Latest news with #Tucsonans
Axios
29-04-2025
- Axios
Arizona's Saguaro National Park grows by 48 acres
Nearly 50 acres in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains have been added to Saguaro National Park, bringing its total footprint to over 92,000 acres. Why it matters: The national park outside Tucson is visited by about a million people annually and is a sanctuary for a wide array of desert plants and animals, including, of course, the state's iconic Saguaro Cactus. State of play: Trust for Public Land acquired the 48 acres near the Tucson Mountains to increase the scope of the park, one of five expansions in the past decade. How it works: Trust for Public Land purchased the acreage using the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, financed by a portion of U.S. offshore oil and natural gas revenues. Pima County and the Southern Arizona Hiking Club also supported the expansion. The bottom line:"Saguaro is a truly unique getaway—not only a vast desert backyard for Tucsonans and Southern Arizonans, but also a destination for visitors from across the country and around the world who come to experience the natural wonders of the American Southwest," Trust for Public Land CEO and president Carrie Besnette Hauser said in a statement.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who's running for Grijalva seat? Adrian Fontes considering bid, Regina Romero won't run
The field of candidates looking to succeed the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva is starting to take clearer shape a couple of days after his death left a vacancy in Arizona's congressional delegation. Representing a liberal stretch of southern Arizona, the seat Grijalva, D-Ariz., left open is a coveted spot for Democrats. Whichever candidate wins the party's July 15 primary is all but assured to coast to victory in the general election two months later, and, if the usual laws of political gravity hold, can hold onto the seat for as long as they want it. On Friday, one big name in Arizona politics signaled his interest in the race in the 7th Congressional District. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is "seriously considering" a candidacy, his senior adviser Steven Slugocki told The Arizona Republic. Fontes grew up in the border town of Nogales and he has held public office since 2017, first as Maricopa County Recorder and now as one of the top officials in Arizona's executive branch. Also on Friday, another political heavyweight took herself out of the running. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero wrote on social media that being mayor was "the best way for me to continue our work on behalf of Tucsonans," ending speculation over whether she would throw her hat in the ring. Several other possible candidates haven't yet confirmed whether they'll run. One of them is Grijalva's daughter, Adelita, who has long been seen as a natural successor to the seat. She sits on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, a position her father held decades ago before he got elected to Congress. Another is former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez, who has run for Congress in the Tucson area before. He didn't directly answer a question about his plans when reached for comment by The Republic: Instead he praised the late congressman's legacy and sent his condolences to the Grijalva family, noting that he, too, recently lost his father. His siblings, state Reps. Alma and Consuelo Hernandez, were also seen as possible contenders, though they have told local media they don't plan to run. A lesser-known candidate by the name of Manuel Vega has announced plans to run for the seat, too, introducing himself in a letter to media as a Democrat with experience in nursing and health care. The election is expected to heat up in short order: Candidates will be able to formally file paperwork on Monday to begin the process of qualifying for the ballot. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who's running for Raul Grijalva seat? The field starts to take shape
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Katie Hobbs schedules Arizona election to replace Rep. Raúl Grijalva. Here's when
Gov. Katie Hobbs has set dates for a special election to fill a seat in Congress following the death of longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva. The primary election will be held July 15, and the general election on Sept. 23, according to an official proclamation signed by Hobbs on Friday. The announcement kicks off a whirlwind six-month election cycle that is expected to draw interest from some Arizona political heavyweights. Some names being floated include the congressman's daughter, Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva; Secretary of State Adrian Fontes; and some members of the politically active Hernandez family. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero ended speculation as to her own interest, writing on social media Friday that being mayor was "the best way for me to continue our work on behalf of Tucsonans." Raúl Grijalva represented Arizona's 7th Congressional District, a bright-blue stronghold that includes much of the state's border with Mexico and a skinny slice of Avondale and Tolleson. That means whoever wins the Democratic primary is all but guaranteed to win in the general election. It could be the most competitive race for the seat in decades. Grijalva completed 11 full terms in the U.S. House, making him one of Arizona's longest-serving representatives. The son of a Mexican immigrant, Grijalva rose through the ranks of Tucson politics, first as a radical activist and later as a school board member and Pima County supervisor. He championed environmental protection and immigrants' rights and eventually became a leading voice of the Democratic Party's progressive wing. "Arizonans could not have asked for a better voice in Washington," former President Barack Obama, a fellow Democrat, said on social media Friday. On Friday morning, the U.S. House Clerk formally acknowledged the vacancy left by Grijalva's death, revising its number of members down from 432 to 431. The special election was announced soon after, as required by Arizona law that says the governor must set the election timeline within 72 hours of a vacancy. Unlike when there are vacancies in the U.S. Senate, the governor does not get to name an interim replacement. That difference is laid out in the U.S. Constitution and echoed in Arizona law. Candidates now have about a month to officially register with elections officials. To qualify for the ballot, they'll have to gather several thousand signatures from registered voters in support of their campaign. As always, the nuts-and-bolts of the elections are administered at the county level. In the 7th District that means officials from Cochise, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma counties will be involved. The last time Arizona held a special election for a representative in Washington, D.C., was under very different circumstances, but saw a similar electoral time crunch. Republican Rep. Trent Franks abruptly resigned in December 2017 amid a sexual misconduct scandal involving multiple staffers. Franks had offered one aide $5 million to act as a surrogate mother for his child. Debbie Lesko, a Republican and former state lawmaker, won the April 2018 race with Democrat Hiral Tipirneni to replace Franks. She represented the sprawling West Valley district in Congress for six years before she was elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors last year. Arizona also had a special election in 2012, when former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords relinquished her seat following her January 2011 assassination attempt. Ron Barber, an aide to Giffords, narrowly defeated Republican Jesse Kelly and held onto the seat until 2015. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gov. Hobbs schedules election to replace Raul Grijalva. Here's when
Axios
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Arizona history: "Thieving Thirteenth" territorial legislature gave UofA to Tucson
Tucson wanted the territorial capital and ponied up to make that happen, but what the city got instead was the University of Arizona. Flashback: On this day in 1885, the territorial legislature passed the act that established UofA in Tucson. Yes, but: It wasn't a particularly welcome development for Tucsonans, many of whom didn't see much use in a university. Saloonkeepers reportedly dismissed the idea, saying, "Whoever heard of a professor buying a drink?" Catch up quick: The 13th territorial legislature was known as the "Thieving Thirteenth" — also dubbed the "Fighting Thirteenth" or "Bloody Thirteenth" — because of its lavish spending, which by one account totaled nearly $47,000, 11 times their budget. Selim Franklin, a member of Tucson's delegation, later said they violated an act of Congress by giving themselves extra pay, hiring excessive numbers of clerks and "subsidiz[ing] the local press with extravagant appropriations" to keep it all quiet. Some accounts include fistfights and even a duel challenge. Franklin described it as "the most contentious and most corrupt Legislature that Arizona had had," the Arizona Daily Star wrote in 1985. The intrigue: Accounts vary on how the Tucson delegation ended up pushing for a university. Franklin said in a 1922 speech they went to Prescott thinking the town wanted the school. Some accounts indicate Tucson favored the capital, but member C.C. Stephens sought the school as a consolation after poor weather prevented him from reaching the legislature before most of the dealmaking concluded, including an agreement to not move the capital. Whichever it was, when Tucsonans learned that Stephens was trying to get the university, they sent cattleman and hotel owner Frederick Maish to Prescott with $4,000 to help reclaim the capital. Maish met with the Pima County delegation, gave each member $20 to "go out and treat the boys" and assured everyone, "There is another sack where this one comes from." Yes, but: The House suspended its rules to advance a bill to move the capital back to Tucson but was defeated in the territorial legislature's upper chamber, with Stephens among the "no" votes. Stephens got a university bill through the upper chamber, and Franklin led the charge to pass it in the House. For many Tucsonans, it wasn't much of a consolation prize — at a meeting in Tucson, angry constituents pelted Stephens with eggs, rotten vegetables and, according to some, a dead cat. The bottom line: Tucsonans may not have been impressed at the time, but UofA is an integral part of the Old Pueblo and a big part of the city's identity. The "Thieving Thirteenth" made a number of other momentous decisions, putting the asylum — a second choice behind the capital for many Tucsonans — in Phoenix, authorizing the Tempe normal school, which would later become Arizona State University, and keeping the prison in Yuma.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tucson voters weigh half-cent sales tax hike for public safety, community programs
It's election day in Tucson and voters are set to weigh in on a half-cent sales tax increase that would raise some $800 million over 10 years to fund public safety and community investment. Polls opened a 6 a.m. and are set to close at 7 p.m. in the all-mail special election. As of Monday, roughly 72,000 of the 305,000 ballots had already been returned. Proposition 414, the Safe & Vibrant City ballot measure asked Tucsonans to vote on raising the city's sales tax from 2.6% to 3.1%. City officials tout the measure as an effort to fund critical services following a statewide change in income tax policy that decreased the money the city receives from the state. Of the annual revenue projected to be brought in by the tax: $52 million would go toward police and fire departments $14 million would go to affordable housing programs, shelters, and courts $13.4 million would go to community and justice-related programs Critics argued that with roughly two-thirds of the tax dollars going to public safety instead of housing and community investment, the allocations of tax dollars do not reflect the values of Tucsonans. Supporters said the $800 million over ten years would help pay for critical services like housing, police and fire, which have become more expensive to run. One supporter of the measure is former state Sen. Kristen Engel. The Tucson Democrat lost against U.S Congressman Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., in the 6th congressional district race in November. 'Folks, we need to get off the fence and face the reality that passing Prop. 414 is necessary if we want the level of police, fire and shelter services we expect and which will maintain our reputation as a top destination to live, work, retire and recreate,' Engel posted on X. Critics argued that with roughly two-thirds of the tax dollars going to public safety, instead of housing and community investment, the allocations of tax dollars do not reflect the values of Tucsonans. The Southern Arizona Leadership Council, a coalition of business leaders and executives, opposed the measure. Although the group said it supports properly funding public safety, it underscored the concern that the measure 'perpetuates the structural budget challenges that have left our chartered priorities underfunded," the group said in a press release. Interest groups spent over $300,000 on campaign in support of and against Proposition 414, according to filings with Tucson and the Arizona Secretary of State. Yes on Prop 414: Safe and Vibrant City, a group backing the measure, reported spending $151,351 from Jan. 1 to Feb. 22. Among the large contributions to Yes on Prop 414 was a $10,000 boost from Fletcher McCusker, the CEO of UAVenture Capital and the chair of Rio Nuevo, a special taxing district focused on urban development. Other contributors included city Councilmember Kevin Dahl and Tucson Electric Power executive Cynthia Garcia, among others., The Tucson Metro Chamber PAC which opposed the measure, spent $179,970 on ballot measure expenditures including yard signs, attorney fees, fliers, social media management, and ads, among other expenditures. Some contributors included the Tucson Association of Realtors which contributed $25,000 and the Pima County Automobile Dealers Association which contributed $50,000. Reach the reporter at The Republic's coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Proposition 414: Tucson voters weigh fate of half-cent sales tax hike
