Guests - Betsy Smith, Tom Horne, Keith Gross, Dave Smith, Joel Strabala

Labor Day Weekend Reflections and Local Elections Update

The four-day work week is upon us thanks to Labor Day, giving everyone who works hard each day a well-deserved break. The weekend was filled with activity across our community, including ongoing campaigns for the special election in CD7. Currently, the race between Daniel Butieres and Adelita Grijalva remains neck and neck, though voter turnout has been very low so far. Ballots were sent out less than a week ago, so there's still time for participation to increase.

For those living in CD7 who haven't received their ballot, it's advisable to contact the Pima County elections office today. Voting centers are open where residents can bring ID and cast their ballots. It's crucial to remember that this special election occurs on September 23rd, not in November as some might think.

China Watch Wednesday Preview

This week's China Watch Wednesday promises to be interesting, with Steve Bannon potentially joining the program. A key topic will be President Trump's position on keeping 600,000 Chinese students in American universities.

The discussion will examine whether universities that can't survive without foreign students should reconsider their business models. While diversity of thought is important, there needs to be proper vetting of international students to understand their purpose for studying in the U.S. and the benefits of their presence. When relying heavily on students from one country, universities may not be getting truly diverse international input.

Tucson City Council Elections Update

The Tucson City Council elections are scheduled for November 5th. Kevin Dahl won his primary by just 19 votes against Sadie Shaw, who challenged the incumbent despite being a first-time City Council candidate with experience on the school board. Dahl will face off against Janet Wittenbreaker, who has worked in the city manager's office as a contracts writer.

Wittenbreaker understands the value of fiscal responsibility, processes, and what it takes to make Tucson function properly without relying on "scams and payoffs." She would likely oppose the free bus system, which has been labeled the "crime bus of Tucson" and represents an $11 million revenue loss from not charging fares.

In city elections, all voters can vote for candidates in Wards three, five, and six, regardless of which ward they live in. This gives every citizen a voice in changing the city's direction, especially given the current lack of trust in the mayor and council due to their mismanagement of roads, police, and other essential services.

Tom Horn Interview: ESA Purchases Controversy

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne addressed recent public statements by Attorney General Kris Mayes claiming he had improperly approved ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Account) purchases.

"What she said was pernicious rubbish," Horne stated firmly. He explained that the legislature had passed a bill implementing risk-based auditing to address a backlog in the department. With the ESA program seven times larger than before but still operating with the same 12-person review team, approvals had fallen two months behind.

The risk-based auditing approach allowed for payments under $2,000 to be processed without immediate checking, with audits occurring later. If improper purchases were discovered, the money would be recovered and abusers potentially removed from the program.

"She failed to mention that we already have recovered over $600,000 of improper purchases," Horne pointed out. "She made it seem like we approved them and they got away with it when in fact we got the money back."

Horne criticized Mays for making politically motivated statements rather than basing decisions on law. "Everything that she does is political," he said, noting that as Attorney General, Mays refused to represent his department in a lawsuit challenging the state's prohibition of biological males in girls' sports.

"She said she had a conflict because she didn't agree with me. She wants boys in girls sports," Horne explained. "That's not a conflict. A conflict would be if she'd represent one of the parties."

School Safety and Resource Officers

The conversation turned to school safety, with Horne discussing his efforts to increase the number of school resource officers. "When I took office in 2023, there were 190, and I've made it a big part of my job to increase that number to provide more protection for our kids and for our teachers and staff. We've gotten it from 190 to 563."

Horn expressed frustration that some schools refuse police officers even when the Department of Education would pay for them. "I have schools telling me, even though I'll pay for a police officer, that they don't want it because they want gun-free schools. Saying you want a gun-free school is like saying, 'come get me, I'm an easy victim.'"

He referenced a case where a school resource officer thwarted a potential attack by someone who entered a school with a gun and knife, threatening to kill 20 children "to make them famous." Horne was outraged that the perpetrator only received a one-year sentence.

Education Initiatives and Academic Improvement

While media coverage often emphasizes controversy, Horne stressed that "90% of my time and effort and those of the department are to help the public schools get better academic results."

He highlighted several successful initiatives, including "solutions teams" that send highly qualified teachers to help struggling schools. "They made a project of the bottom 5% of schools, about 90-some schools, and after a year, 70% of them were no longer in the bottom 5%."

His office also adopted a nearby school in a poor neighborhood, with staff members teaching classes weekly. "After a year, we increased the math scores 27%, thereby proving that poor kids can learn just as well as rich kids, as long as they're properly taught."

Horne emphasized that improving Arizona's education system is "an eight-year job, not a four-year job," which is why he's running for reelection.

John Bolton's Legal Troubles

Legal analyst and former assistant state attorney Keith Gross provided insight into federal agents raiding John Bolton's home. The investigation centers on Bolton taking classified documents from government offices and using them in writing his book.

"It's a separate crime to take the documents and an additional crime to publish or share them," Gross explained. "He's facing federal charges of up to seven years for each document he took, plus an additional seven years for each document he shared."

Given Bolton's age of 77, he's potentially "looking at more years than he has left alive." Gross pointed out the irony of Bolton "gloating about the raid at Mar-a-Lago" on a previous occasion.

"This is cleaning up messes from long past. This is equal enforcement of the law," Gross argued. "For a long time, it seemed like that law didn't matter because it wasn't enforced."

Bolton's actions were particularly egregious because "he sent highly sensitive classified documents to his family from a private email server while working in the White House. So he had forethought in doing this, this wasn't just an accident. This was orchestrated, organized, and corrupt."

Project Blue Controversy at Pima County Board of Supervisors

Dave Smith provided a firsthand account of the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting, which became contentious over "Project Blue," a proposed data center development.

"It's a sea of orange," Smith reported, describing protestors in orange shirts filling the meeting room. "There are 36 speakers for call to public, which limits us all to just two minutes. And they're cheering and screaming."

The protesters included representatives from various political factions, including "Marxists, socialists, the Democrats, socialists, the Green Party," all united in opposition to the project.

Later, Joel Storbala confirmed the widespread opposition: "Tucsonians from all walks of life, all demographics, all political parties were against Project Blue and what the county supervisors have been doing in keeping it a secret and trying to buy land to support that project."

Concerns centered around the project's water usage, power grid demands, and questionable economic benefits. "The water table can't support it. And the jobs that they're going to bring in aren't as high-paying as people think they are," Strabala explained.

Smith observed that the supervisors were facing backlash from their own political base: "When you become a one-party county or one-party city like Tucson and Pima County, eventually people start to say, 'Why aren't you really dealing with substantive issues?'"

The controversy connects to the ongoing CD7 special election, as Adelaide Grajava, one of the candidates, was previously involved with the Board of Supervisors. "We know what kind of government we get with Adelaide Grajava. It's this," Smith noted, suggesting voters should consider this when casting their ballots.

For those who need a ballot for the CD7 special election, Strabala advised contacting the Pima County recorder at recorder.pima.gov or visiting in person. He also mentioned that the Republican Party is still seeking volunteers to be poll watchers for the upcoming election.