A Message from Steve K...08/29/2022

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Date: 08/29/2022

Topics in This Issue:

• One Happy Family

• Plastic Blocks

• More Climate Action

• Sol y Luna Again

• Grant Road Overlay

• Recognizing Jonathan Rothschild

• Water Security

• Gone Too Soon – Loved Enough for a Lifetime

• Events

• COVID

One Happy Family

You’ve been reading for months about the trials involved with getting this young family reunited. That’s little Kawsar (turning 3 in November,) beautiful young bride Nilofar, and judge Ahmad. They’re together and ready to take on the next set of challenges being refugees bring. At least they’ll be together while doing that.

In the past week, I’ve heard from 2 other Afghan families who are heartbroken over their relatives who are stuck in Kabul and being threatened with slaughter, forced marriages for young girls, and suffering starvation, no medical assistance, no access to employment, food, moving from house to house to avoid Taliban, discrimination based on gender and a host of other challenges. And I was contacted by one of our Ukrainian refugee families that’s now facing the reality of having to figure out housing, food, education, transportation, employment, etc. – and doing so under the terms of a resettlement policy that was not at all prepared with those ‘next steps’ in mind. They feel as though they were sold a bill of goods and are struggling for answers. I don’t have the ones they need. Sadly, neither does our congressional delegation, and nobody can get through to the state department, homeland security, embassy – personnel whose only response if they did answer the phone would be the equivalent of ‘get in line.’

We at the ward 6 office are thrilled that Nilofar and Kawsar are here and that they’re finally out of harms way. My staff’s history is to embrace the challenges of immigration and refugee resettlement. We’ll continue to do that. And I’ll continue to point out how broken the system is, imploring congress to make meaningful changes. Absolute humanitarian abuses are going on. Our process is failing thousands of people.

Plastic Blocks

In the past week, we had to have the 30 cubic yard roll off emptied at Tanks twice. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, the momentum on this project is picking up. Before I get into the good stuff though I have to once again ask people to self-police and DO NOT PLACE ANYTHING BUT PLASTIC IN THE ROLL OFF. Last week there were tree trimmings, other green waste and yes, more Styrofoam. That’s just being lazy.

The blue Plastic Only roll off is not a community waste container. We need it to contain plastic only or the contamination rate could kill this project.

Here are this week’s program stats. These reflect how the community has responded since the first of August. It is clearly an immensely popular program. Thanks for taking part.

The tonnage we see in those data are almost exclusively residential participation. Over 3 tons of plastic diverted from the landfill – straight from households in the community. We had visits from Oro Valley, Tucson Estates and Green Valley again last week. All outside city limits, and all totally welcome to take part in the program.

I heard from 2 more businesses last week, each of whom are producing plastics that they’re otherwise simply tossing into the garbage. If you own a business, or if you work in a business that is clearly a big plastic producer, get them in touch with us. My experience is that they’re thrilled to have a place for their waste other than the trash. Once we get the commercial participants, those tonnage data will start to jump by more rapidly.

If you’d like to sign up, use this link. It’ll take you less than a minute.  The goal is to demonstrate to the city that the community wants this program and that we need to find a way to make it happen. When that comes about it’ll be because of your support and encouragement. And by signing up you can get updates on how the project is progressing.

https://www.byfusion.com/pilot-program/

Friendly reminder, once you fill up the bags that come with our starter kits, use whatever bags you have at home. Grocery, commercial, animal feed bags, and all plastic retail bags (they don’t have to be clear).

More Climate Action

The glass reuse program is one way you can directly get involved with waste reduction. The plastic program we’re hosting is another. At the ward 6 office, we’re about doing the stuff, not massaging data endlessly. Another way you can get directly involved in the doing is the TEP home energizer workshop we’ll be hosting on September 8^th at 6pm.

The meeting will be in-person here at the Ward 6 office. TEP will have their representatives on-site to give a presentation on how you can save energy around your home. Everyone who attends will walk away with a free Energy Efficiency Kit that would retail for over $40 if you were to go out and buy the things individually.

We’re going to start promptly at 6. The program will last for 90 minutes. Please stop by and take part. By doing so you’ll get goodies like faucet aerators, refrigerator thermometers, LED light bulbs, and more. We appreciate the partnership on this with TEP.

Sol y Luna Again

The UA has been back in session for about a week. The hundreds of students who checked into the Sol y Luna student towers adjacent to the mosque were greeted by the level of care, concern, security, and cleanliness, we’ve come to expect from Nelson Properties. NP is the owner of the property. Curb appeal is not their strong suit.

In less than a week over 500 parents and students have joined together and formed a Facebook page outlining the issues they’re facing.  Here are just a few shots of the page, and photos students have shared with me from inside the place.

Here’s the security plan for Luna. When one young lady who stays there began to move the rock and actually lock the door, the security guard told her “no way in hell is the door going to be locked because a lot of the fobs don’t work.” God forbid Nelson Properties would actually pay to staff the front door for the security of their residents.

These are photos taken by students and sent to me:

Last Wednesday, Diana, Dora, and I paid them a visit. Afterwards I sent this email to one of the Nelson Property owners that has been in touch with our code enforcement team.

Amy, I'll note this. I visited both Sol and Luna today. Me, along with 2 staffers walked into each facility, rode the elevator in each up to the top floor, no security attempted to determine who we were and every student I engaged was very open and willing to talk about the conditions of the place, and how they've been run through the wringer when trying to get resolution. You have custodial staff stringing extension cords down the hall in order to power a microwave oven in their break room. There's water leaking from upper floors onto lower floors, trash crammed into a closet in the hallway that's spilling out into the walk area. I randomly tried 4 room doors while walking past - 3 of them opened with no trouble. Fobs do not work on the elevator - we tailgated into each elevator with students who had to use one of the functional fobs just to allow your tenants to reach their own rooms. Light switches don't work - plumbing fixtures are falling off - mold in wet areas - broken tables. I could go on. We observed all of this in just a quick walk through of each bldg. That's not the best curb appeal for a property that's up for sale. And it's not a new condition - we've been through this w/Nelson and prior owners.

Later on Wednesday I got another email, this time from 4 of their owners – Amy was cc’d and had clearly shared my comments with their lead person. Here’s his note:

Hi, Steve!

See email below about visits from the city today. What is your goal? We are working diligently to resolve any issues. Please outline your questions so we can resolve the issues you have with our project. Our goal is to make our residents happy, comply with any city ordinances. I was forwarded your visit notes.

Please let us know if your goal is different. This is about housing students, working within the community and a collaboration. Upsetting parents and students, threatening they will not have housing is contradictory to the best of all parties.

Feel free to reach out to me. I have been in student housing for 25 years and am qualified to answer any questions.

Look forward to speaking with you, have a good night!

My reply to the lady:

I have the city attorney cc'd. Yes, I visited the place today b/c my office has been inundated with calls and emails from parents and students who are madder than hell over the conditions of both bldgs. If you've been in this business for 25 years I suspect the standards of care you've exhibited in the past were far superior to what we're observing or you wouldn't have lasted this long.

Fobs don't work - so tenants had to have others with a functional fob tailgate onto the elevator just so they could access their own floors. We weren't 'accompanied' by tenants - we walked in unquestioned, and students literally invited us to see the filth they're living in. ‘Fortunately’ many of the doors on the rooms don't lock so they didn't need a fob to enter. Or roommates were inside to let them in. Some invited us in to see the conditions - light switches don't work, leaks from floors above, likely mold in some of the wet areas, you've got a custodial staff stringing extension cords down the hall to power their microwave in a break room, broken window at the front entry, zero security questioning anybody who enters, trash falling out of a storage room into the hallway, unsecured electrical closet, green swimming pool, fixtures falling off in bathrooms - and I'd add that I also received a call from one of the Islamic Center leadership advising me that bottles have already been tossed into their parking area from balconies. Per your lease - that's eviction. But I'm waiting on the mosque video b/c you haven't installed video, despite multiple promises to do so.

What's my goal? First digest what you just read and it'll get you started on the answer. We have gone through this same fire drill with every owner of these bldgs since the day they opened. You had all summer to prepare for move-in day and this is the condition your tenants walked into? And you're asking me what my goal is? How about this - would you like me to share your email address with some of the many parents we've heard from and you can ask them that same question. This is a waste of city resources and NP should be ashamed to have your name associated with these conditions. We met two students today who said they've already terminated their lease over what's going on. One said he was given 2 days to leave - until he reminded your mgr that he has until the 31st. Another is being billed for violating the cleaning deposit. Seriously. He'll likely walk away from it b/c students don't have the resources to take on a national firm such as yours.

To whom would you like the video of the bottles to be sent when I get them, and may we expect evictions to follow when the balconies are clearly identified?

SteveK

Here’s Perla Shaheen’s KGUN9 piece. Every year we go through this with some of the towers. And every time a new developer wants my support for a student housing tower they say ‘we’re different. We do this all over the country and know how to run a quality operation.’ That pitch ran out of credibility long ago.

https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/sol-y-luna-apartments-could-be-shut-down-for-major-code-violations

Here’s KVOA’s investigative piece on the mess students walked into:

https://www.kvoa.com/news/n4t-investigators-more-residents-deal-with-unsafe-conditions-at-sol-y-luna-as-students-return/article_32d7bb02-240c-11ed-9658-0f1d109ef30c.html

KOLD also ran a piece. This place has such an unsavory history in the community that all of the local TV news outlets have B roll documenting it all.

https://www.kold.com/2022/08/25/we-cant-have-change-unless-we-all-come-together-sol-y-luna-scrambles-get-up-code-following-several-complaints/

We kept working with code, TFD, and the city attorney’s office to get Sol y Luna up to something resembling a livable condition. The UA is keeping its usual hands-off approach – as they did with the towers during COVID. Lots of entities cashing checks from students and their parents – not so much taking responsibility for quality of life issues once they’re on the hook though.

Late in the week this was the ‘progress report’ from Nelson Properties. It’s nice to have the engagement. Move-in day is on the calendar months in advance. There’s no reason this should have taken place.

Here are a few updates from our calls this morning;

1. The front door at Sol was fixed the day before yesterday and broke again. The vender is coming back out today.
2. We have requested to add two additional security guards for each building, one for each lobby and 1 for each building to make rounds. We shared the information that was circulated to the owner of the company of having more proactive guards and making sure they are doing their duties effectively. (later in the weekend they ran out of security and had again blocked open the front door.)
3. Air-Filters- We will have these in the office for pick up and are placing an order for additional ones, we appreciate the help offered. (students had offered to install the air filters themselves if Nelson Partners simply provided them.)
4. A/C all interior unit A/C problems have been fixed. There are ongoing repairs with the chillers, please make sure you submit a work order through your resident portal if there is an issue.
5. Key Fobs- If there is anyone whose fob is not working please go to the leasing office and they have received new fobs or can reprogram yours.
6. I understand there was a water leak that affected several units. We have blowers and dehumidifiers in the units and we have a contractor coming out today.
7. Attached is the email sent out to all residents about our, “Zero tolerance” regarding anything related to throwing items off balconies and residents are responsible for their guests. We have not had any incidents reported since the last one earlier in the year.
8. Packages- we are working through how the best way to handle packages are see attachment of, “life in the day of packages”. We have been delivering them door to door if possible.
9. Trash in Hallways and chutes- attached is an email regarding trash and it’s disposal that was sent out. Please see the before and after picture during move-in. Our teams worked really hard to get these cleaned up and will be diligently moving forward keep the property clean for the residents.
10. Luna Pool pictures attached- Waiting on Pima County. Sol pool drained and pressure washed and in the process of getting cleaned.
11. Customer Care email- we have received approximately 100 emails in the inbox mostly related to maintenance, parking, keys and general questions. We have remote specialist reviewing this inbox and assisting the on-site team. Any maintenance request please just put in 1 time so we do not have duplicates. These are sorted in order of priority of the issue and distributed daily. We are in the process of hiring some additional maintenance techs to help us get through the work orders.

Our exchanges continued through the end of the week and over the weekend. It has taken hours and hours of parents’ time, city staffers’ time, and that of me and my staff to get some level of resolution. There are still dozens of issues left from Nelson Properties to resolve. Right now though, the life/safety concerns have been addressed.  The property is up for sale. My hunch is that the new owners will introduce themselves by saying ‘we run student housing all over the country – we're different.’ We can only hope.

Grant Road Overlay

The Grant Road widening project runs from Oracle out to Swan. The phases that begin at about Campbell running east are all either under construction, or in design. Many of us are watching the RTA to see how the funding conversation evolves. Hope springs eternal, so Kevin Dahl and I have asked for a study session item to get M&C’s authority to begin a conversation about creating an optional zoning overlay on the remaining portions of the corridor.

A zoning overlay is what we just finished on the Sunshine Mile. Every piece of ground in the city has some existing zoning. You’re allowed to do something with your property without involving others in the conversation. In many cases, the existing zoning is from a years ago, and current development in the surrounding area makes what’s allowed under the entitled zoning incompatible with how the area has grown. The optional overlay is an opportunity for residents to work with the development community, find uses that are desired and compatible with how an area has evolved, and provide incentives to the development community that will help facilitate that growth. Those incentives can include things such as reduced parking requirements, increased heights, shared parking arrangements – things that aren’t allowed under existing zoning, but would be if a developer opted into the overlay.

Kevin and I have this scheduled for the September 13^th study session. Once we get formal approval from M&C the next step will be for us to begin meetings with neighborhoods that lie along the corridor and talk about what’s now allowed, what people would like to see, and then begin the process of identifying potential roadblocks to that preferred development. Those roadblocks can possibly be keys to how to frame incentives in an overlay.

More to come on this once we get the approval to kick start the process. It’ll take time, but given the pace of the widening project, I don’t think we need to rush the overlay piece. As we’re already seeing with the Sunshine Mile, if done correctly these can be wins for everyone involved.

Recognizing Jonathan Rothschild

Throughout his tenure as mayor, one of the accomplishments Jonathan Rothschild was most passionate about was his role in the adoption of Prop 407 – the parks and connectivity bond measure. Over the next approximately 6 years it’ll generate roughly $225M in support of new park amenities and upgrading greenways throughout the city. One of those greenways is the Alamo Wash Greenway.

The Alamo Wash Greenway runs through wards 2, 4, and 6. It connects the Aviation Parkway to the Rillito River. Through Prop 407 there are more than $13M dedicated to building out the path. It’ll be a multi-use path, allowing for walkers, joggers, and bicycles.

Recently, I was asked to help begin the process of honoring Jonathan with some form of naming recognition. Through a series of exchanges, it became clear the Alamo Wash Greenway would be a great candidate – renaming it the Jonathan Rothschild Alamo Wash. Together, Nikki and Paul Cunningham and I have initiated the naming process.

There is now a 45-day public comment period open for people to submit their thoughts. The comments will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, October 9^th. You can do that by either mailing comments to Tucson Parks and Recreation Director Lara Hamwey, 900 S. Randolph Way, Tucson, 85716, or by going to this link and following the instructions there: website for more details.

Comments will be gathered and M&C will ultimately vote on the proposal.

Water Security

Las Vegas only has a 50-day supply of water left. They’re operating on their reserve and will run out in less than 2 months if a remedy isn’t found.

That is Las Vegas, New Mexico – but I wanted to get your attention because the water situation for users all along the Colorado River is serious.

Las Vegas, New Mexico is one of the areas that has been hit hard by aggressive forest fires. Clear cutting fire breaks was one of the methods used to control the fires. That left thousands of acres of charred remains. During monsoon rains that ended up as sediment in the Gallinas River – the river that provides nearly 90% of the water for Las Vegas, New Mexico. Here’s a graphic that shows what has happened:

The governor of New Mexico has committed funding for a temporary treatment facility, but the permanent solution will cost north of $100M. And it’s not as if the residents of this city had not been frugal with their use of water. They’re average daily consumption per day is about 44 gallons – less than half of ours. And Tucson is a leader in conservation.

Las Vegas, New Mexico is now relying on their reserves. They’ve got about 50 days’ supply left. They’re hoping the temporary treatment plant will be up and running before they run out.

Similarities to Tucson? We will be reliant on our groundwater when the Colorado runs dry. That’s our reserve. We have 5-6 years’ supply, not 50 days. But it’s a limited supply. We are currently fighting with the feds over contamination of our groundwater. Las Vegas, New Mexico is fighting with the feds over leaving the charred mountainside unabated, leading to their own water supply becoming contaminated. We have the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality building us a temporary test treatment plant. They have the state also building a temporary plant to address their local concerns. Neither we nor Las Vegas, New Mexico have a permanent treatment commitment from the federal government.

During the summer the Bureau of Reclamation gave the 7 states that are reliant on the Colorado until the middle of August to come up with a plan for reducing the amount of water we’re pulling from it. New Mexico is one of those states, but it is Arizona, California, and Nevada that are right now using their full allotments and are therefore the states being looked to for immediate commitments to reduce what we’re taking from the Colorado. Bud Foster from KOLD ran a story on what we’re facing. Here’s a link to that story in which I’m quoted as saying we’ve all got to stop taking what we’re legally entitled to or we’ll all fail together.

https://www.kold.com/2022/08/23/city-tucson-considering-pay-plan-colorado-river-water/

Last week, the M&C voted to take our full allotment of 144,191 acre-feet of water from the Colorado. It’s a negotiating strategy to force California to the table. That’s going to happen, but only when the feds force them to. And at that time, they’ll also impose a reduction in our allotment. That’s a prediction, not a promise. But I’d bet on it now that we sent the message we did about our intentions.

There are 7 states reliant on the Colorado. Each has a different perspective of course. This is how the Las Vegas, Nevada news covered our vote to take our full allocation:

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – If the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation seemed heavy-handed last week when announcing plans to enforce Colorado River water conservation, city officials in Tucson, Arizona, wasted little time in showing what might happen if managing water were left to each and every government that owns a share of the river. A report by KOLD News 13 in Tucson indicates city officials are feeling less generous about storing water in Lake Mead if they don’t need it right now. They now see it as a sort of bargaining position that could be worth millions of dollars. If Tucson could leave 30,000 of acre-feet in Lake Mead to help bolster the waterline, it could be worth up to $8 million to Tucson, according to the KOLD report. Now Tucson city staff are recommending that the city take everything it’s allowed. The council hasn’t decided the matter yet. The federal government said states had failed to come up with plans of “sufficient magnitude” to save 2 million to 4 million gallons of river water — a step that the Bureau of Reclamation sees as prudent given the continuing drought. And when states failed, the federal government set wheels in motion to take control of the situation and make the hard decisions that states couldn’t. But maybe states ran into the attitude they found in Tucson. “We are negotiating about the condition of a river that’s failing and it’s not just failing Tucson, it’s failing everybody who’s using it,” said Ward 6 Council member Steve Kozachik. “We are in an entirely new situation and none of those allocations or entitlements mean anything if there’s no water in the river.”

The Bureau of Reclamation has already announced that in 2023 we are facing a Tier 2a drought. That will mean a very small reduction in Tucson’s water coming from the CAP – about 2%. Statewide it’s just under 600,000 acre feet. The reductions are coming. I voted against taking our full allotment because I don’t want to get into a game of ‘chicken’ with the other states on this. Let’s lead by example and if the feds reduce, they’ll have us as the leaders to point to, not as one of the groups digging in our heels until we’re forced to comply.

Later this fall we’ll be revisiting proposals for water conservation. Things such as requiring the use of low-flow fixtures on new development, submetering townhomes, putting irrigation meters on multi-family projects and requiring new construction to demonstrate a ‘net zero’ water use program. Those are already on the table. I’ve asked our citizen water advisory group to review steps already being taken by Las Vegas, Nevada – limiting and eliminating non-productive turf (lawns,) limiting times when people can water cars, and standards for how swimming pools are drained, for example. We need an entirely new conversation on water, and taking our full allotment was not a good entry point.

Also last week, we received a bit of good news on the PFAS front. The EPA sent a letter to the Air Force, Air National Guard, and the Tucson Airport Authority in which they made it very clear that responsible parties for the contamination are pretty much well-known, and that they need to be stepping up to the plate with solutions. Here’s a portion of that letter:

In a nutshell they’re saying that every time we have to shut down our treatment plant to do things such as changing filters that have become overly saturated with PFAS, it risks the plume expanding. The letter was the most direct expression from the EPA to date about ‘potentially responsible parties.’ That’s government speak – we know who’s responsible and so do they.

Finally last week, the EPA signaled that they may be recommending PFAS be declared a hazardous substance. That would kick free some federal remediation dollars. Before we get too excited about that it’s important to note the declaration won’t come until this fall, and even then, it’ll only begin a 60 day comment period. There’s always a process. The plume is not subject to comment periods in the way it moves.

So good news and not so good news. Plans to address PFAS are advancing – slowly – and the plan to address the Colorado River are not. We’re taking every drop we’re entitled to from the depleting river, and everyone is waiting to see if and when the Bureau of Reclamation imposes a reduction on us. Water in the desert. It's a part of our climate reality and deserves the kind of new voice we’re hearing called for by climate advocates.

Gone Too Soon – Loved Enough for a Lifetime

September is suicide prevention month. Each year the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI) uses this time in particular to try to give people added ways to express themselves over coping with loss. When mental illness is added to the cause, it can become an exceedingly heavy load for those left behind to deal with.

If you have lost a friend or a loved one to mental illness NAMI is offering an opportunity for you to share your feelings with others. The initiative is called ‘Gone Too Soon...Loved Enough for a Lifetime.’ They’re putting together a special Memorial page that’ll be placed on their website, in their weekly E-Blast, on their social media and more. Send them a picture of the person you’re remembering, adding their name, DOB, date of death and add a quote about that person that you’d like them to include.

One in 5 adults and youth suffer some form of mental illness. Too often it leads to loss of life. You can find the Gone Too Soon program on the NAMI site at www.namisa.org  If you need any additional information, please reach out to Shelly Jernigan at mjernigan@namisa.org. You can also contact the office for any assistance at (520) 622-5582.

Intermountain Centers are sponsoring an event titled “Suicide: The Ripple Effect.” This event will come on Friday, September 9^th at 7pm. It’s a screening of a film that shows how suicide affects so many loved ones around the immediate victim. Its focus is Kevin Hines – a guy who at the age of 19 jumped from the Golden Gate bridge in an attempt at taking his own life. In the film, he walks us through the impacts on family, friends, and first responders – the ripple effect of suicide.

The screening will be at the Leo Rich Theater by the TCC. It begins at 7pm with a Q&A starting right after the show at 8:45. Seating in Leo Rich is limited so get with the Intermountain folks as soon as you can to reserve a seat. You can find them at www.intermountaincenters.org.

Events

I’m going to include several upcoming community events in this section – lots happening now that people are more comfortable getting together in groups. And the weather has been so welcoming.

First is more of a recognition than an invitation. They’ve got all the ‘hands on deck’ they need, but The Rotary Club of Tucson, Boys and Girls Club, Tucson Clean & Beautiful, and TUSD all deserve advance credit for the upcoming tree planting exercise that’ll be happening by the outdoor skating rink over at Doolen Middle School. They’re planning a workday to get landscape features in the ground surrounding the rink. Congratulations to all who are taking part. It’ll be a wonderful addition to the Grant Road corridor once they’re through.

If you come by the Ward 6 office before noon, some weekdays you’ll see the colored pencil ladies scattered around our community room. They’re tremendously talented and they use our place to spend mornings socializing while they produce their art.

Beginning on September 1^st a subset of that group – the Tucson Mountains Artist Collective – will be featured at our friends the Botanical Gardens. A reception is scheduled for November 5^th.  If you like art and the gentle ambiance of the Gardens, this show is going to be a double-treat for you.

Another event you might want to circle on your calendar is the city Parks and Rec staff hosting an open house to show off the facilities at the Randolph Recreation Center. The open house is a 2-day affair; September 20^th and 21^st from 9am until 7:30pm each day. It’s free. They’ll be giving tours of the facility and introducing the public to the many recreational options we’ve got available over at the rec center. The flyer shown below has more specifics on classes and activities that are available.

While I’m on the parks topic, here’s the September schedule for the Ward 6 Ready, Set, Rec van. If you’re not familiar with it, you should stop by and take part. They bring activities for all ages – very much family friendly – and spend a couple of hours sharing some nice outdoor time with residents. We at the ward 6 office appreciate the enthusiasm the staff brings, and we’re grateful to Sierra Boyer for keeping us all up to date on the van schedule.

Another event you might want to consider is being sponsored by Verizon – specifically their Verizon Innovative Learning School Device giveaway. It’s happening at the Secrist Middle School on Thursday, September 7^th at 3:30pm. Verizon partners with Digital Promise, and through that partnership they support STEM programs in public schools. The Learning School devices are going to both teachers and students in an effort by Verizon to do their part in expanding digital access. This’ll date me, but my first computer course IN COLLEGE was programming Fortran IV onto IBM cards and spending time at the computer center running the cards through the system to check my work. Look at what Verizon is bringing to little kids – it's why grandparents have their grandkids program the remotes on the television.

Next, how about some music under the stars. The Tucson Pops is back for their free fall concert series. They perform at the DeMeester amphitheater in Reid Park. The upcoming concerts will be held on Sunday, September 11^th, 18^th, and 25^th – all starting at 7pm. There is fixed seating at the band shell, and of course you’re invited to bring a blanket and just kick back on the green space up on the hill.

There you go – lots of options to keep you busy this coming month.

COVID

Above I shared the mess we’re seeing in Sol y Luna student housing towers. The exchanges with parents and Nelson Property management continued throughout the weekend. In the course of all the back and forth the issue of COVID did come up. I was gratified to see the student involved doing the responsible thing and quarantining herself in her room. The parent in the email was asking someone from NP to run the key to her door up to her so she wasn’t out spreading the virus. It’d be great if that was the norm. Our experience inside those towers is that it’s the rare exception.

But with that said, our COVID infection numbers continued their downward slide this past week in both Arizona, and in Pima County. Here’s the chart I’ve been keeping.

The usual caveat goes with these data. That is, people are largely self-testing now, so the case counts are very likely an undercount. But there’s still a 12.7% positivity rate in the tests reported to the state department of health, and in Arizona there were 65 more COVID-related deaths last week. It’s not benign for everyone.

Testing is also still an important part of managing our way out of COVID.  You can still get free self-test kits through the federal government – use this link to access the order form:  free tests  You’re allowed to order up to 16 free tests.

Pima County is still handing out free test kits. This week they’ll be available at these locations:

This link is from our partners at Pima County health. It gives easy to follow instructions on how to give a self-test: https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=787398

The COVID numbers for new cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities are still high. Vaccines continue to be available for free – as is also true of boosters. This link will take you to the Pima County health site showing both their mobile vaccine centers, and the standing ones: https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=669257

Here’s our state map dating back to the start of this in 2020.

Here’s the Harvard risk level map, by county. Arizona is doing pretty well – moving from red to orange. Pima County is still listed as a high risk for transmission area though. It’s still a level worth paying close attention to, but the change reflects progress.

About half the counties in Arizona have moved to the orange risk level. Pima County is not one of those. But the Harvard folks didn’t update our data from last week, so what you see below was current a week ago.

BA.5 continues to be the dominant strain of COVID in the country – and in our community. It is the most highly transmissible variant we’ve seen.

Sincerely,

Steve Kozachik
Council Member, Ward 6
ward6@tucsonaz.gov

City of Tucson Resources

• COVID-19 Updates: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/covid-19/covid-19-updates
• I Want To... : https://www.tucsonaz.gov/i-want-to