AZ Political Podcast: Warren Petersen talks AZ ICE Act, DOJ investigation of Phoenix Police, more

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen says he’s making swift progress on some of the major items on his agenda he outlined when we spoke in November.

He stepped into the studio once again for the latest episode of the AZ Political Podcast to share an update on how he’s passing legislation to:

• Speed up Arizona’s slow ballot counting process.
• Tackle the state’s major water issues.
• Increase education funding, including teacher pay.
• Find new funding for public safety.

He feels mostly successful about checking off what’s on that list. However, he said a recent veto from Gov. Katie Hobbs pushed Republicans in the state Senate to find a non-legislative solution to their electoral issue, which they referred to the ballot.

What did Warren Petersen say during his episode on the AZ Political Podcast?

Most of our time together was used to discuss the last item on his to-do list: promote public safety.

Petersen filled us in on a letter he sent to the assistant Attorney General of the United States asking the DOJ to rescind its report accusing the Phoenix Police Department of civil rights violations.

The report, which came out when President Joe Biden was in office, was highly critical of the Phoenix Police Department.

Petersen said he fears the report could result in federal monitoring of the Phoenix Police Department millions of dollars that will go into lawyers’ pockets rather than report the public.

He pointed to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office as an example, saying that federal oversight has cost county taxpayers more than $300 million.

Warren Petersen also talks about sending Arizona ICE Act to governor

This week, President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan visited the state Capitol to talk about the public safety issue of immigration, including SB1164, a bill Petersen championed.

Dubbed the Arizona ICE Act, this bill would require local authorities to enforce federal immigration policy.

Finally, as is the case with all political discussions (at least as of late), Petersen and I discuss the effects of Trump’s tariffs on Arizona businesses and consumers.

Hope you enjoy the podcast (more than investors have enjoyed the tariffs, anyway).

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