Sunday, May 04, 2025

2 of Arizona's top health officials resign during a measles outbreak. Betcha Sen. Jake Hoffman is happy.

Don't take the bet; I already know he is happy.

A few days ago, I wrote a post updating my legislative schedule post about how the Senate committee on Director Nominations was going to meet to consider the nomination of Carmen Heredia to be the director of AHCCCS.

That was rendered moot by subsequent events.

From AZ Mirror, written by Gloria Rebecca Gomez -

Two top Arizona health officials resign amid ‘unprecedented politicization’ of process

Two of Arizona’s top public health officials have resigned rather than face an acrimonious confirmation process at the legislature, where Republicans have used agency director hearings to play hardball politics with Gov. Katie Hobbs and stymie her government. 

On Wednesday, Hobbs announced that Jennie Cunico, the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, and Carmen Heredia, who heads Arizona’s Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program, have stepped down from their positions. Heredia was scheduled to go before the state Senate’s Committee on Director Nominations for consideration on Thursday. 

[snip]

Republicans celebrated the resignations. Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Republican from Queen Creek who chairs the Director Nominations Committee and who also heads the legislature’s far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, said they are a “testament” to the work done by lawmakers to ensure candidates are the best choice for Arizonans. 

Hoffman denounced Heredia for what he said was “mismanagement” of the state’s Medicaid program and blamed her for the sober home living fraud that targeted Arizona’s indigenous community and cost taxpayers $2.5 billion

Note1: Governor Hobbs' press release on the resignations is here.

Note2: Hoffman's Snoopy Dance press release celebrating the resignations is here.

Note3: The sober home living fraud that killed people took place during the administration of Doug Ducey, one of his fellow Republicans.  Hoffman can try to blame the folks who found it and put a stop to it, but his blame-shifting doesn't change the reality of the fraud.


Hoffman has an "interesting" sense of timing.  The U.S. is experiencing a massive measles outbreak and Hoffman thinks that Arizona losing two of its top public health officials now is a good thing.

Caveat: As of this writing, there are no reported measles infections in Arizona. 

From the CDC -















While there are no reported cases in AZ, it may just be a matter of time.


From Axios, written by Jeremy Duda and Jaden Amos, dated March 5 -

Low vaccination rates a warning sign for measles in Arizona

Arizona hasn't had a reported measles case so far this year, but red flags are leading some experts to worry we could see an outbreak like the one in Texas.

Why it matters: Some Arizona counties have lower measles vaccination rates than in west Texas, where the outbreak has infected at least 159 people since it was first reported in early February and has killed one child.

What they're saying: There are "places here where it could spin out of control, just like it has in Texas. The conditions are right here for that to happen in some parts of the state," Arizona Public Health Association executive director Will Humble told Axios.

As kids are the ones who have died from measles in 2025 the kindergarten vaccination rates in the 2022-2023 school year, from the Arizona Department of Health Services - 


















Wonder if the kingmaker-wannabe (in Republican politics, anyway) is aware that dead people don't vote, even in R primaries?


Saturday, May 03, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 5/4/2025

"Hurry up and wait" time continues at the state Capitol...until a budget drops.

Schedules can, and frequently do, change at any moment when the legislature is in session.  So pay attention.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill become a very bad one. 




Almost nothing is officially scheduled for this week...almost nothing.

On Monday, 5/5 and Tuesday, 5/6 - nada.

On Wednesday, 5/7 


-














Senate Education and Transportation meets at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills; consideration of two nominations to state boards - Binky Jones, State Board for Charter Schools and Lee Stein, Arizona Board of Regents.


On Thursday, 5/8 - nada.


Friday, May 02, 2025

Candidate update time

Note: forming a committee and/or filing a Statement of Interest (SOI) with the AZSOS does NOT mean that will appear on a ballot going before voters.


Q: What do former politicos do when they lose a race?

A: Run for office again.


In 2022, legislator John Fillmore (R-Whackjob) lost his primary race for state house.  Now he's filed an SOI for a run at Democratic Congressman Greg Stanton. As of this writing, he has not formed a committee with the FEC.



In 2024, soon-to-be ex-legislator Anthony Kern (R-Another Whackjob) came in fifth in a seven-way primary race for Congress (actually, one was a write in candidate, so he was fifth of six ballot candidates).  Now he's looking to return to the legislature.



He hasn't formed a new committee with the AZSOS, but he may by using an old committee for this run.

It's not just former politicos, though.


Former placekicker (NFL and Arena Football League) Jay Feely (R-very Wide Right) has declared his candidacy to replace Andy Biggs in Congress.

His SOI, from the AZSOS -





His committee with the FEC -

















All you need to know about him can be summed up in one pic -

From Sports Illustrated
















This pic may help him in his primary race, but I don't care.

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Idle speculation time: Lieutenant Governor

In honor of Republican candidate for governor Karrin Taylor Robson already running TV spots...well more than a year before her primary.

In 2022, Arizona voters approved Proposition 131, which created a Lieutenant Governor (Lt. Governor) position in Arizona politics.

The language is now part of Article 5, Section 1, Paragraph C of the Arizona State Constitution.  The candidates for lt. governor will be named by the candidates for governor before the general election.

It's time for some speculation about who they might name. :)

Note: this is NOT a prediction; my prognostication abilities when it comes to internal R politics are less than optimal

My thinking is that the primary candidate for the will be current state treasurer Kimberly Yee.  She's termed out of the treasurer's slot, and while she may run for governor (again!), my guess is that the only way she gets through a primary with Robson and Andy Biggs is if they split the MAGA vote and she gets the rest.

Probably not gonna happen.

I *do* think that she'd help Biggs more in the general - if nothing else, she's seen as less crazy than him.

On the other hand, if/when he feels it necessary to boost his nutjob bonafides, Kari Lake is available.


On the Democratic side, I have no clue (not even for idle speculation).  Though, I bet that whoever is interested in the gig is busily jockeying both for position and for Governor Katie Hobbs' attention.


Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 4/27/2025 UPDATE

There's been an addition to this week's schedule of committee meetings at the state legislature.


On Thursday, 5/1 -




















Senate Director Nominations meets at 9:30 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, one executive nomination -

Carmen Heredia as director of Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)


Saturday, April 26, 2025

Q1 reports are in! Redux.

Last Saturday, I published a post about the campaign reports for federal candidates.

Today, it's the turn for state-level candidates.

Some caveats:

It's still very early, so this only includes candidates who formed committees with the AZSOS before the Q1 2025 deadline (3/31/2025).  Candidates who haven't yet formed a committee or formed one in Q2 aren't covered here.

This isn't meant to predict who will actually be on a ballot.

Nor is it meant to predict who will win any primary.

Listed dates of formation are from the AZSOS; some were formed for runs for another office.


Some definitions:

COH = Cash on Hand

SOI = Statement of Interest

A "0" in an amount cell means that was what was reported; a blank means no report was filed.









Friday, April 25, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 4/27/2025

Lots of iceberg action at the Capitol this week - not much going on visibly but a lot of activity beneath the surface.

Schedules can, and frequently do, change at any moment when the legislature is in session.  So pay attention.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill become a very bad one. 




At this point, no committees are scheduled to meet this week.

Well, the bill to let legislative Rs subpoena folks under penalty of arrest is dead*

* = Of course, the old adage at the legislature is that nothing is dead until sine die (aka - the legislature adjourns for the year).


A couple of days ago, I wrote a post about about HB2824.


While it was amended in the Senate and had to return to the House for them to approve the changes, the deadline for bills to be heard in conference committee for differences to be hashed out has passed.

From the AZSenate's 2025 timeline -






Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Republican Rep. Tony Rivero should broaden his reading list

I was going to title this one "Republicans in the AZ legislature to the people of AZ: do as we say, not as we do" but one thing in the following story caught my attention.

From the AZ Capitol Times, written by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services -

State Republicans push measure to punish false testimony 

in the Legislature

Key Points:
  • HB2824 allows committee chairs to compel testimony without majority approval
  • False testimony could result in perjury charges
  • Democrats want a provision to hold legislators to the same standard

State lawmakers have approved a measure to allow any lawmaker who chairs a legislative committee to issue a subpoena and send out a sheriff’s deputy to arrest anyone who refuses to submit to questioning or produce documents.

The part/quote that got my attention (emphasis added by me)?

But Rivero told Capitol Media Services that the Legislature, as “the supreme lawmaking body” in the state, has a special role.

"Supreme lawmaking body"?  Really?

To attribute a quote to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (attribute = I don't know that she ever actually said this):

"Hold my beer."

Justice Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion in the USSC's 2015 ruling in the case of Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.

That ruling upheld the right of the people approve laws, even those that override the interests of members of the legislature.

The case really should have been named "Arizona's Legislative Republicans v. The People Of Arizona."

This bill proves that while the case is in the past, the hatred that Arizona's Legislative Republicans have for the People Of Arizona still festers.


SCOTUSblog has complete coverage of the case here.

HB2824, the bill in question, was amended in the Senate (to make a bad bill worse) so it heads back to the House, where the majority caucus has already recommended concurrence.








Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 4/20/2025 UPDATE

There's been an addition to this week's schedule of committee meetings at the state legislature.















Senate Director Nominations meets at 9:30 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills; one executive nomination - Kathryn Ptak as Director of the Department of Child Safety.

She seems to well liked by Rs in general...but none of them are on this committee.

One person who is?

State Sen. John Kavanagh, sponsor of SB1734, a bill that infamously reduces benefits/compensation for parents caring for their children with developmental disabilities.

While Ptak's nomination isn't for an agency  that covers that area, it may be close enough for Kavanagh et. al.

I expect some verbal fireworks from the Rs on the committee before they tank her nomination.

However, Ptak is a trained attorney.  Not only does she know how to fence with words, she may use words that are bigger than Kavanagh et. al. have heard.


Saturday, April 19, 2025

Q1 reports are in!

At least they are for federal candidates, candidates for AZ offices have an extra week to file reports.

Some caveats:

It's still very early, so this only includes candidates who formed committees with the FEC before the Q1 2025 deadline (3/31/2025).  Candidates who haven't yet formed a committee or formed one in Q2 aren't covered here.

This isn't meant to predict who will actually be on a ballot.

Nor is it meant to predict who will win any primary.

Listed dates of formation are from the FEC.


Some definitions:

COH = Cash on Hand

SOI = Statement of Interest

A "0" in an amount cell means that was what was reported; a blank means no report was filed.











No surprises here, though Aversa (CD7) was interesting - in 2024 he ran as the Green Party candidate for AZCD3; at the beginning of this month, he wanted to run as a write in candidate in the special election in FL-CD1 but was disqualified there, and now wants to run in the special election in AZ-CD7.

He can call himself a Green, but he's stridently anti-choice.

My guess: he doesn't appear on a ballot here, or loses in a big way if he does appear on one.


Waahhh!

Pro tip: If you're a politico who doesn't like being thought of as dirty, don't conduct witch hunts looking for whistleblowers.  It's not a good look.

From Phoenix New Times, written by T.J. L'Heureux, dated 4/17/2025 -

Scottsdale mayor sues to find out who snitched on her about Parkingate

Embattled Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky really wants to know who ratted her out.

Despite being in office for only a few months, Borowsky has already become the center of a controversy over a planned parking garage in Scottsdale. Dubbed “Parkingate,” the brouhaha stems from Borowsky's alleged efforts to yank a garage project away from one developer and hand it to David Hovey Jr., a campaign donor.

[snip]

On Monday, Borowsky filed a public records lawsuit against the county attorney’s office, complaining that the agency had not fulfilled a records request to uncover the identity of her accuser. She is being represented by right-wing lawyer Dennis Wilenchik, who is also her former employer.

[snip]

Days later, the county attorney’s office received an anonymous complaint detailing “concerns” about Borowsky’s attempt to change plans and give her donor a contract. Borowsky has denied doing anything wrong, a position that jives with the conclusion the county attorney’s office reached on March 14.


The case number is CV2025-013199 and the judge is the case is slated to be Adam Driggs, a former state legislator.

Insert your own punch line.

Friday, April 18, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 4/20/2025

"Hurry up and wait time" continues at the Capitol while rank-and-file Rs and all Ds wait for the leadership in the lege and Governor Hobbs to work out a state budget.

Which may not happen until it hits 100 every day in Phoenix and the lege wants to get out of town before it hits 110 every day.

Schedules can, and frequently do, change at any moment when the legislature is in session.  So pay attention.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill become a very bad one. 




On Monday 4/21 - No committees scheduled to meet, at this point.

On Tuesday, 4/22 


-














Arizona Off Highway Vehicle Study Committee meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, four presentations.


On Wednesday 4/23 


-














Joint Committee on Capital Review (JCCR) meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills; three items slated to he voted on en masse as part of the consent agenda.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: three executive nominations for the Arizona Racing Commission.

Normally, I'd see two meetings scheduled for the same place and time and speculate that one would have to be moved, but I expect the JCCR meeting will be *very* short.  The meetings may be piggy-backed.


On Thursday, 4/24 - nada.


Saturday, April 12, 2025

Lousy human being says that others being decent shouldn't be, or else

From KJZZ, written by Greg Hahne (emphasis added by me) -

Horne says Kyrene School District in Tempe risks losing federal funds over draft policy

On Tuesday, the Kyrene School District in Tempe preliminarily approved a social and emotional wellness workplace cultures policy for its staff. It still awaits a final vote.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says it could risk the district’s federal funding.

[snip]

Horne says the policy’s mention of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is the issue.

"I think what Kyrene has done is outrageous on two fronts, number one: they are going to forfeit a lot of money for their kids education. They’re not really representing the interests of their students. Number two: they’re doing something that I think is wrong philosophically," Horne said.

Horne may be philosophically opposed to DEI, but, apparently, he's not opposed to cheating on his wife or committing crimes to conceal that fact.


Legislative schedule - week starting 4/13/2025

Hurry up and wait time regarding the budget will continue this week, but there will still be some fireworks over developmental disabilities.

Schedules can, and frequently do, change at any moment when the legislature is in session.  So pay attention.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill become a very bad one. 




On Monday, 4/14 


-














Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders meets at 10 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, three presentations about, surprisingly enough, orders from family courts. This committee is co-chaired by Mark Finchem and Rachel Keshel, so expect conspiracy theories to abound.


On Tuesday, 4/15 


-














House Appropriations meets at 10 a.m.in HHR1.  On the agenda: one bill. HB2945, the Republicans' poison pill-laden bill to fund the parents as paid caregivers program for minors with developmental disabilities.  The bill will be subject to a striker proposed by Assistant Democratic Leader Nancy Gutierrez. I expect to fail for two reasons: 1. It was proposed by a Democratic member; and 2. It's not punitive enough to suit the Rs in the legislature.

Senate Appropriations meets at 10 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: one bill.  SB1734, the Senate's parallel to HB2945.  No proposed striker.


On Wednesday, 4/16 and Thursday, 4/17 - nada.