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Burns dissolves Gould’s committee
Senate President Bob Burns terminated a committee chaired by Sen. Ron Gould, a Republican from Lake Havasu City, on Dec. 10. Gould later told the Arizona Capitol Times he has been stripped of his committee chairmanship. Gould has been chairman of the Senate Retirement and Rural Development Committee.
Parker treads fine line by heading anti-tax committee
Clean Elections watchdogs are keeping a wary eye on Save Our Jobs: Stop the Tax Hike, a committee formed by gubernatorial hopeful Vernon Parker. The committee, which Parker founded earlier this month, aims to block a 1-cent sales tax increase proposed by Gov. Jan Brewer.
AZ Supreme Court hears case of drug-sniffing canine
About four years ago, police led a drug-sniffing dog to the garage of Jose Salvador Guillen, asked his wife for permission to enter the garage and then detected an odor of marijuana. Police, who were acting on a tip they had received eight months prior, obtained a search warrant and discovered bales of marijuana inside freezers in the garage. Guillen was later arrested and charged with possessi[...]
Manning bows out of AG race
After months of flirting with a run for office, Phoenix attorney Michael C. Manning announced that he will not run for attorney general. Manning announced his decision in a letter on Dec. 8. Manning said he believes he would win the race, but decided against a run over concerns about what would happen to his law firm, Stinson, Morrison, Hecker LLP. He said a number of colleagues presented him w[...]
With cash flow problems, state may face budget cliff early next year
Arizona faces another budgetary cliff early next year, when the State Treasurer's Office might have to issue IOUs to pay bills if $735 million expected from the sale-leaseback of state assets does not materialize. Treasurer Dean Martin told a panel of lawmakers that the state needs to have the money by the end of January to be able to make payment to schools by Feb. 1.
Stricter regs needed for medical pot
Supporters of an effort to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona have taken steps to avoid some of the problems that have riddled California since voters there passed Proposition 215 in 1996. Californians approved a seven-paragraph initiative that protects physicians, caregivers and medical marijuana patients from prosecution. But it led to a massive outgrowth of doctors who prescribe the drug [...]
Parker says anti-tax committee will be separate from campaign
Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker said a committee he is chairing to oppose a proposed sales tax increase will be separate from his gubernatorial exploratory committee.
The Pulse: First amendment showdown
Sometimes free speech can get messy. Like this week, when Sheriff Joe Arpaio agreed to be grilled by a panel of professors in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications' "First Amendment Forum."
Burns says strategy worked, but he won’t block non-budget bills in 2010
Senate President Bob Burns has decided to avoid the failed budget-first strategy that locked up his chamber last session and led to an unhinged, last-minute push to pass hundreds of non-budget bills. What he has in mind for the 2010 session is, in some ways, back to the basics. Most committees, for instance, will be free to debate and vote on legislation unrelated to the budget.
Arizona’s tough-on-crime stance costs big bucks
Crime in Arizona has dramatically declined this decade, but the number of Arizonans in prison continues to climb and has grown by nearly 50 percent since 2002, thanks in part to the creation of new crimes and tougher sentencing guidelines. Supporters of the tough-on-crime approach say the figures show that the laws are doing what is intended: making Arizona safer by keeping dangerous criminals [...]
Goddard takes pro-gun stance in Supreme Court case
After sitting on the sidelines while the U.S. Supreme Court mulled a 2008 landmark gun control case affecting the nation's capital, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard has added his name to a legal brief that asks the court to strike a handgun ban enacted by the city of Chicago.
Pearce bill would give sheriffs, others more power over budgets
The constant budget battles between Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Board of Supervisors could be a thing of the past, or at least more muted than they have been, if Sen. Russell Pearce can get a long-sought bill through the Legislature.
