Arizona Daily Star

The goal of a proposed “right to hunt” constitutional amendment is to make it harder to put anti-hunting initiatives on the ballot, a supporter has testified. “Wildlife management at the ballot box is a loser for hunters and a loser for conservation and wildlife,” Darren LaSorte, the National Rifle Association’s hunting policy manager, testified at the Arizona Legislature last winter. But if Proposition 109 passes Nov. 2, its effect on voter initiatives may not be that clear-cut, say two legal experts.

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The City Council is considering a charter amendment that would force future ballot initiatives that mandate additional spending to provide a funding source to cover the cost. The move comes in the wake of Proposition 200, which would have required spending millions of dollars to hire more police officers and firefighters at a time when the city is cutting services because it is short of money.

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Tucsonans will get the chance to mandate increased city Police and Fire Department staffing levels this November. An initiative to set minimum requirements for public-safety officers was certified for the ballot Wednesday. Dubbed the Public Safety First Initiative, the proposed City Charter amendment would require 2.4 police officers per 1,000 residents and mandate that Fire Department response times not exceed the 2004 standards set by the National Fire Protection Association.

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Tucson city council warned Tuesday that it will need to ask voters for massive tax increases if a ballot initiative mandating much higher police and fire staffing levels is approved by voters in November. Police and fire union officials went on to threaten council members with retribution if they try to run a ballot initiaive to pay for the staff increase.

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