Hobbs Audio Recordings, Released After Reported Yearlong Records Wait, Renew Sunshine Questions

Newly released recordings capture Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs declining reporters’ questions about her administration’s dealings with Sunshine Residential Homes in June 2024, as public-records researcher Brian Anderson questions how long her office took to disclose the files and whether investigators obtained them.

Anderson published the recordings through FOIAzona Oct. 3, reporting that the governor’s office took more than a year to respond to his request. He said he sought the files after noticing a photograph showing an aide holding a recording device during an exchange with reporters.

SCOOP 🚨

It took over a year for @KatieHobbs to admit these existed, but I found secret MP3 recordings of Hobbs talking about the Sunshine corruption investigation.

What else did Hobbs record? And do investigators know these exist?https://t.co/IjjI1G1LtW #AZGov pic.twitter.com/GJYPh6n6Z6

— Brian Anderson (@AZBrianAnderson) October 4, 2026

The two files cover press exchanges June 10, 2024, in Tucson and June 11 in Phoenix. Anderson acknowledged that aides recording an elected official’s conversations with reporters is standard practice. His report questioned whether additional recordings existed and whether investigators had reviewed them.

“What else did Hobbs record? And do investigators know these exist?” Anderson asked in a post on X.

During the June 10 exchange, a reporter asked Hobbs about Attorney General Kris Mayes opening an investigation into her office’s connections to Sunshine. Hobbs cited the investigation and said she expected its conclusion to show that her administration acted in the state’s best interests.

Another reporter subsequently asked whether she had any role in the company’s rate increase.

“I was asked that. I’m not answering any more questions,” Hobbs responded.

The following morning, a reporter asked who in the governor’s office, including Hobbs herself, had contacted the Department of Child Safety about Sunshine’s contract.

“Look, I am just going to say this. I’m a social worker, and it is outrageous that I would not act in the best interest of Arizona’s children in foster care,” Hobbs said.

“I have always and will always do what is best for Arizonans.”

She again cited the attorney general’s investigation and said she looked forward to its conclusion.

“That is all I’m going to say about this,” Hobbs said, followed by, “That is all I’m going to say right now.”

Another speaker then intervened, telling reporters they would receive the same answers. The exchanges also covered budget negotiations, agency nominations and border policy.

The recordings document public exchanges with journalists during the investigation’s opening days. Anderson’s report does not establish whether the files were provided to investigators or whether additional recordings contain information relevant to the case.

Mayes announced Aug. 21, 2026, that her office would decline prosecution following a two-year investigation into allegations that Sunshine received increased state reimbursement rates in exchange for political contributions benefiting Hobbs.

The attorney general said investigators reviewed campaign-finance records, procurement materials, banking documents and state emails and chats, encompassing more than 100,000 documents and over one terabyte of data. Her office said it found no evidence of the quid pro quo necessary to support a bribery charge.

Mayes also called for legislation increasing transparency surrounding political contributions from state contractors.

As the California Globe previously reported, Sunshine’s daily reimbursement increased from $149.99 to $195 per bed in May 2023 and rose again to $234 during its 2024 contract renewal.

The attorney general’s investigative memorandum concluded that the increases appeared to result from Sunshine’s leverage as a major foster-care provider. It cited officials’ concerns that the company could shift beds to the higher-paying federal Office of Refugee Resettlement program.

Hobbs submitted written statements through her attorneys rather than participating in an in-person interview with investigators. Those statements denied that she discussed contract rates with Sunshine representatives or directed anyone to do so on her behalf.

The investigation has remained an issue in Arizona’s attorney general race. During the Sept. 23 debate, Republican Warren Petersen criticized Mayes’ handling of the case and the absence of an in-person interview with Hobbs, as the Globe reported Oct. 2.

Mayes defended the career prosecutors and investigators who handled the inquiry, saying they found no prosecutable crime.