SENATE DEMS IN THE NEWS

State Sen. Theresa Hatathlie informed the council about a Navajo citizen who was detained for nine hours, underscoring the urgent need for emergency protocols. She emphasized that many tribal members face challenges with documentation. She said despite having Certificates of Indian Blood and state-issued IDs, several individuals have been detained or questioned by ICE agents who fail to recognize these documents as valid proof of citizenship.

Senate Democrats, including Senator Catherine Miranda of Phoenix, voiced concerns about the financial and staffing burdens the bill could impose. Miranda described the bill as an “unfunded mandate,” noting that local agencies are already struggling with staffing shortages.

"Our law enforcement do not want to do this,” she said. "We have been asking to fund them because they are low on staff for many years, and all of a sudden, this money appears and they don’t want to do this."

Democratic leadership in the Arizona State Legislature responded to Governor Katie Hobbs’ State of the State address, which took place on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, and the plans moving forward.

The annual speech to the state legislature outlines the Governor’s priorities for the year. The State of the State speech kicks off the legislative session.

Joining us to discuss were Rep. Oscar De Los Santos (D) of District 11 and Sen. Priya Sundareshan (D) of District 18.

Rep. Analise Ortiz, who assumes the role in the state senate in the same district this week, released a statement on the shooting Friday.

"As the elected State Senator of Legislative District 24, I am calling for full transparency of the West Valley Incident Response Team’s investigation. The public deserves to see any camera footage related to the incident and have a detailed explanation of what the next steps in the officer’s disciplinary process are," Ortiz's statement read.

Two state Senate Democratic leaders, Priya Sundareshan of Tucson, and Flavio Bravo of Phoenix, condemned the vote Friday in written statements.

"Congressional Republicans opened the 119th Congress by forcing a vote on H.R. 29, which is a far cry from that bipartisan deal and accomplishes far less while placing communities at risk," Sundareshan said.

A Democratic leader in the legislature said that she is expecting to be in a defensive role, and not just because her party is in the minority in both chambers.

"We're facing the federal Republican trifecta. So with Republicans control in control at both the both the federal level and at the state legislative level, Democrats in the legislature will continue to play an important defensive role in making sure that we are highlighting a lot of the problems with what Republicans are bringing forward, making sure that we are bringing daylight and information and the important context about impacts," said Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan.

“Anytime a police officer shoots and kills someone, there needs to be full transparency and a thorough investigation,” Ortiz told New Times. “In this case, the fact that this person who was shot and killed was not even the person that police were after is absolutely horrifying.”

To New Times and in a press release, Ortiz highlighted the larger issue of policing in the Valley and the United States.

“This pattern of police shooting first and asking questions later is a common pattern that we see, and in this case, it ended up being deadly for an innocent person,” Ortiz told New Times. “There needs to be accountability and there needs to be answers. My constituents use the park and enjoy the park. Nobody should have to fear that when they’re out and about, a police officer is just going to rush up on them and take their lives.”

Over the past several years, Republican candidates and officials made unsubstantiated claims that the longer tabulation time facilitates fraud.

“There would be so much confusion for voters if this is changed,” Ortiz said, adding that she thinks it would definitely have a negative impact on voter turnout. “It’s very frustrating that some of the proposals that we’ve seen seem to be entirely rooted in this kind of excuse that we need to speed up the election results, even if that means putting voter access in jeopardy.”

Organizations and some lawmakers bemoaned what they described as a pattern of inaction from Arizona’s historically Republican-dominated Legislature.

“I call on my Republican counterparts, as the majority in this Legislature, to hear the bills we introduce … and to pass them. Will this session in 2025 be a departure from prior activity?” said Arizona Senate Democrat and Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan of Tucson.

No Republican lawmakers spoke at the conference.

Appearing at the State Capitol Rose Garden earlier today (January 8, 2025,) with the leader of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan and Oscar De Los Santos called on the Republican Majority in the Arizona State Legislature to acknowledge the seriousness of climate change and to finally consider legislation, based in part on recommendations from climate activists, to address it at a statewide level.

Arizona Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan tells 12News she and her colleagues are exploring legislation this coming session to better protect utility ratepayers. Although the Commission has exclusive authority to set rates, the legislature can influence energy policies.

“The numbers, they are mind-boggling,” Sundareshan said, referring to data center growth. “It is also even more incumbent on our leadership at the Corporation Commission and the legislature to be protective of our consumers.”

Legislative Democrats Sens. Priya Sundareshan (D-Tucson) and Christopher Mathis (D-Tucson) stood behind the designation.

“The impacts of severe groundwater depletion in rural Arizona can no longer be ignored,” Mathis said in a statement. “I applaud Governor Hobbs and ADWR for their continued strong leadership with this historic AMA designation. … At the same time, we must continue to work toward bipartisan groundwater management reform legislation to provide rural areas additional, locally driven tools to preserve and protect our precious water resources for future generations."

Democratic Sen. Brian Fernandez of Yuma, who sponsored an unsuccessful bill last year to raise the pay of other state elected officials, including the governor, supports the idea of a raise for legislators as a method of attracting a better crop of candidates.

"It looks like its has a nice excuse of ‘let’s go ahead and speed up the election results,’ but I’m just not buying it because if a single voter is turned away or discouraged from waiting in line, that means that they are not making their voice heard. The Democracy everyone should have should be free and fair and easy access to make their voice heard," said Senator-elect Analise Ortiz.

The Republican and Democratic caucuses in the Arizona Senate and House selected their leadership teams for the upcoming session on Tuesday after the GOP strengthened its grip on the Legislature.

Senate Democrats elected Priya Sundareshan, of Tucson, as their senate minority leader. Sundareshan is one of the Democratic caucus’s most outspoken members.