Arizona Gov. Hobbs Rejects Squatter Removal Bill, Sparking Debate Over Property Rights

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed a bipartisan bill to protect property rights by taking a stronger approach to squatters. The issue of squatting has become a part of the national conversation on crime and property rights. Florida and Georgia have already passed laws addressing the matter.

The Arizona bill, SB 1129, would have empowered property owners to contact the police to remove a squatter from their property. Currently, law enforcement cannot remove people who illegally reside in someone else’s home. But Hobbs vetoed the bill, claiming in a letter that it “fails to leverage existing legal mechanisms, respect the due process rights of lawful tenants, and minimize unintended consequences such as for victims of domestic violence.”

State Sen. Justine Wadsack shared that when she worked as a realtor, she encountered a squatter at a home that she was showing to a client. “It was a terrifying threat to my safety, the safety of my clients, as well as to the homeowners,” Wadsack said. “When I called the police, I was told there was not much they could do. It’s a shame Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed yet another piece of commonsense bipartisan legislation.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently signed a bill empowering property owners to remove squatters from their property, slammed Hobbs’ decision. Hobbs also vetoed bills that would have barred students from other states who are attending college in Arizona from voting in local and state elections. She also rejected a measure that would prohibit biological males from showering with female students in government-run schools.

Another bill would have imposed enhanced sentences on criminals convicted of multiple instances of organized retail theft. Squatting has become such a prominent issue in America that other states are also considering legislation preventing bad actors from stealing people’s property while being protected by the law.

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Virus Threatens Global Chocolate Supply

There is now a virus that is threatening the global supply of chocolate. Chocoholics may want to stock up on candy bars while they can — a devastating disease is ravaging the cacao trees in West Africa, potentially putting the global chocolate supply in jeopardy, scientists have found.

“This virus is a real threat to the global supply of chocolate,” said Benito Chen-Charpentier, a professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at Arlington, who authored the disheartening study published recently in the journal PLOS One.

Once infected, the plant can exhibit a range of symptoms, including swelling of the stems and roots, red veins appearing on immature leaves, and rounding and shrinking of the cacao pod. Scientists attribute the disease’s proliferation to “globalization, climate change, agricultural intensification and reduced resilience in production system,” per the study. So now this evil has a name: the cacao swollen shoot virus.

It's hard to imagine life without chocolate. Only recently, my doctor told me I needed to eat more vegetables, to which I replied, "Well, chocolate comes from plants, so I think I have it covered," which argument didn't exactly grow wings. I guess she's not a choco-doc. But this virus presents a real choco-nundrum. A smart cookie would be stocking up on chocolate now to avoid any eventuality in which things get coconutty.

Fortunately, since an insect spreads the virus (as so often is the case), there may be hope for the chocolate market.

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