Welcome, new Democrats!
Congratulations on taking control of our Capitol for the first time in our lifetimes.
We know a lot of you are brand new here. And we at the Agenda would like to offer our assistance.
You see, we’ve been watching the Capitol for a long time. And we know a thing or two about how the show ran under Republican rule.
We think, we hope, we believe, even, that with a fresh start, you all have an opportunity to do better.
We’ve watched Democrats file a lot of good-government bills over the years, only to be shut down by the Republicans in power.
And just so you know: We’re going to be livid if Democrats stop pushing those kinds of reforms now that you all actually have the power to make them law.
But like we said — there’s a lot of newbies this year. And if you don’t know what the problems are, you can’t fix them.
So we wrote you a memo.1
It’s five major reforms that will improve government transparency, cut down on political shadiness and force you all to be the best politicians that you can be.2
Are a few of these items purely personal pet annoyances? Absolutely.
But the list is also full of some pretty good ideas, from our perspective as professional watchers of the Capitol.
Or, to put this into terms that will resonate with the people who actually pull the strings: Running the government well will help you hold on to what could otherwise be very brief majorities.
Plus, most of these reforms are based on laws, rules and norms that Republicans made — and your party (mostly) opposed at the time.
Now’s your chance to prove you’re better than them!
1. Stop letting lobbyists run the show
Let’s start with the obvious. Those attempting to influence Arizona’s laws on behalf of well-heeled clients should be forced to do so in public. And there should be restrictions on the influence they can exert on lawmakers.
Ban donations from lobbyists. We don’t mean during the legislative session. We mean all the time. Banning contributions from registered lobbyists hurts both Republicans and Democrats the same. So stop being lazy and get out there and convince your constituents you’re worth investing in.
Ban donations from lobbyists to party committees and PACs during the legislative session. Yes, it’s a cute (and technically legal) workaround that they’re not giving to your campaign — they’re giving to the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which just happens to spend to help elect you. It’s still dirty. Just stop.
Ban all junkets. Or, if you’re not willing to do that (because “They’re educational trips to the Bahamas!”), then disclose them. We don’t mean a year later in some vague financial disclosure statement. We mean immediately, online, with details of your itinerary, who exactly paid for that trip and who they represent.
Force lobbyists to register. No more loopholes that they’re just providing “technical information” to the Legislature. No more lobbying the Governor’s Office without registering as a lobbyist. And make one statewide registry, instead of one state registry and 100-plus other registries for lobbyists who work at the local level.
Make the lobbyist database searchable. The current system is technological trash. Fixing it will help you in the long run when you’re able to easily search who these people work for.
2. Get the money out of politics
Remember when Democrats were outraged at the influence of money in politics after the Citizens United ruling (but before they embraced the dark-money game themselves)? Those were the days…
First, fix our disastrous campaign finance portal. We’ve complained about this for more than a decade now. Everyone claims they want to fix our campaign finance reporting system, formerly called “See the Money,” now the same junk but called “Spotlight.” Yet, nobody ever fixes it. Give the Secretary of State’s Office a budget, guidelines and a deadline to get this done.
Report your campaign contributions more often. Lawmakers don’t have to report what they raised or spent in nonelection years. That’s important information so we know if you’re taking contributions from people, then doing their bidding at the Capitol. A few extra reports per year won’t kill you. Remake the entire reporting calendar while you’re at it — the current schedule makes zero sense. And remember: It was the Republicans who made it this way in the first place.
Generally, limit the influence of money in politics. It’s actually not that difficult. You could simply repeal the law Republicans passed in 2013 that dramatically increased the amount of cash donors can give you (and it keeps climbing every two years). Every Democrat voted against it, and now you can get rid of it it!
Empower the Clean Elections Commission. Arizona is one of the few states with an independent commission created specifically to police campaign money. You can make it better by putting the commission in charge of all campaign finance enforcement, for starters, because politicians shouldn’t police politicians.
While you’re at it, we need real conflict-of-interest laws. The rule of 10 — no “conflict” as long as at least nine other people share your interest — is not good enough. Fireworks salesman and Republican Sen. David Gowan has passed enough pro-fireworks laws to last a lifetime. Like most of the items on this list, Democrats have tried and failed to reform conflict-of-interest laws in the past. Now that you’re in charge, prove that wasn’t just theater.
3. If you’ve got nothing to hide…
Once a year, politicians have to file a financial disclosure report. The form was never great, but Republicans watered down the requirements until it was just a hair above useless.
Revert to the pre-2016 rules, which required junkets to be disclosed as gifts. Back in the day, anything above $500 had to be disclosed. Then Republicans changed the law so that junkets weren’t considered gifts — they were “travel” which you only have to name if it cost someone else $1,000 or more, and you never have to say who paid. You can do a lot better than reverting to the old rules, but it’s a start.
Add crypto to the list. The forms should keep up with the times. Democrats made a push to do this a few years back, and now that you’re in charge, it’ll be easy. Plus, aren’t you curious how much Bitcoin crypto queen Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers holds while she pushes all these pro-crypto bills? We sure are.
Also, put someone in charge of enforcing this stuff. When politicians lie on these forms — which is often — there are currently zero consequences.
4. Make public records public again
We know nobody likes having to deal with public records requests (and frankly, we’re glad you can’t see our texts and emails). But digging through records, uncovering corruption and holding politicians accountable is one of the main underpinnings of democracy. Let us do it.
Start by defining “prompt.” Arizona actually has a decent public records law, but it all hinges on the idea that records must be turned over “promptly.” But promptly can mean hours or years, depending on who you ask.
Stop destroying your own records. After Republican legislators ordered the bungled audit of the 2020 election, the press corps filed a lot of records requests for lawmakers’ communications with the Cyber Ninjas. So Republicans severely limited what we can access by letting themselves delete every email after 90 days and texts whenever they feel like it. Repeal that nonsense immediately.
Don’t make us sue you. Right now, the only way to force the release of public records from recalcitrant elected officials is to sue them. That’s expensive, especially for small (but mighty) outlets like us. Instead, set up an independent records referee, like Pennsylvania has, that can order records released in 30 days without anyone hiring a lawyer. And when we do have to sue and win, make the fee award mandatory instead of optional. Add a daily fine for every day they stalled, like Washington does.
5. Respect the process
It’s tempting to think that the legislative process exists so that you can smite your enemies and pass your agenda. And it does! But also, the rules are there for a reason. And frankly, they need some tightening up.
No more 4 a.m. budgets. As much as we love pulling all-nighters and getting slaphappy (and maybe a little tipsy) with you lawmakers, 4 a.m. budgets are a terrible way to govern. If you can’t get it done by 10 p.m., just go home and try again tomorrow.
No more three-person budgets. There are 90 lawmakers and a governor that the people of Arizona elected to craft their budget. The fact that there are maybe three to 10 people who actually negotiate the budget — or even know what’s in it before voting — is insulting. Bring back sub-appropriations committees, and empower those who serve on those committees to craft the budget from the ground up. You’ll get a better budget, and you won’t have to work until 4 a.m. to pass it.
End closed caucuses. When they crafted Arizona’s open meetings laws, lawmakers specifically gave themselves a carve-out so caucuses could still meet in secret. But up until 2015, it was still against the legislative rules for lawmakers to hold closed caucus meetings. Just meet in public like every other government body. (We’re not holding out hope that’ll change, however, since Democrats were breaking the rules for years before 2015.)
Abolish strike-everything amendments. Strikers, as they’re known at the Capitol, are amendments that can turn an education bill into an abortion bill. They’re a sneaky and undemocratic way to subvert the process and pull one over on the public and your political opponents. And, contrary to the opinion of those currently in power, they’re completely unnecessary. In the rare case where an issue pops up late in the legislative session, there are already ways to suspend the rules and introduce a bill late in the process. Democrats have complained about strikers for as long as we can remember. Even Republican former Speaker JD Mesnard tried and failed to eliminate strikers back in his day. Now’s your chance to show him up, Democrats!
Readers, we’d love to hear your ideas about reforms Democrats should pass on our Slack channel. We’re sure we’re just scratching the surface here.
Trust issues: After Arizona voters resoundingly approved Prop 319, more than a half-dozen metro Phoenix cities that use photo radar cameras must get voters’ permission next fall to keep them running, the Republic’s Shawn Raymundo reports. Mesa, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley each collect roughly $3 million annually from camera-issued citations, but if voters reject the programs at the ballot box, the cities will have 90 days to shut them down. And over in Tempe, voters shut down a proposed half-cent sales tax increase amid widespread affordability concerns and distrust of city officials, the Republic’s Lauren De Young reports. Now, city leaders have to find another way to cover a $25 million deficit, which could mean cutting services.
Santé!: Longtime 12News reporter and local news icon Brahm Resnik will be retiring next month after 42 years of asking politicians questions that make them uncomfortable, the Republic’s Bill Goodykoontz reports. While his contract expired earlier this year, he signed an extension to finish out the year and cover the 2026 elections.
“I leave with a profound feeling of gratitude for the career I’ve had, the people I’ve worked with and the contributions I’ve made as a journalist,” Resnik told a group of reporters in a private message. “My wife, Wendy, and I recently celebrated our 40th anniversary. She has put up with the demanding hours for years. We plan to travel a bit, and I intend to fully exercise my free speech rights as a private citizen.”
It’s still a drought: This fall’s unseasonably substantial rainfall added about 120 billion gallons of water to the Salt River Project’s reservoirs as flows on the Salt and Verde rivers were among the highest since 1993, KTAR’s Heidi Hommel reports. At the same time, the City of Phoenix is planning to enter stage 2 of its drought management plan — which includes an extra charge for high-volume users — in January in light of Arizona’s share of Colorado River water being cut sharply, Kevin Stone reports for KTAR. City officials say they’re planning to rely more heavily on backup supplies, develop new water sources and “reduce unnecessary demand.”
Getting to work: Now that they have majority power at the Legislature, Arizona Democrats are in the early stages of planning an elections agenda that’s focused on making voting more accessible and convenient, Sasha Hupka reports for Votebeat. That will include repealing or rewriting some GOP bills that were passed after the contentious 2020 election, restoring the state’s former Permanent Early Voting List, making investments in election infrastructure and potentially enacting same-day or automatic voter registration.
Double trouble: The Attorney General’s Office is taking up a campaign finance complaint against outgoing Republican Rep. Ralph Heap over allegations he failed to properly report spending on campaign signs during his unsuccessful Corporation Commission bid, KJZZ’s Wayne Schutsky reports. The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission is already investigating the allegations, and now Heap faces a separate investigation by the state’s top law enforcement office.
In the latest episode of Republicans’ post-election discontents, one of the party’s top statewide candidates is filling his spare time by waging a legal war against another defeated politician.
GOP treasurer candidate Elijah Norton has officially sued public schools superintendent candidate and current Treasurer Kimberly Yee, and posted this AI-generated photo:
Apparently, Norton is mad that Yee has (allegedly) been spreading rumors that he’s gay to other Republican politicos — and immediately after the election loss, Norton refocused his attacks from Democratic Treasurer-elect Nick Mansour to Yee.
The lawsuit begins with a juicy first paragraph:
“Kimberly Yee wanted Elijah Norton’s money. When she didn’t get it, she contrived a series of vile lies about Mr. Norton’s personal life and professional dealings, including that he attempted to ‘bribe’ her, consorted with a ‘boyfriend’ who wore women’s clothing, carried out a sexual affair with his personal assistant (who is married to a woman and has young children), and threatened her with physical harm.”
1 For you Democratic lawmakers reading this, we’re dead serious. Give us a call if you want to talk about it — we’ve got ideas, context, past bills and other details that we’re happy to share.
2 We started writing “a dozen demands for Democrats” because we liked the alliteration. But that list quickly spiraled to 28 demands (not including each individual bullet point). So for the sake of space, we cut it down to just our top five. But trust us, there’s plenty more. We might even turn this thing into a running series.