I've got 26x1.25 Panaracer T-Servs on my 26" bike. That sounds really skinny by MTB standards, but at ~32 it's wider than most 700c tires and is plenty comfy for commuting on pavement and concrete. Obviously you should measure your wheels to see what will fit, but a lot of MTB wheels are narrow enough to make this work. I'm using Mavic XM317 rims, which are a fairly normal MTB rim but easily narrow enough for these 'skinny' tires.

I hear goat heads are pretty common in AZ, but I guess it's a big enough state that there might be some places that aren't infested. If I had goat heads on my route I wouldn't consider any tire other than Schwalbe Marthon Plus. Since I don't, I prefer a lighter tire.

I had the 700x28 version of the RiBMos a couple of years ago. I didn't love them. I think the T-Servs roll better. The RiBMo is probably a bit tougher though.