A newsletter from the Office of Council Member Lane Santa Cruz

Mayor and Council Highlights
November 17, 2020

Study Session

• Council Member Santa Cruz requested that Phase 2 and 3 of the Housing Market Study include race, in addition​ to other demographic and economic factors included in the study, after a presentation on Phase 2. The Housing Market Assessment consists of three phases: the Neighborhood Vulnerability Index (Phase 1), the Housing Market Assessment (Phase 2), and the Gap Analysis (Phase 3).

• Council Member Santa Cruz moved to begin the process to amend the Unified Development Code to allow for the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in order to promote accessible and attainable housing. The motion included direction to conduct inclusive public outreach on the amendment and return to M&C by June 2021 with a proposed amendment.

• M&C allocated $2.5 million directly to utility companies to help folx struggling with payments due to COVID-19. Each utility company will receive up to $500k depending on their needs and agreements to contribute matching funds.

• M&C approved the removal of glass recycling from curbside pickup and the implementation of the Glass Reuse Plan.

• M&C approved the 2020 Redistricting Advisory Committee’s Option A recommendation, which shifts three precincts into different wards. The plan shifts two Ward 1 neighborhoods (Silvercroft and El Rio Acres) into Ward 3, which more equitably distributes the Latinx population in the city.

Mayor and Council Highlights
November 4, 2020

Study Session

• Mayor and Council discussed the Sentinel Event Review Board report on the in-custody deaths of Carlos Adrian-Ingram Lopez and Damien Alvarado. The report identified 32 contributing factors and 53 recommended changes to policies and procedures of involved City departments.

• M&C received a report and update on the COVID-19 pandemic. Collin Boyce, the city’s Chief Information Office, discussed the City of Tucson Municipal Wireless Project, which will provide free wifi to the community.

• M&C discussed the TEP Kino DeMoss-Petrie 138K Transmission Line Project.

• Council Member Fimbres moved to make the pilot speed hump program permanent to allow for five speed humps per ward per year at a cost of $500 per speed hump. The motion passed 6-0.

• M&C discussed the RTA Next Draft Project List Recommendation.

• M&C discussed Pension Obligation Bonds and the 115 Trust.

Regular Meeting

• M&C approved the appointment of Michael Edmonds, Olga Flores, Sharayah Jimenez, Moniqua Lane, Jim Tofel, Liz Wilshin, Jay Young to the Commission on Equitable Housing and Development (CEHD).

• Council Member Cunningham moved to direct staff to proceed with procuring, preparing, and securing Pension Obligation Bonds and add two additional seats to the 115 Trust Advisory Council.

See below for past and future meeting agendas. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8, 2020.

Sun On Demand Commences

The new door-to-door service, Sun On Demand, launched on Sunday, November 8. The service provides rides for individuals traveling within two designated service zones, including a zone in Ward 1.

Zone 1 spans approximately 3-square-miles and incorporates Barrio Anita, Silvercroft, El Rio Acres (Barrio Sobaco), Barrio Hollywood, Menlo Park and Barrio Sin Nombre.

Individuals can use Sun On Demand to travel directly to nearby destinations within a service zone, providing a more flexible form of public transit, as well as the ability to connect to Sun Tran routes for travel outside of the service zone. In Zone 1, passengers can travel anywhere within the zone or connect to Sun Tran Routes 3, 5, 9, 21, and the Sun Link streetcar. In Zone 2, passengers can travel anywhere within the zone or connect to Sun Tran Routes 2, 7, 11, 15, 17, and 25.

Unlike fixed-bus routes and schedules, on-demand (or micro transit) service allows passengers to reserve shared rides when they need it. Also, passengers will be picked up in a 30-foot vehicle instead of the standard-sized bus for better mobility within residential streets.

Sun On Demand will operate Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To reserve a ride, riders should call Sun Van Reservations at (520) 798-1000 one to seven days in advance or, in some cases, on the same day. Same day services are not guaranteed.

The service will be free through at least the end of 2020, as with all transit fares.

For the health and safety of passengers and drivers, face masks are required on all transit vehicles.

For more information about Sun On Demand, call the Customer Service Center at (520) 792-9222 (TDD: 520-628-1565).

Joe Biden Elected President
Kamala Harris Elected Vice President

Congratulations to President and Vice President-Elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on winning this historic and monumental election! This is a defining moment for our country, for Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities across the country. The work isn’t over, but we are heading toward a more equitable, just and inclusive society.

A Conversation: Centering Local Government in Tucson

Council Member Lane Santa Cruz & staff from UARIZONA Cultural & Resource Centers met for a conversation about local politics and power. Watch the recorded meeting below!

Slow Streets and Pueblo High School

All ages gathered in good numbers to celebrate mobility, bicycles, Columbian food and good music. Gabriela Barillas-Longoria from Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) and Ernesto Somoza, a teacher at Pueblo High school, Fugista, and the founder of the Road Warriors Cycling Club, welcomed community members to get some food, hangout, ride the bike course, or get some repairs done from Cicli Noe, your friendly neighborhood bicycle mechanic. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen, including FUGA who helped support and promote the event. As COVID keeps us all inside most of the week, events like these help our neighborhoods connect while being safe. This is a massive shout out to the Slow Streets Initiative team from TDOTM, La Colombiana Food Truck  and Cicli Noe bicycle mechanics. 

Pima County Health Department Recommendations for Thanksgiving 2020

Thanksgiving is a time when many families gather from near and far to celebrate together. However, this year PCHD recommends adapting many traditions to increase safety.

Best plan:

• Celebrate only with people who live in your household, or host a virtual dinner for friends and family.

• Watch sports, parades, and movies from home.

• Shop online rather than in person on the day after Thanksgiving or the following Monday.

If people are coming over:

• Avoid sharing utensils, cups, plates, and food.

• Select one person to serve the meal, or have pre-filled plates ready.

• Limit tables to one for each household.

• Open windows or doors, weather permitting, to allow air to flow.

• Keep a guest list. It could help with contact tracing.

If you're going out:

• Travel only with other members of your household.

• Bring extra sanitizer, alcohol wipes, and extra masks when visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people touch pumpkins or pick apples.

• Prepare traditional family recipes for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and deliver them in a no-contact manner.

If you don’t know, now you know.