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In today’s newsletter:
🗳️ As ballots start to arrive in the mail, here are four more voter guides ahead of the July 21 primary: state and federal races (español), Marana (español), South Tucson (español) and Arizona attorney general (español). Bookmark this page to find them all.
🏘️ New HUD rules shift federal funding from permanent supportive housing to shorter-term programs, favoring cities that take a tougher enforcement approach to homelessness. Tucson is joining a lawsuit against the rules and weighing how to keep local programs funded. Read more.
🏛️ Pima County supervisors approved a $1.8 billion budget for next fiscal year, including a $1,000 bonus for employees earning under $45,000. Read more. | Lee más en español.
🚨 A court monitor found a “disturbing pattern” of violations at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, including pressure to protect employees accused of misconduct. Read more.
🎭 “I love spending time here. I love seeing my friends. I just love performing,” says Kennedy Kay, 11, a fourth-year camper at Saguaro City Music Theatre. Just under half this year’s 63 campers act, dance and sing with mobility, auditory or visual impairments. Read about them.
Featured stories
Your voter guide: Arizona primary election 2026
Between June 24 and July 21, Arizona voters can participate in choosing which state and local candidates they want to see on the ballot in November. This voter guide includes […]
Tu guía para votar: Elección primaria de Arizona 2026
Entre el 24 de junio y el 21 de julio, los votantes de Arizona podrán participar en la selección de los candidatos estatales y locales que desean ver en la […]
Marana 2026 election guide: What candidates say about ICE detention center, data center
Marana residents voting in the July primary may do more than select their next mayor and four council members — they could shift their town’s approach to two of the […]
Your voter guide: Where South Tucson City Council candidates stand on key issues
Voters in South Tucson will soon decide the next wave of leaders at a pivotal moment in the city’s decision-making process. Eight candidates — including three incumbents — are running […]
Tu guía para votar: Posturas de candidatos al Concejo Municipal de South Tucson en temas clave
Los votantes de South Tucson pronto decidirán quiénes serán los próximos líderes de la ciudad en un momento clave para la toma de decisiones municipales. Ocho candidatos, incluidos tres funcionarios […]
Tucson fights new HUD rules while bracing for homelessness funding hit
Amid a new set of Trump administration rules seeking to limit federal funding for long-term homelessness programs, Tucson is taking a dual approach. The city has joined a national legal […]
Pima County approves $1.8 billion budget with $1,000 employee bonus
The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved the Fiscal Year 2026–2027 budget, totaling $1.8 billion and serving as the county’s financial roadmap for the next year. The budget plan is […]
Condado de Pima aprueba presupuesto de 1,800 millones con bono de 1,000 dólares para empleados
La Junta de Supervisores del Condado de Pima aprobó el presupuesto para el Año Fiscal 2026-2027, que asciende a 1.800 millones de dólares y que servirá como la hoja de […]
Court inquiry denounces “disturbing pattern” of violations at Arizona’s largest sheriff’s office
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Arizona Luminaria. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Arizona’s largest sheriff’s […]
Every star differs at Saguaro City Music Theatre camp
Thirteen actors move across a blackbox theater stage — some walk, others shuffle, one rolls her wheelchair. Arms above her head and hands raised — think high jazz hands — […]
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The city of Tucson will hold a community meeting on what welcoming and active parks can look like in the city, bringing together residents, neighborhood associations and faith-based groups. The meeting will take place on Monday, June 29th from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 300 S. Fire Central Place.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved a replacement vote center location in Sells for the July 21 Primary Election. County elections staff said the previously approved site was no longer available because of building maintenance. The board voted to substitute the Hickiwan Recreation Center on Indian Route 34 at milepost 42 as the new vote center for the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The Tucson Mayor and City Council approved a package of fiscal year 2027 budget measures Tuesday evening, capping off the city’s annual budget cycle with a series of 6-0 votes. Approved items include a new pension funding policy for the city’s trust funds within the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS). Council Member Paul Cunningham pulled the item for separate discussion, raising questions about how the 66% funding level reported for the pension is calculated relative to the city’s $30 million annual debt service payment and total assets. The city council will receive a detailed breakdown — including total retirees, annual payouts, and trust fund balances — within 30 days.
No Desert Data Center will hold a two-day festival of direct action training, water celebrations and a cookout on June 27 and 28. Splash Against the Machine will include speakers from Ypsilanti, Michigan talking about their data center organizing. The Saturday events will begin at 2 p.m. with a direct action training at First Christian Church on 740 E. Speedway. Learn more here.
The Pima Animal Care Center began reopening parts of its shelter June 24 after initial tests showed about 50 dogs were clear of distemper following last week’s outbreak. The reopened areas include Harry’s Haven and the cat room in the adoptions lobby, while the rest of the shelter remains closed and intake remains limited to emergencies pending additional test results. The center’s new east side adoption center on Broadway Boulevard also reopened over the weekend after its dogs tested negative. Adoptable pets will be listed on the center’s website once their test results return negative and “normal adoption protocols” are in place for them.
Attorney General Kris Mayes announced a $795,000 settlement with the owners of the Palo Verde Mobile Home Park in Tucson. Mayes said the company misled tenants about the usability of electricity at the park, but made changes in response to her office’s legal complaint. “All tenants deserve habitable homes, including the ability to use electricity for critical systems like air conditioning,” Mayes said. The AG’s office will send postcards to eligible tenants. Read the court judgement here.
A slate of candidates challenging Marana’s mayor and city council members, fueled by opposition to a proposed data center, will hold a town hall today, Saturday, June 27 from 1-3 p.m. at Coyote Trail Elementary School at 8000 N. Silverbell Road in Marana. Council candidates Jackie McGuire, Sue Ritz, and Julie Prince, along with mayoral candidate Greg Johnsen, will be present to talk about data centers and share their research on what a data center would mean for Marana. See our Marana voter guide here.
Karla Toledo — the DACA recipient detained by masked immigration agents at her own home in mid-May — is back in deportation proceedings, advocates have confirmed. Community members rallied around Toledo, who has advocated for undocumented youth in her community work for years. “I thought I was doing everything correctly,” Toledo said at a press conference on Monday, June 22. “I am very sad. I never thought that I had to be questioning what is going to happen with me in this way.” Her next court appearance is in early July.
Arizona Western College welcomed Reetika Dhawan as its 10th president, marking a historic milestone as she became the institution’s first woman president and first immigrant president. A former faculty member at the college, Dhawan began her tenure June 1 and said her leadership will focus on expanding opportunities for students while building on AWC’s commitment to teaching, learning and community service.
Arizona Faith Network will host two interfaith “Bags of Hope” packing events this summer to support people vulnerable to extreme heat. Volunteers are invited to help assemble heat relief bags from 3 to 4:30 p.m. June 28 at Foothills Christian Church in Glendale and July 26 at Prince Chapel AME Church in Tucson. The events will include community-building activities, refreshments and opportunities to donate supplies that will be distributed through AFN’s network of heat relief sites and outreach partners. RSVP.
Golden Hour: A Showcase of Youth Poets takes the Fox Tucson Theatre stage Sunday, June 28 from 5-6 p.m., with local young writers performing original poetry as the sun sets over downtown. Admission is free, but RSVP here.
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