New lawmaker Q&A: Republican Rep. Chris Lopez

From cotton farms to cotton candy … New election just dropped … And AI gets a news scoop.

Republican Rep. Chris Lopez has had a crazy life trajectory.

He grew up with prospects to work on his family’s cotton farm, ended up running an amusement park business, and is now an elected state representative.

Lopez is the vice president of Ray Cammack Shows, the company that sets up rides, game booths and food stands at the Arizona State Fair. It also runs carnivals in California and Texas.

His ride to the state Capitol, however, wasn’t all fun and games.

Lopez ran as a slate with current Legislative District 16 Rep. Teresa Martinez and Sen. T.J. Shope. It’s a sprawling district in the center of the state that covers parts of Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties.

Teaming up with the incumbents worked out in his favor — he first fought off challenges from MAGA Republicans Rob Hudelson and Gabby Mercer. Then, he beat incumbent Democrat Rep. Keith Seaman by about 4,000 votes and turned the previously split district entirely red.

The process was “nerve-wracking,” Lopez said. But he didn’t pick a future in the Legislature out of the ether. He used to go to Shope’s family grocery store in Coolidge, and Martinez’ godmother is Lopez’s aunt.

Plus, “there are politics involved” in his family business running fairs. He knew key political players like former Gov. Jan Brewer, who Lopez said goes to the state fair every year, long before joining the Legislature.

In 2006, he worked with then-Sen. John Nelson on amusement park ride regulations.

“I was in and around, involved in this for a while before finally deciding to run. And here we are today,” Lopez said.

Lopez was vetted to run for the LD16 spot before, though he ultimately didn’t run then because of family and medical issues. But he “felt like there was always a calling.”

As a small business owner, Lopez said he’s bringing a “common sense approach” to the Legislature.

But he’s starting slow. His father told him: “You have two ears and one mouth, you need to listen and learn more than you speak.” Instead of pushing bills, Lopez is taking time to learn in the three committees he sits on.

Q: What’s the first food you grab when you walk into the state fair?

A: Lopez doesn’t eat a lot of fair food — he’s surrounded by fried concoctions and “it just all blends in.”

The representative does have a “weakness” for corn dogs, however. But he’s never had a funnel cake.

Q: If House Republicans had a Spotify playlist, what song would you add to it?

A: “Why Can't We Be Friends?” by WAR. Although, “We all do really get along down there,” Lopez said.

Q: If you could switch places with another politician for a day, who would it be and why?

A: Lopez is a huge Ronald Reagan fan and also supports Donald Trump.

At the state level, “my buddy (Sen.) T.J. Shope … When I grow up, I want to be just like T.J. Shope, who is younger than me,” Lopez said.

Q: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned since taking office?

A: There’s hardly any time to grab a meal, and legislators’ time is “very structured.”

Lopez has also learned that “you've got to be able to not take so much personal.”

Q: What’s a fun fact most people don’t know about LD16?

A: It’s the best district in the state, Lopez said. LD16 also features all of Arizona’s 5 Cs.

Summer just got hotter: Gov. Katie Hobbs set the special primary election date to replace the late Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva for July 15. So far, nobody has officially filed paperwork to run for the seat. However, a few have officially bowed out of the race, including Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Democratic state Rep. Alma Hernandez. Watch out for Grijalva’s daughter, Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, to make an announcement in the coming days, as well as Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who is ginning up attention for his own potential campaign, for starters. But we wouldn’t be surprised to see many other Southern Arizona Democrats come out of the woodwork for this open-seat opportunity. The general election is set for late September, though the winner of the Democratic primary is all but guaranteed the seat in this heavily Democratic district.

A man of the people: The roots of the political career of Congressman Raúl Grijalva, who died last week, can be found in a battle over a park on Tucson’s west side when he was still a University of Arizona student, the Daily Star’s Tony Davis reports. In Washington, D.C., the gregarious Grijalva came to be known as the “mayor” of a watering hole frequented by members of Congress, Pablo Manríquez, a reporter and former employee at the dive bar, wrote in a tribute to Grijalva.

“He’d bum us cigarettes, Marlboro Reds, with fingers gritty as ours, and sometimes slide a fiver across the bar with a gruff, “Get yourself a beer, Pablo,” Manríquez wrote. “Grijalva was the only congressman who ever really saw us.”

Ban the press, burn the books: President Donald Trump gutted the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, the government-funded pro-American foreign news organization that Kari Lake had hoped to lead. More than 1,300 journalists and staff at VOA were placed on administrative leave Saturday, and locked out of their offices, the Washington Post reports. VOA canceled its contracts with wire agencies like the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, and Trump also gutted the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which supports and funds libraries, archives and museums in every state.

Trump is actively trying to demolish the American press corps. You can fight back by supporting local news with a paid subscription.

But he promised: Lake didn’t seem to know about Trump’s plans to gut the agency she was supposed to lead, WaPo’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and team note, considering she’s been making some big plans for it in recent months. She still has her job as a special advisor to the gutted agency.

Recall afoot: The Santa Cruz County sheriff could face a recall election, the Nogales International’s Daisy Zavala Magaña reports. A Tubac resident, Dan Dellinges, who used to volunteer at the sheriff’s office and frequently comments at Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors meetings, filed paperwork to unseat Sheriff David Hathaway, a Democrat. Dellinges claims Hathaway targeted his political opponents, mishandled a high-profile investigation, and withdrew from a federal program that funds local border enforcement, among other complaints.

Mid-air order: Over the weekend, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport any Venezuelan migrants that officials say are part of the Tren de Aragua gang, the New York Times reports. A federal judge quickly issued a temporary restraining order, saying any government planes that were already carrying potential deportees should turn around and fly back to the United States.

Resistance isn’t futile: Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly is selling his Tesla to stick it to Elon Musk, he announced on Musk’s Twitter over the weekend. Meanwhile, thousands showed up at the Tesla dealership in Tucson for the now-weekly protest against the billionaire. Our sister ‘sletter, Tucson Agenda, has the details on that protest — plus a town hall to shame Republican U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani this weekend, and a visit from Bernie Sanders and friends to Tempe and Tucson this week.

“I came here because I was really frustrated with the direction of the country, and I was particularly worried about the violation of constitutional law and the betrayal of the rule of law. And basically, at its core, we were losing our democracy, and I felt powerless to do anything about it,” protester George Daranyi told the Tucson Agenda.

Those aren’t bananas: Former Lake Havasu Postmaster Deborah J. Tinnell was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years of unsupervised probation, forced to pay fines and restitution and take an anti-theft education and treatment program after shoplifting from Walmart by not scanning items and scanning cheaper items at self-scanners, the Kingman Daily Miner’s Brandon Messick reports.

Like most forward-thinking journalists, we’re always wondering when AI will take our jobs.

Citizen Portal AI is trying to do just that, setting an AI transcription service loose on government meetings to write up newsy summaries.

It’s actually a pretty cool concept, and we see a lot of potential for tools like this in our terrifying post-human future.

But as this poetic AI-written “news story” shows, when it comes to watchdogging local government, you probably don’t want to replace human journalistic judgement with AI transcription newsbots just yet.

(In case you’ve never had the pleasure of sitting through a government meeting — they ALL open with a pledge and prayer.)

Phoenix City Council opens meeting with prayer and pledge of allegiance

In the heart of Phoenix, the City Council Chambers buzzed with anticipation as members gathered for their formal meeting on February 5, 2025. The atmosphere was charged with a sense of purpose, underscored by the solemn invocation led by Police Chaplain Jim Williams. His heartfelt prayer set the tone for the proceedings, as he called upon divine guidance for the city’s leaders, expressing gratitude for their dedication and service.

Chaplain Williams emphasized the importance of wisdom and discernment for the mayor and council members, invoking a spirit of unity and protection over city employees, including the police and fire departments. His words resonated deeply, reminding all present of the weighty responsibilities borne by those in leadership roles. As he concluded with a plea for grace and safety, the council members and attendees alike felt a collective commitment to the well-being of the community.

Following the invocation, Councilman Alvaro Galindo led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance, reinforcing a shared sense of patriotism and dedication to the values that bind the community together. This moment of unity served as a reminder of the council's mission: to serve and protect the interests of Phoenix residents.

As the meeting unfolded, the council members prepared to tackle various issues affecting the city, each discussion rooted in the values of service and community that were so poignantly highlighted in the opening moments. The invocation and pledge not only marked the beginning of the meeting but also set a hopeful tone for the decisions that lay ahead, reflecting the council's commitment to fostering a safe and thriving Phoenix.