Paul Yoder LD15 House of Representatives Candidate Bio and Platform

Paul Yoder Platform and Bio

ISSUES and ANSWERS

Border Security

As an Arizona native, it is obvious to me that the existing Federal plan does not provide maintenance of our Southern Border as it should. Waiting for the Feds to act only leaves our communities vulnerable to drugs, criminal activity, and of course, untenable strains on our services to citizens, including healthcare. Arizona is number one in kidnappings in the country. The majority of those kidnapped are legal U.S. citizens with Hispanic or Latino surnames. They must be protected. Skyrocketing unemployment emphasizes the need to protect legal residents in their search for employment. Having lived abroad for 18 years, I bring a prospective to immigration that is both humane and sensible. Bottom line though: protecting our communities from harmful influences coming in from abroad is going to be up to the state as long as the Federal Government continues to abdicate its responsibility to keep our borders secure.

Jobs

Arizona has enjoyed impressive population growth, but we need employment opportunities to keep pace with that growth. The Legislature should create an environment where capitalism can thrive, resulting in vitally needed jobs. At the same time, business leaders have a duty to the local communities they serve. We should have no patience with corporations that resort to unfair practices in order to undercut their competition. At the same time we want to encourage those businesses that improve the quality of life in our communities, doing everything possible to assure that they remain in Arizona.

Education

In order to attract viable, ethical businesses, we need to be able to offer them a workforce second to none. Arizona students have many excellent educational opportunities and yet our public schools continue to rank at or near the bottom nationally. Usually more math and science classes are proposed to remedy the situation. Teachers are driven to produce students who can pass achievement tests without preparing them for real life situations. In the process educators have become overburdened with red tape that robs them of valuable teaching time. For the last 25 years we have been cutting sports and arts programs from our schools. If we are to improve the quality of education in Arizona, these trends need to be reversed. Certainly it is important for students to become proficient, but the best schools have always been environments where creativity has been allowed to thrive. Only by unleashing their creative spirit can our children grow into the confident, solution driven workforce that will be attractive to employers.

Summary

The burst of the housing bubble, coupled with unacceptable unemployment levels, has emptied our state’s coffers. Until these circumstances change, we are going to have to learn to get by with less. This cloud has a silver lining: our budget shortfalls will force us to craft a leaner, more efficient government, one that will still be responsive to our needs, but not intrusive or cumbersome. Be very careful about looking to government to solve all our problems, there is no substitute for personal responsibility. The right to “pursue happiness” is not a guarantee that it will happen. Future generations of Arizonans are depending on us to avoid the pitfalls that have crippled our national economy and that of states like California and Michigan. I believe I possess the vision to ensure that the American dream remains a reality for those who come after us. It would be a great honor for me if you should choose to support me as a candidate for the Arizona Legislature House of Representatives.

Short biography

Born and raised in Phoenix, I’m a professional musician with a degree in music education from Arizona State University. After teaching for a short while, I went back to college and then moved to Europe to begin what became an 18 year career as a professional opera singer (dirty job, bur somebody’s got to do it). In 1996 my mom had a very serious heart attack, so I returned home and for the last 14 years I’ve continued making music, primarily as a conductor, and in church and concert halls instead of the theater.

Coming from the arts and having lived in abroad, I bring a different perspective to the state political arena. Living and working in other countries gave me firsthand experience with immigration, both its pitfalls and benefits. Many of the proposed solutions to our current economic woes have already been tried in Europe and I’ve had a chance to see how they work and also, how they don’t. These big government socialist answers have generally left European nations hopelessly in debt, stifling enterprise, which has resulted in unemployment levels that leave very little hope for future generations.

My experience as a conductor has shown me that I possess excellent leadership skills, and that I can build consensus. If you think getting Republicans and Democrats to agree is difficult, try getting musicians to agree about practically anything musical. It’s no small feat to get a horn player’s phrasing to match a bassoon’s, to keep a chorus, 70 feet away from you, singing in time with the violins sitting right under your nose. If we are to get past the political stalemates that are stymieing our state government and move forward to re-create the systems that have ceased to work for us, we are going to have to start cooperating with each other again. I’m seeking office because I’m creative and I know I can be a catalyst to move government in the direction that will protect all Arizona citizens, both now and in the future.

Source:
Paul Yoder
Candidate LD15 House of Representatives

Luis Garcia Endorses Ken Clark for Arizona House of Representatives, District 15‏

On Friday, March 19, 2010, Luis Garcia and the Ken Clark for Arizona campaign announced endorsement news in the Democratic Primary for Legislative District 15. This afternoon, Luis Garcia publicly endorsed Ken Clark for Arizona House of Representatives. Please find the link to the post on Garcia's website here: http://www.garciaforarizona.com/news.php?BID=32

The campaign is excited to have Luis' support for the August 24, 2010 Democratic Primary.

Learn more about Ken at http://www.kenclarkforaz.org/

Source:

Kathren Coleman
Campaign Manager
Ken Clark for Arizona
602-456-0489

P.L.A.N. Update - Legislature Clears Budget Hurdle‏

Seventh Special Session Sine Die - Governor Signs Budget Package

The seventh special session of the 49th Legislature, which focused on addressing the state’s $3.4 billion deficit for FY 2010 and FY 2011, came to a close at 2:53 p.m. on March 16. The final version of the budget package includes $1.2 billion in state agency and program cuts and identifies $862 million in additional reductions if the May 18 three-year state sales tax increase fails at the ballot box. While revenue sharing went untouched in the end, the Local Transportation Assistance Fund (LTAF) is permanently zeroed out, resulting in a $12 million impact to the City’s transit program this year and $9 million per year after that. Governor Brewer signed the budget package Thursday morning. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee posted the Updated Budget Proposal with Floor Amendments (3/12/10). On page one of the document, select FY2011 Conditional Enactments (pages 5 and 6) to view the summary of additional cuts should the proposed one-cent state sales tax fail.

Payday Lending

Attempts to extend the Payday Lending industry failed once more this week. Senator Russell Pearce (R – Mesa) reintroduced this item via a “strike-everything” amendment on HB2370 in Tuesday’s Senate Appropriations Committee. After much discussion and debate, the bill failed 5-3. No word on whether another attempt at pursuing this legislation will be made this session.

2010 Census Count Important to Phoenix - Census Forms are in the Mail

Watch for your form

Getting everyone in our community counted is important for the city of Phoenix. Each person counted in the 2010 Census brings more than $400 a year to Phoenix to fund critical programs and services. It helps pay for police, fire, parks, libraries, senior centers, roads, public transit, neighborhood revitalization and more.

Census information is safe and confidential. By law, the U.S. Census Bureau cannot share your answers with others, including welfare agencies, immigration authorities, the Internal Revenue Service, courts or law enforcement. When you receive your census questionnaire, please take ten to complete and return by mail.

Source: P.L.A.N.

P.L.A.N. Update - 7th Special Session‏

On Monday afternoon, the seventh special session of the 49th legislature kicked off, focused on closing the state’s budget deficit. The proposal as introduced contained a $6 million hit to Phoenix’s sales tax revenue sharing, as well as an $8 million impact to the City’s portion of the local transportation assistance fund (LTAF). While the budget bills moved through their respective committees on Tuesday, the process came to a halt the following day.

A major sticking point for many legislative members was the transfer of the state’s juvenile corrections function to the counties. By Thursday, the juvenile corrections item was removed from the budget package and work proceeded to pass a majority of the budget bills. The remaining budget items, which cut $1.1 billion from the state's general fund, are expected to be completed on Monday then sent to the Governor for her signature.

The good news is that the reduction in cities' shared revenue was amended out of the package, so there is no direct impact to Phoenix's general fund. The bad news is the sweep and permanent repeal of LTAF was left in the package, which reduces revenue for our Public Transit Department by $8 million. Many thanks goes out to those PLAN members who contacted their legislators, asking that shared revenues be held harmless. You made a difference!

Source: P.L.A.N.

P.L.A.N. Update - Budget Balancing Acts‏

State Budget Hits Hard

Budget documents began circulating mid-week, detailing the current majority plan to close the State’s $2.7 billion deficit. The proposal would cut or eliminate functions of state government to the tune of $1.1 billion. The remaining gap would be filled with $1 billion in new revenue from the temporary sales tax increase (assuming it is adopted), and defer $450 million in K – 12 and university spending.

In addition, the draft plan requires cities to "contribute" $20 million in sales tax revenue sharing to counties. This measure is meant to partially offset the costs associated with shifting the state’s juvenile corrections responsibility to counties. Phoenix and other cities do not operate juvenile courts, so we're asking why cities should pay.

We expect the Governor to call a seventh special session this coming Monday to adopt this budget plan. If the apparent agreement holds through the weekend, the bills should be released on Monday, with a vote to follow on Tuesday. Our estimate is that Phoenix's share of such a "contribution" would be $6 million. Local Transportation Assistance lottery funds are also being swept in the budget plan. If the full amount is diverted, Phoenix's share of these transit dollars would be another $8 million. This State budget plan will most certainly would result in the Council having to revisit potential cuts to Police, Fire and other vital City services including transit. Please remind your state legislators of the importance of revenue sharing and ask them to vote against this bad idea.

Phoenix City Council Adopts Final Budget Proposal

The city of Phoenix Trial budget was initially presented to the City Council on February 2. Since then, 18 community meetings took place where residents shared their thoughts and ideas on the proposed balanced budget. After a full day of consideration at the Council Policy Session, the Phoenix City Council adopted the final budget package on March 2. If the Legislature is successful in diverting shared revenue and transit funds, the budget will have to be rebalanced.

Source: City of Phoenix

P.L.A.N. Update - Shared Revenue and Libraries‏

Fair Allocation of Library Taxes?

Did you know that Phoenix property owners pay taxes to the county library district, but the vast majority of those dollars support libraries in other communities? In 1986, the Legislature passed a law allowing creation of library districts with the power to levy property taxes to pay for libraries and library service. One year later, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors formed the Maricopa County Library District (MCLD). In the 1980s Maricopa County was mostly unincorporated but has evolved to be very urbanized. Many cities and towns in Maricopa County provide their own libraries and library services, but state law provides that taxes collected by library districts cannot be passed to cities and towns. The result is that city residents in Maricopa County pay the library tax but city libraries cannot directly use any of those revenues.

In 2008, Phoenix residents paid $6.7 million in property taxes into the MCLD. That same year, Phoenix received about $600,000 (less than 10% of contributions) in services or revenues from the MCLD: $435,189 in reciprocal borrowing revenue and $165,000 in online database support.

Phoenix residents’ contributions are approximately 32% of total revenues collected in Maricopa County through library district taxes. In the past 12 years, Phoenix residents have contributed more than $50 million to the MCLD.

Currently, the Phoenix Public Library and its branches serve a residential population of more than 1.5 million. The service population of unincorporated Maricopa County is less than 250,000.

Last year, Phoenix cut its library hours by 30%. This year, Phoenix is proposing to close up to six libraries in addition to other library service cuts.

SB 1373 county library districts; cities; taxes will allow a city or town to receive at least 75% of the library taxes its residents pay to a library district in Maricopa or Pima County for the city or town to use for its libraries. The library district would keep 25% of the library tax collected in cities and towns to use for district purposes. The bill would restore fairness and allow Phoenix libraries to stay open.

Right now the bill is languishing -- call your Senator today and ask that this bill get a hearing.

Shared Revenue Alert

It's been quiet so far as we watch for potential raids on city revenues, but now comes SB 1108: Technical Correction; Children (Sen. Russell Pearce, R – Mesa) which is scheduled to carry a “strike everything” amendment this Tuesday entitled "State Shared Revenues." The amendment isn't yet available on the Legislature's website, but the title is ominous. This bill will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. We encourage you to remind your state legislators of the importance of shared revenues to cities and towns to be able to provide police and fire protection and other important services.

Increased Penalties for Graffiti Crimes

HB 2738: Criminal Damage; Classification (Rep. Anna Tovar, D – Tolleson), increases penalties for those convicted of graffiti crimes. The lower limit was $250, but this bill makes reckless damage of property in the amount of $1 to $999 a Class 1 misdemeanor. HB 2738 unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee this week and must be approved by the Rules Committee before Third Read approval before the House. The City of Phoenix thanks Representative Tovar for sponsoring this important measure.

Source: P.L.A.N.

P.L.A.N. Update - Special Session #6 - It's All About the Budget‏

Legislature Completes Work on Sixth Special Session for State Budget Fix

Governor Brewer called her sixth special session to continue chipping away at the current fiscal year’s budget deficit, pegged at $1.5 billion. The Governor’s call included:

• Adjustments to state agency budgets, including sale/leaseback of additional state buildings;
• referring to voters a three-year, one-percent increase in the state’s sales tax;
• prorating income tax deductions for out-of-state filers; and
• bonding against lottery revenues.

Revenue sharing was not discussed as a revenue option. While the Senate was able to quickly move the budget bills, the House took more time. The bills that refer a three-year one-cent sales tax, extend and securitize the lottery, and collect more taxes from out-of-state filers were approved. On Wednesday, things took an interesting turn. The sole outstanding measure, a $450 million rollover payment for K–12 and public universities, was linked with passage of the Speaker’s jobs bill, HB 2250: Arizona’s Job Recovery Act. The Senate apparently did not agree with this maneuver, so adjourned the special session sine die. The House followed suit on Thursday. The $450 million rollover education payment can still be considered in the current regular session or a future special session. The current year budget is still short almost $700 million, so more work remains.

Phoenix City Council Adopts A Two-Percent Emergency Food Tax

The Phoenix City Council took special action on Tuesday, Feb. 3, to adopt a two-percent tax on purchases of food for home consumption. City management estimates that the food tax revenue will provide $62.5 million over the next 15 months to help reduce the revenue shortfall facing the city. Today, every city bordering Phoenix collects a food tax; Phoenix's two-percent tax rate ranks 5th lowest among the 18 cities in Maricopa County that already collect a food tax. The city began this year's work on the budget with a $245 million budget shortfall. With the food tax, several efficiency measures and one-time financial transactions, this shortfall has been reduced to a more manageable $60 million. The Council's action reduces the number of cuts needed to balance the city's budget.

Last week the Trial Budget was presented to the City Council and released to the public. In our last message, we included links for the budget and for the schedule of community budget hearings where you can make your voice heard.

Legislation of Interest

HB 2250: Arizona’s Job Recovery Act (Rep. Kirk Adams, R–Mesa) makes numerous changes to state income tax, property tax assessment ratios, and the enterprise zone program, as well as dedicating new resources to job training and economic development. While the intent of the bill is to spur job creation, elements of the bill will reduce Phoenix revenues when they are fully phased in:

$12-$18 million loss in revenue sharing
$6 million impact in primary property tax collections (affecting the city's general fund)
$20 million hit in secondary property tax collections each year for five years (affecting bond payments), and
$220 million reduction in future bond capacity

As the City works to address this year's budget challenges, it's more important than ever to protect future revenue. HB 2250 will reduce future revenue and make it harder to recover from this downturn in the years to come. We look forward to working with the supporters of this measure to find middle ground that will stimulate the state’s economy without unduly placing public safety, streets, parks and library services in jeopardy.

Source: P.L.A.N.