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Good morning,

This week we had another productive, albeit long, Board of Supervisors meeting. One of the first items on our agenda was to fill the vacancy in District 5. Supervisor Adelita Grijalva resigned to run for the congressional seat formerly held by her father, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva. The board members voted 3-0 in favor of Andres Cano to fill the vacancy. As I stated from the dais, "I had the opportunity to sit down with the six applicants for this position. When I spoke with Mr. Cano, it was as if I was engaged in dialogue with someone who was already a supervisor." As a former educator, I believe you all would be disappointed if I didn't say, "he did his homework” and was well prepared to jump into this meeting. I believe he will serve his constituents well.

We covered a lot at Tuesday's meeting including having a couple of great staff presentations. The quarterly Climate Action Plan for County Operations CAPCO update and an update on grant funding for the newly acquired Kelly Ranch, adjacent to Catalina State Park. Learn more about CAPCO and the Kelly Ranch acquisition below.

Rex

Pima County's Sustainable Action Plan

Pima County implemented its first Sustainable Action Plan in 2007, it was the first such initiative in Arizona to measure operational sustainability goals, practices, and strategies.  On May 3, 2022, the Board renewed our commitment to climate action and approved resolution 2022-25, again prioritizing our efforts in reducing the county's carbon emissions. On October 14, 2024 Pima County released the final 2018-2025 SAPCO, Sustainable Action Plan for County Operations report.

With the 2022 resolution came a new name, CAPCO, Climate Action Plan for County Operations. During Tuesday's meeting we had our first CAPCO plan and progress update. The full presentation, very much worth the watch can be found on Pima County's YouTube Channel and starts at 2h:33m into the meeting.  

Kelly Ranch Acquisition

The Board of Supervisors, at its April 1st meeting, voted to approve the acquisition of Kelly Ranch. This breathtaking109-acre property is located in District 1 and is adjacent to Catalina State Park. I'm thrilled to see this long sought after piece of property become part of Pima County's Conservation Lands & Resources properties. As I stated in the county's press release, “The County has prioritized protecting our sensitive desert ecosystems and cultural heritage sites since the 1930s with the creation of Tucson Mountain Park and continuing over the decades including facilitating the creation of Catalina State Park in the 1970s, and establishing the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan in the 2000s. The Kelly Ranch acquisition continues our legacy of environmental preservation and stewardship.” 

At this week's board meeting the board accepted a matching grant of $1.5 Million from the Arizona State Parks Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

Members of the public wishing to financially support the acquisition of Kelly Ranch can make donations to the Pima County Parklands Foundation, a nonprofit that supports County parks and park amenities. Donations can be made at pimaparklands.org, click on the Kelly Ranch Acquisition donation fund.

Community Planning, Outreach and Survey Opportunities

• Climate Change | Pima County, AZ
• Pima Prospers- 2025 Preliminary Draft
• Engage Pima County Hub

Media Spots, Memoranda, and Correspondence

• Buckmaster Interview (Podcast) - 53m 44s (4/10/2025)
• Guest opinion: Rex Scott: Homelessness requires common-sense approach by Pima County (Tucson Sentinel) (2/15/2025)
• Buckmaster Interview (Podcast) - 53m 49s(02/12/2025)
• All Memoranda and Correspondence
• Watch BOS Meetings on YouTube