The Jeff Oravits Show Podcast

Jeff shares a firsthand aerial update on the Pocket Fire after flying near the blaze, separates fact from fiction on wildfire flight restrictions. Angela discusses Arizona's contribution to America's 250th anniversary time capsule. Olivia joins the show to highlight a Grand Canyon river guide's record-setting solo row to Hawaii, and they discuss Arizona's latest Education Savings Account (ESA) bal...

My daughter Olivia joins me to share a bunch of events coming up this Independence Day including fireworks, drone shows and parades. She also shares some travel stories and some crazy animal mishaps from around the world. 

In this episode I go over how I am voting in the 2026 Arizona Primary.  How I am voting.   Governor, Andy Biggs Attorney General, Warren Petersen Secretary of State, Gena Swoboda  Treasurer, Elijah Norton Superintendent, Tom Horne Corporation Commission, Ralph Heap LD7 Senate, Wendy Rogers LD7 House, Walt Blackman & Andrew Costanzo Congress CD1, Joseph Chaplik  Congress CD2, Eli Crane Congress...

Flagstaff City Councilwoman Lori Matthews gives an update on the ongoing battle against sex trafficking throughout rural Arizona. She also talks about the struggle for affordable housing, the cost of living explosion and the wrong track Flagstaff has taken down the costly road of sustainability. 

Representative Dr.  Ralph Heap is running for the Arizona Corporation Commission and shares his vision of the changes needed for the statewide regulatory body. We discuss the state of energy in Arizona, monopolies in power, poor green energy choices and the need for a new direction. We also discuss the future of natural gas, coal and nuclear power in Arizona among many other issues. 

Joe Galli stops by to talk about his efforts with the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce to organize one of Arizona's most popular Independence Day Parade through downtown Flagstaff. He also updates us on the state of Arizona including the recent passage of the budget as well as local updates. 

The Pocket Fire north of Sedona has become one of Arizona's most challenging wildfire incidents, and today we're joined by Dick Fleishman with Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 for a comprehensive update. We discuss how and where the fire started, why rugged wilderness terrain has made suppression so difficult, and what firefighters are doing to slow its advance. Dick explains the massive...

Matt Beienburg of the Goldwater Institute joins Jeff to discuss the future of Arizona's ESA program, exaggerated media claims of fraud and abuse, new teacher union efforts to limit school choice, a proposed constitutional amendment to protect ESAs, and the debate over DEI in Arizona education.

Elijah Norton joins Jeff to explain the role of Arizona's State Treasurer, discuss his background, and outline his plans for government accountability, educational freedom, state investments, and Arizona's financial future. Learn what the office does and why this race matters.

Andrew Costanzo is running for the AZ House (LD7) and joins Jeff to discuss the seven issues driving his campaign, including taxes, election integrity, education, immigration, water, energy, and forest health. A fast-paced conversation covering many of Arizona's biggest policy challenges.

Mark Haughwout joins Jeff to discuss SNAP food stamp policy, two free speech and religious liberty cases making headlines, and why jumping off cliffs gets a lot less appealing as you get older. A thoughtful conversation with a few laughs mixed in.

Congressman Andy Biggs joins Jeff to discuss his campaign for Arizona governor, what's happening in Congress, and his plans for water, education, affordability, budgeting, ethics, and more. Plus, hear the personal side of Andy—from his early career and family life to playing music in a band and writing books.

After two weeks off a return to Arizona finds a Buc-ee's craze following us. I didn't even know what this was two weeks ago. Plus Angela updates us on the ESA battle in our state while Olivia shares some travel details from our visit to Florida. 

Dr. David Engelthaler talks about the risks of the very deadly ebola Virus, its symptoms, treatment, and the odds of it impacting Americans. He also shares info on a more likely virus to impact people in the southwest, the hantavirus. Dr. Engelthaler shares the facts and gives important practical information on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from this very fatal virus.  Dr. David Enge...

We get an update from Representative Walt Blackman including a bill to curtail HOA's from taking homes due to excessive HOA's bills. He also gives us a budget update.

Senator Wendy Rogers joins me for an update on a couple of her bills that were singed by Governor Hobbs including a bill to make it easier to evict squatters from your property and a bill to make it easier to deal with blighted homes in Arizona. She also gives us an update on the stalled budget talks and other legislative updates. 

Public Lands, Ringo Starr concert and minimum wage battles. 

Senator Wendy Rogers joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation on some of Arizona’s biggest and most troubling stories. We begin with a disturbing Northern Arizona case after a Flagstaff mother was accused of killing her toddler son and allegedly storing the child’s body in a freezer for weeks before contacting authorities. Senator Rogers also discusses growing concerns over alleged fraud and...

Today’s show covered a wide range of stories shaping Arizona and the country. We discussed a new Arizona study connecting marriage and stable families to lower child poverty rates and asked whether culture, economics, or government policy plays the biggest role in strengthening communities.  On the economic front, we talked rising interest rates, mortgage rates nearing 7%, and the growing pressure...

What does it actually take to be considered middle class in Arizona anymore? The numbers may surprise you. We also dive into Arizona’s ongoing budget negotiations at the legislature and the possibility of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike.  APS proposes major rate hikes tied to massive AI-driven data center growth Arizona continues booming with some of the fastest-growing cities in the country...

Mark Haughwout has been building homes for decades and he sounds the alarm on the adoption of new stricter building codes that focus on so called affordable sustainability. He served on a committee that is reviewing the codes but just resigned out of protest to the apparent direction the new codes are heading. 

Today’s show takes a deep dive into Flagstaff’s controversial Regional Plan 2045 — the massive land use blueprint voters are being asked to approve that will shape housing, transportation, development, density, climate policy, infrastructure, and growth for decades to come. And yes… I called it a “crappy plan” more than once. We break down what’s actually inside the document: the heavy focus on “s...

Flagstaff Councilwoman Lori Matthews joins Jeff for a conversation on several major issues shaping the future of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona. Jeff and Councilwoman Matthews take a deep dive into the controversial Regional Plan 2045, including concerns over growth, sustainability policies, housing, and the long-term direction of the city. Matthews gives an update on Flagstaff Pulliam Airport and...

We discuss the newly released government UFO files and the now-famous 2019 Navy encounters off the coast of San Diego, where military crews reportedly tracked swarms of unidentified objects using radar, infrared systems, and eyewitness observations. Some reports even suggest possible “transmedium” craft entering the ocean. Then we shift to America’s exploding online gambling industry and how sport...

Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers joins Jeff for a wide-ranging discussion on the budget showdown at the Arizona Legislature and the growing political battles shaping the state’s future. Senator Rogers breaks down the chaotic budget situation at the Capitol, what went wrong, and why lawmakers continue struggling to find agreement. The conversation also dives into Arizona’s crowded ballot initiative lan...