Arizona State RepresentativeDescription: The Arizona Legislature has two chambers. The State Senate is the upper chamber and comprises 30 Senators, one from each of Arizona’s 30 legislative districts. The House of Representatives is the lower chamber and comprises 60 Representatives, 2 from each of Arizona’s 30 legislative districts. Arizona Representatives must be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for 10 years, an Arizona resident for 3 years, and a resident in the district they represent for 1 year. The term of office is 2 years, limited to 4 terms. Arizona has no staggered terms, so every member of the Legislature is up for reelection every two years. All seats are elected every 2 years in even-numbered years.Responsibilities: Both chambers of the Legislature propose new laws and amendments to current laws, including proposed amendments to the state constitution to be referred to the voters for approval and write and approve the state budget. In addition, the House can impeach state elected officials.Why you should care: With the Governor s approval, the legislature enacts laws that affect crucial aspects of our daily lives, including state taxes, how the money is spent, your voting rights, the criminal justice system, women’s rights, the environment, immigration, education, gun safety. The legislature can bring a legislative initiative (new law) directly to the voters without gathering signatures. Proposed changes to the state constitution originate in the legislature.Additional information:https://www.azhouse.govhttps://www.azcleanelections.gov/how-government-works/arizona-state-senators-and-representatives___________________________________________________________________________________________El Representante Estatal de ArizonaDescripción: La Legislatura de Arizona tiene dos cámaras. El Senado del Estado es la cámara alta y está formado por 30 senadores, uno de cada uno de los 30 distritos legislativos de Arizona. La Cámara de Representantes es la cámara baja y está formada por 60 representantes, 2 de cada uno de los 30 distritos legislativos de Arizona. Los representantes estatales de Arizona deben tener al menos 25 años de edad, ser ciudadanos estadounidenses durante 10 años, ser residentes de Arizona durante 3 años y ser residente del distrito que representan. Los representantes estatales desempeñan un mandato de 2 años, y no pueden desempeñar más de 4 mandatos. No hay mandatos escalonados en Arizona, así que cada miembro de la Legislatura se presenta para la reelección cada dos años. Se eligen todos los puestos cada 2 años en los años pares.Responsabilidades: Ambas cámaras de la Legislatura proponen nuevas leyes y enmiendas a las leyes actuales, incluidas las enmiendas propuestas a la constitución del estado que los votantes deben aprobar. También redactan y aprueban el presupuesto del estado. Además, la Cámara de Representantes puede iniciar procesos de destitución en contra de funcionarios elegidos.Por qué debería interesarte: Con la aprobación del gobernador, la Legislatura promulga leyes que afectan a aspectos importantes de nuestra vida, como los impuestos estatales, la manera en que se gasta el dinero, el derecho de voto, el sistema de justicia penal, los derechos de la mujer, el medio ambiente, la inmigración, la educación y la seguridad de las armas. La legislatura puede presentar una iniciativa legislativa (una nueva ley) directamente a los votantes sin recoger firmas. Los cambios propuestos a la constitución del estado se originan en la legislatura.Para más información:https://www.azhouse.govhttps://www.azcleanelections.gov/how-government-works/arizona-state-senators-and-representatives
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Qualifications and Experience
I've been involved in public affairs at teh federal, state, and local levels for more than four decades and worked on a range of diverse issues including trade and defense, quality healthcare, and voting rights.
Endorsements
American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees; Arizona List; Arizona Education Association, AZ NOW; Climate Action, Emily's List, Fund Her, Maricopa Area Labor Federation; Save Our Schools Arizona; Sierra Club
Occupation
Current: Citizen Advocate/Candidate; Retired public affairs professional
Education
A.A., History, Orange Coast Community College B.A., Political Economy of Industrial Societies, UC Berkeley
Every eligible citizen should have easy access to participate in every election. Those who are differently abled, those who live in rural areas without home mail delivery, those who use mail-in voting, those who vote early and in person. No matter how a voter wants to vote, it should be accessible and convenient.
I support same day and automatic voter registration, early voting, vote by mail and other efforts to ensure no eligible voter who wants to cast a ballot is turned away. Voter intimidation and other efforts to suppress voter participation must be recognized, confronted, and mitigated.
Maricopa County has a voting system that is safe, secure and accessible with responsibility shared between the elected County Recorder and the County Board of Supervisors. Those who promote unfounded lies about our elections tear at the fabric of democracy for their own strictly partisan purposes.
Maricopa Co. voters can be confident their elections are safe, secure, accessible. and accurate.
Women must have agency over their own bodies - including the decision of when, whether and how to grow their families therefore, I support the Arizona Abortion Access initiative.
Additionally, to fully protect reproductive health care choices without political or religious interference Arizona voters must 1) qualify the initiative; 2) pass it overwhelmingly; and 3) vote in a legislative Democratic majority. The current Republican legislative majority has demonstrated their disdain of voters by rejecting the voice of voters multiple times.
The role of government is to protect the access of quality, affordable health care for all Arizonans. There is no role for the legislature in setting medical conditions for reproductive health care, or limiting contraception, or other treatments.
The first priority of the state government is to ensure universal, quality, public education. Therefore, we must restore funding, make changes to the Aggregate Expenditure Limit, recruit and retain certified teachers for every classroom, and prioritize affordable post-high school educational options including community college and technical school opportunities.
And even more importantly we must recommit ourselves to governing for the common good. Universal public education is central to our premise that we can form a “more perfect union.” Self governance requires us to understand that sometimes we must act in the common, public interest - even if and when it doesn’t provide a personal, private benefit.
This is not a one-size-fits all situation. Our unhoused population needs immediate help; as summers get hotter, some renters and homeowners need relief from high energy bills; and all communities need their service workers, teachers and first responders to afford to live in the communities they serve. We need to work together with our cities to make it easier to address all these situations so that housing options are available for every pocketbook. We can invest the state’s Homeless Shelter and Services Fund to provide both shelter and wraparound services to this vulnerable population. We can limit corporations from buying up housing and competing with families for single family homes - or at least tax them like the businesses they are. We can also target federal dollars to support housing programs in our communities. And always, when we implement new programs, we should assess and evaluate their effectiveness, and make improvements when necessary.
From the Water Resources Research Center 2024 Spring newsletter:
… through the development of the Salt River Project, the authorization and construction of the Central Arizona Project and the enactment of the 1980 Groundwater Management Act, Arizona has successfully developed the water supplies needed to support a thriving economy. These efforts were solution-oriented to meet not only the immediate needs of the State, but also address the future water supply challenges that Arizonans would face. Since the late 1950s, Arizona’s population has grown by 470 percent and our economic output has grown by 1,528 percent, but fortunately our current water use remains essentially the same.
Current challenges to secure sustainable clean water going into the future should be approached with the same comprehensive perspective. Actions to consider - identify and develop additional water supplies, continued commitment to conservation, infrastucture investments, and drip irrigation.
My problem with the negotiated budget was that it failed to address or even acknowledge the symbiotic relationship of decreased state revenues and increased state expenses created when the Republican majority over-rode the voice of voters TWICE. First when they enacted universal ESA vouchers despite voters TWICE rejecting the plan. And second when they rewrote the entire tax code to avoid implementing a voter-approved wealth tax to fund education. Failing to acknowledge these dual root causes of the current state budget deficit almost certainly eliminated any possibility of negotiating a budget of which anyone could be proud. As a legislator I would approach the budget as an opportunity to reconcile and balance expenditures and revenues to the priorities overwhelmingly shared by all Arizonans - quality public education, affordable healthcare, good paying jobs and the education and training that make them possible, and secure sources for clean and affordable energy and water.
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