The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

Throughout 2021, Arizona's dubious review of Maricopa County's 2020 ballots, all 2.1 million of them, was a national spectacle.Long before that effort concluded that President Joe Biden won by slightly more votes than the certified results showed, it was obvious that Doug Logan and his Cyber Ninjas team were partisans with no experience conducting what Republicans billed as a forensic audit.Over the nearly two years since then, litigation from the Arizona Republic and others have led to the public release of 39,000 messages involving Logan, the one-time CEO of the now defunct Cyber Ninjas.Yet despite the immense volume of now public information, we're still missing 3,000 documents from Logan. This in spite of a court order to release them. It's not clear why Logan continues to hold on to these documents. But one thing is certain the state Senate's "audit" was anything but professional or fair.In this episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl unpack what information Arizonans do have from Dough Logan's documents, what is still missing, and why it matters for voters moving forward. Republic reporter Ryan Randazzo examined documents along with Larry Moore, the founder of the Boston-based election technology company Clear Ballot Group. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Title 42, the pandemic-era law that authorized the quick expulsion of migrants, has expired. In its place, the U.S. government is implementing enforcement policies meant to reduce the number of people reaching the U.S.-Mexico border while also creating opportunities for asylum seekers to gain protection within the country.The transition to the new policies is expected to create significant challenges as border communities, the federal agencies and the non-governmental organizations that cater to the migrant population adapt to the changes that went into effect May 12.What is next for migrants seeking shelter in the U.S.? And how will Congress handle this political hot potato moving forward? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed Arizona's $17.8 billion state budget into law in record time. Among the winners are Republican pet projects such as money for the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo, funding to repair a bridge in Lake Havasu City, and Democratic wins such as more reliable funding for public schools and investment in more services for the unhoused.But not everyone is happy with the budget or how much of it was constructed behind closed doors.In this bonus episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by reporters Ray Stern and Stacey Barchenger to hash out the wins and losses in this year's state budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona Legislature is considering a plan to allow Maricopa County to hold an election on a transportation tax, but it has been a bumpy ride.Supporters say extending a half-cent tax for transportation for another 20 years will help the county’s transportation network keep pace with continued economic and population growth.The plan would build out Phoenix's freeway network, improve miles of major streets and expand public transit services.But the transit provisions of what is called the Proposition 400 extension have Republican lawmakers tapping the brakes, complicating efforts to get the necessary votes to put the issue on the ballot in November 2024.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Arizona State University's Mark Roseland.He’s a professor at the School of Community Resources and Development at ASU and is a senior sustainability scientist with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU. Roseland explains why good transportation makes a good city.In the second half of the podcast, the hosts break down the politics of Proposition 400. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tempe votes on May 16 to either welcome or boot out the Coyotes hockey team and accompanying entertainment complex.Proponents of the development claim that the sport and entertainment district will be a huge win for Tempe including generating nearly 7000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.Opponents claim that the city should put its energy into fixing present issues like creating more affordable housing and tackling the opioid crisis. If the back and forth between critics and proponents isn’t enough, there’s the ongoing legal battle after Phoenix sued Tempe, alleging the apartments proposed for the project would create a safety hazard with low-flying aircraft at Sky Harbor International Airport. Today, host Mary Jo Pitzl is joined by The Republic’s Sam Kmack, who covers Tempe and Scottsdale, and Taylor Seely, who covers Phoenix but is a resident of Tempe and recently moderated a debate between the Vote Yes and Vote No groups on the Coyotes area issue.You can see the full video of the debate here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 21, the Apache Stronghold’s case against the proposed Resolution Copper mine was reopened. The battle is over a proposed copper mine in Oak Flat, just southeast of metro Phoenix. The land sits on top of one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper reserves in the world. The mine, if allowed to go forward, would produce an estimated 40 billion pounds of copper over the next four decades. This is according to Rio Tinto, a global mining corporation of which Resolution Copper is a subsidiary. But the land is sacred to the San Carlos Apache tribe. Tribal members say that Oak Flat is a physical cornerstone of their religious beliefs. In this episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl sit down with indigenous affairs and environmental reporter Debra Krol to discuss the fate of Oak Flat and Resolution Copper, and how this could end up being one of the biggest religious cases in recent decades.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two Democratic representatives in Tennessee were expelled this month over their involvement in gun control protests in the House of Representatives chamber after a deadly school shooting in Nashville. Another was allowed to remain by a one-vote margin.Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, accused the GOP-led House in Tennessee of racism and oppression after their expulsion.House Republicans said it was the representatives' leadership during the protests that took place on the House floor that led to their removal, not race. A few days later, local officials voted Jones and Pearson back in.A representative in Arizona also was expelled, but in a vastly different situation. Rep. Liz Harris, R-Chandler, was expelled from the House of Representatives for disorderly behavior after allowing her guest on an election review panel to falsely accuse lawmakers and other officials of taking bribes from a drug cartel.Expulsion is the strictest form of discipline a member of a legislature can face, and it hadn’t happened in Arizona since 2018.Harris was one of three people whose names were submitted to the county Board of Supervisors, the body that will appoint a replacement. And the two lawmakers from Tennessee swiftly rejoined their colleagues.It all begs the question: Is there a better way to put guardrails on ethical behavior by elected officials?This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Mary Jo Pitzl is joined by two guests to sort through the happenings and differences in the two cases.Arizona Republic state politics reporter Ray Stern discusses the Rep. Liz Harris case. Later, ethics scholar Dr. John Pelissero analyzes the similarities and differences between what happened with the representatives in Tennessee and what happened in Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Katie Hobbs won the governor’s race in 2022, she became the first Democrat in 14 years to hold the seat. It also made her the first governor in 14 years to have to deal with a Legislature controlled by the opposite party.As she marks her 100th day in office this week, her achievements and pushbacks are equally noteworthy.At the time of recording, the governor had vetoed 38 bills, and it's expected more vetoes are to come.Hobbs is in familiar company. Nearly two decades ago, when Democrat Janet Napolitano arrived on the Ninth Floor, she was met with similar opposition.When Napolitano won the governor's race in 2002, it had been a dozen years since a Democrat had been in the Arizona governor’s seat. She tangled with a Republican Legislature that wasn’t willing to embrace her agenda, leading to what became a record-setting number of vetoes from an Arizona governor, a record that Hobbs seems intent on shattering.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Mary Jo Pitzl and guest host Stacey Barchenger, are joined by Dennis Burke, Napolitano's former co-chief of staff. He examined the challenges of presiding over a divided government and how to navigate it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 28th, a Maricopa county Superior Court judge, ordered the city of Phoenix to clear out a large homeless camp. This is an area of tents, tarps, sleeping bags and other makeshift housing that lies within view of the state capital. The city hasn't made clear whether it intends to carry out that order or appeal it.What is clear is that Phoenix, and the greater Valley, have an enormous homelessness problem. It's only been exacerbated by rising rents and lack of affordable housing.In this episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl sit down with The Republic's housing team Catherine Reagor and Juliette Rihl to examine the how and why behind the Valley's housing and homelessness crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you won’t be filling in the bubbles on your ballot in November, the upcoming U.S. Senate race is lurking in the shadows.So far, only one prominent candidate — a Democrat —has announced he's running: U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.As Arizona continues to be one of the most watched swing states in the country, all eyes are on who will be on the Senate ballot in 2024.Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., announced in December that she quit the Democratic party and is now an independent.And the Republicans are looking to regain the seat. Although no candidates have formally announced, plenty of names are circulating.Kari Lake, former gubernatorial candidate, is one. And others, such as Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, have indicated their interest.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Erin Covey. She’s a political reporter and analyst for Inside Elections, which provides nonpartisan analysis of presidential, congressional and gubernatorial races. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices