Paul Gosar Will Lead the Right-Wing, Anti-Conservation U.S. Congressional Western Caucus

Environmentalists in the West are shaking their heads after learning that one of Arizona’s most prominent anti-public-lands and climate-change-denying politicians, U.S. Representative Paul Gosar, was just elected chairman of the U.S. Congressional Western Caucus. “Congressman Paul Gosar has built a career carrying water for industrial interests while working against America’s…

Arizona’s New Marijuana-Law Proposals Inspire Anything But High Hopes

It hasn’t even been three weeks since Proposition 205 went down to defeat on election day, but advocates for cannabis-law reform in Arizona already have three new proposals to consider. Here is a roundup of the three proposals: 1. Last week, the Arizona Marijuana Patient Society — a creation of the operators…

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Fires State DES Director Tim Jeffries

On Wednesday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey fired Tim Jeffries, the man he’d appointed as director of the state’s Department of Economic Security. The grounds for dismissal: Jeffries’ mass firings of workers, which were first reported last year by Phoenix New Times. Jeffries, who received an annual salary of $215,250, had served…

Head of Arizona-Mexico Commission Booted From Post as President of Arizona United Soccer Club

David Farca, head of the quasi-governmental Arizona-Mexico Commission, has been fired from the presidency of Arizona’s professional soccer team. Last year, Governor Doug Ducey appointed Farca to a non-salaried post running the Arizona-Mexico Commission, a nonprofit that works to enhance the state’s business relationship with Mexico. As president, Farca is the primary…

Source: Sheriff Arpaio was Prepared to Resign If He’d Won Re-Election

Weeks before the election, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was making plans to resign from office if he were to be reelected — possibly depending on an appointment from Donald Trump or maybe because of his legal problems, New Times has learned. In an interview yesterday, Arpaio denied this. But a…