The Arizona Republic
A Green Party candidate for governor has pulled paperwork to try to get Arizona’s immigration law on the Nov. 2 ballot. The referendum effort led by Larry Gist is called Let the People Decide on Amended SB 1070. The group must gather 76,682 signatures by July 28 to qualify for the ballot.
Proposed legislation that would tax medical marijuana - if voters legalize it this fall - narrowly passed the state Senate on Thursday thanks to a split among Republicans. The bill passed with a vote of 17-12 after five Republicans, including Senate President Bob Burns, R-Peoria, supported it. It now goes to the House for consideration.
A U.S. Supreme Court case that will be argued next month could end up restricting the public’s right to see who has signed initiative petitions in Arizona and other states. The case comes out of Washington state, where supporters of an effort to overturn a law permitting domestic partnerships sued the state to keep the names on petitions secret. As in Arizona, a certain number of valid petition signatures is required to put issues on the ballot.
The deadline for three petitions to put two tax increases and a new levy in Gilbert on the November ballot is Friday , and former Maricopa County Assessor Kevin Ross is gearing up for what will most likely become a legal battle. Ross, a 16-year Gilbert resident and the county’s assessor from 1997 to 2004, took out the petitions on July 2, just two days after Gilbert Town Council approved the tax measures in a 5-2 vote as part of its attempt to close a $15 million deficit in the current budget.
After failing to get its desired result in 2008, the Republican-controlled Legislature will send two proposed amendments to the Arizona Constitution back to voters in 2010. The Arizona Senate voted Monday to refer to the ballot a ban on the preferential treatment of minorities and a ban on laws requiring individuals or employers to participate in a particular health-care system.
Gov. Jan Brewer upped the ante Monday in Arizona’s high-stakes budget battle, releasing a proposal that would increase taxes, cut spending, sell state assets and lean on the federal government for assistance in closing a shortfall that her office now estimates at $4 billion.
State lawmakers voted Tuesday to ban petition circulators for initiatives and referendums from being paid based upon the number of signatures they collect.