The Political Notebook

Joe DeMenna is a lobbyist with experience representing medical marijuana dispensaries in Arizona. He is former executive director of the Arizona Dispensaries Association, and serves on the newly established state medical marijuana testing advisory council.

We talk about challenges and opportunities facing the marijuana industry, as well as the recreational marijuana ballot initiative that may go to Arizona voters in 2020. Why did the 2016 initiative fail, and what's different about the Smart and Safe Arizona Act? Will the state legislature try to preempt this initiative and pass a recreational law themselves? We also touch on national policy issues like the SAFE Banking Act moving through Congress right now.

Was there a justification to expand the court? Was the nominating commission stacked? Is Bill Montgomery qualified?

Does Phoenix government have a legitimacy problem due to small voter turnout in elections? Why doesn't the Valley have a good public transportation system? Should pension debt be prioritized?

(Now failed)Propositions 105 and 106 are discussed in this episode, along with the big-picture city issues they tried to address.

Tom Collins is executive director of the Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission. On this episode, we discuss the history of legislative redistricting in Arizona and how the process will unfold following the 2020 census. We also talk about the potential Arizona implications of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow partisan gerrymandering.

Did the Mueller report find collusion? Did it find obstruction of justice? What does it mean for the Democrats' efforts to impeach Trump? Can we come together to protect the integrity of our elections?

What effect is Trump having on political norms? Is there a way to restore them? How should other Republicans respond?

Why should we care about space exploration? Is a Space Force necessary for our national defense? What policies would best sustain space exploration into the future? Will science survive our cultural wars?

How far is the Trump administration willing to go? What is Iran trying to achieve by lashing out? Where is Congress?

Arizona legislative hits and misses. How does this session set up the 2020 election?

Forrest Radarian is a 10-year science teacher. He joins the podcast to talk about why he teaches, how education research might better inform our practices, and whether adding an “Adversity Score” to the SAT will change anything about equity in the U.S. education system. The SAT conversation begins at minute-marker (22:25).