After a year of virtual schooling, there are a lot of frustrated, and tired parents out there. They’re frustrated over the fights about masks in schools, our inability to consider remote learning because of the governor’s edicts, and the fact that we’re seeing the number of sick kids in classrooms increase by the day. A friend from the east side sent me this article from The Atlantic last week. It’s a great homage to all the parents of school kids out there who reached beyond breaking point months ago.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/parents-are-not-okay/619859/
Prelude to the Vaccine Update
When I write these newsletters, I include a lot of information that comes from a variety of sources. In the past couple of weeks, the level of both personal attack, and simple ignorance being emailed to my office and posted on social media has gotten to the point that I am certain the vast majority of you have no idea it’s going on in the background of daily living. Emails that are sent to the office are public record. So I’m going to set this week’s tone by sharing a couple of representative emails, and a Facebook post so you know how COVID and vaccinations are being portrayed ‘behind the scenes’ To be fair to all, you decide if they reflect your own thoughts.
This one comes after we began deleting the tripe his supporters were posting on my Facebook page.
Note that this one’s particularly offensive because it’s written to my Chief of Staff – who by the way had informed him earlier in this exchange that she is immune compromised due to having had 2 bone marrow transplants, and if he got the vaccine he’d be helping to protect her.
Breathtaking.
Vaccine Update
The deadline for city workers’ vaccinations passed last week. Per our ordinance, we had a target of 750 newly vaccinated people, or disciplinary steps would be taken. Also other workplace conditions such as mandatory masks, no travel, etc. – could be imposed. That discussion is now happening because we weren’t close to the 750. What we did see though was a flurry of people claiming medical and religious exemptions. This chart shows who by department is asking for the exemption:
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Of the 261 cops who are unvaccinated, 198 are claiming an exemption. Of the 215 fire fighters who are unvaccinated, 103 are claiming a medical exemption. Eighty-six of them also claimed a religious exemption. All totaled though, backing out the exemptions we have 284 employees who remain unvaccinated, and who have not filed for an exemption.
Before getting into the vaccination update, I feel it’s important to dispel some real misinformation that’s floating around the internet. I’ll use this quote from an RN as the stepping off point since her feelings reflect those I’ve seen among health care providers scattered throughout the country. And from health care providers I’ve spoken with here in Tucson.
“If you don’t trust doctors and science to keep you from getting sick, why the hell are you clogging up hospitals trusting them to cure you?” - Anonymous RN
This is a Facebook post to my Chief of Staff. As long as it’s on social media, it’s fair game to share here. I won’t bother correcting any of his grammar. But I will address a couple of his misstatements. First, referring to ICU bed capacity, he says “they are not over capacity.” A very quick search of the internet proves that to be wrong:
So, are hospitals stretched by COVID again? Here’s what’s in the news around the country.
What about the amazing claim that health care workers are quitting because hospitals are instituting vaccination mandates? Another soft ball, assuming someone does the minimal amount of reading:
In Oregon, Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas, more people are being hospitalized with COVID now than at any other time during the pandemic. People are dying in ERs while waiting for an ICU bed. I guess it’s easy to miss actual news if what you do is drive around town admiring your face on campaign signs and attending no vax rallies.
Finally, this is a sign being displayed at a recent no vax/no mask rally.
Comparing COVID vaccinations to the experimental medical testing that the Nazis did to Jews, Poles and to sympathizers in WWII is simply offensive. No, it’s way more than that, but you fill in the blanks that I cannot write in the newsletter. This reference comes from the Holocaust Memorial site. It informs people such as this crowd what that sign is referring to.
My dad was involved in liberating prisoners from some of the concentration camps at the end of WWII. It affected him forever. Regrettably some of our own employees who have filed for exemptions also signed a letter referencing Nuremberg. It’s far more than a cute metaphorical comparison but it’s such a moral gut punch that I can’t come up with a single word that does the ignorance and offense justice.
It was nice to see the FDA remove the emergency label from the Pfizer vaccines last week. Moderna and J&J are not far behind. In the meantime, over 185 million Americans have received the vaccinations so far. It’s too bad we’ve got a cluster of public safety workers who are opting out.
Some of the people who attended that rally sent me the email last week demanding to see my oath to support the constitution of the U.S. - I guess because supporting vaccine mandates is in violation of that pledge? And they’ve now committed to doing a Cyber Ninja challenge to the upcoming city council election. At least that’s how I read this statement: We the citizens of the United States of American (sic) are going to get rid of all the Woke (s)elected officials. Guess what else, we are going to audit the upcoming election for City Council too.
Know something about who you’re voting for.
One final note on this. Ann Charles is my chief of staff. It is to her he wrote the offensive comment about respecting his liberty to avoid vaccinating, and taking photos of the inside of an ICU.
Also last week, Inside Higher Ed reported a survey that was taken among college students. Axios and Generation Lab is a polling and research firm. They surveyed 846 students at both 2 and 4 year institutions nationwide. Seventy-three percent of the students said their school should be mandating vaccines on campus. TimelyMD surveyed 1,000 college students asking the same question. In their survey 85% were in favor of vaccine requirements and 87% favored mask mandates in addition to the vaccine. When they broke out colleges where no mandates are in place, still 55% said there should be one.
That won’t happen at the UA. Ducey has a preemption in place. But they could implement safety protocols for large gatherings. Oregon and Oregon State announced last week that fans attending their athletic events will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test from within the previous 72 hours. The same came later in the week from big football program LSU. The UA has the ability to implement that protocol at home football games, as well as other on-campus activities. Despite the fact that every other school in the conference had instituted policies requiring students to show proof of being fully vaccinated, the UA never did. So I’m not holding my breath that they’ll take a leadership role in asking fans to show proof of vaccination, even though COVID is again filling up hospitals in the area – in the nation. So I’ll just add this word of caution for fans who go to the games. You have the right to wear a mask while in attendance. While you’re out in the ramp and concourse areas, keep an eye overhead. There was a structural analysis done a few years ago. I’ve quoted below some of the many issued it called out. Some of the repairs called for were done before I left the UA. These, and nearly 200 others were not. But nearly a million dollars was spent upgrading UA President Robbins’ suite.
South Upper level ramp: Re: Supporting cantilevered beam adjacent to the Mirror Casting Facility; cast not level, thus grout packed for full bearing. Grout now coming loose and falling debris potential may be present
Middle Tier: Typically noted as observed from the ramp, it appears that vertical anchors are spalled leaving the vertical anchors exposed, others are minor cracked conditions, and some are spalled conditions with concrete ready to fall.
Section 106/107, Row 56 ±, Overhead from upper tier Vomitory: Noted HCP (hollow core plank) spall ready to fall (very small precast +/- 2" square).
Section 106/107, As viewed from below: Row 59 to HCP: Tight fit at precast to precast and HCP. No spalling at expansion joint but HCP to north appears to be spalled and ready to fall.
Concrete is spalled off at HCP, as viewed from below. Reinforcing steel is exposed.
Concrete spalls on the back face of the precast·stepped seating occur directly over the transition from the access ramp to the upper concourse. Concrete segments are still attached to the structure but could fall at any time. The condition occurs at both the north and the south ramp entrances to the upper concourse.
General note regarding north ramp: Three days after a rainfall, water was still standing on the upper most north exterior ramp. Bat droppings were extensive, apparently coming from the top of the stadium (Row 40 to the precast concrete slab). The joint appears to be a nesting spot for bats. Water standing on the ramp at the northeast corner of the ramp walls has no means to dissipate and may be a health issue with the standing water and bat droppings combined. The odor was extreme.
So, enjoy the game, carefully.
Vaccination Mandate
Ok, back to our vaccine mandate. It’s a protocol we felt is in the best interest of the public. We’re certainly not alone. The Department of Defense is doing the same. So is CVS pharmacy, the State University of New York school system, the New York City school system, all federal employees and on-site contractors will be required to have a COVID vaccination, or go through regular testing. We have testing as one of our options going forward, including for those who have chosen to not get vaccinated.
The University of Minnesota added COVID to their list of mandatory immunizations. In addition to their football games, LSU is doing the vaccine mandate campus wide. New Jersey public employees and the entire New Jersey school system is too. Staff, faculty and students at Ohio State University have until October 15th to get their first dose, and until November 15th to get their second dose. They’re already at nearly 75% compliance with the first shot requirement.
This trend graph shows what has happened to vaccination rates nationwide over the spring and summer. Some of that was because so many people felt COVID was dying out late in the spring. True, the numbers were going in a good direction. It’s a virus. It continued looking for willing hosts. The data only validate what viruses do.
These maps are color coded showing vaccination rates in the Tucson area. I’ve got midtown centered on the map. I was surprised to see the low vaccination rates in the Speedway/Alvernon and Grant/Country Club areas. We’ve got a lot of work left to do locally.
Here’s the color key to the map.
This is the chart showing city workers. I had it in last week’s newsletter, but since we’re now past the deadline for getting vaccinated, I’ll share it again so you can compare it to the list of those who requested an exemption.
Kelly Townsend Complaint
Last week I shared that Senator Kelly Townsend from up in the Mesa area had asked Attorney General Brnovich to look at our vaccine mandate ordinance and determine whether we were in violation of state law. To his credit, the AG acted quickly. It was a pretty easy call though.
Brnovich affirmed the state legislature has taken “steps to ensure that, in certain situations, those making the personal choice not to undergo vaccine administration would not be compelled or coerced to do so. For example, the Legislature enacted A.R.S. § 36-681 , which prohibits "this state and any city, town or county of this state" from requiring "[ a]ny person to be vaccinated for covid-19." If left there, we lose. But the piece of the law he confirmed, and that Townsend ignored is that the law he’s referring to doesn’t go into effect until September 29th. Our ordinance is already in effect. They can’t retroactively apply ARS 36-681 to undo our ordinance.
Our ordinance is in effect. The city manager’s people are looking at all of the forms submitted. It’s sad we’re even having this conversation. Vaccinations are not bullet proof, but they’re highly effective. That’s science, not some conspiracy invented to insert a micro-chip into your arm. And requiring a vaccination is sound public health policy.
A year ago I would never have imagined that masks and vaccinations would be the pivotal issue in American politics 18 months into COVID.
Data and Risk Level
My thanks go out to Bishop Wiesenburger for voicing his support of COVID vaccinations. This is a clip from the statement he put out last week. On a totally non-sectarian basis, it’s wise counsel.
So with all of that as background, what has happened to risk levels in the past week?
The graph showing the new cases reported nationwide continues to approach our peaks from last spring. For the UA ‘leadership’ to ignore this trend and stick with their policy of a full stadium, no masks, no vaccinations is irresponsible.
This is the national risk level expansion. First, here’s the map I had in last week’s newsletter:
Here’s this week’s comparison. Nebraska is still not reporting, thus the blank space in the middle of the map. For the first time since last December, there are over 90,000 people hospitalized for COVID. And for the first time since March we’re seeing over 1,000 daily COVID fatalities.
Compare that map with this one that shows where people are most susceptible to the Delta variant. The CDC isn’t splitting out the data any longer, but there’s a pretty clear overlap between the two risk level maps. Delta is driving the COVID pandemic now.
Looking more closely at Arizona, this is the Pima County data I shared with you last week:
This week our numbers have increased once again:
As has been the case for a while, our major statewide population center, Maricopa County is driving the majority of the Arizona increase.
We’re still below 50% statewide in vaccinations. Here’s a side by side showing one dose vs fully vaccinated:
In Pima County we’ve got 63% with one dose and 54% with fully vaccinated. They’re free and very easy to find. You do not need an appointment. Here’s a listing of this week’s mobile vaccination sites being offered by the Pima County Health Department.
And this is their list of standing points of vaccine distribution.
Go to the Pima County Health site if you want to find the list of pharmacies that’ll give you a dose, or if you’re a veteran looking to be vaccinated. Use this link - www.pima.gov/covid19vaccine. There is no reason anybody cannot find a vaccination option if they’re looking for one.
During the month of August, our total infections have more than doubled. Here’s the week by week look:
Week of 7/26 - 827 new cases
Week of 8/2 - 1,301 new cases
Week of 8/9 - 1,570 new cases
Week of 8/16 - 1,737 new cases
Week of 8/23 - 1,963 new cases
During the first week in June we had 130 new cases. You’ll see below that the UA is reporting the infectivity rate is once again above 1.0. That is a sign of community spread. And their data is a week old. Students are now back in town.
Ready, Set, Rec
Change of focus for a moment – take your mind off from COVID and think fun – recreation – games.
The Ready, Set, Rec van schedule for the Ward 6 parks is now set through September. They have games and activities the whole family can take part in. The goal is to get outdoors, and safely engage in some re-creating of your body and mind. Here’s the schedule. Please observe all of the usual COVID protocols while joining in the fun.
Bottle Rocket
Over the weekend I spent time crushing bottles with Anita Goodrich - she's the lady who uses the sand from crushed bottles and forms it into useable items. Jim Sell and his wife Penny from Sustainable Tucson also dropped by to join in the ‘fun’. Some of the product is coming to Himmel Park soon.
Anita's company is called Bottle Rocket. Before I started helping her with the crushing process, she literally used a sledge hammer and pounded the bottles into submission. The crushing machine is much easier.
This is a picture she sent me of the Himmel Park bench she’s building that'll soon be in by the bocce ball courts. Below that is the frame she and her co-workers have ready to mount it on. All of this is in an effort to advance our zero waste circular economy effort. If you'd like to connect with Anita for counter tops, benches, or smaller items such as pet bowls and candles, you can check her website at www.bottlerocketaz.com. Who knows, someday your pooch might be drinking out of the same 'bottle' you had emptied.
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Kino to Demoss-Petrie
This Wednesday we’ll have a special M&C meeting that was called so we can talk about our position with respect to the TEP transmission line project that so many of you are familiar with. The Kino to Demoss-Petrie (KDP) project will connect 3 electric substations in a loop, increasing the power supply from the current 46kV to 138kV. It’ll also increase the size of the transmission line poles from the wooden ones you see – they’re around 45’ tall – to poles that’ll range from 70’ to 110’ in height. It’s those poles that are causing some of the concern. Later in September, TEP will make it’s pitch to the Corporation Commission line siting committee for a recommended route that’ll later be presented to the full ACC.
A while back I introduced the Gateway Ordinance into the conversation. It was not something TEP wasn’t aware of before. In fact, they’ve referred to it in public exchanges, evidently thinking it wasn’t important. Last week our zoning administrator informed them that it indeed is on the books, and that we intend to enforce it. For the installation of new utilities, this is what Gateway says:
Since TEP has said they have no intention of undergrounding the new poles, Gateway indeed matters.
But the Gateway Ordinance isn’t the only city plan/ordinance that impacts this project. When they realized Gateway was adding a new wrinkle to the conversation, TEP went back and readded what they call option 5A to the mix. They’ve already rejected 5A for a series of reasons – cost, impacts on neighborhoods, and those sorts of things. But it’s now back on the table. This map shows how 5A travels through midtown – from about Broadway to Grant.
The north/south major corridor in 5A is Euclid. You can see the many neighborhoods it would impact. Not indicated, on their map but also impacted is West University neighborhood. It’s easy to see why TEP rejected this alignment earlier, but they feel they need an option to present to the line siting committee when they meet with them on September 13th. And adding this option is their attempt to create division among neighborhoods who until this point have agreed to fight for undergrounding.
Every one of the options TEP is proposing crosses through the University Area Plan boundaries. This map shows those. It runs from Stone to Country Club, and from Grant to Broadway.
Similar to the Gateway, the UAP calls for undergrounded utilities. Here’s that language:
University Area Plan The goal of the University Area Plan is to support new development which serves to enhance the character and quality of University Area neighborhoods. The UAP calls wherever possible, to place utility and service equipment underground or in other visually screened locations (UAP Section 6, Policy 6).
And if those 2 plans weren’t enough to send the message that we’re not interested in making our city look like an industrial area, our General Plan, adopted by the voters includes this language. I’ve bolded some of the relevant parts:
Plan Tucson Plan Tucson identifies this area in the Future Growth Scenario Map as a "Campus Areas" which include and surround large master-planned educational, medical, or business facilities. A fully realized campus area serves the local workforce and student population and includes a range of housing, a variety of retail opportunities, and convenient transit options. Existing examples include the University of Arizona and Banner University Medical Center. Plan Tucson calls to invest in highest priority needs to manage and maintain public infrastructure and facilities that are fundamental to economic development and to sustaining and enhancing living conditions in the community (PT, PI1). It provides policy direction to coordinate with utility companies and other public service providers for planning of infrastructure, facilities, and services, making sure infrastructure and facility construction is sensitive in design and location to environmental and historic resources (PT, PI7). It calls to expand the use of state-of-the-art, cost effective technologies and services for public infrastructure and facilities (PT, PI3). PT also calls to improve the appearance of above-ground utilities and structures (PT, LT28.1.1). It also supports methods to protect and improve air quality by reducing sources of air pollution (PT, LT281.19). Plan Tucson provides policy direction to protect established residential neighborhoods by supporting compatible development, which may include other appropriate non-residential uses (PT, LT28.5.9). It supports environmentally sensitive design that protects the integrity of existing neighborhoods, complements adjacent land uses, and enhances the overall function and visual quality of the street, adjacent properties, and the community (LT28.5.7).
Our involvement at this point is a series of zoning decisions. If TEP chooses to pursue a rate increase at some later date, that will happen in front of the Corporation Commission. Rate hearings include a pitch by TEP to increase rates based on a number of factors. Those include infrastructure investments they’ve made, such as this transmission line. But it also includes a mix of other considerations; efficiencies they’ve built into systems, renewable investment, conservation investments. No rate increase approves dollar for dollar investments. And yet, that’s what TEP would want the city residents to take on; form a taxing district and begin to absorb the full cost of this improvement in a small segment of the city. The broader conversation is what we want the city to look like throughout, for years to come.
Congratulations to Tucson Wate
One Water is a way of managing water assets that revolves around the notion that all sources of water are valued for their role in our overall water security. Stormwater, water coming from our treatment plants, tap water, irrigation, grey water, harvested rainwater – it's all a part of the whole that Tucson Water staff manages.
The US Water Alliance is a national group of water specialists and advocates. They are a leader in supporting national values that align with One Water concepts. They recognize that we have a finite amount of the resource, and so meaningful management is a key to long term stability in a given region. They understand the connection between a healthy environment and a healthy economy.
Last week, the Alliance selected Tucson Water as the national “Outstanding Public Sector Organization” for their 2021 Water Prize. It’s a prestigious award, and comes right as we engage the feds and private sector polluters over PFAS. Our Tucson Water staff deserves the award, and we at the Ward 6 office are proud of their efforts.
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Mayor and Council Salaries
This November, a citizen commission that’s formed by Charter has advanced a proposed M&C salary increase to the ballot. I will be supporting the measure.
I cannot advocate one way or another, but I can provide you with facts to help guide your own decisions. This chart was provided to me by the citizen commission. It’s a comparison of mayor and city council salaries for a variety of Arizona cities. They’re listed in order of size, but there’s clearly a huge drop off between Phoenix and the rest of us. It’s by way of information so you’re armed with facts when you send in your ballot.
The Commission is proposing the mayor’s salary increase to $54,000 annually, and city council members to $36,000 annually. These would go into effect in December, 2023.
Harvard Global Health Institute
I shared with a friend last week that we seem to be right back where we were around this time last year. We had a nice, brief respite late in the spring, but now the country is high risk once again. Dr. Garcia from Pima County said last week that we might be levelling off – but he was quick to add that the level at which that might be occurring is in a significant risk area.
Here’s a comparison between the past two weeks’ Harvard Global Health risk level maps. From last week’s newsletter.
This is our current condition. As I showed above, the expansion caused by the Delta variant is pretty easy to see, no matter whose data you’re looking at. And as was true last week, the green areas are where they were not reporting data. The big blotch of green in the middle is Nebraska.
Last week the Harvard data had Pima County with 25.6 new cases per 100,000 population, and a 7 day moving average of 267. Both were bad enough to have us in the highest risk category by their measure. Here’s where they have us rated this week:
Statewide, Arizona jumped from 40 new cases per 100,000 population to over 43, and from 295 new daily cases on a 7 day rolling average to 318. So while we’re in a very high risk situation in Pima County, the state overall is worse.
You can check what’s going on in your home county by hovering your cursor over it on the Harvard map. Use this link to access it:
This week I’m adding a comment from Johns Hopkins (JH) on vaccinations for COVID. Last week there was a guy on Fox News representing himself as a doctor affiliated with Johns Hopkins. He was taking the position that having had COVID meant you didn’t need the vaccine. There was of course no mention of how long the antibodies remained in your system, and no final statement on whether Johns Hopkins in fact recommends COVID vaccinations. To say the story was slanted would be an understatement. Here is in fact what JH recommends:
Does Johns Hopkins Medicine recommend I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
Yes, we recommend that everyone who is eligible get vaccinated with one of the three currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines. We view all three vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnsons & Johnson) as highly efficacious for preventing serious disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Read more about vaccine safety.
Here’s our statewide map. These are cumulative numbers. As noted above, they’re increasing once again. We’ve now passed 1,000,000 COVID cases in Arizona since this all started last year.
Sincerely,
Steve Kozachik Council Member, Ward 6 ward6@tucsonaz.gov
City of Tucson Resources
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