With the PolitickerAZ.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Arizona's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

With the PolitickerAZ.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Arizona's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

Phoenix mayor leads migration reform force

PHOENIX - Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon will lead a task force on immigration reform for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Gordon was appointed to chair the conference's Comprehensive Immigration Reform Task Force by Manuel A. Diaz, the mayor of Miami and the conference's president. (Tucson Citizen, AP)

Link: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/arizona/93318.php

Businesses, farmers fund Pearce opponent

PHOENIX — State Rep. Russell Pearce's hard-line assault on illegal immigration has put him on the political map, giving him national recognition and making him a force at the Arizona Legislature.

It's now also galvanized opposition to the outspoken champion of immigration crackdowns, as Phoenix-area business owners and farmers from as far as Yuma — 170 miles from his legislative district in Mesa — contribute to the campaign of his opponent in the Sept. 2 primary. (Daily Star, AP)

Link: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/252183.php

Cave Creek Day labor law permanently barred

PHOENIX -- A federal judge has made permanent her order blocking a law in the Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek that barred people from standing on public streets and soliciting employment from occupants of cars. (Daily Sun, AP)

Link:  http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2008/08/10/news/state/20080810_arizo_...

Page Dems face uphill battle

PAGE -- Democrats, including first-time candidate Mary Landahl of the Marble Canyon, will have free passes into the general elections for the House and Senate in Arizona District 3. (Daily Sun, Todd Glasenapp)

Link: http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2008/08/10/news/local/20080810_local_...

Law shuts out some students

Changing laws have made life tougher for illegal immigrants in Arizona, including young people giving up dreams of college and better lives because they are unable to pay out-of-state tuition as required by voters.

With privately funded grants and scholarships lagging far behind the demand, some would-be students have dropped out, and others are considering a return to homelands they hardly remember in search of opportunity. (Daily Sun, Mariana Alvarado Avalos)

Link: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/252100.php

Political Notebook by Daniel Scarpinato : Is Kolbe the next Comeback Kid?

There's no question the outcome of the presidential race could affect Arizona politics.

But most of the attention has been on how the American people's decision will affect the fortunes of Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, and Gov. Janet Napolitano, who is a supporter of Democrat Barack Obama and a potential Cabinet pick. (Daily Star, Daniel Scarpinato)

Link: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/252041.php

Immigration divisions dominate Dist. 18 debate

Russell Pearce says the attacks on him as he campaigns for a state Senate seat are all about illegal immigration.

The man running an independent committee targeting Pearce says they're about the future of the Republican Party in Arizona. (Arizona Republic, Mary Jo Pitzl)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/10/20080810dist180810.htm...

Deadline up for governing-board candidates

The deadline for candidates to file for the Nov. 4 governing-board election has come and gone, and some school districts have plenty of candidates while others are left with little or no competition for the seats.

The Kyrene School District has nine candidates vying for three seats, while the Peoria Unified School District has only three candidates for its three positions. (Arizona Republic, Meghan Moravcik)

Link:  http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/10/20080810govboard0810.h...

GOP chairman biking across state to spotlight gas prices

State Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen has strapped on his bike helmet and donned his Arizona-flag jersey for a cross-state bicycle tour to raise money for the party.

Pullen is using the Democratically controlled Congress' decision to recess for the rest of the summer without doing anything about high gas prices as the launching pad for his trek. (Arizona Republic, Yvonne Wingett)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/10/20080810insider0810.ht...

West emerges as new battleground region

Long viewed as safely in the Republican fold, the eight states just east of the Pacific Coast states are expected to play their biggest role yet in a modern presidential election.

Republicans and Democrats are targeting this Western region for a simple reason: Republicans want to keep as many of the states as they can while Democrats want to pick up as many as possible. (Arizona Republic, Anne Ryman)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/10/20080810westernstates0...

Governor's race gets early start as rumors suggest GOP senator may run

The field for one of Arizona's most important races in 2010 is already beginning to emerge - more than two years before Election Day.

The Web site www.freedomsphoenix.com this week noted that state Sen. Karen Johnson, a Republican from Mesa, "will be running" for governor. That bit of news was included in a notice that Johnson helped book former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura to speak at an event in Phoenix about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. (East Valley Tribune, Paul Giblin)

Link: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/122751

Measures added despite questionable signatures

Two more measures were certified Friday as being qualified for the ballot, even though a random sample suggests one does not have enough signatures.

Figures from the Secretary of State's office show that a measure designed to block the state from ever taxing the sale of homes and other property has fewer than 227,000 valid signatures, short of the 230,047 legally required to put a proposed constitutional amendment before voters in November.That is based on a check of 5 percent of the petitions submitted. (East Valley Tribune, Howard Fischer)

Link: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/122735

Legislator: UA reroutes millions meant for repairs

Though several UA buildings are in need of new fire alarms and upgraded elevators, officials said no campus structures pose an immediate safety threat to students and staff, despite a legislative leader's claim.

The University of Arizona plans to spend about $68 million on building renewal over the next three years to repair roofs, upgrade electrical components and bring older buildings up to current fire and safety codes. (Daily Star, Aaron Mackey)

Link: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/251953.php

Congressmen probe review of decision that Santa Cruz is navigable

Two congressional committee chairmen are investigating why a decision was suspended that would have assured regulation of development and pollution along the Santa Cruz River and its tributaries.

In early July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pulled back on an earlier determination that 54 miles of the Santa Cruz is a navigable river, saying it will review that decision for at least 60 days. (Daily Star, Tony Davis)

Link:  http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/251989.php

State's summer primary makes candidates sweat for votes

On an August day when the mercury is expected to top 114 degrees, Jeff Dial is walking vigorously down Chandler's West Harrison Street in black slacks, a red tie and a blue shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows. Sweat soaks his collar.

It's the same combination the Chandler Republican has worn nearly every day since February, when he began stumping door to door in hopes of winning a District 20 House seat in the Arizona Legislature. (Arizona Republic, Scott Wong)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/09/20080809primary0808.ht...

Lawmaker accused of ties to neo-Nazi

The independent campaign committee targeting Rep. Russell Pearce for defeat turned up the heat Friday with a mailer depicting the Mesa lawmaker as a friend of neo-Nazis.

It's the second blast this week from Nathan Sproul, the political consultant who chairs a committee called Mesa Deserves Better. (Arizona Republic, Mary Jo Pitzl)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/09/20080809pearce0809.htm...

Gov. Napolitano to offer party platform to Dems today

Gov. Janet Napolitano today will present the recommended Democratic Party platform to a contingent of elected officials, party activists and assorted dignitaries gathered in Pittsburgh. (Arizona Republic, Matthew Benson)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/09/20080809platform0809.h...

Real-estate initiatives OK'd for ballot

Two real-estate-related initiatives will be on the ballot in November after being certified on Friday by the secretary of state despite estimates that showed one fell below the number of signatures required.

The Homeowners Bill of Rights, Proposition 201, aims to provide more legal protection to homeowners dealing with construction defects and deceptive sales practices. Protect Our Homes, Proposition 100, would amend the state Constitution to ban the creation of a real-estate transfer tax. (Arizona Republic, Amanda Crawford)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/09/20080809initiatives080...

Arizona Supreme Court commutes death sentence

PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court has reduced a murderer's death sentence, ruling that the necessary extenuating factors weren't there to merit the ultimate punishment.

The court on Friday lowered Phillip Alan Bocharski's punishment to life in prison without parole for the 1995 stabbing death of 84-year-old Freeda Brown at a campground outside Congress. (Tucson Citizen, AP)

Link:  http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/arizona/93193.php

With the PolitickerAZ.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Arizona's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.