Saguaro Signal — Arizona politics, policy, and elections

Capitol

Arizona's homebuilding slump needs speed, not scapegoats

A former Arizona mayor says home construction has sunk to a post-pandemic low and urges leaders to speed permits and balance water rules, not chase scapegoats.

Elections

Prop 318 lookalike site draws complaint and calls for fast enforcement

Prop 318's backers filed complaints over a lookalike website they say mimics their campaign and lacks required disclosures. State offices had not responded to the Globe before publication.

Capitol

Arizona promised secure treatment for its sickest psychiatric patients in 2019. None exists.

Larry Bootsma was 23 years old when he experienced psychosis for the first time. His parents still remember the phone call from his apartment. He was panicking, saying bugs were crawling out of the vents. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. Larry exhausted nearly every level of Arizona’s behavioral health...

Local

Phoenix passenger dies after rollover; police cite driver medical event

Police say a suspected medical event led to a fatal single-vehicle rollover near 7th Avenue and Portland. The numbers that matter next are response times, costs, and targeted fixes.

Elections

Arizona Morning Roundup: Fontes Loses in Court, Feuds With Kolodin; What Was a Green Candidate Doing for Ralph Heap?

Border

Military contractor aircraft surveil Arizona’s southern border for undisclosed mission

Military contractor aircraft equipped with high-end surveillance gear has been flying along the United States southern border above Arizona, New Mexico and Texas for months. The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security won’t elaborate on what the aircraft are doing. “The Department of War...