The Phoenix New Times is reporting that a political committee has taken a critical step in an effort to recall Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. 

The political committee that's apparently going to try to recall Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio filed its registration paperwork with the county elections department this morning.

The coalition behind the effort is an organization by the name of Respect Arizona. There's still questions about who is involved in the organization but the Phoenix New Times reports, 

...an attorney named William James Fisher will chair the committee, which is consistent with the information on this morning's filing. A woman at Fisher's office tells New Times that Fisher's out of the office until tomorrow -- which is when a press conference on the matter is supposedly being held.

The only other person listed on the registration is Bob Unferth, who's listed as the treasurer of Respect Arizona. Unferth has worked with Parraz and CBA on a few things, including some anti-Russell Pearce efforts in Pearce's attempted comeback this year. Neither Parraz nor Unferth immediately returned New Times' messages, left shortly before noon.

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The press has already called Sheriff Joe Arpaio's re-election, but activists say Latinos were disproportionately assigned provisional ballots, furthermore those ballots have not been counted. Activists want every vote counted and say they will not leave the Maricopa County Recorders Office until every vote is in fact counted. 

img via Facebook/Presente.org

via Huffington Post 

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True Life: "America's meanest and most corrupt politician." Well, it's not exactly an MTV reality show, but ABC and Univision are teaming up to monitor civil liberties in Arizona in the new online series "Arpaio Watch."

(flickr: katerkate)

via ABC NEWS

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Sheriff Joe Arpaio was trying to stop Arizonians strictly based on racial appearence and inquire about legal status. He really was trying to do that. Fortuantely a Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected Arpaio's appeal. 

(flickr: uusc4all)

via AZ Capitol Times

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Four undocumented members of Puente Arizona, Leti, Natally, Miguel, and Chela, overcame fear and came out of the shadows to tell Sheriff Arpaio they're not running any more.

A couple months back Eric Holder and the Justice Dept. expressed intentions of taking Joe Arpaio's office to federal court for civil rights violations. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union and The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund will represent the plaintiffs in the class action suit Melendres v. Arpaio. Which case will take the wild sheriff down?

(flickr: Gage Skidmore)

via LA TIMES

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Joe Arpaio has recently revived the birther movement. In a press conference Arpaio stated that President Obama's birth certificate is likely a fake. Ridiculous, we know. 

But all this seems like a strange strategy for Arpaio as the Department of Justice's patience is running low. Arpaio has refused an independent investigator into his office to investigate complaints of civil rights abuses. Thus, the Dept. of Justice has cut off negotiations as is threatening to sew.