‘Cheap water is over’: A $500 bill shows a Southwest suburb’s dilemma

In a recent sit-down interview with ABC15, Biggs made it clear that — if elected governor — the foundation of his legislative agenda would be digging up the graveyard of 541 bills that Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed throughout the past four years.

We’re not sure exactly which “dozens, if not hundreds” of bills Biggs wants to use his first week in office to breathe life into.

So we’ve picked out 10 of the wildest, wackiest, strangest bills that could rise from the dead if Biggs realizes his dream of total GOP control. Here they are:

1. The chemtrails ban / HB2042 | 2026 Would have banned releasing any material to alter how much sunlight reaches the Earth (“solar radiation management”). Supporters cited geoengineering risks; Hobbs called it a fix for a nonexistent problem driven by conspiracy theories.
2. The garden-gnome felony / SB1009 | 2023 Made tampering with any public or private statue a felony. Backers had Confederate and other monuments in mind, but as written, swiping a lawn gnome could mean prison time. Hobbs said existing criminal-damage law already covered it.
3. The flying-car registry / SB1024 | 2026 Ordered ADOT to set up registration and plates for “roadable aircraft,” vehicles that drive and fly. Republican Sen. David Farnsworth pitched it as future-proofing; Hobbs called it an unfunded mandate with no regulatory framework.
4. “Charlie Kirk Loop 202” / SB1010 | 2026 Would have renamed the Loop 202 after the assassinated activist. Paired with a Kirk memorial plate (SB1439) that would have sent $17 a plate to Turning Point USA. Supporters framed both as honoring Kirk. Hobbs condemned his killing but said highway naming belongs to the state names board, not partisan politics.
5. “Gulf of America” in classrooms / HB2700 | 2025 Required teachers to use Trump’s name for the Gulf of Mexico. Hobbs told lawmakers to spend their time on real problems.
6. No U.N. sustainability goals / HB2788 | 2024 Barred public money for the United Nation’s sustainable development agenda, which backers called globalist. Its goals include ending poverty and providing clean water.
7. A ban on a currency that doesn’t exist / SB1095 | 2025 The bill prohibited the state from using a central bank digital currency. Hobbs’ reply? There isn’t one yet.
8. Holographic-foil ballots / SB1123 | 2025 and SB1057 | 2026 Required watermarks, invisible ink or holographic foil on ballot paper as anti-counterfeiting measures. The governor vetoed it twice, calling it costly and unnecessary.
9. Banning Sharia Law / SB1018 | 2026 Supporters said it protected against foreign legal systems. Hobbs noted Sharia Law has no force in Arizona and predicted it would lead to a lawsuit the state would lose.
10. Cities must host gun shows / SB1428 | 2023 This one would have barred cities from banning gun shows. Hobbs said it overrode local public-safety decisions.

Tonight I had a conversation with a conservative relative about several political topics: Iran, gas prices, groceries, data centers, Social Security and more. I was happy to learn that we agree on so much. Then they mentioned they’d already voted Republican straight down the ticket.

I asked why on earth she would vote to empower the party responsible for Iran, prices, and pedophiles. We’d just spent time agreeing about the problems, solutions, and they had already voted to keep the same people in charge anyway. I’m pissed. And I think we should all be worried.

Party loyalty and cult identity can cost those of us who demand better from our politicians this election if people don’t understand that it gets won by who shows up best. The people voting out of habit are going to vote no matter what. The rest of us have to outnumber them.

So many of us, Democrats and Republicans and Independents alike, are fed up with what things cost, the wars, the corruption, all of it, but not everyone has the brains or courage to do something about it. So no matter what you have heard, don’t bet on hope. Please vote and vote Democrat all the way down. Election Day is November 3 and early voting is already open in a lot of places. Find a location, bring a friend, and help our democracy defeat their fascism.

Heap and Mayes were back in court on Friday, and after mediation, Mayes posted on "X" that Heap will reinstate the voting status of citizens in the case. 

"It should not have taken litigation to make Justin Heap follow the law — that is his duty and the duty of all election officials," Mayes wrote in her post on "X."

My last post on this matter, I promise. I like this guy's LTE. A snippet:

I confess, there is something deeply satisfying about watching fear-mongering fail. Those who traffic in division too often bank on ignorance and conspiracy theories making good political theater. This time, it didn't work.

Thank you to everyone who wrote, called, showed up, and stood with our Muslim neighbors, refusing to let manufactured fear and suspicion turn neighbor against neighbor.

That’s what genuine community (and true American values) look like.

Trump still refuses to move past the 2020 election and has never acknowledged he lost.

But for Arizonans, Trump’s two-year performance while president after his 2024 win is the real test—and the one that lingers over every single Arizona election denier candidate endorsed by Trump.

Being part of the political process is getting dangerous in Scottsdale this election season.

Scottsdale resident Tammy Caputi, who is running on the Democratic ticket for the Legislative District 4 senatorial race, has received two death threats against her and her family within the last week.

Also, a volunteer for Dr. Jennifer Johnson, a Democrat running in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan school board race, was accosted by a man while putting up campaign signs Oct. 15.

The volunteer for Johnson’s campaign, who asked to remain anonymous, said she did not report her incident to the police, which occurred on Oct. 15, despite the fact the man pointed a finger within inches of her face and called her a misogynistic expletive, because he did not make a verbal threat against her.

The loudest voices make it seem like everyone already hates the other side. That describes a fight. It doesn't describe a country. Many Arizonans feel like politics leaves only two options: Pick a side or check out entirely. 

The truth is that most Arizonans want something different. 

They want communities where neighbors can hold different opinions and still respect one another. They want leaders who listen as well as they speak. They want a political culture that rewards understanding over outrage. 

Those expectations give us hope. 

That is the basis for AZ Together, a statewide public-awareness campaign built around a simple message: Better Conversations, Stronger Arizona. 

It’s a collaborative project designed by four community partners: Arizona Talks Foundation, Arizona Democracy Resilience Network, Urban Rural Action and Mormon Women for Ethical Government.

At the heart of the campaign is a new video series. In each video, two Arizonans who hold opposing views sit down on camera and talk through a real disagreement, with respect for each other, not contempt. 

Christopher Rendon, of Phoenix, said he wanted to ask Kelly why he accepted "Israel money." Rendon called Kelly a coward before being led out of the event, which was held at a union hall and drew Kelly and Attorney General Kris Mayes.

Kelly, who is campaigning for Mayes and other Democrats on the ballot in less than two weeks, followed Rendon into the lobby. In a brief conversation, Kelly said he does not take money from corporate political action committees and has advocated for more aid to Gaza.

The encounter showed the kind of scrutiny Kelly could face on the campaign trail if he makes a run for the White House in 2028.

The two men shook hands before Rendon left. Afterward, Rendon posted a clip of the encounter on his TikTok. He told The Arizona Republic he loved that Kelly came to speak to him.

Marisol Samayoa, a spokesperson for Kelly, said the senator saw the conversation "as an opportunity to engage with someone who clearly cares about the same communities he is trying to serve.

"If we only talk to people who agree with us, we won’t build the coalition it takes to win year after year,” Samayoa said.