What I’m Hearing from My Constituents
Hi Friend and welcome!
We may be new to each other. As your new State Representative in the new Legislative District 2, I probably knocked on your door in recent months to introduce myself - or one of our volunteers did. Thank you for signing up to receive these occasional updates from me.
Frankly, I never imagined I'd be a politician. I've spent my life in his district as a mom, teacher for 27 years at Greenway and Cactus High Schools, co-founder of Theater Works, and a leader in my church and local groups. But it breaks my heart that almost 1/3 of Arizona's students no longer have a permanent, qualified teacher. I thought somebody should DO something about that. And well, here I am.
It is one of the honors of my life to serve our community in the state legislature. Stopping by to meet you is the least I can do to make sure I'm listening to my neighbors.
I want to also report back on what I'm hearing from you and our other neighbors- and how I'm working to address these concerns for us. Please contact me anytime at 602-769-5149 or at judy@JudyForAZ.com.
Your State Representative,
Judy
What I'm Hearing From You
Invest in Our Public Schools
The most consistent thing I hear is that you want Arizona to better invest in our public schools, pay our teachers better, reduce class sizes, and make sure your special needs kids get the services they need. You want more investment in career and technical education (CTE) , too - something close to my heart (my dad was a shop teacher and my husband taught DECA). Those of you with kids love your district or charter school and your kids' teachers.
If you don't have kids at home, you often have friends or family who teach, and still appreciate that an educated population is healthier, strengthens our economy and makes us all safer. I very much agree, and share your priorities for our schools and freedoms.
Arizona remains in the national basement in per pupil investment, but I'm proud to have helped make some progress this year. We increased the state education budget by $1 Billion but we're in such a deep hole, we have a long way to go. In the meantime, the Republican majority forced through a universal voucher expansion that would immediately drain most of that increase into the pockets of private school owners.
Let Voters Decide!
Why I'm Collecting Signatures
to Stop Voucher Expansion
Despite the fact that Arizona voters have already rejected voucher expansion, in the last days of this past session, the legislature's Republican majority forced through a bill creating the largest private school voucher program in the nation. This will drain hundreds of millions of dollars from public schools annually, threatening to effectively dismantle public education in Arizona.
I am collecting signatures to Stop Voucher Expansion because EVERY child deserves a qualified teacher in their classroom. But the universal voucher expansion scheme will have the opposite effect.
It will give away our tax dollars to unaccountable private schools while leaving the vast majority of students whose families choose their local public schools without the resources they need and deserve.
Signing the petition will simply put a PAUSE on the law to stop predatory groups already plotting to make money off the backs of taxpayers and our children. Then in 2024, voters will AGAIN decide whether they want our tax dollars to go toward ensuring we're investing properly in our public schools so that every child has a qualified teacher in their classroom, - or giving our taxes to private school owners to operate however they wish.
Stop by ANY of our events to sign a petition to help save our schools.
Protect Our Freedom to Vote
You want to be able to use the same secure vote-by-mail system you've used for years. Rightly so! Like most of you, I love getting my ballot in the mail so I can take my time to research the candidates and propositions, and will continue to fight to protect our voting freedoms. Despite on-going accusations from my opponents and others, multiple investigations have found no evidence of fraud in the 2020 election. Since some continue to make meritless accusations, you can find the facts about Maricopa County's highly secure regarded, secure elections here. While some extremists want to do away with mail-in ballots, I'm committed to making sure that every eligible voter's ballot is counted
Track Your Ballot!
In fact, if you live in Maricopa County, the Elections Department will text you when they have mailed your ballot, and then again after you've mailed it back, they'll text you when they've received it, have verified your signature, and then counted it. Just text the word JOIN to 628-683 and walk through the prompts to sign up for the service.
Protect Our Privacy & Personal Freedom
Many of you are alarmed, as I am at the assault on our reproductive freedoms. I share your outrage at this violation of our most personal healthcare decisions. I will continue to defend pregnant people's right to make the decisions that are right for them, their health, and their families without the interference of politicians who know nothing about their circumstances.
This is personal for me. My daughter-in-law and son struggled for years to have a child, and so were thrilled when she became pregnant. But doctors discovered that the fetus was developing without a properly formed skull. It could likely continue to live within the womb but would not live past birth. After prayerful consideration, they chose abortion. And thankfully, there was no politician looking over their shoulders to judge, fine, or even jail them or their doctors in this heartbreaking situation. When they eventually did have a viable pregnancy and their daughter was born, in gratitude, then named her Kaira, meaning “in God’s time.”
So many families have similar stories which is one more reason this election is so important this year. With the overturning of Roe, it now falls to legislatures like ours to protect our fundamental rights to choose abortion - or any other healthcare.
Stop Skyrocketing Housing Costs
I also hear your alarm about skyrocketing housing and rents - and the growing number of homeless people in our neighborhoods. I've already been working with the city to help clean up our freeway underpasses and other areas, but we need to invest in long-term solutions to ensure affordable housing, prevent vulnerable neighbors from becoming unsheltered, and address homelessness.
Last session, I co-sponsored a bill that would put a cap on rent increases, and supported legislation to give cities greater flexibility to make their own zoning rules about short term rentals. I'm also deeply concerned about the out of state corporate takeover of so many of our homes. Should I be re-elected, these will continue to be among my priorities.
Plan for Our Water Future
Many of you name water and climate concerns as well. You've seen the news. We can no longer take our water supply for granted. I was proud to help advocate for more investment in immediate water conservation measures this past session, but we have much more work to do.
This week, the federal government announced a Tier 2a water shortage on the Colorado River, which will cut Arizona's allocation of water from the Colorado River by 21%. That's an increase of 80,000 acre-feet from the 2022 cuts.
Prioritize Everyday Arizonans and Our Local Businesses
Inflation and gas prices are hurting every one of us. We need to prioritize working families and businesses right here in Arizona and hold big out of state corporations accountable! I've been grateful to see gas prices steadily declining this summer, but we have a ways to go. One bright spot is that the Inflation Reduction Act will cap prescription drug costs for seniors, bring down consumer energy costs, and make big corporations pay their fair share in taxes!
Your Vote is Vital!
Help Elect Jeanne Casteen & Me to Represent You in the State Legislature!
This will be a crucial – and close election. We can move backward into culture war attacks shouting dog whistles like socialist and fascist, or we can remember that we are neighbors and work together to solve the very pressing issues we face. My fellow teacher Jeanne Casteen (for State Senator) and I (for State Representative) would be honored to earn your vote and serve your family in the legislature.
The Single Shot Strategy
In my race, your ballot will say you can vote for 2, but you CAN choose to vote for just 1. One of the other candidates will win since there are three candidates and two people will be elected. Please supercharge your vote and help me be the other winner by voting ONLY for me for State Representative. Thank you! And please spread the word.
