Affordability advocates call on ACC to reject 14% APS rate increase

On Wednesday morning, Mi Familia En Acción delivered over 6,500 signatures of Arizona Public Service (APS) customers to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) office in Phoenix, demanding that the board reject a proposed rate increase from the largest utility company in the state.

APS’s proposed rate increase of 14%, first announced in June 2025, would increase the average household’s energy costs by $240 per year. The action follows two previous increases of 8% each in 2022 and 2024. 

The rate increase comes after APS’ parent company, Pinnacle West, reported over $616 million in profits in 2025, compared to $608 million in 2024.

In the June 2025 announcement, APS claimed that the steep increase was necessary to maintain “reliable, resilient” energy services, but in March 2026, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed expert testimony with the ACC claiming that only a 3% rate increase ($20 per year for the average household) is necessary to support APS services.

Tatyana Johnson, the environmental justice organizer for Mi Familia En Acción (MFA), pointed out that 96% of the 6,500 petition signers voted in the 2024 election during a news conference held before delivering the signatures to the ACC.

“Come November, we will remember the choice you made in this rate case,” Johnson said. “We will remember if you chose to stand with us — rate payers, the ones you should be representing — or if you took the side of greedy corporations like APS.”

Maria Corales is a mother of five and grandmother of 12 who has been living in Old Town Avondale for the past 18 years. In a speech delivered in Spanish, she shared that even at the current APS rate, she occasionally has to ask her children for help with the electricity bill.

“I barely earn enough to cover my own expenses, and I also support my family in Mexico,” Corales said, per an English translation of her speech read during the conference. “I have diabetes and depend on medication that sometimes I can only afford thanks to community resources. I cannot afford the health insurance offered through my job because I need that money to survive day to day. Every dollar counts.”

Alex Terenzi is a Phoenix resident and APS customer who was laid off from his position as an aerospace engineer in October 2025. According to him, the combination of energy and gas cost increases creates a dilemma for Arizonans: pay for air conditioning or pay for gas.

“I'm struggling to find a path and I'm not alone in the struggle. There are currently over 160,000 people — Arizonans — that are unemployed, that are struggling to find new jobs and a new place in this job market,” Terenzi said. “They [APS] don't need an increase. They want an increase. I'm living on the edge and I'm telling you, we can't afford to pay for their profit margins any longer.”

Juan Luna, a single dad and a youth soccer coach, expressed fear of having to choose between air conditioning for his kids during the summer heat or getting them school supplies in the fall.

“APS isn’t struggling. It's families like mine and the ones I coach who are struggling,” Luna said. “We take the hits. We pay the bills. And we're tired of being sacrificed for a corporate gang. And the commissioners, you're the referees. You make the calls…It's time to blow the whistle on this rate hike and put Arizona families first. Stand with your team.”

After hearing from speakers, members of Mi Familia En Acción marched from the site of the press conference to the ACC building where Johnson handed docket officials paperwork containing more than 6,500 signatures representing APS customers from across nine counties.

APS covers 11 of the state’s 15 counties, including Maricopa, the most populated in Arizona.

According to advocates like Terenzi, outreach and initiative are critical to increasing the number of Arizonans that are willing and able to sign on.

“A lady [from Mi Familia En Acción] came to my door and asked me about the APS increase, which I already knew about, but I didn't know there was anything we could do about it,” Terenzi said in an interview with CALÓ News. “They offered me a path to go do something about it and I took it on… You need to pay attention to what's going on in your state and you need to take care of those things in your state.”

Hearings for the case are scheduled to begin on May 18, during which residents will be able to make public comments either in person at the ACC offices or via telephone.

Mi Familia En Acción will hold a town hall with Mayes on May 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Paradise Valley Community Center, located at 17402 N 40th St. in Phoenix.

River Graziano is a freelance journalist for CALÓ News. They grew up in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix and later attended ASU in Tempe, where they spent two years as an editor at The State Press. Their reporting with CALÓ News covers advocacy efforts impacting Latine communities across the Valley.