Friday, December 17, 2021

NEW: Longtime Arizona GOP Political Consultant Helped Hide $4.7M Worth of Kanye West's Campaign Expenditures; Scheme May Have Violated Federal Laws

Kanye West's doomed 2020 Presidential campaign spent $14.3M. Nearly $4.8M of it was run through Arizona's Fortified Consulting, which a Daily Beast report today explains how it was used to hide Republican fingerprints from Ye's "independent" campaign and how that might have violated federal law.

Fortified Consulting shares the same Tempe address as Lincoln Strategy Group, run by GOP consultant Nathan Sproul. Sproul has a long history of pushing the envelope for Republican candidates and causes. Sproul acknowledges that he set up the new company to support independent campaigns.

Today's Daily Beast article, however, suggests that the purpose was to make it harder to show that Republican operatives and attorneys around the country were behind the efforts to get West on the ballot in various states.

Federal Election Commission reports show campaign money being put into the Fortified funnel, but do not show where that $4.7M came out.

Arizona Republican attorney Tim LaSota received $10,000 directly from the campaign (he may have received more from Fortified) - he represented the West "campaign" in Arizona and acknowledged in the Daily Beast article that Republicans realized they could use it "to influence things."

Arizona law firm Fennemore Craig was also paid $37,000 directly by the campaign to represent the West electors in Arizona who were the defendants in the court challenge (which led to them being removed from the ballot).

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Friday, December 10, 2021

VICTORY FOR GOVT OVERSIGHT AND DEMOCRACY: Lawmakers applaud AZ DOCRR for removing offensive patches from uniforms

State Rep. Mitzi Epstein (D-LD18) and former Rep. Diego Rodriguez praised the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry for ordering the removal of offensive patches from the uniforms of special operations officers. The lawmakers intervened after the Arizona Republic's Jimmy Jenkins reported on the patches and challenge coins made up of lightning bolts, skulls and cross bones and crossed shotguns - symbols that could be likened to Nazi and gang imagery.

The ADCRR sent a letter to the lawmakers this week confirming that they would remove the patches, and admitting that the Department had been responsible for permitting them in 2018.

Epstein told Arizona's Politics that it was a victory for government oversight and democracy:
It's a great thing when people work together and listen.  Just listen.  The ADCRR chose the correct action: stop using the patch. They wrote that they want to be, "sensitive to the way that others may interpret its meaning."   This is how democracy and government oversight should work.  I spoke up to the prison authorities as a representative of the people, and they listened.  
Rep. Rodriguez brought years of experience in justice reform to the table, and together our teamwork has yielded a very good first step.
Rodriguez and Epstein met with ADCRR officials in early November, and just learned of the results of the investigation with Tuesday's letter. Rodriguez also praised ADCRR:

The department made the correct decision. That patch and it’s images should never have been produced with taxpayer funds and the patches should never have been approved for use by sworn officers.  I am hopeful this decision is a small signal that the department understands its obligation to take all available information into consideration when it is forming policy meant to serve all the people of our state. Rep. Epstein showed real leadership and I was happy to team up with her and our caucus staff on this issue.

Epstein quipped the Department may again change its formal designation. "I look forward to more work with the AZ Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, Re-entry and Sensitivity."  


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Tuesday, December 7, 2021

A Crazy Defamation Suit Threat? Kari Lake's Attorney Threatens GOP Consultant, Invites Depo On Lake's Stability (READ Classic Ryan Retort)

A "nonsensical claim of defamation" could open Kari Lake up to a deposition to "explore the entire range of her mental health and stability."

When more than half of the social media universe is wondering whether the campaign of an Arizona gubernatorial frontrunner is just crazy or crazy like a fox, perhaps it is not the best idea to sic your attorney on a GOP political consultant.

Kari Lake ordered GOP attorney Tim LaSota to issue a cease and desist letter to Brian Murray, who also has been the Executive Director of the AZGOP. Murray had the temerity to question Lake's presumptions about Gov. Doug Ducey and her "media obsession". It was a mild tweet in questionable taste that only garnered one "like" and a couple of responses. (All the responses questioned his use of the word "bipolar".)

LaSota followed through, claiming that that word was defamatory, and that Murray does not have "carte blanche" just because Lake is a public figure. LaSota did not count on Murray retaining Chandler attorney and retorter extraordinaire Tom Ryan to respond on his behalf.

Ryan did not hold back. And, he invited LaSota to sue everyone who wonders about Lake. Read his response here: 

RESPONSE to Nonsensical Claim of Defamation by arizonaspolitics on Scribd

A lawsuit and ensuing deposition are unlikely.


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Thursday, November 11, 2021

NEW: Dems To Introduce Censure Resolution Against AZ Rep. Gosar Over Violent Anime; Would Be 24th In History (READ Resolution)

UPDATE (11/16, 3:00pm): Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva joined Gallego as one of the original co-sponsors of this resolution. CNN is reporting that the House will vote on the censure resolution tomorrow (Wed.) and that they will also move to remove Gosar from the House Oversight Committee.

Democrats will introduce a resolution tomorrow to censure Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar for his social media posting of a violent anime cartoon which depicts his character slaying fellow Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and threatening President Joe Biden.
(Gosar character preparing to kill Ocasio-Cortez character)


Rep. Ruben Gallego confirms to Arizona's Politics that he will be among the group introducing the resolution.

Censure is the worst punishment - short of expulsion - available to the House of Representatives. If passed by a majority vote, Gosar would be the first Congressman censured in 10 years, and would be only the 24th in U.S. history.

The resolution (below) notes that Gosar used official resources in publicizing the video, posting it on his official Instagram account. (On Twitter, he also used his "official" account.) It also references the violence of January 6, but does not mention Gosar's alleged involvement in encouraging the events of that day.

It also makes a point of noting that the depicted killing is against a woman and that that is especially dangerous.

Whereas depictions of violence can foment actual violence and
jeopardize the safety of elected officials, as witnessed in
this chamber on January 6, 2021;
Whereas violence against women in politics is a global phenomenon
meant to silence women and discourage them
from seeking positions of authority and participating in
public life, with women of color disproportionately impacted;

Cleverly, the proposed resolution also cites Gosar's public defense of the video and attempts to use it against him: 

Whereas Representative Gosar issued a statement on November 9, 2021, defending the video as a ‘‘symbolic cartoon’’ and spreading hateful and false rhetoric about immigrants;

Arizona's Politics has asked members of the state's Congressional Democrats whether they will be co-introducing the resolution, and will update as warranted. 

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Friday, October 15, 2021

CAMPAIGN FINANCE SNAPSHOTS: Mark Kelly In Higher Orbit

Jim Lamon Stays At Trump Hotel, Nabs Jeff DeWit Endorsement

In July, Senate candidate Jim Lamon spent the night at the Trump hotel in Washington, spending $3,165. While he has not received the big payoff yet, he did receive a solid endorsement from Jeff DeWit, a former Arizona State Treasurer and Trump campaign CFO.

However, so far, it has not translated into campaign financial success, as the Lamon campaign is $1.4M under water. Last quarter, Lamon - a former solar energy company executive - lent his campaign $2M. As the 3rd quarter was coming to a close, he wrote another IOU for $3M, so that his report would look positive on the surface. (Without the loan, he raised $135k and spent $727k.)





Blake Masters Raises $1.0M In 3rd Quarter...In Addition To Separate Thiel Fund

Blake Masters showed some fundraising chops in his first full quarter of his campaign for the U.S. Senate, raising more than $1M from donors not named Peter Thiel. Masters shows net cash on hand of $768,000. (He has chosen not to immediately reimburse himself and a couple of the campaign's employees for out of pocket expenses, which explains the "debts owed" figure below.)

His main consultant expenses are to a trio of Phoenix-based groups (Marson, Saguaro Group, Summit).

Of course, as has been widely reported, Masters is receiving a huge boost from Peter Thiel. In fact, earlier today, Thiel's "Saving Arizona PAC" dropped $63,567 on an ad attacking GOP front-runner Mark Brnovich.



Mick McGuire Struggling To Maintain Altitude, Gets Assist From Fox News
One of the primary GOP opponents for the Mark Kelly seat is retired Gen. Mick McGuire. However, McGuire had to lend $50,000 to his campaign in the 3rd quarter, bringing his personal outlay to $249,500 this year. His net cash on hand as of September 30 was $66,000.

Most of his outlays this past quarter went to his political consultants (Lincoln Strategy Group) and to legal counsel (Snell & Wilmer and Holtzman Vogel).

McGuire is battling AZ AG Mark Brnovich, Blake Masters and several others for the GOP nomination.


McGuire received a Fox News boost yesterday, gaining a coveted spot on Fox & Friends to talk about how "the radical left is tearing this country apart."

Mark Kelly In Higher Orbit
Mark Kelly's liftoff already having taken place, Arizona's junior Senator continues to achieve higher and higher orbits. Here is his 3rd quarter snapshot, in which added $5.4M to his campaign's reserve of rocket fuel. Kelly now has $13M ready to keep him in the U.S. Senate beyond next year's election.
(Mark Kelly's 3q21 snapshot)


(Please check back later for full reports and further analysis.)


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NEW, BREAKING THE BANK: Sinema Fundraising Juggernaut Continues, Raises $1.1M In 3rd Quarter, Cash On Hand $4.5M (REVIEW Report)

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema turned in a gargantuan fundraising haul in the 3rd quarter of 2021, raising $1.1M and growing her campaign coffers by $900,000 (to $4.5M) more than three years away from her next election.

For perspective, the numbers are nearly identical to her previous quarter. And, in the comparable off-year quarter of 2019, Arizona's senior Senator (D-AZ) netted *only* $200,000.  

Sinema has been criticized by some for her fundraising from pharmaceutical and other corporate interests. Although the number is made up of monies from different types of PACs, Sinema raised $191,600 from the Political Action Committees in the 3rd quarter, bringing her haul for the election cycle to more than $1.5M.

There are several other key things to suss out of the 671-page report, and many will be looking at it closer. (If *you* see noteworthy items, you can email them our way.)


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Tuesday, October 12, 2021

A BIT OF PERSONAL NEWS: Arizona's Politics Co-Founder Announces Run For State Legislature

The mainstays of both Arizona's Law and Arizona's Politics for the past 11 months have been legal wrangling about the 2020 election, the State Senate's subsequent subpoenas and "audit", and the Legislature's new laws limiting voting options (without balancing increases in election accuracy). Those are also among the key reasons why I am announcing today my candidacy for the State House of Representatives.*

As readers of these two news blogs know, I have been dedicated to reporting news as objectively as possible. This reflects my previous life as a news reporter (primarily in Tucson) and my ethos to add some straightforward coverage to issues that I believe to be important. 

I moved from journalist to being an honest advocate for my clients, and in recent years have spent time pursuing both of these passions. Since 2010, I have worked to deliver reporting that people would view as credible no matter where on the ideological spectrum they may currently rest; my conversations with R's, D's and everyone in between leads me to believe I was close to that mark. 

Today's announcement will not make it more difficult for me to write non-partisan articles on these news blogs, but it will make it more difficult for some readers to view them as factual, honest articles. 

I will continue to report on legal and political news as time permits, and will fully disclose my candidate status as warranted. I will also be looking to others to assist with coverage of Arizona legal news - and will label that as "news analysis" or "commentary" where appropriate. (Let me know if you are interested.)

Thanks to everyone who has read and/or shared our articles to date, and I hope you will continue to find them worthwhile. (And, a special thanks to those who have provided feedback - positive *or* negative.)

Although my campaign website (and, Twitter account) will be up and running within the week, if you are interested in receiving updates, you could contact me here, or you could email me at "Paul Weich 4 AZ @gmail.com" (no spaces)

--Paul Weich

P.S. h/t to the sharp-eyed @KC_Haas at Yellow Sheet Report for "breaking" this story yesterday!

* I reside in the Ahwatukee portion of the current Legislative District 18. The boundaries of the new legislative district are not yet known, but I will be running in whichever district encompasses my address.


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Tuesday, September 28, 2021

NEW: Double the Fun(ds) - Sinema Sets Up Joint Fundraising Committee To Ease Increased Contributions (SINEMA-TIC)

On the heels of the New York Times' article about Kyrsten Sinema holding a fundraiser with business lobbying groups this afternoon, Arizona's Politics has learned that Sinema set up a new joint fundraising committee last week. That "Sinema Leadership Fund" will make it easier for those lobbyists to double their contributions to the Arizona Senator.

The invite was from the Democrat's principal campaign committee ("Sinema for Arizona"), and it appears to have been planned weeks ago (according to her committee). However, last Thursday, the committee filed an organizational statement for the JFC, indicating that Sinema for Arizona would fundraise together with Sinema's leadership PAC ("Getting Stuff Done PAC").

This would permit contributors to simply write one check to the JFC instead of separate checks to each of the two committees. For one of the lobbying group hosts, that would make it easier to give her one $15,000 check, and individual lobbyists could nearly double their impact to $10,800 ($5,800 to the 2024 primary and general election campaigns and $5,000 to the GSD PAC).

The meeting with the business groups comes as Sinema is holding a pivotal position in negotiations on infrastructure, budget reconciliation and other measures of interest to the fundraising hosts.


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Monday, August 23, 2021

NEW, TAKING BIPARTISANSHIP TO THE BANK: Sinema Chips In To Pay GOP Colleague's $490K Legal Fees For Pre-COVID Stock Selloff Investigation (ARIZONA'S POLITICAL SHORTS)

5:30pm: TAKING BIPARTISANSHIP TO THE BANK: Sinema Chips In To Pay GOP Colleague's $490K Legal Fees For Pre-COVID Stock Selloff Investigation

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema sent $2,000 to the legal defense fund for one of her Republican colleagues earlier this year. Richard Burr was then part of the bipartisan group to push the hard infrastructure bill through the Senate.

The investigation into Burr's $2.3M of stock sales shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the economy was closed by the US Department of Justice in mid-January. However, he had incurred $490,000 in legal bills and set up the legal defense fund (permitted under Senate rules).

Forbes' Zach Everson first reported on the Sinema contribution, in addition to the other 36 current and former lawmakers who picked up more than half ($280,000) of the attorneys' tab.

The other Democrats who chipped in were Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Angus King (I-ME). (King caucuses with the Democrats and even matched his committee's contribution with $5,000 of his personal funds.)

Such across-the-aisle contributions are very rare. And indeed, the $2,000 contribution from Sinema's leadership PAC ("Getting Stuff Done PAC") is the only contribution the GSD-PAC has made to a Republican.

Sinema's leadership PAC currently has $335,000 in the bank, and her main campaign committee has $3.6M.



8/23, 11am: NEW: Sinema Digs In Hard On Fellow Dems' "Soft" Infrastructure Bill, Tries To De-Couple It From Her Bi-Partisan "Hard" Bill
Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is digging in her heels on opposing the Democrats' two-track infrastructure plan.

After getting Senate approval for the bipartisan "hard" infrastructure bill that she helped negotiate, she is warning the House of Representatives that she is opposing the $3.5T "soft" infrastructure bill that President Biden and Democratic leadership saw as an inextricable companion measure.

Politico reported this morning on the warning shot from the 1st term Senator (who is not up for re-election until 2024):
The $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill “is a historic win for our nation’s everyday families and employers and, like every proposal, should be considered on its own merits,” said Sinema spokesperson John LaBombard. “Proceedings in the U.S. House will have no impact on Kyrsten’s views about what is best for our country - including the fact that she will not support a budget reconciliation bill that costs $3.5 trillion.”

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Monday, August 9, 2021

BREAKING: Maricopa County Supervisors Calls Meeting Tomorrow Afternoon To Discuss Election "Audit" Subpoenas; 20th Snap Meeting of the Year

UPDATE, 10pm: It is NOT just the subpoenas that are on tomorrow's executive session agenda. As it turns out, the Supervisors will ALSO get an update from the County Attorney's Office about the Attorney General's investigation of them regarding their subpoena responses. That investigation was prompted by Sen. Sonny Borrelli's referral.

The 3rd agenda item is to receive legal advice about the County's "authority and responsibility re: COVID-19", and "compliance with state laws and executive orders". The County Schools Superintendent is NOT listed as being part of this agenda item, as more school district governing boards have been considering whether or not to require the wearing of face masks.

Here is the full agenda:
 
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has called a snap meeting for 24 1/2 hours from now in order to discuss the current situation with the State Senate's election "audit" subpoenas. This is the 20th time this year that the GOP-dominated Board has held special or emergency meetings to discuss the ongoing post-election mess.

The Board has to call it an "emergency" meeting if they post it less than 24 hours before the starting time; there have been 11 such meetings this year.

Tomorrow's executive session is set for 3:00pm tomorrow, and notice went out at 2:40pm. The substantive agenda was not yet posted.

The County has provided some information responsive to the latest round of subpoenas sent out by Senate President Karen Fann and Judiciary Chair Warren Petersen. However, they have filed a number of objections to most of the demands for data.

Here are the both the subpoena and the County's response and objections to it.

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Wednesday, August 4, 2021

SUMMARY of the SIX Referenda Petitions Being Circulated By Two Different Groups


Longer version, with official summaries - and, links at the bottom:

Referendum definition – Arizona Is one of only 23 states where voters have the right to *refer* a law (after the Governor signs it) to the ballot. The law does not go into effect unless the VOTERS pass it. (It only goes to the ballot IF enough valid petition signatures are collected.)

Initiative definition – Arizona voters can collect enough valid signatures to place a proposed law onto the election ballot.

(The referendum petitions each need 118,823 valid signatures turned in before September 28, 2021. The initiatives need 237,645 valid sigs before July 8, 2022.)

1.      “PEVL Purge”, SB1485. Sponsor: Arizona Deserves Better

The best known of the passed/signed voting suppression bills, it turns “PEVL” into “Evil”.

Overview: "This petition seeks to refer SB1485 to the ballot for a vote. This bill substantially changes the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL), now used by most Arizonans to vote. It renames the list and purges it periodically. Government notices would be sent to people based on their frequency of early voting. People who are mailed notices would be required to respond to stay on the list. If enough people sign this petition, the people of Arizona will be able to vote to prevent this bill from becoming law and keep the Permanent Early Voting List. "

 

Summary: SB1485 is trying to fix a non-existent problem.   The effect is to make it more difficult for citizens to participate in the election process… for no valid reason. For example, if a person is an infrequent voter (votes only  in presidential elections) and misses one presidential election, they can be taken off of early voting/PEVL. NOTE:  There are laws already in place to clean up the PEVL list of people who have moved (etc), and there is no “fraud problem” this law would fix.

 

2.      HB2569. Sponsor: Arizona Deserves Better

This referendum would allow counties to receive private grants to help with voter registration or early voting efforts. The Legislature does not always provide requested funding.

Overview: "This petition seeks to refer HB 2569 to the ballot for a vote. HB 2569 stops elections officials from receiving private grants to help them run elections or register voters, even if the Legislature provides inadequate funding for elections administration and voter registration. Election officials have used grant funds to purchase equipment used to provide timely and accurate election results. If enough people sign this petition, the voters will decide whether election officials should be allowed to accept private grants. "

 

Summary: In the last election cycle, grants were given to counties to support early voting. For example, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg gave grants supporting early voting efforts in Maricopa County (i.e. providing more drop box locations, etc.). The grant – with non-partisan conditions - was approved by the County Board. This new law would prevent grants being accepted in the future. The referendum’s purpose is to continue allowing grants to be accepted to fund early voting (etc) efforts in the future.

 

3.      SB1828 (Sxns 13, 15). Sponsor: Invest In Arizona

This is one of the three measures passed to try to un-do the Invest In Ed initiative passed by voters. It is the “flat tax” law.

Overview: "This petition seeks to refer sections 13 and 15 of 2021 Laws, Chapter 412 (SB 1828). Sections 13 and 15 together create new income tax brackets and rates that apply when state general fund revenue exceeds certain amounts."

 

Summary: This massive budget bill reduces state revenues by $1.9B/yr. It gives wealthiest Arizonans the biggest tax break by making flatter tax brackets. This referendum would prevent the legislature from circumventing the will of the people to fund our public education.

 

4.      SB1827 (Sxn 4). Sponsor: Invest In Arizona

This is the 2nd anti-Invest In Ed law pushed by Gov. Ducey. It cuts K-12 spending by $250M+/yr.

Overview: "This petition seeks to refer Section 4 of 2021 Laws, Chapter 411 (SB 1827). Section 4 creates a maximum combined individual income tax rate of 4.5%, inclusive of the regular income tax imposed by A.R.S. § 43-1011 and the 3.5% income tax surcharge imposed by A.R.S. § 43-1013 (which was approved by Arizona voters in 2020 as Proposition 208). If a taxpayer's total tax rate exceeds 4.5%, the regular income tax rate imposed by A.R.S. § 43-1011 would be automatically reduced to cap the taxpayer's total tax rate at 4.5%."

 

Summary: This budget bill would prevent our state from collecting money from the wealthiest Arizonians – to fund education. It would shrink the general fund by almost $500M/yr and cut K-12 spending by $250M+/yr. This referendum would prevent the legislature from circumventing the will of the people to fund our public education.

 

5.      Anti-voting omnibus bill. SB1819 (Sxns 4, 5, 21, 25, 33). Sponsor: Arizona Deserves Better

This picks out several of the worst election measures thrown into a budget bill. Many of these had failed to pass the Legislature earlier under regular procedures. Here’s a summary:

1a) Ordering Arizona Game & Fish Department to conduct voter registration efforts;

1b) allowing the Legislature to designate an individual or company to have access to voter registration databases and make sure that registrants who do not provide proof of citizenship can only vote for President and Congress;

2) calling for ballot paper to contain watermarks, bar codes and other *possible* anti-fraud measures;

3) spends $500,000 to investigate social media platforms and search engines to see whether they help some candidates and/or hurt others;

4) tasking the Auditor General to report on voter registration and outreach events attended by the Secretary of State and the Maricopa County and Pima County Recorders (item one also would require those elected officials to publicly report their event calendars);

5) removes Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ authority to defend court cases about elections, and gives it to Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich. (Really! It shifts back after they leave those offices!)

 

6.      “Small business” tax credit bill. SB1783. Sponsor: Invest In Arizona

This clever effort to un-do Invest In Ed redefines “small business” to include nearly every wealthy individual, and allows them to take a “small business tax credit” for the amount that would have gone to education funding.

Overview: "This petition seeks to refer 2021 Laws, Chapter 436 (SB 1783). The principal provisions of this bill would: (a) allow "small business taxpayer[s]," as defined in the bill, to elect to report certain forms of income as "small business income" and pay taxes on that income at rates set by the bill and (b) establish new income tax brackets and rates for trusts and estates."

Summary: This bill would stop more than $290M/year from K-12 education – one-third of the Invest In Ed funds.

 

7.      Initiative: Voters’ Right To Know. Sponsor: Stop Dark Money

Overview: "This Voters' Right to Know Act secures for Arizona voters the right to know who is trying to influence Arizona elections using paid, public communications. It eliminates dark money barricades. Any person spending over $50,000 on statewide campaigns or $25,000 on other campaigns must disclose the original sources (people or corporations who actually earned the money) of contributions over $5,000. They must also disclose their largest donors on campaign materials. The Act will also protect local policymakers' ability to require additional disclosures. The Citizens Clean Elections Commission, a non-partisan, voter-established body, will enforce this Act. Violations could incur substantial penalties."

 

8.      Initiative: Predatory Medical Debt Collection Protection Act. Sponsor: Healthcare Rising AZ

Overview: "Caps interest rate on "medical debt," as defined in the Act; applies this cap to judgements on medical debt as well as to medical debt incurred. Increases the value of assets -- a homestead, certain household possessions, a motor vehicle, funds in a single bank account, and disposable earnings -- protected from certain legal processes to collect debt. Annually adjusts these amended exemptions for inflation beginning 2024. Allows courts to further reduce the amount of disposable earnings subject to garnishment in some cases of extreme economic hardship. Does not affect existing contracts. Does not change existing law regarding secured debt."

 

--To read full texts of any of these laws or initiatives – as well as the others on file – use this link to an updated page of the Arizona Secretary of State’s site: https://bit.ly/AZInitsAndReferenda

--Sponsoring organizations: ArizonaDeservesBetter.com, InvestInAZNow.com, StopDarkMoney.com, HealthCareRisingAZ.org

-- Explanatory Articles: Election omnibus referendum: https://bit.ly/AZp1925; PEVL Purge referendum: https://bit.ly/AZp1921; Invest In Ed referenda: https://bit.ly/AZp1926, https://bit.ly/3wuSQH9

--Prepared by Marion and Paul Weich (Questions/suggestions 602-908-9132)


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Wednesday, July 28, 2021

WE HAVE LIFTOFF: Mark Kelly Simultaneously Upholds Senate's Tradition and Arizona's Tradition In 1st Floor Speech; Starts New Leadership PAC (WATCH/READ)

8/4, 3:00pm: WE HAVE LIFTOFF: Mark Kelly Simultaneously Upholds Senate's Tradition and Arizona's Tradition In 1st Floor Speech; Starts New Leadership PAC (WATCH/READ)

The U.S. Senate is a tradition-bound body, and Mark Kelly fulfilled the tradition of giving his "maiden" floor speech today. He also fulfilled an 8-year Arizona tradition, becoming the 4th consecutive Arizona Senator to use the speech to honor the late Senator John McCain.

Beginning in 2013 with Jeff Flake, Arizonans have seen two Republicans and two Democrats take to the floor. All have lavished praise on McCain, and the last three have bookended their speech with comments about trying to follow in his footsteps.

Kelly (D-AZ) went it one better, recognizing Cindy McCain in the gallery.

Sure, he also talked about his childhood, his courageous wife Gabby, the infrastructure bill and border security and immigration reform. But, McCain has become the embodiment of bipartisanship and independence that Kelly (and Flake, and Sinema, and McSally) wanted Arizonans to remember today.

"His legacy, it's something that cannot be matched, but it's what inspires me serving in the Senate seat, and it's his example of bipartisanship, or independence, that continues to demand more of us. So, I'm going to continue focusing on delivering results, on beating this virus, and reinventing our economy for the future so that hard-working Arizonans have every opportunity to succeed. Arizonans sent me here to have their backs, and that's what I intend to do. Thank you and I yield the floor."

Now that he's delivered the maiden speech, Kelly can now abide by another Senate tradition and be as long-winded as he wants to be.

Earlier this week, Kelly registered his new Leadership PAC with the Federal Election Commission. "Liftoff PAC" is, of course, a clever nod to his Space Shuttle captaining past. But, it will also give him another opportunity to not take money from corporate PACs, even though they are often the primary funders of such entities.

P.S. Just because he can now be seen and heard, it does not mean that he automatically gets all of the respect a U.S. Senator deserves. Here's how C-Span's closed captioning brought MARK Kelly back down to earth.

7/28, 4:40pm: BREAKING: Doug Ducey & Wendy Rogers(?!?) Operative Sets Up New Federal Campaign Committee, "Secure Arizona's Future"
A South Dakota political operative with longstanding Arizona ties boosting Doug Ducey's first gubernatorial run and Wendy Rogers' last Congressional campaign formed "Secure Arizona's Future" this week.

Joel Arends used a Phoenix mailbox and 602 Google Voice number to create the federal SuperPAC. 

Arizona's Politics
 first spoke with and wrote about him in 2014 when he used the dark money Veterans for a Strong America to start attacking Christine Jones when she was running in the Republican gubernatorial primary against Ducey. The notorious ads tried to link Jones to both Hillary Clinton and Benghazi.  We later learned that Arends' group received a total of $275,000 from Ducey-supporting Sean Noble's "dark money washing machine" in 2014, before VSA had its status revoked by the IRS. 

Arends popped up in the desert again in 2018, collecting almost $350,000 to spend supporting Wendy Rogers in a failed Congressional campaign against Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-CD1). Arends was treasurer for "Defending Rural Arizona". Rogers is now an outspoken State Senator.

It is unclear whether Arends already has a candidate in mind for this committee - some political operatives set these up in case they land an Arizona-minded client. Ducey is term-limited from running for re-election, and Rogers has not given hints about making a fifth run for Congress.

The voice mailbox for Arends' law office in South Dakota is full, but Arizona's Politics was able to leave a message for Arends on his Arizona Google voice number. We will update this article as warranted.


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NEW INVESTIGATION: NAU Foundation Hides "Extraordinary" $5.5M Proposed Fine; Among Largest Penalties By Trump's FCC For Alleged Misuse of Educational Broadband Licenses

While the rest of the world was still buzzing about the January 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol, then-President Trump's FCC was hammering Arizona's NAU Foundation with one of the largest suggested fines in the country, $5.5M. Although they had done away with the requirement that licensees of the Educational Broadband Service ("EBS") spectrum use the frequencies for educational purposes, they approved $47M+ in proposed fines.

The NAU Foundation leadership would not say whether they have informed the Board of Directors of the potential mega-hit. And, Washington lobbyists hired to "interact" with Congress had no apparent impact.

For the rest of this investigative report, please head over to our sister site, "Arizona's Law".

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Tuesday, July 27, 2021

TEXTS DON'T LIE: Yes, Maricopa County, There IS Another Election THIS YEAR...For Most Of You (READ: list of local jurisdictions)

Most Maricopa County voters are on the PEVL*, and many signed up last year for text and email updates about their ballots. That means that A LOT of these observant voters were mystified yesterday when they received a notification from Maricopa County Elections saying their "ballot is being prepared. It will mail on 10-06-2021."

Arizona's Politics heard from about a dozen different people. (And, I was most mystified because I had not received such a text purporting to be from Maricopa County Elections. Until 8:52pm, that is.)

After late night messages to and from the county and Recorder Stephen Richer, and several conversations today, we were finally able to get the complete list of which cities/towns and school districts were going to be asking their residents to vote in this off-year election. Without mapping out the sometimes overlapping jurisdictions, it is safe to say that most of the county's voters will be getting a ballot in October.

Previously, the Recorder's website listed all of the voting jurisdictions. However, curious voters were unable yesterday to access that list. Here it is:




Thanks to Recorder Stephen Richer and Elections Department Communications Director Megan Gilbertson for helping get us the complete list.

And, even if you are not on the PEVL, keep an eye on your mailboxes in October, because this election will be by MAILED BALLOTS ONLY. 

*PEVL remains unchanged, for now. The Legislature/Governor's new law removing the permanent from the early voting list does not go into effect immediately. Opponents are circulating referendum petitions to put it to the ballot in 2022; if they obtain enough, it will not go into effect unless voters approve it in November 2022. (And, they *would* receive a ballot for that election if they are on the list.)

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BREAKING: County Supervisors To Hold Special Meeting Wednesday To Discuss Response To Senate's "Audit" Subpoena (READ Subpoena)

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss their response to the latest election audit-related subpoena from some Republican Senators.

At the 9am executive session, the Republican-dominated Supervisors will get legal advice from the (Republican) County Attorney's Office on several related matters: (1) compliance with the subpoena (below), (2) election administration and equipment, (3) "election-related public records requests", and (4) "election-related litigation". The two currently-active lawsuits related to public records requests do not involve Maricopa County, so the last two topics would appear to be forward-looking and/or requests that are not yet in the public sphere.

The new subpoena issued yesterday repeats some of the demands made in the previous one. Maricopa County turned over ballots, machines, voter registration records and more then, and that led to the recount/"audit" which began in April. The County did not turn over some items then, and the Senate has not tried to enforce compliance.

The new subpoena, signed by Senate President Karen Fann and Judiciary Committee Chair Warren Peterson, demands compliance by next Monday (August 2).

Maricopa County Supervisors Agenda - 7-28-2021 by arizonaspolitics on Scribd

Senate Subpoena to Mari Cty 20210726154038182 by arizonaspolitics on Scribd


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Monday, July 26, 2021

NEW: Rep. Schweikert To Endorse Old Colleague Matt Salmon For Governor (ARIZONA'S POLITICAL SHORTS)

Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD6) is set to endorse Matt Salmon in the crowded GOP field for Governor. Politico notes that the two served in Congress together and have the Freedom Caucus in common. They also represented neighboring districts.

Salmon (and the other leading Republican contenders) spoke at the Trump Rally in Phoenix this past weekend. He followed reported frontrunner Kari Lake, repeatedly attacked the "fake news media" and "liberal elites", and passionately declared that "God is on our side".

Although 15 Republicans have filed Statements of Interest to run for the position being vacated by Doug Ducey, Salmon is among the five considered to be leaders for the nomination. (Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is considered the strong Democratic frontrunner, although there are other contenders.)

(For video, click here or on picture)




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Wednesday, July 21, 2021

NEW: Key State Rep. Regina Cobb Plans To Run For State Treasurer, Setting Up GOP Battle With Colleague (ARIZONA'S POLITICAL SHORTS)

State Rep. Regina Cobb (R-LD5) filed a Statement of Interest today about her plans to run for State Treasurer. The termed-out Chair of the House Appropriations Committee would face former House colleague (current Senator) David Livingston (R-LD22) in the Republican primary.

No Democrat has yet announced plans to run to be the State Treasurer. Current Treasurer Kimberly Yee is trying to follow Doug Ducey's path from Treasurer to Governor.

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Wednesday, July 14, 2021

BREAKING: Congressional Committee Investigating Arizona Recount/Audit Skips State Senate, Tracks Ninjas Instead (READ Letter)

A  U.S. House committee is jumping into investigating the Arizona State Senate's recount/audit, and they've decided to go where the apparent control is. Rather than writing State Senate President Karen Fann, the House Oversight Committee has focused on Cyber Ninjas' owner Doug Logan.

Sending a 13-page letter (below), the committee is asking for documents and communications relating to funding sources and the "audit procedures" that they have been using.

A key line of the letter, signed by Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jaimie Raskin - heads of the overall committee and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, respectively - noted: 

"The Committee is seeking to determine whether the privately funded audit conducted by your company in Arizona protects the right to vote or is instead an effort to promote baseless conspiracy theories, undermine confidence in America’s elections, and reverse the result of a free and fair election for partisan gain.”

The final of the nine requests is for all communications the Cyber Ninjas had with former President Donald Trump and many of his advisers, attorneys, etc.:

a. former President Donald Trump;
b. any Trump Administration official;
c. any formal or informal representative of President Trump’s presidential
campaign, legal team, or political action committee;
d. any representative of Voices and Votes, Fight Back, America Project, or
any other funder of the Maricopa County audit;
e. Rudy Giuliani or any of his agents or representatives;
f. Sidney Powell;
g. L. Lin Wood;
h. Patrick Byrne;
i. Michael Flynn; or j. Michael Lindell.

The letter, which resembles a subpoena, asks for responses within two weeks (July 28).

Senate President Fann is awaiting a decision from Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Mike Kemp as to whether she has to release records of communications about the audit that might be in the hands of the Cyber Ninjas and subcontractors.


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Tuesday, July 13, 2021

BREAKING: New Invest In Ed-related Referendum Filed; And, Now There Are Six Petitions Hitting the Streets

The newly-renamed "Invest In Arizona" coalition has filed its third (and likely, final) referendum application with the Secretary of State. Arizona voters are being asked to sign a total of six petitions to refer laws passed by the Legislature to the November 2022 ballot.

In 2020, Arizona voters approved the Invest In Ed initiative (aka "Prop 208"), which raises monies for education by adding a surcharge to wealthier taxpayers. The Legislature and Governor passed several workarounds last month to un-do the funding mechanism. The newest Invest In Ed-related referendum targets SB1783, which creates a new credit for an expanded definition of small business taxpayers to offset the Prop. 208 surcharge. 

The legislative budget analysts estimate this law would reduce Invest In Ed revenues by more than $262M each year.

In touting his signature on the bill, Governor Doug Ducey said "After a year as tough as the last, we should not be raising taxes on our small businesses — we should be cutting their taxes. That’s exactly what Senate Bill 1783 does." He did not mention either the impact on Prop. 208 nor that the new Arizona definition of "small business" includes anyone who reports interest or dividends. (This means that any high income taxpayer with any stock dividends or interest suddenly becomes a "small business" and qualifies for the new offsetting tax credit.)

Invest In Arizona has already begun collecting signatures to stop two other related measures - portions of SB1827 and SB1828.

In addition to those three petitions, a group named "Arizona Deserves Better" is collecting signatures on three separate petitions to un-do a slew of voting- and election-related provisions passed during the recently-ended legislative session.

One ADB supporter explained to Arizona's Politics that this is a matter of "democracy integrity", and that passing measures which make it more difficult to vote without trying to fix an actual integrity issue is harmful to the election process. 

The referendum groups have until September 28, 2021 to turn in at least 118,823 valid petition signatures. For any or all of the six targeted laws that they do successfully refer to the 2022 general election ballot, that measure would not go into effect unless voters pass it.


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