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Cesar Chavez Day, remarks on Gun Violence, Vaccine Updates, & More Spring News
Happy Cesar Chavez Day. Today we honor the legacy of an incredible leader, educator, advocate, and environmentalist. Cesar Chavez had a lasting impact on our country in his fight for fair wages and working conditions. To learn more about his life and legacy, click here.
I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge two terrible events that have rocked our country: the mass shootings in Atlanta, Georgia and Boulder, Colorado. It is extremely sad how often we see these tragedies and how many families have been torn apart because preventable policies are not in place. I am also deeply disheartened and angry about the racism against Asian Americans we've seen during this pandemic (and before) that fueled the shooting in Atlanta.
My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of everyone impacted. Unfortunately, Tucsonans are all too familiar with the impacts of gun violence, and we know how much pain it brings to a community. I'm sending my best to the leaders of Atlanta and Boulder as they navigate their respective tragedies.
Here in Tucson and Ward 4, we do have some positive updates. Vaccines have been opened up to more groups - see the COVID-19 section below for more information. The Ward 4 Office is also hosting some exciting events coming up, including our monthly town hall and a tree-planting celebration for Arbor Day. Read on for more details.
At the bottom of this newsletter, you'll find a schedule for the 2021 Ward 4 Town Halls as well as the April schedule for the Ward 4 Ready, Set, Rec! Van. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office at ward4@tucsonaz.gov with any questions or concerns. We are happy to help you in any way we can. Previous newsletters can be found here.
Enjoy your week!
Nikki
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Important Dates:
- Wednesday, March 31 at 5:30 PM: "THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Creative Strategies for Meaningful Engagement." A common question Neighborhood Resources receives from Neighborhood Association leaders is, “How can we get more people involved in our neighborhood efforts?”
Serena Unrein, Arizona Partnership for Healthy Communities, will moderate a conversation about ways to effectively and equitably reach people who aren’t currently involved in neighborhood meetings, activities, and projects. Register here for this online workshop.
- Tuesday, April 6: City Council Meeting. Click here and go to "Mayor & Council Meeting Live" to watch! (To watch past meetings, visit the City of Tucson YouTube page. This is also where future meetings will be live streamed).
- Saturday, April 10 from 8 AM to Noon: The Rita Ranch Neighborhood Association is sponsoring a community cleanup along the north side of Valencia from Nexus to Old Vail Road and they are looking for volunteers. Click here for more details and to RSVP on Facebook. For questions, please contact Al Wiruth: 574-1189.
- Thursday, April 15 at 5:30 PM: Ward 4 Roads Public meeting with Tucson Department of Transportation. Register here.
- Thursday, April 29 at 5:30 PM: Ward 4 Virtual Town Hall with Mesquite Ranch Neighborhood Association. Join details coming soon.
- Friday, April 30 at 9 AM: "Planting for the Future," an Arbor Day celebration at Lincoln Regional Park. Join us for tree-planting and a family-friendly celebration of growth and the future. More details below! RSVP on Facebook here.
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COVID-19 Update
COVID-19 vaccine eligibility has been expanded to more groups based on three criteria: AGE, RISK and WORK. For specific eligibility details and information on how to register, click here.
If you are worried about receiving the vaccine, check out the graphic below, created by Banner Health. It presents facts about the vaccine that can put your mind at ease.
Additionally, you may have heard last week that Governor Ducey lifted all remaining mask mandates in the state. This can cause a lot of confusion as many of our public offices and businesses still have mask mandates in place. Please be aware that the City of Tucson and Pima County still have local mask-wearing requirements which remains in place. We maintain the authority to enforce our current mask mandate and are continuing to do so given the majority of our community is still not yet vaccinated. For more information, click here.
Lastly, I want to share the following information about vaccine distribution in Vail. Please visit uchcaz.org for more information.
March 23, 2021 Mayor & Council Session Recap
As announced at last week's council meeting, The City of Tucson Parks and Recreation will begin a phased reopening plan at our recreation centers for senior activities. Seniors will not need to be vaccinated, however, masks, wellness checks, and physical distancing are still required. Senior centers and program locations will open for activities 3 days per week, at 50% capacity, to participants over the age of 50. Click here for the schedule of locations and opening dates.
Historic Preservation Zones: Mayor and Council voted to initiate the process of expanding the West University Historic Preservation Zone and start the process for Historic Preservation Zone for Harold Bell Wright Estates.
American Rescue Plan: The City of Tucson will receive approximately $139 million in Federal American Rescue Plan funding. The Mayor and Council will receive further guidance from the federal government before creating a strategic plan for utilizing the funds.
Cushing Street Skatepark: The Mayor and Council voted to initiate the process of conducting a feasibility and engineering study for the proposed Cushing Street Skatepark; initiate a community engagement process to obtain community feedback on the proposed Skatepark; and begin the process of seeking the necessary Arizona Department of Transportation approvals for the project and authorize the director of Parks and Recreation to identify impact fee dollars for a potential phased development of the Cushing Street Skatepark.
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TPD Presence Along Houghton Road
Have you noticed Tucson Police Department Traffic Officers along Houghton Road? TPD is addressing the large number of complaints they receive regarding drag racing and unsafe driving. This was in the news and is a direct response to public safety concerns raised by many of our neighbors. Last year, Tucson had record numbers of fatal and serious injury traffic accidents. Unfortunately, this was a nationwide trend and not limited to our community.
TPD was awarded 2 traffic grants from the Governor’s Office for Highway Safety that are currently being worked until October 2021. The grants allow officers to concentrate on traffic enforcement, pedestrian/bicycle safety, and distracted driving. These traffic officers work overtime which is paid through the highway safety grant and are not part of the officers regular duties which are paid by the City of Tucson. If you don’t want to be greeted by our hard working police officers, we encourage you to obey all posted speed limits, always practice defensive driving, don’t use devices while driving, wear your seatbelt, and above all, Stay Safe.
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Reid Park Zoo Comment Portal Open
A new comment portal is open regarding the Gene C. Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo Community Conversation. The City is developing a group of leaders from key stakeholder groups who will provide input into the process and outcomes moving forward. Please join the Reid Park conversation by submitting your comments through this link by April 20. We will let you know about more opportunities for public input in the coming weeks.
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March 25 Parks & Recreation Town Hall Recap
Last Thursday, we partnered with the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department for our second Ward 4 Town Hall of the year. Constituents had the opportunity to meet our fantastic new Parks and Recreation director, Lara Hamwey, who started in January. We received a ton of great questions about our parks, rec centers, and ongoing projects. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here.
Our next town hall is with Mesquite Ranch Neighborhood Association on Thursday, April 29, at 5:30 PM. Information about how to join is coming soon.
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ConnectHome Kickoff
Last week, the City kicked off its first ConnectHome convening. ConnectHome is an initiative aimed at advancing digital inclusion for the City’s HUD-assisted residents. My team kicked off the meeting where dozens of community stakeholders brainstormed where we are and what work needs to be done for digital inclusion. A huge thank you to the City of Tucson's Department of Housing and Community Development for coordinating this important conversation. I'm excited to be part of next steps for working toward digital equity and inclusion for our City.
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Cruising through Dietz!
If you live in Dietz, you may have received a surprise gift on your door a couple weeks ago: goody bags from the Ward 4 Office! In these bags were a letter from me, reusable masks, and a refrigerator magnet with important City phone numbers and information. We hope you appreciated these resources. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like additional information about the items you received: ward4@tucsonaz.gov
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Emergency Broadband Benefit Coming Soon
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute $10-$50 toward the purchase price.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household. The program is set to launch soon - more information, including eligibility details, can be found here.
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Ward 4 Pupdate
This week we're highlighting another Ward 4 foster pup: meet Guero! Guero is being fostered by a member of the Ward 4 team and he has stolen all our hearts. The good news is - it looks like he's going to his forever home this week! We are so happy for him and his new family. We wish the same for all the animals at PACC. Check out adorable dogs like Guero on PACC's website.
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How Can I Stay Updated?
There are multiple ways to stay updated with my office and the City's work:
- Looking for city updates? Follow the Ward 4 City of Tucson page to learn about core services, projects, events and helpful information about all things Tucson.
- Looking for me? Follow my Councilwoman Nikki Lee page to see what I'm up to around town, articles I write, official events I'm hosting, and more!
- Follow my Council Member twitter account, @CouncilwomanLee.
- Follow my Council Member instagram account: @nikkilee_az.
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