I am deeply disappointed but sadly not surprised about Governor Hobbs' veto of HB2570, the "Arizona Starter Homes Act™."

With her veto of this bill, Governor Katie Hobbs has shown that her allegiance lies with corporations, landlords, and wealthy NIMBYs over working class Arizonans and their families for whom affordable #housing is in short supply and economically unattainable.

Zoning and land use reform is an absolute necessity for both increasing our supply of housing to solve the major shortage in AZ, as well as creating neighborhoods and communities that are more ecologically sustainable than the current sprawling single-family housing that is largely unaffordable, water and energy-intensive, and negatively impacts our local ecosystems.

My hope is that many Democratic voters in Arizona rightly view this as a wake up call that, when push comes to shove, Democratic electeds like Hobbs will always side with the status quo to protect the economic interests of their wealthy donors rather than be bold enough to truly fight for the needs of working families and our planet.

I was proud to support the Arizona Green Party's endorsed candidate Liana West for Arizona Governor in 2022 over Democrat Katie Hobbs, and I know that if Liana had been elected over Hobbs, HB2570 would be law today.

If Arizona voters want to elect candidates to office this November that are unbought by landlords and corporations, are unapologetically progressive, and view basic necessities like housing as universal human rights rather than as for-profit commodities, they should support and join the Green Party rather than continually being disappointed by the milquetoast corporatism of the Democrats and the rabid neo-fascism of the Republicans.

While today was a disappointing blow to the fight for affordable housing and smarter zoning/land use policies, this work must and will continue until every Arizonan is guaranteed a safe, stable, and dignified place to live.

In Solidarity,
Cody Hannah,
Candidate for AZ State House LD-13
www.codyforazld13.com