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Friends,
The month of March has given us a lot to reflect on and celebrate. We've completed some great projects and moved some big rocks forward this month. With the support and dedication of our city leadership, city staff, and residents we've made significant strides towards a brighter future for Tucson.
Now, as we turn our attention to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, my focus is firmly on the upcoming budget for the 2023/2024 fiscal year. I am committed to voting in support of a budget that reflects the priorities and needs of our community, and equally important, the internal priorities and needs we have as an organization.
Like so many organizations in both the public and private sectors, we are experiencing high levels of turnover and burnout. Our city teammates are facing backlogs in many areas, and the work continues to pile up every day. We have a high number of vacancies, and our teammates are being asked to continue doing more with less. To our city staff, I see you and appreciate you.
As we embark on this important activity of co-creating and approving our next budget, I encourage open dialogue and collaboration among city leadership, city staff, community members, and stakeholders to create a sound budget that serves as a foundation for the continued growth and progress of our organization and city.
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Cesar Chavez Day
This week, March 31st, we celebrate Cesar Chavez Day in honor of the civil rights leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union and advocated for the rights of farm workers in the United States. Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona, in 1927 and spent much of his childhood working as a migrant farm worker with his family.
Chavez's tireless efforts and nonviolent tactics, including the famous Delano grape strike of 1965, helped bring attention to the plight of farm workers and led to the passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975. Chávez fought for medical benefits, a union contract that forbade pesticide exposure, access to clean drinking water for farmworkers, and an end to sexual harassment of women in the fields. In 2011, the Navy named a Lewis and Clark-class supply ship after Chávez, who joined the Navy when he was just 17 years old and served during World War II.
When Mayor Romero proposed the holiday she spoke of being the daughter of farmworkers herself. The City Council approved Cesar Chavez Day and President Obama proclaimed March 31st as Cesar Chavez Day for the nation in 2014. Today, Cesar Chavez Day is celebrated in several states across the country as a day to honor Chavez's legacy and the ongoing fight for social justice and workers' rights. Let's truly pause this week to remember Cesar Chavez and recognize the contributions of all the farm workers who have fought for fair wages and better working conditions.
Happy Cesar Chavez Day!
International Transgender Day of Visibility
March 31st is International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to recognize and honor the lives and achievements of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. This day was first observed in 2009 as a response to the lack of representation and recognition of the transgender community in mainstream media and society.
As of February 15, 2023, 340 anti-LGBTQ+ bills had been introduced at the state level across the United States. Many of these bills specifically target transgender people. Here in Arizona, the legislature moved a slate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills through both chambers. Fortunately, Governor Hobbs has committed to veto discriminatory bills such as these.
Despite the challenges and discrimination faced by transgender individuals, this day is a reminder of their resilience and strength in the face of adversity. By celebrating and uplifting the voices of transgender individuals, we can continue to raise awareness and advocate for equal rights and protections.
We can all play a role in creating a more accepting and inclusive world for transgender individuals. Let's use this day to educate ourselves and others, show support for the transgender community, and work towards a future where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their gender identity. Together, we can create a brighter and more hopeful future for all.
Happy International Transgender Day of Visibility!
Important Dates:
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Friday, March 31st: The City of Tucson will be closed in observation of Cesar Chavez Day.
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Tuesday, April 4th: City Council Meeting. Click here and go to "Mayor & Council Meeting Live" to watch! (To watch past meetings, visit the City of Tucson YouTube page. This is also where future meetings will be live streamed).
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Saturday, April 8th, 10am-12pm, at Lincoln Park, Ramada #1: The City of Tucson is updating Plan Tucson, the general plan adopted by Tucson voters in 2013. Help us plan Tucson's future with us by registering to attend a Community Workshop. Virtual and in-person options are available for Ward 4. Please register here.
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Friday April 28th at 9 am: Join us as we celebrate Arbor Day with a community tree planting at Purple Heart Park! All are welcome to come help plant 67 trees on the east side of the park.
March 21st, 2023 Mayor and Council Highlights
Discussion on Emergency Response Plan and Response to Nitric Acid Spill on February 14, 2023
I directed the City Manager to hold a retrospective meeting prior to bringing this item to the Mayor and Council. Four after incident meetings were held with public safety partners on how to better handle these types of situations in the future. It was noted that all the stakeholders involved had agreed that hosting a Joint Information Center (JIC) would have alleviated some of the issues. DPS assured that in future incidents where they were the incident command, they would open a JIC and work with surrounding agencies to provide real time and accurate updates to the community. City staff will bring back plans to the Mayor and Council to update City emergency plans to take into further consideration better pre-planning for detour routes, particularly in areas with limited road infrastructure.
Update on Strategic Initiatives Related to Homelessness
Both the City of Tucson and Pima County have been working together to address the unsheltered homelessness needs and how we are responding as a community providing services, including public safety, health and protection, by fulfilling the homeless protocol action plan. The plan guides the work we do for the unsheltered and for the Community. They have formed four key areas of action: encampments, housing and shelter, judicial involvement and substance abuse, with particular emphasis on fentanyl.
Information was provided by Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher and Steve Holmes, Deputy County Administrator, on Pima County’s involvement on strategic initiatives regarding homelessness in Pima County and their work in ensuring Pima County and the City of Tucson were collaborating and cooperating, not in each other’s lanes, but complementing each other’s activities. Ms. Lesher said with that effort, Tucson took an extraordinary effort in leaning in the area of homelessness and began to look at some of the public safety issues. She said for Pima County, it began to peel back the layers of not only the Sheriff’s Department and TPD, but superior court and everything involved in pretrial services and probation and all of the areas that see people coming into the criminal justice side. She said through the Steering Committee, it allowed everyone to come together as one.
Mr. Holmes spoke about the work Pima County had been doing with unsheltered people, running parallel with the City, pre-trial services, social service opportunities, and collaboration to end homelessness.
Parks and Recreation: Adoption of the Robert A. Price, Sr. Park Master Plan
Mayor and Council adopted the Robert Price Park Masterplan. Below are the comments I made at the meeting:
Ward 4 is severely under parked with currently only 1 City Park south of Irvington Road that serves well over 40,000 W4 constituents. For context, our 1 existing park serves more city square miles than every individual Ward in the City of Tucson except Ward 5. I am excited to say we will now have 2 parks that serve this large region of the city. Robert Price Park has been a work in progress for over 15 years, starting with the initial land donation from Rick Price to pay tribute to his late father Robert Price, and an additional land swap with Sunbelt Holdings.
This month marks exactly 1 decade of work from the Ward 4 office working with Sunbelt Holdings Bob Bambauer and Greg Mohl with the La Estancia development, to make these complicated parcels of land work and attain the funding necessary. With additional funds from Sunbelt Holdings, Development Impact Fees and funds from Prop 407, we are finally going to see this project become a reality.
Thank you to the Community who have been patiently waiting for investment in their area and have participated in numerous meetings along the way to create this masterplan that will serve all ages and abilities for Southeast Tucson. Thank you to the City Parks Staff, Real Estate Staff, and our Private Partners who have listened to our residents to create a masterplan that pays homage to our neighbors with a Planes and Trains themed park. And included amenities like an oversized ramada so our neighborhood associations could have a meeting location since there are no city facilities to accommodate public meetings within this large region.
Dietz Clean-up
 My team was able to bring our community together yet again for another neighborhood clean-up! This location is part of the Tucson Police Department Place Network Investigations (PNI): PNI is a citywide strategy to substantially reduce violence. The strategy is grounded in evidence that persistent crime patterns and violent hot spots are visible indicators of underlying crime-place networks. Eradicating deeply entrenched crime-place networks produces the sustained crime reductions needed to support community redevelopment and long-term economic growth.
 This all-star team completed the alleyway behind the apartment complex Tierra Sol/Tierra Luna on 22nd and Prudence. What an accomplishment! Thank you to everyone that volunteered their Saturday.
 We want to thank all of those who came out from Dietz Neighborhood Association who helped participate in making their neighborhood cleaner and safer. We also want to give a big thanks to Tucson Environmental Services for their help. We would not have been able to accomplish what we did without you. We also want to thank the two families that came out of Tierra Luna/Tierra Sol apartment complex to thank the neighbors for their hard work. One clean-up at a time we can make a difference in our community!
Reporting Potholes
Help the City identify street, lighting, drainage, signage, and other transportation related issues such as:
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Maintenance: filling potholes and cracks, sweeping, trimming vegetation
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Traffic Control: signing, lane striping, crossing signal repair
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Reconstruction: asphalt paving, utilities, curbs, ramps and sidewalks
You can contact the City of Tucson's Transportation Department via phone at (520) 791-3154 or by email at TDOTConcerns@tucsonaz.gov with the precise location. Report a problem online here or use the application for your phone.
Public Safety Communications Department Upgrades 911 System
The City of Tucson's Public Safety Communications Department (PSCD) underwent a major phone upgrade. PSCD is the largest 911 center in the state to make the change so far. A tremendous amount of preparation was needed for this essential transition, which involved approximately 1,500 equipment upgrades on 68 consoles. Under PSCD’s leadership, the upgrade was completed with minimal technical issues. These minor issues were resolved immediately by AT&T partners without affecting service to the community.
 Public Safety Communications Department is hiring!
As a Public Safety Communications Specialist II - Trainee you will perform radio dispatch and support functions for the Police Specialty or Fire/EMS Specialty. You will also be trained to answer, assess, and route emergency 9-1-1 calls for Police, Fire and EMS specialties.
A Public Safety Communication Specialist II - Trainee (Dispatcher) learns to perform the full scope of duties of a City of Tucson PSC Specialist II through a structured on-the-job training program. This position will teach you to monitor radio activity and dispatch calls for service to either Police or Fire/EMS specialties. This classification will also learn to assess emergency 911 and Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) communication requests for service for both Police and Fire/EMS specialties under the guidance of experienced Communications Staff.
Click here for more information about this position!
Click here for other positions with The City of Tucson.
Cyclovia Tucson Still Needs Volunteers
Cyclovia Tucson is returning Sunday, April 16, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and volunteers are needed to make the event successful and safe. The deadline to sign up to help is Friday, March 31. During Cyclovia, about 3.5 miles of car-free city streets, from the Lost Barrio to Himmel Park, will be open to people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike, roll, or skate and enjoy neighborhoods, participate in free activities, support local businesses, and connect with one another. Soak up some of Tucson’s beautiful spring weather as you make your way between four activity hubs. Explore Sam Hughes, Rincon Heights, Miles, and San Antonio neighborhoods while you enjoy great entertainment, delicious food, and family-friendly activities. Cyclovia Tucson is a program of Living Streets Alliance, in partnership with numerous sponsors.
Cyclovia Tucson
Cyclovia volunteer opportunities
Living Streets Alliance
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