LD Four State Senator Lisa Otondo wants to continue to fight for the People and Arizona’s Water Supply

In her time as a legislator for Arizona Legislative District (LD) Four (an area that stretches from the western part of Maricopa County to the edges of Yuma,) Senator Lisa Otondo has been a staunch advocate for the people and preserving the Grand Canyon State’s precious water supply.

Her votes demonstrate her support for:

• Fully funding public education.
• Increasing cancer health care coverage for firefighters.
• Better funding state environmental programs.
• Maintaining the minimum wage for everyone.
• Protecting the citizen initiatives ballot process.
• Protecting a woman’s right to choose.

She has a vast knowledge of water issues and has participated in many panels and committees on that topic.

Whereas her opponent, Travis Angry is a right-wing political novice that lacks the extensive knowledge of the district needed to help govern (see the LD Four Clean Elections Debate by clicking here to see both discuss their ideas on governing and public service,) Senator Otondo has shown that she will always put the needs of the people and the environment first as a member of the Arizona State Legislature.

Senator Otondo graciously took the time to discuss her candidacy.

The questions and her responses are below.

• Please tell the voters two reasons they should pick you over your opponent.

 

• “I come with a lot of institutional knowledge. That works in two different areas. First, is in helping constituents. I do not just them off to constituent services. I am a hands-on Senator with a solid network with state agencies and their directors. I make direct phone calls to directors to break through barriers and help my constituents resolve issues with bureaucratic obstacles. The second part of institutional knowledge is knowing how to kill bad bills or to help push through a good one. It takes a lot of strategies to get things done.”

 

• “My knowledge of water and the critical water issues that face Arizona. I have been appointed by the Governor to the Drought Contingency Plan Steering Committee and the Governors Water Augmentation, Innovation, and Conservation Council, the Governors Water Augmentation Committee, the Arizona Reconsultation Committee (ARC) I am the only legislator that has been on every subcommittee and has partaken in the working groups. I have completed a yearlong agribusiness water management certificate program and have built an extremely wide network of stakeholders, mentors, and experts involved and concerned about water. I have received special recognition for my work on the Drought Contingency Plan. I have dedicated thousands of hours to the study of water policy and history, both federal and state. For the last four years, I have developed and organized Waterwise Arizona, an educational luncheon for legislators to be educated about critical water issues. The purpose is to explain the history and the complicated water policy in Arizona.”

 

• Please tell the voters at least two ways your opponent does not reflect the vision of LD Four.

 

• “I am a native Arizonan that was born and raised in Rural Arizona. I have lived in various parts of this district. I have been a public-school teacher in Yuma. I have worked with low-income families. I have volunteered on the southern part of the border with Mexico and I have worked in business in my district. I have a more extensive knowledge of the district than he has. I know very well the rural versus urban disparity in the district.”

 

• “My opponent does not understand the necessity of the problems Rural and Tribal Arizona face in trying to get equal attention and funding for the problems that we face, I can directly point at broadband infrastructure and the digital divide is real and has left our tribal and rural communities behind. This divide has not only affected our students but our businesses and microbusiness.”

 

• Please tell the voters at least two accomplishments you are proudest of from your current term.

 

• “My Waterwise Arizona Luncheons have had a real effect on teaching legislators the complex issues involving water.
• I have dedicated thousands of hours during the session and interim sessions toward water issues.
• I have helped many constituents to break through bureaucratic obstacles and I am proud and honored to be of help to them.
• I am proud of the bills that were written but not heard.
• I am proud of the work we are doing after the current session to prepare for the next one.
• I am proud I helped kill numerous bad water bills.”

 

• Please tell the voters at least three public policy issues you will advance if you are reelected to the Arizona State Legislature.

 

• Environment and water

“Forest Management is a huge issue in the Western United States. Forest Management, watersheds, and water infrastructure all work hand in hand. We need to be sure that we protect people, property, the environment, and water infrastructure. Climate Change is real, and we have to do everything in our power to use science-based methods in protecting our environment and our water.”

 

• Racial justice

“I have been part of a roundtable group led by Representative Bolding that meets every Tuesday with legislators and staff. We have a stakeholder meeting every Friday. We invited everyone imaginable from demographic and professional groups along with religious and law enforcement representatives to help formulate five bills that will be presented in the next session. These bills will include measures concerning body cams, de-escalation training, and a database for different police departments to have access to information before hiring. We want to develop a policy for accountability and transparency.”

 

• Rural Area Low Income Inequity

“Broadband infrastructure for community access. There are huge swaths of the district that do not have access to the internet because the infrastructure is not there. There is no way to tap in. That is a problem during a Pandemic, and everything is being done online with no access to agencies. Our students lack access and telehealth is an issue as well. We really need to focus on public education and access. You cannot compare the education quality between suburban and rural schools. We need to have a new weight added to the funding formula that help our disadvantaged low-income youth.

 

5) Is there anything you would like the voter to know about you or your candidacy that has not been asked in the first three questions. 

 

“If we flip a chamber, we have a chance to have our Democratic written bills heard in committee. It would be such a game-changer. The people will have a chance to hear other ideas and different perspectives. Currently, Democratic bills are not heard. For example, we just saw the second charter school executive sentenced in a $2.5 million enrollment scheme. We want transparency and accountability in the system. We want a review of the tax breaks that are given to corporations. Now some corporations fulfill their promises, but many have not, and we have not been able to get a review. We want to see how our tax dollars are being used.  We need to focus on working families.  We have a lot of our constituents that are really suffering from the ramifications of the Pandemic. We want to push for quality affordable and accessible healthcare. We need to fund technology infrastructure for agencies like DES. We have been pushing that for years, and now, during an emergency and more people on unemployment by no fault of their own needing unemployment assistance cannot make their way through the system. The Democrats have had no input on the budget, and it should reflect the priorities of Arizona Citizens and it does not. Some of the Propositions like 208 would not have been necessary if the legislature had done its job. Let us remember that they are always trying to undermine citizens’ initiatives and suppress the vote.”

 

For more information on Senator Otondo and her campaign, please click on her webpage here and her appearance at the LD Four Clean Elections Debate here.

Please remember:

• The General Election Day is on November 3. 2020. Please see the below graphic for all-important voting dates. 
• Please check your voter registration at vote.
• Register/sign up for the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) in Arizona or any state that allows early or absentee balloting and mail. Arizona residents can sign up at vote. 
• Arizona residents, mail your General Election ballot by October 27, 2020, for the November 3, 2020 election. With recent issues with the Post Office, you should consider mailing them out by October 23, 2020, if not earlier. 
• Check-in with the Secretary of State’s office where you live to verify your mail-in ballot was received, processed, verified, and counted.
• Know the voter ID requirements in your state.
• If you can, support Clean Election Candidates with a small contribution.
• Also, please remember to stay informed on all the candidates and vote for all the offices on the ballot.
• Also, remember to research all the ballot initiatives, sign to get them on the ballot if you support the measure, and vote on them as well.

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