Opening Day: From the Streets to the Suites

Everything is more fun outdoors ... All the reporters already wrote a story ... And everyone is a critic.

Hours before Gov. Katie Hobbs delivered her second State of the State Address yesterday, the Capitol lawn was already filling up with lawmakers seeking the spotlight, political junkies looking for a fix and activists attempting to sway hearts and minds on everything from gun control to school vouchers. 

Opening day at the Arizona Capitol is almost two separate events. 

Inside the House and Senate, the mood is subdued, professional¹ and stuffy. Lobbyists slap backs as they try to get lawmakers to sign onto this year’s crop of bills. Former politicians return to be acknowledged and called “the honorable” once again. Current lawmakers make sure their kids are dressed in their Sunday best for their brief cameo on camera. The most exciting part is the people-watching.

Outside, it’s far more fun. Activists and protesters crowd the Capitol Mall for various press conferences. Sharpshooters line the roofs of the building and police drones fly overhead. Politicians’ moms get up in critics’ faces. Lawmakers smoke cigarettes in the parking lot. 

This truck made loops around the buildings all day.

We wanted to capture all the hoopla of Opening Day 2024 for you. So Nicole held down the fort inside and watched the official festivities, while Hank mostly hung out outside, catching the action brewing on the lawn.

The day kicked off at 9 a.m. with Democratic lawmakers gathering at the Capitol Rose Garden² to outline their legislative agenda on housing, water, education, LGBTQ issues, voting rights and other policies. They attempted to make the case that they’re ready to lead, should voters choose to oust Republicans in November.  

“Arizona, know this: Democrats are the adults in the room. We are working on commonsense solutions to the issues that matter to you and your families,” Democratic Rep. Oscar De Los Santos told assembled reporters. 

After that, gun safety group Moms Demand Action took their bullhorns to the lawn, demanding gun reform. Activists and survivors noted that yesterday marked the 13th anniversary of the mass shooting outside Tucson that killed six and left 13 injured, including former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

Next up was the Freedom Caucus press conference on the lawn, where Republican lawmakers blasted Hobbs’ plan to put regulations on private schools that accept vouchers, including making teachers undergo background checks and fingerprinting before teaching. The crowd of 50 or so supporters shouted down any reporters with critical questions.³

“It’s government-run schools, not private schools, that are forced to discipline dozens, in some years hundreds of teachers, for drug-related, alcohol-related and sex-related behavior,” Republican Sen. Jake Hoffman said. 

After the morning’s round of press conferences, everyone on the VIP list headed inside for the official events. But not before gawking at Hobbs’ twin, Becky, and wondering why the governor was wandering around without a security detail.

Inside the House, lawmakers approved two resolutions: one honoring former Arizonan and first female Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and the other backing Israel in its war with Palestine. While Holocaust survivors looked on, the House and Senate adopted the pro-Israel measure by “unanimous consent,” though the grim looks on many Democrats’ faces said it wasn’t as unanimous as we were led to believe. 

Outside the House, pro-Palestine groups rallied, calling for a ceasefire and a two-state solution while denouncing anti-semitism and asking for justice for those who commit war crimes on either side. They surrounded the entrance to the House, urging each other to yell louder because “they can’t hear you” inside. But the resolution had already passed. 

After a whole lot of introducing their guests,⁴ lawmakers finally settled in for the governor’s speech. 

Arizona’s political press corps has already written dozens of stories outlining Gov. Katie Hobbs’ second State of the State speech. So instead of reiterating, we’ll just point you to some resources.

First off, you can go read or watch the speech for yourself. 

But if you’d rather get the gist and context from the press corps, we’d recommend Mary Jo Pitzl and Stacey Barchenger’s overview. Or for those of you with shorter attention spans, they have a bloggy version as well. 

“The address reflected a more strategic approach to policymaking from the governor who now has a year of divided government under her belt,” they wrote.

Howie Fischer and Bob Christie of Capitol Media Services also have a detailed roundup of the policies Hobbs outlined. The duo noted that it was heavy on ideas that would cost money, but scant on details about where the governor will find that money amid a budget deficit.

“(G)ubernatorial staffers provided no details as to how much and where they would find the cash in a year where revenues are running behind expenses to pay for any of that,” they wrote. 

Five hardworking reporters at KJZZ contributed to its roundup, which notes that campaign year politics will certainly complicate the bill-passing and budget-crafting process.

“(S)he is a Democratic governor working with many Republican lawmakers with eyes on the campaign trail in an election year,” they wrote. 

And Axios Phoenix delivers the bullet points version.

“What's next: Hobbs will release her executive budget plan on Friday, including proposals for resolving an estimated $400 million shortfall for the current fiscal year and a $450 million deficit for fiscal year 2025.”

And in the opinion pages, the Republic’s Laurie Roberts says Hobbs’ focus on border issues and regulating ESAs is a winning combination that could help her flip the Legislature this year. 

“(I)t was a solid opening performance by Hobbs, who clearly has put the Republicans on notice that she’s in it to win it in November. The only question now is will Republicans help her along by unleashing the crazy?” Roberts writes. 

For the water deep dive, check out Joanna Allhands’ column focusing on Hobbs’ threat to act on groundwater legislation, with or without lawmakers. 

“It’s pretty much a given that Hobbs will veto bills with anything she considers a poison pill. But what if the bills simply don’t do as much as Hobbs might like on these key issues?” Allhands asks.

Finally, the speech included one glaring omission from the former elections chief who became governor by defending Arizona’s election system: Any mention of the upcoming election (featuring Kari Lake and Donald Trump) or the desperately needed changes to the timeline!⁵

Clear as mud: Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ new Elections Procedures Manual doesn’t clarify the state’s ability to continue to use unstaffed ballot drop boxes, Votebeat’s Jen Fifield reports. Republican lawmakers have proposed getting rid of or further securing the ballot boxes amid election conspiracy theories, but the language of Fontes’ new rules don’t clarify if unstaffed drop boxes are still allowed.

Gallego gains, Sinema waits: U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego outraised challenger Kari Lake by about $1.3 million in the latest quarter of election fundraising, the Republic’s Ronald J. Hansen writes. The highly monitored Senate seat could become a three-way race if  Independent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema makes an announcement seeking reelection, and her campaign spending suggests she might do so.

The border is booming: Pima County is providing aid to about 9,500 migrants a week and is dangerously close to having to release migrants on the streets, AZPM’s Danyelle Khmara writes. County Administrator Jan Lesher thinks available federal funding for the county to keep serving migrants will run out at the end of February. Gov. Katie Hobbs is also asking for federal help at the border after the Lukeville Port of Entry reopened, acknowledging the National Guard troops she sent in December aren’t meeting the demand, per KJZZ’s Alisa Reznick and Wayne Schutsky. 

“We have been very clear that we are providing a federal function and if we’re going to do that, we need federal dollars for that to continue,” Lesher said. 

Tumultuous teens: A group of affluent teenagers wreaking havoc in the southeast Valley spurred the Gilbert Town Council to form a subcommittee to study the group dubbed “Gilbert Goons.” Community members have mixed feelings, the Republic’s Maritza Dominguez reports,  and some think the town council can’t handle matters on its own. 

Sunny side of crypto: The Yuma County Board of Supervisors approved a special use permit for a solar-powered crypto mining business, the Yuma Sun’s Mara Knaub writes. The crypto business uses advanced computers to generate currencies like Bitcoin. While cryptocurrency mining operations take extensive power, the company’s owners say the solar-powered energy source won’t draw from power utilities. 

Eviction explosion: Phoenix closed 2023 with a near-record 83,236 eviction filings, more than 15,000 than in 2022, KTAR’s Kevin Stone reports. Renters no longer have access to the COVID-era federal relief programs that kept evictions historically low in 2021, and filings have quickly reverted to pre-pandemic numbers. 

Pricey plates: Arizona is one of the most expensive states to operate a restaurant, according to a study by Restaurant Furniture, the Phoenix Business Journal’s Brandon Brown reports. A combination of the cost of food service permits, liquor licenses and a tight labor market placed Arizona fourth in the nation, although the state’s restaurant industry is still booming with estimated restaurant revenues at $22 billion in 2023. 

Driverless dare: Autonomous driving company Waymo will soon test drive its cars on Phoenix freeways without someone behind the wheel, 12News’ John Tanet reports. The self-driving cars have previously avoided faster routes, causing riders to opt for other ride-share options. 

Hank and Nicole sat in the cheap seats to watch the opening session of the House, and some heckler on the House floor sent this text. 

To be honest, the reference was a bit beyond our years. But as soon as we Googled the names, the sting of that deep cut started to sink in. 

1. Everyone was on their best behavior except Republican Sen. Anthony Kern, who once again stood to turn his back on the governor during her speech. 

2. Fun fact: The Rose Garden doesn’t have roses or a garden.

3. Our favorite moment from that presser was when reporter Cameron Arcand, who writes for the conservative-leaning Center Square, asked Hoffman a question and Hoffman, apparently confused, snapped back that he would only take questions from “real news” outlets.

4. Republic reporter Jimmy Jenkins got a shout-out from his partner, Democratic Rep. Analise Ortiz, which may be the first time we’ve ever seen a reporter introduced on the floor! Unless you count former reporter turned political strategist Daniel Scarpinato, who Republican Rep. Matt Gress introduced as his better half. One of the few lawmakers we didn’t see introduce any guests was Democratic Rep. Leezah Sun, whose planned second Ethics Committee hearing this week has mysteriously disappeared from the legislative schedule.

5. Considering Trump may win the election in Arizona next year, maybe she’s OK with not sending our electors to Congress in time to count.