Archive for Arizona
Recent Stories for Arizona
Immigration Initiatives Don't Make Ballot
Category: Immigration · State: Arizona · Source: Arizona Republic
Two voter initiatives designed to toughen Arizona illegal-immigration laws will not appear on the November ballot, the chairman of the campaigns told supporters late Tuesday night. Don Goldwater, a former GOP gubernatorial candidate, wrote in an e-mail that initiative campaigns working to strengthen the state's employer-sanctions law and require police officers to enforce immigration law each failed to collect the 153,365 petition signatures required to put the proposed measures before voters on Nov. 4.Both Goldwater and state Rep. Russell Peace, the Republican sponsor of last year's employer-sanctions legislation, launched the initiative drives in March 2007. But they lacked the financial support needed to hire paid signature gatherers. "In the end some would look at this as a defeat," Goldwater wrote. "I refuse to overlook our great victories and accomplishments and neither should anyone else."
Measure Would Limit Voters' Taxing Ability
Category: Taxes · State: Arizona · Source: The Arizona Republic
Backers of a proposed November ballot initiative hope to make it much more difficult for Arizona voters to raise taxes, fees or spending. The initiative would require support from a majority of all registered voters - including people who didn't show up at the polls - before a tax-raising initiative could become law. Under current law, the majority of people who vote is sufficient. The measure, known as Majority Rule, would amend the state Constitution to affect any initiative that "establishes, imposes or raises a tax, fee or other revenue, or mandates a spending obligation." "Voters in Arizona have a long history of agreeing with the concept that there should be a very high threshold for raising taxes or mandating spending increases," said Nathan Sproul, whose Tempe-based firm is managing the Majority Rule campaign.
Some Payday-Loan Foes Drop Initiative Support
Category: Arizona · State: Arizona · Source: Arizona Daily Star
An initiative drive to put the payday-loan industry out of business in Arizona may falter because of a split among supporters. Members of an organization dubbed Stop Payday Predators announced Friday that they no longer are backing the initiative. State Sen. Debbie McCune Davis, D-Phoenix, who is chairing that group, said she believes the money being raised to put that measure on the November ballot would be better spent killing an industry-backed initiative that would make payday-loan stores a permanent presence in Arizona. That leaves only the Stop Payday Loans committee, headed by Rep. Marian McClure, R-Tucson, to pursue the initiative to abolish the industry. McClure said Friday that she is counting the signatures already collected and will decide in the next two weeks whether to pursue the ballot measure.
Group Organizes Recall Effort Against Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon
Category: Immigration · State: Arizona · Source: The Arizona Republic
Anti-illegal-immigration activists will attempt to recall Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon for policies they say are too soft on those who enter the country illegally. A group calling itself American Citizens United, which includes members of organizations involved in recent anti-illegal-immigrant protests, filed paperwork Wednesday to create a political-action committee. "Phil Gordon has operated the Mayor's Office with malfeasance in refusing to execute his sworn oath of office," the group said in its filing. advertisement It accused Gordon of "disregarding the will of Phoenix citizens by refusing to allow the Phoenix Police Department to impartially enforce laws against violators of laws on illegal immigration and human smuggling."
Ballot Access Argument in 9th Circuit Goes Well
Category: Arizona · State: Arizona · Source: Ballot Access News
On April 15, the 9th circuit held oral arguments in Nader v Brewer, a case filed in 2004 which challenges two Arizona election laws: (1) the law making it illegal for anyone who doesn’t live in Arizona to circulate an independent candidate petition; (2) the early June petition deadline, the 2nd earliest in the nation for independent presidential candidates. The hearing went well for the plaintiffs. The court spent much more time talking about issue (1). Judge Consuelo Callahan seemed to say she feels that restriction can only be upheld if it necessary for a compelling state interest (the “strict scrutiny” test), and seemed dubious that the U.S. District Court (which had upheld both laws) had applied strict scrutiny.
Monthly Archives for Arizona
- July 2008 (1)
- June 2008 (1)
- May 2008 (2)
- April 2008 (1)
- November 2007 (3)