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Thanks very much for your support in the recent City Council election. My staff and I are grateful for the votes of confidence and recognition of our commitment to this community. We’re looking forward to continuing over the course of the next 4 years.
Ron Barber
And on another election-related note, last week, Ron Barber announced he’s stepping down from his role as Senator Kelly’s Southern Arizona Director. Ron has served in multiple political capacities; for Gabby Giffords, as U.S. Representative, and now for Mark Kelly’s team. Throughout, he has demonstrated skill and civility. I appreciate the example he has set for how to work effectively and to do so in a respectful manner. Ron will be enjoying some well-deserved time with his wife Karen and their children and grandkids.
Ron will continue to be active in local non-profits, so you’ll still see him busy in community affairs.
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Ice Skating in Tucson
The holiday ice rink is back. It’ll be in a new location downtown. From Saturday, November 20th through Sunday, January 9th, you’ll have the opportunity to strap on some ice skates and see if that motor memory from your youth when you lived back east kicks in.
 The main sponsor, along with the city, is Rio Nuevo. The rink will be located right in front of the TCC ticket office. Each skating session will be for 90 minutes, and you need to buy tickets to reserve your spot. You can get them online here: purchased online and at the TCC Ticket Office. The cost is $17 for adults, and children under 12 are $12. That’s the skate rental – you need socks, and gloves are a good addition to avoid scraping up your hands when you fall.
Check out their website for hours of operation: www.tucsonaz.gov/tucsonholidayice.
Afghan Donations
Between the primary resettlement agencies, there are now roughly 160 Afghan refugees in the city. The majority are staying in hotels while they work on finding permanent housing. The housing piece is tough due to a lack of verifiable employment history, no income, and no papers in most cases. We’re very grateful to the landlords who have stepped up and taken part in the resettlement. If you have an apartment and have considered getting involved, please understand that each resettlement agency guarantees funds for the initial 6-month lease they’re asking to be signed. While that meter is running, caseworkers are busy getting the families employment, into school, and adjusted to their new home.
In the past week, I met with the International Refugee Committee staff and leadership from Pima Community College. Through the PCC partnership, refugees will begin some ESL coursework, as well as get into other trade-related classes. In addition, our parks staff has agreed to several dates on which the Ready, Set, Rec van will arrive and get the kids and other family members involved with some activities. It’s great to see the willingness of pretty much every one we’ve approached to help in this resettlement work.
Also, last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they’re going to waive some filing fees and streamline the whole application process for work authorization, Green Cards, and related services. That’s going to help speed up the slow metering out process we’re seeing as families transition from military bases into their new communities. There are now over 70,000 Afghans in the U.S., mostly still on bases. Getting them off base is a double-edged sword; it’s certainly better for families to begin getting resettled in what will be their new home community, but we’re struggling locally on the housing piece. I met last Friday with representatives from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to talk about how they might assist us locally. They’ve agreed to take my ‘plea for funding’ back to some of their D.C. contacts to advance our message.
We’re still taking donations every weekday before noon. The partnerships we have with Habitat and the Muslim Community Center of Tucson are working well for getting necessities to the families. People ask what we need. Right now, we have plenty of clothing. Kid's toys, hygiene products, bedding/towels, and household goods are the most sought-after. There’s also an effort to arrange food commitments. Some groups, including the MCCT are providing meals on particular days of the week. At the ward office, we’re taking food donations as long as it’s non-perishable items. Our friend Lynn from MCCT is gathering that from us weekly.
If you have furniture to donate, the Habitat donation hotline is 230.5323. All the other things – no clothes for a while, please – can come to Ward 6, Monday through Friday, from 9 until noon.
The IRC has job openings for caseworkers, and they’re also looking for volunteers. If you’d like to check into either of those opportunities, check their website at https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home?c=rescue&sq=case%20management&lq=tucson%20arizona
You have to scroll through the job listings, but there are several Tucson opportunities you can check on.
Vaccine Update
The CDC continues to issue this guidance for mitigating the spread of COVID.
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 So how does Pima County rank in terms of transmissibility? This is from the CDC site. We’re in a High transmission level for the county. That comes with the recommendation that “everyone in Pima County, Arizona should wear a mask in public indoor settings.” Pretty clear.
 KOLD’s Bailey O’Carroll did a nice job of covering the opening basketball game held in McKale Center last week. And it was great to see these rules put into place by the UA athletics department:
 Note to the Robbins/Heeke team: the efficacy of a plan is all in the execution.
New head coach Tommy Lloyd didn’t get it. The fans behind the bench didn’t.
 In fact, fans all over the 14,000 seat arena were not made to follow the rules published by the UA.
  This was Athletic Director Heeke’s response:
 As has been the case with the UA since the pandemic started, spreading beyond campus limits has not been their concern. They wouldn’t mandate testing, claiming it was unconstitutional. They wouldn’t mandate vaccinations until given a clear path by the court. And even now, with the county COVID rates skyrocketing again, events on campus are happening just as if COVID was the hoax some people believe it is.
In Pima County alone, over 2,800 people have died from COVID. The UA continues its malfeasance in the way it’s managing the virus. Many of us see the train wreck coming, know what to do about it, but it’s not being done by ‘leadership’ that’s in a position to take appropriate action.
Last week we received an update on the city vaccination mandate compliance rate. These numbers change daily, so this is what we had as of our last M&C meeting on Tuesday.
Most importantly – nearly 3,800 city workers have been fully vaccinated. Thank you. They saw images of our ICU’s
 They saw images of funeral pyres in India
 And many saw images of the personal loss millions have suffered and the heroic, emotionally, and physically draining work our health care workers have done for 18 months.
 They saw all of that and didn’t need to be coaxed into protecting themselves, their family members, loved ones, co-workers, and the public. They got the vaccination. And as of our last meeting, there were 102 full-time city workers who have not been vaccinated and 77 more who are only partially vaccinated. In addition, another 65 ‘non-perms’ are either not or are partially vaccinated.
The two departments getting the most attention in this conversation are police and fire. Tucson Fire has authorized roughly 690 employees. Right now, 36 are either not vaccinated or are partially vaccinated. Tucson Police have authorized roughly 1,150 employees. They’ve got 49 workers who are either not vax’d or who are partially vaccinated. We’re grateful to all of our public safety workers who have joined the vast majority of other city workers and chosen to do the safe thing; get a vaccination during a pandemic.
Another 378 have been approved for either a medical exemption or a religious accommodation. The top leadership of every single major religion has affirmed vaccination as being in the public interest. Right now, the city has to pay for weekly testing, and we have to schedule that to be done on work time. Once the legal challenges against OSHA rules on COVID are sorted out, we’ll be in the position of telling this group of workers to do the testing on their own time and on their own dime. It can all be avoided – get the shot. The deadline is December 1st.
Since adopting the December 1st deadline, we’ve seen more and more city workers come forward to do the right thing. This graphic shows the trend.
 The decision to get a vaccination has broken down political lines. So have the cumulative death rates from COVID. This chart shows a comparison of counties across the U.S. where Trump won at least 60% of the vote (red) to counties where Biden won by that percentage (blue.)
I need to walk back a statement I made above – just a little. An Orthodox Church bishop in Romania last month said, “Don’t be fooled by what you see on TV – don't be scared of COVID. Don’t rush to get vaccinated.” So if he’s to be considered a leader of a major religion, well, that’s one who is in the no-vax crowd. And the death rate due to COVID in Romania? It's 7x as high as the rate in the U.S. Oh, that Bishop – he's now under criminal investigation for spreading dangerous misinformation.
 Every vaccination for every disease decreases in effectiveness over time. That’s true of the COVID vaccines too. This graph shows how each drops in strength. It’s the reason getting a booster is so important – especially right now as we’re seeing the numbers of new cases hit yet another surge.
 High marks to Tony Penn and his team at the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. They’ve begun a COVID community memorial. It’s an online site they’re sponsoring along with the Arizona End of Life Care Partnership. You can find it at www.TucsonRemembers.org. If you’ve lost a friend or a loved one due to COVID, you can visit that site and submit their name as a way of honoring them in the loss. It’s a final farewell, honoring some of the 2,800 people we’ve lost in the community since COVID began.
The city manager is meeting pretty much daily with all of the city department heads, working out approaches to assure service delivery isn’t compromised by the workers who choose to remain unvaccinated and voluntarily terminate on December 1st. The timeline in place is different depending on the kind of vaccine used.
Moderna: First dose must be received by Nov. 3, 2021
Pfizer: First dose must be received by Nov. 10, 2021
Johnson & Johnson: This is a single-dose vaccine and must be received by Dec. 1, 2021.
Both of the doses in the two-dose vaccines must be received by December 1st, or the termination process begins.
No movement in our vaccination rates countywide since last week.
 Our risk level also stayed at the ‘extremely high risk’ level for the 2nd week in a row. And there are thousands of fans sharing space together inside of McKale Center on the UA campus and under UA scrutiny. The Dusk Festival is an outdoor music event that took place over the weekend. Their director had told me they were going to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test from within the past 72 hours – and were offering quick tests at the entry gate. That didn’t happen. The event is already out of scale for the area it’s in. Being less than vigilant on COVID protocols isn’t a great look for being invited back next year.
 I was curious how this recent surge compared to what we were seeing last fall. I opened 2021 with this graphic in my newsletter showing how last year had progressed.
 For comparison, these are our past 3 month totals:
August – 6,571 new cases
September – 7,198 new cases
October – 8,464 new cases
So far in November, halfway in, we’re at more than 6,400 new cases
Each one of those monthly totals is in excess of the summer months last year when even the Governor was shutting down bars and gyms – and before we had a vaccine to help curb the spread. Get the vaccine, and get the booster
The national map shows that our region of the country and north of us is where the main problem lies. As weather cools and people start spending more time indoors, the shift may slide back to the northeast again.
 Also, in the past week, there have been reports of epidemiologists saying that we may have reached the point at which COVID is here to stay, and the mitigation efforts we take may simply become a part of our daily lives. Jennifer Nuzzo from Johns Hopkins University was asked in a NY Times article when the pandemic would end. She said, “It doesn’t end. We just stop caring. Or we care a lot less. I think for most people, it just fades into the background of their lives.”
With all the events resuming, it appears that’s where we are. Everyone is tired of the changes in routine. And this resumption is certainly reflected in the increased case counts. And to repeat – what's fundamentally different now than during the time last fall when case counts escalated is that we have effective vaccines. Those vaccines – like all vaccines – wane in effect. Get the shot, and boost the shot.
The Pima County health department continues to do what it can to make vaccines available. Here are the mobile sites for this week – all free and with no appointment needed.
 This is their list of standing points of vaccine distribution. I know some of the pharmacies are requiring appointments for both COVID and flu vaccinations, so you should call ahead to be sure.
 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.
More COVID Data
Last week nationally, we went from a 3% decline in new cases over the previous 14 days to a 2% increase. In Arizona, the change was from a 25% increase to what you see below. That’s significantly in the wrong direction..
 Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Nebraska all had larger rates of increase than we did, so maybe that colder weather statement I made above is already starting. New Hampshire saw a 91% increase in new cases over the past 14 days, the highest in the nation.
The UA again hasn’t updated their data on the rate of infection. The two weeks the count is lagging have seen a significant increase in the spread of COVID. And the resumption of large events indoors on campus. Remember, anything above 1.0 means the virus is actively spreading. In the 85719, these data mean that before the recent new surge, every infected person was infecting on average 1.56 other people.
You can find the UA data at this site: https://covid19.arizona.edu/dashboard.
I’ll keep my own weekly count going. This is what we experienced in October. It validates the infectivity rate numbers shown in the Rt chart above.
Week of 10/4 - 1,964 new cases
Week of 10/11 - 1,521 new cases
Week of 10/18 - 2,233 new cases
Week of 10/25 - 2,746 new cases
Last week the increase continued.
Week of 11/1 - 2,856 new cases
Week of 11/8 - 3,597 new cases
And reminding you, during the first week in June, we had 130 new cases.
Safety on the Set
Less than a month ago, the lead story in most media reports was the killing of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust movie set. It’s still being investigated. I joined members of the local independent filmmakers association down at the TCC for an event honoring Halyna and calling for changes in the film industry to prevent a repeat of that death. This short video shows the 3 speakers at that event.
https://1drv.ms/v/s!BKyZwDjWeg_elVq2N3skoQYRi00a?e=s71YIh
My comments were about gun safety on movie sets and about my brother and the effects of unsafe working conditions on movie sets that he now has to live with. You can read about them in his memoir Tales from the Pumpkin King’s Cameraman (on Amazon.)
This link will take you to an American Society of Cinematographers piece on the book.
 https://theasc.com/news/pete-kozachik-asc-tells-tales-in-new-memoir
On December 7th, I’ve asked for a study session in which I hope to gain the M&C’s support for adopting a new policy in the city that simply says for any film or film-related permit we issue, the activities on the set must follow the guidelines adopted by the Actor Equity Association. Those guidelines include no ‘live ammunition’ on the set. Here’s the full list of those guidelines.
 Every single person I’ve spoken to about the Halyna Hutchins killing lead with ‘why was the gun even loaded?’ I agree. If those guidelines had been followed, she’d still be alive. And my item for December 7th is to assure Tucson is never in that kind of headline, and every film worker in this city can walk onto their set knowing it’s a safe environment.
Becton Dickinson (BD) Facility
Also, coming on the December 7th study session is a request I’ve asked Nikki Lee to join me in. In a previous couple of newsletters, I’ve written about the BD facility that’s in the air quality permitting stage. It’s out by DM. The facility is planned to sterilize medical equipment. It’s a totally valid goal. The questions arise in regard to the process being used to do the sterilization.
 The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) is studying the operation and will have to issue an air quality permit – or deny it – depending on what they learn about emissions of Ethlyene Oxide (EtO.) There are certain levels of EtO that are allowed to be emitted. If the BD facility meets those levels, PDEQ will likely have no basis for denying the permit. I’ve asked for the study session to talk about whether that’s in the best interest of the surrounding community and what other potential hazards may exist related to the location and operation of the facility. I shared some of those in last week’s newsletter. In Georgia, there are lawsuits pending related to alleged health impacts from their BD operation.
This link will take you to the PDEQ site related to their role in permitting.
https://webcms.pima.gov › cms › One
And here’s the study session request I submitted on the item for December 7th:
 Pima County DEQ is still taking public comments. You can see their public outreach schedule and offer your thoughts at https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=740735
Parking Regulations
We’re considering easing some parking restrictions for two different conditions. One is to accommodate more electric vehicle (EV) parking, and the other is to allow restaurants to expand their seating outdoors. I’ve written about Streateries in the past. You see them at Exo Coffee on 6th and 6th, Ermanos on 4th Ave, and Penca downtown. We’ve found that during COVID, many people would like to go out to eat, but they’re uncomfortable seated indoors. The outdoor seating is to help the businesses take care of that customer need.
Our parking and transportation staff is conducting some public meetings to explain what’s being considered and to take public input. The virtual meeting will be held on Monday, November 15th, from 5:30 pm until 6:30 pm. It’ll be on Zoom, and you can sign up for the VIRTUAL Meeting here / Anótese para la Reunión VIRTUAL aquí.
There will also be an in-person meeting. That’ll be held on Wednesday, November 17th also at 5:30 pm. The meeting will be at the Sentinel Building, 320 N. Commerce Park Loop over on the west side. You should pre-register so they know what size group to prepare for. Sign up for the IN-PERSON Meeting here / Anótese para la Reunión EN PERSONA aquí.
The conditions created by EV parking and restaurants are very different conversations in terms of the impact on surrounding areas. The meetings on the two topics are combined, but your feedback can and should be targeted to the nuances of each item.
Palo Verde Neighborhood Food Drive
Each year around this time, the folks over in the Palo Verde neighborhood do a food drive to benefit Youth on their Own. They can take packaged food, hygiene products, or cash. The flyer shown below has some suggested items
They have 4 drop-off locations scattered throughout the neighborhood. The drive is happening from now until November 23rd. Each of the locations has a box you can drop the donations in. You can find them at 1616 N. Winstel, 1640 N. Country Club, 1825 N. Alvernon, and at 3331 E. Waverly. The times each site is available are also shown in the flyer.
 Youth on their Own is a local non-profit whose mission is to work with homeless youth and help them continue their education. Adolescence is tough enough. Doing it while couch surfing and trying to juggle high school is the near-impossible. YOTO has stepped in and touched the lives of over 20,000 of our youth, helping them succeed in school and continue on that positive pathway. The work PVNA is doing is in direct support of that mission. It’d be great to see the same level of response we’re seeing on behalf of the Afghan refugees directed to this project Palo Verde has taken on.
Catalina Vista Porch Fest
Another Ward 6 neighborhood porch fest is coming next weekend. This will be CVNA’s first foray into ‘festing,’ so they’re doing it a little differently than some of the others as they dip their toe into the water. It’s still music in front of peoples’ homes, but they’ll have one porch active at a time – each for a 45-minute music set, then the next porch starts up at a different location in the neighborhood. I’m happy to share some music for the noon to 12:45 set. Here’s the schedule and location for the whole afternoon.
 Redistricting Maps
The League of Women Voters is helping to facilitate the conversation about the new legislative district maps. They’re being redrawn right now and will affect who represents us in congress until they’re redrawn again after the next census – that's 10 years, so now’s the time to get your thoughts heard.
The currently proposed map has received some pushback based on where the boundary is being drawn. This League site has all of the details – find it at https://linktr.ee/LWVAZPPFM
That site has a wealth of information. It includes the dates, times, and locations for public hearings, it gives you the proposed maps, has a link where you can propose your own, and it has a link for giving your own comments to the redistricting committee. I’m grateful to the League for providing this public service. If you care about who’s representing you at the federal level and how federal funds will flow to our city and region, take a minute and look at the site.
RTA Update
The RTA is made up of a variety of committees. Each has its own focus. One is called the Citizen’s Accountability for Regional Transportation Committee – the CART Committee. Last week they held a meeting with an agenda packed with important items. Those included reviews of projects, budgets for those projects, and planned – or hoped for – discussions about the process being followed for ensuring full funding for city projects. As I shared with the Blenman Elm neighbors on Saturday morning, each of those topics is under scrutiny right now by the M&C, and the way they’re resolved will be factors in how we approach our support for RTA Next. That’s the next 20 year RTA package that’ll have to go to the ballot soon.
Some of the issues we’re interested in seeing addressed revolve around how administrative changes are being made within the RTA that may violate its own Administrative Code. That sounds arcane, but if, for example, a sub committee is formed to review spending and the citizen oversight committee (CART) isn’t involved in how members are appointed, then we have concerns on who’s making decisions about who gets a voice in project planning, funding, and execution. In addition, I had hoped to hear how they’re working inflation into project budgets and why all funding decisions are not being run through the committee review process. Again, it may sound ‘in the weeds,’ but when City of Tucson projects remain un or underfunded, it’s important that the RTA follow its own transparent internal review processes if we’re expected to give them a public thumb up for the Next round.
So what about the CART meeting that was held last week? Immediately before the Q&A portion could begin, they announced the meeting had to end due to their loss of a quorum. The effect was once again one-way communication and no opportunity for anyone to ask the tough questions that have not only been ignored, they haven’t even been asked in a public setting.
Three weeks ago, for the first time, the RTA board had an open conversation about possible changes in proportional representation on the Board. That’s one area we’re concerned about. But funding and project planning/budgeting is also key to our continued participation in RTA. Having the CART meeting end before a good public discussion was not a good look for the RTA. The executive director is ultimately responsible for these procedural missteps. In the case of the CART meeting being ended, he made that decision. He’s accountable first to the Board. We’ll see how or if the Board addresses this in its upcoming meeting.
And as a side note, during the Blenman Elm meeting on Saturday, we briefly mentioned the resumption of Cyclovia. Due to COVID, they’re holding off until next spring for the full event, but during November, there’ll be a few small-scale get-togethers you might want to consider.
On Saturday, November 20th, they’ll meet at Catalina Park from 2 pm until 5 pm. There’ll be a free bike repair tent, youth helmets, some music, and our Ready, Set, Rec van will be there. This is also one of the county vaccination pop-up sites. Then on Tuesday, November 30th, there will be a “Pop-Up Plaza” over on 6th Ave. They’ll be set up between Miller’s Surplus and Exo Coffee. It’s a way to help support our local Avenue businesses on ‘Giving Tuesday.’ They’re really being hit hard by the combination of COVID and the Downtown Links construction, so heading over for this mini-cyclovia event and stopping in one of the businesses in the area will be so very appreciated. The event on the 30th will be going on all day.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)
The vote to reconsider the ADU ordinance passed on a 4-2 vote last Tuesday. I was joined by Paul, Richard, and Nikki in supporting revisiting the issue. Lane and Karin voted to keep the ordinance unchanged.
The only topics we’re revisiting are related to size. Right now, if your lot size is 7,000 sq/ft or larger, you’re allowed a 1,000 sq/ft ADU. If the lot is smaller than 7,000 sq/ft, the ADU can be as large as 750 sq/ft. Both of those sizes are larger than many of the homes that exist in the neighborhoods around campus. Allowing an ADU that’s larger than the primary dwelling unit is not what was being sold throughout the public process – it was caregiver quarters, multi-generational accommodations, or small casitas to rent for added income. We ended up with a product that will invite outside developers to buy up parcels and turn them into mini-dorms. I had voted against that originally, and I appreciate the support in reconsidering that first misstep.
What I had asked for during our first meeting was to allow up to 850 sq/ft ADU’s on lots of 8,500 sq/ft or larger and 650 sq/ft ADU’s on lots smaller than that. That will help protect the well-established historic neighborhoods around midtown from outside real estate investors buying up parcels for purposes, not at all aligned with the stated intent of the ADU’s. It’s not doing away with the new casitas but is respecting the investments people have made and are trying to protect.
We have a Group Dwelling ordinance in place that says you may not have 5 or more unrelated people living together in a house. That was adopted in reaction to the proliferation of mini dorms around campus. That’s great when the construction is obviously a huge mini dorm. But the reality is nobody from the city is going to start knocking on doors asking for proof that people are related. And a ‘show me your papers’ exercise would and should be objected to by everyone on the M&C. Therefore, our Group Dwelling ordinance is largely unenforceable. That’s the reason the reduction in the size of the ADU’s is important. And that fact was ignored throughout the public process that resulted in the current sizes.
The narrative that this is ‘exclusionary’ zoning with some racial component is simply false and offensive to people who live and work in midtown. People living in 700 sq/ft homes on 7,000 sq/ft lots around campus live with the incursion of student housing that’s enticed by proximity to the UA. Preserving their quality of life has zero racial basis, and we need to drop that false premise from the narrative. Thanks to Paul, Nikki, and Richard for recognizing the real issue the reconsideration is trying to address. The vote to put all of this to rest will happen during our M&C meeting on December 7th.
Bocce Ball and Glass
Himmel Park has a couple of fun new additions. These photos were sent over by Sam Hughes's neighbor John. He and his wife came across some people using the brand new Bocce Ball court – previously just grass, but now this great new facility. But note the two benches, one at each end of the court.
Here’s a closer look. These were produced by Anita from Rocket Bottle. She stops by about monthly, and we supply her with ‘sand’ from crushing bottles in the garage. Anita takes the sand, mixes mortar with it, and creates these wonderful benches. You can see other examples over on 4th Avenue.
Thanks to our parks employees for helping to coordinate all of this work. The combined effect is a very positive addition to Himmel.
Harvard Global Health Institute
The Delta Plus variant right now accounts for 11% of cases in the U.K. Last week it arrived in Hong Kong. It’s in 8 states in the U.S., plus the District of Columbia. It appears to spread more quickly than Delta, but its severity isn’t significantly different. Delta is still by far the primary threat we’re facing.
The Harvard risk map looks the same for Arizona this week as compared to last week. The entire state is in the Red, high-risk level. Here’s what I had in the previous newsletter.
And here’s what they have posted for this week’s national risk assessment. You can scroll back and forth, but generally, the picture is pretty much what we’ve come to expect; COVID is still a threat throughout the nation.
Last week Harvard had our cases per 100,000 at 36.0, with a 7 day moving average of 376.7 new cases per day. This week, consistent with the NY Times data I shared above, those numbers have gotten markedly worse in Pima County.
It has certainly been a roller coaster since April 2020, but now we have vaccines, and now we have a large percentage of the population ignoring that reality and causing the pandemic to continue. The new variant strains have a better chance of continued mutation as long as the virus has unprotected hosts in the community. In Pima County, we’re now over 150,000 COVID cases and more than 2,800 deaths. This really never has been about ‘your liberty.’ Living in the community brings with it some communal responsibilities.
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:
https://globalepidemics.org/key-metrics-for-covid-suppression/
Here’s this week’s statewide COVID map. We now have a vaccine. If you’re one of the vast majority of city workers who understand the severity of these data and have gotten your vaccine, thank you. If you’re in the minority who would rather fight the data and science, that’s an employment decision you’re making on your own.
Sincerely,
Steve Kozachik
Council Member, Ward 6
ward6@tucsonaz.gov
City of Tucson Resources
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