JoAnna Mendoza

Running for:

District:

LD11

Political Affiliation:

Democrat

Phone:

Endorsements:

Survey

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Question	Response
1. Arizona’s public education system allows students to attend a local district school, charter school, virtual school, or through school district open enrollment. Do you support a parent's right to choose the best public school, in their judgment, for their children?	Support
2. What are your priorities as a lawmaker? [Economic Development]	Highest Priority
3. What are your priorities as a lawmaker? [Education]	Highest Priority
4. What are your priorities as a lawmaker? [Environment and Public Land Issues]	Priority
5. What are your priorities as a lawmaker? [Health Care]	Highest Priority
6. What are your priorities as a lawmaker? [Sentencing Reform]	Priority
7. What are your priorities as a lawmaker? [Transportation]	Priority
8. Charter schools are public schools that are operated by private contractors to provide education service - similar to other state contractors for health care, transportation, and other services. Do you support charter schools in Arizona?	Yes
9. Please share what your priorities will be as a state lawmaker to strengthen Arizona’s workforce and economy so that all Arizonans have better opportunities to move up the economic ladder?	Strengthening our economy depends on our education system. In order to strengthen our workforce, we need to fully fund education - from early childhood education to K-12 to career and technical education to community colleges to universities. Each of these aspects of education are crucial to preparing our future generations to enter the workforce and be successful. A highly trained workforce will help to attract new employers to Arizona and help to strengthen our economy and local communities. Funding for early childhood education and childcare is also essential for supporting working parents and enabling them to be active members of the workforce, particularly as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
10. School districts and charter schools are public schools; do you support equitable funding for all public school students?	Yes
11. Do you support tax reform?	Yes
12. What are your ideas for tax reform that would improve our state's economy?	Our tax code in Arizona needs to be modernized. Currently, our tax code contains many loopholes and tax breaks for special interest groups. As individuals, we all pay our fair share in taxes every year, but over 70% of corporations in Arizona are able to reduce their income tax liability to $50 or less. This results in us losing tens of millions in potential revenue each year and hurts our economy. We need an oversight committee to review existing tax exemptions and identify any that don’t provide a return on investment. By modernizing our tax code, we can invest that money into public education, healthcare, infrastructure, and other programs that benefit all Arizonans and benefit our economy as a whole.
13. Do you support efforts to reform Arizona’s regulatory boards and commissions?	Yes
14. What is the greatest challenge facing Arizona today?	The greatest challenge facing Arizona today is recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing the gaps in our education system and healthcare system that the pandemic has made even more apparent. We’re still struggling to control the spread of the virus and it’s going to take time for our society and our economy to stabilize and recover. We need to support working families and strengthen our social safety nets as we work towards long-term recovery. Under this umbrella, my top priorities are addressing gaps in education and healthcare. Every child should have access to a quality public education, regardless of zip code. Investing in our education system is an investment in our economy and in our future. Stronger workforce development programs will help us attract new employers to our state and strengthen our local economies and communities. Access and affordability remains a major challenge for healthcare in Arizona. Especially in rural areas, people are often forced to travel over 50 miles to receive the care they need. Healthcare is a human right and we need to address the shortage of physicians and medical care professionals, expand telehealth services, and lower prescription drug costs.

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