Daniel's News & Views

• Gone hunting

  White tailed deer (male).
  
  TUCSON -- We had a good Thanksgiving.
  
  I'm gone hunting early Fri AM on our annual Arizona fall deer hunt.
  
  Go Arizona, beat ASU Saturday in football. Bear Down, Wildcats!' [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 8:58pm EST
  

• AZ legislature finishes 4th special session of 2009

  Tough days at the Capitol.
  
  UPDATE, Nov 25: Arizona Daily Star agrees with me: locals best for Tucson's Rio Nuevo board.
  
  UPDATE: House Democratic news release: GOP votes to cut millions more from schoolchildren, families during crisis.
  
  PHOENIX -- The AZ' [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 6:50pm EST
  

• Congress must ensure unemployment benefits deal

  People in unemployment line at DES office in Tucson.
  
  TUCSON -- I've asked our US Reps from SoAZ to ensure Arizonans will qualify fully for needed extended unemployment benefits.
  
  From Phoenix NBC 12 News, Nov 19: The jobless benefits extension that Congress passed and' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 11:43am EST
  

• AZ House Dems urge balanced budget plan

  AZ House Dems continue to push for real solutions.
  
  Thu. Nov 19: Updates @RepPatterson on twitter and facebook.
  
  PHOENIX -- Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Glendale) isn’t making good on her promise to protect education and the most vulnerable during the special session, but [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 2:13pm EST
  

• Leg. special session starts Tue; down on the border

  Arizona House of Representatives building, Phoenix.
  
  TUCSON -- I'll be at the Capitol in Phoenix as part of the 4th AZ legislature special session of 2009 starting Tuesday. We need some fair bipartisan agreements for the common good, but I'm not optimistic the GOP majority [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 6:07pm EST
  

• Considering AZ legislative special session & beyond

  Arizona State Capitol, PHX
  
  TUCSON -- As I'm considering the likely Nov 18 legislative special session and the bills we'll probably vote on -- agency 'fix', Science Foundation AZ $18.5M funding, $500M 'cut only' budget change -- I also think of the frustrating bad situation [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 12:59pm EST
  

• Tucson thanks veterans for service and sacrifice

  Veterans Day Parade in Tucson.
  
  TUCSON -- Thank you, veterans & families!
  
  We'll be at Tucson Veterans Day events to respect & honor vets who've served and sacrificed in the armed forces.
  
  As a State Representative who serves on the Arizona House [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:46am EST
  

• Nov 10 remember Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck

  WHITEFISH BAY MI -- I was born & raised in the Great Lakes and I remember the giant storm of Nov 10, 1975, and the wreck of ship Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior, 29 sailors dead.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 4:42pm EST
  

• America's Mexico Wall 20 years after Berlin's falls

  America's Mexico Wall
  
  TUCSON -- I remember the historic days when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. I was 18. It was great.
  
  America and the world are celebrating the fall of the wall 20 years ago.
  
  But in recent years the US' [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 5:39pm EST
  

• EPA orders experts to remove private climate video

  Obama's EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson
  
  WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered two of its experts to remove a video they posted on YouTube about problems with climate change legislation backed by the Obama administration or face "disciplinary action", according to [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 9:20am EST
  

• Follow RepPatterson on twitter and facebook

  Get news & views also on twitter.
  
  TUCSON -- As I have busy days sometimes I release more information faster on twitter and facebook.
  
  The latest: RepPatterson Sounds likely 4th special session of 09 @ AZ Legislature [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 4:43pm EST
  

• Celebrating 11/4 historic date of change election

  President Obama & Rep. Patterson, Arizona, Feb 09.
  
  TUCSON -- This evening my family and I celebrated 11/4, the anniversary of my election to the Arizona State House, and also of Barack Obama as US President 1 year ago in 2008. We had a good [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 8:15pm EST
  

• Rs may rush 4th special session to cut $500M more

  How will Speaker Adams try to run special session?
  
  PHOENIX -- Word is getting around that Gov. Jan Brewer (R) will likely call legislators back for a 4th special session of the 49th Arizona Legislature on or around Nov 17.
  
  A Republican legislator told [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 1:12pm EST
  

• GOP's one-sided ad hoc committees harm Arizona

  Freshman GOP Sen. Sylvia 'the earth is only 6000 years old' Allen is busy on bad ad hoc committees.
  
  PHOENIX -- Arizona's legislative Republicans, who currently control and mismanage the agenda at the legislature, have formed several 'ad hoc committees' during the off season at' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:02am EST
  

• Brewer continues to brown down AZ Gov's office

  Brewer sounds like Palin: 'Drill, baby, drill!'
  
  FLAGSTAFF AZ -- Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Glendale) continued her anti-conservation record today with opposition to protecting the Grand Canyon National Park region from uranium mining.
  
  Many Arizona lawmakers want Grand Canyon area public lands protected and are [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 6:46pm EST
  

• Grijalva fights for stronger House healthcare bill

  Rep. Grijalva stands strong for the common good.
  
  TUCSON -- In a curt, terse letter delivered yesterday, public option champion, and progressive caucus co-chair US Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7) says he wants to see some major changes to the House's health care bill--reflected in' [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 10:07am EDT
  

• Lawmakers want Grand Canyon U mining withdrawl

  Protect the Grand Canyon and Colorado River.
  
  FLAGSTAFF AZ -- I and many other Arizona legislators sent this comment letter to BLM and other federal officials this week about the uranium mining controversy near the Grand Canyon. Read it here.
  
  To: Jim Kenna, BLM [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 7:17pm EDT
  

• EPA hiding protests of radiation exposure plan

  Obama's EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
  
  WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not come clean on its plan to dramatically raise permissible radioactive release levels, according to a lawsuit filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The new draft standards have' [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 12:51pm EDT
  

• Senior US official former Marine quits Afghanistan

  Children in war-torn Afghanistan.
  
  WASHINGTON -- Matthew Hoh, the senior state department official in Afghanistan's Zabul province, said in a resignation letter just released that he had "lost understanding of, and confidence in, the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan".
  
  [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 1:20pm EDT
  

• Davis-Monthan AFB AZ going solar in a big way

  Soaring Heights Community on DMAFB, Tucson.
  
  TUCSON -- Good news. Utilities, developers, the US Air Force and others are working to create the largest distributed, community-wide solar power system in the lower 48 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, within my district 29.
  
  The [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 11:36am EDT
  

• AZ budget gap at $2B, need fair creative deal

  5-way bipartisan AZ budget deal needed at Capitol.
  
  PHOENIX -- The state's deficit for the current fiscal year 2010 has grown to at least $2B, due to the failure of the legislative majority and governor to reach a budget agreement. This is reckless and unacceptable.[...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 4:36pm EDT
  

• Join health insurance reform town hall Oct 29

  Will Congress get it done right?
  
  TUCSON -- Please join me and Reps Sinema & Fleming on a Tele-Town Hall for an update on health insurance reform efforts, Oct 29, 5-6p.
  
  RSVP by noon Oct 28 to azhealthreform@gmail.com [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 7:17pm EDT
  

• Shakeup in AZ Gov's office may help budget deal

  Will Eileen Klein help AZ get a fair budget deal?
  
  PHOENIX -- In a long-overdue staff shakeup, Governor Jan Brewer today announced the promotion of Eileen Klein to Chief of Staff, replacing Kevin Tyne, seen by many at the Capitol as ineffective. Klein currently serves [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 11:33am EDT
  

• US Education Sec. Duncan visits S. Tucson school

  Secretary Duncan with the President.
  
  SOUTH TUCSON -- I spoke today with Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, at an event hosted by US Rep. Raul Grijalva at TUSD's Ochoa School in my LD29. I and other community leaders worked hard last year' [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 11:49am EDT
  

• Rs plan 15% more AZ cuts, ignore high foreclosures

  Still bad and Republican lawmakers haven't helped at the Capitol.
  
  BREAKING: State of Arizona details proposed new 15% cuts to departments, universities, etc. due to Gov. Brewer & Republicans failure to pass fair budget. See also: AZRepublic; AZDailyStar Better budget options at' [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 1:09pm EDT
  

• Excelling Tucson school kids open garden market

  Borton kids grow in the school garden.
  
  

  TUCSON -- TUSD’s Borton Primary Magnet Elementary School (PreK-2nd grade), on the south side in LD29, is proud to open the student-run A Fine, Fine Market today in the Bicycle Room at 10am. I'll be there.
  
  This' [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2009, 8:45am EDT
  

• Brewer backs big coal utilities, using CAP for cover

  Same old Brewer, same old pollution.
  
  PHOENIX -- Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Glendale) is unwisely fighting against upgrading an old Salt River Project/Arizona Public Service/Tucson Electric Power coal plant near Page AZ. She is opposing pollution equipment upgrades to help improve air quality over the [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2009, 4:50pm EDT
  

• UA clean energy house aims to win solar decathlon

  Building the 'seed pod' solar house at UA.
  
  TUCSON -- The University of Arizona's solar house is included in a New York Times article on a clean energy housing effort being shown now on the National Mall in Washington DC.
  [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2009, 12:34pm EDT
  

• RIP Harriet Allen: desert defender, friend, veteran

  Harriet's Desert Protective Council helps guard Anza Borrego and other desert gems.
  
  SAN DIEGO -- A great leader has passed, Harriet Allen. She was a friend, desert defender and veteran. Over the years we worked together I learned a lot from her.
  
  Harriet' [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2009, 1:04pm EDT
  

• Obama prize? New US wild horse & burro plan

  Feral burros in Mojave Desert.
  
  TUCSON -- We had a good trip to the US Air Force Goldwater Range. Nice days in the desert.
  
  Congrats to President Obama on Nobel peace prize, but is he the most deserving person in world?
  
  I'm quoted' [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 5:04pm EDT
  

• Bombs away with Air Force; VOTE Tucson election

  DM-based A-10 over Goldwater Range.
  
  TUCSON -- As an Arizona State Representative serving on the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee, I'll be with US Air Force Thu & Fri touring the Goldwater Range and watching live fire training. Bombs away! My district' [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 4:13pm EDT
  

• Interior staff conspired with lobbyists on land deals

  Caught! BLM's Elena Daly in DC (left).
  
  TUCSON -- In a national update from the New York Times on an issue long-ago covered by this blog, the US Interior Department Inspector General has found that US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff in' [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 2:38pm EDT
  

• State leaders push DC for health insurance reform

  In control: President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Reid and House Speaker Pelosi.
  
  WASHINGTON -- A group representing state legislators across the country announced today that 1057 state legislators from all fifty states, including me as an Arizona State Representative from Tucson, have signed [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2009, 12:48pm EDT
  

• Northern Arizona fall weekend sounds blissful

  It doesn't get much better than fall at Grand Canyon AZ.
  
  TUCSON -- Looks like we're headed to the Grand Canyon for the weekend. The PBS National Parks series is getting to me. Should be wonderful there in October.
  
  I will also be speaking [...]
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  Posted: October 02, 2009, 3:39pm EDT
  

• Congress hearing Utah Red Rock wilderness bill Thu

  Congress should protect Utah wilderness.
  
  WASHINGTON -- Good news. My Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7) chairs the important and influential US House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, and tomorrow his subcommittee will hear HR1925, America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, to protect scenic [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 3:10pm EDT
  

• AZ #2 on prison/cops spending, near last on schools

  Callous Republicans harm AZ.
  
  TUCSON -- New US Census data released today shows Arizona's harmful GOP-run legislature has put us at #2 for the most spending on prisons and police, but near the bottom for our support of education.
  
  We get what we' [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 11:12am EDT
  

• US State Dept moves against rogue border agency

  Bush man Bill Ruth still in charge at rogue USIBWC, but has abruptly departed on personal leave.
  
  EL PASO -- In an update on a story first covered here last month, the US State Dept has swooped down on rogue border agency [...]
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  Posted: September 29, 2009, 9:06am EDT
  

• Rep. Patterson and AZ House Dems raising money

  Follow RepPatterson on twitter.
  
  TUCSON -- My friends, I'm happy to report our fundraising efforts for my 2010 LD29 re-election campaign have started strong.
  
  Big thanks to everyone who has already supported. If you haven't already, there is still time and [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2009, 11:11am EDT
  

• Stimulating colleges; Tucson jobs; LD29 healthcare

  Dr. Roy Flores (left) is President of Pima Community College.
  
  TUCSON -- In addition to helping build a new veterans home here, US stimulus funds have just been released by the state to help community colleges in Arizona. Pima Community College will receive $4.5M [...]
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  Posted: September 25, 2009, 7:38pm EDT
  

• Budget delay is reckless new precedent for Arizona

  PHOENIX -- Read here my new column as published today in the capitol media.
  
  Arizona Guardian -- Sep 23 09
  
  Budget? What budget? GOP plan still doesn't cut it (subscription)
  
  by Rep. Daniel Patterson
  
  Soon it will be three months' [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2009, 10:33pm EDT
  

• AZ lawmakers urge caution on Grand Canyon mines

  Working to protect the Grand Canyon region from uranium mining pollution.
  
  FLAGSTAFF AZ -- Arizona lawmakers weighed in Wednesday to federal officials in support of a new study that would assess if it is safe to operate a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: September 23, 2009, 11:40am EDT
  

• In support of choice and smarter state priorities

  Rep. Barto and other anti-choice activists fight for fetuses, but usually don't vote to support children or parents.
  
  UPDATE, 5p Sep 29: Court blocks key part of new abortion law.
  
  TUCSON -- I am active today in the Arizona media in support of' [...]
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  Posted: September 23, 2009, 9:47am EDT
  

• Tucson Veterans Home OKd; will serve 120 vets

  The new vets home will be built near the VA in LD29 south of downtown.
  
  Sep 24: Arizona Daily Star editorial; ASU Cronkite News Service. Sep 25: Yuma Sun
  
  TUCSON -- I'm proud to announce, as a pro-veteran lawmaker and' [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2009, 7:28pm EDT
  

• LD29 lawmakers to tour new SE Tucson El Rio clinic

  El Rio clinics help people.
  
  TUCSON -- Sen. Linda Lopez, Rep. Matt Heinz and Rep. Daniel Patterson will be touring the new Southeast El Rio Community Health Center on Friday, Sept. 25 at 3pm at 6950 East Golf Links Road, Tucson. Media is welcome to [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2009, 9:17am EDT
  

• US goes to UN with empty bag on global warming

  WASHINGTON -- On the eve of President Obama's address to the United Nations climate summit, a new video by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency experts challenges the efficacy of the 'Waxman-Markey' bill plan for controlling global warming pollution. The experts' video adds to growing scientific and economic skepticism about relying upon' [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2009, 9:18am EDT
  

• PARK(ing) Day welcomes you to hit the road

  Reclaiming streets near University of Arizona, 2008.
  
  TUCSON -- Today is PARK(ing) Day worldwide. PARK(ing) Day is an annual, one-day global event where artists, activists and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks.
  
  I enjoyed this [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 11:45am EDT
  

• Guzzlers fail to help bighorn at Kofa wildlife refuge

  Out-of-touch gov't agencies fail to understand or serve bighorn needs.
  
  YUMA AZ -- Remote cameras installed to detect bighorn sheep use at two controversial man-made water developments constructed in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge wilderness in 2007 suggest the tanks have completely failed to provide' [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 11:23am EDT
  

• TEP wise to prefer degraded land for big solar

  750-kilowatt solar power system at Global Solar’s manufacturing facility in southeast Tucson, LD29.
  
  TUCSON -- Southern Arizona's big electric utility, UniSource's (UNS) Tucson Electric Power, is looking to build a big solar plant near the city.
  
  "Our hope is that these systems would be" [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2009, 12:10pm EDT
  

• False EPA study claim on playground tire crumb risk

  Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator.
  
  WASHINGTON -- Contrary to its public statements, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is not conducting studies on potential health effects to children from contact with shredded tires on playgrounds, according to correspondence released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility [...]
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  Posted: September 14, 2009, 10:43am EDT
  

• AZ at risk with no budget from GOP for months

  AZ Senate Pres. Bob Burns, Gov. Brewer & GOP have failed Arizona.
  
  PHOENIX -- Monday will be the 76th day of fiscal year 2010 with still no state budget in place, and it's looking like that measure of delay will go a lot higher. The [...]
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  Posted: September 13, 2009, 12:22pm EDT