This Phoenix lawmaker wants to trade the Legislature for City Hall. See who she’d replace
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Sen. Anna Hernandez will run for Phoenix City Council, opting against seeking reelection to her Phoenix-based state Senate seat.
Hernandez will aim to replace Yassamin Ansari, who is running for Congress in Arizona's 3rd Congressional District.
"There's so much potential for our city," Hernandez said at a news conference Tuesday. "We are young, we are vibrant, we are people of color, we are queer folks, we are working families, and our city should be leading and setting a new standard for what it means to govern, not for the community, but with the community."
Hernandez said she does not currently live in Phoenix council District 7, but will be moving within its boundaries in the coming weeks. She said she feels capable of serving the area because of its overlap with her current legislative district.
Her announcement comes after a year of frequent visits to Phoenix Council meetings. It could shake up the City Council, which has seen relatively less disagreement and turbulence since former Councilmembers Sal DiCiccio and Carlos Garcia departed office nearly a year ago.
The state senator has clashed with Mayor Kate Gallego and the council on issues of police accountability and affordable housing.
Hernandez condemned Gallego for "not listening" to community members about police violence and for backing two City Council candidates in 2022 whom Hernandez criticized as "police aligned."
Hernandez has been a staunch advocate for more police accountability and has fiercely scrutinized local law enforcement since Phoenix police killed her brother in 2019. This month, she introduced legislation to give families whose loved ones have been killed by police greater access to investigations and allow them to petition county attorneys to reopen cases.
The senator also threatened to take away any semblance of local authority from Phoenix after the City Council banned dozens of mobile home residents facing eviction from speaking at a public meeting.
"If you shut them down, I will make it my goal to shut the city down. Preemption in every available realm possible!" Hernandez yelled to the council, standing from the council chamber audience.
She previously pleaded with Phoenix City Council to ban landowners from redeveloping mobile home parks where residents faced the risk of eviction, but the majority of the City Council believed the ban was illegal and voted against it.
Hernandez is the most prominent candidate so far to announce a run for Ansari's District 7 seat, which has not yet been vacated, but she is not alone. District 7 resident Emilio Solis also plans to run for the seat.
Ansari reacted to Hernandez's announcement Tuesday, saying she was "glad there is early interest in this seat" and that she was excited to see who else joins the race.
"My constituents care deeply about issues such as housing and homelessness, climate action and public safety. My hope is that whoever serves one of the most diverse districts in the city will demonstrate a commitment toward these issues, but will also be able to work well with other members of council to deliver real results," Ansari said.
Hernandez is the third Democrat to announce a departure from the Legislature since December. Rep. Athena Salman of Tempe resigned last month to run an abortion rights organization and Rep. Jennifer Longdon of Phoenix resigned last week to work in health care policy.
Rep. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, will run to replace Hernandez in the Senate. The two were elected to the Legislature in 2022 and have worked closely to serve their shared district.
"As a resident of Phoenix City Council District 7, I will be beyond thrilled to vote for my hermana, my comrade in this fight," Ortiz said at the news conference.
Reach the reporter at rpriest@gannett.com.
Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sen. Anna Hernandez to leave Legislature, run for Phoenix City Council
