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SEIU Arizona News
Media Reports Napolitano is Obama's Choice for Homeland Security
If Napolitano leaves, it would undoubtedly change upcoming budget talks with the legislature. Secretary of State Jan Brewer would become governor.
CNN reports:
President-elect Barack Obama's top choice for secretary of homeland security is Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, multiple Democratic sources close to the transition told CNN on condition of anonymity.
One source said he believed the final decision depends on the vetting of the Democratic governor, much like the selection of Eric Holder for attorney general.
And the Arizona Republic provides some context:
Her departure would send ripples through Arizona politics. Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer, next-in-line to the governorship, would serve the remaining two years of Napolitano's term - putting all three branches of state government under GOP control.
Napolitano has racked up a record number of vetoes during her first six years in office as she often played defense against a Republican-dominated Legislature.
Napolitano has neither confirmed nor denied the report. On Wednesday, however, she indicated that there might not be a special session of the legislature to tackle the budget shortfall after all.
SEIU President Testifies on Health Care Reform Today
SEIU President Andy Stern will testify at a Senate Hearing Wednesday to push for action on health care reform and to underscore the impact of the health care and economic crisis on working families.
Wednesday's hearing is the latest in a series of hearings on health care reform held by the Senate Committee on Finance. Health care reform legislation could emerge during the next legislative session after Obama becomes president.
UPDATE:
You can read the testimony here.
Dept. of Environmental Quality News Roundup
Employees from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality were in the media for protecting the environment multiple times Tuesday.
KTAR reported on the cleanups of leaking underground storage tanks at sites in 11 school districts around the state.
The cleanup was part of the School Assistance Initiative, launched a year ago to help schools clean up contamination on school properties.
"This unique partnership between ADEQ and schools and school districts throughout the state has been tremendously successful," ADEQ Director Steve Owens said.
"This effort not only helped clean up the environment, it also protected our children from potential exposure to contamination. And it has saved schools a lot of money, since ADEQ cleaned up the sites and has given the schools technical assistance about how to maintain their underground storage tanks in the future."
The East Valley Tribune also reported that DEQ is enforcing regulations against Johnson Utilities for "burying potentially dangerous sewage sludge near one of its wastewater treatment plants."
Officials with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality showed up at a Johnson Utilities sewage plant nine miles southeast of Queen Creek in late September on an unannounced inspection that was launched after an anonymous complaint, according to DEQ records.
They found sewage sludge that would fill half a backyard swimming pool. About 34,713 gallons of the sludge was dumped in various trenches that also held construction debris.
Media Reports Napolitano Won't Likely Be Attorney General
Several news sources, including Newsweek, are reporting that Eric Holder is Obama's top choice to head up the U.S. Department of Justice, which could end months of speculation that Gov. Napolitano might leave Arizona for the position. If Napolitano was to leave, it would undoubtedly affect upcoming budget talks with the Legislature.
From Arizona Capitol Times:
Napolitano spokeswoman Jeanine L'Ecuyer said the Governor's Office had no comment. "There's nothing to respond to. There's been no announcement" by Obama, L'Ecuyer said.
...
While the Department of Justice seemed like a logical destination for Napolitano, given her previous tenure as the state's attorney general and U.S. district attorney for Arizona, she is viewed as a possible choice for several other cabinet posts, including secretary of homeland security.
Congress Unlikely to Act on Big Simulus Package This Week
Congress is unlikely to pass a stimulus package this week that would include funds for transportation projects and other public services. The package is needed to create jobs, help get our local economy moving again and close local and state budget gaps to protect public service jobs and essential public services.
SEIU is pushing hard for an economic stimulus package. On Monday Senate Leader Harry Reid announced details of a $100 billion economic stimulus bill that he said would create more than 635,000 jobs.
But it doesn't look like some of the bigger components of the stimulus plan will be passed in the lame duck session. Obama has said that passing a stimulus package will be his top priority once he becomes president.
Reuters reports:
"Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the Republicans will allow us to pass a comprehensive stimulus package," [Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid] said. "Hopefully, we will be able to pass an extension of unemployment insurance benefits."
...
Many Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives have criticized the Democrats' plans for additional economic stimulus -- including billions of dollars for road and bridge rebuilding -- saying the money would not effectively jump-start the economy in the short-term.
But the U.S. Conference of Mayors has estimated that 4,591 infrastructure projects, at a cost of $24.4 billion, are "ready to go" and that they would immediately create jobs and "stimulate main street economies."
Reduced Driving by Arizonans Results in Fewer Transportation Funds
The gasoline tax is the primary source of money for the Highway User Revenue fund that helps complete work on streets and highways. The number of gallons of gas sold in Arizona in September was down 6 percent from September 2007.
From the AP:
The Arizona Department of Transportation says money flowing into the Highway User Revenue Fund totaled $428 million in the first four months of the fiscal year. That's down 2.5 percent from last year and nearly 4 percent below the expected amount.
New Report Finds Arizona Infrastructure At Risk
A two-year study of our state's public infrastructure finds that it significantly lags behind our state's population growth and its aging systems need renovation. The report, which will be presented today by researchers at Arizona State University, is well timed.
Congress is expected to discuss an economic stimulus package this week that could include some transportation dollars to help states start to put money back into our local economies. It is more likely, however, that transportation dollars would move as part of a larger stimulus package once Obama takes office in January.
The Arizona Daily Star reports:
Several possibilities mentioned in the report include:
- - Building telecommunications infrastructure on a par with world standard-bearers.
- - Leading development of water conservation and supply strategies, realizing that there will be competition for the West's limited supplies.
- - Promoting an energy infrastructure that accounts for rising oil and natural gas prices, and reduces negative environmental impacts.
- - Giving our state's citizens libraries, parks and quality-of-life amenities.
Election Recap: Getting Results for All Arizonans
Now that most of the election results have been finalized, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect back on a few of the races where SEIU members made a difference this year.
As we've discussed here before, SEIU members worked hard during this election to deliver results for public service employees and all the working families who depend on the services we provide. SEIU members and our partner organizations knocked on more than 140,000 doors and helped make more than 160,000 calls to voters statewide.
Now, it’s up to all of us to hold politicians accountable and win real improvements for public services and public service employees.
Read on to see a few of the SEIU endorsed candidates who won their elections this year...
Gov. Napolitano Offers New State Budget Fixes
The Associated Press reports today:
Gov. Janet Napolitano's ideas for closing the state's big budget shortfall include selling some future lottery revenue in exchange for an upfront payment, delaying payment of some agency expenses into the next fiscal year and banking on ticket revenue from speed enforcement cameras.
The ideas, which would break new ground for the state, are among those suggested by Napolitano to the Legislature to cover a projected $1.2 billion revenue shortfall in this fiscal year's $9.9 billion state budget, The Associated Press has learned.
The ideas are listed on a budget summary reviewed by the AP. In addition, some elements were described by state officials familiar with ongoing budget work. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss proposals under consideration.
A Napolitano spokeswoman confirmed that at least some of the ideas on the summary reviewed by the AP have been suggested by the governor for consideration by lawmakers. But she said she could not confirm specific figures and said the ideas may not become a formal proposal.
UPDATE:
Ch. 12 news also reports...
The proposal reportedly included delaying $74 million to universities and $20 million each to AHCCCS and DES.
SEIU Pushes for Health Care Reform
SEIU, the Business Roundtable, the AARP and the National Federation of Independent Businesses launched a campaign this week to press President Elect Obama to enact comprehensive health care reform. All four groups signed onto a letter that outlined the need for action in the first 100 days of the Obama administration and our collective determination to act.
The LA Times reports in "Obama urged to overhaul health care, stat":
In their letter, the groups link healthcare reform with the nation's bleak economic conditions.
"Addressing skyrocketing healthcare costs is a critical component of stabilizing household, national and global economies," the letter said. "Inaction undermines the economic security of our families; limits the productivity of our workforce; stagnates job creation and wage growth; and threatens to crowd out investments in energy, education and infrastructure."
Earlier this week, Bracken Hendricks of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, underscored why SEIU members are now finding allies in the business community to help us press for health care reform.