Legislative exits, vetoes, water: The most important Arizona politics stories so far in 2023

Amanda Luberto, Arizona Republic
Updated ·1 min read
During a press conference at one-n-ten in Phoenix on June 27, 2023, Gov. Katie Hobbs signs executive orders aimed at protecting transgender medical care. The executive orders will expand protections for LGBTQ Arizonans by allowing state employees to access gender-affirming surgery and severing any official involvement with so-called conversion therapy.

Summer is here. The temperature is consistently in the triple digits, and the state Legislature is out on break. The first six months of the year are nearly in the books.

While it may seem like the pages of the calendar flipped a little too quickly, Arizona was awash with political news in the first half of the year.

A new Democratic governor was sworn in. Bills were passed, but a record number of bills were vetoed. Candidates announced their campaigns for 2024. And water became the hottest topic.

This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Arizona Republic reporters covering some of the most pressing topics in Arizona politics.

Ray Stern analyzes the number of departures in the state Legislature. Stacey Barchenger talks about Gov. Katie Hobbs' struggle to fill her cabinet. Taylor Seely discusses the confluence of development and water in Maricopa County.

Listen to the episode

The best way to listen is to subscribe to The Gaggle on your favorite podcast app, but you also can stream the full episode below.

Note: The Gaggle is intended to be heard. But we also offer an AI transcript of the episode script. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.

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Questions welcome

What political topics would you like to hear on The Gaggle? Send us a note or a voice memo via email here.

Reach the producer at aluberto@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandaluberto.

Listen to The Gaggle

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. Turn on notifications to be alerted when a new episode is released.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gaggle podcast: Arizona politics' most pressing issues in 2023