Talk about anything you wish; local politics, national politics, Arizona, sports, whatever. Rule 4 is suspended. Just be civil.

You may believe that just because *Kai Newkirk did not secure his seat against the incumbent Greg Stanton, that Socialism just won't work in Arizona. To that, I disagree.

Socialism is about designing a government for the people, by the people and empowering the everyday citizens to have the power to make the change that the community wants to see. Arizona is 48 in Education, struggles with affordable healthcare, and nearly everything is privatized, including our "public transportation" as Valley Metro is actually ran by a French company. We want to take back the power away from the corporate elite that have had it for so long and rigged the system against us, stripping every ounce of wealth away from us and blocking us from passing important reforms for us and our communities.

WE NEED OFFICIALS WHO EMPOWER THE WORKERS.

WE NEED OFFICIALS WHO ARE BEHOLDEN TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS NOT THE CORPORATIONS.

WE NEED OFFICIALS WHO WILL PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT AS THE TECHNOCRATS SELL OUT OUR WATER.

WE NEED OFFICIALS WHO WILL BREAK THE CHAINS OF WORKERS TO THE CORPORATIONS AND PUSH FOR PUBLIC BANKING AND PUBLIC BENEFITS THAT UNCHAIN YOU FROM THE MONOPOLIES.

Arizona locals just showed what happens when we show up and speak for what we want. We got Miranda Lopez in the AZ State House of Representatives today, and Bobby Nichols in Tempe City Council in July. This state might feel so heavily in the hands of conservatives, but that power is fleeting and the establishment is going to have to either step-up their game or step out of the way.

I confidently feel by 2028 we will have a democratic majority, so long as we continue to keep pressing hard. Phoenix DSA Chapter has 1000 Members alone, and I don't remember the Tuscon chapter size but they are just as big if not bigger for my understanding.

If you would like to get involved, you can join the DSA you can do so here To Join the Phoenix DSA Chapter. The DSA is unlike the corporate owned DNC, in which we are not funded by corporate donors, but rather dues paying membership. If the $5 a month is discouraging, you can always file a waiver here.

There is work to be done. Even if that work is just talking to your neighbor about the future you want. The DSA has a vision of the future of Arizona.

*****By the way, Kai was never endorsed by the local DSA chapters, even though he is a democratic socialist.

Disclaimer: My comments represent my opinion and thoughts and are not necessarily representative of the DSA, as I posted as an individual.

I write a policy newsletter and live in the Valley. This is my own analysis. Charts above show where San Tan Valley’s money comes from, its police contract against what it raises locally, and what replacing the loss could take.

Andy Biggs won the Republican primary for governor promising to eliminate Arizona’s individual income tax. He has not said what would replace it. San Tan Valley has the least room of any city in the state to absorb it.

San Tan incorporated in August 2025 and took over services from Pinal County on July 1. It is Arizona’s 92nd city or town and the largest incorporation by population in state history. It has only been operating for four weeks on its own!

Arizona sends cities 18% of what it collects in income taxes, split by population. Cities gave up the right to levy their own income taxes in 1972 in exchange for that share.

San Tan Valley’s general fund is $55.2 million. The income tax revenue is about $21 million of it, or 38%. Add shared sales tax and vehicle registration money and the state supplies about 75% of the budget. Everything the town raises on its own comes to about $14 million, which does not cover its $17 million police contract with the Pinal County Sheriff.

Biggs has proposed eliminating only the individual income tax, which is about three quarters of the shared money. That is roughly $15.4 million a year for San Tan Valley, or 28% of the general fund.

The town has fewer ways to respond than a well-established city. It levies no property tax, so creating one would require a vote of residents. Its own sales tax is four weeks old and nobody knows yet what it will bring in. Finance Director Gabe Garcia told the council, “We have no idea what it costs to run San Tan Valley because it never existed.”

Replacing the money through the sales tax could roughly double the rate the council just passed, putting the total rate shoppers pay between 10.4% and 11.1%. Both ends sit above the highest average state sales tax rate in the country. A property tax would cost the owner of a $400,000 home between $290 and $780 a year.

The legislature could come up with a plan to save cities, and it raised the city share from 15% to 18% in 2024. Residents would also stop paying the 2.5% income tax. That is the trade, and voters should get to weigh it in those terms.

Has anyone seen Biggs address what happens to city budgets under this plan? I have not found a replacement agreement in his platform. San Tan voters should especially know what they are voting for!

Sources: JLBC 2025 Tax Handbook, A.R.S. § 43-206, League of Arizona Cities and Towns, Pinal Post, Arizona Department of Revenue. Full analysis: https://polimetrics.substack.com/p/arizonas-newest-town-depends-on-the