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Councilman Greg Stanton's
Arcadia News Column
August 2000
Many important legislative bills became state law on July 18, and several were passed because of the hard work of neighborhood leaders including Paul Barnes of Arcadia Camelback Mountain Homeowners Association, Alma Williams of Green Gables Neighborhood Association and Donna Neill of N.A.I.L.E.M.
Below are highlights of key neighborhood bills passed this legislative session:
- Shannon’s Law makes it a felony to fire a gun into the air within city limits. Tragically, 14-year-old Shannon Smith died of a random gunshot last June while talking on the phone in her central Phoenix backyard. Shannon’s parents, Otis and Lory Smith, Councilman Phil Gordon, and State Senators Chris Cummiskey and Marc Spitzer spearheaded the effort to pass Shannon’s Law.
- Abandoned shopping carts are an eyesore in any neighborhood. A new law makes it a class 3 misdemeanor to take or keep a shopping cart off the premises of a retail store. It also authorizes cities, towns and counties to impound stray shopping carts, notify the owners and then fine the owners if the carts are not picked up within a certain number of days.
- Another new law creates the Neighborhood Preservation and Investment Commission, a committee that will oversee state funds for neighborhood grants. The city of Phoenix, along with several other communities across the state, developed this proposal to allow cities to partner with the state to prevent the spread of blight in urban areas and preserve traditional neighborhoods.
- Several changes were made to existing pawnbroker industry laws including lengthening the time that pawnbrokers must keep purchased or pledged merchandise in their possession, from 10 to 20 days. The bill also allows law enforcement agents to access pawnbrokers’ records and receipts, and requires sellers or pledgors to give a fingerprint before pawning their items.
- In the past, group homes for juveniles were loosely regulated. Now there is a law that requires all licensed group homes to provide a safe, clean and humane environment for residents. The law also requires the Department of Health Services to maintain a central registry of all licensed group homes in the state, and outlines financial penalties for any group homes that don’t comply.
We were pleased with the progress made this year on neighborhood legislation, but we have more work to do. Neighborhood preservation and crime prevention are two of my highest priorities. I will continue to be a strong neighborhood advocate and look forward to working closely on neighborhood friendly legislation with Rep. Steve May, Rep. Jeff Hatch-Miller and Sen. Tom Smith, who represent the Arcadia area.
For questions or comments about these bills or other city issues, please call my office at (602) 262-7491 or e-mail me at gstanton@ci.phoenix.az.us.
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