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Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
State could have $650 million balance by fiscal 2017, FAC reports
Arizona is on track to collect revenues not seen since before the beginning of the Great Recession, according to a forecast by group of economists advising state policymakers.
Cap Times Q&A: Tyler Montague: Targeting politicians who have crossed the line
Often, today’s political activism springs from yesterday’s upheavals, when a crisis alters the landscape and shapes the minds of a young generation. Such is the case with Tyler Montague, a banker from Mesa and now president of Public Integrity Alliance.
State invests millions in medical schools, lacks enough physician residency programs
Erin Garvey is sitting at a Mayo Clinic office in Phoenix, wearing a white lab coat and green pants. She has 10 months left in her five-year residency training. After that, she’s off to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she’ll learn more about minimal invasive surgery.
Evangelical lobby equates abortion with slavery
The head of a powerful Evangelical-Christian lobby in Arizona today upped the rhetorical ante against Planned Parenthood by calling abortion a “modern-day slave trade.”
Cap Times Q&A: Lobbyist Wendy Briggs recalls being a ‘haole’
Let’s face it. Lobbying isn’t the most popular of professions. Often, the only times the public hears of lobbyists are in connection with something unsavory. But inasmuch as Americans need politicians to bargain with each other on their behalf, so, too, lobbyists play a crucial role in America’s experiment in democracy.
Fiscal hole gets deeper as school inflation case goes on
After efforts to reach a settlement in the K-12 inflation funding lawsuit faltered this month, both sides in the case see it going all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court. But as the case drags on, the fiscal risks mount for the state.
State revenues continue to rise
After years of incessant cuts, Arizona might be on the verge of shifting the budget discussion following months of robust revenue collections.
Appeals court rejects method of hiking water rates outside of rate case
The Arizona Court of Appeals today rejected a mechanism adopted by the Arizona Corporation Commission to allow a water company to recover capital costs – and thereby hike rates – in between rate cases.
Cap Times Q&A: Former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith reflects on politicians, big game hunting and life’s lessons
A few hours before he sat down for a Q&A one humid August afternoon at a coffee shop, former Mesa mayor and one-time gubernatorial candidate Scott Smith had flown a plane, delivering a supply of blood to northern Arizona.
New APS solar fee: Do you have $21 to spare?
With $21, you can buy at least two LED 60-watt light bulbs and reduce your electricity bill over time. Or visit the Phoenix Zoo for $20. Or read Jim Collins’ “Good to Great,” which sells at $17.85 on Barnes & Noble. Or take your spouse to the movies. If the Arizona Public Service had its way, however, that money would go toward paying a monthly fee – that is, if you happen to h[...]
Dems hire former Obama field organizer as state director
The Arizona Democratic Party has hired a battle-tested campaign veteran to run the state party. Sheila Healy, who worked for President Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012, starts today as the state party’s executive director.
Revenue boost means state won’t have to dip into rainy day fund
Strong revenue collections turned a $132 million shortfall into a $266 million cash balance at the end fiscal 2015, a preliminary analysis shows.
