Blue Light Recognition
This is the COVID graph the NY Times put out for Arizona last week. The virus is exploding again around the Country. The areas that are being hit hardest right now are in the Midwest, where temperatures are cooling off, and people are indoors for longer periods of time. Our numbers are already increasing, and as the weather cools off here, we should expect the resurgence that was feared earlier in the year.
|
The blue light recognition is for our local health care workers as they watch the wave head in our direction. I've spoken to several nurses and docs who work in COVID wards and our local hospitals generally. Their sacrifices, both on the job and how they have to isolate from even their own families, have fallen off the media radar screen. But it's daily for them, and they deserve much more than just this recognition.
And this is Officer Alex Arango. Alex is a 27 year veteran of the Everman, Texas police department. He died last week of COVID-19. This blue light recognition is for all of our law enforcement officers who put themselves in harm's way, both with respect to the incidents they encounter, but also with respect to contracting COVID.
|
About 3 weeks ago, Alex was the primary officer to make contact at a home where a suspect was arrested. Days later, they found that someone in the home tested positive. Alex contracted the virus, was hospitalized, and spent his last days on a ventilator in intensive care. In addition, his 81-year-old mother and son-in-law are right now in the hospital battling COVID. His wife, daughter, and grandson are all at home recovering from the virus.
Above, I wrote that many of us aren't aware of the off-duty sacrifices health care workers are making. That same thing is true of our law enforcement personnel. Our hearts go out to the Arango family and wish the wife, daughter, and grandson a speedy and full physical recovery. The spiritual scar won't go away.
City of Gastronomy and COVID
Last week we saw Café Poca Cosa is closing. They're not the first local restaurant to shut their doors due to COVID impacts. And the impact isn't only affecting downtown restaurants. Locals across the City are hurting. Congress right now has it within their power to send a lifeline that will help keep doors open, people employed, and our local economy was limping along. It's called the Restaurants Act, embedded within the $120B COVID relief plan Congress has tied up.
A few weeks ago, I shared the wonderful partnership we've established with Pima County to help businesses along 4th Avenue and around the corner on 6th. The County has invested $450K to help support that area. Those dollars are now beginning to run out. Rio Nuevo and the County are partnering with the Downtown Tucson Partnership doing the same for downtown restaurants. And the City has allocated funds through CARES to help businesses with rent and utilities. There are a variety of local efforts, but Congress is sitting on a large lump of cash that could be a game-changer for our local restaurants.
If you're a letter writer, consider sending our Senators Sinema, and McSally notes urging their rapid support of the Restaurants Act within the COVID bill. If you prefer to make phone calls, Sinema's office is 202.224.4521, and McSally's is 202.224.2235. Independent local restaurants are what makes Tucson a unique destination that Visit Tucson markets so well. But dominoes are starting to fall. We need Congress to step up quickly, or the damage will be irredeemable.
Leash Law
It is the law in Pima County that when you have your dog out in a public space, it's on a leash. I want to put this item upfront in the newsletter, so it doesn't get skipped over. You are required to have your dog on a leash when you're out in our parks. Please keep that in mind.
Last week we had a dog on dog attack that turned fatal. Also, this time of year, we're going to see an increase in urban wildlife – coyotes, and javelina. If your dog is off leash, there will be conflicts.
Please respect the rights of others and comply with the leash law. I know the temptation – my guys used to run freely in the washes, and I know they loved it. But...
|
People, Communities, and Homes Investment Plan
Everything needs an acronym – P-CHIP is what we're calling our newly conceived human services plan. It's a fitting name since we get funding sources from a variety of places, and many come with rules that guide what sorts of programs they can be spent on. The P-CHIP plan touches each of them in a comprehensive way.
The website outlining the plan is ready for you to view. You can find it at https://p-chip.tucsonaz.gov/. As we gather more input from the public, the website will be updated.
Our Housing folks are hosting two virtual public meetings in order to give you an opportunity to be a part of the planning process. Housing will give an overview of the plan, showing where it addresses homelessness, housing, neighborhood investment, and a bunch more. It's your chance to offer your thoughts on how we're investing in the community. This flyer has the sign-on information. I hope you can carve out some time to look over the plan and take part in this process.
COVID Trends in Arizona
The NY Times graph I shared above shows what's happening with COVID-19 in Arizona. While the rest of the Country is seeing a spike, largely in areas where it's cooling off, and people are spending more time indoors, Arizona appears to be at the front-end of that resurgence.
Other parts of the State are increasing more rapidly than Pima County. And yet, in the census tract surrounding the UA, the data is pretty clear. This is from the Pima County health portal for Census Tract 5 – the UA area. The link to that site is at the end of the newsletter if you'd like to browse through it on your own.
If we're not exactly tracking with the rest of the State right now, that graph shows we're headed in that direction. And if Arizona is lagging some of the other parts of the Country right now, the trend is up, and that will continue as the weather temps go down. We need everyone's cooperation in controlling behavior right now, or this is going to be even more tragic than it already is.
Last week I shared the text of a testing Resolution I had hoped the rest of the M&C would support. In effect, it simply called on the UA to require students to test prior to coming back from the holiday vacation. In the run-up to the vote, the UA sent leadership to the other offices to gin up opposition to the Resolution. The Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC) made calls, too. According to SALC, supporting the Resolution would hurt the UA's ability to attract out-of-state students. I fundamentally disagree, but the pressure worked, and the Reso failed on a 5-1 vote. With the data headed in the direction we see it going, I believe it won't be long before we see that vote was a big mistake. Over the weekend, the Star ran this Guest Piece I wrote. It lays out how that vote went down in greater detail.
Of the 36,000 undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Arizona this semester, roughly 6,000 of them live in on-campus housing. And of those living off-campus, thousands are grouped in high-rises, sororities, and fraternities in the immediate vicinity of campus. Congregate settings like those are known COVID-19 breeding grounds. The UA has no mandatory testing policy in place for off-campus students.
Over the past 2 months, I have been directly involved with testing students living in those off-campus settings. Last month we saw COVID positivity rates running north of 30% in some of the buildings. At that same time, Pima County testing operations uncovered rates in excess of 50% in some private apartment complexes, and above 80% in some off-campus Greek settings. Unchecked, that student population living out in our community creates a public health emergency.
To be clear, University leadership has done a credible job of managing on-campus spread. The voluntary testing programs, wastewater epidemiology, facilities management 'COVID-busters,' mask-up policies, and tracing efforts being conducted through campus health are models for other Universities to follow. And yet there are thousands of students who are living out of the campus bubble. That is a model for creating a resurgence of infections.
By virtue of the contract signed between students and the institution, the UA can compel testing. All students living in on-campus dorms were required to test negative prior to moving in. I requested the Mayor and City Council adopt a non-binding Resolution stating our belief that the UA should require all students to present evidence of having tested negative prior to taking part in classes. Last Tuesday, the Mayor and Council voted down that Resolution on a 5-1 vote.
In the run-up to the Council meeting, the UA 'made the rounds,' calling Mayor and Council offices urging a No vote. Even members of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council contacted Ward offices, suggesting that if we passed my Resolution, it might hurt the UA's recruitment efforts. It's the optics. Based on the 5-1 vote, it's clear the full-court press caused a turnover. But that does not remove the public health threat.
The Mayor invited a representative of the UA President's team to address the Council during our meeting. He referred to my effort at securing the Resolution as 'pandering' and not public health. He also said mandatory testing is 'unconstitutional.' Mandatory testing has been implemented at Clemson, Illinois, Rhode Island, and other Universities. The State of Arizona still operates under the same Constitution as does the rest of the Country. The City Attorney affirmed the legality of mandatory testing. Requiring a COVID-19 test as a part of the matriculation contract is not 'unconstitutional.'
Pandering? Suggesting that it is offensive to the Tucson residents who live in the neighborhoods surrounding campus and beyond, who have invested in this community, who have supported the UA, and who deserve to have their liberty to safely move about in this City respected through a thorough testing program. And that request being registered by the City governing body only reflects poorly on the UA if it is ignored.
Many students are now refusing to be tested because they don't want to be forced to isolate if they test positive. At 20 years of age, that's a reasonable roll of the dice if you're the only person affected by the outcome. Residents of this community are affected, and I continue to believe the UA can and should implement a protocol that requires students to present a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of returning to classes in January. That's not pandering. That is responsible public health policy.
During the press briefing prior to the vote on the Reso, UA leadership said more testing is the key. They also said, 'what if we turned it around on the City and said they should test everybody who lives here?' The reality is that we're not charging tuition for people to live in Tucson. They're not here through a contractual relationship. Other schools have instituted mandatory testing. We should do it here, too. It'll now take someone else from the Council to revisit the idea.
There continue to be large parties happening in off-campus locations. Many of the bars/bar-restaurant hang-outs are jammed with students. Watch the numbers as the climb. Being on the national news as a hot spot isn't going to boost recruitment to campus. The vote and not implementing the policy I recommended are both mistakes.
During Thursday's Presidential debate, Trump said, "I take full responsibility, but China brought it here. It's not my fault." Yes, it's a head-scratcher, but my point is asking for the Reso was not about pointing fingers or casting blame. It was about getting out ahead of the certainty that we're going to see a resurgence of COVID and taking one likely cause off the table.
Dr. Cullen from Pima County health said COVID at the UA can have a tidal wave effect on the surrounding community. In Pima County, if you see a business that's not complying with COVID rules, you can report it here, and their Consumer Health Food Safety team will look into it. For out of control parties, call 911, the UA COVID party hotline at 282.3649, or email to redtag@tucsonaz.gov.
|
What's Happening at Colleges Around the Country
One of my primary concerns with not testing students as they return to co-mingle in the City is community spread. Six weeks after they resumed fall classes at the U Wisconsin/La Crosse, County health officials recorded 19 deaths from COVID. All of the victims were over the age of 60. Their Mayor said, "it was the very thing we worried about, and it has happened" after having seen students pack into bars and restaurants. Infections appeared first in the student-age population and then swept through local nursing homes and out into the community. I'd say it follows the yard signs we see all over - "Science is Real."
And this is a quote from the CDC website where it discusses COVID protocols and College campuses. An "IHE" is their shorthand for the Institute of Higher Education.
Some IHEs have implemented policies requiring testing of all students, faculty, and staff for COVID-19 before allowing campus entry (entry testing or one-time universal testing or two-phase entry testing) or testing repeatedly throughout the semester or at specific intervals as decided by the IHE and the health department.
If they're reporting on it, and it's a part of the CDC recommended COVID testing reentry guidance, it strikes me that its constitutionality is likely on some pretty solid ground.
This is a photo of the Quad on the U Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. I walked through that place hundreds of times while I was growing up.
The UM is in Washtenaw County. They've had over 4,300 confirmed cases, with over 600 in the past week. They estimate over 60% of those were UM students. Given that, the University instituted a mandatory shelter in place policy, with these few exceptions:
Students who don't have any symptoms can leave their residences while wearing masks and social distancing for the following reasons:
-
To go to classes and instructional labs.
-
To go to off-site clinical rotations or for experiential learning assignments if they have approval from the dean and the organization/site of activity.
-
To go to work if it cannot be done remotely with approval from the employer.
-
To pick up food and return home to eat it.
-
To get medicine or go to medical appointments.
-
To attend religious services.
-
To vote.
-
To get tested for COVID-19.
-
To exercise/be physically active outside so long as it is in groups of no more than two people.
-
To participate in intercollegiate varsity sports.
The UM order mandates that there should be no in-person gatherings with people who don't live in the same household.
On October 5th, the U of Rhode Island implemented a mandatory COVID-19 testing program for all students, both on and off-campus residents. They worked in collaboration with the Rhode Island Department of Health to put the policy into place. And at Clemson, every student at this point in the semester has been tested at least twice before stepping onto campus. More if they live on campus. And at Illinois, they're testing students twice per week.
Last week a letter was drafted and sent to both the US House and Senate leadership. The letter was co-signed by these groups, each representing a segment of Higher Education:
-
American Association of Community Colleges
-
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
-
American Council on Education
-
Association of American Universities
-
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
-
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
-
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
-
Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
-
National Association of Independent Colleges
-
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
The letter calls the financial condition of American Higher Education an 'existential crisis.' Their bottom line during these unprecedented times is that Congress needs to immediately allocate "at least $120B" in new support. All schools are seeing revenue decreases and expense increases. The U Michigan has seen cuts of $200M. Maryland has seen cuts of $186M. Up to 40% of students who have loans to pay have lost their jobs. The letter went out last week. Congress is still in a stalemate.
And the President of Saint Augustine's University died last Thursday night. Irving Pressley contracted the virus in an off-campus setting and died shortly afterwards. He had served as their President since July 15th and had spent much of his young tenure putting COVID protocols into place on their campus. What happens outside campus bubbles counts.
Open Studio Arts Tour – Online
For over 10 years, many of us have been taking part in the Open Studio Arts Tours. They've been an annual opportunity to visit studios of local artists and see both where they work and appreciate the output. This year things are a little different. But the tour will go on, virtually.
Artist registration has started. Please use this link to get signed up if you'd like to participate. The tour will run from November 27th through December 6th - but you need to register before November 20th if you want to get involved.
Artists are, by nature, creative. Given that, I'm confident this year's tour will be worth checking out. You can get a flavor of what they've got planned at the main site here - Open Studio Tours
|
Mural Art
Also art-related, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) is teaming up with the Arts Foundation of Southern Arizona (AFTSA) for another round of mural art. The mural selected will be chosen on how well it represents the CFSA values, as well as the diversity of Southern Arizona. Any artist is eligible to apply, and a special consideration will be given to local artists and black, indigenous, people of color artists.
The CFSA values are collaboration, innovation, effective leadership, integrity, stewardship, and service. That's pretty broad, so you've got lots of room to 'create.'
Center for Community Dialogue – Election Forums
Right after the 2016 Presidential election, I joined forces with Our Family Services and the Center for Community Dialogue in hosting a forum on the then post-election question – Where do we go from here? We held it at Temple Emmanuel. I know many of you came and took part. Given the divide we see so starkly in the news every day, the need for dialogue is as urgent as ever.
The Center is hosting 2 election-related forums this election season. Both will be virtual, but both are important for bringing people together. First, on Thursday, October 29th, from 6 pm until 8 pm, they'll be bringing "Here comes the vote. Who Cares? A non-partisan community forum about the shaping of our values and votes." It's a safe space community forum in which all views are given room to be shared.
Then comes post-election. On Tuesday, November 17th, also from 6 pm until 8 pm, they'll host "After the vote; now what?" This is the follow-on to what we did in '16. Given COVID, the climate emergencies we see, and social justice issues, this year's post-election dialogue is critical to have.
These opportunities for virtual democracy come when we far too often have trouble talking with others 'from the other side' of important issues. Please use this link to register for the first forum. More to come on the November event.
Modernism Week
Here's another event that, in the past, has generated significant interest, has involved visiting local sites of interest, and this year is being held virtually. Modernism Week is coming November 6th through the 8th. You can register and see all that's included by checking this link: https://preservetucson.org/modernism-week/.
If you've participated in any of the previous 8 Modernism Weeks, I think you'll want to get involved with this virtual one, too. They've got lectures, guided and self-led virtual tours, and even a virtual cocktail event planned. And this year, the UA Museum of Art is partnering for some special additions to the programming.
All of the events are free, but you have to register. And at that registration link, there are ways you can donate to help keep these preservation activities alive, even remotely.
Zooming is getting to be a drag, but it also makes these events more convenient to take part in. Please consider investing time to support this post-WWII architecture celebration.
Second Chance Tucson
Ok, one final virtual opportunity. Second Chance Tucson is a group of local non-profits, governmental groups, faith-based, and law enforcement agencies all combining to assist people exiting the prison system with reentry into a productive life outside. Former Mayor Rothschild worked with US Magistrate Charles Pyle to get this started back in 2014. It's great to see these groups recognize its value and keep the work alive.
On Tuesday, October 27th, from 10 am until 11:30 am, there will be an online forum describing this year's Second Chance Tucson events. The forum is free to attend – find the registration information at this site: www.secondchancetucson.org
One out of every 31 adults is in jail, prison, or is on probation or parole. Each of them bring unique skill sets to the job market. And finding employers who'll assist in reentry has a direct impact on recidivism rates. That's not theory – it's fact. Second Chance Tucson is a way for you to find your place in helping in that reentry process.
The forum will describe symposiums about reentry, Second Chance job fairs, ways you can help teach skills such as resume writing and interview techniques, and there will be early planning for volunteer service coming on Cesar Chavez Day.
If you're an employer, you may be eligible for a Federal tax credit of up to $2,400 for hiring a returning citizen. If you'd like more information on that, contact Debbie Chavez at 602.771.0899. And whether you're an employer, or a person who wants to assist using your own skills, signing up for the forum is the first step to getting involved.
OsirisREx
The OrsirisREx spacecraft successfully touched asteroid Bennu, grabbed some rocks, and pulled away with the goodies locked safely within its collection chamber. At least that would be the preferred opening sentence. Unfortunately, they grabbed so much asteroid dust and rock, the hatch on the collection chamber couldn't fully close. Here are a couple of images showing what's going on thousands of miles above us.
First – this is literally seconds before touchdown on Bennu.
What you see is the camera shot of the spacecraft collection arm as it descends towards Bennu. As it makes contact, it grabs samples and retracts towards the spacecraft.
And this image shows some of the particles that were captured floating back out of the sample chamber into space. On the left-hand side of the chamber, you can see the mylar flap that was supposed to seal things inside. NASA speculates that they were so successful in grabbing a bunch of samples that some of the larger stones are preventing the mylar from fully closing. What an absolute drag to sit and watch the camera images of the rocks floating away. The hope is to retract the arm to inside the spacecraft before it all ends up being lost. You can watch the video on this link: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-osiris-rex-spacecraft-collects-significant-amount-of-asteroid
Ok, that exhausts my science knowledge. I'm just totally impressed by the people who have managed this operation and wish them the very best in salvaging what they can for the flight back to earth. I remember John Glenn orbiting the earth for the first time. Now we're playing TAG with asteroids. I also remember my brother's first Kodak Brownie.
Now we're taking video and sending it home from thousands of miles away. It's some pretty astounding stuff.
|
Be Kind
For this week's Be Kind, I'm going to share a few ideas you might want to jot down and try out. These are things I've seen just in passing or have experienced because someone directed them towards my staff or me. It's infectious – in a good way. Here are 10 ideas for you to try out this week. Every one of them takes a minute or less:
1) Give somebody a compliment
2) Pick up some trash you see laying around
3) Thank the postal delivery person or the guys who pick up the trash
4) Send somebody an email of appreciation
5) Email a friend an old photo and recall that time
6) Hug somebody who's within your bubble
7) Give a random phone call to a senior who's alone
8) Social media is such a downer – leave a positive comment on a social media site
9) Encourage someone you know who's down. COVID isolation is hard on all of us
10) Smile and say 'Good morning' to someone – it happens all the time on the Loop
Give it a try and send me what you did. I'll bet it makes you feel better inside.
|
Halloween Costume Contest
Ok, it's contest week. Send your entry to Ward6@tucsonaz.gov. Our team will look over the entries, choose 2 human winners and 1 pet winner and let you know what you've won. But it's really about just having a good time in the process and not letting the indoor Halloween get you down.
 And my staff finally convinced me to allow cats to be included.
 Good luck. You do not have to be a Ward 6 resident in order to enter.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
This week's DV reminder is highlighting Mom's Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety. They're the gun safety groups I've worked with for years. And the tie-in between guns and DV is data-based one and one that has cost lives.
Intimate partner violence and guns have impacted millions of women, their families, and the communities in which DV killings have taken place. Look it up – abusers with firearms are 5x more likely to kill their partner than if the gun wasn't present. Guns are a controlling, power tool used to exacerbate the power dynamic in abusive relationships. Every month, an average of 53 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. Every month. And Everytown for Gun Safety reports that there are at least a million women who are alive today, but who have reported either having been shot or shot at by a partner.
I've written lots about Genna. Her trial is coming. She was shot and killed by an intimate partner. Let's hope the Pima County Attorney fully explores the dynamics surrounding the killing.
If you know of someone who's in an abusive relationship, and you know there are weapons in the home, please encourage that person to contact Emerge for assistance. She doesn't want to become a statistic. You can help to avoid that.
If you know of someone who may be being victimized by domestic abuse, please call the Emerge hotline at 795.4266. You can find their website at www.emergecenter.org.
|
UCAB Update
My local Tucson item this week is the Unified Community Advisory Board (UCAB) and their work on monitoring the water contamination happening out on the SW side. The group met last week, and I was pleased to join the meeting, along with Diana from my office. The information is extremely important to the residents of the City. And the people making the presentations generally come prepared to share in an open and transparent manner.
There are a few different contamination sources UCAB is monitoring. This plume reflects TCE contamination caused by the USAF. The chemical 1, 4 dioxane is also involved. And note the Air National Guard’s presence. They’ve also been a contributor. But more recently we’ve learned that the ANG is also responsible for contaminating the area with PFAS – the substance previously used for aircraft fire suppression. It’s what we’re in litigation with 3M and other manufacturers over.
|
 By virtue of our having built two treatment plants, the TCE and 1, 4 Dioxane contaminants are being filtered out. Since 2007 nearly 9,000 pounds of TCE have been removed. That represents a significant effort by Tucson Water to make sure we’re sending clean water to your home. We’re also spending lots of money treating for PFAS before it ends up at your tap. This chart shows the success of that work:
PFAS is still not governed by the EPA as a contaminant. They feel the need to assign a Maximum Contaminant Level. That could change after this election as the EPA hopefully resumes its role as a protector of the environment. If that happens, the whole legal landscape changes, as does the funding availability for building treatment facilities. We're going to need more of those for PFAS over by the DM runway. Right now, the USAF is working with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Tucson Water to assess the extent of that contamination.
It was good to hear during the UCAB meeting that the USAF is at least studying where they stored PFAS at Plant 44 – the site shown in the map above. The contractor who presented on behalf of the ANG was unprepared to discuss PFAS. That's a real miss in terms of these meetings' openness and sharing of information. There'll be a follow up on the PFAS piece of these presentations. I will keep writing about how that issue evolves. It's a huge environmental issue that is affecting communities all over the Country where Air Force bases are located.
Harvard and Pima County Trends
Above I shared the NY Times COVID trend map for Arizona. By way of reminder, here's the Harvard Global risk level assessment.
 We have 9 Congressional Districts. This map shows how the State is divided.
With the exception of CD2, Ann Kirkpatrick's District, the rest of the Stat is back into the Orange risk category. Per the Harvard risk assessment tool, that means "spread has accelerated and is at dangerous levels." And the area surrounding the UA, ASU, and NAU campuses remain undercounted.
Halloween parties are coming. Then comes Thanksgiving and the holidays. Please do what you can to help assure the trend doesn't accelerate.
COVID Raw Data
 And this week, that same data set looks like this. It's an increase of over 7,000 new cases, and 47 people in Arizona lost their lives last week due to COVID.
 And for Pima County - last week:
 And Pima County as of Sunday evening:
Statewide diagnostic testing is 10.3% positive. In Pima County that's 7.7%. And in Pima County, that 7.7% does not include students living off-campus who refuse to test.
I opened by noting Arizona is seeing an uptick in COVID. So is Pima County. This is the data for new cases from September 19th through the 25th. The last column is the day over day increase.
 And this is what happened last week in Pima County – October 19th through the 25th.
We have simply got to test, trace, and treat where we know the hot spots exist.
And here are the numbers from AZDHS as of last weekend. Every County had an increase.
And for your own research – these links:
For the NY Times data sets, use this link:
The State Department of Health site is at this link: www.azdhs.gov.
And here’s the UA’s daily update link. www.covid.arizona.edu. When it opens, click 'See Latest Updates' and it'll take you to a screen with the updated data.
Sincerely,
Steve Kozachik
Council Member, Ward 6
ward6@tucsonaz.gov
City of Tucson Resources
|
