Governor's Office says GOP lawmakers can't kill proposed light rail line near Arizona Capitol

Days before a vote that will determine the future of light rail expansion to west Phoenix and the billions of dollars in federal money that will help pay for it, Gov. Katie Hobbs told the City Council to ignore Republican threats to derail the project.

The Phoenix City Council will meet on Tuesday to decide whether to greenlight a light rail extension that will bring the public transit system to the area around the Arizona Capitol before moving onto the Interstate 10 to reach west Phoenix.

Some council members have waffled recently over whether to support the projects after Republican legislative leaders sent them letters in opposition.

Those same Republicans banned light rail within 50 yards of the Capitol in 2023 as part of a compromise bill to renew critical transportation funding in Maricopa County. The legislation also gave a legislative committee, currently controlled by Republicans, the ability to approve contracts to place a light rail station in the area around the Capitol.

Several council members cited that law, and the letters from Republican lawmakers, when they chose not to recommend the full council approve the extensions last month.

“They're flexing their muscles now by sending these letters. Ignore them at your peril,” said Councilman Jim Waring, a former GOP lawmaker. “We've done that before and gotten burned.”

Empty threats?

But the Hobbs administration, in a letter obtained by KJZZ, urged the council to approve the new tracks, saying Republicans are lobbing empty threats.

Ben Henderson, the governor’s budget director, argued the proposed light rail routes near the Capitol won’t have to go before the Joint Legislative Budget Committee for approval.

“Even assuming that this provision complies with the Arizona Constitution, no contract or agreement with ADOA (Arizona Department of Administration) is required in order to place a station in or near the Governmental Mall,” Henderson wrote. “For instance, ADOA already possesses all requisite authority to sell State-owned parcels in or near the Governmental Mall to the City of Phoenix or Valley Metro. After such a sale was complete, the City or Valley Metro would be free to use such parcels as it saw fit without any need for JLBC approval.”

Councilwoman Anna Hernandez, who represents communities in west Phoenix that would be home to substantial portions of the new routes, has been a vocal supporter of the light rail extensions. She says it would bring job opportunities and new development, including affordable housing.

“We're talking about good paying jobs for the next 10 to 12 years when we're talking about extending this line,” Hernandez said. “So I think there's so many benefits that would come to these communities.”

Hernandez, a former Democratic lawmaker, agreed with the Hobbs’ administration’s interpretation of law, and said even if the parts of the project do go before the legislative committee, she isn't convinced all Republicans are against the extensions.

“I've had very direct conversations with these legislators on both sides of the aisle, and I've had really good conversations with them around this,” she said. “And I wouldn't say that every single Republican legislator is willing to block this.”

Henderson also indicated Hobbs would veto other Republican attempts to kill the project, including a bill that would expand the area around the Capitol where light rail is explicitly banned.

“Governor Hobbs has demonstrated time and again that she will not allow legislators from districts that have no light rail presence whatsoever to frustrate the voters’ will for light rail to extend to the Capitol,” Henderson wrote. “There is no reason to believe she would change course now.”

Election season

Still, at the December meeting, Waring pointed out that Hobbs is running for re-election and Republican lawmakers could try again next year if they retain control of the Legislature and win the governor’s office.

Henderson said the Phoenix council shouldn’t worry about that.

“Prohibitive legislation in the future is unlikely because it would require the Legislature to forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding that would already have been awarded to Arizona by that point,” he wrote.

Phoenix City Council faces an April deadline to approve the projects in order to apply for over $1 billion in federal grants that will be used to fund the extensions, which are expected to cost over $3 billion, according to city estimates.

At this point, it is likely too late to reroute the proposed light rail lines and still meet that deadline.

Hernandez argued the council shouldn’t delay the project because of what might happen in the future.

“We, as a city, should not stop moving forward with this project based on a fear we may have next year or in the years to follow,” she said.