Vaccine Update
Now that many of you are in the vaccination pipeline, I want to share something that’s not being widely made known. When you get your second dose, plan on getting knocked for a loop. Headaches, fever, body aches, loss of energy, dizziness. The whole array. I’ve heard people who have been down for 2-3 days. Others it lasts for just one day. But it’s more common than not. My guess is the health care folks aren’t advertising this much because there is already a concern over vaccine hesitancy. Let’s not tell people that day 2 is going to be a drag on your second dose because we really want you to get it. Well – get your second dose, and plan on feeling like garbage the second day.
The Atlantic ran an article explaining in layman’s terms why your body responds like this. Thank you Sarah for guiding me to the article. The reassuring message from the article is that the side effects you’ll feel are just a sign that the protection ‘is kicking in as it should.’
The second dose is more likely to knock you for a loop because its effects are literally building on what you got in the first dose. At the time of your first dose, the body wasn’t primed for a response. But with the second dose, it’s ready for the onslaught, and kicks into gear. Moderna has 3x the amount of DNA material than Pfizer’s does. They suggest in the article that’s why people are more likely to get the aches and pains the next day from a Moderna second dose. It’s your body fighting what it perceives to be a foreign invader. When you’re in bed with the fever, think about what a good thing it is that your body is protecting you – or preparing to protect you if you get exposed to COVID. Sort of like your body punching you in the nose, looking for an invading virus to take on.
And I can’t resist – my penguin buddies. The second dose gets the first laugh, but we end up on top.
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The vaccine rollout is still being hampered by the state not supplying Pima County with the doses we need. It’s improving slightly, but we have the capacity to administer about 3x the number of doses being sent to us by Ducey. Here’s a graph showing the trend:
The UA mall Point of Distribution sent the county 1,000 of ‘their’ doses last week. Pressure in the press may have played a role. No matter what the catalyst, we appreciate the additional doses. The county is doing the heavy lifting of outreach to areas and people that don’t have easy access to either the state registration system, or simply getting to the UA mall. Contrary to the belief of UA ‘leadership,’ it’s not everyone’s center of gravity.
Please continue to register and get the vaccine. Use this county link to register for their PODs. It includes pharmacies as well.
And here’s the Bloomberg COVID19 Tracker data for Arizona. The nationwide total is up to 22.7 doses having been administered per 100 people. Arizona is just over 24 doses per 100 people, so we’re doing better vs what the rest of the country is doing. But with only 7.4% of the residents having received both doses, we’ve got a long way to go.
If you need a hand with the Pima County registration process, please call either 324.6400 or 222.0119. Things change every day with this program, so don’t hesitate to call them if you’re unsure at any point in the process.
COVID and Critters
If you follow the newsletter much at all, you know I’m an animal lover. So, this item is a tough one. But it’s an important part of our approach to the pandemic that is largely unreported.
We need vaccines that are effective on COVID. Researchers can’t just develop them in a lab and hope they work. They need test subjects whose DNA closely resembles ours. Otherwise, the tests are bogus. Enter these little guys.
One of the values in using monkeys for vaccine testing is that they bring the right DNA mix. A single monkey often provides hundreds of specimens. Those tissues are frozen and can be studied over long periods of time. The sad part is that monkeys who have been infected with COVID cannot be returned to live with their pals or other healthy animals. They’re eventually euthanized.
The pandemic has presented researchers with a supply problem. In the past, China was the primary supplier of research monkeys. Worldwide, researchers need millions of them. The increase in demand, plus a ban on the sale of wildlife from China has caused an international shortage of test monkeys right at the time we’re trying to develop vaccines. And not only vaccines for COVID-19, but also testing to be sure those vaccines work on the new strains.
A single test monkey can run up to $10,000. There are more than a dozen companies scrambling for research animals. And as you can imagine, in the midst of a pandemic, finding them in the numbers needed has become an issue. In 2019, the U.S. alone imported nearly 35,000 test monkeys. Right now, we have around 1,000 of them that are subject to coronavirus research. The demand has increased, and the supply has dwindled.
In addition to slowing down research on the COVID vaccines, the supply issue has caused research on other diseases such as Alzheimer’s to slow down as well. It has gotten to the point where scientists are calling on the U.S. government to put in place a ‘strategic reserve’ of primates - “stockpiled” through breeding programs in a way like our strategic oil supply. The shortfall is anticipated to grow by about 15% annually.
If you’re reading and waiting for a conclusion, or a position comment, I don’t have one. I totally understand the need for research, and research using ‘subjects’ that can yield results that are beneficial. And I really hate the idea of using monkeys, or any other living creature for those purposes. I don’t have an answer, other than it’s another sad bit of damage brought on by COVID. One we don’t see in the headlines, but if you’re an animal lover, one that tugs at your heart.
Flamingos at Reid Park Zoo
Here’s a good news critter story. Last weekend I was happy to be invited to take part in opening the new flamingo habitat at the zoo. The work is a part of Phase 1 of the zoo master plan. The Asia exhibit will begin soon.
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Here are a few tidbits you may not know about these birds. Most importantly, their habitat in Chili is being quickly eliminated by lithium mining. All of our cell phone batteries are a part of that process since they contain lithium. The Reid Park zoo work is in concert with Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE), and in support of preservation of flamingos in this case. So all the support of the donors involved with bringing this exhibit is work that has an international reach.
What else about flamingos? They eat upside down. Please don’t try this at home, unless you’re alone and nobody is there to watch the result. And they travel in cliques of 2-4 birds. When the zoo folks had to move them from their former habitat into this new, larger one, they had to move them in their established cliques. Finally, they spend 100% of their time with their mate. Think about that. My bride sometimes reads these newsletters so that’s all I’ll say on that topic.
Thanks to Nancy, Shane, Sue and all the zoo folks for the invitation.
Asylum Seekers
The urgency of the need for federal support related to the incoming migrants increased a bit in the past week. While we have our issues with the state when it comes to COVID testing and vaccination funding, they have joined efforts in leaning on FEMA for assistance addressing the on-the-ground issues we face taking care of our migrant guests.
If you’ve ever seen any of Ducey’s COVID press briefings, you’ll recognize Major General McGuire’s name. He’s the guy who attends in fatigues and gives glowing reports about how the state is handling COVID. In this case though, his letter to FEMA touched some of the right points.
The letter was written to Robert J. Fenton, Jr., Senior Official Performing the Duties of FEMA Administrator. I have no idea how far up the federal food chain he is, but I suspect McGuire knew which resource to tap into. He opens his letter by expressing his “grave concern regarding the federal government’s failure to coordinate with the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs” prior to moving forward with ending the Remain in Mexico policy. More importantly for me is that they failed to coordinate with local emergency response people. McGuire noted that as well - “It is my understanding relevant federal agencies also failed to engage with county emergency management officials, state and local law enforcement entities, or state and local public health officials regarding the entry of tens of thousands of migrants into Arizona.”
Without having first coordinated with us on a local level, the feds could not have put a cohesive policy into place. Nobody at the federal level understands how the county, city, Catholic Community Services, other local church partners, non-profits, and you all as volunteers have been managing this issue for literally 7 years. Many of you know we’ve hosted migrant families to sleep in our community room at the Ward office in the past. Many of you have hosted them in your home during times of overflow. Well, during times of COVID, that’s not an option.
McGuire’s letter focused on the need for a phased, coordinated release effort. That’s fine. It says nothing about funding. That’s not fine. I’ve shared with aides from Sinema, Grijalva and Kirkpatrick’s offices the need for federal FEMA funding assistance. I know the county leadership has as well. Coordinating a phased release means little if we’re still charged with paying the freight. I’ll keep you posted on progress.
Meanwhile, we are actively taking donations again. Toiletries, bottled water, sunscreen, games for the kiddos, and unopened nutrition bars are good. Instead of food, if you’re inclined please bring gift cards for Walmart or Costco. We’ll get any of that to CCS for their hands-on work with the migrants.
Thanks very much to those of you who brought things by last week. Contact me at steve.kozachik@tucsonaz.gov and we’ll coordinate so you don’t come to a locked door at the Ward office.
Small Cell Poles
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Progress on the cell pole issue. This is a photo I shared with M&C at last week’s study session. Note the wooden stake, two street signs and a TEP utility pole all bunched together. The cell pole is slated to go where the stake is located, ignoring the option to collocate on any of the other 3 existing vertical elements. That phrase ‘vertical elements’ becomes key as you read on.
And this is what we end up with in our residential neighborhoods.
What has not been happening is any discussion of using city-owned street signs, light poles, or the utility poles owned by TEP. Everyone has simply been picking the location in the public Right of Way (ROW) and moving on.
It’s important to note that the only telecom provider who has even engaged with us on finding a solution is Verizon. Neither AT&T nor T-Mobile have shown any willingness to sit down and talk. According to state law, they don’t have to. And according to how the free market works, you don’t have to buy their product.
At the study session I was able to get movement on a city ordinance that requires the telecom providers to demonstrate they’ve exhausted every other possible site location prior to landing on the one in front of your house. We cannot compel them to choose another site, but the city has also not been forcing a more creative conversation.
During one of the meetings, I was involved with after the study session I learned one of the reasons Verizon has not been proposing street signs or other city-owned vertical elements is that they’ve been told the city won’t allow collocation. That’s changing. And it’s yet another layer of the onion we’ve had to peel back as this process unfolds. If the city has been limiting their options, we aren’t in a real great position of pointing fingers at the telecom group.
The other very important party in this is TEP. I’ve shared this before, but here’s the state law once again that says telecom providers can select a utility pole, and the utility cannot say ‘no.’
 If you’d like to read the whole bill, google HB2365.
Every piece of legislation related to these poles is intended to get the 5G system up and running as quickly as possible. The state laws and FCC rules restrict local jurisdictions from putting any roadblocks in front of telecom companies. Similarly, the section of 2365 I cite above appears to do the same when it comes to public utilities putting up roadblocks. But in fact, they are.
Before one of the telecom companies can collocate their antennae on a utility pole, I’m told they need what’s called a Master License Agreement (MLA.) That, in some jurisdictions has taken 9 months to a year to negotiate. In addition, I’ve learned that even with an MLA, the utilities are placing restrictions on which of their poles they’ll allow an antenna to go on. That is not at all consistent with the spirit of the law that says the city can’t slow down the process. Utilities are currently being allowed to stand in the way of the 5G rollout, at the expense of trashing out the city ROW. I’ve reached out to state legislators and asked that to be looked into.
TEP tells me they’re ‘in the room’ now with both city staff and telecom companies. During conversations I’ve had with city staff, it has now been made clear that telecom companies must not be restricted from at least presenting to us options that include city-owned vertical elements. Nothing is off the table for consideration at the start of the conversation. And before you end up with one of these poles in front of your house, we’ll have considered all of those options.
We don’t have a year to wait on TEP and each individual telecom company to negotiate an MLA. And the state statute needs to apply equally to the utility as it does to us. If we can’t toss up roadblocks, neither can they. And the city needs to open all of our vertical elements (light poles, street signs, traffic control devices, etc.) for at least consideration. Verizon tells me they replace existing utility poles in other jurisdictions. That must be an option here, too. I’ll keep you posted.
PFAS in Phoenix
This is Luke AFB outside of Phoenix. When it comes to PFAS contamination, they’re no different than hundreds of other military bases across the country. Including DM here in Tucson.
PFAS is the acronym for the chemicals that have seeped into groundwater supplies by military bases in hundreds of cities around the world. It comes from a firefighting foam that, when hosed into the soil or dumped into the sewer system, contaminates groundwater supplies.
At Luke last week, they had to begin serving bottle water to over 6,000 residents who live near the base. A contractor has been hired to deliver drinking water to homes in the area. The EPA has yet to set a legal maximum contamination level (MCL) for PFAS. So even though delivering bottled water is responsible from a public health perspective, it is not legally required. My hope is the current administration assigns an MCL to PFAS so we have a consistent and enforceable standard across the nation.
A couple of weeks ago I hosted a PFAS update with several midtown neighborhood representatives. Presenting at the meeting were people from DM, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Tucson Water and one of our city attorneys who specializes in water litigation. I appreciate all of them taking the time to educate us on where we are with respect to cleaning the DM plume. What’s important to make clear is that we’re not serving groundwater to our Tucson Water customers in the midtown area. We serve water from the Central Arizona Project – the Colorado River. Evidently the folks up around Luke don’t have that safety bridge built into their water supply chain.
We’re in litigation vs 3M and other PFAS manufacturers. We’re also working with ADEQ and the DOD to identify and clean up the plume around DM. That’s important because we will not have the Colorado River to rely on forever. And when that supply decreases, and groundwater becomes our go-to, the groundwater cannot be contaminated with PFAS. They expect to have a treatment plant running by about the middle of next year.
RTA Next
The RTA (Regional Transportation Authority) is the ½ cent sales tax approved by the voters in 2006 that’s paying for road widening, some transit and safety elements. It’s due to expire in 2026, so the RTA board is strategizing about when, and in what form it should go back to the voters. There are 8 jurisdictions that make up the RTA membership. They include the City of Tucson, Pima County, South Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Tohono O’odham Nation. Each jurisdiction has one vote on all matters that come before the board.
A while back the RTA sent out a request for project lists from each of the member jurisdictions. Each was capped at $600M. That means the projects the City of Tucson is to have on the ballot would be equal in value to those of the other jurisdictions. We’re told the RTA board plans on paring down everyone’s list, so there may not be full equivalency, but capping our project list at the same level as everyone else’s wasn’t a good start to the ballot conversation.
We’ve let the RTA board know we have other issues with the direction of the new Plan as well. One is that pavement preservation (road repair) is not a part of the existing RTA, and at this time hasn’t been formally identified as being a part of the next one. We also want to see a greater level of investment in smart city technologies, transit improvements, and safety elements so our roads are built with pedestrians, biking and all ways of getting around in mind. In the current RTA, those elements are poorly funded. Over a billion dollars was earmarked for road widening though. That’s not going to work if this Mayor and City Council are going to endorse the ballot Plan.
When the Broadway widening project was approved, it was based on outdated and inaccurate traffic projections. We’re going to want to see some level of flexibility built into the new Plan so as peoples’ behaviors change, the Plan is able to adapt to them. And the notion of proportional voting is going to have to be discussed with the board before M&C will support the new ballot measure. We’re over 40% of the tax base funding the RTA. The current one-jurisdiction/one-vote process makes no sense.
The City is working on our own long-term transit and mobility plan. That work is taking place in a parallel time frame with the RTA Next process. I’m hopeful they can find a way to track together so the City doesn’t have to go it alone in finding a funding source for local road projects.
Detecting Water Leaks
From time to time we get a call from a Tucson Water customer asking us to help out with a large water bill. It’s not uncommon for those to be the result of either a leak they didn’t know about, or someone inadvertently leaving a garden hose on and leaving for the weekend. The bills run into the hundreds of dollars pretty quickly.
While we can’t forgive them, Tucson Water will work with you on reducing, and/or getting some payment schedule into place. But if the water was legitimately used, well, it’s not free.
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There are some products on the market you can buy for what may end up being a fraction of the cost of the bill. They’re apps you can load onto your smart phone that alert you to any number of water meter events. Say you want to know if the meter has been running constantly for some period of time. Or you want to know when you reach a certain level of usage. Your phone will receive an alert.
As you can see, you do not need a plumber to install one of the monitors. It’s an easy way to keep track of your water use so you can avoid an unpleasant surprise when you get the bill at the end of the month.
I can’t endorse any particular products, but if you Google ‘smart water monitoring home systems’ you’ll see a bunch of options. It’s cheap insurance.
Rillito Call to Artists
When I’m not lying in bed working through a second Moderna vaccine dose, I start the day running on the Loop. Over by Country Club, they just installed some new paving and a wall intended for erosion protection. The wall is now the focus of a Call to Artists.
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The Pima County Flood Control folks, in partnership with the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona are taking applications right now for a mural that’ll go on the new retaining wall. You can see it in the background of the photo. I’d say it’s a couple of hundred feet long, so the mural will be very visible and will be a great addition to the Loop.
If you’re interested, the deadline for submitting your application is March 8th. Use this link to get all of the information on budget and how to get yourself included in the selection process:
https://artsfoundtucson.org/call-to-artist/cta-flood-control-mural/
And use this link if you have Spanish-only speaking friends who might be interested:
https://artsfoundtucson.org/call-to-artist/convocatoria-para-artistas-equipo-de-artistas-control-de-inundaciones-mural/
Good luck. I’m looking forward to watching the work being done.
Rincon Heights/Pie Allen Neighborhood Preservation Zone
A neighborhood preservation zone (NPZ) is an overlay that establishes development standards for a specific geographic area. The majority of existing property owners have to agree to putting the NPZ into place. Right now, we’ve got 2 of them in Tucson: Jefferson Park and Feldman’s. In order to qualify for consideration, the neighborhood must first be listed as a national register Historic District.
Rincon Heights and Pie Allen neighborhoods are teaming up to create our 3rd NPZ. This map shows the area being considered.
 You can see that the boundary of the proposed NPZ is not the entire neighborhood. Makes sense. One of the purposes of an NPZ is to preserve a unique character of the area. You can see they’ve carved out the UA student rec center and Tucson High. What they’re after is preserving historic and culturally unique design, not a UA building.
look at the dip back up at the end of the graph. It’s of course a short time frame, but the fact that the decline reversed is concerning to many in the health industry.
 You can see that the boundary of the proposed NPZ is not the entire neighborhood. Makes sense. One of the purposes of an NPZ is to preserve a unique character of the area. You can see they’ve carved out the UA student rec center and Tucson High. What they’re after is preserving historic and culturally unique design, not a UA building.
The folks in the neighborhoods have been putting a lot of work into creating a draft design manual. That’s going to form the design characteristics for development in the NPZ going forward. Throughout the process they’ve been making an effort to engage all property owners from the area. There are three more opportunities coming up that, if you own property in the dark area shown on the map, you should take part.
You’ll need to register for each of the meetings you want to participate in. The presentations will be the same, but the dialogue is guided by the questions asked at any one of the meetings – so you may learn new tidbits at each one. Here are the times and links to register:
Thursday, March 4th: 7:00 - 8:30 PM - RegisterFriday, March 5th: 10AM - 11:30 AM - Register Saturday, March 6th: 10AM - 11:30 AM - RegisterAs a sneak peak, here’s the slide presentation that’ll be shown. Please take a moment to go through it so you’ll be ready to take part in the discussion. The success of these really depends on getting as much design input ahead of time as we can, so I hope to see you at one of the meetings.
View presentation slides here.
New COVID Variant Strains
One troubling COVID item that was in the media last week is the drop in new cases seems to have leveled off. You can see in the graph the steep decline we experienced in January and into February. But look at the dip back up at the end of the graph. It’s of course a short time frame, but the fact that the decline reversed is concerning to many in the health industry.
 In New York and in New Jersey they believe the new strains are starting to gain a foothold. There’s concern that the new strains may be one factor in the end of the steep decline in COVID cases. A month ago there had been 437 total cases of the variant strains in the U.S. Now we’re over 2,000. Here’s the new CDC map showing the spread of the new strains. A month ago Arizona had zero. Now we have 14 reported. Continued testing is the only way of tracking the spread of new strains. Ducey sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in testing money is placing us at risk of reversing the progress we’ve made.
To make the point about testing and the Governor’s office, I penned this Guest Piece that the Star was kind enough to run yesterday. Simply put, Ducey’s actions may be costing lives.
The U.K. variant COVID strain has been identified in Arizona. It is more highly contagious than COVID-19, and is therefore more easily transmitted. In Arizona nearly 16,000 people have died from coronavirus in the past year. Now is not the time to let down our guard and allow the new, more virulent strains to gain a foothold.
Tucson and Pima County have spent well in excess of $50 million combined on COVID testing and vaccinations. That money was invested in the health of the community with the understanding the federal dollars allocated to the state would be used to make us whole. It must be. Neither the city nor the county has $50 million sitting in our petty cash drawer. We must responsibly invest in our other budget obligations.
Gov. Doug Ducey is sitting on more than $400 million in federal money that was earmarked to pay for testing and vaccinations. Last week he announced $14 million would be sent to Pima County. Later that same day, the Ducey administration further announced that none of the $14 million can be used to reimburse either the city or the county for money already spent on keeping the public safe. The governor is playing political games with the lives of Pima County residents.
The County Board of Supervisors will vote this week on whether they can continue to spend down their limited cash reserves on COVID testing. The City Council is similarly facing the end of our CARES Act allocation.
Neither the city nor the county can go into deficit spending to continue paying for COVID testing. If testing is stopped in Pima County, every resident becomes increasingly vulnerable to not only the continuing spread of COVID-19, but to the newly emerging strains. For the Ducey administration to even allow this conversation to take place while he has hundreds of millions of federal dollars sitting earmarked for this purpose is unconscionable.
During the COVID-19 surge last summer, health-care workers across the nation were placed in the position of triaging medical care. Rationing health care forced delays in elective surgeries, and who was admitted into hospitals. It also impacted treatment decisions made for COVID patients. It cost lives.
The Ducey decision to withhold funds for testing and vaccinations will have the same effect. As testing is reduced or eliminated at the county level, we will have no way of identifying new cases, isolating infected residents, contact tracing to control community spread, and providing effective treatment early in the progression of the disease. And all of that is exacerbated as the new strains emerge and spread.
Every responsible health-care professional says we are in a race with the new variant COVID strains. We must accelerate vaccinations. We must continue to test or we will simply not know where COVID is surging in the community. All of that takes money, and Ducey is making a conscious decision to withhold the funds.
Since COVID emerged last year, the city of Tucson and Pima County have responsibly delivered health-care services to the region. We can continue doing so, but not without access to the funds the federal government allocated for testing and vaccinations.
Withholding that money is a life and death decision — and Gov. Ducey is responsible.
If you’d like to track this on your own, here’s a link you can use: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html.
COVID Risk in Pima County
As noted, we’re on a good trend line, with the caveat that the steep decline may have leveled off. And if you look at the national graph I have above, that levelling is at an infection rate that’s higher than our summer surge. I’ve been tracking the weekly Pima County numbers, and the decline is stubbornly slow here too. Here are the past 4 weeks’ numbers:
 Five weeks ago when I first shared the weekly count, we were seeing days with over 1,000 new cases in Pima County. It’s much lower now, which is of course a good thing. But for perspective, this was the first week in June last year – right before the start of the surge. The numbers bear too much of a resemblance to where we have stalled.
The Harvard Global Health Institute maps continue to improve
Last Week
 This week:
 It’s nice to see some splotches of green finally popping up.
The data also points for reopening schools remained unchanged last week.
 For reopening, they’re looking for 2 consecutive weeks of all 9 standards being in either yellow, or green.
You have to dig a little on the Pima County COVID site to find these tables, but this link will take you directly to them: https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=568644.
Here’s our statewide map. I’ve been sharing these weekly for nearly a year now. Time flies...
The infectivity rate headed back in the wrong direction last week – specifically in the area around the UA. Here’s where we were 2 weeks ago:
 This is as of last Tuesday:
 It’s counter to the general trends, so it bears keeping an eye on for sure.
You can find the most current data at this site: https://covid19.arizona.edu/dashboard.
Responsible health care officials are saying this is now a footrace between continuing the slow declines we’re seeing in COVID-19, spread of the new variant strains, and getting vaccines out widely. Please continue the CDC-recommended safe behavior activities you’re doing and watch the vaccination chart for when it’s your turn to register for that.
Pima County Health Department portal: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/426baca70718453a9f63a4f85e545d8b
The national CDC site: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/index.html
For the NY Times data sets, use this link:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/23/upshot/five-ways-to-monitor-coronavirus-outbreak-us.html
You can find the Harvard data on this site: Harvard Global Health Institute Key Metrics
The State Department of Health site is at this link: www.azdhs.gov.
Track the advice on public schools through this link: https://www.azed.gov/communications/2020/03/10/guidance-to-schools-on-covid-19/ You can find all the dashboard information at the “School Reopening Public Health Benchmarks” spot. And here’s the UA 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
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