Arizonans won't get to vote on transit projects taxes

Arizonans will not get a chance to decide whether to raise their taxes for new transit projects.

Without comment, the state Supreme Court today left intact a trial judge's ruling that backers of the tax hike waited too long before going to court to challenge the ruling of Secretary of State Jan Brewer that they did not submit enough valid signatures. That means they have no legal way to pursue their contention that Brewer and county recorders erred and that Proposition 203 should be on the November ballot.

Today's ruling also likely kills any chance of voters deciding Proposition 103, a measure which, if approved, would have placed 570,000 acres of state trust land off limits to development.

That initiative also had been pronounced short of valid signatures by Brewer. And attorney Paul Eckstein, who represents both measures, said the high court decision means the lawsuit challenging Brewer's decision in that measure also came too late.