Recent Articles from Yellow Sheet Report
Brownstein will close by the end of the year
Lobbyist Janna Day, managing partner of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Phoenix office, told our reporter today (Sept. 1) that the firm decided to shutter its operations in the Valley because it was unable to build the kind of legal practice it wanted around some of its core areas, such as natural resources and real estate law.
Strings definitely attached
Borrelli’s op-ed in today’s Republic (Aug. 31) shows that conservatives aren’t in lock-step on the idea of how best to resolve the K-12 funding lawsuit. Borrelli wrote that it’s time to resolve the lawsuit by “funding for our education system with true education dollars,” and said he will propose legislation to hike funding for schools by a total of $336 million annually.
DeMenna DUI, drug use makes front page
The Republic this morning (Aug. 28) wrote more than 2,600 words in a front-page story about lobbyist Kevin DeMenna’s October 2014 DUI arrest and subsequent plea deal and sentencing. Though investigative reporter Robert Anglen never accused him of seeking and receiving special treatment, it was heavily implied throughout the story.
No one wants to be stuck with that tab
After good faith efforts to reach a settlement in the K-12 inflation funding lawsuit failed, the state faces two options: Fight the challenge all the way to the Supreme Court or accede to the trial court’s order to reset the inflation funding level to what it would have been if the money hadn’t been withheld from schools during the years of recession.
AHCCCS wins round 1 in expansion fight
In his ruling this morning upholding the Medicaid expansion, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Douglas Gerlach wrote that the 36 GOP legislators challenging the measure failed both to prove that the hospital assessment was a tax instead of a fee and that it didn’t meet the exemptions laid out in Prop 108.
K-12 funding settlement talks end with no deal
Lawyers for legislative leaders and public schools came to an impasse today, ending eight months of negotiating to settle the K-12 inflation funding lawsuit and sending it back to court.
Bitter Smith under fire for lobbying ties
Several lawyers and former commissioners are calling out Corp Comm chairwoman Bitter Smith for her ties to a cable industry trade group, and one attorney is considering filing a complaint with the AG to have her be removed from office because of conflict of interest, KJZZ’s Kristena Hansen reported today (Aug. 24).
Fuzzy math
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol presented a giant fake check to school officials on Wednesday at the Capitol, claiming that taxes from recreational marijuana sales would generate more than $40 million a year in revenue for education. “Our schools are in serious need of funding, and taxing marijuana would create a significant new revenue stream,” said Quezada, who serves on the [...]
She is the one who knocks
The commission meeting opened with an address from Reagan, who expressed concern with the proposal. Reagan told the commission that there’s a place for Clean Elections in Arizona and that, in order to respect the will of the voters who approved the Clean Elections Act, it’s her duty to work with the commission.
Corp Comm splits, approves solar fee hike hearings
Disregarding the recommendation of an administrative law judge, the Corp Comm last night voted to move forward with a hearing on APS’s application for a solar fee increase instead of waiting for the utility’s 2016 rate case.
Recipes for sausage-making
Former Clean Elections Commissioner Louis Hoffman responded to the Arizona Chamber of Commerce's suggested revisions to the commission's proposed "political committee" rule with some changes of his own.
Coming soon to a classroom near you
Ducey said the wait won't be much longer for details of his Arizona Public School Achievement District plan, telling reporters this morning that the administration is "very close" to an announcement.