A to Z with Nikki Lee

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October 17, 2024

Happy Fall everyone!

I’d like to start by sharing some exciting personal news. In late August, I gave birth to our fourth child, and we feel incredibly blessed to welcome another baby girl into our family. She is healthy and thriving, and we couldn't ask for more. She was born the same morning our son moved onto campus at the University of Arizona, making it a memorable day for our family. We are grateful for the opportunity to raise another wonderful human being.

I want to give a special shoutout to my Ward 4 team for their incredible support during my pregnancy and the weeks following the birth. I also want to thank everyone who sent kind words, cards, and flowers. My family and I were overwhelmed with the support from the City of Tucson team and the community.

I’d also like to thank the El Rio Midwives and their amazing team at the Southeast Clinic, as well as Tucson Medical Center. El Rio and TMC have a collaborative partnership to provide outstanding care to patients and babies. You can learn more about this partnership, and the Midwifery Center, here. We are fortunate to have these pregnancy and birth options in our community.     

I was able to attend all the Mayor & Council meetings, via Microsoft Teams, right before giving birth and shortly after. Ensuring that Ward 4 had representation at Mayor & Council meetings while allowing my body to heal was important to me, and I’m grateful I could balance both. It was great to be back in person for our last meeting on September 25^th.

Voting Has Begun

Be ready for two ballot cards in the 2024 General Election. Most ballots in Pima County will have races for 34 elected offices and 13 state-wide propositions, plus up to six additional local and school propositions. Vote both cards, vote both sides.

Now that the 2024 election is well underway with the start of early voting, the Pima County Communications Office has prepared materials for voters, www.pima.vote. This is a combined website of the County Recorder and the County Elections Department. It has easy links to voting location maps, sample ballots, voter registration checks, early ballot tracking, important election dates and more.

They also made this Make A Plan flyer [content.civicplus.com] to help you quickly find answers to common questions about the election.

For voting locations, whether voting early, emergency voting, dropping off a ballot, or voting on election day November 5th, the County’s Voting Site Locations Map [experience.arcgis.com] can help voters quickly find the voting location most convenient to them.

If voters would rather speak to someone in person, please contact: Recorder @ 520-724-4330.

Voter registration, early voting, ballot drop off: Elections Department @ 520-724-6830.

Election Day Voting: General Pima County Information Line (if they’re not sure whether they need the Recorder or Elections) @ 520-724-9999.

Housing First Success Story – Shared with Permission from Lisa & Cole

On the topic of babies, I recently received a heartwarming update from Brandi Champion, our Housing First Program Director, about some very special guests at the Wildcat Inn. The Wildcat Inn, a city-owned and operated property, plays a vital role in getting people off the streets and into safe, transitional housing. It provides a temporary refuge for those experiencing homelessness while we connect them with the resources and support they need to move into permanent housing and get back on their feet.

I’m so proud to share that Lisa, Cole, and Alice are thriving. Lisa shared that “transitioning from the streets to a place like Wildcat was so helpful because it gave us a place where we could develop a routine before moving into our own place.

On the streets 80% of your day is spent finding food and a safe place to sleep at night. Being at Wildcat cleared a lot of stress and eased so much of our worry. On the street you do not have the ability to focus on things that need to be done. They helped us prepare and gave us a safe and secure place to bring our baby home to.”

I’m so proud of Cole, who recently graduated from Navy Basic Training. He has chosen a great path for his career and his family, and we are all sending him support as he continues his journey of service in the Navy. Joining the Air Force was the best decision I made, professionally, and I know how impactful this decision will be for his future and the future of his beautiful family.

Our city team continues to stay in touch with this incredible family and will always be a resource for them as they move through life.

“We appreciate Sonya for all she’s done and the people she has helped us become.” - Cole

“Staff from Wildcat reached out and gave us a loving helping hand and continues to be a great support. Sonya and Rosa (Sonya’s partner) have become some of our closest supports and family.  They would do anything for my kids.”- Lisa

Homelessness is the most complex issue I’ve encountered in my role as a city leader. One thing I’ve learned is that the only way to address this challenge is by focusing on each individual and their unique needs—one person at a time. That’s how we make meaningful progress. This approach requires trust, time, and exceptional case management, as seen in the story we’re sharing today.

There is still so much work to be done. While we celebrate success stories like this one, we also recognize there are many more people who need help. It’s important to pause and celebrate our wins when they come. Our city team and partners are working tirelessly, and while it can sometimes feel like we’re not making a difference, we are. Sometimes, we just need to zoom in and remember the individuals we’re impacting.

Thank you to KGUN9 news for the coverage on the impact that the Wildcat Inn and the city team is having on our guests.

Link:https://youtu.be/CiLRusD9fLs

Congressional Black Conference

It was a privilege to sponsor two amazing Tucsonans to join the Arizona delegation to the Congressional Black Conference in Washington, DC. It’s so important that Tucson be represented in this esteemed statewide delegation. They were able to network with state and federal colleagues, learn, and bring back great information to help move us forward on the issues that specifically impact the Black community in Tucson. I am eager to learn from them as we work together to create policies and programs that truly support and uplift the Black community in our city.

September Mayor & Council Highlights

We covered many topics during our September Mayor & Council meetings, and I wanted to highlight one item that is pretty exciting to me.

Information Technology Investment - we voted to move forward with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) framework changes that allow the city to launch a project to create a “data lake”. A data lake is a large storage system that holds all kinds of data - structured (organized data like spreadsheets) and unstructured (raw data like images or text) - in one place. It allows you to store vast amounts of information without needing to organize it right away. Later, you can analyze the data to find patterns, trends, and insights.

For our city, having a data lake is important because it helps us bring together data from different sources, like transportation and public safety, and even data from partner organizations like Pima County. By connecting more of our data in one place, we can analyze it all together, gaining better insights to improve decision-making and create more efficient, effective services for Tucson residents. For example, it could help us predict traffic patterns, address homelessness more effectively, or allocate resources better in emergencies.

Ultimately, a data lake allows us to make smarter decisions and better serve our community by turning raw data into actionable information.

We also voted to allocate $500,000 of ARPA funds toward technology to help us continue addressing street racing, which is an ongoing issue in Ward 4 and across the city. I cover this topic in more detail below.  

I’ve only scratched the surface of what we covered in September. You can review the minutes and materials for the September 11 and September 25 meetings to see everything we discussed as well as actions taken.

Street Racing and Intersection Takeovers

Last October, I hosted a Town Hall to address the urgent issue of street racing, intersection takeovers, and troubling behavior in Ward 4. It quickly became clear that these problems were citywide, and we needed a discussion at the Mayor & Council level to better understand the situation and ensure the Tucson Police Department had the resources to respond effectively.

Despite efforts to combat these issues, we are seeing a rise in both frequency and intensity. I have requested a study session to review our progress over the past year, which is scheduled for November.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month 🤓

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and guess what? It’s my favorite month of the year! Yes, I’m a total nerd for this stuff, and I’m not even sorry about it.

Huge shout-out to our awesome City of Tucson employees - whether you’re in IT or not, you’re helping keep our data, systems, and network safe every day! From spotting those sneaky phishing emails to using strong passwords, we’re all in this together and it takes all of us to keep our city’s infrastructure secure.

Want to join me in geeking out? Head over to CISA’s page for tips and resources. Stay cyber-savvy, Tucson!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This month holds special significance for me due to my own family’s history with breast cancer, and it's a time to raise awareness about the impact this disease has on women in our community and beyond. Below are some eye-opening statistics from the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Did you know that breast cancer death rates are 40% higher among Black women compared to white women? It’s also the leading cause of cancer death for Latin women living in the U.S. These disparities highlight the urgent need for equitable healthcare access and education for all.

Nearly half (47%) of women have postponed preventive services due to cost. Early detection saves lives, and it's crucial that everyone has access to screening and support.

In 2024, an estimated 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. These numbers remind us how important it is to stay informed, support research, and push for better access to care.

I know life gets busy, and as women, we often put our own health aside while caring for everyone else. But your health matters, so please make it a priority to get your annual screenings. If you're uninsured or underinsured, Pima County’s Well Woman HealthCheck program offers valuable resources to ensure you get the care you need.

How Can I Stay Updated?

There are multiple ways to stay updated with my office and the City's work:

• Looking for city updates? Follow the Ward 4 City of Tucson page to learn about core services, projects, events and helpful information about all things Tucson.
• Looking for me? Follow my Councilwoman Nikki Lee page to see what I'm up to around town, articles I write, official events I'm hosting, and more!
• Follow my Council Member twitter account, @CouncilwomanLee.
• Follow my Council Member instagram account: @nikkilee_az.