Hola,
Gracias for making Arizona Luminaria part of your week. We are always grateful to hear from you. From city hall to campaign trails, Tucson is grappling with big questions — about safety, shelter and the future of public spaces. Here’s what’s happening:
⛺ A wash camping ban is back on the Tucson City Council agenda Tuesday. Ahead of that, we have a look at the rules, enforcement tactics and ordinances that already shape where people without shelter can — and can’t — rest in Tucson. Read it here.
🚨 A car belonging to a campaign staffer was struck by gunfire outside Daniel Hernandez’s Tucson home and congressional campaign office. Hernandez survived the Jan. 8 mass shooting. More here.
🥳 As Sunnyside turns 70, the district says it needs the community’s help ➕ Why local school budgets are still a guessing game, teacher STEM lessons, one student’s sweet summer start and more local education news here.
🎓 At a tense Arizona Board of Regents meeting this week, University of Arizona faculty urged reinstatement of writing lecturers, Regent Chair Cecilia Mata threatened arrest when a speaker exceeded public comment time and admin shared an optimistic financial update. Read more.
🌵 Ironwood National Forest is one of six national monuments the Trump administration has signaled may be reduced in size to make way for more development and mining. Read the story by Inside Climate News.
Featured stories
Tucson is revisiting a camping ban in washes. Here’s how the city already polices where unhoused people sleep.
Tucson is again considering an ordinance to ban camping in washes — adding to the city’s existing measures that restrict where unhoused people can sleep, including parks and other public […]
Police investigating gunfire outside home and campaign office of CD7 candidate Daniel Hernandez
Police are investigating gunfire outside the home and campaign office of Daniel Hernandez, a survivor of the 2011 mass shooting in Tucson and a candidate for the U.S. House. In […]
For Sunnyside High’s 70th, district says a transformation is in order
For its 70th birthday, Sunnyside High School needs more than a makeover. The flagship school on Tucson’s south side has 2,200 students and requires a facelift and more, the school […]
UA financial outlook improves but faculty and students challenge university leadership
Nataly Reed, a senior writing lecturer at the University of Arizona, was 12th in the long line of speakers at Thursday’s Arizona Board of Regents meeting at the UA. Like […]
Locals rally to protect Ironwood Forest from renewed threats by Trump administration
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. IRONWOOD FOREST NATIONAL MONUMENT […]
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Federal funding cuts continue to gut support services for vulnerable communities. The Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation will see a reduction in service and staff following federal and state-level funding cuts. The organization’s lost funding includes $1.5 million in federal funds from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program that funded clinic and support services for people with HIV and AIDS and $60,000 for utility assistance for clients in Maricopa and Pinal. That puts dental care, utility assistance, case management and housing programs at risk for the future. The foundation has also eliminated 14 staff positions. “These funding cuts are a devastating blow to SAAF and, more importantly, to the thousands of individuals who rely on our services,” said interim CEO Beth Morrison.
A Maricopa man was sentenced to 44 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Tohono O’odham police officer Bryan Brown by hitting him with the officer’s police car in Why, Arizona in August 2020 as Brown was responding to a crash. Carlos Maximilliano Galvan, 44, was sentenced on June 4 by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto. Details.
St. Luke’s Home, an assisted-living facility for low-income seniors, may need to close by July 15 due to lack of funding, its executive director said in a Facebook post. The nonprofit, at 615 E. Adams St., is home to 64 older adults and employs 25 people.The post by St. Luke’s Executive Director Terri Waldman says the home needs to raise $1 million by mid-July to avoid closing its doors. St. Luke’s is one of the few places in Tucson that provides housing for low-income seniors, who now make up the largest proportion of people who are homeless in Arizona, St. Luke’s Executive Director Terri Waldman told Arizona Luminaria in 2023.
Register to vote by June 16 to participate in the special primary election for Congressional District 7. That’s also the deadline to update your address if you’ve moved. Check your voter registration.
Tucson is weighing a water rate adjustment that includes fees to support anti-flooding measures and water-saving programs. Customers who live outside of city limits could also see a fee jump because it costs more to deliver water to those areas. If approved, it would take effect in August. Members of the public are invited to weigh in on the change in person Tuesday, June 17 at Mayor and Council Chambers at 255 W. Alameda Street, submit comments in advance to WaterRateInfo@tucsonaz.gov or read more here.
Celebrate the longest day of the year, Friday, June 20 at Mission Garden. The free event from 5 to 8 p.m. will include music, food and community within the garden at 946 W. Mission Lane.
Meet the candidates for Tucson City Council at a meet-and-greet event co-hosted by Arizona Luminaria and Tucson Spotlight on Tuesday, July 8. This isn’t your typical forum. No grandstanding, no soundbites. Just real people talking about real issues that affect our neighborhoods. This event is an experiment in civic engagement and education, designed to create space for meaningful dialogue between candidates and community members. Ask your questions, hear from the candidates and cast your ballot with clarity. Free to the public, but you must RSVP because space is limited. Early voting begins July 9 and Primary Election Day is Aug. 5.
Or, see the Tucson City Council candidates in a series of three candidate forum events hosted by the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson. Ward 3 is June 21, Ward 5 is June 26, and Ward 6 is July 1. Details. The events also will be streamed on Facebook.
Independent voters have until June 23 to select either a Democrat or Republican ballot for the Tucson City Council primary election. Send in the card that came in your mail or call 520-884-VOTE. Early voting begins July 9 and Primary Election Day is Aug. 5.
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