The 'Protect Arizona Now' initiative seeks to limit illegal immigration by requiring proof of citizenship before voting or receiving some public handouts. They recently turned in more than enough signatures to get on the ballot, and, since 70% of Arizonans support the initiative, it stands a good chance of being passed.

On the other side is a group calling itself the "Statue of Liberty Coalition." The Sonoran Times follows the money:

[The "Statue of Liberty Coalition"] have spent all but $76.45 of the $38,480 they've received in contributions, $15,000 of which was paid to Joel Wright and Associates for polling, with $23,000 to Wright Consulting, at the same address in Strawberry, for consulting fees. STC spent $267.55 on video equipment rentals. The rest was paid to Wells Fargo for bank fees.

Over half of STC's contributions came from two sources,
Los Abogados, the currently defunct Hispanic Bar Association of Maricopa County, contributed a total of $10,000.

The nonprofit organization was dissolved by the Arizona Corporation Commission on January 13, 2004 for failure to file their last two annual reports.

Members include Rep. Ben Miranda, D-16, who called Rep. Randy Graf, R-30, a "racist and an uneducated fool" because of his support of the PAN initiative...

Cambrio Express, listed on the campaign finance report as a check-cashing service, also contributed $10,000.

There is no record of a business by the name of Cambrio Express listed with the Arizona Corporation Commission.

However there is a listing for Cambrio Express under the Cash Now.com website, calling it "a foreign exchange business that can be operated as a stand-alone business or in conjunction with a Cash Now or Cash Express business."

The chairman of the "Statue of Liberty Coalition" is Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, last mentioned here. At the time, I sent her a polite email asking for clarification of the smears she stated in the article and, naturally, no reply ever came.

And, as can be expected, an Arizona Republic columnist came out in support of the check-cashing funded PAC in "Protecting Arizona from Protect Arizona Now."

Another member of the "Statue of Liberty Coalition" is Chad Campbell. A web search shows a person by that name as the Program Director of the Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation:

The Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation is a broad-based, non-partisan coalition of grassroots and advocacy organizations, individuals, and leaders that promotes social justice and articulates and advocates a people's agenda.

Their "Current Organizational Members" include a few mainstream "progressive" organizations as well as the Young Democratic Socialists.