Arizona Republic: Hobbs reveals donations to inauguration; APS ‘pleased’ to give $250K for celebration at Capitol

Arizona Public Service Co. was the single largest donor behind Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ public inauguration celebration, kicking in $250,000 for the event that drew thousands to the state Capitol complex two weeks ago, a report released Tuesday shows.

The report comes as Hobbs has for weeks faced scrutiny for refusing to reveal donors and spending, in contrast with her pledges of transparency made along the campaign trail.

About 120 organizations and individuals donated $1.5 million to a nonprofit created by Hobbs’ campaign manager, Nicole DeMont, to put on the public ceremony held on Jan. 5, according to a five-page list of donors and expenses released by the campaign. …

Hobbs’ inauguration website had listed sponsors, but that didn’t report the amount of each contribution or expenses, an omission good government groups said left the public in the dark about who might be trying to influence the new administration.

“It is absolutely integral that the administration has a transparent and honest line of communication with Arizona and Arizona voters, as well as the different (news) outlets across the state, in order to ensure that Arizonans are able to access that information,” said Jenny Guzman, program director for Common Cause Arizona, a government accountability group that launched its office in the Grand Canyon State this month.