Bill to make governor disclose fundraising quarterly advances

Arizona lawmakers are advancing measures to shed light on the political fundraising of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and other statewide officeholders by eliminating a three-year period during which no public reporting is currently required.

The Arizona House of Representatives passed House Bill 2403 on Thursday with a bipartisan 49-9 vote. The bill would require candidates for four-year offices, like governor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and others, report their campaign finances four times a year, even in the years between election cycles.

“People in these very powerful statewide roles owe it to voters to let them know who is contributing to their campaign throughout the year, and each year that they are in office,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, said. “We need more disclosure, not “We need more disclosure, not less.”

Rep. Matt Gress,

less.”

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it would need majority approval before heading to Hobbs’ desk to be signed into law. A similar measure in the Senate is likely to get final votes next week, and the governor has signaled support for either version.

The bills are a response to reporting by The Arizona Republic that detailed a 2016 change to state campaign finance law. That change allowed four-year officeholders to go three years between elections without public disclosure of their political fundraising. Before 2016, at least annual and sometimes more frequent reporting was required.

Under the prior law, Hobbs would have filed a report in January detailing all campaign fundraising and spending from 2023. After the amendments in 2016, she is not required to report anything until 2026, when she is expected to seek a second term.

Hobbs was the only four-year officeholder who did not file an annual report this year, which was a result of her campaign arm quickly updating information in the state’s campaign finance reporting software. The software prompted other officeholders who did not update their campaign information to file the reports in January, and they did.

Though the law changed many years ago, the reporting gap it created is notable now. Hobbs, who proved to be a good fundraiser during her run for governor, has pledged to use some of her haul to oust Republican lawmakers from the Legislature. Electing more Democrats would give Hobbs more allies when it comes to passing her agenda.

Campaign finance reporting laws allow the public to see who is seeking to influence politics and policymakers,

concerned about an increase in traffic and noise, like the sound from the drivethrus and increased vehicles in the area during the busiest times of the day.

The site is zoned for residential uses, which Tuffin said is much more appropriate than a commercial center directly across from the high school.

High volume of opposition, support

The city received hundreds of letters and signatures from people both in opposition and in favor of the project.

Hundreds of people signed a petition in support of bringing a grocery store to the area. But many listed ZIP codes from as far from the area as downtown or south Phoenix. Some were even from out of state, including people from California, Texas, Utah and Florida.

In Vestar’s application to the city, it said the development will provide a neighborhood-scale shopping center for residents, as an alternative to the larger

Desert Ridge Marketplace. The Albertsons grocery store at Desert Ridge is the nearest grocery store to the project, a little over two miles away.

Tuffin and several other neighbors who submitted letters to the city said the proximity to the school means the center will attract students before and after school who might loiter.

Developer told to go back to village board

When the proposal came before the Desert View Village Planning Committee, an advisory body that gives recommendations to the City Council on development in the area, committee members voted to recommend the council deny the request.

In January, the city’s Planning Commission voted to continue the measure to give the developer a chance to go back before the Village Planning Committee to again present the plans. Tuffin said he and his neighbors were frustrated over the continuance, saying the move was a “delay tactic.”

A Vestar executive said the company is working to improve the proposal and plans to have additional meetings for community input.

"As the North Phoenix community continues to grow, many residents have expressed the need for additional grocery and retail options," Ryan Ash, vice president of development said in an emailed statement.

"While Vestar is committed to addressing these needs, we also acknowledge the concerns raised by some neighboring homeowners," Ash added, noting his team will meet with critics to improve the proposal to deliver the best possible retail center. "We look forward to hosting meetings with various community groups over the next few months to provide additional updates."

So far, Vestar does not own the land where it is planning to build the site. The land is controlled by the Arizona State Land Department, which can sell or lease its land for development.

Vestar previously leased the land for Desert Ridge Marketplace from the state, before buying it at auction in 2022. No auctions have been scheduled yet for the 20-acre parcel.