Act Now: Say No to Culture Wars, PEVL Purge & Anti Sex-Ed Bills

As the session drags on, things are getting weirder at our state legislature. A few examples: 1) On the same day, in what felt like the biggest "I'm not a racist" flex ever, Michelle Udall (R-25) sponsored a surprise amendment to fine teachers $5,000 for discussing "controversial" issues like racism in the classroom, and also bucked her party's leadership to advance in-state tuition for "Dreamers" (undocumented youth). 2) When the PEVL purge bill failed the Senate last month, Kelly Townsend (R-16) said she voted against it because she wouldn't support any voting rights attacks until the Senate's so-called "audit" concluded. [...]

By Melinda Iyer|2021-05-09T18:31:50-07:00May 9th, 2021|Arizona, Children & Families, Elections, Local Activism, Uncategorized|

Democrats Can Beat the Party of the Big Lie in the 2022 Mid-Terms

With local, state, congressional, and gubernatorial candidates declaring their intentions to run and raise money for the 2022 midterm elections (even while final district lines have not been drawn yet,) it is not too early to start speculating if the Democratic Party can turn back the historical trend that the incumbent Presidents party mostly loses seats in off-year electoral contests. Historically, the party that occupies the White House generally fares poorly in off-year mid-term elections. It does not matter if the President is popular or liked (Dwight Eisenhower, or Ronald Reagan in both their terms) or unpopular at the time [...]

By David Gordon|2021-05-05T11:09:58-07:00May 4th, 2021|Arizona, Elections|

Rep. Hannley Rains Fire on GOP Anti-Abortion Bill

By Rep. Pam Powers Hannley, (D-LD9) Republicans have spent weeks and employed multiple levels of parliamentary procedures to ram Senator Nancy Barto’s fetal personhood bill through both houses … twice. SB1457 died in the Senate earlier in April, but the Republicans brought the zombie bill back to life for a do-over. This article first appeared on the Blog for Arizona with the headline, "#AZLeg Vote Protects Fetuses, Criminalizes Doctors & Patients." SB1457 inserts big government into private medical decisions. It criminalizes doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas, and patients. Government has the right and the duty to make and implement [...]

By Pam Hannley|2021-04-28T18:30:07-07:00April 23rd, 2021|Arizona, Healthcare|

Dr. Randy Friese Aims to Succeed Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick in Congress

With Ann Kirkpatrick announcing her retirement from Congress after the 2022 elections, Democratic candidates from the Tucson area and Arizona State Legislature have emerged to succeed her. One of these Democratic Candidates is Dr. Randy Friese. Dr. Randy Friese has been a consistent supporter of gun violence prevention. A member of the Arizona House of Representatives since 2015, Dr. Friese has served Legislative District Nine in Tucson. He is currently a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Health Committee. He has also been a member of the House Judiciary, and Government and Higher Education Committees. [...]

By David Gordon|2021-04-21T08:06:48-07:00April 20th, 2021|Arizona, Gun Safety, Local Candidates and Electeds|

Migrant Families Need a Lawyer in Immigration Court, says Margo Cowan

Did you know that last year in Pima County, 18,000 families went to deportation proceedings alone, without a lawyer? You can guess what happened: 98% of the families were deported. Margo Cowan, a Pima County Public Defender, would like to change that. Today, she is looking for your support of Pima County Justice for All. This is a 2022 county-wide ballot initiative that aims to appoint an attorney for indigent families in Pima County that are going through deportation proceedings. Margo specializes in criminal defense law, where indigent people are entitled to have a lawyer appointed to represent them. Margo also specialized immigration law, and [...]

By Anne Simmons|2021-04-15T13:06:31-07:00April 15th, 2021|Arizona, Immigration/Refugees|

America Needs National Election Reform to Protect Voting Rights

The most consequential legislation that the national Democratic leadership must pass this year is the two voting rights and election policy bills: HR.1/S.1 and HR.4. These two measures will stop state legislation in Arizona and 41 other states from blocking access to the ballot box and restrict how elections are run. Georgia's Republican legislative and executive leadership has already enacted a menu of election-limiting outrages designed to limit citizens' voting rights. They affect minority voters in the Atlanta area and communities of color throughout Georgia. I will remind you, dear readers, that the governor of Georgia was the Secretary of [...]

By Paul Waugaman|2021-04-09T14:02:14-07:00April 8th, 2021|Arizona, Elections|

Democrat Mo Udall was Tucson’s Progressive Light in Congress for 30 Years

Mo Udall represented Congressional District 2 for 30 years Congressman Mo Udall (CD2-D) led an All-American life. He is a beloved legislator, lawyer, banker, soldier who fought for his country, people’s champion, environmental advocate and steward, presidential candidate, writer, and athlete. Among his legislative accomplishments were sponsoring and endorsing bills that: Created new national monuments, wildlife refuges, and parks in Arizona and across the county. Set standards for the mining industry. Established the Central Arizona Water Project. Reformed the seniority system in the House of Representatives. Made the Post Office a semiprivate organization. Elevated the socio-economic conditions and [...]

By David Gordon|2021-04-07T10:57:17-07:00April 3rd, 2021|Arizona, Local Candidates and Electeds|

Democratic Legislator Mariano Samaniego Helped Build Early Tucson

This article first appeared on the LD9 Democrats website. In this third installment of Democratic Heroes of Tucson, we focus on pioneer and Tucson developer Mariano Samaniego. He was a proponent of higher education and served as a member of the Board of Regents for the University of Arizona. An active Democrat, he also participated in politics, becoming the first Pima County Assessor and serving in the Territorial Legislature from 1877 to 1899. He was also a member of the Tucson City Council in 1891. From 1890 to 1901, he was a Pima County Supervisor, serving as Board [...]

By David Gordon|2021-03-30T19:03:33-07:00March 30th, 2021|Arizona|

Arizonans Still Must Demonstrate for Public Schools to be Fully Funded

This photo was not taken during the Invest in Ed rallies last year. ► Neither was this one.▼ Or this one. ▼ These photos and the featured one were all taken on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, as Arizona citizens chanted "Red for Ed" and circled around the State Capitol numerous times protesting Republican Legislators' attempts to "undermine the will of the voters," as Arizona Education Association (A.E.A.) President Joe Thomas put it. GOP legislators have passed bills that would circumvent Invest in Ed/Proposition 208 funding (SB1783) and expand school vouchers (SB1485) which the voters rejected two years ago. Only last [...]

By David Gordon|2021-03-11T16:32:15-07:00March 11th, 2021|Arizona, Education|

Send Your Objection to these Voter Suppression Bills Now

Bills Advancing Republican voter suppression/election bills are advancing in the AZ legislature. If you click on the bill number in the list below, a pdf summary of the bill will appear. What can we do? * Use Request to Speak Go to My Bill Positions and fill in the bill number at the top. Click in this field. The bill number with a description will appear. Click on the field again. You can vote up or down without comment. ▪ Contact Representatives: Karen Fann -- President Senate Email: KFANN (602) 926-5874 Russell "Rusty" Bowers -- Speaker of the House Email: RBOWERS (602) 926-3128 or contact committe members (see list when [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-03-06T17:12:08-07:00March 6th, 2021|Arizona|