Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich wants to get his party’s nomination for the United States Senate so much that he is willing to risk lives during a pandemic to do it.
In a September 7, 2021 press release, Mr. Brnovich asserted that Tucson’s vaccine mandate for city employees is not legal because it violates Governor Ducey’s Executive Order and state law.
In the press release, the Arizona Attorney General stated:
“Tucson’s vaccine mandate is illegal, and the city could be held liable for attempting to force employees to take it against their beliefs. COVID-19 vaccinations should be a choice, not a government mandate.”
Mr. Brnovich is obviously not paying attention to the recent Coronavirus statistics in Arizona. All the medical indicators (case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths) are currently rising. People should not be given a choice to risk other people’s lives.
Furthermore, the Attorney General’s Office has threatened to cut Tucson off from funding the state shares with them.
“Today, the AGO (Attorney General’s Office) officially notified the City of Tucson that its COVID-19 vaccine ordinance is in violation of state law and must be rescinded or amended. As expressly provided in S.B. 1487, if the City of Tucson does not rescind its policy within the next 30 days, the AGO will notify the Arizona Treasurer, who will withhold the city’s portion of state shared revenue until it comes into compliance.”
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero quickly responded to Brnovich’s press release, posting on social media:
This report reads more as a campaign speech filled with political commentary rather than a fact-based legal opinion. We are currently reviewing our options, and Mayor and Council will need to provide direction as to how we proceed from here. (2/2)
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) September 7, 2021
Mayor Romero and the other members of the Tucson City Council will meet on September 14, 2021, to discuss their options on how to respond to the Attorney General’s Office.
It is a shame that Mr. Brnovich, in his quest for votes in his party’s primary, is willing to enable the fringe views of the Republican base and put people’s health and lives in jeopardy.
He is not exactly demonstrating the stuff that makes a good public servant.
Hopefully, Mayor Romero and the Tucson City Council will find legal options and strategies to continue this mandate that, unlike the actions of Mr. Brnovich and Mr. Ducey, are designed to protect and save lives, promote public safety, and enable Tucsonians to live normally.
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Hey Johnny, look here, one of your own saying she’s going to do some law stuff without having a plan.
Nancy Barto on AZ going full Texas…..
“I am seriously considering it, yes, but I can’t say for certain at this point,” Barto wrote in an email. “We will be watching closely to see what happens in the courts with the Texas law and other pro-life laws moving through the federal courts,”
You know what you must do, Johnny, go lecture Crazy Nancy on how to do the politics.
“maybe Romero should hold off condemning the Attorney General, until she has a clue as to whether he’s right or wrong.”
We get it John, you like to do your politics in private with your dark money owners, away from the public view.
Falcon9 was Huppenthal’s handle, I was mocking you for being a troll, some folks here would get it.
And now this is the part where you lose a battle, but declare victory anyway, and then take your ball and bat and go home, just like most every other time you stop by.
Regarding David standing by his answer, that means he is standing by his non-answer to my post. Hardly an act worthy of a Blog for Arizona official contributor or maybe it is.
Regarding Falcon 9’s comment, “He complains that Romero doesn’t have a legal strategy but is looking into legal options but doesn’t have them sorted out yet so she doesn’t have any legal options planned? Wut? Wow. I’m planning a trip to Hawaii but I haven’t bought my tickets yet so I guess I don’t have a trip planned,” maybe Romero should hold off condemning the Attorney General, until she has a clue as to whether he’s right or wrong.
Finally, Blog for Arizona commentators should spend more time commenting on what I say as opposed to my math. But then again, I wouldn’t expect these commentators to go after anything substantive when they have intellectually easy low hanging fruit to munch on.
This is coming from the person who has, on more than one occassion, evaded follow-up questions by me on previous articles in this comment section.
Wileybud is correct.
GQP’ers like Kavanagh can’t do math so good.
He also seems to think calling out a bad law is a bad thing. WTF?
I’d remind him of all the bad laws from the past and how even the US Constitution has been amended 27 times to fix bad laws from the past.
I’d remind him that his party has been trying to overturn Roe for decades because they think it’s bad law.
Legal doesn’t always mean right or good or even logical.
HIs post is just a word jumble.
He complains that Romero doesn’t have a legal strategy but is looking into legal options but doesn’t have them sorted out yet so she doesn’t have any legal options planned?
Wut?
Wow. I’m planning a trip to Hawaii but I haven’t bought my tickets yet so I guess I don’t have a trip planned.
How does a guy who’s mind works like that get to write laws?
Not only that Sharpie, the “Good Representative” apparently doesn’t understand the difference between 65K & 650K. But to be fair that’s a consequence of him and his ilk not being whizzes at basic math. Especially when it comes to massive tax cuts for people & corporations that don’t need them.
Perfectly valid point on replying to Melanie Lunsford’s question.
Melanie Lunsford, one reason the unvaxxed are a problem is that unvaccinated people are filling up ICUs.
One story that came out this week was from a couple who took their young son to the ER with an appendix about to burst. Because COVID patients were filling the beds, they had to wait 5 hours to see a doctor, and by then the appendix has ruptured.
That’s insanely painful for the child, and it ended in a 5 day hospital stay and a 5,000 dollar hospital bill.
Unvaccinated people are hurting real people.
As far as John Kavanagh arguing semantics, sure, do that, while the grown ups discuss real issues.
Like his party is a stranger to political attacks.
David,
Once again, you are responding to what you want to talk about and not what I posted. My post was criticizing the political attack that mayor Romero with your help lodged against the Attorney General for simply doing his job and giving a ruling on the legality of a law.
Why don’t you read my post again carefully and then comment on it.
I stand by my article and my reply to you John.
65K totally missed the point of my post, not an unusual occurrence at BfA. My post did not address the wisdom of Tucson’s vaccine mandate, although I personally oppose it. My post criticized Mayor Romero for politically attacking the Attorney General for simply doing his job, which is to rule on the legality of the vaccination mandate because a 1487 complaint was lodged against it.
Again, I said, “I cannot believe that Mayor Romero and you believe that the attorney general should disregard his oath of office to uphold the law regardless of his personal feelings about it and ignore the fact that Tucson is breaking the law.” I welcome comments on that statement but don’t expect any.
I think vaccines should be a choice. I’m vaccinated. If someone wants to take a chance of getting a worse case that’s their choice. Since we all have a chance of getting this how does a non vaccinated person increase my chances of getting it more than getting it from a vaccinated person???
I can’t believe Kavanagh is an actual elected official.
I understand GQP’ers don’t like to be questioned, but when a law is stupid, it gets challenged.
Kavanagh knows this.
And a stupid law that affects public health screams to be challenged.
I’m so tired of these anti-science weirdos screaming about freedom while thousands of people die from a mostly preventable disease.
“Pro life” my curvy white ass.
I cannot believe that Mayor Romero and you believe that the attorney general should disregard his oath of office to uphold the law regardless of his personal feelings about it and ignore the fact that Tucson is breaking the law. Nobody has ever challenged Governor Ducey’s authority to issue executive orders related to Covid, including this one. That is because these orders are perfectly legal.
Do you really want public officials to disregard laws that they don’t like? We would become a society ruled by political whim and not law
Romero said of Brnovich, “This report reads more as a campaign speech filled with political commentary rather than a fact-based legal opinion.” No, it is Romero who is spewing forth political opinion.” Does Mayor Romero have any legal facts to back up her position? Does she have even a hint of a legal strategy? Apparently not because she went on to say, “We are currently reviewing our options, and Mayor and Council will need to provide direction as to how we proceed from here.” Romero is clueless about any legal arguments that would support her position.
Within the time period that the law allows the Tucson city council to deliberate, they will decide about what to do about their illegal law. That will demonstrate whether Brnovich or Romero is grandstanding politically. My money is on Romero.
Have you seen the latest COVID numbers for Arizona John? Let’s see what the courts will say. My guess is your “legal” law regarding not imposing mask mandates will be struck down on ar after 9/13 like judges have done in Texas and Florida. I am also curious why your side is so much for choice on vaccines and masks and not for women’s reproductive health? Take care.
The response from Tucson’s mayor to these “suicidal authoritarians” (as John Stoehr the editor of the Editorial Board calls them) is simply too nice. So tired of being nice as people die from Covid. Bronovich and Ducey are a danger to self and others.