Tucson EV Ordinance Adopted!

In 2021, (before I was elected) under the leadership of Mayor Romero, the City Council adopted an Electric Vehicle (EV) roadmap as part of our response to the Climate Emergency. Part of that process culminated Tuesday with the adoption of an ordinance that requires EV readiness in all new commercial, retail and multi-family buildings. 

Although it took over a year of public engagement and received push back from the development community, this ordinance, which focuses on requirements for new development, is considered the easy, “low hanging fruit” when it comes to our City being EV ready. It is considered “easy” because it will never be less expensive to install the conduit and outlets required for EV charging than during construction. As an example, imagine building your home but waiting to put in the plumbing and electrical wiring until after it was completed...you would have to tear out walls and flooring - undoing everything you just constructed - and face a much more complicated and expensive endeavor. 

I felt this was a common sense ordinance and a good first step. I added 2 small changes to City staff’s recommendations (see below), adding an additional 5% to multi-family and reducing the 100 parking space threshold to 50 spaces for new retail. It will be reviewed in one year.

City Staff’s recommendations with my added changes as adopted on August 23rd.

I am proud to have worked with the Mayor to get this across the finish line. There is still much to do.

- Kevin

Prickly Pear Cactus and Carbon Credits by Katie Bolger

In theory, carbon credits or carbon offsets are a way for governments, citizens, and corporations (think Amazon or Microsoft) to offset their carbon footprint by funding environmental projects that capture or reduce greenhouse gases. Credits can be bought from companies and programs that plant trees or fund renewable energy projects, or even from farmers who reduce or capture methane emissions from livestock.

While there are differing opinions on whether carbon credits really do what they’re supposed to do - some think that carbon offsets are diverting funding from long-term climate solutions or are mostly a convenient way for corporations and billionaires to justify their pollution instead of reducing their emmissions (Netflix recently bought 1.5 million in carbon credits). Others claim that it is better than doing nothing and that credits can close the gap when carbon neutrality is not plausible.

On a local level, the Ward 3 office met with Valerie Rauluk who is part of a public private partnership called the Cactus Carbon Sequestration Project. CCS is looking at ways in which the prickly pear cactus (Optunia) could potentially be a “climate smart commodity.” Optunia geologically sequesters carbon, has a high water use efficiency, and naturally mineralizes CO2 - doing what energy intensive industrial processes cost hundreds of millions of dollars to imitate. The CCS pilot project is looking to scale cactus production for carbon sequestration, monitor and verify the results, and potentially monetize the sequestration into credits. 

The Ward 3 office is hoping to assist Valerie and the CCS find a suitable plot to grow different varieties of prickly pear. The optimal plot needs to be about 100 square feet, with irrigation and ideally in a public place with visibility for educational purposes. These market driven solutions are one of many tools available to mitigate climate change, and CCS provides an exciting opportunity to use our native desert species. Ward 3 is happy to partner where we can ?

Ribbon Cutting at Community Options, Inc. by CJ Boyd 

Community Options, Inc. held a ribbon cutting at their new office on North Campbell Avenue last week, where members of the community and the Ward 3 office celebrated the opening. The new location will allow the vital non-profit to expand its work with the disabled community.

Anthony Parrish (Chair of the Community Options Business Advisory Council) and Jessica Farrell (a Community Options resident and attendee of the Community Options day program) cut the ribbon for the new Community Options office space on North Campbell Avenue. 

Community Options, Inc. is a national organization that supports people with severe disabilities by offering employment and housing support. Historically, people with severe developmental disabilities were institutionalized and sequestered away from the rest of society, but Community Options has spent the last 3 decades as part of a growing movement that sees this as wrong-headed and detrimental to both the disabled and to society at large. Instead, they recognize that we all benefit from having folks with disabilities present and visible within our larger communities. 

To this end, Community Options supports its members in finding fulfilling and purposeful jobs and providing local businesses with committed employees. Community Options has worked with businesses such as Bisbee Breakfast Club, Ajo Bikes, Fry’s, and many others in order to find a good fit for the companies’ needs and their members’ aptitudes and preferences.

While the job placement depends heavily on what sort of work the participants would like to do, one of the organization’s priorities is to have their members in public-facing roles whenever possible. In the past, employers have tended to keep employees with developmental disabilities hidden in the back. 

Community Options also makes sure that its participants are paid at least the legal minimum wage. In contrast, other organizations who place people with disabilities into jobs do so through a loophole that (in some jurisdictions) allows the employees to receive a sub-minimum wage. Community Options prioritizes helping people with all levels of ability achieve as much independence and dignity as possible, and a living wage is part of that mission.

The Community Options staff (from left to right): Robert Ortega, Rebecca Albee, Nancy Grove, Misty Early, Wayne Bell, Maria Burton, Kathryn Valles-Wallace, Alie Vallon

Community Options also provides residential support. They work with people with a range of severe disabilities to make sure that they have a living situation that meets their needs. In place of historical institutionalization, Community options favors using typical single-family homes and apartments to house people in small groups of mutual support and friendship. The organization now manages more than 600 homes across 11 states.

Ward 3 council aide C.J. Boyd, Arizona State Director Kathryn Valles-Wallace, and other community members check out the reception desk in the new Community Options office while some residents sign the ribbon.

Community Options' main annual fundraiser is the Cupid’s Chase 5k run, which will happen on February 11, 2023, here in Tucson and in other cities across the US. You can register to participate online here: https://allittakes.comop.org/event/2023-cupids-chase-5k-tucson/e414259. 

Coronado Heights by Marlene Avelino 

Coronado Heights is bound by Fort Lowell Rd. to the north, Stone Ave. to the east, Glenn St. to the south, and Oracle Rd. to the west. The neighborhood is a mix of commercial and residential properties with many multi-family housing units, single family homes, restaurants, and small businesses. Every decade since the 1940s is represented in the architecture throughout this small neighborhood, with homes and commercial spaces built over the years and as recently as 2018. It has one, secret pocket park - Laguna Park - which is tucked into the corner where McFar Dr. curves into Tolman Dr.

“There is a giant man wielding an ax on the corner of Stone and Glenn!” my uncle Darren told me when I first moved to Tucson. At the time, my uncle Darren made sure I got a comprehensive tour of the city, and Coronado Heights’ resident lumberjack was a must-see. Apparently, in his youth, my uncle enjoyed calling 911 to warn of the menace on the corner. The 20 foot tall, fiberglass statue was purchased in 1964 in San Francisco by Leo Toia, who strapped it to a flatbed truck and drove it down to adorn, or perhaps protect, his property at the corner of Stone and Glenn. 

Coronado Heights Neighborhood Association was established in 2009 and is still active today. Their objective is to “act as an advocate and organizing body for the people living in the neighborhood, by encouraging communication and participation, to improve the quality of life.”  President Donna Perry has lived in Coronado for over 20 years and is often seen riding her bike, her preferred method of transportation. She attends many public meetings hosted by the City and community partners to stay informed and better advocate for the community. To connect with the association, please email [email protected]. 

There is plenty to eat in Coronado! My personal favorite is El Chinito Gordo (I love their pozole ), and Marisco’s Baja Mar food truck has great ceviche.

Ward 3 Neighborhood and Coalition Meetings

Cabrini Neighborhood Association
Thursday
September 1st  
6:00- 7:00 pm
Vineyard City Church  
3150 E. Fort Lowell Rd.  

The Ward 3 office is open. 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].