The Action Edition
Tips, tricks and tasks for the Arizona citizen.
Welcome to the Agenda’s Action Edition: your starter guide to stepping up in Arizona politics.
If you’ve ever felt like politics is just some unavoidable, unfortunate thing that happens to people — like sudden rainstorms or bad haircuts — today’s edition is here to show you how to take the reins.
Don’t worry if you're not the protesting type.
We're breaking down a few simple, concrete steps you can take to make your voice heard and get a little closer to the action. In today’s edition, you’ll find a mix of:
Pro Tips
Some fundamentals and an introduction to some of the best civic engagement groups in the state
Expert Advice
Words of encouragement and sage wisdom from some of the smartest political pros we know.
Action Items
A smattering of the bills we’re tracking with our legislative intelligence service, Skywolf
And opportunities to holler at key lawmakers about those bills using our grassroots advocacy tool, Wolfpack
Getting involved doesn’t have to be overwhelming or time-consuming.
Start by picking one bill on our list, and with just a few clicks, you can email your lawmakers about it. We’ll even help draft the email for you.
Next time, maybe you'll volunteer with a political group or candidate, testify at a committee hearing, or pass around a petition sheet for an issue you care about.
Little steps like this are how you get in the game — and we’re here to make it as easy as possible.
Ready to try it out? Let’s go!
Pro Tip: Register for RTSMake Your Voice Heard with RTS
Every bill at the state Legislature has to pass through a committee before the full House or Senate can vote on it.
Testifying in those committee hearings is often the only way voters can speak directly and publicly to their lawmakers about bills that affect them.
That’s right – testifying at a legislative hearing isn’t just for lobbyists. Anybody can do it.
To get a chance to speak, you have to sign up for the Request to Speak, or RTS, program. You have to initially register in person at one of the kiosks in the House and Senate lobbies (or at the Kiosk at the state government building in Tucson, at 400 West Congress Street #201). But after that, you can log in from home and register your position on bills online, even if you don’t want to testify to the committee.
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Lawmakers look at that “RTS list” before voting, and they notice when the support/oppose ratio on a bill is off the charts.
And if you can’t make it down to the Capitol to register, many of the advocacy groups mentioned below will send someone to the kiosk on your behalf.
You can see a full explanation of how to register here.
Expert Advice: Show up!Raquel Terán
Progressive activist
Terán is a former Arizona Democratic Party chair, state lawmaker and congressional candidate. I started with a white ribbon campaign, praying for immigration reform in a church in South Phoenix. Then, at a march, I found Mi Familia Vota (maybe MFV found me), where I focused on building electoral power — eventually leading me to serve in the Arizona State Legislature and as Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party.
Things to keep in mind:
If an organization or candidate doesn’t follow up — show up! Keep showing up until you’re heard.
If you don’t find a space where you fit, start your own group. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity — just start doing something, and in this moment, do everything you can.
Social media is key, but be mindful. Views and likes don’t always lead to real change. Use it as a tool, but don’t let it replace real-world action.
The key is to stay engaged, stay persistent, and keep pushing forward. Change happens when we show up, take action, and refuse to stop.
Action Item: Howl at your Lawmakers with Wolfpack⛪ Let Churches Build Houses 🏡
HB2191
What does it do?: Republican Rep. David Livingston’s HB2191 would let religious institutions, like churches or temples, build homes or apartments on their own land. They wouldn’t have to follow local zoning laws that usually control what can be built where. These developments would still have to follow rules about parking, water, and sewer systems and meet specific size and design requirements. At least 40% of the housing built would need to be for low-income families for 55 years.
How partisan is it?: It has bipartisan support and bipartisan opposition.
Who’s for it?: Arizona Catholic Conference, Arizona Housing Coalition, Habitat for Humanity of Central Arizona
Who’s against it?: League of Arizona Cities and Towns, Save our Schools Arizona, National Organization for Women Arizona
What can I do?: Tell the key lawmakers how you feel by clicking one of these buttons.
Action Item: Howl at your Lawmakers with Wolfpack🥦 No Fake School Lunch 🎒
HB2164
What does it do?: Republican Rep. Leo Biasiucci’s HB2164 would prohibit public schools from serving or selling ultra-processed foods on campus during the normal school day. The bill defines "ultra-processed foods" as those that undergo significant industrial processing and contain additives like preservatives, sweeteners, colorings, and emulsifiers. However, it does not prevent parents or guardians from providing such foods to their children.
How partisan is it?: It has bipartisan support and the House passed it with a nearly unanimous vote.
Who’s for it?: Arizona Association of County School Superintendents, Arizona Public Interest Research Group
Who’s against it?: Save Our Schools Arizona, American Chemistry Council
What can I do?: Tell the key lawmakers how you feel by clicking one of these buttons.
Pro Tip: Find your PeopleJoin an Advocacy Group
CEBV or EZAZ are a good start
Advocacy doesn’t happen in isolation. There are lots of groups out there to help you be more civically engaged.
Civic Engagement Beyond Voting provides training on nearly all aspects of citizen involvement in government. It hosts events on how the state government works and what local school boards are doing, for example. CEBV is an admittedly progressive group and has a calendar of upcoming protests and happy hours with public figures. The League of Women Voters of Arizona also has a ton of voter resources and a civics events calendar.
The mirror image of those groups is EZAZ, a citizens’ organization geared toward MAGA Republicans. The grassroots group’s leaders often champion election conspiracies and policing content in school libraries, but the organization does a good job of keeping close tabs on state and local government action. So if that’s your jam, check them out. They even have a “swamp tracker” for “bills that could liberate or ensnare us, and how we can influence them.”
Both CEBV and EZAZ will help you sign up for the RTS system from the comfort of your own keyboard.
Expert Advice: Don't be CrazyStacy Pearson
Political strategist
Pearson is a longtime consultant, public relations guru and the cofounder of Lumen Strategies.Calls and emails matter. Be sane, be polite, and make your opinions known.
Also, don’t be the wacko whose voicemail makes it to the wall of shame.
Exhibit A: My Twitter cover. Haha.
Action Item: Howl at your Lawmakers with Wolfpack🔫 Guns on Campuses 🎒
SB1020
What does it do?: Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers’ SB1020 would stop Arizona universities, colleges, and community colleges from making rules that ban people with a concealed carry permit from bringing a hidden gun onto campus. The bill also says schools cannot stop people from keeping guns in their cars or storing them on school property. As long as someone has a legal permit, they would be allowed to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds.
How partisan is it?: It has zero bipartisan support — only Republicans like it.
Who’s for it?: Arizona Citizens Defense League, National Rifle Association, Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona
Who’s against it?: Arizona chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Arizona Board of Regents, National Organization for Women Arizona, Arizona State University, Giffords, Maricopa Community Colleges Faculty Association, Northern Arizona University, Pima County Community College District and others
What can I do?: Tell the key lawmakers how you feel by clicking one of these buttons.
Pro Tip: Find your TopicThere’s a Group for That
No matter what you’re into
If you’re interested in a specific policy topic, there’s most likely a group for that, too. Follow them on social media. Subscribe to their newsletters. Maybe even donate a few bucks or see how you can help them out.
Here’s a quick and very limited sampling of a few groups we follow across a few different policy areas.
Education
Save Our Schools Arizona watchdogs public education policy. The group is especially keen on tracking Empowerment Scholarship Account fraud.
The Arizona School Boards Association provides training to school board members and closely tracks school boards’ policy decisions.
The Arizona Students’ Association advocates for higher education access and is student-led.
Housing
The Arizona Housing Coalition wants to increase the affordable housing stock, and it keeps its members informed on housing-related policy and regulatory changes.
The Arizona Neighborhood Alliance has a database of the AirBNBs and investor-owned homes proliferating the state. It’s a group of neighborhood leaders trying to regulate those types of housing.
Environment
The Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club monitors all policy decisions that affect Arizona’s ecosystem.
The Arizona Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the state’s wildlife and public lands.
Action Item: Pay for the NewsSeriously! Journalism Needs Help.
Even if it’s not the Agenda
Reporters are your eyes and ears in government. We sit through long boring meetings so you don’t have to. We talk to insider sources to dig up scandals. We talk to regular people to show how policies impact them. We fight for public records and the public’s right to know.
In short, we keep politicians as honest as we possibly can.
But doing that takes resources.
The local news ecosystem desperately needs your support.
Go pick a news outlet you like and subscribe or donate. Your $10 makes a huge difference, especially for us small, locally owned and independent outlets. The Agenda is a subscription-based publication, meaning almost every dollar of our budget comes directly from you.
You need news. Reporters need paychecks. It’s a fair trade!
Action Item: Howl at your Lawmakers with Wolfpack⚖️ No Money for DEI Courses 🫱🏽🫲🏿
SB1694
What does it do?: Republican Sen. David Farnsworth’s SB1694 would stop Arizona's public colleges and universities from getting state money if they offer courses on "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI). The bill also would prevent the State Treasurer, Arizona Board of Regents, and the Department of Administration from giving state funds to schools that include DEI courses in their curriculum. This means higher education institutions would have to choose between teaching DEI courses and receiving state funding.
How partisan is it?: It only has support from Republicans, and it passed the Senate on a party-line vote.
Who’s for it?: No organizations registered in support of the bill.
Who’s against it?: American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, National Organization for Women Arizona, Arizona Students Association, Living United for Change in Arizona, Arizona chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Stonewall Democrats of Arizona
Expert Advice: Change your AlgorithmRobbie Sherwood
Communications guru
Sherwood is the communications director for Arizona House Democrats and a former newspaper reporter.Don't know what's going on? Don't sweat it, almost no one does. But this is also an easy situation to change.
Find out who your legislators are and follow them on social media channels to get a sense of what's going on and where their focus lies. Follow their caucus accounts and subscribe to media covering the Capitol to stay abreast.
In other words, change your algorithm a bit and this stuff will find you.
That's general advice. But most importantly, what issues do you care about? … Maybe you have kids in school, or a loved one with special needs, or maybe you just want a shorter commute to work, or you earn a living in a licensed or regulated profession.
State government touches the lives of every single person in the state, and it's not beyond the reach of public pressure and opinion to make changes.
Action Item: Howl at your Lawmakers with Wolfpack🏎️ No Lawmaker Immunity 🚓
HCR2053
What does it do?: Republican Rep. Quang Nguyen’s HCR2053 proposes an amendment to the Arizona Constitution that would make lawmakers subject to arrest for traffic violations. Currently, Arizona legislators are protected from arrest in all cases except for treason, felony, and breach of the peace. This bill would add traffic violations to the list of exceptions, meaning lawmakers could no longer avoid arrest for breaking traffic laws while serving in office. The goal is to ensure that legislators follow the same traffic laws as everyone else.
How partisan is it?: It has bipartisan support and bipartisan opposition.
Who’s for it?: American Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education, National Organization for Women Arizona, Mountain Motorcycle Association of Arizona
Who’s against it?: No organizations registered to oppose the bill.
What can I do?: Tell the key lawmakers how you feel by clicking one of these buttons.
Expert Advice: Be PersistentSandy Bahr
Environmental lobbyist
Tell your story! You do not have to be an expert. You do not have to know every detail of a bill. Tell them why you care, where you are coming from, and anything about your life that will help legislators better understand why you are bothering to speak with them.
Be persistent. Many things take years, sometimes decades, to move through the process. Likewise, just because a bad bill passed through one committee or one house, does not mean you cannot stop it. Keep showing up and speaking up. Find some friends to help you.
It may sound cliche, but you can make a difference.
Neighborhood associations are also against the bill to let churches build as they like in communities without consideration for existing regulations or long established neighborhoods. Churches should have no special privileges. If they can, other 501 (c) 3's should be able to also. Churches have shown no special abilities to do well - see child abuse scandal, see financial scandals, see boarding school scandal. It's giving special privileges in land use policy on a myth and disregarding people. It's a developers wet dream.
I would love to hear how legislators actually respond to the AI generated letters. To me, they are too long and word salad-y and almost scream " i am AI"! On the one hand, i have always heard that legislators assistants dont read letters anyway ( beyond the point where they can check off if its a yes or no) so i guess alot of pablum doesn't really matter. But i feel like i can write a shorter and pithier summary than AI that might actually get read. Do you have any data on whether the obligate mining of rare minerals and demand for ( soon to be) nuclear electricity is really worth it? Do lawmakers actually listen to AI generated letters?(they seem just a step up from signing online petitions to me)