Hobbs Claimed a Water Victory. Then Arizona Paid Fondomonte $7 Million.

If Hobbs’s Record Is Any Guide, Is Arizona in Trouble in the Colorado River Negotiations?

On Feb. 12, 2025, the Arizona State Land Department wrote a check for exactly $7 million to Fondomonte Arizona LLC, the Saudi-owned agricultural company Gov. Katie Hobbs had spent two years portraying as a symbol of everything wrong with the state’s groundwater policies.

The transaction appears in Arizona’s OpenBooks system as a miscellaneous operating e…