After hours of debate, the Phoenix City Council voted 5 to 3 to approve a measure that expands the city’s anti-discrimination measure to include members of the LGBT and disabled community. Councilmen Sal DiCiccio, Jim Waring and Bill Gates voted against the hotly contested measure…
Testimony for and against a measure to protect members of the LGBT and disabled communities has been going on for more than two hours. An audience packed with members of the LGBT community, religious leaders, Phoenix residents, and business owners are trying with both logical and emotional pleas to persuade…
Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio is trying to rally his ultra-right-wing conservative troops to oppose a policy proposal that aims protect individuals from discrimination because of their “sexual orientation,” “gender identity or expression,” and “disability.” DiCiccio calls the proposal a “radical left turn for Phoenix.” He attacks Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton…
The Roosevelt School Board unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday to “communicate forcefully to Sheriff [Joe] Arpaio that his immigration and school safety patrols are not welcome in south Phoenix.” The measure is meant to assuage the fears of area parents who don’t want Arpaio’s non-police volunteers, who sometimes carry…
Lawrence Robinson, a member of Roosevelt School District’s Governing Board, has proposed a resolution to block Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio from assigning his school-safety volunteer posse to the district. It’s expected to be discussed, and possibly voted on, during tonight’s board meeting at the Roosevelt School District Office, SW…
Phoenix Police Chief Daniel Garcia has fired Sergeant Phil Roberts. Garcia ended Roberts’ nearly 30-year career with the Phoenix Police Department on January 25, about three months after an in-house disciplinary review board recommended the sergeant be terminated. See also: A Review Board Recommends Firing PPD Sergeant Phil Roberts for…
Family Guy fans are no doubt familiar with Consuela, the Griffin family’s dutiful Mexican housekeeper. And Family Guy creators are clearly familiar with Arizona and its anti-immigrant reputation. In last night’s Valentine’s Day episode, watched by millions of people across the country, they took a shot at the state by…
A campaign to recall Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is under way, with the penning of the first of the 335,000 signatures needed for an election to take place in November. William James Fisher, a local attorney, is the chairman of Respect Arizona, a political action committee formed to oust…
Political alliances continue to take shape in City Council District 8 with State Senator Anna Tovar being the latest to declare her support for Kate Gallego, one of several candidates in the race. Gallego, along with Lawrence Robinson and Pastor Warren Stewart, are vying to replace Councilman Michael Johnson, a…
The Pinal County Democrats aren’t happy with Sheriff Paul Babeu’s latest rhetoric about pushing for a law making it a crime for federal law enforcement officers to enforce President Barack Obama’s proposals to reduce gun violence. Yeah, he did say that. Babeu brought it up during an appearance on Fox…
A U.S. District Court judge has scheduled a hearing on April 9 in an ongoing legal battle to block the Tohono O’odham Nation from building a casino in the West Valley. Despite several back-to-back legal victories for the Nation, its opponents are not backing down. “Throughout this process, the Nation…
We all know the Danish tale about the emperor whose men and subjects stroke him in admiration over his new clothes. Of course, as the story goes, the emperor actually is naked. Instead of questioning the obvious, everyone basks in a collective ignorance. Until a little boy in the crowd…
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu once again is trying to get on the conservative media circuit promoting himself his anti-Obama, anti-gun-control campaign. Babeu is joining a chorus of sheriffs criticizing President Barack Obama’s gun-control efforts. Conservative blogger for right-wing cnsnews.com, notes that this is the trend from Florida to California…
Phoenix Police Chief Daniel Garcia is mulling whether to fire Sergeant Phil Roberts, who investigators say lobbed numerous false allegations against fellow cops and city officials — and did so in a very public way. Roberts gained notoriety in 2010 after accusing former Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, former Public Safety…
Paul Penzone, former candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is supporting Lawrence Robinson for Phoenix City Council’s District 8 seat. The race promises to be interesting, if not contentious. Robinson is vying to represent South Phoenix against Kate Gallego and Pastor Warren Stewart — all candidates with impressive resumes…
An organization co-chaired by Pastor Warren Stewart is endorsing his candidacy for a District 8 seat on the Phoenix City Council. The Black-Brown Coalition of Arizona, forged to maintain an alliance between the black and Latino communities, believes the Phoenix City Council should maintain diversity. The only black Phoenix City…
Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jeffrey Karns, who retired today, lambasted Sheriff Paul Babeu in an e-mail he sent not only to Babeu, but to all PCSO staff. Karns’ scathing message — addressed to 661 employees — appears to be sparked by Babeu’s request before the Board of Supervisors to…
New Year’s resolutions are so yesterday. But, John Norcross, a psychology professor at the University of Scranton and author of “Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing your Goals and Resolutions,” tells the Boston Globe that studies show that about 60 percent of American adults plan to make a resolution and that…
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu is slowly creeping back into the national spotlight — going from defending half-naked photos of himself in front of the mirror posing in gray granny-style undies to squawking about schools not being as safe as we think they are. On Wednesday, he’s on CBS 5…
Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio, who has spent the better part of the past two year railing about bloated government and excessive employee salaries, was the last person anyone expected to approve a massive $78,000-a-year pay raise for City Manager David Cavazos. DiCiccio and the City Council have been slapped around…
Just two more days before Talking Points Memo (TPM), a lefty political website, announces the winners of its Sixth Annual Golden Duke Awards to recognize the “year’s best purveyors of public corruption, outlandish behavior and The Crazy.” Not one, but two top officials in Arizona have been nominated for the…
Echo Magazine has selected Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and his wife Nicole as man and woman of the year for taking a strong stance in support of the LGBT community. Here’s an excerpt from the article honoring the Stantons:…
