Reminder: AZCIR's 2017 "Facts Matter" Fundraiser is next month!

 

A couple of weeks ago, we announced the kick-off of our end-of-year fundraising campaign and invited you to a celebration of fact-based, in-depth reporting.
There is limited space for this event, and tickets are going fast, so we wanted to make sure you weren't left out.

We want you to join AZCIR staff for casual conversations with food and some libations at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix. We’ve rented the top patio from 5-7 p.m. on November 16. AZCIR staff and board members will be on hand to talk about AZCIR’s work, what’s ahead and how you can support independent investigative reporting in Arizona.

Quality journalism is essential to democracy but it isn't free. We pinch pennies and stretch a dollar, but it still costs nearly $2,600 a week for us to produce unique and needed stories that hold people accountable, like our recent investigation into the Arizona Department of Education that uncovered millions of dollars being misallocated. If you've been waiting to help support AZCIR, there is no better time than right now and at this event. Every dollar you give at this event will be tripled, thanks to a challenge grant from our primary funder, the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, and News Match 2017. We'll supply delicious Mexican appetizers and buy the first round of drinks. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP.

WHERE: Crescent Ballroom, top patio WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 16, 5-7 p.m. RSVP: See our Eventbrite page You can RSVP with a free ticket, or you can make a tax-deductible donation for your ticket below. We also can accept checks, and will be processing credit cards at the event for donations. If you can't make it, please consider donating online at http://azcir.org/donate/. All donations through the end of the year are eligible for the triple-match. I hope to see you there! Jim Small Executive Director and Editor

Who Benefits From State & Local Tax Deductions?

Who benefits from state and local tax deductions88% of savings goes to one group of Americans. Find out who in the #NumberOfTheDay

Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day From Ballotpedia

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By Scott Rasmussen
October 30, 2017: Eighty-eight percent (88%) of the tax savings from deducting state and local taxes goes to those earning $100,000 or more.^[1] Under current law, the benefits total $1.3 trillion over the coming decade.
Republicans in Congress took preliminary steps to eliminate this deduction last week as part of a broad tax reform effort. If the change becomes law, it would have the biggest impact on high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California.
A longer-term impact, however, might be to reduce spending by state and local governments. That’s because federal deduction provides a subsidy to such governments. If the taxpayers in each state have to pay the full burden of their state or local government, there could be pressure to reduce spending.
That pressure would come from competition with other state and local governments. More than 35 million Americans move each year. If state taxes are no longer deductible, those moving could find high-tax cities and states somewhat less appealing than they are today.

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Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.

• October 27, 2017 – 51 percent of Chicago residents believe relations with police are good
• October 26, 2017 – 1,300 dollars spent on Amazon by average Prime member
• October 25, 2017 – 10 countries have more economic freedom than U.S.
• October 24, 2017 – 43.7 million immigrants live in United States today
• October 23, 2017 – 28 percent of American adults use same password for most or all online accounts
• To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.

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Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. Bookmark this page to check out the latest update.
Scott’s new book, Politics Has Failed: America Will Not, came out on May 9.
Ballotpedia is the nonprofit, nonpartisan Encyclopedia of American Politics.

  

Welcome to Bold Justice

Need to stay on top of the whirlwind world of the federal judiciary of the United States? Welcome to the newsletter that does just that: Bold Justice. 

Bold Justice.

Catchy, right?

Well, there’s a story behind it, and we’re happy to credit Justice Samuel Alito for the inspiration.

Back in October of 2014, Justice Alito joined his fellow Supreme Court Yale Law alumni, Justices Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor, for a panel as part of the law school’s alumni weekend. During the discussion, the moderator asked the audience if they could guess which of the three justices on the panel served as the inspiration for a coffee house to name one of their blends of coffee, Bold Justice. Justice Alito responded, “Obviously, it’s me.” He went on to tell the story of how, during his days as a Third Circuit judge, his law clerks participated in a Newark, New Jersey, coffee shop’s year-long promotion wherein if customers sampled every blend for one year, the customers could then create and name a blend of coffee. Justice Alito described Bold Justice as a blend that was “designed for about three o’clock in the afternoon if you’re working and you’re starting to fall asleep, if you have this, it will jolt you awake.”

A blend of courts and coffee: sounds perfect to us!

If you jump to the 18-minute mark of this video, you can hear Justice Alito tell the tale of Bold Justice!

Antique Dealers Selling Black Memorabilia Here in DTMesa: Mixed Feelings

Fannie McClendon

Your MesaZona blogger is both surprised and pleased to see an excellent piece of reporting about the vintage marketplaces and antique shops in business here on Main Street [that occupy the most sidewalk frontage square footage of all retail stores] - they don't get much attention from the Office of Downtown Transformation, but they did get featured today by the Associated Press [also take a look below at a derivative article from Cronkite News re-written by one of the string of journalism students] 

Antique dealers’ African American collectables spark debate

By Angelica Cabral, The Associated Press on October 30, 2017MESA, Ariz. — "Visitors to antique shops on Main Street in Mesa will see stores crammed with primarily benign American memorabilia. A 19th century record player, a vintage 1990s Barbie, or a campaign button promoting Richard Nixon for president line the shelves.

Then, the eyes flit across something more startling. A set of spice jars in the shape of a Mammy, depicting a grinning, big-lipped, dark-skinned woman wearing a scarf.
The selling of African-American memorabilia in Arizona and elsewhere in the country sparks complex questions, similar to recent controversies over Confederate statues. Placing such imagery in the marketplace can raise the spectre of racism, while also provoking thought that such products preserve history. . .
Antique store owners selling Mammy figures and other African-American memorabilia in Mesa include a Jewish woman whose grandparents died in the Holocaust, an African-American woman who served in World War II and a man from a family of antique collectors who wants to save emblems of the past for future generations.
> Michelle Holz, the owner of Michelle’s Antiques, said the spice jars she offered for sale are simply a part of history.
> Greg Farr, who is white, owns Antique Plaza in Mesa. He also sells what he called “black collectibles.”
On a recent day, he had a Mammy cookie jar and figure in his store.
He said most of the people who buy them are African-American and the originals have become so popular, people are actually making reproductions to sell.
“To people who collect it, it’s not offensive. It’s just what it is,” Farr said.
> Fannie McClendon is the 97-year-old owner of The Glass Urn, the store next door to Farr’s location. An African-American business owner, she said most of her customers who buy black memorabilia have been white. . . At times, she has been unsure whether to sell certain pieces. But she considers them a form of art.
The complex issues surrounding black memorabilia extend to the people who buy such items.
READ MORE >
http://www.canadianinquirer.net/2017/10/30/antique-dealers-african-american-collectables-spark-debate/
__________________________________________________________________________________

Antique dealers see controversial African-American memorabilia as part of history
By Angelica Cabral | Cronkite News Monday, Oct. 23, 2017
MESA – Visitors to antique shops on Main Street in Mesa will see stores crammed with primarily benign American memorabilia. A 19th century record player, a vintage 1990s Barbie, or a campaign button promoting Richard Nixon for president line the shelves.

Then, the eyes flit across something more startling. A set of spice jars in the shape of a Mammy, depicting a grinning, big-lipped, dark-skinned woman wearing a scarf.

The selling of African-American memorabilia in Arizona and elsewhere in the country sparks complex questions, similar to recent controversies over Confederate statues. Placing such imagery in the marketplace can raise the specter of racism, while also provoking thought that such products preserve history. . .
READ MORE >
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2017/10/23

Missing In Mesa: NDO to Enforce LGBTQ Civil Rights

Why Arizona is a battleground over LGBT rights and religious freedom as Trump, Apple line up in Supreme Court case
By Mike Sunnucks  –  Senior Reporter, Phoenix Business Journal            
8 hours ago
Christian calligraphy business owners promise to appeal the latest decision from a Maricopa Superior Court judge over Phoenix's LGBT protections.Source: ooops! It's behind a Pay-Wall
https://www.bizjournals.com

Arizona Judge Protects LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Ordinance in PhoenixBy Adam Polaski • October 27, 2017 • 10:41 am         
A judge in Arizona has ruled this week that a business owner’s religious beliefs do not entitle them to a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people. The decision from a Maricopa County Superior Court judge found that a retail store that sells wedding invitations and other wedding-related stationary and objections cannot be exempt from the city of Phoenix’s non-discrimination ordinance, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other classes.

Notably, the business was seeking an exemption from the ordinance, which has been in place for several years now, despite never having been approached by an LGBTQ person seeking their services, an obvious attempt to undercut an ordinance that protects people from unequal treatment.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, a member of Freedom for All Americans’ Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination coalition, said this week:

“Today was a victory for civil rights and when there’s a victory for civil rights, it’s not just a victory for the LGBT community, it’s a victory for everyone.”

Congratulations to Mayor Stanton, the people of Phoenix, and our partners at One Community AZ, who worked to support the case.
The decision comes just weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral argument in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, scheduled for December 5. The case concerns a baker who refused to sell a cake to a same-sex couple. It tackles a similar question: Can a business be exempt from an LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination law?

Judges have almost never found it persuasive when businesses have sought to exempt themselves from local or state non-discrimination laws protecting LGBTQ people. 
Blogger's Note:
Even though Mormons are now a minority in this city of over 475,000 persons, tenets of their LDS religion still impact public policy and decision-making on many levels.
It's not like recent moves by the Mormon church who operate 70% of the chapters of The Boy Scouts of America, to withdraw all their scouts from the national organization when anti-discrimination laws were imposed.
Mormons could, however, choose NOT to get involved in government if they prefer to follow their religion instead of the law.
Click here to see a list of six other cases in recent history where courts have ruled against religious refusal policies or efforts. 

Foul Play? Jake Brown "Jumping The Gun" In Race for City Council District 4

Hey, Kids! [Voters in District 4]
Anybody gettin' real good and tired - time-and-time again - of this same-old same-old worn-out underhanded game of politics here in Mesa? All's fair [and foul] in politics!
More fun ahead!
The newest political gamer in town: Jake Brown shown to the left with his expansive family.
He's already got a website paid for by "Jake Brown for Mesa" and asking for donations - it is now a good six months before filings and financial disclosures are required by the Mesa City Clerk's Office.

Who's to say, but according to http://mesaaz.gov/city-hall/city-clerk/election-information the official website for Mesa's City Clerk

"Any Mesa resident that is seeking to become a candidate at the 2018 Primary Election and to have his/her name printed on the official ballot must file with the City Clerk's Office, not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days before the Primary Election, (April 30, 2018 through May 30, 2018), a nomination paper, nomination petitions and a financial disclosure statement covering the previous 12-month period."
The next Primary election will be held on August 28, 2018, where Councilmembers in Districts 3, 4, 5, and 6 will be elected.
If you have any questions or would like to request a candidate packet, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at (480) 644-2099.
_______________________________________________________________

Termed-out and current D4 rep on the Mesa City Council is Chris Glover who says that he's proud to endorse Jake Brown

"I am happy to announce this morning that I am running for Mesa City Council, District 4, and that Chris Glover who currently represents the district has endorsed me. I love Mesa, but I do see some ways that we can make it better, and I hope we can work together to make Mesa amazing!"

- October 25, 2017

Source: https://www.facebook.com/Jacobdarlbrown/

 

This image was uploaded on Sept 25 2017 >

From his wife of October 25:

"This is it! After a lot of thought and prayer we decided to take the dive and have Jake Brown run for City Council. Jake grew up here and his family has been he...re for generations. I didn't understand the draw to living in Mesa and why his extended family stayed, until we moved here after college a little over 8 years ago. Since that time I have come to love Mesa, the people, the focus on family, and the emphasis on education. Over the time we've been here in the heart of Mesa, we've seen some changes and felt the desire to become a greater contributor to the change happening in our city. One of the many things that I love about my husband is his ability to really dedicate himself to what he believes in. Jake really believes in Mesa, that it is and should be the best place to live, work, and raise a family. I'm excited for this journey."

facebook.com/jacobdarlbrown

From http://jakebrownformesa.org/
" . . . I am a 7th generation Mesan. My family has been here since it was a small farming community, and we have seen it grow into the 38th largest city in the country. I went to elementary school, junior high, and high school here. I went away to BYU for my undergrad, but I came right back to live in Mesa while I attended law school at ASU with my two brothers. My wife and I now raise our five children in the heart of district 4 near Horne and Broadway.
As a Realtor, I have seen all parts of Mesa and the excitement that people have as they get to join our community. As a prosecutor for the last 4 years, I have seen people in some of their hardest moments: losing their property, loved ones, and sense of security. I know we are a great city, but we can do better. That is why I am running for city council. . . 
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Jonathan Pie: The Great NHS Sell Off!.

Pie unloads BIG TIME

Published on Oct 29, 2017

"Come all ye bastards!" The NHS is for sale.