Steve Kirwan, Author at Arizona Globe

Shope, Kavanagh, Petersen Challenge Pima County’s ICE Refusal

April 6, 2026 5:47 pmApril 22, 2026 4:09 pm

Arizona Senate Republicans escalated Arizona’s latest immigration-enforcement fight this week by asking Attorney General Kris Mayes to review whether Pima County’s new anti-ICE policy violates state law — a move that could turn a local dispute into a statewide test...

Pinals’s Miller FIles Suit to Prevent BOS Ice Partnership Ban

April 3, 2026 3:50 pmApril 22, 2026 4:10 pm

The running legal and political fight between the Pinal County Board of Supervisors and Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller over immigration enforcement has become a high-stakes test of who controls county power in Arizona when local officials clash over cooperation...

Olson Slams Hobb’s over Tax Conformity Refusal

March 31, 2026 3:52 pmApril 15, 2026 8:19 am

PHOENIX — From Rep. Justin Olson’s perspective, Gov. Katie Hobbs’ decision not to sign full tax conformity legislation has turned what should have been a routine filing season into a preventable problem for Arizona taxpayers. Hobbs vetoed HB 2785 on...

Petersen, Montenegro Blast Hobbs’ Trust Fund Raid

March 26, 2026 9:33 amApril 14, 2026 1:13 pm

Arizona’s looming budget war between the Republican-led legislature and Governor Katie Hobbs heated up last week when top GOP leaders accused Hobbs of abandoning negotiations and threatening the state’s long-term finances. In a joint statement, Senate President Warren Petersen and...

Bolick’s HB2400 Gas Price ‘Hail Mary’ More Political than Practical

March 24, 2026 3:54 pmApril 8, 2026 12:51 pm

Sen. Shawnna Bolick’s proposed strike-everything amendment to HB 2400, announced on March 23, 2026, appears to be a “hail Mary-esque” response to the drastic rise in gas prices impacting Arizonans. The amendment would require the state to pursue an emergency...

Montenegro Welcomes Reim as Chaplik’s LD3 Replacement

March 19, 2026 2:27 pmApril 8, 2026 12:51 pm

Arizona Republicans largely welcomed the selection of Cody Reim to replace former Rep. and Congressional District 1 candidate Joseph Chaplik in the Arizona House. GOP leaders cast the Rio Verde Foothills small-business owner as a conservative fit for Legislative District...

Mesnard Pushes Plan to Expand State House by 30 Seats

March 18, 2026 4:24 pmApril 3, 2026 3:56 pm

Arizona’s LD-13 Republican Senator J.D. Mesnard is proposing to expand the Arizona House from 60 to 90 members, claiming that his idea is about enhancing representation at the state’s local level. Under his proposed Senate Concurrent Resolution SCR1022, Arizona would...