Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

The group representing Arizona’s rooftop solar industry has agreed with the state’s utility consumer advocacy office to offer a scaled-back and more stringently regulated plan for Arizona Public Service to get into the rooftop solar business.

The small state agency responsible for looking out for Arizona consumers’ interests on energy policy roundly opposed on Nov. 18 a plan to reconfigure the state’s energy-efficiency standards.

Newly elected as governor, Doug Ducey is now seeking private dollars to fund his transition team. And he’ll also be looking for donors to finance the ceremonial parts of his January inauguration.

The AP is reporting that U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema has retained her seat in Arizona's 9th Congressional District, with 54 percent of the vote and 97 percent of precincts reporting.

Of the $4.1 million spent to help four candidates vying for two open seats on the board that regulates Arizona's utilities - more than in any previous Corporation Commission race - the source of more than $3 million of that is shrouded in secrecy. The so-called "dark money" has gone entirely to help Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little.

Time is running out to request an early ballot for next month's general election ballot.

Republican Corporation Commission candidates Tom Forese and Doug Little now admit they broke Arizona’s campaign finance laws, and each has been assessed a $1,000 fine by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, meaning the two will avoid a deeper investigation into their campaign finance reports.

The executive director of the Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission has recommended a full investigation into the campaigns of Republican Corporation Commission candidates Doug Little and Rep. Tom Forese over possible violations of campaign finance laws.

The formal response to accusations that Republican Corporation Commission candidates Rep. Tom Forese and Doug Little violated the rules of Arizona's public financing system attempted to explain how they paid for campaign signs and nominating signatures. But it raised more questions about their overall campaign spending and compliance with the law.

The debate between the four candidates vying for two seats on the state’s energy and water regulatory panel touched on electricity costs, water infrastructure needs and federal regulations, before devolving into a yelling match over the involvement of the state’s largest utility in the race.