the leak

Here's what else the City reported to us:

- It's estimated that 200,000 gallons of groundwater leaked onto the ground

- Initial sampling results show TCE at 65 parts per billion at the point of the leak and non-detect at the ditch and the lake

- The City initially cordoned off the area of the spill to discourage public access until there was no concern

What happens next?

The City is in the process of preparing a report detailing the incident and corrective actions. I will share this report with all of you after we receive it.

Again, please note this leak occurred on the delivery side of the system conveying untreated water to the treatment facility and had no impact on the drinking water system.

I've attached a flyer from the City that is going to residents adjacent to the golf course where the leak occurred.

On another note, I know we haven't met in quite a while.

There are several reasons for this, one being that we've been waiting for the most current information on site activities that would be of interest to the community. Due to a very full schedule I have for the next few weeks, we may not be able to get together before November but we'll do the best we can. Our dear project manager, Jamey Watt, is on a detail in Honolulu (poor guy). Taking over for him at the NIBW site is Rachel Loftin, a very experienced remedial project manager. We're looking forward to getting together with all of you.

Best,

Vicki

I've got to head downtown for the legislative session, so I won't be able to look into this until later today or sometime tomorrow.

BTW - Arizona American Water, the company that has had so many problems with the facility that they operate to treat a portion of the contaminated groundwater before selling it to users in parts of Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, is under investigation by ADEQ for the way that it has handled drinking water supplies in western AZ.

Later...

Arizonans: Here's how to get the Republicans in the legislature to listen to us

This is awesome in its simplicity and directness...

The likes of Jack Harper, Ron Gould, Pam Gorman and most of the rest of the GOPers in the lege have made it clear that the voices they hear clearest are not those of their constituents or of Arizonans in general, so we have to do something drastic to get them to listen to us.

Tonight, like a bolt of lightning during an Arizona monsoon that reaches out to strike a tree, inspiration reached out to me.

...wait for it...


We should all just change our names to "Grover Norquist."


Legal name change forms for Arizona can be found here.


Other legislative news:

...The Huppenthal verdict is scheduled to be handed down on Tuesday, probably at 4 p.m (or thereabouts).

...AZCentral.com's Political Insider is reporting that the Governor and the leaders of the two caucuses in the Senate met Monday evening to attempt to work out some kind of a budget deal that would end with a referral of a sales tax increase to the voters.

...From the Joint Legislative Budget Committee - a summary of the budget bills (BRBs) that were transmitted to the Governor, and a summary of the numbers of that budget. The Governor has yet to sign most of it yet.

...The lege floor sessions are scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m., but that is subject to change if they can actually work out some kind of a deal.

No word on whether the Senate will recess Tuesday's session of the Senate to allow Huppenthal the time to attend to his court case.

Congressman Harry Mitchell on the healthcare debate

This piece was originally published in the Arizona Republic on Saturday. It is also on the Congressman's House website.

This is from an email sent out by Representative Mitchell and his campaign today.

From the email -

Aura of respect needed in health-care discussion
By Harry Mitchell - Aug. 22, 2009
Special for The Arizona Republic

With an issue as vitally important as health care, it's understandable that the debate would evoke impassioned responses from across the political spectrum. If we all tone down the rhetoric, and really listen to each other, I think we'd be surprised about how much agreement there actually is.

Most notably, most agree we're facing a serious problem.

Rising health-care costs are hurting families - even those with insurance. Insurance premiums are rising due, in part, to the costs associated with millions of Americans who lack coverage. When the uninsured end up in emergency rooms, hospitals are forced to charge more to those of us who have insurance to help pay for it. The average American family is paying an extra $1,100 in premiums a year to pay for the shifted cost.

Rising health-care costs are hurting businesses - even those that provide insurance. The strain is especially severe on small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy. Since 2000, health-insurance premiums for small businesses have risen 130 percent. This is particularly worrisome in Arizona, since 73 percent of our businesses are small businesses.

Employees also are at risk - even those with insurance. If they lose their job, or need to change jobs, it's difficult for them to keep their insurance, or obtain new coverage because insurers can currently deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. A number of Democrats and Republicans have called for an end to this practice, including me.

Another concept that has drawn bipartisan support is the establishment of a health-insurance exchange, in which individuals and small businesses can combine or "pool" their purchasing power and comparison-shop for competitive rates that best meet their needs.

The risk pool would be spread across a wider scale, which would require insurers to compete and lower costs to gain business. I believe this makes sense. It's similar to the type of system used for members of Congress and federal employees, and if it has worked and can be expanded, others should be allowed access.

Finally, there are many Democrats who agree with Republicans that the federal government should not take over the entire health-insurance system. I'm one of them. If you like your current insurance, you should be able to keep it. Reform should provide more choice, not less.

There is common ground here upon which we can build. In my experience, that's the best place for discussion to start.

I have no illusion, as the debate continues, that we will hear more and more about areas of disagreement. This is an issue that is intensely personal and affects us all - even those with whom we may disagree. However, I implore everyone, on all sides of the debate, to remember that ultimately everyone is aiming for the same thing: the best, most affordable health care for us and our loved ones. So let's engage respectfully, and see if we can work together to achieve it.

And as with anything that comes out of Washington, I encourage you to verify information that's being circulated and visit my Web site, mitchell.house.gov, for information.

Reminder: Congressman Mitchell is holding a "Telephone Town Hall" on Wednesday evening. Interested CD5'ers can sign up here.

Computer issues

Due to a trojan horse (hiding on the Yahoo! Music site, I think), posting will be light for the next couple of days while I reformat (completed) and restore (ongoing) my system.

However, right now I need a break, so I am going to go see "District 9".

Later...

Trent Franks apparently has a "creative" definition of health care reform

From an AZ Rep article listing local upcoming health care forums (emphasis mine) -

Glendale: Rep. Trent Franks will hold a town-hall meeting from 5 to 8 p.m. [on Tuesday] at the Community Church of Joy, 21000 N. 75th Ave. The meeting will begin with a 30-minute screening of a film about missile defense and move on to a question-and-answer session.

Count my jaw as officially dropped...

The coming week...

As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies and subject to change without notice...

Summer breaks are coming to an end as this will be the most active week for political meetings since June.


...Both chambers of the U.S. Congress are still in recess, though the posturing over healthcare reform is continuing...

...The Arizona legislature is still in its special session, mostly to pressure the Governor into signing their budget. Floor sessions are scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m. More on that in a later post.

...The Arizona Corporation Commission has a full Commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The agenda is 25 items long. The highlight seems to be item 12, which is a continuation from a meeting on August 17. It involves a proposed rate hike for Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. There are also a couple of items each concerning Tucson Electric Power and APS. Full hearing schedule here, including a Monday hearing on rates for APS. Related material here, here, here, here, and here.

...The Citizens Clean Election Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday. No agenda posted as yet.

...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a "special" meeting scheduled for Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. No agenda posted yet, but if the Board is running true to form, it will involve an executive session and one or another of the legal messes the board is involved in.

...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District will meet on Tuesday. The agenda is available here. This one looks to be pretty run-of-the-mill, though there are a couple of items related to a controversial contract awarded to an outside consulting firm.

...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System is scheduled to meet on Monday and Wednesday. Monday's meeting is at 1 p.m. and has just one item on the agenda - "Medical School/MIHS Affiliations."

A recurring issue for the Maricopa Medical Center has been the desire of some directors (and some county supes, for that matter) to bar the teaching part of the operation from teaching the techniques involved in abortions. One of the issues that has blocked that move has been the fact that they would have lost their "teaching hospital" accreditation if they had done so. This meeting might be mundane, or it could involve an attempt to affiliate the hospital with a medical school that won't mandate teaching abortion techniques.

This one might be worth keeping an eye on.

Wednesday's meeting starts with an executive session planned for noon, followed by a regular meeting at 1 p.m. No info is available as yet regarding the executive session, but the highlight of the regular session may be this item from the consent agenda.

It's for the Annual Leadership Conference of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association at the Orangetree Golf Resort in October. Yes, there is a golf tournament, but at least it is "optional."

I foresee a public records request relating to expense reports in November. :)

...The Scottsdale City Council has two meetings schedule this week, for Monday and Tuesday evenings.

Monday's agenda is pretty sparse - thus far, it is just a nine item consent agenda.

Tuesday's agenda is far more interesting. It includes a 20-item consent agenda with the interesting item of the appointment of one William J. Sims, III as the interim City Attorney.

For a fee of $11,600 per month, for 20 hours per week in office hours plus attendance at City Council meetings.

Nice gig.

Listed on the regular agenda - evaluation of the City Clerk and discussion/possible action regarding a search for a permanent City Attorney.

Since there doesn't seem to be an executive session associated with the evaluation of Carolyn Jagger, Scottsdale City Clerk, I'm guessing that this won't be a hatchet job.


Not scheduled to meet this week - Arizona Board of Regents, Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project, Tempe City Council.


Later...

It's a simple lesson - 'fess up and then shut up

You know, normally I pass on serious posting about the personal affairs/scandals of Republican elected officials because I believe that even they are allowed to be human. They were elected to do a job and while there are many qualifications needed for that job, personal sainthood isn't one of the qualifications.

So unless the personal scandal affects their job performance or ends up in the police blotter rather than the gossip pages, I leave it alone.

There is one exception to that informal rule: Shameless hypocrisy.

Case in point - Nevada Senator John Ensign.

From AP via Yahoo! News -

Sen. John Ensign told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his affair with a friend's wife was different from former President Bill Clinton's relationship with a White House intern because he didn't lie about it under oath.

"I haven't done anything legally wrong," the Nevada Republican said.

Let's see -

- Bill Clinton cheated on his wife with a White House intern and when caught, his first instinct was to deny everything, even when under oath.

OK, that's bad. But while I'm certainly not condoning the affair or the attempt to cover it up, it's not as if Clinton invented the concepts.

- John Ensign cheated on his wife with a campaign staffer who was the wife of one of his close friends. A friend who was a staffer in his Senate office. Ensign tried to cover up the affair with hush money in the form of a $25K "severance package" for his girlfriend when she left her job with his campaign, and in the form of a $96K "gift" from Ensign's parents.

There's more - a timeline of the affair and its aftermath from the Las Vegas Sun here; other details from the LV Sun here.

I am *not* saying that what Ensign has done is worse than what Clinton did, but he's in no position to point fingers.

While Clinton had a perjury issue to deal with, Ensign could have tax issues, campaign finance problems, possible lawsuits and more.

In short, Ensign's affair and its aftermath is just as tawdry as Clinton's.

Ensign could have saved himself a lot of grief after the details of the affair began to emerge if he had just learned the primary lesson of the Clinton scandal (other than "elected officials shouldn't cheat on their spouses") -


When caught, 'fess up and then shut up.

Could Raul Grijalva consider running for McCain's Senate seat next year? Please???

...and maybe Lynn Woolsey or Barbara Lee could move to North Dakota and challenge health insurance industry hack Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) (or to Montana to run against fellow industry hack Max Baucus when his Senate seat is up for election in 2012.)

Reps. Grijalva and Woolsey are co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus while Rep. Lee is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

On Monday, they joined forces to send a letter to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, advising her that at least 60 members of their caucuses stand united in their unwavering support for a public option in any health care reform package.

From the letter linked above (EMPHASIS THEIRS, FOR ONCE) -

We have attached, for your review, a letter from 60 Members of Congress who are
firm in their Position that any legislation that moves forward through both chambers, and into a final proposal for the President's signature, MUST contain a public option.

It's nice to see some of our elected officials actually standing up for the people of their districts and the country and not just for corporate interests.

Maybe if those officials who have sold out started facing challenges because of their betrayals of their constituents, there would be fewer sell outs.

...Wow!! That last sentence has an amazing amount of cynicism and idealism for only one sentence. :)

The coming week....

...Due to a busy weekend and lots of stuff going on yesterday (some former Senator from Illinois visited Phoenix, and the lege still didn't finish a budget), it's a little later than normal, but here it is...


As usual, all info gathered from the websites (except where noted) of the relevent political bodies/agencies, and subject to change without notice.


...Both chambers of Congress are still in recess until after Labor Day. Next week, Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-AZ5) will hold a "telephone town hall" on health care. The town hall is open to residents of CD5; those interested can sign up here.


...The Arizona Legislature is still in *special* session. The House will hold a brief floor session today, then recess for Rules Committee and Caucus consideration on SB1o25, the General Revenues BRB (aka - the state equalization tax repeal). It will then go into COW and Third Read and it will likely pass the bill and send it on to the Governor for her signature (it's rumored that she is likely to sign it and the rest of the budget).


...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors held an "Informal" meeting yesterday (told ya this post is a little late :) ). Tomorrow, they'll be holding a "Formal" meeting. The agenda for that meeting looks to be pretty mundane, though one item on it caught my eye.

Item #19 calls for the removal of one "Richard Miranda" from the list of the County's pro tem justices of the peace.

Yes, that is the same "Richard Miranda" who is better known as "State Senator Richard Miranda."

At first glance, I wondered if this move might be payback for the failed budget moves involving Miranda (the Reps somehow "persuaded" him to vote for their budget, before he backed out...no, the *ran* out of the Senate building). Governor Jan Brewer is a former member of the MCBOS and still likely has some influence there. In addition, 4 out of the 5 current supes are highly partisan Reps and probably would have a problem with doing a little political hatchet work on a Dem.

However, a little research on this found that this issue has been percolating for a while, as some there believe that, legally speaking, a sitting member of the lege cannot serve as a JP.

There is some confusion on that issue, however.

Article 4, Part 2, Section 5 of the AZ Constitution, regarding "ineligibility of members of legislature to other public offices", states -

No member of the legislature, during the term for which he shall have been elected or appointed shall be eligible to hold any other office or be otherwise employed by the state of Arizona or, any county or incorporated city or town thereof. This prohibition shall not extend to the office of school trustee, nor to employment as a teacher or instructor in the public school system.

Seem pretty clear, right?

Not so much.

Article 4, Part 2, Section 4 of the same AZ Constitution, regarding disqualification for membership in the legislature, states (emphasis mine) -

No person holding any public office of profit or trust under the authority of the United States, or of this state, shall be a member of the legislature; Provided, that appointments in the state militia and the offices of notary public, justice of the peace, United States commissioner, and postmaster of the fourth class, shall not work disqualification for membership within the meaning of this section.

That's a large area of conflict, so I'm not sure how this is going to play out. Miranda may have a case if he wants to join the scores of others who have brought legal actions against the MCBOS.

Or he may not. I'm not a lawyer or even a knowledgeable amateur scholar of the nuances of Arizona's constitution.

For now though, it doesn't look as if there is any untoward going on here (Republican Russell Pearce was once a pro tem JP, but was removed from the list for the same reason), but the timing of this is still interesting.

Very interesting.

Stay tuned...


...The Tempe City Council is meeting on Thursday (agenda here). The agenda is 95 items long. It looked pretty non-controversial, but I freely admit that I didn't even try to read all of them. They've also scheduled a special meeting for Friday. That purpose of that one is for discussion of the Council's direction for the next year.

Not scheduled to meet this week (so far, anyway) - Arizona Corporation Commission (this week's hearing schedule is here, though), the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, the Boards of Directors of the Central Arizona Project and the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, and the Scottsdale City Council.

The relative peace of summer breaks will next week. That post will be longer, and on time. :)

Later...