Street Racing, Sideshows Have to Stop

Have you woken up to the loud noise of a muscle car (or several cars) racing down a nearby street? I have.

Have there been illegal races and sideshows in your neighborhood? Last weekend there were several in mine.

A constituent near Fort Lowell and Campbell reported this activity on Saturday night. The noise woke him up at 11 pm. He heard loud mufflers, squealing tires from donuts, and gunshots. He called 911 twice, and told our office that the event was broken up around midnight when a Tucson Police Department helicopter got involved. The noise from the cars racing through his neighborhood until 2 am kept him up. 

Another constituent sent me a TMZ Tucson twitter video of a rally at the parking lot of Albertsons at Glenn and Campbell. The shocking footage shows a car doing a donut knocking a young woman into the air. See the video here.

I saw the damage done to the parking lot when I visited the next morning: tire pieces, dark donut rings, and lots of litter. The manager on duty told me later that this is the third time in the last month a car rally had been held in their lot.

These illegal, disruptive, and annoying events have been happening all over town. Last October, on the East and South sides, Police swept two large gatherings and arrested almost 200 street racers and spectators (124 adults and 53 juveniles).

Police Lt. John Carlson wrote me that they “have had multiple issues with this type of activity and street racers overall.  We have had multiple deployments of personnel in an effort to try to combat these types of events, including one last night [last weekend].” 

Racers and spectators assume that they can finish their racing and showing off before police arrive. Sometimes that is true. But it didn’t work out that way Sunday for five racers who were arrested Sunday at Kolb and 22nd Street for charges that included reckless driving, racing and exhibition of speed, and weapons misconduct.

Police ask that if you see or hear racing or sideshows, please call 911.

- Kevin

Meeting with IATSE Ian Fritz by Katie Bolger 

Our office met with Ian Fritz, the Business Agent for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 415.

Ian came to Tucson by way of Milwaukee. He grew up close to the Master Lock factory and was there when it closed down to move to Mexico. When Ian arrived in Tucson he found himself on a BorderLinks tour and got to see the new location of the factory from his home town. He learned that the Mexican workers were making in a week what the former employees made in an hour. That's when he knew that he wanted to be a union organizer.

In addition to his role in IATSE, Ian is a stagehand who currently works predominantly with Broadway in Tucson shows which are held at Centennial Hall on the U of A campus. The union also has collective bargaining contracts with Ballet Tucson and the Arizona Opera, which perform at the Tucson Convention Center (TCC). The TCC is owned by the City.

Unlike the University of Arizona, which holds a third party contract that employs IATSE members for large shows (smaller shows are staffed with in-house employees), the TCC contracts with Rhino Staging, a large national firm that operates in over 20 states. Rhino employees are not represented by any union or collective bargaining unit, and like most large corporations (think Starbucks and Amazon), Rhino is known to be less than friendly to their workers organizing.

We all know that collective bargaining and workers rights lead to better worker safety, increased wages, and enhanced benefits for employees. Councilman Dahl received the support of many local unions during his successful campaign. The Ward 3 office will be looking for ways to get more events at the TCC staffed by IATSE members and increasing the quality of life for all workers and residents of Tucson.

New Mural in Dodge Flower by CJ Boyd

The Dodge Flower neighborhood recently got a beautiful new mural, thanks to the dedication, creativity, and collaboration of local residents. Spearheaded by Dodge Flower Neighborhood Association President Gretchen Ronnow and led by Dodge Flower resident and muralist Jason Lee Nolan, this thoughtful, community-oriented project was the result of lots of neighborhood input.

The mural is located on a wall owned by Intermountain Centers, which separates them from the parking lot in front of Oasis Apartments at the corner of North Dodge Blvd and East Flower Street. This apartment building and the surrounding area have been identified as a violent crime hot spot by TPD, and it's one of three focal points for Place Network Investigations (PNI), a program through which TPD is attempting to reduce gun crime by addressing the social and economic issues that lead to crime.  While this mural is not part of PNI and was not initiated by TPD, the neighbors did have the support of Midtown Division Captain John Carlson, Lieutenant Erica Stropka, and Community Service Officer Lori Oien.

The idea was simple—to beautify an area that could use some more beauty. But the approach the neighbors took in organizing the mural was equally beautiful. First a group of neighbors discussed what kinds of images they might like, and they settled on plants and animals from the Sonoran desert. Then neighbor Leette Swenson, who lives at the Oasis Apartments, volunteered to pass out flyers to all Oasis residents, asking for their ideas. Guided by the subject matter of Sonoran flora and fauna, residents submitted sketches and written ideas, and the flyers also garnered more volunteer support for the project.

Based on the many submissions, and the vision of the artists involved, the group decided to have a “daylight” scene and a “nighttime” scene, each featuring different plants and animals from our beloved desert. One of the most prominent submissions came from Shirley Calhoun, who shared sketches of birds that inspired the eagle in the daylight scene. Other residents brought suggestions of bats, owls, gila monsters, desert tortoises, cactus wrens, quail, and various cactus species.

Lead artist Jason Lee Nolan is a professional muralist, and the only person in the group of neighbors who had been involved in a public art project before. He instructed the neighbors, some of whom have artistic experience and some of whom don’t, on how to tape off the space, apply primer to the cinder blocks, paint the blue background, and sketch the basic images. 

Other artists who live at Oasis helped a great deal as well. Solomon Silva, who has a BFA in Studio Arts from the U of A, detailed many of the animal figures, such as the roadrunner, bats, gila monster, and tortoise. Von Rico Davis, a shift manager at Waffle House, worked on the cacti, eagle, and much of the background. Sandy Rosado worked on the cactus wren, quail and other details.

This project was helped by a generous discount on primer paint and supplies from Sherwin Williams Paint store on West Grant Road. Owner/manager Fred Hayes of Desert Vista Ace Hardware helped provide much of the paint and supplies. According to the Dodge Flower newsletter, Mr. Hayes said, “We’re a part of this neighborhood and want to help it be a home we can all be proud of.”

Big thanks to all the artists, neighbors, businesses, and Oasis Apartments owner Brian Bowers for making this lovely project in Ward 3 come together in a very short time.

Tucson Crime Free Coalition Meeting by Marlene Avelino

In late December, our office met with Kevin Daily, President of the Flowing Wells Neighborhood Association; Monica Carlson, co-owner of The Carlson Company: Heating and Cooling; and Oliver Swan, owner of The Stone Avenue Standard luxury student apartments on Stone Ave. Kevin and Monica are two of the three leaders of the Tucson Crime Free Coalition (TCFC). According to the TCFC website, the Coalition’s mission is “a safer community for all, through the enforcement of our laws.” Although the group’s logo is similar to the City of Tucson logo, TCFC it is not a City-sponsored organization. 

The Coalition came together in late August with a focus on homelessness, crime, and trash. Their first official meeting in September was hosted by the Flowing Wells Neighborhood Association, and by their own account, the meeting "went off the rails a bit." The meeting was advertised as a "listening event" and was attended by an impressive roster of elected leaders and city and county officials. The rigid adherence to the "listening event" format meant that City officials - like the Director of Housing, the Chief of Police, and the City Manager - were allotted 2 minutes each to speak, meaning they couldn't respond directly to people's concerns or fully explain what the City is doing to address homelessness. 

During the meeting, residents and business owners vented their frustrations about dealing with houseless folks and the perceived lack of action by the City and County. They shared stories about removing feces from their storefronts, finding drug paraphernalia in their alleys, and witnessing drug deals, public nudity, and vandalism in their parking lots. Many speakers conflated homelessness with criminality and illegal immigration, resorted to racist language, and promoted racist ideology; some suggested internment camps as a solution. As the meeting continued into its second hour, the speakers became more agitated, with many standing and pointing aggressively at some officials, particularly County Attorney Laura Conover. Due to safety concerns (some attendees were openly carrying firearms), several officials were escorted to their vehicles by Tucson Police officers. 

Despite TCFC's repeated presence on Conservative talk shows, and their recognition letter from the Goldwater Institute, Mr. Swan stated that they're not “fringey, Trump people.” Although it would be easy to dismiss the whole group as such, homelessness (and its impacts on the community) is a very real problem here in Tucson. It's linked to Tucson's lack of affordable housing, the rising cost of rents, lack of rent control, properties (especially multi-family and apartment complexes) being snapped up by out of state investors, COVID's disruption of our lives, and cheap, easy access to fentanyl. The Ward 3 office receives frequent calls and emails from people across the compassion spectrum reporting homeless encampments and individuals who are living unsheltered in public spaces. Whether people feel unsafe because strangers have set up camp in the alley just outside their backyard, or whether people call out of concern for a person sleeping at a bus stop in the cold, the solutions are the same: houseless folks need housing, and addicts need treatment.

The group does not agree with the City's Housing First approach; they advocate for "enforcement of our laws’" and frequently communicate the idea that unsheltered individuals are "choosing this lifestyle." While it is true that many unsheltered individuals turn down the services they are offered, they are not necessarily turning down housing; instead, they are often turning down entry into a shelter system that asks them to give up their pets or partners in order to have shelter for very specific hours and for a limited number of days. Sometimes, all they're turning down is a spot on a waiting list to get into shelter.

The Housing First model has the highest success rate of ending chronic homelessness, and it's more cost-effective than locking houseless folks away. The cost per inmate per day in Pima County is $127, and yet two days at that price would pay for a whole month of participation in a Housing First program. 

TCFC has a large following in part because our whole community is dealing everyday with the very real problems that have resulted from the large, complex housing and addiction crisis. If you'd like to find out more about the City's Homeless Protocol program, please consider attending the public information session on Tuesday, January 31st from 6 - 7:30 pm at the Ward 3 office. If you're interested in helping collect data to better understand who in our community is experiencing homelessness and what service gaps exist in our community systems, please consider volunteering to participate in the 2023 Point in Time Count on January 25th. You can find out more about the count and register to volunteer here. 

Next Mayor and Council Meeting 

The next Mayor and Council Meeting is on Tuesday, January 24th.
Once available, the agenda will be posted here: Mayor and Council Meeting Agendas

Ward 3 Neighborhood Association and Coalition Meetings

Fort Lowell Corridor Crime & Safety
Tuesday, January 17th, 5:30- 6:30 pm 
AGM, 3544 E Fort Lowell Rd. 

Samos Neighborhood Association    
Tuesday, January 17th, 6:30- 7:30 pm
on Zoom

Richland Heights East Neighborhood Association 
Wednesday, January 18th, 6:30- 7:30 pm 
2001 E. Greenlee Rd. 

Mountain View Neighborhood Association 
Thursday, January 19th, 5:30- 6:30 pm 
Habitat for Humanity, 3501 N Mountain Ave. 

Amphi Neighborhood Association 
Thursday, January 19th, 6:30- 7:30 pm 
Woods Memorial Library, 3455 N 1st Ave.

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 [email protected].

Please note that our office will be closed on Monday, January 16th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

Ward 3 Events

Old Pascua Block Painting Party on Saturday, January 14th

Join the Old Pascua Youth Artists and Living Streets Alliance (LSA) in painting a new asphalt-art mural and revitalizing the crosswalk near Richey Resource Center on 15th Ave. The mural was designed by local artists and led by Brandon Varela as part of the Thrive in the 05 initiative.

Meet at 9am at 15th Ave & Rillito Street, and be sure to wear clothes you don’t mind getting paint on! Morning coffee and lunch will be provided.

Call to Artists for Thrive in the 05 Projects 

The Arts Foundation is accepting applications through January 24th. To find out more and apply, click here

Sign up to donate your citrus to the Iskashitaa Refugee Network! using this link: https://www.iskashitaa.org/donate-your-fruit

Small Business Boot Camp Webinar on Tuesday, January 17th at 9 am 

With the increase in fuel prices, inventory delays and workforce issues, it’s vital to create sustainable scenarios of what to expect in 2023. Presenters will discuss the importance of putting together a business plan and provide helpful information on how to complete each section of your business plan. Register here. 

Monthly Fort Lowell Corridor Crime + Safety Meetings begin on January 17th

To find out more, click here: https://northdodgena.weebly.com/tpd-flc-meeting.html    
(A printable version of the above flyer is available at the link)  

Food4Life at New Life Community Church of the Nazarene on January 21st

Food distribution is Saturday, January 21st, at New Life Community Church of the Nazarene (3367 N. Geronimo). Sign-up begins at 8 a.m. and continues as long as they have food. Food is usually distributed beginning around 10 a.m., and they finish by 11 or 11:30 a.m. There will be vegetables, fruit, packaged food, desserts, dairy, and some meat. You get to select your own food, and there are no income, residency, or other requirements. 

Tree Planting in Keeling Neighborhood on Saturday, January 21st 

Join Tucson Clean and Beautiful for a neighborhood tree planting in Keeling Neighborhood on Saturday, January 21st from 9am-11am! Our team will be meeting at 402 E Laguna St. just North of Keeling Elementary.

Please wear close-toed shoes, a hat, sunscreen, and bring along a refillable water bottle (to reduce plastic waste). You can register here. We supply all necessary tools, gloves, and filtered drinking water.

Tree Planting in Sugar Hill Neighborhood on Saturday, January 28th

Join Tucson Clean and Beautiful for a neighborhood tree planting in Sugar Hill Neighborhood on Saturday, January 28th from 9am-11am! Our team will be meeting at Mansfield Park Pool Parking Lot, 2275 N 4th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85705.

Please wear close-toed shoes, a hat, sunscreen, and bring along a refillable water bottle (to reduce plastic waste). You can register here. We supply all necessary tools, gloves, and filtered drinking water.

Get Paid to Get Lifeguard Certified!

Are you or someone you know looking for a part-time job? Tucson Parks and Recreation is hiring lifeguards to operate and maintain the safety at City pools year-round. The minimum age to be a lifeguard is 15 years old. Pay starts at $16.75/hour.

The City will pay applicants to get their Lifeguard Certification through the City’s certification path. The lifeguard class is an intense, fast-paced course, and strong swim skills are required. All applicants must pass a swim test to qualify. For more information on becoming a lifeguard or to register for the swim test, visit the website. 

Tucson CSHW Winter Sock Drive now through January 30th

As part of the Homeless Protocol initiative, the Community Safety, Health and Wellness program has recently increased outreach to our unsheltered neighbors. The weather is only going to get colder, and the number one request from the campers is socks! The CSHW program is reaching out to the community for donations of unused socks in all sizes now through the end of January. Donations can be dropped in the collection box at the Ward 3 office at 1510 E. Grant Rd. 

Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans Clothing and Hygiene Drive at Ward 3 Office

The Ward 3 office will be collecting donations to Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans through March 15th. New hygiene items and new and gently used clothing are requested. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters Needs for Male Volunteers

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona (BBBSSA), along with chapters across the state of Arizona, is leveraging National Mentoring Month to highlight the tremendous demand for male mentors across the state. Potential Big Brothers are urged to step up and support local youth through one-to-one mentoring. The list for young boys waiting to be matched is considerable.

Throughout the month, BBBSAZ will share the importance of mentoring and the tremendously positive impact it can have on the personal growth and development of young people. It will stress the need for males to step up for local youth now more than ever. Learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters or how to get involved at www.bbbsaz.org/bebold.

Bronx Park Rain Garden Planting Party on Sunday, February 5th

Bronx Park neighbors are celebrating the completion of two new community raingardens! Join us for a sunny Sunday morning of playing in the dirt as we plant trees and pollinator plants with the neighborhood. A buffelgrass pull will also be taking place in the nearby Bronx Wash for those wanting an urban jungle adventure! Come learn with us, grow with us, and be part of building a more resilient Tucson.

This heat vulnerable neighborhood is harvesting the rain to grow a pollinator pocket park and tree-lined greenway for walkers and bikers. THANKS to these amazing partners: Bronx Park Neighborhood, One Big Yard, Thrive in the 05, Tucson Water, Ward 3, and Dryland Design.

Grocery Sharing at Tucson Food Share - 2500 N. Stone Ave. 

Groceries are shared Mondays and Thursdays from 6pm-8pm and Saturdays from 8am-10am. https://tucsonfoodshare.org/ has more information about volunteering, donating, or requesting delivery. 

Accepting Applications for Housing Programs including Section 8! 

The pre-application period for families and individuals seeking to be placed on a waitlist for public housing, and Section 8 vouchers for the City of Tucson and Pima County will be open from Tuesday, Jan. 3, through Tuesday, Jan. 24. All applications received in this three-week window will be placed in a lottery. Applicants in the lottery will be selected randomly by computer to be placed on the waitlist in the order they were selected. Applications will be available in English, Arabic, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese. In addition, assistance will be provided in alternative formats. Public sites with computers will be open during the application period. A list of those sites, the online application, and more information are available here

Beware of scams! The City of Tucson is seeing an increase in scams and false links. Do not fill out any application before Jan. 3 or on any site except waitlist.tucsonaz.gov. The City of Tucson will not ask for your social security number, any form of payment (credit card number, cash, bank transfer, etc.), or legal status to apply.

Public Housing Waitlist Video in English here: https://app.frame.io/reviews/64a50619-06b3-49b1-9705-04a96956deb5/49b4a02a-7dc3-40cc-b6ab-85756dc39152 

y video en español aquí: https://app.frame.io/reviews/aa5c81ba-1fd0-459f-8c70-4337cff5f4d3/32dcffb5-7d07-4d19-9f4c-6a45f1f11234 

Se Acceptan Solicitudes para los Programas de Vivienda Incluyendo Sección 8 

Ready, Set, REC! in Ward 3 in January

City Wide Events

Participate in the 2023 Point in Time Count! 

The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness and the City of Tucson's Housing and Community Development department invite you to help end homelessness in Pima County during the "2023 Everyone Counts! Point In Time Street Count" on Wednesday, January 25th. To complete a successful count, more than 300 volunteers are needed. Teams throughout Pima County will visit camps in washes and the desert, bus stops, meal sites, abandoned buildings, and other areas where people without housing find shelter. Individuals will be interviewed to collect data that helps our community provide services to people in need. Volunteers do not need to be experienced, but they should have a desire to contribute to a communitywide effort to help reduce homelessness in our region and be comfortable using an application on a smartphone. Register to volunteer here

Read Tucson's Draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) !

Throughout 2022, the City worked to develop a climate action and adaptation plan that will provide a strategic pathway to reduce the City’s emissions to net zero by 2030, explain the anticipated impacts of climate change across the City, identify the communities that will be most vulnerable to those impacts, and provide strategies that will assure that Tucson can adapt and be resilient to the impacts of climate change – now and in the future. The City has posted the draft climate action and adaptation plan, "Tucson Resilient Together," on the Climate Action Hub website here. The plan is open for public review and comments until Tuesday, February 21st. Use the link on that site to add your comments on the plan.

Which Water Management Strategies are Most Important to You? 

The One Water 2100 master planning process, through public feedback, identified water supply and conservation as the top two areas of concern. Now, Tucson Water needs your help to guide long-range decisions about Tucson's water management practices and its Capital Improvement Program. Follow the One Water 2100 website link below and take the water management strategy survey. Share the survey with friends, family, and neighbors because community input is important to our water future. You can take a quick look at the Our Water Story before taking the survey. This interactive tool provides an overview of what the One Water approach is, information about Tucson’s water resources, and highlights some of the conservation program achievements. The survey will be online through January 31st. Take it and learn more here

Sign Up for Tucson's Climate Action Report!   

You can use this link to subscribe to the Climate Action Report through the City Manager's Office:https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/AZTUCSON/subscriber/new

Home Heating Tips from the Tucson Fire Department 

With cold temperatures upon us, Tucson Fire Department (TFD) Deputy Chief Barrett Baker has some tips on keeping you warm and safe during our cooler months. Watch the video here for safety tips, such as keeping potentially flammable objects at least 3 feet away from a space heater and turning it off when you leave the room or go to sleep, keeping your furnace room clear of anything flammable and having it inspected at least once a year, and making sure the flue is open when using your fireplace and not using too much wood.

Did You Know?

Connect Arizona Affordable Connectivity Program

ucson Water Discounts

Call 520-791-5443 to make an appointment or visit this site for more information: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/water/low-income-assistance-program