Recent Articles from Bob Christie, Capitol Media Services
‘Starter home’ bill to be heard in committee
A sweeping proposal for more affordable houses that Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed last year is back with only minor changes.
Appropriations chair says Hobbs’ voucher proposal dead
Rep. David Livingston of Peoria, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said Republicans who control the Legislature won't stand for Hobbs' plan ...
Kari Lake has opportunity to improve image in debate, consultants say
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake has an image problem with some Arizona voters that she'll need to erase if she is to win November’s election against her Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego.
Kari Lake still deciding whether to debate
Democrat Ruben Gallego is all in on holding a Clean Elections debate with his challenger in the race for an open U.S. Senate seat. Republican Kari Lake, maybe not so much.
Republicans pack ballot with measures to bypass governor’s veto
Voters across Arizona will see their November ballot stuffed with 11 measures referred by Republican lawmakers that cover a wide range of GOP priorities,
GOP lawmakers strike budget deal with governor
Republicans who control the Arizona Legislature have reached a deal on a pared-down state budget after lengthy talks with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Gov. Hobbs getting pressure to veto housing bills
Cities and neighborhood groups are urging Gov. Katie Hobbs to veto a bipartisan measure that pre-empts city authority to regulate construction of backyard casitas.
Kari Lake’s attorney tries to persuade court to redo election
Kari Lake deserves a do-over of her 2022 loss in the governor's race to Democrat Katie Hobbs because new evidence shows Maricopa County election officials did unannounced tests on vote-counting equipment and knew they would fail on Election Day, her attorney told the state Court of Appeals.
AG candidate tries again to redo election
Arizona’s 2022 election for attorney general that saw Republican Abraham Hamadeh lose by just 280 votes should be redone because Maricopa County failed to test their ballot printers and thousands of voters were unable to cast a ballot, Hamadeh's lawyer told a judge Wednesday.
Housing bill near, lawmaker says
Lawmakers aligned with both housing advocates and homebuilders are close to striking a deal with cities on a proposal designed to help address Arizona’s housing shortage.
Hobbs orders hiring freeze, wants agencies to propose spending cuts
Gov. Katie Hobbs has ordered what is essentially a hiring freeze for new state employees and instructed her department heads to send her a plan this week to cut $1.2 billion in spending out of their current and coming year budgets.
Budget negotiations heat up as Legislature slows down
Three months into the Arizona Legislature's annual session, lawmakers are ready to take some time off and go to a work schedule many would love to have -- just one day a week.