Supreme Court redistricting impact and more

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another edition of Journalists’ Roundtable, where we discuss Arizona politics. This week, “Arizona Horizon” host Ted Simons was joined by Wayne Schutsky and Camryn Sanchez of KJZZ Radio along with and Howie Fischer of Capitol Media Services.

This week’s topics included:

Supreme Court redistricting decision

Wayne Schutsky: “The Supreme Court essentially kind of gutted a section of the Voting Rights Act that ensured minority representation in elected offices. There’s a lot of concern throughout the country this could undermine districts created in part to ensure minority groups could choose people who represent them, and that includes Arizona.”

Voter data case dismissed

Schutsky: “Secretary Fontes says this violates privacy laws. ‘There’s a lot of social security numbers, things like that that I can’t just hand over to the federal government or anyone else.’ The judge agreed, said the Federal A.G. is allowed to get certain data from the states but not the range of data they’re seeking.”

Attorney General vs. I.C.E. in Surprise

Howie Fischer: “Federal facilities like military bases are exempt from local regulation, so the folks in Surprise said we can’t do much about it. Kris Mayes said, ‘Wait a second, you are still required under federal law to do certain things.’ National Environmental Protection Act, there’s other requirements for screening to determine other impacts, and they didn’t do those things, and therefore, the whole thing has to be held up until they do those studies.”

GOP releases budget

Camryn Sanchez: “We’ve heard claims from Republicans that they actually are trying to make a good faith effort, this is not just veto fodder and a political statement, and they actually put things in there they think she [Governor Katie Hobbs] could get on board with and want this to be a real starting off point.”

Governor Hobbs’ Mexico trip

Fischer: “There is a video of someone saying to her [Governor Hobbs] in Mexico City, ‘Hi, you’re here; who’s paying for your trip?’ Answer could have been simple: a) the travel was paid for by the Hispanic Chamber, and b) the protocol fund paid for $400 in tickets. She said none of your business. Worst thing can you say as a politician. Do you not notice everybody has a cell phone these days? Finally, when the you-know-what hit the fan, she said, ‘I will repay the $400 for the tickets.’ This was an unforced error to the extent she didn’t need to do this.”

Sylvia Allen returns to Legislature

Schutsky: “I think given the nature of politics this year where we’re expecting a Democratic wave year, the latter message, ‘I’m fighting for you, fighting against overreach by the government,’ given the polling we’ve seen on Trump’s immigration crackdown, it was a popular idea, but the way it’s been implemented hasn’t been so popular.”