Join us on Nov. 11th for PHX Pheast, as we celebrate local farmers and the amazing food that they provide us.

Phoenix Public Market is bringing PHX Pheast to downtown Phoenix. Together, we celebrate the farmers who make a market like ours possible and enjoy an evening of food, music, and community held in the heart of Phoenix.

Attracting diverse visitors from around the valley, this celebration of neighborhood chefs and restaurants, utilizing fresh ingredients from Arizona’s best farmers and producers, will be a highlight of the fall season.  Between bites, guests can sip a special PHX PHEAST cocktail, wine and beer while enjoying live entertainment from local musicians, and more. PHX PHEAST is a true farm-to-fork experience and a reflection of the finest food from the best farmer’s market in the Valley.  We hope you will join us in support of Arizona farmers.

You can get a ticket here. Prices range from $5 for a drink to $75 for a meal and two drinks.

Individual Ticket, Includes all food bites, entertainment from Tatiana Crespo and 2 drink tickets. They’ll have a variety of 10 chefs paired up with 10 farmers, each creating a different dish for patrons to enjoy as you move from booth to booth. Between bites you can enjoy local beer, wine and a craft cocktail or non-alcoholic beverages. Additional alcohol tickets may be purchased at the event, as well as online.

PHX Pheast is a fundraiser for Phoenix Public Market, a program of Community Food Connections (CFC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. CFC creates a downtown community-gathering place by supporting small farmers and businesses that strengthen sustainable food systems and produce healthy products for the local community.

Location: Outdoor dining experience, 721 N Central Avenue

Desert dwellers know what a precious resource water is. But do you know where our water comes from and how it gets to your tap? Find out by joining our friends at Local First Arizona on a bike cruise along the Arizona Canal.

We’ll pedal from Old Town Scottsdale to OHSO Brewery with Valley water experts filling us in on everything you’ve always wondered about our water system. Along the way, we’ll hear from the following:

• Learn about the canal system from Jim Duncan, Salt River Project Engineer. We’ll stop at the scenic Arizona Falls, the oldest hydro-electric generation site in Phoenix, where we will learn how the Falls combines art, history and technology to generate clean electricity from the canal’s waterfall.
• Water – Use It Wisely will share information about water conservation in the desert and easy steps we can all take to be more water aware.
• Watershed Management Group will share information on rainwater harvesting and how you can create landscape features that preserve our watershed.
• OHSO Brewery will be sharing their beer made with Sinagua Malt, a water conserving malt grown in the Verde Valley and talking about water in the beer making process.

The bike ride is approximately seven miles roundtrip.

Date: December 1st
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Cost: Free to attend! Food, drink and bike rental are not included and will be purchased separately. There are several bike rental options in Old Town Scottsdale.
Meeting location: South Bridge along Arizona Canal & Marshall Way, 4420 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Need to rent a bike? Please scroll down for bike rental options.
Questions: Jake@localfirstaz.com
NOTE: This event has limited space and is expected to fill up so RSVP is required!

Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about what came before us. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.

We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar@hotmail.com.

Former First National Bank #

Phoenix began its speedy sprawl across the desert following World War II. Commercial enterprises, including banks, often accompanied the residential developments. These bank branches left a remarkable legacy of modern commercial architecture.

Major financial institutions such as Valley National Bank, First National Bank, Arizona Bank, Western Savings, and First Federal Savings, sought architects who would create distinctive buildings for their branches. Bold architectural designs in conjunction with new materials created some of the Valley’s most iconic buildings.

Most branch banks built during this period were freestanding, one-story, flat-roofed buildings located on busy street corners for easy auto access. Some included commissioned art work, an open interior, color on the walls, coordinated furniture and carpeting, and lots of natural light. Banks were, indeed, beautiful inside and out, and attracted the newest customer, the housewife.

Several of these mid-century modern branch banks were especially memorable, like the Valley National Bank “mushroom” branch at 44th Street and Camelback Road. Now a Chase Bank branch, security guards are used to people taking photos of the exterior.  Although no pictures are allowed inside, it’s worthwhile to venture in.

The extant, custom designed bank buildings in Phoenix are indeed stunning.  While many of these buildings continue to serve as banks, some have new lives as restaurants, offices, and stores. Two of the better known former banks, now restaurants, are The Vig at 6015 N. 16^th Street and Federal Pizza at 5210 N. Central Avenue.

Unfortunately, recognition of the importance and subsequent preservation of these mid-century banks in Phoenix has been problematic.  Some owners have painted what have always been white buildings nondescript shades of brown. The result is now they look like their neighbors rather than distinctively standing out from all the rest on the strength of their whiteness. Others have been boarded up for years, waiting patiently for visionaries to find a new use for them.

We hope you search out and enjoy our remaining mid-century modern branch banks which stand as a monument to when unique design was important to the business.

Valley National Bank

Arizona Bank

1845 E. McDowell

201 W. Indian School Rd

Former First National Bank #1

For those of you new to seeing policy analysis in this otherwise community and real estate newsletter, here’s the deal. Since your’s truly (Ken) is a policy nerd who believes that the real estate market is directly impacted by policy, I’m going to choose topics of general interest having to do with policy once per month for a deeper dive.

Source: AZ Central

In the two decades that I have been in and out of public office or working on public policy issues, I’ve seen here in Arizona a slow deterioration of both the initiative process and the ability of people to participate, even through voting.

Oh, and if you are wondering how that affects the real estate market, please note that the very ability of realtors to do business in Arizona was passed by a citizen-lead ballot measure 1962. So, were it not for a citizen-lead initiative, you may have still been required to use an expensive attorney to buy or sell a home.

Back to this initiative process. In the last few years, the legislature (in a Republican-led effort) has undermined the public initiative process in two ways. First, they wrote the rules to make it nearly impossible to collect enough valid signatures to get on the ballot. Second, they used a recently-packed and friendly state Supreme Court to deal the final blow to knock two significant initiatives off of the ballot earlier this year.

The net result has been that only those individuals and organizations with enough money to jump through the whole array of new barriers to the initiative process will be able to affect our state law.

Let’s get specific:

Strict compliance. This is a term meaning that petition signatures must exactly meet rules set in place by the legislature and that a judge cannot rule that a signature is valid because he or she gives the public the benefit of the doubt. The ability of judges to assume the best in the public’s intentions is called “substantial compliance”, and it is no longer the law, since the legislature passed HB2244 in 2017. Strict compliance essentially allows petitions to be thrown out for minor errors. This law, by the way, was accompanied by laws that required that petition gathers not be paid by the petition (rather, by the hour). This makes the petition process about 25% more expensive. This, while candidates for office can still pay by the signature. See how this favored politicians over the public?

Applying the new laws. The 2017 law came after the governor and legislature passed a law to allow the governor to increase the size of the Arizona Supreme Court, conveniently allowing him to change the make-up of the court. The court, by the way, could have by now voided strict compliance laws from the legislature, saying that they are the true arbiter of the rights of voters. Remember that the initiative process is enshrined in the constitution and strict compliance is only legislation.

The constitution is meant to protect our rights. The legislature does not intend to.

So, in 2018 the two initiatives that were thrown off of the ballot were both funded primarily by small donations or lots of volunteer efforts. Those were Prop 207 (the “Invest in Ed” initiative) and the Outlaw Dirty Money (ODM) effort (which sought disclosure of hidden money in politics). The first was thrown off based on a ruling that the initiatives description was misleading. This, itself, was unprecedented, according to the minority opinion of Arizona Supreme Court, saying “We have never required perfection”.

The ODM effort was thrown off based on one of the rules put in place by HB2244 –that anybody attempting to throw petitions out could subpoena any petition gatherer for a court hearing. This usually means hundreds or thousands of people. The tiny ODM staff and volunteers could not get all of these people to show up to court. It was odd, too, that the judges accepted that the ODM opponents sent subpoenas to old addresses, or to addresses that did not even result in an answer –a practice that is not allowed generally.

Contrast that with the Prop127 initiative. This was largely funded by a billionaire who wanted to see more renewable energy in Arizona. He had the money and the staff to find and transport more than a thousand people to court to testify.

The Prop 126 initiative, which I wrote about here, was not challenged at all and had lots of money backing by the Arizona Association of Realtors.

Complicated, huh? Isn’t it amazing how elections law topics make people’s eyes glaze over, yet it is key to the healthy functioning of our democracy?

So, what do we have in the end? We have a system in which effectively only wealthy people or organizations ,or the legislature can put something on the ballot. This was not the vision of the founders of this state.

So, what can you do? Simple. Vote only for people who promise to over-turn strict compliance so you can have your constitutional rights back.

Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about what came before us. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.

We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar@hotmail.com.

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The media and residents are all atwitter as a grocery store is coming to downtown Phoenix. The food desert will be no more. But did you know that there was once a plethora of stores in downtown that were able to supply all the food and other household supplies needed by Phoenicians?

A grocery store was a place to socialize for the community and this was particularly so for the housewife. Thus, it should not be surprising that the number of grocery stores per capita was quite high. Granted, many of these stores specialized in just meats, baked goods, fish and poultry, vegetables or fruit. Buyers walked from shop to shop often along the same street purchasing items they would need for the next few days as electric refrigerators were not a common item in many kitchens.

When the Grand Central Market opened on the Southeast corner of Monroe and 1^st Avenue (now the site of US Bank) in 1921, this became a shopper’s paradise.  Over 25 retailers under one roof! Much like the Phoenix Public Market today, although it’s outdoors, the shopper would browse the wares of different vendors, get to know them, and select items for purchase. This market was heralded as a modern convenience and would also cater to the automobile patrons with easy parking on both Monroe and First Avenue.

The wave of the “futuristic” groceries continued in Phoenix with the opening of the Welnick Arcade Market on the Southeast corner of Van Buren and 4^th Avenue in 1927. Although smaller than the Central Market in square footage, the Welnick Market made up for it in other ways. The headline in the Arizona Republican proclaimed, “Latest System Installed for Busy Shoppers.” For example, Hubbell’s self-service grocery section instituted a new way to find items. His numbering system for items plus signs to direct customers to the right section of his store shortened the time one needed to shop. And other “scientific handling of the merchandise to save time, effort and cost…to the customer” were part of what the shopper noticed.  Nevertheless, these modernizations probably reduced the amount of socializing that once took place while standing in line waiting for your meat or fish order to be cut and wrapped. But less time at the market allowed for more time to do other things.

Considering how chain groceries are designed today, it’s remarkable that not that much has changed from the layouts of these two early one-stop shopping markets in Phoenix.

Second, in our series on the state propositions, please review Proposition 306. This is a legislative referendum (meaning it was authored by the legislature and placed on the ballot). It purports to prohibit candidates who use the Clean Elections campaign funding system from giving any of their Clean Elections funding to a political party.

However, that is misleading. The Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC) already set very clear rules last year about what candidates can purchase from a political party –it must be something of demonstrable value, and not just a pass-through to the party. However, if this passes, the non-Clean candidates will continue passing money to their parties.

The sales pitch of the pro-306 forces is that we don’t want to give “taxpayer money to politicians.” Of course, CCEC funding does not come from taxpayer dollars. It comes from a fee on parking tickets and the very $5 contributions that the candidates are required to collect.

Moreover, this proposition is designed to remove the very independence from the CCEC, which was baked-in from its creation by the voters in 1998. It was originally designed so that politicians could not easily influence it. If we pass this proposition, we will give rule-making oversight of the CCEC to the governor’s office directly, through the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council.

This means that the Governor and Legislature, which has hated the CCEC since it was created, and which recently hates that the CCEC has begun to uncover Dark Money in political spending, will be able to tailor the rules of the CCEC such that it becomes an empty shell.

Its a Trojan Horse. Nobody likes the idea of “giving money to politicians”. But what this is really about is effectively shutting down a commission who’s job is to clean up politics in Arizona.

Whether you like Clean Elections or now, its important to be aware of the other dynamics in this proposition.

Our goal is to present information that most folks may not see in the press. Obviously we (mostly Ken, since he’s a policy nerd) have a bias. We all do. So, we encourage you to see both sides of the argument in the publicity pamphlet at this link. See Pg 156 for Ken’s “against” argument.

Next month: The death of the truly “public” initiative.

Well, we are planning the 2018 Phoestivus. Can you believe its been nine years already?

We plan to have more vendors, more food, another batch of Phoestivus Ale from Phoenix Ale Brewery and an expanded event footprint.

If you are a local vendor and want to share your creative work with the world, please visit the website to apply. Look under “Vendors” on the main menu to find the link to the application.

The booths go quickly, since there are no over-head rent fees. Specifically, we take a cut of vendor sales, which goes toward the fundraiser for Community Food Connections. In that way, there is less of a risk for people who are trying to start a new business. Our goal is to support those start-ups. See what we did there?

So, you need to apply right away. Don’t miss out!

Plus, if you are interested in being a sponsor of the event, please call Ken at 602-456-9388. Sponsorships start at $500 and include all kinds of goodies, such as social media presence, visibility and access to the sponsor’s booth.

Our goal is to raise money for our premier open-air market while we continue to build our community around our own Phoenix traditions.

At Get Your PHX, we believe that all aspects of public policy can impact the real estate market. As such, we think it is worth some time to reflect on a couple little-known propositions on this November ballot, which could have an impact on Arizona’s future, and yours.

First, have a look at Proposition 126. This is an initiative that adds a clause to our state constitution to prohibit taxes on any kind of services. While collecting the 224,000 (minimum) signatures required to put this on the ballot, the backers of this measure told signers that this would prohibit sales taxes on things like haircuts. The backers, the Arizona Association of Realtors (AAR), really only told a small part the story.

The biggest beneficiaries of this initiative would be individuals who make most of their money on services, such as accountants, lawyers and, well, realtors like us. The pitch that this initiative was somehow built around the needs of the little guy was belied by the millions of dollars dedicated to this cause by the realtors.

Further, what they did not tell you was that it is already almost impossible for the legislature to raise taxes. Based on 1992’s Prop 108, the legislature must have a 3/4 vote of both chambers AND the governor’s signature to raise taxes. That has very seldom happened since 1992, and even then only on very marginal tax clarification issues. It certainly won’t happen as long at the AAR has as much control at the Legislature as it does now.

So, why the expense? Proponents claim that the proposition is in reaction to a bill in 2016 that would have instituted some services taxes. However, that bill –sponsored by a group of Republican who wanted to add a few service taxes so that they could lower over-all taxes on income– did not stand a chance of passage.

But, there’s a much bigger problem with this proposition. To illustrate, pick up your smart phone and look at the screen. See all of those apps that you use to make your life easier or fun?

Are those apps services or products? I don’t know, and neither does our current tax code.

It is estimated that, because Arizona has not clarified the difference between products and services in the on-line marketplace, we give up about $200 million per year in revenue to our state budget. To put that in perspective the Red for Ed movement was seeking about $680 million per year in new revenue.

So, what happens if we add this to our constitution? Simple. It would be nearly impossible to update and refine our tax code and we will miss out on even more funding for schools and infrastructure. This can have an impact on our local economy and economic growth and, therefore, the real estate market.

Our goal in presenting this information is to present information that most folks may not see in the press. Obviously we (mostly Ken, since he’s a policy nerd) have a bias. We all do. So, we encourage you to see both sides of the argument in the publicity pamphlet at this link.

Next month: Proposition 306, a Trojan Horse?

As a team we are often thinking sustainably. As you know, we highlight Going Green House cleaners because of the work they do to clean homes responsibly. We are also big fans of Greg Peterson’s Urban Farm website. We know that we need to change our relationship to our urban environment, too.

By the way, check out Greg’s podcast featuring the famous Jason Mraz, who has his own urban farming adventures.

So, we thought we’d share these two bits of brain food with you.

First, have you ever thought about the environmental impact of cement? We knew that it uses a lot of energy to create, but this article will give you an idea of just how much carbon is emitted from the production of cement. Cement is the second largest industrial emitter of carbon after the production of steel.

So, here’s the interesting thing: cement lasts longer and is more energy efficient than wood construction homes. But its manufacture is so much more energy intensive up front. Or, to think another way, our water infrastructure leaks enough water every day to serve 15 million households. However, the cement needed to solve that problem with new pipes will increase carbon emissions even further.

This article really explores the few options we have if we are thinking sustainably about cement.

Here’s another great find about how much plastic is in the world’s oceans, land and our bodies and what our options are to reduce its use. Hint: there are no easy solutions, but the knowledge is incredibly important to share.

You might find yourself sucked in to this Youtube page. Kurtzgesagt is the German word for “in a nutshell” and these folks provide entertaining and thought-provoking short videos about all nature of science, history and humanity.

Don’t let that video discourage you, though. Here is a handy website for how to generate less waste at home. Don’t feel over-whelmed! Its all about baby steps and changing habits.

As realtors we believe that we have a responsibility to think sustainably, and share that knowledge with you. You may own your home for more than 30 years –longer than the life of your mortgage. What will our life be like in the desert if we don’t pay more attention to water, carbon and our waste stream?

If you have questions about thinking sustainably, please hit us up at 602-456-9388!

Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about what came before us. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.

We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar@hotmail.com.

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Central Avenue north of Osborn Road has two concrete representations of math. Some might even consider these buildings to be quirky rather than elegant. And one of these two edifices even has a popular name.

The lesser known building is The Pyramid on Central located at 3507 N. Central Avenue. How many of you have ever paid attention to that building? Wow, an upside down pyramid. How is it supported and what does it look like inside? The pyramid and its more prominent neighbor to the south, The Financial Center, symbolize the changing landscape of that section of Central Avenue. From desert to farmland, then homes and a school. Eventually over time the commercial structures in this localized area grew from one to two stories to the Financial Center’s 18 stories.

Little was known about the Pyramid’s history for some time. The low square building previously on the property was occupied by the Great Southwest Land & Cattle Company which, along with its president, Ned Warren Sr., was involved in several major land frauds. With that much negative history, no wonder the developers of the property wanted to start with something new and different plus super modern.

Tempe City Hall, the first inverted pyramid design in the state, was nearly ten years old when our inverted pyramid was constructed in 1979. But the Phoenix structure has far less glass than the Tempe City Hall and that lessens its visibility to the casual driver. During the day we merely see a wide band of concrete and only a narrow band of glass. Illumination of the windows certainly would make it strikingly noticeable at night.

The identity of the architect was finally discovered last year in an old lease agreement. Thomas Hite, from Colorado, also designed the futuristic looking McDonald’s in Woody Allen’s movie “Sleeper.” Watch the movie again, just to see that building. By the way, it’s actually a church.

We suggest that you stop and really look at this beautiful geometric shape the next time you are in the area.