>> Coming up in the next hour on Arizona horizon, we'll take a look at the legislative decisions made during the recently completed legislative session and on Cronkite news, Griner pleads guilty and that's coming up on Arizona PBS.

Good evening and welcome to Arizona horizon.

I'm Ted Simons.

Phoenix measure duringeryBrittney Griner pleading guilt imreeyand asked the court for mercy and facing ten years in prison and her trial could go on for weeks or months and all of which does not sit well with her head coach.

>> I mean, the question and, would Tom Brady be home?

But Tom Brady would not be there because he doesn't have to go to a foreign country to supplement his income.

We want to focus on bringing her home and there's a lack of coverage in women's sports.

>> There was a statement saying it continues to work for Griner's release.

President Biden presented the medal of freedom to 17 people including former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and and this is in the national interests of the United States and cultural or other significant, public or private endeffers.

privateendeffers.

private endeffers.

A new law allowing for all students to receive about $7,000 a year in money targeted for public schools to instead pay extenses for home schooling and the governor called this a monumental moment for 1.1 students and they were rejected by voters in 2018 and announced a petition drive to put this to a state-wide vote in 2024 and governor Ducey endorse The Taylor.

-robson saying, she was the, woat, quote, the real deal and the only great candidate this year.

And this is after voting began in Arizona and one day after Donald Trump made an endorsement of Kari lake.

And world those, Boris Johnson announced he's.

Steppingstepping down andthis is after Johnson's top officials and in announcing his resignation, Johnson was neither emotional or apologetic.

>> I know there will be many people relieved and, perhaps, quite a few disappointed.

And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world.

,But those are the breaks.

Disblawns.

>> .

>> He would stay on until they find a successor which could take several months.

>> A lot to unpack after the completed legislative session including a number of measures affecting business measures and here to talk about specific oriented bills Elizabeth glasscock.

We have to talk about what didn't pass, this veto of an opportunity for Maricopa counties and the transportation tax and what's going on here?

>> We were surprised to find out the governor vetoed that bill and there's a half cent sales tax to expire in 2025 and the idea was to put it on the general election ballot this fall and that is now not going to happen and it was really a surprise for the business community and the articulated reasons are that with hey inflation and waiting longer, a few more years, less of an impact because you don't have to have it passed until 2025 for the Maricopa counties to vote on it.

But the business community worked hard this last year, especially parts of the state growing like the west valley and Pinal and they will feel the impact of not having the resources.

>> You have to get this on there sooner rather than later and a new governor, much of the same thing next year.

>> Another bill presented next year and, again, it was strongly supported this year and the anticipation is that hopefully next year it would pass.

It's so critical for Maricopa county.

>> Shocked.

>> Let's talk about they're signing or ready to soon.

Referral to the ballot.

To ask voters themselves to require 60% approval for any future measures that deal with taxes.

Talk to us about this.

>> So this is an interesting idea and the legislature -- let me go back and explain.

Referendums, which is what the legislature passed, required the voters to vote on the question and the legislature saying, do you want to do this and we think this is important to consider.

So in this case, it's regard to tax measures and a lot of special interest groups that have brought forward a lot of measures anded related to tax.

In Arizona, there's a voter protection act and that means anything passed by the public on the plot cannot be altered in my way by the legislature.

So from that standpoint, their question is, the legislature to pass a tax increase has to have a super majority of 60% and they want the public to decide, would they also like a level of 60% super majority to pass, instead of 50%, just acism majority.

a simple majority.

>> It seems odd to make it 50% instead of 60%.

>> It's asking to give up that opportunity, to do it at 50%, but the reasoning is, the legislature has the higher threshold because tax measures are so important because of the people that show up that day to vote, that a significant percentage higher than 50% is voting.

>> Social media extortion to ban social media threats or negative reviews as a way to extort goods and that sounds like it's against the law.

>> That bill is surprising.

The law is catching up with technology and although there are laws on the books that might address it, the real problem is why this needed to be spelled out in the law.

A lot of businesses, amazing, both small, medium and large.

If they get a bad review on Yelp, it affects their patrons and see a decrease in business immediately.

So the small businesses in particular, whether goods or services, you go into a restaurant, you order food and the patron says, hey, I ate my food, but if you don't comp me or give me this good, I'll go on social media.

So they're threatening them and by putting this in and spelling this out, they can post that in places of business and make patrons aware they can't threaten them to extort.

>> We talked about the veto and shocked quite a few and signing of this water bill and expansion and dollars plus over three years, everyone was happy about that and that had bipartisan support all the way around.

>> This was a huge win for Arizona and really shows that Arizona is making a serious investment in the water future.

Both the governor and legislature worked hard to get this through and puts a billion dollars with the water infrastructure of financing association and that what they will do to get the money over three years and short-term and long term.

In the short-term, they'll look -- it's a clear claringhouse and technology ideas.

They'll decide, are these viable and study them.

In the short-term, conservation and in the long run, this is where it's important, we can start planning for future solutions to increase the water supply and you probably know, the governor was in Israel last month to look at the desal desallization plants.

And certain things to replicate and in Mexico.

This bill creates this.

Witha.

>> Transportation and the veto which shocked everyone and chandler and sass is casa grand.

e. >> A lot of grants and deaths from Maricopa to Pinal and in addition to that, huge traffic delays for goods trying to get through and truckers trying to get through and it widens it.

You see a lot of people commuting from literally are from Pima to phoenix and it's used and with the growth and population, this widening will reduce congestion.

>> Before we go, I wanted to get in this, vacation and short-term rentals to cities and towns and they took it away and wait a minute, maybe you should get it back.

It's out of control.

>> That's right.

Basically, pout with short-term rentals, it is going to allow municipalities to take bath authority and to hold owners who are renting out to parting houses and thing that are not conducive to the neighborhood to have ability to really regulate them and let them know we won't tolerate this.

This includes, first of all, they have to have five hundred thousand in liability, either themselves, the owner or through the platform they choose to advertise on and they have to have either a license through the locality or the TPT, transaction privilege tax license.

And those have to be posted online or any advertisement so people can verify they have a license.

Additionally, there's a penalty for certain types of activities and it can range anywhere from 1500 for the first one up to 3500 for the third violation.

Or the greater of three night's rent or two night's rent depending on the level of the violation.

>> These people make a lot of money for one or two days a month.

>> That's right.

They can also, though, have their license suspended for a year, depending on the type of violation.

>> Good to have you here.

>> Thank you.

>> Up next on Arizona horizon, a look at the state of solar energy in Arizona.

>> What is the latest regarding solar energy and where is this renewable energy?

We welcome the president and CEO of American solar and roofing.

Welcome and good to see you.

>> Thank you.

So what is the state of solar energy in Arizona route now right now?

>> We have about 10% of our energy that we're receiving from the tbrud grid from solar energy, and homes that have solar to commercial.

Macy's was one of the first commercial buildings to put solar all the way to the utility scale in the desert.

So all of those combine about 10% of energy comes from solar.

>> Is it growing as fast as people had thought?

Is it growing faster, not fast enough and what are you seeing?

>> We are seeing not fast enough based upon some of the climate objectives that whether we have locally or utilities have and/or nationally we have.

So it depends who you ask.

Climate objectives, then we're not growing fast enough and we push to move it and if you have a climate naysayer, it is just fine.

>> The cost of solar, where does it stand now and in comparison to other forms of energy and in comparison to solar costs a few years ago, where is that heading?

>> All studies and data out of different states and our own shows that solar is declining in cost.

So when you look at comparablably to other forms of energy, it's declining in costs and continues to do that as we continue to grow the industry.

>> As far as the pace programs, what is pace, property assess clean energy.

What is that?

>> This is a form of financing solar.

So we really need to be focusing on homeowners to invest in solar.

Pace allows you to buy or use alone from the city or the state and to able to get less expensive capital, to invest in solar energy.

Rate now, you have financing and loans that have extremely high financing costs.

When we look at solar deployment, the cost cost like financing costs impact us and we need to lower that.

>> As far as pace, is that -- I know it's in California all over the place, but is it in Arizona?

>> It is not in Arizona.

There are other states that have done it and I've been dropping these conversationing and pushing that because it will stimulate and makes it less expensive for the homeowners and everything is more expensive including lending.

We have to really start investing in renewable energy.

>> The soft costs, again, I think you said it, they are increasing, aren't they?

>> Soft costs increase with the cost of fuel and the cost of permitting and even some and some cities have hire permitting fees and some have lower permitting fees and some are lowering the costs and, again, when you look at the financing costs, those are pretty large.

>> How do you get lawmakers and utilities and solar companies and all of the stakeholders, how do you get them on the same page?

>> I believe we get them on the same pave page because we've been doing this 20 years.

We were the first to grid and we saw, hey, look, solar energy, 20 years ago, we have data to show that more stakeholders should be coming to the table.

There's new technology coming to the grid and there are lessons that the utilities can teach new technology and new technology that can teach an established technology, so bringing everybody.

>> I didn't mean to interrupt, but anyone who has shopped for a car in the last year, a lot of electric vehicles and mostly in California.

But a lot of push and overnight, electric vehicles have become the thing.

It's been a long overnight for slowsolar and when will this happen?

>> Thanks for pointing that out.

Leadership in the state comes together and decides they want to focus on that.

As an Arizona native, that's what I love about Arizona, if you thrive in Arizona, because everybody supports it.

Whether that be, you know, as you pointed out the electric vehicles or semi conductors.

We had an intentional focus on bringing that, those be sectors to Arizona and if you focus on it and you invest, it will thrive.

>> Dumb question, because I know how you'll answer, but are you optimistic?

>> I'm more optimistic than I have been.

>> Ob,Thanks for joining us.

>> Thanks so much.

>> Arizona theater company's world premiere of an American son features comedian Kristellaasm Alonza for a love letter to his father and family and we welcome you.

>> Good to be here.

>> Start with the play and we'll get more about you.

What's this play all about.

>> How to make an American son is in the title.

What do we do when we want the best for our children?

We give them every opportunity available and what happens when that happens and ha who do they become?

>> Do they become good people, bad people and giving everybody they want, is that a good thing?

Is sacrifice and struggle something good?

It's a question about what do we give and how much is too much?

>> Those are wonderful topics.

Am I doing too much, not enough.

>> I have two nephews and a niece and what do I get you next for Christmas?

>> Why did you diseud to be decide to be a part of this play in.

>> I started out in theaters years ago and there weren't a lot of roles for Latinos.

I had a voice teacher that told me I could do westside story and chorus line and am I done now.

That's why I moved to theater.

You if >> You've had quite a dream and more of that in a second.

Did the character resonate?

>> Yes, it did.

She's a first generation, Mexican American who works really hard and remind med reminded me of the women in my family.

We work a lot of hours, resilient and don't say a lot of things.

Even though we think a lot more than I can say.

>> You connect with that and how do you get the audience to realize, there's more going on than what she's saying?

>> It's always about what the character does regardless of movement, smiling.

Certain kind of gestures and I think the audience connects with movements that they themselves contact with and they see a movement of a hand and think, I do that.

>> When you do some of these things, it has to be a kick because you can hear the audience laughing.

>> Absolutely.

>> It's a certain look and that has to be fun.

>> You make somebody laugh without a word.

>> Let's talk about your career here now and what got you into show business?

Were you a kid performing in front of family all of the time?

>> I kind of was and grew up in south Texas that border town and millions of miles away from performing and I would act out soap operas for my mom and I would translate into Spanish.

I didn't know you could do that as a job.

I came from a blue collar family and taught jobs had to be physical and having a career where you could perform and make people laugh seemed so foreign and I ran with it and my family kept thinking, oh, this one.

My family is, like, I don't know, but if you're happy.

But it's hard to explain.

It's like introducing a new language and I want to entertain and perform.

My woman used mom would say, why don't you cut here because even in a recession, people's hair grows.

>> So when you started performing, was it acting?

I want to know when you were on a stage in some way, shape or form and said, this is home.

>> I was doing a play and I was obsessed with TV and saw the Tony awards in 1988 and didn't know what they were.

I saw them on TV and would watch "murder she wrote."

I saw the colors and the lights and singing and dancing and I don't know what this is, but I want to do this for the rest of my laif.

life.

It connected with me and I started doing plays and never looked back.

>> There has to be a time, as well -- some people do that and never get the break.

But there has to be a point where you went, I'm good at this.

>> I was forced into it.

I was in eighth grade and I had to take a fine art's credit for school, took a drama class.

First year of school, the teacher told us to pretend we were appliances and I didn't move.

And then he came over and said, why ant around you moving and I said, I'm a broken vacuum clean expert hecleaner and he moved me in advanced theater.

And I tried and that was it.

It hit.

I started competing in theater and winning all of these trophies.

>> If you're winning trophies, things must be going write.

And what about stand-up.

>> I was taking care of my mom and she was sick.

In like, 2003, she passed away and I found myself wanting to talk about her.

It was like therapy.

I wanted to find stories and connect with people and wanted a connection with the audience and I did stand-up and.

Two Netflix specials, here I am.

>> Quickly, what do you want the audience to take from this?

>> I want them to know is that this story is universal to so many people.

The specificity makes it universal to so many.

It's a time where we can learn so much from pain and tragedy and laughter and in the end, you can connect with certain elements and that seems familiar and more importantly, that's a part of life.

>> An important connection for everyone.

>> How to make an American son, congratulations and best of luck on this performance.

>> Thank you.

>> You bet.

>> That is it for now.

I'm Ted Simons and thank you for joining us and you have a great evening!

Coming up in the next half hour on Arizona PBS, on chron acute Cronkite to news, a Premier soccer team comes to Arizona and we'll take you through the academy.