FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 5, 2012
CONTACT: Chad Willems

$6,000,000 Raised for Re-Election Campaign

PHOENIX, AZ – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio formally announced his campaign today for another term as Sheriff of Maricopa County.

Through December 31st of last year, the campaign has raised a record $6 million for a sixth four-year term as Sheriff of Arizona’s most populous county. The campaign committee will continue to actively fundraise between now and the November election.

Arpaio stated, “It is an honor and a privilege to serve as Sheriff of Maricopa County. I am running for a sixth term and will continue to protect the citizens of Maricopa County by enforcing all the laws.”

The Sheriff had considered seeking another office, such as the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Jon Kyl, but determined there was still much work to be done as Sheriff.

Despite recent criticism and brazen political stunts carried out by his perennial detractors, Arpaio remains committed to serving as Sheriff by unapologetically enforcing the rule of law and being tough on crime.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  January, 04 2012
CONTACT: Apryl Marie Fogel

MEDIA ADVISORY:
Gosar Announces A 4th Town Hall for 2012
In Page, AZ January 11th

FLAGSTAFF, AZ –U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar, D.D.S (AZ-01) announced that he will be hosting four public town halls in January 2012.  They begin tomorrow with an event in Prescott, then will be in Flagstaff and Tusayan this week.  The fourth town hall will be a public forum to be held in Page, Arizona on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 6:30PM at the City of Page Townhouse.  The format for these town halls include a congressional update and a question and answer period.

PRESCOTT TOWN HALL
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
6:00PM – 7:30PM Local AZ Time
Prescott Resort and Conference Center
1500 State Route 69
Prescott, AZ 86301

FLAGSTAFF TOWN HALL
Friday, January 6th, 2012
6:00PM – 7:30PM Local AZ Time
Thorpe Center
245 N. Thorpe
Flagstaff, AZ 86004

TUSAYAN TOWN HALL
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
4:00PM – 5:30PM Local AZ Time
Grand Canyon Airport
Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting Facility
1542  Liberator Drive
Tusayan, AZ 86023

PAGE TOWN HALL
Wednesday, January 11th
6:30PM
City of Page Townhouse
605 S. Navajo
Page, AZ 86040

Since being sworn in as the Representative of Arizona’s First Congressional District, Congressman Gosar has participated in 23 town halls across the district.  In addition, he has conducted six tele-town halls while in Washington, DC, reaching over 48,000 constituents.  Additionally, staff has hosted over a dozen district open office hours.

Congressman Gosar remains committed to being open, accessible, and responsive to his constituents.  Whether it is at a town hall meeting, on the phone, via email, or out in the district, he wants to encourage everyone to share their ideas on how we can find solutions to the problems that face our country.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2011
CONTACT: Matthew Benson

Standard and Poor’s Upgrades Credit Outlook for State of Arizona
Latest Indication that the Arizona Comeback is in Progress

PHOENIX – One of the nation’s largest credit ratings services, Standard and Poor’s, announced today that it has upgraded to “stable” its outlook on the State of Arizona’s fiscal condition. S&P also upgraded to “stable” its outlook on the State’s certificates of participation and lease revenue debt.

State of Arizona finances previously carried a negative outlook from the credit ratings service.

“This is fantastic news, and serves as one more indication that Arizona is on the comeback trail,” said Governor Jan Brewer. “The last three years haven’t been easy. But I’m happy to say that the difficult decisions I’ve made, together with the Arizona Legislature, have helped put this state back on solid financial ground. For the first time in years, Arizona has a growing economy and a state government it can afford.”

In announcing the credit outlook revision, S&P pointed to the State of Arizona’s diverse economy, continued population growth, moderate debt burden and expectations of a sizable budget surplus in fiscal 2012.

“We base the outlook revision on what we view as Arizona’s improving fiscal outlook,” S&P credit analyst David Hitchcock explained in today’s report.

The S&P announcement is just the latest sign of the state’s improving economy and financial position. In other recent news:

- Arizona added 12,800 jobs in November, driving down the state’s unemployment rate to 8.7 percent. The rate is the state’s lowest since February 2009.

- Arizona has added an estimated 45,800 jobs so far this year. The state’s job growth from October 2010 to October 2011 ranked 7th best nationally, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

- State revenues continue to outpace projections, and the Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting now estimates a combined surplus of $1.3 billion between the remainder of this fiscal year and next.

“Our mission isn’t accomplished, but today’s announcement from S&P is validation that we’re on the right path,” said Governor Brewer. “We’re going to keep state government small, efficient and effective, and continue working to put in place the conditions for private enterprise to flourish and grow. I believe that 2012, Arizona’s Centennial year, is going to bring more great news for the people of our state.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2011
CONTACT: Jerry Cobb

PHOENIX, AZ (December 21, 2011) – Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery announced the conclusion of an 8-month criminal investigation into whether public officials illegally accepted or failed to report gifts from members of the Fiesta Bowl organization and its representatives. While the investigation did not find evidence leading to criminal liability for those investigated, it did identify areas where Arizona law does not meet legitimate public expectations for transparency in disclosure of the receipt of gifts.

“Despite the public’s legitimate expectations that current laws ensure a reasonable degree of open and honest government, Arizona’s statutes governing receipt of gifts and reporting requirements fall short of meeting those expectations,” Montgomery said. “A combination of inconsistent laws, vague reporting requirements, and a ‘knowing’ standard of conduct created significant hurdles for our investigation in establishing the required mental state to prove criminal liability,” he added.

As a consequence of the difficulties encountered in conducting the investigation, the County Attorney will make the following recommendations to both houses in the State Legislature:

• Create a single reference point in law for lobbyists and legislators that clarifies what, if any, types of gifts are permissible, and establishes consistent definitions of gifts and items that require disclosure.
• Establish an outright ban on gifts, or a minimum value threshold above which reporting and disclosure is mandatory for anything received above the set value (e.g. $25).
• Establish an increased frequency of reporting, no less than quarterly, to eliminate record-keeping, memory and accuracy issues that can arise with annual reporting requirements. A web-based reporting system is also recommended to facilitate the public’s ability to review officials’ disclosures.
• Adjust penalties for violations of reporting requirements, making “knowing and intentional” violations a felony offense instead of a misdemeanor.
• Establish a “reckless” standard that carries misdemeanor or civil penalties that are significant enough to encourage accurate and timely reporting.
• Remove legislative staff attorneys from the role of providing campaign finance disclosure recommendations, training and advice in order to preclude any claim of attorney-client privilege on these matters.
• Amend lobbying disclosure forms to include a certification of having read the instructions, as required on campaign finance disclosure statements. Add an expenditure reporting category for Principals/Public Bodies to the Principal/Public Body Annual Report of Lobbying Expenditures.

“I trust that members of the legislature sharing my concern for upholding the integrity of our respective offices will address these recommendations in an appropriate manner,” Montgomery said.

The County Attorney’s Office began its investigation in April 2011, after receiving the case from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office which had declared a conflict of interest in the matter. Over the course of the investigation, a team of experienced prosecutors and investigators from the County Attorney’s Office reviewed thousands of pages of documents and conducted interviews with multiple legislators, lobbyists and Fiesta Bowl employees. The investigation looked at 28 legislators and 3 non-legislator elected office holders. The Attorney General also declared a conflict on two Fiesta Bowl-related cases involving three lobbyists, which also became part of the County Attorney’s investigation.

Legislators investigated:

• Paula Aboud
• Chad Campbell
• Linda Lopez
• Russell Pearce
• Kirk Adams
• Rich Crandall
• David Lujan
• Gary Pierce
• Linda Aguirre
• Sam Crump
• Lucy Mason
• Michelle Reagan
• Ken Bennett
• Adam Driggs
• John McComish
• Pete Rios
• Robert Blendu
• Steve Gallardo
• Robert Meza
• Andrew Tobin
• David Bradley
• Laurin Hendrix
• John Nelson
• Steve Tully
• Bob Burns
• John Kavanagh
• Ward Nichols
• Thayer Verschoor

Non-legislator elected officials investigated:

• Joe Arpaio
• Ben Arrendondo
• Elaine Scruggs

Lobbyists investigated:

• Charles Coughlin and Doug Cole as part of the lobbying firm, “HighGround”
• Kevin Demenna

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2011

TEMPE, Ariz. (Dec. 20, 2011) – The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission this evening adopted a tentative congressional- and legislative-district maps, pending analyses by the panel’s legal counsel and voting-rights consultants.

Both maps passed on 3-2 votes, but with different breakdowns. On the congressional map, Chairman Colleen Coyle Mathis voted “yes,” along with Vice Chairman José Herrera and Commissioner Linda McNulty. Vice Chairman Scott Freeman and Commissioner Richard Stertz voted “no.” The legislative map drew “yeas” from Mathis, McNulty and Stertz and “nays” from Freeman and Herrera.

“This is a significant step toward fulfilling our mission,” Mathis said. “We’ve spent four weeks improving the draft maps, incorporating many of the suggestions we received during our second round of public hearings, as well as comments submitted to us in writing. We worked very hard to reach consensus on the map where possible, and it was also our consensus that it was time to move the process along.”

According to counsel Mary O’Grady, the panel will have to vote on the maps again after receiving the legal and technical analyses. The commission’s lawyers and staff then must prepare the state’s submission to the Department of Justice for its approval as mandated under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Major tweaks to the congressional map included:

• Reuniting Fountain Hills with Scottsdale in the proposed 6th District;
• Making Cochise County whole in the proposed 2nd District, along with the eastern portion of metropolitan Tucson; and
• Moving western Maricopa County to the rural 4th District, leaving the proposed 8th District more compact and suburban.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2011

PHOENIX (Tuesday, December 20, 2011) — Every Arizonan should be grateful to know that because of one Tempe patrol officer’s vigilance in observing a drug deal and making an arrest, Operation Crank Call was begun. That officer’s work was the genesis of this operation, which involved the dedicated work of many more law enforcement professionals. The result is the dismantling of a significant drug trafficking operation of the Sinaloa Cartel that has resulted in the seizure of an estimated 12 million dollars in illegal drugs and another 7.8 million dollars in cash. It is, frankly an obscene amount of drugs and money that have been taken off the streets, and those numbers reflect the horrific scope of the drug trafficking problem in our community.

As Attorney General, my job and that of my friend and colleague Bill Montgomery will be to vigorously prosecute –the subjects arrested in this operation. We will pursue this case with determination and dedication to convicting the perpetrators and keeping them off our streets and in prison, where they belong. In fact, one suspect has already pled guilty and has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Aggressive prosecution is crucial because the streets of our cities are increasingly becoming an even larger marketplace for meth, marijuana, cocaine and heroin.

These drug traffickers are conducting a dirty business. Their customers are both adults and children, their products are poison, and their profits enrich Mexican drug lords enabling them to continue this cycle of criminality, abuse and death.

It is an outrage, and as Americans we must demand that this stop. As Arizonans, we must repeat the call for a secure international border. We have heard reports of a drop in apprehensions of illegal immigrants, which is welcome news; but the success of Operation Crank Call proves yet again that criminal drug traffickers are still all-too-active in our neighborhoods. Once again, I urge the federal government to increase its presence at the border, secure the weak spots where fencing would help bring operational control to the border, and give local law enforcement agencies more of the tools they need to combat this growing scourge.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2011
CONTACT: Richard Cullen

WASHINGTON (DC) Congressman Ben Quayle (R-AZ) released the following statement Tuesday regarding the Obama Administration’s decision to reduce the number of National Guard Troops at the southern border from 1200 to 300:

“The Obama Administration’s drawdown makes securing our southern border more difficult to achieve. While there has been a modest decline in the number of illegal immigrant apprehensions this year, the decrease is driven by economic conditions, not major advancements in border security as the Administration is claiming. We have a long way to go to secure our border. Cartel-related violence continues to pose a serious threat to American citizens living near the border. According to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office, only 44 percent of the southwest border is under ‘operational control.’

“Securing our southern border must be a top priority of the U.S. government. It is disappointing that the Obama Administration does not agree.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2011
CONTACT: Genevieve Frye Rozansky

Entitlement Programs Must be Reformed Before Reducing Dedicated Revenue Sources

Washington, D.C. – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today voted against the motion to go to conference on H.R. 3630, the Middle Class Tax relief and Jobs Creation Act of 2011.

“Unless we summon the courage to reform our entitlement programs, we shouldn’t be reducing the dedicated revenue stream,” said Flake. “The extension of the payroll tax holiday will hasten the insolvency of Social Security and exacerbate our fiscal crisis.” 

“Even worse, we’re using dishonest budget gimmicks that supposedly pay for this one-year extension with spending cuts or new fees over ten years that we all know will never materialize.” 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 19, 2011
CONTACT: Genevieve Frye Rozansky

If Congress Can’t Stop Earmarking, There is No Hope of Controlling Deficit Spending

Washington, D.C. – Republican Congressmen Jeff Flake, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper of Tennessee today introduced the Earmark Elimination Act of 2011 (H.R. 3707) which would permanently ban congressional earmarks in the House of Representatives.

The Earmark Elimination Act would permanently prohibit the House from considering legislation containing earmarks and would strip any earmarks found in proposed legislation considered by the House, allowing it to proceed.

“This legislation is the next step to ensuring that earmarks are permanently banned,” said Flake. “If Congress can’t stop earmarking, taxpayers will have no confidence that Congress can tackle larger spending items and get our fiscal crisis under control.” 

“I’ve called for an end to earmarks for years. Americans know their tax dollars are being wasted, and it’s about time my colleagues got serious about reform,” Cooper said. “Congress is badly broken, and this is an important step toward fiscal discipline.” 

The Earmark Elimination Act was introduced in the Senate (S. 1930) by Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri.

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I have always believed that running Olivia Cortes was a huge mistake if not just plain stupid. Gaming the system in such a manner goes against the American Association of Political Consultants Code of Ethics.

I did not participate in the fiasco of running her as a candidate other than providing a forum for supporters and detractors to discuss her participation in the race.

Ultimately what Tom Ryan did to her was evil by dragging her through the mud and into the court system. If there was anyone YOU should be attacking for disrespecting Latinas, it is Tom Ryan and his minions for humiliating her in the courts. Shame on you DeeDee for not defending her!

Yes, Olivia Cortes was dragged into this stupid, unnecessary recall fiasco as a means to game the system. Those who pulled her into this were wrong for doing so.

DeeDee Garcia Blase, we may agree on several other issues but you are DEAD WRONG on my participation in the Cortes fiasco.

You should also go back and read Sonoran Alliance and see that I gave Jerry Lewis supporters the opportunity to post on Sonoran Alliance as guest opinions. I even gave Tyler Montague and Chad Snow space and time to get their opinions out:

Deep Thoughts from Team Pearce: A new interpretation of, “We report, you decide.” by Tyler Montague

Citizens for a Better Arizona Official Statement – “Why a Recall – Why Now?” by Chad Snow

You need to do your research before you start hysterically lashing out at what you don’t know.

This blog is well read across the State of Arizona and in Washington, D.C. Anyone who is a frequent reader and visitor will see that I have given each side the opportunity to voice their opinions.

If you want to continue to pursue this and tell lies about my position, I will be more than willing to dedicate space on Sonoran Alliance to make sure that you received negative ink on a daily basis. This is your opportunity to retract your posts that are outright lies and likely libelous. In exchange, I will remove this post. The choice is yours DeeDee Blase.

Finally, go back and read Sonoran Alliance in 2010 and you will see that John McCain had his supporters also posting on the blog. It was NOT one-sided as you alleged on your most recent post.

I am getting sick and tired of people like you who think that I write every post on Sonoran Alliance or don’t allow other viewpoints. There are plenty of people who will back me up that Sonoran Alliance bends over backwards to give equal access to both sides. Hell DeeDee, I would even give you your own login if you asked!

So tell the truth DeeDee Blase and take the opportunity to correct and retract your statements before you wear out my graces.