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Archive for the ‘The Arizona Eagletarian’ Category

Redistricting — AIRC vacancy, now what? UPDATED 2:30 pm 5-22-13

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013


Pursuant to the Arizona Constitution (cited in today's earlier post), determination will be made by the Appellate Courts Commission on Appointments as to how it will proceed. Supreme Court chief communications officer Jennifer Liewer said this afternoon that Commission staff is working this evening to put together information and expects a full explanation to be posted at azcourts.gov tomorrow.

Additional qualifications for membership on the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission i...

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Redistricting — Democratic Commissioner resigns

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Commissioner Jose Herrera today resigned his seat on the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, saying that after the maps were adopted in January 2012, "meetings have been unproductive and, at times, toxic."

AIRC chair Colleen Coyle Mathis issued this statement in response to Herrera's announcement:
I thank Mr. Herrera for his service on the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission and his family for their many sacrifices. He served the citizens of Arizona with honor, dignity and d...

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Redistricting — big news to be announced this afternoon

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013

Meanwhile, back at the Change Machine!

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
On Sunday night, we considered the notion of change including contemplating cognitive, social and cultural inertia.

There is plenty to contemplate with numerous great people to look to for inspiration on how we each can fulfill our calling to BE the LEADERS we've been waiting for. Notably, we must learn from two of the most important 20th Century icons, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

In the meantime, we can examine some causes for cognitive and cultural inertia and identify how to ...

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Guest Blog Post — Clean Energy means more, better jobs

Monday, May 20th, 2013

In last night's blog post, I referred to an op-ed in a local newspaper written by two business interest lobbyists who seriously lack entrepreneurial vision to meet the energy and political challenges facing Arizona today. On May 6, I had posted in response to a press release issued by the Arizona GOP.

From where I sit, the fact that the Guardians Of Privilege have recognized the legitimacy of Nancy LaPlaca's candidacy for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission is great news. So, I now sa...

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Arizona UPRISING — Change happens… or does it?

Sunday, May 19th, 2013
First Law of Motion states:
Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
This is also known as the Law of Inertia.

Inertia is not limited to the realm of physics. There is cognitive inertia.
Cognitive inertia refers the tendency for beliefs or sets of beliefs to endure once formed. In particular, cognitive inertia describes the human inclination to rely on familiar assumptions and exhibit a reluctance and/or inab...

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State budget halfway home, includes Medicaid expansion

Friday, May 17th, 2013
At 9:00 pm Thursday, the Arizona Senate adjourned until Tuesday after having passed a series of budget bills for Fiscal Year 2014. Despite early reports of potential divisions among the Senate Democratic Caucus, the members remained steadfastly united throughout floor debate and Third Read votes.

There were ample portions of "drama" on the video feed broadcast online, but none of it was from or about weak links among the 13 members of the Minority (Democratic) Caucus. Shortly after adjournme...

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State Budget Sausage Factory update

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013


The Senate Appropriation committee hearing took place regarding the budget bills as expected. All of the bills passed out of that committee, most with a 6-3 straight party line vote, including the elections ominous bill.

The K-12 bill, SB 1487, vote was 5-4 with Republican Kelli Ward voting with the three Democrats (Pancrazi, Tovar and Cajero Bedford).

The General Appropriation bill, SB 1486, passed out of committee with a 7-2 vote, Cajero Bedford voting Aye with the Republicans.

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Another bathroom analogy…

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
So, at the Arizona Legislature, it looks like somebody told leaders in both chambers that it was time to s*it or get off the pot. After enduring a snail's pace for more than a month, both chambers are now scrambling to accomplish the main task they face every year -- passing the budget which authorizes operation of state government agencies as it establishes policy priorities.

As noted earlier (Tuesday late afternoon), ten budget bills and an ominous (omnibus) elections related bill were intro...

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About that stuff hitting the fan…

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013


I truly hope Senate Democrats stick together on this because it's bound to be a huge mess otherwise.

Craig McDermott, blogging at Random Musings has already posted about these bills.

Apparently, the Senate Appropriations committee has a hearing scheduled for these bills tomorrow morning (Wednesday, May 15, 11 am)

At first glance, I'm not certain that Biggs has failed to get his 16 votes from Republican members of his caucus because McComish is a sponsor of all 10 budget bills as well as the...

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Arizona UPRISING! — S**t may hit the fan at the Capitol tomorrow! UPDATED 12:40pm 5-14-13

Monday, May 13th, 2013
A reliable source familiar with what is going on in the Arizona Senate has informed the Arizona Eagletarian that some underhanded dealings are likely in the works regarding the state's fiscal year 2014 budget. The dubious machinations may be revealed as early as tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday this week.

Here's the scenario as it was set forth to me earlier this evening:

Senate President Andy Biggs, who has been declaring all along that he is dead set against the Medicaid expansion, will tomo...

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Might Arpaio and Maricopa County Republicans be starting to freak out?

Saturday, May 11th, 2013
Respect Arizona, the committee organized to recall Sheriff Joseph Arpaio, was out with volunteers at numerous locations today throughout Maricopa County collecting signatures.

As if they didn't have anything constructive to do with their time, Arpaio supporters, including notable Tempe whack job Ann Heins did their best to disrupt the effort, but failed.


Ms. Heins, who at times seems incapable of exercising appropriate filters on what comes out of her mouth, was&nbs...

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Why, really, does the Goldwater Institute hate Clean Energy?

Friday, May 10th, 2013
On May 7, Goldwater Institute staffer Byron Schlomach published a story titled Time to End the Costly Renewable Energy Mandate.

Since Schlomach's piece is full of, at best, half-truths, I am compelled to set the record straight.

First of all, we have to understand the perspective both Schlomach and his sources come from. Seattle Times economics columnist Jon Talton, in his blog, the Rogue Columnist, describes Goldwater Institute thus:
Goldwater's conclusions and talking points bear...

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A 2014 Preview? UPDATED 11:20 pm MST 5-7-13

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
to defeat House Minority Leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He will, once the vote is certified, again take a seat in Congress.

Wait, what? Who did he run against? I thought it was Stephen Colbert's sister Elizabeth Colbert Busch.
Sanford had requested four debates with Colbert-Busch before the special election for South Carolina’s 1st congressional district is held on May 7th, but she only agreed to one. “My opponent continues to run a stealth campaign, avoiding public appearances a...

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More Solar, Less Coal Is Good for Arizona — Guest Blog Post

Monday, May 6th, 2013
writing is on the wall: The days of the Navajo Generating Station and other coal-fired power plants are numbered.

The news that Nevada’s largest utility, NV Energy, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) are divesting themselves of the NGS coal plant hit Arizona’s utilities hard. Why? Because it means that Salt River Project (SRP) or some other utility will have to purchase LADWP’s 21 percent and NV’s 11.3 percent share in the plant to keep it open. That’s nearly o...

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Redistricting — the beat goes on… and on, and on…

Friday, May 3rd, 2013


Not to contradict anything I posted thus far about yesterday's meeting, but I've been ruminating over Commissioner Scott Freeman's comments -- including from the previous week. What he said and did really seems to be a classic example of the concept of "micromanaging." He spelled out, in quite some detail, how he believes it is his duty to be looking over the shoulder of AIRC staff, legal counsel and experts contracted to do work for the commission.

I can really relate to the vision he set fo...

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Redistricting — May 2nd meeting recap

Friday, May 3rd, 2013


Of course, I'm only guessing, since I wasn't privy to that discussion.

However, prior to executive session, there was mention of a memo from AIRC director Ray Bladine about invoices from the attorneys hired to represent the individual commission members. Apparently, John Munger, who represented Rick Stertz in the Harris case, billed the AIRC for $89,936. Bladine had estimated legal fees for each of the attorneys representing individual commissioners at $20,600.

Not only was the amount nearly...

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Redistricting — Meeting on May 2nd

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013
last week's meeting, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission this morning sent notice that it will meet on Thursday, May 2nd at 2:30pm at its office, 1100 W. Washington, in Phoenix.

The agenda is virtually identical to last week's as the April 25th meeting saw no resolution to any of the issues presented at that time. However, since last week's meeting, the legislature did pass and the governor did sign a supplemental appropriation bill for $635,226. That will allow the AIRC to keep th...

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Republicans say the darnedest things!

Saturday, April 27th, 2013
Kelly Townsend. Among her wacky verbal exploits, she testified at the first redistricting open hearing back in July 2011 addressing redistricting Commissioner McNulty as if she was Chairwoman Mathis.

In running for a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives, Townsend used Clean Elections funding but successfully wormed her way out of a required public debate with other candidates in legislative district 16 in Gilbert. Her deft maneuvering to avoid demonstrating just how incoherent she can b...

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Redistricting — April 25 meeting recap

Friday, April 26th, 2013
met for about an hour and a half on Thursday afternoon with the (geographical) focal point being its office on Washington St in Phoenix. Commissioner Freeman was the only member attending in person. The other four participated by conference call.

Discussion, none of which occurred in executive session, revolved around requests made by the two Republican commissioners. Rick Stertz has requested that for additional litigation he be allowed to have separate legal counsel other than Joe Kanefield a...

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