Latest news with #GovKatieHobbs
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arizona Governor Signs Bill for Chase Field Upgrades
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks now have the funding mechanism in place for what will be at least a $750 million refurbishment of Chase Field, where the team has a lease through the 2027 season. Both sides of the state legislature passed House Bill 2704, which captures some of the sales taxes spent by patrons at the ballpark and earmarks it toward the improvements. Advertisement More from Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the bill Friday, passing it into law, the team confirmed. Diamondbacks representatives joined Hobbs at a corresponding ceremony. 'We're ecstatic over the legislative approval of HB2704,' Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said in a statement this week. 'This [is] a monumental victory for baseball and Diamondbacks fans.' Hall said the Diamondbacks will now turn their attention to extending their Chase Field lease with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Maricopa County owns Chase Field, which was built mostly on public dollars and opened in 1998, the D-backs' first season after expanding into the National League. Advertisement The original cost of the stadium was $364 million—$717 million in today's dollars—with $253 million provided by the county through a quarter cent raise in the sales tax, and the remainder of cost overruns paid by the ballclub. The legislation doesn't create a new tax, but it captures sales taxes patrons spend at Chase Field and adjacent facilities owned by the D-backs up to $500 million over 30 years. It's a special fund similar to the mechanism the NFL's Arizona Cardinals use to improve State Farm Stadium in nearby Glendale, Ariz. The D-backs are then expected to spend at least $250 million of their own money in ballpark improvements and commit to remain in Arizona for the term of the deal. 'I'm thrilled that the legislature has passed a bill that will keep the Diamondbacks in Phoenix and create good-paying jobs,' Hobbs said in a statement published on X. 'This is a huge win for every Arizonan.' HB2704 was introduced in January by state representative Jeff Weninger, and it passed the House by a 35-25 margin at the end of February. The Senate, after four months of internal negotiations, also finally passed it 19-11 on June 19, sending the bill with changes back to the House for reconciliation. The House approved it Monday 35-20, sending it to the governor's desk. Advertisement The legislation ensures that enough money from the 8.6% sales tax will go to the county, state and city to at least partially pay for services such as public education, fire, police, first responders and public safety. The remainder would go into the fund managed by the county to handle ballpark refurbishment, repairs and maintenance. The D-backs are counting on having access to $15-$20 million a year from that fund to borrow on over the course of 30 years, Hall said in March. But the team has its own tranche of money to get started: $250-$300 million, he added. The bill specifies $250 million. Though the ballpark is owned by the county, it's operated by the D-backs—the result of a 2018 settlement of a lawsuit between the parties in which the ballclub also agreed to underwrite the year-to-year maintenance. The team has put $200 million into the building since then, Hall said, including most recently new LED lights and a $2 million fix of the retractable roof. Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
7 days until Arizona government shuts down. Here is who to blame
Just in time for the Fourth of July, Gov. Katie Hobbs should put up a sign at Slide Rock and Red Rock state parks and on the voicemail of the Department of Public Safety and AHCCCS, which insures roughly one in every four state residents or 2 million people: Closed. For more information, contact House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear, (602) 926-3635. Montenegro is the guy who is so terrified of Sen. Jake Hoffman and his hard right Arizona Freedom Caucus that he's ready to shut down state government rather than approve a budget negotiated by Senate Republicans and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Negotiations in which House GOP leaders refused to negotiate. Several people close to the situation tell me the House votes were there last week to pass the $17.6 billion Appropriations Chairman David Livingston on June 18 predicted the Hobbs-Senate budget would pick up support from as many as 31 of the 60-member chamber's 33 Republicans. 'We have a lot of good things in there for members,' he told Capitol Media Services' Howard Fischer. Then on June 19, as the Senate was passing the bills and Hoffman was on the losing end of every vote, the House abruptly adjourned for the weekend. Montenegro announced the House votes weren't there. 'The House is not going to be forced into a take-it-or-leave-it deal that doesn't reflect the will of ourmembers or the people we represent,' he announced on the afternoon of June 20, after a three-hour closed caucus. 'We will do what responsible legislators should do: take action to keep government running and protect Arizona taxpayers.' Even Rep. Livingston has changed his tune, lambasting the staunchly conservative Senate President Warren Petersen for daring to embrace the reality of divided government and negotiate with Hobbs on a budget — a budget that just a day earlier he had praised as containing 'a lot of good things' for Republicans. 'The Governor, with the help of RINO Senate President, is pushing a Democrat Budget,' he said late on June 19, as the Senate passed its bill and announced it was adjourning for the year. Montenegro is now proposing a skinned-down budget to prevent a shutdown and 'give us the time we need to continue negotiations.' I'm not sure what there is to negotiate in July that couldn't have been negotiated in May and June, when House GOP leaders refused to come to the table. Instead, House Republicans went it alone and produced their own $17.3 billion budget — guaranteed veto bait given the cuts to education and AHCCCS. Meanwhile, the Hobbs-Senate $17.6 billion budget increased funding for education and border security and gave pay raises to state police and firefighters, a bonus to corrections officers and $5 million to every Senate Republican who supported the budget, to spend in their districts or otherwise as they see fit. Opinion: Call the doctor. Some GOP lawamkers just got run over So, what happened? One word: Hoffman. Multiple sources tell me he's the shadow speaker, the puppeteer pulling Montenegro's strings. That Montenegro is terrified of being removed as speaker, so he caved to the Freedom Caucus, which Sen. Hoffman chairs. Hoffman's No.1 goal at the Capitol is to hobble Hobbs. It has been from the moment she was elected. Because really, what's more important? Ensuring the smooth operation of state government or making Hobbs look bad to improve Republican Rep. Andy Biggs' odds of knocking her off next year? Something to ponder as you rush to get that Real ID driver's license before you fly this summer or find yourself in need of a state highway trooper or help from the Department of Economic Security. Something to ponder as wildfires — the kind that happen outside the state Capitol — ignite. Starting July 1, the state of Arizona will be closed for business. If you need help, call 1-800-MONTENEGRO. Reach Roberts at Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz, on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz and on BlueSky at @ Get more opinions in your email inbox by signing up for our free opinions newsletter, which publishes Monday through Friday. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona is a week from shutdown if House refuses budget deal | Opinion
