 This week primary election ballots were mailed to every registered voter in Tucson. For your vote to count, you must mail or drop it off by July 26, or vote in person on August 1. In Tucson there will be seven in-person voting locations, including Ward 3’s Donna Liggins Recreation Center.
It’s easy to vote by mail. I encourage you to do this early; read the ballot over, do a little research, and send it back as soon as you can.
Next year we will have some exciting elections. The presidential race. Propositions on the ballot. Arizona will be a swing state and there will be lots of people calling, texting, knocking on your door, and mailing you. If you find it annoying, one sure way to reduce the firehouse of electioneering is to vote early. Good to get into this habit.
Voting early also makes it harder to lose your ballot (meaning you will have to vote in person) or just plain forget to vote.
This election, especially the primary, has a short ballot. All voters can vote in the primary for Mayor. In Ward 3 that’s the only item on the ballot. Wards 1, 2, or 4 voters can also cast votes for Council Member.
Research is easy, too. Information about candidates is readily available online. The Arizona Daily Star has done a great job of asking questions and publishing answers; you can see these articles compiled at https://tinyurl.com/ds67adr3. There is also voter information on Tucson’s online news services:
https://azluminaria.org/, https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/, and https://tucsonagenda.substack.com/. Many of the candidates have their own websites, as well.
Our November general election will have primary winners, any independents, and opportunities to support a write-in candidate. There might be propositions to vote on, and there’s a good chance that school district bond measures will be on a consolidated ballot. If you aren’t yet registered to vote, it is too late for the primary. For the general, the deadline is October 10.
So please vote early! Any questions about this election, contact the City Clerk’s office, 520-791-3221 or cityclerk@tucsonaz.gov.
-Kevin
By CJ Boyd
 St. Francis Shelter/Community cooling center staff Shawn Milligan, Gary Dueter, Angela Murphy, and Housing First staff Peter Hernandez.
We all know how brutal the summers in Tucson can be, but nobody feels the brunt of the heat like those who live outside full-time. Unsheltered folks are subject to the elements in all its extremes, from the sub-freezing temperatures in winter to the baking sun during the summer.
A few years back, the City of Tucson sought to address this issue by opening up city-run cooling centers throughout the city. Recreation centers in each ward were opened up (like Ward 3’s Donna R Liggins Center in Mansfield Park), and operated by the Parks and Recreation Department. These are air-conditioned rooms where people can get some respite from the heat, drink some water, and take a load off.
This year our office has partnered with St. Francis Shelter Community to open the Ward 3 Community Room as an additional cooling center Monday through Friday 1-5pm. St. Francis operates a men’s transitional housing facility out of Sacred Heart Church located near First ave and Ft. Lowell in Amphi neighborhood. That location also hosts a food pantry (Wednesdays and Saturdays 9-11am), as well as a shower truck for unhoused people (Wednesday’s 1-4pm) in collaboration with the City of Tucson’s Housing First Program. Now they will be staffing our community room for those seeking respite from the heat.
With thousands of Tucson residents living outdoors, this new cooling center now provides unsheltered residents of Ward 3 two locations that provide relief. In addition to air conditioning and water, the cooling center at Ward 3 will provide sack lunches, Gatorade, cots to lie down, a charging station, and volunteers to help connect guests to other services such as housing, job training, and rehabilitation services.
 Donna Liggins Center in Mansfield Park
In past years, city-run cooling centers have opened only after the temperature reached 110 degrees or higher. However, last year Tucson Mayor and City Council directed staff to lower the threshold. This year the six cooling centers run by Parks and Rec opened the first week of June, and will remain open throughout the summer. The St. Francis/Ward 3 partnership cooling center opened on June 26th, and will stay open until September 15th.
Besides the two locations in Ward 3, the Salvation Army runs a cooling center at their Hospitality House near Main and Speedway (Ward 1). Unlike the City cooling centers the Hospitality House is a massive operation almost entirely dedicated to services for unhoused people. They run a women’s shelter, a men’s shelter, and a day center for unsheltered folks. The space that serves as a cooling center during the afternoon operates as a dining room in the morning and evening.
 Inside the cooling center / dining room at the Salvation Army Hospitality House.
Additionally, Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the Blenman-Elm neighborhood (Ward 6) feed folks who need it on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Whenever the temperature reaches 105 or higher, the keep the dining space open into the afternoon, keep the lights fairly dim and show movies in the space.
Cooling centers are a lifeline for those exposed to extreme heat. Besides being open to unsheltered neighbors, we also invite folks living with inadequate cooling systems in their homes to visit the cooling centers to escape the higher temperatures. Our office has flyers showing the locations and amenities of all 4 cooling centers in the area and we invite concerned residents to come by and pick up some to hand out to anyone they think could benefit from the information. For more information about cooling centers outside of Ward 3, Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness has put together a wonderful resource list.
 Map of Cooling Centers operating in or around Ward 3.
 List of Cooling Center addresses operating in or around Ward 3.
By Marlene Avelino
 March of 2022, a tour of the greenway along 5th Ave in Sugar Hill, from left, Brooke Bushman and Xochitl with S2S, Dan Dorsey - Sugar Hill resident that spearheaded the project, CM Kevin Dahl, Katie Bolger, Kristin Woodall - when she was still with ward 3!, Jon Choi with S2S, and Sugar Hill resident Cindy Hauserman.
Xochitl lets people know it’s pronounced “So Chill” when introducing herself. I appreciate this because it feels like she is acknowledging that it is an uncommon name, letting us know how to pronounce it, and setting the expectation that we say it correctly.
Xochitl is the Public Information Officer for the Storm to Shade Program within the Tucson Water Department.
The Storm to Shade program is funded through a small fee on water bills and is used to build passive water harvesting basins or Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) planted with native vegetation in neighborhoods. GSI has multiple benefits; the vegetation helps shade and cool the surrounding area, improves air quality, and provides habitat for pollinators and birds. Areas at the intersection of low tree count and high heat stress are prioritized.
 Xochitl at the age of 12, with a bird nest.
“For the past 20 years, GSI features have been built throughout Tucson, mostly privately funded or in partnerships between residents and non-profits. Because of this, GSI features have only been accessible to those that had the language skills, the time to research and advocate for themselves, the income to contribute, etc. This leaves out most low-income and working class neighborhoods. With this program we are prioritizing the neighborhoods that have been left out with the goal of every neighborhood in Tucson harvesting rainwater and supporting native vegetation. The temperature should be the same throughout Tucson, regardless of your income,” Xochitl shared at a recent neighborhood meeting.
Xochitl has a Masters in Public Health and a Bachelors in Anthropology from the University of Arizona. She is a First Generation graduate, as is her husband. They are also both trained in Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian cultural practice – simultaneously a fight and a dance – that can be interpreted as a tradition, a sport and even an art form. They have a 12 year old son and have lived in ward 5 for almost two decades.
Xochitl worked for CODAC’s prevention program shortly after receiving her Masters supporting programs for parents mostly on the south side. She also worked with the community coalition in her neighborhood and engaged in deep community organizing to bring the voices of the neighborhood that did not engage with the mostly white and exclusively English speaking coalition meetings.
 Ward 3 Council Aide Marlene and Xochitl on a greenway tour last year.
After CODAC she worked for 7 years for the Pima County Library, mostly at the Quincy Douglas location creating Literacy and STEM programs for youth and adults. She was surprised to realize just how rampant illiteracy was and how few programs were available, particularly to non-English speakers. She created programs with tools and tips for parents to encourage love of reading to their kids even if they themselves weren’t able to read.
Later, she worked for the U of A providing outreach to teachers and staff about professional development opportunities. Blue Baldwin, the Director of the Storm to Shade program, came to her when she was building out her team. They knew each other from their graduate program in Public Health at the university. This is Xochitl's first role with the city, as is the whole Storm to Shade team. She expressed so much gratitude to work and learn with such a dedicated and loving group of people. They truly grasp the opportunity they have for tangible improvements to people's every day lives and work hard to do right by that.
Xochitl was born in Mexicali, Baja California and grew up in Sonora on a ranch. She shared that she struggled with learning as a kid. She has worked really hard for the stability, knowledge, and comfort she now enjoys. Xochitl is dedicated to improving the lives of others and has been doing so with every organization she has worked for.
The Storm to Shade program is an important part of Tucson’s climate change mitigation and adaptation plan at a neighborhood level. Our office will continue to support and grow the program and we are lucky to have Xochitl and the rest of the team working to plant the rain and grow the shade.
By Arnie Bermudez
 Council Member Kevin Dahl and TJ Johnson at Mansfield Pool during last Saturday's Summer Pooloza Party.
Mansfield pool was at capacity last Saturday thanks to all the community members that came out and enjoyed one of the city’s many Summer Poolooza Parties. Neighbors were treated to free music by DJFreshwaves and OG Jacki Blu, a variety of amazing food such as Sonoran hot dogs, barbecue, and even fruit cups with Tajin and Chamoy. Many local organizations also had booths set up with giveaways and informational resources for the attendees.
Pete Chalupsky, founder of Community Development Partners LLC and owner of Parkside Terrace Apartments, was in attendance and said that he saw an “increasing number of families moving to the neighborhood and events like this help build community. We are glad the city and council staff support these events”. In the future, he hopes to “see a splash pad come in" as well as more family and senior housing.
 Kevin Woodard of the Sugar Hill Coalition.
Kevin Woodard, from the Sugar Hill coalition, described the event as a big success stating “it’s getting bigger and better every year! Ward 3 has done lots of improvements they stepped up and fixed the pool. We are still waiting for the slide which is coming. Council Member Dahl also wrote a grant for our new shade structures at the swimming pool. He asked us what we needed and went to work.”
The event is one of many pool parties that are being put together by The City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department in an effort to increase use of the city’s public pools during the hot summer days. For more information on other Summer Poolooza parties visit the Parks and Recreation site here.
We would like to send a special note of thanks to the staff and volunteers at Pima Animal Care Center for all their hard work. The City of Tucson and PACC have always had a great working relationship and we appreciate the focus and commitment of this partnership to continually care for our community’s lost and abandoned dogs and cats. Today, PACC is again facing a high volume of incoming animals and they need our help getting their appeal out about pet adoptions. Please reach out to your neighbors and friends, and/or consider adopting a new family member yourself. Fostering a dog or cat also helps relieve the stress for both the pets and the staff of PACC. We are confident that with everyone’s help we can have an impact on this heartbreaking problem. As always, thank you for doing what you can to make our community the amazing place it is.
Harvest /ID# A791873
Age: 3 years
Qualities:
Sweet Harvest came into PACC last October. In his long stay here, he’s evolved from a shy, nervous guy to a friendly, affectionate buddy to humans and canines alike. Harvest has come so far in the time he’s been at PACC; now, he’s ready to make his way into a home!
Fee:
Harvest has a $0 adoption fee. A $20 license fee applies to adult dogs. Adoption includes spay or neuter, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchip, and a free vet visit.
Contact:
Pima Animal Care Center, 4000 N. Silverbell Rd.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 12pm - 7pm.
Wednesday 1:30-7pm. Saturday and Sunday 10am - 5pm.
Next Mayor and Council Meeting
The next Mayor and Council Meeting will be on Tuesday, July 18th.
Once available, the agenda will be posted here: Mayor and Council Meeting Agendas.
Neighborhood Association Meetings
Mountain First Neighborhood Association
Wednesday, July 08
9:00am to 10:00am
Mitchell Park
1100 E Mitchell St.
 The Ward 3 office is open open at 1510 E. Grant Rd. from 9 am - 1 pm, Monday through Friday. Staff will answer phone messages, emails and requests for meetings by the next business day. Leave your message at 520-791-4711 or email ward3@tucsonaz.gov.
Ward 3 Events
Please join us on July 13th for a special community resource fair! There will be activities for the kids as well as great resources!
¡Por favor únete a nosotros el 13 de Julio para una feria especial de recursos comunitarios! ¡Habrá actividades para los niños, así como excelentes recursos!
Free back to school supply event July 22 at 5:30pm
 Ward 3 Is Accepting Donations for the Iskashitaa Refugee Network!
The Ward 3 office is currently accepting donations of art supplies and canning supplies on behalf of the Iskashitaa Refugee Network. We are ONLY accepting jelly jars, Kerr, Mason, or Ball jars for preserving/ canning, with or without canning rings. Feel free to drop by 1510 E. Grant Rd. during our office hours (9 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday) if you'd like to support the work of this wonderful non-profit with a donation.
For more info click here.
Project Mesquite: 2023 ARPA Organization Grant for Arts Non-Profits and Tribal Nations
Eligibility 1. Tax-exempt 501(c)(3), or charitable organization that is in good standing with the IRS and federally recognized Indian tribal governments are eligible to receive funds sub-awarded through an NEA award.
Eligibility 2. Reside and provide services in counties and regions south of the Gila River. This includes Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties and southern portions of Pinal, Yuma, Greenlee, Graham, Maricopa County and/or Native Sovereign Nations of Ak-Chin Indian Community, Sovereign Nation of the Cocopahs, Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, Gila River Indian Community, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tohono O’Odham Nation, San Carlos Apache Nation.
Eligibility 3. At least one year of artistic or cultural production.
Full Grant Guidelines and Details
Application Portal
Grocery Sharing at Tucson Food Share - 2500 N. Stone Ave.
Groceries are shared Mondays 4:30- 6:00 pm, Thursdays 6:00 - 7:30 pm, and Saturdays from 8am-9:30am. https://tucsonfoodshare.org/ has more information about volunteering, donating, or requesting delivery.
Ready, Set, REC! in June
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