At a press conference at the Arizona Capitol, residents and candidates voiced frustration over rising utility costs and the lack of consumer options. Chandler resident and retired educator, Anna Cicero, held up her SRP electric bill, saying she’s scared to open it each month because she can’t shop for cheaper power. Other speakers, including veterans’ advocate Ricardo Reyes, shared stories of families forced to choose between food and electricity as rates climb. The event was joined by Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) candidates Jonathon Hill and Clara Pratte, and SRP board member Sandra Kennedy, all calling for accountability from utility regulators.
The Arizona Corporation Commission regulates investor-owned utilities like APS, which is seeking a 14% rate increase for 2026 after earning over $600 million in profits in 2024. Attorney General Kris Mayes, a former commissioner, has intervened in the case, calling the request “outrageous.” SRP, which is not under ACC oversight, also approved a 3.5% increase effective this November. Kennedy urged SRP customers to vote in the utility’s board election on April 7, 2026, while Hill and Pratte warned that without new leadership on the ACC, Arizona will continue to see some of the steepest energy rate hikes in the nation.
