posted by Andrea Kelly
A California politician is floating the idea of splitting the state into two.
If the effort moves forward, that would mean competition between the Southern California folks hoping to form a new state, and the Southern Arizona folks hoping to do the same.
Will there be a 51st state in the near future? If so, will it be Baja Arizona or South California? Questions to which we, of course, don't know the answers.
Here's an Associated Press story on the California effort:
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Thirteen mostly conservative California counties would break away to create a 51st state known as South California under a proposal by a local elected official.
Republican Jeff Stone has asked fellow members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to support a motion to bring together officials from the 13 counties to discuss the idea. A vote is scheduled for Tuesday.
Stone says California is too big to govern, which has led the state to raid local government coffers because of runaway spending.
Stone's version of South California would not include Los Angeles County. Instead, it would encompass coastal Orange and San Diego counties, and inland Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino and Tulare counties. It would have a part-time Legislature and no term limits.
July 12th 2011 at 12:05 —
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posted by Andrea Kelly
The political news of the day Monday came from a Sunday news story.
In its series, "Guns in Arizona," the Arizona Republic newspaper reported Sunday that, while a reporter was interviewing State Sen. Lori Klein (R-Anthem) about carrying her gun onto the Senate floor, she took the gun out of her purse to show it to him.
But it was the way she showed him that is drawing attention from national and local media. The reporter said she pointed the laser sight of the loaded gun at his chest.
After the news swept the state, State Sen. Steve Gallardo, (D-Phoenix) called for an ethics inquiry into the incident, and also a ban of firearms in the Senate.
Klein told the Arizona Capitol Times she pointed the gun's laser sight at a wall, and the reporter sat down in front of it.
Here's reporter Richard Ruelas' account in the Republic:
"Oh, it's so cute," Klein said, as she unzipped the loaded Ruger from its carrying case to show a reporter and photographer. She was sitting on a leather couch in a lounge, just outside the Senate chamber.
She showed off the laser sighting by pointing the red beam at the reporter's chest. The gun has no safety, she said, but there was no need to worry.
"I just didn't have my hand on the trigger," she said.
And here's Klein's account in the Arizona Capitol Times:
“The photographer, who was behind me at the time, asked me to show him the laser sight and I did so, turning it on and shining it on the wall in front of me (away from the photographer). During this demonstration, the reporter came and sat down in the sofa in front of me, placing himself in the line of the laser sight,” Klein said.
“He noticed the light, then I noticed the light, then I turned it off. I apologized and let him know that he was safe because I keep my finger out of the trigger guard. Again, that is basic gun safety,” she added.
legislature,
July 11th 2011 at 17:22 —
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posted by Andrea Kelly
The only attempt to get an initiative on this fall's Tucson ballot has apparently failed.
City Clerk Roger Randolph said he turned away the group "Sensible Tucson" this morning when they attempted to file the signatures needed to get an initiative on the ballot. The group's initiative aimed to reduce penalties for marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia charges.
When representatives of the group showed up at the clerk's office with boxes of petitions, Randolph said he refused to accept them, because the initiative sought to change penalties defined in state law, instead of the city code. Only statewide initiatives can attempt to change state law. City initiatives must apply to city code. The penalties for marijuana possession in Tucson are the penalties set in state law, Randolph said.
When the group showed up to turn in the petitions, Randolph handed them a letter explaining why he turned them away.
"The measure set forth in the Petition seeks to amend the Arizona Revised Statutes, which cannot be accomplished through a municipal initiative petition," Randolph said in the letter. "I will not accept or take custody of City of Tucson Initiative Petition 2011-I003, because it does not address legislation that is subject to the local initiative process."
Tucson
election,
July 7th 2011 at 15:58 —
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posted by Michael Chihak
A group of once and future Arizona politicians is pushing for an open primary election system in the state, with a "top-two" runoff system similar to what's been adopted in other states.
Those behind the proposal say that with no party in firm control of the Arizona electorate -- divided roughly in thirds among Republicans, independents and Democrats -- the open primary system would provide fairness.
The flaw in the argument may well be that while no one party is firmly ikn control of voter registration numbers, one party -- the Republican -- is firmly in control of the state, with two-thirds majorities in both legislative chambers and every statewide office.
Another potential flaw is the idea that there would be a groundswell of support for such an idea that would overcome the stranglehold that the two-party system now has. Don't count on either of those parties to capitulate.
That includes Democrats, who although well in the minority of state officeholders, can be counted on to cling to the two-party arrangement the way they cling to kissing babies at a political rally.
For more on this, see this story from the Arizona Capitol TImes.
July 5th 2011 at 11:57 —
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