Electric energy efficiency standards that advocates say have helped stabilize utility bills and grid reliability since they went into effect in 2011 have been repealed by the Arizona Corporation Commission, the state's elected utility regulatory board.
No more rubber-stamping energy rate hikes
The Arizona Corporation Commission regulates public utilities and determines if an energy company can raise rates. The current commission, which includes candidate Kevin Thompson, continues to approve rate hikes for Tucson Electric Power. From 2020 to 2023, the residential rates rose nearly as fast as they did in the 22 years prior. That was then. Now TEP asks for a 13% hike and the ability to raise rates every year, a process called Annual Rate Adjustment Mechanism (ARAM). The current commission rubber-stamps rate hikes, and ARAM would mean the ACC can approve without a public hearing.
In a recent forum hosted by Arizona Interfaith Power and Light, an organization focused on climate justice for people and the planet, Clara Pratte and Jonathon Hill made it clear where their priorities are — with the people, not the corporations. The other candidates did not even show. It is imperative that we elect commissioners who side with people, not profits for TEP, the energy monopoly. Elect Pratte and Hill.
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Lori Bryant
North side
Blame versus solutions
Great articles on Sunday’s Opinion page, one by Katie Hobbs, the other Andy Biggs. Hobbs never mentions Biggs, instead focusing on realistic solutions. Biggs opens by blaming Hobbs . Sounds like Trump, who at last count has blamed Biden over 900 times in the past 20 months.
A management philosophy says, people who blame others don’t have any solutions to offer. We fire managers for that.
Hobbs offers solutions. Biggs talks out of both sides of his mouth. We need to keep Hobbs and, for that matter, Kris Mayes and Adrian Fontes. They’re all great. As for Biggs, he belongs on the shelf in the bowels of the blame pit.
James Keeton
Tubac
Thank you
I have the luck of having a membership at the YMCA Lohse branch, located at Alameda Street and Church Avenue. This location is in the heart of downtown Tucson, and I can go six days a week.
We have an amazing, vibrant downtown that regularly puts on great community events: Tucson Meet Yourself, Blue Grass, mariachi gathering and many more.
Every time I see the booths, road restrictions and all on a Friday for the weekend, like clockwork: it is all magically cleared and ready for business on the following Monday.
I just want to thank the city, county and Downtown Tucson Partnership staffs for their cleanup and reconfirming the flow of business and traffic. It is always greatly appreciated by a retiree who gets to enjoy the cultural events and see the efforts to keep business going.
Margarita Bernal
West side
Caregivers have always been scarce
In the August 2026 article about the audit of the Arizona Paid Caregiver program, the reporter wrote, "The scope of the program widened to include minors in 2020 when caregivers became scarce due to the pandemic."
The scope of the program did widen to include minors in 2020, but caregivers were always, always, always scarce.
The pay was too low, and there was high turnover.
The program expansion fixed a longstanding problem. Those services were supposed to have been provided this entire time, but they were not. Nobody did anything about that until the pandemic happened.
I wonder whether the original habilitation program was set up to fail. If it hadn't, then I imagine the costs would have been high back then, as well.
Joanna Galuszka
Phoenix
Vote as if Trump were on the ballot
By all means, if you want to continue the upward surge of prices on your fuel and food.
If you want to continue a war that has no good end and punishes ordinary Iranian people, not their leaders.
If you want to continue to raise the temperature of our planet by developing and burning more fossil fuels, until your grandchildren won’t be able to live here.
If you want to be priced out of the health insurance system.
If you want to continue to enrich the president’s family and oligarch cronies!
Because a vote for a Republican Congressman is a vote for all those things: they march together in lockstep, degrading your quality of life one vote at a time.
If not, vote for JoAnna Mendoza and other Democrats this cycle. Good luck.
Suzanne Ferguson
East side
Vote yes on Prop. 430
Southern Arizona’s future depends on a skilled workforce and accessible educational opportunities. As president and CEO of the Pima Community College Foundation, I see the importance of investing in students and the college that prepares them for success.
Pima Community College contributes $1.3 billion in added regional income annually and supports 16,651 jobs. Yet the college has lost an estimated $221 million in state funding for operations and capital needs since 2009, while many facilities have aged without adequate funding for major improvements.
Proposition 430 would modernize campus infrastructure, expand high-demand workforce programs and improve student learning environments. It also includes refinancing existing debt to free up approximately $4 million annually for reinvestment.
Investing in Pima Community College means investing in students, employers and Southern Arizona’s economic vitality. Help our community remain competitive. The ballot is long, so look for Proposition 430 on the second page and vote yes.
Marcy Euler
Foothills
It’s outrageous!
The headline “Trump touts $400M GOP push” is an example of a distressing trend in politics, namely, the huge sums of money being put into political campaigns this year. It’s just another example of billionaires’ inordinate influence over American life. Other than voting, the average American can do little to influence an election because our paltry contributions pale in comparison to what the money men contribute. Maybe instead of counting votes we should just count dollars spent on electing someone.
Gerry Maggiora
Foothills
Voting Decision Made Easy
If you like:
Iran war
Inflation
$4 gas and $6 diesel
Pete Hegseth
Measles
Sale of pardons
Presidential personal enrichment
Whitehouse ballrooms
Fossil fuel pollution
Burgeoning national debt
A Congress purchased by Elon Musk
Skyrocketing healthcare costs
Alienation of allies
Putin and Xi as presidential BFF
Then vote Republican.
If you prefer:
Rule of Law
The Constitution
Democracy
Then vote Democrat.
Todd Ackerman
Foothills
Presidential request to voters
President Trump is urging voters to cast their votes as if he is on the ballot.
OK, let’s consider what he has achieved in the year and a half since he returned to the White House, as we weigh our votes. He has personally been instrumental in the following actions: (1) ordered inflationary tariffs imposing higher costs (taxes) on businesses and consumers. (2) Started a costly war he can’t end, disrupting world energy markets and imposing obscene higher costs on our economy. (3) Gave us DOGE by Elon Musk, which promised government efficiency but brought misery with little savings. (4) Blatantly introduced corruption for family, friends and willing influence peddlers (including foreign governments). And (5) added to our federal budget deficit $2 trillion this year. (Partial list.)
Follow the President’s advice.
Jim Greene
Northwest side
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