[Excerpts]

Members of Arizona's faith community gathered at the Arizona Capitol on Thursday to condemn the proposed 2.5% flat tax, saying it would disproportionately impact marginalized communities and that they would be "among the first" to call for a referendum if it passes.

The Arizona Interfaith Network, a statewide coalition of organizations including the Valley Interfaith Project, Northern Arizona Interfaith Council and Yuma County Interfaith, held the news conference at 10 a.m.

The Rev. Martha Seaman, a deacon at Church of the Epiphany-Tempe who also serves as president of the Valley Interfaith Project board, began the conference by calling the flat tax a "dangerous" proposal....

The Rev. Hunter Ruffin, a senior pastor at Church of the Ephiphany-Tempe, said the lost tax revenue would "cripple our state for generations to come" and called the state budget "one of our most basic moral documents" that reflects who and what is prioritized in Arizona.

Ruffin said the "immoral" flat tax would benefit wealthy Arizonans at the cost of the poor and middle class, which he described as antithetical to religious teaching.  "You can turn to Leviticus, to Ezekiel, to Zachariah, to Malachi, to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, to the whole of the Pauline epistles....

"we're taught to care for the most vulnerable among us first, not simply when we have extra in our pockets and we feel charitable."

If the flat tax passes, Ruffin said the Arizona Interfaith Network would be "among the first" to call for a referendum, a measure in which voters can veto a law by gathering enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

He said the network would also be launching a series of community and congregational study sessions to further explore the flat tax and its implications.

[Photo credit: (right) Matthew Casey, KJZZ; (left) ABC News]

Oped: First the Pandemic, Now a Flat Tax. Haven't Arizona's Most Vulnerable Suffered Enough?” The Arizona Republic [pdf]

Arizona Faith Leaders Condemn Proposed Flat Tax, Say They Will Call Referendum, The Arizona Republic [pdf]

Arizona State Senate Cannot Find Agreement on the Budget, Joins the House in Recess, ABC Arizona [pdf]

Faith Coalition Calls Arizona Budget Proposal Immoral, KJZZ [pdf]

AIN Clergy Denounce the Flat Tax Proposal, Valley Interfaith Project

Hundreds of thousands of Arizonans are in danger of losing their homes when the CDC eviction moratorium ends December 31st. Leaders and clergy of the Arizona Interfaith Network are now calling on Governor Ducey and state elected leaders for a moratorium on evictions.

"This is not just a public health issue, this is a moral issue," Rabbi John Linder declared.

Episcopal Bishop Jennifer Reddall affirmed, "We aren't set up to handle hundreds of thousands of homeless people." She and Linder are leading the network’s call on Gov. Ducey to enact a statewide eviction moratorium as the pandemic continues its surge across Arizona.

...

And in December, she joined online house meetings organized by the Valley Interfaith Project, a onetime Catholic Campaign for Human Development-funded organization that now advocates for people facing eviction during the pandemic.

Valley Interfaith, she said, has "given me a voice."

Arreola is among thousands of people nationwide who have turned to parishes, Catholic Charities agencies and Catholic-affiliated nonprofits for assistance to stave off eviction. The number of people seeking financial assistance and emotional support is staggering, Catholic officials nationwide told Catholic News Service

[Maricopa County constable evicts a family from their home in blurred out photo above. Credit: John Moore, Getty Images]

Nearly A Quarter Million Arizonans Could Be Evicted In January. Religious Leaders Want Ducey To Do Something About It, NPR/KJZZ [pdf]

With Evictions Looming, Agencies Furiously Work to Keep Families Housed, Angelus News [pdf]

Audio: Opening | Testimony by Rabbi John Linder | Testimony by Bishop Jennifer Reddall

...The Senate's attempt to restructure health care policy will, among other things, wipe out Medicaid expansion, which helps to cover nearly half of our children and makes rural health possible.

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200 Northern Arizona Interfaith Council (NAIC) leaders, with the Prescott College Social Justice Human Rights Program, assembled with all six candidates of Arizona Legislative District 1 to push for increased funding of public schools across the state. Said Tom Benson, "If we want our community and state to be a desirable place to work, raise a family, as well a retire it must be supported by a strong education system from Pre-K through college."

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Leaders of the Northern Arizona Interfaith Council succeeded in persuading the city council of Flagstaff to adopt a resolution supporting immigration reform that reflects the essential economic role immigrants play as workers, the importance of family unity and the need for a path to citizenship. Flagstaff is the only municipality in Arizona to pass a resolution with these elements.

Flagstaff City Council Approves Resolution Supporting Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Amigos NAZ

At a meeting sponsored by NAIC, Northern Arizona Interfaith Council teachers, administrators and parents assembled with Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Representative Karen Fann and the Chairman of the local commercial development group to develop a funding plan for Prescott Valley public schools. Leaders from three distinct school districts serving 13,000 children will mobilize to pass approximately $43 Million in bonds and override propositions to raise money.

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