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Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
GOP lawmakers sue to draw congressional maps
The GOP-led Legislature is suing the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, arguing that the voter approved change to the state constitution that created the mapping body violates the U.S. Constitution.
Mesa council claims Pearce worked against city’s best interests
Mesa City Council members and the mayor are unanimously endorsing political newcomer Bob Worsley over former Senate President Russell Pearce in large part because of a sentiment that Pearce didn’t work to advance Mesa’s interests while he served at the Capitol.
Gould blasts federal law – literally – in first TV ad
Congressional candidate Ron Gould released his first TV commercial June 7, and there’s no missing the point he‘s trying to make.
Judge halts pay for police officers doing union work
In its fight to curb the influence of public unions, the Goldwater Institute has persuaded a judge to temporarily block Phoenix’s practice of paying police officers to perform union work.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper ruled today that the practice known as “release time” likely violates the Arizona Constitution’s “gift clause,” which prohibits governm[...]
Entire Mesa council now backing Bob Worsley over Russell Pearce
The Republican newcomer hoping to prevent former Senate President Russell Pearce from returning to the Capitol after being ousted last year in a historic recall election now has the backing of every municipal elected official in Mesa.
GOP touts $2.5B in tax cuts, but critics say Arizona can’t afford them
Policymakers often point to the state’s conservative spending plan that eschewed accounting gimmicks and set aside money for rainy days as the biggest victory of the Republican supermajority.
Legislative 11: Hot match-ups in 2012
Lawmakers from across the state are gearing up to take on incumbents and members of their own party in the August primaries.
What’s more, some incumbents are expected to square-off in the November general election, as well.
3 Mesa council members back Worsley over Pearce
The campaign of Bob Worsley, who is running against former Senate President Russell Pearce to represent a large portion of Mesa, has received another boost, announcing today that the businessman bagged the backing of three of his hometown’s council members.
Supermajority GOP chalked up big gains, but not with immigration, guns and anti-union bills
Nearly two years after Republicans took advantage of an insurgent mood that swept the nation and secured supermajority control of the Legislature, the GOP in Arizona can boast of enacting state budgets that eschewed accounting gimmicks, assumed cautious revenue estimates and earmarked money for anticipated rainy days ahead.
David Schapira: Keeping spotlight on GOP helped block anti-labor bills
The most challenging task for Democrats at the state Capitol is to stay relevant in a place where you’re greatly outnumbered.
That job fell to Senate Minority Leader David Schapira, whose caucus shrank to only nine members following the 2010 elections.
Steve Pierce: Keeping GOP out of the news was biggest challenge
Extraordinary events put Steve Pierce at the helm of the Arizona Senate — and those same events made the job of leading the chamber, which is already difficult by itself, even more challenging.
The Prescott rancher was elected as Senate president following the ouster of Russell Pearce, who lost a November recall election to a rival Republican. While some of Pearce’s colleagues had n[...]
A rare GOP-Dem budget that almost happened
The most remarkable thing about Republican leaders’ decision to explore a budget compromise with the minority party this year is that it happened at all — much less that the two sides came within a hair’s breadth of striking what would have been a rare bargain.
