Recent Articles from Nick Phillips Arizona Capitol Times
Hobbs, GOP leaders agree to talk budget
Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican lawmakers took some small steps toward negotiation this week, sending invitations and promising to meet to talk about putting together a state budget – the main task that will require cooperation between the opposing parties this year.
Mayes, lawmakers slam Saudi water deal
Officials on both sides of the aisle want to do something about the deal that’s letting a Saudi-based company pump Arizona groundwater for nothing more than the price of a cheap land lease in La Paz County.
Hobbs’ DCS pick is out, with little explanation
Gov. Katie Hobbs’ choice to lead the Department of Child Services on Feb. 22 is out, the governor announced on Feb. 23, saying the move was in the “best interest of all parties involved.”
Brnovich’s office found most fraud allegations unfounded even before interim report
Former Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office found in a March 2022 report that a range of voter fraud allegations stemming from the Arizona Senate’s audit of the 2020 Maricopa County election were either “unfounded” or couldn’t be corroborated.
GOP still pressing Hobbs on inaugural fundraising
Republican lawmakers continue to take aim at Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ extraordinary inaugural ceremony fundraising. But their efforts might be limited to sending a message. In a letter sent earlier this week, Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, asked Hobbs to report information relating to inaugural funding.
Hobbs vetoes Republican skinny budget
Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed 13 budget bills on Thursday, saying they represented a “purely-partisan” plan for the state.
Hobbs cancels $210M contracts signed by Ducey
Gov. Katie Hobbs is cancelling more than $210 million in state contracts signed in the final days of former Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration as officials in the new administration argue the deals were “illegal.”
Fontes and Richer laugh, debate at Valley Bar event
Between playful jabs and Harry Potter references, former political opponents and current election officials Adrian Fontes and Stephen Richer talked about election reform proposals in a rare live event on Wednesday night at Valley Bar, the bar and nightclub off Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix.
Housing Trust Fund key to Hobbs’ affordability plans
Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, but also faces a growing housing problem.
Sonora governor criticizes desalination plan
The governor of Sonora, Mexico, is casting doubt on the proposal to put a desalination plant that would treat seawater in Mexico and pump it back to Arizona.
After running on 2020 fraud claims, Lake shifts to 2022
Kari Lake has made a pivot. Sort of. If the central theme of her campaign for governor last year was the 2020 election – which she argued was fraudulent, rigged and generally stolen from former President Donald Trump – then the principal pillar of her post-election campaigning is the 2022 election.
Hobbs establishes prison oversight commission to recommend reforms
Gov. Katie Hobbs is calling for a top-to-bottom review of the Arizona prison system, where inmates and their families have complained about a wide range of issues and a federal judge recently found medical care to be “plainly grossly inadequate.” The governor issued an executive order on Wednesday establishing an “independent prison oversight commission” to review problems in the prison sy[...]


















