City Council - Regular Meeting

you

Thank you.

We have a quorum, so we are going to start so that we can move right into study session. For the record, oh no, I was going to say various council members were going to join, but no, this is who we have. Nobody's joining us by teams. Items one and three are executive sessions, so we need to read them out and then move into executive session. Ms. Clerk?

Item one is a notice as an executive session review of city manager performance evaluation. Item three is a city of Tucson claim number 32010261816, Taylor Farm Southwest LLC versus city of Tucson.

May I have a motion to go into executive session, please?

So moved. Second.

There is a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any against? Motion carries. We will be out in an hour and 30 minutes.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. you you Bye. you Bye. so so so so Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

All right. Thank you. Bye. you you you so so you you Thank you. so so Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. you Thank you. you you you so you so so you Thank you. Bye. you

Thank you.

So, you Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. you you Thank you. Bye. you

Thank you.

to return from executive session and into study.

So moved.

There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any against? Motion carries. Item two. What is the council's pleasure for item two?

I remember mayors to council an appropriate motion would be to proceed as discussed in executive session to continue the employment of the city manager and to authorize the mayor and the city attorney to negotiate any necessary and desirable amendments to the city manager's contract going forward.

I need a motion, please. So moved, Mayor. There's a motion. There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion? I did want to say thanks to our city manager for helping not just mayor and council and our city employees, but the community move forward. We had an incredible opportunity to move forward as a community with the budget that we just passed. I usually like to tout that it was a balanced budget, reaching the goals that most of us on the council had put forward to you that invested more than 18 million dollars on our employees and really expanded the services that we provide to our community so I really want to thank you thank you for always being open to ideas thank you for always being creative and offering ideas and for helping lead the city in our community and honest and responsible and wonderful way. Appreciate you. Hearing no others, then I'd like to make sure that we vote on this. So all those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? Motion carries. Item four, what is that? Council's pleasure for item four.

Your Honor, an appropriate motion would be to move that the mayor and council authorize and direct the city attorney to proceed as discussed in the executive session to include the settlement of this tort claim in the amount of $119,000, or excuse me, $119,866.11. Is there a motion, please?

So moved. There's a motion. Second. There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion on this? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Any against motion carries and now we move on to item 5 time has been set aside at the request of mayor and counsel for human resources director to present a recommended timeline along with the documents that will be used for an evaluation of the current city attorney. Mr manager.

Thank you, honorable mayor and members of the council. Dr. Trane is here having just completed my review to talk to you about the proposed process for our city attorney. With that, I'll turn it over to Director Trane.

Honorable mayor and members of the council, Thank you very much for the opportunity to return and talk about the next process for performance evaluation for the city attorney. I will only take just a very few minutes this afternoon. The process is designed to be similar to what you have just experienced, where there is an online survey system. And again, following the similar protocol that we were just using, You can see in those attachments the questions, the overview. There are 10 questions in the overall category that each of you would be responding to with a chance for comments, of course. And then there are three separate questions for those that would be on the partnership response document or survey. Again, what we're looking at in terms of distribution Same type of protocol that we were just using. Your information would be scheduled to go out Monday the 14th, and our projected timeline would be to close that survey September 25th. Now, as we did with the immediate previous activity, if we need to reopen that, people's schedules can be very challenging, and especially now that we're into the fall season and pre-holiday, we could certainly run that survey timeframe a little bit longer for all of you as needed. So I'm very open to hearing an amendment on that. We would also then include respondents, city manager, city clerk, We would randomly select four members of the ELT. There would also be a member from city attorney's staff. And then we have identified five total professional partners in the southern Arizona community. And that includes representatives, for instance, from Pima County Attorney's Office, Safe City Initiative, also Metro Justice Group, the Phoenix City Attorney Office, and then we are hoping to secure someone that would be a respondent also from TEP. So that would allow for a total of 19 potential respondents, and we would prepare exactly what you have seen today. where if you want to receive the notebook format, we'd certainly do that. One of the things that maybe would make it slightly easier for you is we can do an earlier delivery to you and in a notebook format. If you prefer an electronic delivery, we can certainly do that too. If we adjust that total time that that survey is open, then we would adjust, again, delivery date so that you receive it before you are actually convening in an executive session. So again, we're prepared and ready to do this for you, and we just need direction to move ahead at this point.

Any comments or questions or input, Vice Mayor?

I was curious if there would be an opportunity for us to come together and all do it at the same time, just so that we're on our computers, so there's a set aside where we're- In other words, convene the entire group together.

Certainly, I have done that with other elected groups. The formatting is your choice as to how you would want to do that, and typically, either personal laptop, again, city laptop, and then sitting and working through and opening each question and then doing a response pattern. You can also consider individual submissions and then a follow-up opportunity for you to sit together and think through, rather than committing only to individual comments, you could have an opportunity to do that. So again, we're open any direction for adjustments to the formatting. We can certainly do our best to accommodate that.

I'm just curious, because we're all getting pulled from different directions and responsibilities, if we were able to build in time for us to do it, sit down, and if it's during executive session, we spend an hour or so getting that done. sharing that out, and then maybe we all discuss ahead of time of meeting with our city attorney if we all want to get on the same page. But I think for me it's just critical just having time where we can get this done because I think it's helpful for all of us to dedicate that time and prioritize it.

I'm open for it. If we want to have like an executive session, we could sit down and kind of go through the whole process and maybe have about 15 minutes to just say, hey, this is what we just built. I'm open to that. I'm also open to doing it individually. I'm not tied. We can further discuss if you'd like. What I would like to have is a little bit more time for us to fill, you know, if we're going to do it on our own, then a little bit more lead time to be able to put it in there. And then maybe working with our either schedulers, executive assistants, so we can put a time on our calendar. We can do that on our end, but... I just wanna make sure we have a little bit more lead time so that we can fit it in appropriately.

And honorable mayor and members of the council, the process is totally open. And so we can do that design for you. And oftentimes as I've worked with elected groups, you do live into what is going to be the most beneficial to everyone. And it's very individual because of commitments outside of the role that you're serving in. So just simply let us know what your preference is and we will design it accordingly.

Yeah. Councilman Lee.

Thank you, Mayor. One of the things that I think we all realized is that our inboxes are absolutely crazy. So I don't know if going through and identifying our preferred communication would be helpful, just as deadlines approach, that way you can reach us in the way that we are able to get that communication more effectively. There were also a few questions on the city manager survey that were kind of difficult for me to answer because I don't have that context. So for example, how people below him might feel about his development of them. I don't know because I'm not that person. So maybe just having some, like looking through the questions again and really thinking about if it's something we can adequately answer based on our relationship with Roy. Also, I'm perfectly happy, and it's easier for me to fill out the survey on my own time, but if there are people who want to work together on it, for sure, definitely want to encourage that. And then I agree on the more time. I think it makes a much more meaningful conversation if the person being reviewed has a chance to read the comments and come and be able to reflect on what they interpreted from that, and definitely for us. So I felt a little underprepared today in not having time to really go through that beforehand. So at least a couple days would be nice. to have that in advance.

And again, in thinking through strategies and design, again, some of you may prefer delivery. And I'm very used to doing that where you're in your ward office on a specific day or time. you'd like to have delivery, we would make sure that that happens. For others of you, it may be the electronic approval and opportunity to just download. So if there's variety, we're very, very accommodating from that standpoint.

Yeah. Any others? Council Member Schubert.

I wonder if there's a way to compromise between the idea of setting aside time to work on it together versus doing individual responses. I personally would like to work on my responses individually, but I can see a lot of value in coming together as a group to discuss where we're landing. I also support having more time both to read the responses and also get those responses in given that it's busy season. So I really appreciate that. Thank you.

Thank you. Any others? Already, we just need a motion to proceed as requested by the city manager, the human resources director. Don't move, Mayor. There's a motion. Second. There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Thank you so much, Dr. Train. Really appreciate you working on this for us.

You are very welcome. We look forward to the next part of the project. Thank you.

Our next item is item six, Item six time has been set aside to receive an update on the safe city initiative, which includes transit safety and security action plan update safe city connect report, son trans safe right to school initiative, and multimodal traffic safety quarterly report, Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Your Honorable Mayor and members of the Council. Joining me here at the table is Deputy Director of Transportation and Mobility, Andy Bemis, and he will be supported by a cast of thousands as necessary. But without further ado, I turn it over to Deputy Director Bemis.

Thank you, Mr. Manager, honorable mayor, members of council, thanks for having me. Before I dive in on the transit safety and security update, I'll first want to note that included in your material with this item is the first quarterly multimodal traffic safety report. So just as a reminder, we're planning on doing a once a year kind of deep dive on all things traffic safety to include an update on the high injury network, contributing crash factors, crash trends, safety investments, and enforcement statistics. But quarterly, we're providing a report in the materials to include our year-to-date crash summaries by crash severity and by mode, comparison of this year to date to last year and then also comparison of this year relative to the historic kind of five year average. The data for the five year average comparison wasn't ready at the time of this report. It'll be included in future reports and I can speak to it today. A couple things to note and it is in your materials attachment D. Overall, total crashes this year relative to last year at this time are down by 3.2%, so some good news to report there. Although unfortunately, some of the most severe crash types, so fatalities and incapacitating injuries are up four and 6% respectively. So some bad news there. All total crashes this year to date compared to the five-year average at this point in the year are actually down 10.7%. So that, again, some good news on that front. Happy to take comments and questions on that later. so diving into the transit safety and security update when we last visited we on june 9th at the study session we shared a draft budget for the rta next transit safety and security funds we got a lot of good feedback from you at that meeting you also asked us to solicit feedback from bus operators themselves from the safe city task force and from the tucson transit advisory committee which we did and we've included the updated RTA Next budget and your materials as attachment A. The main changes to note are an increase in funding for enhancing the bus operator barriers in the bus fleet, an increase in funding for the transit ambassador program to hire more ambassadors, a decrease in the budget for the bus camera CSARC connection, and that's just to align with an updated cost estimate on that pilot, and then an elimination of the budget for adding additional contracted security guards. Those are the main changes to see there. At the June 9th study session, you also directed us to develop a set of key performance indicators to report and track our progress on this effort over time. Attachment B, we've developed 10 recommended KPIs to track and report on, as well as a baseline performance report on where we're at with those things today. And these were developed with the Transit Safety and Security Working Group, which, just as a reminder, consists of staff from Suntran, the Police Department, Transportation and Mobility, and our Community Safety, Health, and Wellness teams. We also got input from the Safe City Task Force and the Transit Advisory Committee on those KPIs. And lastly, just some highlights on other recent transit safety and security efforts. The TPD special duty deployments and the environmental improvements at bus stops that are funded through your one-time allocation are continuing and ongoing. The transit ambassador program development is well underway. We recruited for the positions, six positions over the summer. We had tremendous interest in the role, interviewed a lot of people. We've made offers to six people, and we anticipate that onboarding and training to start at the end of this month, early next month. Also, as I know many of you know because you'll be joining we're sending a delegation to Albuquerque of staff and some of you and your staff to learn from their efforts and from their transit safety and security action plan and with a special emphasis on their transit ambassador program, which has been running for several years now. So looking forward to joining some of you then. With the direction from Mayor and Vice Mayor, we worked in the beginning of August to roll out a Safe Rides to School initiative to support students on their trips back to work using the bus system. Over 100 volunteers, including I know many of you and your staff, completed more than 350 assignments at 38 locations across the city during morning and afternoon school arrival and departure times we had generally very positive feedback from students and other and from volunteers on about the program we also learned some things we could do to improve it in the future as we put it together pretty quickly but in general had really good feedback on that And I want to give some real special credit and a shout out to the team at Community Safety, Health and Wellness, and especially Justin Hamilton, who really did a lot of the heavy lifting to make that effort possible. And then finally, in the month of August, we hosted a series of transit safety and security focused community engagement sessions under the Safe City Connect umbrella. There's a full report included as attachment C in your materials. And I'd like to turn it over to our colleague from the city manager's office, Sarah Sherman, to talk about, and she really deserves a lot of credit for pulling those together. It was a tremendous effort. to provide a summary of those events. And when she's done, that'll be the conclusion of our remarks.

Honorable Mayor and members of the Council, hi. This is actually my first time addressing you, so I appreciate the opportunity to get to speak to you about something that I feel like is so important in the decision-making process, which is robust and meaningful community engagement. This is our second edition of the Safe City Connect series. We focused on the Transit Safety and Security Action Plan. I just want to thank all of you that attended and participated in these meetings. Your participation and contributions is really valuable and important to the community. um so across we did four events we had three in-person events we had one virtual event and we engaged with 40 148 people in the community this was a 19 increase from our first safe city connect series which was really exciting for us we want to see a gradual increase in that number we gathered feedback in two different ways so we had small group discussions and we also had a digital feedback survey 67.7% of the survey respondents expressed a positive sentiment toward the transit safety and security action plan. A majority expressing that they felt that the action plan is an organized and balanced approach to transit safety, with slightly fewer respondents feeling that the plan was realistic and achievable. From the small group discussions, we conducted a thematic analysis of all of the comments, the questions, the concerns raised by the community during these events, and this produced key takeaways for each of the topics of focus. For topic one, which was enforcement and environmental design, participants voiced wanting a stronger, more visible enforcement presence and a better balance between anti-loitering design and keeping shade available at bus stops. For topic two, transit ambassadors outreach and rider feedback, participants voiced wanting clearer information about the new ambassador program and suggested better use of the information sharing tools already in place such as the info boards on buses that are sometimes empty. For topic three, operator policies, procedures, and safety enhancements, participants voice their support for new driver protections, but they want to make sure that those barriers don't sever the relational aspect between the driver and the rider. And they're also interested in the use of the de-escalation trainings for enhanced safety for drivers as well. Included in your packet, as mentioned, in attachment C, there's a more comprehensive report of all of the findings, but I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have. Thank you.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Thank you for the presentation. I did make the time to go to one of the Safe City Connect conversations and it was great to be able to sit down and one, to provide the information for our staff and our team to provide the information to the community, and then two, to sit down and hear from the community what their perception and what they wanted from Mayor and Council and Suntran. First, I want to thank the Transit Safety and Security Working Group, which includes staff from Department of Transportation Mobility, Suntran, Tucson Police Department, and Community Safety, Health, and Wellness. You all have taken direction from Mayor and Council and just run with it. And we really appreciate being able to have a action plan to move forward as a city, as a Mayor and Council, that has been so thoroughly vetted by drivers and coach operators from Suntran to our transit task force to our community that gave us input. And some of the concerns that rose when I went to one of the The Safe City Connect conversations was the desire for more consistent visible enforcement and followed through unreported incidents that I heard a lot that evening. the need to better balance physical enforcement safety measures with rude cost solutions and making sure that we had or we offered resources to individuals that are unsheltered and also provide mental health services. I heard that over and over. And then a call for clear communication about the new transit ambassador program, which I'm very excited that some of my colleagues are going to head out to Albuquerque, which is, I think the only, there's two cities in the United States that offer free transit, which is Tucson and Albuquerque. I know the mayor, Tim Keller, he will be happy to welcome the Tucson delegation, give us feedback and input in terms of what they've learned. They have an ambassador program and They actually even have people that they pay, but also volunteers that are transit ambassadors. So I'm looking forward to your all trip to Albuquerque to bring back a better defined. What I have heard, especially with the help of community safety, health and wellness, our team, is that it would be a very similar job to our housing first navigators and our care coordinators where they, you know, our ambassadors will carry information and resources for those members of the community. Vice Mayor and I initiated the safe rides to school pilot that we just had for kids that are starting school and use our transit system. And I think from that, particular opportunity we learned a lot and um we were able to have conversations with the operators of the buses they give a lot of feedback and input and so i'm i'm really looking forward to putting our transit ambassadors um to work to work for all of us, right? Whether you are a student and you need to connect and you're a little lost, or whether you're a person that needs a resource and connecting to. From the pilot, Safe Rides to School pilot, we learned that they're taking care of the issues that our ambassadors were able to see immediately and taking care of them immediately, I believe we're going to have a really good system to be able to act on the needs immediately. And thanks to the RTA Next and the advocacy from my colleagues on the council and I, we were able to include the $2.1 million for this particular program for the transit safety and security action plan that we will be able to use. And so I'm really looking forward and excited about putting money into the safety action plan because I know that we will see really good and positive results. Thank you all. Thank you, Andy, for putting all of this together. And I really appreciate the budget that you're presenting today, adding two more transit ambassadors. And then based on the feedback we heard from coach operators, Digging deeper into the possibility of their safety is good. So thank you. Thank you for your work. Any others? Vice Mayor, and then we'll go down the line.

Thank you for this follow-up report, Andy and team. I think for myself, getting to spend my mornings at the Ronstadt Center and talking to operators is that when there is a lot of foot traffic, especially at the transit centers, are specific hours of the day. So whether that's from 6.45 to 9 when kids are getting to school or people are getting to work, and then after 3 so that if we can continue to just have a lot more visibility during those hours. because that's also when things tend to happen because they're so busy that we have just extra support. I know I heard from some of the operators that they felt like the security that was there couldn't really do much if there were issues or that they just stayed back and weren't really visible. So I think making sure that our operators feel even if they're having some kind of issue on that route, that they know that when they get to the transit center, that'll get dealt with I think that'll go along a long way I you know the the thing that stood out to me too with talking to to students on the bus especially young women was that their their issue around safety had to do with sexual harassment and how do we just create more education for young people that if they're feeling unsafe on the bus or somebody's making comments that they know they can go to the operator, you know, and make that known. I look forward to getting to go with my colleagues to Albuquerque and learn more about the Transit Ambassador Program and how we can, you know, be a support system for this new program. So, you know, thank you for getting us that much closer. I'm not sure when they're starting, when our ambassador is starting.

I believe offer letters have gone out right now. So they're in the process of accepting and going through background checks. They should be onboarded by end of this month. And then we've developed a series of trainings for them, both with crisis intervention and with TPD, and then also with Suntran to understand the Suntran system and to meet the operators themselves. That'll all be happening in the first two weeks of October.

Okay, curious, I know that we do a really good job of prioritizing people that have lived experience or bilingual. Did we do the same thing for this program?

Thank you for the question, Mayor and Vice Mayor. I wasn't personally involved in the panel, but my understanding is that yes, that sort of experience was definitely prioritized in the recruitment. If you have further questions, I know Justin Hamilton, who led that recruitment, is here and can answer those for us.

i missed the question what was the question sure um yeah we were we were very keen on that um out of the applicants that we had approximately i think there was 18 to start with we had good applicants more than half of the applicants had lived experience almost almost half of them we are looking for that when we were working with the service delivery part but we were also looking for people that were familiar with the transit system and familiar with our city as well So we took that into account as well. So it was kind of a balance. We were kind of looking for people that were familiar with Tucson and the lived experience approach. And yes, we did get about half the people had lived experience. I cannot speak to that. I honestly don't remember the one applicant that was from the military. She did speak four different languages.

Thank you. The final thing on the multimodal traffic safety quarterly report, thank you for putting this together. It's helpful for us to track where we're at compared to last year and previous years, And I think what we continue to see is that 75% of our crashes are intersection related. And as part of our efforts to address these intersections, what's coming back in front of us to, I don't know, we go at the first top five, address those, and then the next 10, do we have a plan to start working at them?

Thank you for that question, Mayor and Vice Mayor. Yeah, we do work closely with TPD and with our traffic engineers to identify the most challenging intersections and prioritize those for improvements with our existing kind of funding. prioritizing flashing yellow arrow or protected only left phasing and things like that that we can do quickly with our existing resources. Beyond that, we are looking to the regional traffic safety plan to identify those larger capital projects that maybe aren't already funded or in the hopper and identify strategic improvements at intersections and street segments on the high injury network to move forward with other funding initiatives.

Council Member Dahl.

Thank you Mayor. This is a great program. We're on the right track. We have excellent staff accomplishing these things. A little bit of feedback. I thought the community engagement was excellent. The facilitation was fabulous and it wasn't the normal thing that you expect with stations and a lot of charts and stuff. There was true conversations among people. And that sort of cross-pollination and I think leads to obtaining really good information from folks. Thank you for doing that. The safety school thing, I think that was a good experiment. It was, I had two staff who participated. Feedback from them is that some of the spots they were at, there weren't any school children. and often the operators didn't know what was going on. So I think there was some disconnects there, and if we do it again, I think that could be solved. Thank you, Mayor.

Any others? Councilwoman Lee. Thank you, Mayor. So you mentioned in the beginning of your comments that we reprioritized money from security guards and more enforcement to go toward the transit ambassador program and funding those six positions. And I want to go to the community key findings The community engagement, I agree, I agree, was wonderfully done. I want to honor what was listed as some of the key takeaways from the community. Topic number one specifically said residents consistently identified open air drug use and loitering at bus stops and transit centers as the central issue, one that shapes whether people choose to ride at all. So with respect to the transit ambassadors, what is the scope of their role and how are they going to be onboarded and trained to deal with what is coming up as the top issue around safety that our residents are experiencing.

Thank you for that question, Honorable Mayor, Council Member Lee. I will likely invite Justin to speak to that in more detail as well. But yeah, I'll just let Justin take it.

Honorable Mayor, Council Members, to answer your question, Nikki, we'll triage it just like our encampment assessors. They'll be out there with opportunity and education, but also have the ability to be able to contact 311, 911, Sun Trans Security whenever they're seeing something. But we're not asking them to put themselves in harm's way, but we are asking them that if they see something, say something.

Thank you for clarifying, Justin.

One of the comments made by Director Credio with Department of Transportation and Mobility is that a lot of feedback was in terms of feeling unsafe and not secure for riders was the lack of cleanliness of the bus stops. and the transit centers. And so I think that's a big question mark in terms of how we approach that, right? How are we going to not only have transit ambassadors and let's also remember that we have off-duty police officers that have arrest power if you know if it gets to that situation but also can can you all explain the work that is going to be happening between community safety health and wellness and TPD and other non-profit organizations via the safe city deployments yeah if you can if you can answer that as well

Thank you, Mayor. To the first part about cleanliness, I'll also say that You'll see in the draft RTA Next budget, there is a line item to add more cleaning crews. So right now, Suntran is responsible for maintaining the bus stops and the transit centers. They have seven cleaning crews. We'll be adding two more with the RTA Next funding to start. They clean, it's a little over 100 stops every day. They're usually out there very early in the morning before it's busy, but it's a perpetual challenge. It gets dirty throughout the day with stuff going on, and then they're back there again. I think all 2200 stops in the system are meant to be touched at least once a week, but there's a priority group that are done every day. In terms of coordination between the transit ambassadors and the TPD special duty deployments, I think some of that is still to be seen because the ambassadors aren't out there. Right now, I know the TPD special duty teams are out six days a week at different times of the day, again, focusing on a group of priority corridors. They do have, and I believe they are both providing warnings and connecting people with services as well as making arrests. and issuing citations when necessary and in the working group we've discussed the ambassadors supporting that work when an arrest isn't necessarily or a police interaction isn't the right tool for the job, having ambassadors as a presence as well. They may co-deploy sometimes and other times not. I don't know if that answered your question.

Yes, I'm just asking about the coordination between the safe city deployments, TPD, our ambassador, you know, all of the silos that we need to, you know, the walls that need to be brought down. That's something that we do with our safe city deployments. And so I'm just wondering how it's all going to work. But I understand that you're all putting it together as we speak. Vice Mayor and then Council Member Barajas.

Yeah, with that question, what it reminded me of, some of the feedback I heard was having one number that's specific to the transit system for calling in any kind of safety-related issues rather than going through the broader city 311, 911 system where it gets lost. So folks don't feel or see the response to it because it's going to be in queue with everything now. So if there's a way... for there to be one number that the operators or anybody calling something in related to transit is just specific to transit was something else that I think would be really helpful.

Council Member Barajas and then Council Member Schubert.

Thank you, Andy. Well, my team at the Ward 5 office each took at least one shift during the Suntran Safe Ride to School Initiative, and we also observed bus stops that had some students, and then we did also observe bus stops that were not as active. And we had the opportunity to also commute on some of these buses. And for the families that do rely on our public, on our fare-free public transportation, how can we ensure that the entire transit experience is safe, not just the bus itself? So this means creating safer bus stops, transit centers, improving lighting, visibility, addressing environmental concerns, ensuring that riders have access to appropriate services when behavioral health, homelessness, or substance abuse issues are contributing to safety. And I want to tie in, because our office also held a Learn to Ride with Suntran workshop. And this workshop was well attended. We had neighbors. We had parents. operators, some of our family members come and engage. And I feel like this could be a follow-up with the Suntran Safe Ride to School initiative of returning to the school sites, especially the schools that do have more students commute on our public transit and some of the parents. to do like a relaunch with the Suntran app. Because for the majority of the folks in the room, that was their first time downloading the app. So I think this could also serve as a opportunity to reintroduce and then connect to the Safe City Connect Transit workshops. That data would be very informative for some of those PTAs, some of those principals to hear. So I would like to connect to our local school districts and I do have a couple questions. So I know that residents, you know, riders, operators, our business owners, again, our school officials, school districts, they're asking for both accountability and meaningful solutions. So I continue to hear that they want this unsafe, disruptive behavior to be addressed, but they also recognize that we must address the underlying issues contributing to repeated problems at our transit stops, transit centers, and on buses, especially around are open drug use. You know, I see it often. So when someone is repeatedly contacted at the same transit location, are we tracking whether they're being connected to services and if those services are helping? Like what's the follow-up numbers? And just to close, I'm also looking forward to joining our city of Tucson delegation to go to Albuquerque and learn about their transit ambassador program and hopefully learning what could help contribute here to Tucson and make it safer. So thank you. Sorry, question. How are we tracking those repeated calls on specific bus stops?

Thank you for the question, Honorable Mayor and Councilmember Barajas. Yes, so we are tracking the repeat calls and actually in the baseline performance report you can see a heat map of incidents at bus stops so you can see which are the most frequent or less frequent. Yes, that one. Also, and maybe we can have someone from TPD speak at a future date about the special duty deployments and when they're encountering maybe the same individual over and over at different places, kind of what the process has been for them. I can't speak to that personally. I know with, excuse me, The pilot program we did in partnership with the Primavera Foundation last year that we intend to replicate a lot of with our own ambassador program, that was a big part of it. So they were connecting with people in need of help, referring to them to services, and then trying to follow up later to find out did you get the services you needed and how did that go. So I think that's something we're trying to build into the transit ambassador program as well.

Thank you. Yeah, I would like to see and see what gaps, you know, because I do know some speaking with some of these nonprofit partners too, they also can't accept some of the folks, you know, that they get that some of these calls are on. So I would like to see what gaps we need to, you know, help fill. Thank you.

Council Member Schubert.

Thank you, honorable mayor, members of the council. I really appreciate this update and the amount of work happening across DTM, Suntran, TPD, community safety, health and wellness, the city manager's office and the safe city team. I'm especially excited about the transit ambassador program. We had a strong applicant pool in those six applications and bringing skilled people with direct experience into these roles can be a tremendous asset for our riders and operators. I'm also looking forward to traveling to Albuquerque with colleagues and staff later this month. Their system has a lot in common with ours and I appreciate DTM taking our office's initial interest in their program and turning it into an opportunity to learn together. I'm looking forward to bringing some good ideas and hopefully some green chilies back to Tucson. Also really appreciate the data in this update. The proposed transit safety and security action plan KPIs look at incident reporting, outreach, enforcement, and perception of safety, which is important because our measure of success cannot simply be how many arrests, citations, or warnings we issue. It has to be whether operators and riders are actually safer and feel safer. One thing that really stood out to me from the Safe City Connect feedback is that information itself is already an intervention. It's a safety intervention. Writers told us that existing communication tools are underused and unclear, and that youth, non-English speakers, and writers with disabilities continue to face information and access gaps. When you don't know where your bus is, where it goes, when it arrives, what the rules are, or who to ask for help, that disorientation can make the transit system feel unsafe. I also have some questions. I'm gonna read them out loud, but I'll follow up by email to staff for follow up. Okay, so first, on our special duty deployments, we have very detailed activity data officer hours, arrests, citations, warnings, referrals and deflections. My question, how will we determine whether that activity is actually improving safety? Are incidents declining at the locations where we're deploying officers? Are operators and riders reporting improvement? Second question, as we spend approximately 2.15 million annually in RTA transit safety funding, what will the annual evaluation process look like? What evidence would cause us to increase, decrease, or reallocate investments among police, ambassadors, SEPTED, operator protections, and other strategies? The memo specifically says these investments are intended to be adjusted over time based on effectiveness, so we want to make sure Council has a clear mechanism for being able to do that. And on the multimodal report, can staff clarify whether the pedestrian and bicycle categories necessarily represent crashes involving motor vehicles? And could future reports separately identify crashes involving SunTran, SunVan, and SunLink? And then finally, I have three pieces of direction. First, I'd like staff to strengthen the rider communication component of the Transit Safety and Security Action Plan and explicitly treat clear, accessible information as a safety strategy. including better wayfinding, arrival and route information, multilingual and accessible communication, and better use of the information displays that we already have. Second, I'd like staff to develop or refresh a simple, positively worded, highly visible code of conduct so writers understand what they can expect from one another and what happens when those expectations aren't met. I take transit in every city I visit, and a clear posting of a code of conduct is universally used. And third, before our next RTA budget cycle, I'd like staff to bring us a clear framework for evaluating our major transit safety and security action plan investments against these KPIs so that we can decide what to continue, expand, change, or stop. Ultimately police, ambassadors, outreach, environmental design, and communication are all tools. The outcome we're investing in is a transit system that feels safe, welcoming, predictable, and easy to use, and one that more people feel comfortable riding. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Schubert. That direction has been given. So we're on the same page. I was gonna ask you to do it in form of a motion, but we've given that direction before. So including Vice Mayor had, I think about a year or year and a half ago, given the direction on like the writer rules and then wayward signs in different, and those most spoken here in Tucson. Any other feedback input that you need and you don't need additional, you don't need a motion, right? This is just an update. Okay, anything else? Alrighty, thank you so much. Really looking forward to getting to know a little bit more on the transit ambassador program and welcoming our six new ambassadors to the Tucson family.

Thank you.

All right, we move on to item seven. Time has been set aside to review information on the Southlands area and initiate a collaborative planning process. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, honorable mayor and members of the council. This is an exciting time for us to be looking at what the future might hold for some of the large areas we have within the city limits that could be the future of Tucson. So with that, our focus today is on the Southlands area plan and seeking your direction on proceeding down that pathway. Joining me here is our director of planning and development services, Corin Manning, Deputy Director of Planning and Development Services, Alisa Hamblin, and I'll turn it over to you to take it away.

Thank you city manager and good afternoon honorable mayor and council members. We're here this afternoon as a city manager mentioned to present an overview of the Southlands area and propose a collaborative planning process to develop a shared vision for this region of our city and establish a policy framework to guide future development of the Southlands. So first, where is the Southlands? What is this region? We have a few maps. If I can get this... Oh, that might be the issue. Okay, hold on, hold on. Let's make sure it's on. Okay, I think I now have the control. So... The Southlands area, you can see on this map, the proposed planning area is the area within the black boundary on this map. And it's comprised of approximately 50 square miles of undeveloped land within the city limits. As a land area, this comprises about 20% of our land area as a city. And this is, as you can see, the area kind of south of I-10 and east of Nogales Highway. Most of this land is owned by the Arizona State Land Department. They are a state land trust that holds land in trust for future beneficiaries which are largely education institutions in the state of Arizona. Most of this area is zoned for low density residential uses, meaning this area really doesn't have entitlements currently to support future development. So any proposed development would need to go through an entitlement process, seek a rezoning from mayor and council in order to facilitate intended development. So there would be discretionary processes involved in any future development of the Southlands. most of this area is located within ward five it's about two-thirds in ward five and about a third in ward four the area currently has very limited infrastructure just a few roads limited other utilities and however this area is planned for the future sonoran corridor that would connect i-10 and i-19 in the future That is a proposed connection and investment that has not yet funded. However, that is a future plan for this area that will really unlock significant opportunity for economic development in the area. The Southlands area is specifically called out in Plan Tucson as a region, and it does identify the Southlands as a special planning area where planning for infrastructure and integration with city services should take place prior to releasing these lands for development. So really recognizes in Plan Tucson that this area needs more planning, especially for infrastructure before further development in this area. The Southlands area is also located within the Rincon Southeast sub-regional plan. This is a very large sub-regional plan. Those are plans that are shared between the city and county. This sub-regional plan actually covers over 400 square miles, mostly in Pima County. Just a small portion is in the city. That plan was adopted in 1995. It's been amended several times, including most recently in 2024 by Mayor and Council when the Arizona State Land Department did propose an amendment to the Rincon Southeast Sub-Regional Plan for a portion of this area. to start planning for development in this area. So you can see the portion on this map that is hatched and in purple, that is the portion of the Southlands area where there is currently land use guidance in the Rincon Southeast sub-regional plan. But really what you can see here is that land use policy is fragmented. We don't have a holistic plan or vision for the Southlands area. in this current plan. That plan amendment in 2024 did revise the plan to allow medium and high intensity urban uses in that area and also created a special area called the Rita 10 area and established policies for this area to provide flexibility for large scale uses and established floodplain and riparian policies for state trust lands within this area. to facilitate future development. So that can be a foundation for further planning in this area. But again, we really don't have cohesive policy in this area. We have a fragmented approach currently through the Rincon Southeast sub-regional plan. Any future rezoning in this area, just like any area of the city, has to be in conformance with any adopted area, neighborhood, or regional plans. So the plan really is the starting place for land use policy guidance. So any rezoning has to be in compliance or recommend or request an amendment to a land use plan. So future rezonings will likely occur incrementally over time as Arizona State Land Department brings properties forward for rezoning. So without a comprehensive city-led plan for this area, we have limited ability to ensure there's infrastructure planning, and that those developments are in line with the city's sustainability goals and community priorities. The other recent item that has brought to the fore the need for planning for this area is the Project Blue development, which is occurring in Pima County, but in the Southlands region. And those conversations, the conversations with mayor and council, really highlighted the need for broader community conversation about the future of the Southlands, an area that really hasn't been on the radar of much of our community, and that's one of the first developments happening in this area. So it's really highlighted the need for more planning for this region that includes our community. So our planning and development services is proposing a collaborative planning and public engagement process to develop a comprehensive Southlands area. This plan would establish community priorities for the Southlands and create a holistic framework for growth in this region. This area is a very significant opportunity for the city to plan proactively for our future, to plan for employment uses, large scale industrial uses, housing, transportation, infrastructure, natural resource conversation, and a connected open space network. A comprehensive plan can help ensure these considerations are addressed together and support orderly phased growth rather than development occurring incrementally without an overarching framework. So some of the goals for this planning process will be to establish a shared vision for the Southlands with our community through meaningful engagement with residents, stakeholders, Arizona State Land Department, and regional partners. explore how this area can advance city priorities and regional priorities, and take those priorities and translate them into land use policy. that can be adopted by mayor and council and coordinate land use transportation infrastructure and environmental objectives before significant rezoning and entitlement activity occurs also identify opportunities for housing transportation and employment to be bland planned together to promote more sustainable development patterns and of course plan for more orderly and phased growth that accounts for our long-term infrastructure needs for the area infrastructure needs as well as environmental and natural resource needs for this area. The goal here would be to establish a new Southlands area plan that would replace the existing Rincon Southeast Subregional Plan, at least for this portion of the city. So that new Southlands area plan would be the guiding land use policy for this area. The Southlands area would then be removed from the Rincon Southeast Subregional Plan with the Southlands Area Plan superseding the regional plan for this portion of the city. This approach is consistent with the previous process used to establish the Houghton Area Master Plan about 20 years ago. That area was also previously part of the Rincon Southeast Subregional Plan until the city created our own large master plan for that area that superseded the Rincon Southeast Subregional Plan. So then once adopted, any rezoning request on property within the Southlands area would be required to comply with these plan policies or request an amendment to the plan. I do want to note that initiation of this area plan process does not prohibit rezoning activity or development while the plan is being prepared. During the process of developing this Southlands area plan, rezoning requests may continue to be considered, utilizing the existing land use guidance of the Rink on Southeast regional plan and Plan Tucson. And of course, the Arizona State Land Department will be a key partner with us through this planning process. I want to turn it over to Elisa Hamblin, our deputy director, to walk through the proposed planning process.

Good afternoon, honorable mayor and council members. So over the next 18 to 24 months, our team at PDSD is ready to work on this area plan and looking at it in really three phases. Our first is going to be information gathering. So assuming we get formally initiated today, we're ready to begin work by starting with meetings with those that have expertise and information in the area, especially starting with other agencies and groups within the city of Tucson, because there is a lot of existing considerations that we need to be aware of, gathering of all of that information, looking at land use infrastructure, the environmental landscape, and doing analyses as to what is really possible in the area. We anticipate that we will likely also form a stakeholder group and they will help guide us through the planning process. this work we anticipate in the first phase to take approximately three to five months so through the end of this calendar year and then to early 2027 and then in phase two we really anticipate doing the bulk of the outreach where we are talking to the community and as corinne mentioned this is a huge area and a huge portion of the city of tucson so you know normally when you're doing an area plan you might really just talk to the residents that are in that immediate area because of how big this area is we know it's going to be a significant amount of conversation that's going to be needed with the community at large so we would like to work obviously first and foremost in coordination with arizona state lands as much as possible but also talk to all the residents as much as many of them that are interested in engaging in this process and also working with other stakeholders, including those that have special interests, such as development or environmental concerns. Also anyone that can really help us inform how this framework gets developed. Our goal with this is to identify themes and develop a framework that helps us actually draft the area plan. So this second phase is really the meat and the large conversations that are happening with the community. We anticipate that will take approximately eight to 10 months. So assuming our timeline works out as we think right now, that would be through 2027 is phase two. And I anticipate too that we would be coming back to the mayor and council of various points to provide an update, especially as we work through that second phase where we will hopefully have a set of policies that are guiding us at that end of that phase as we go into the third phase. So after 2027 and starting probably in early 2028, we would look at actually drafting the plan document itself. Our estimate on that is that could be up to nine months. It really depends on the feedback loop as we've seen with other processes. You get out there, you talk to the community again, to Planning Commission and the Mayor and Council. And if there's corrections or updates or new iterations that we need to include, then we would obviously include those. But really the goal is that ultimately in the end, we can get to a point where we have consensus and the ability to move forward with adoption of that area plan. And right now I would say roughly the targeted of that is probably fall 2028. So looking at about up to two years from where we are right now, assuming that everything kind of pencils out that way, but really the goal is to do a very robust process that engages a lot of people where we have in-depth analysis and we can do adequate planning for this significant portion of the city. Thank you.

Thank you so much for the presentation. Really appreciate it. I strongly support planning and future planning for this area as I have for other areas in the city of Tucson. I know the Southlands represents one of the largest remaining opportunities we have to proactively shape Tucson. And I know that plan Tucson speaks about this area. As an individual that has always been interested in open space preservation and preserving our, you know, the uniqueness of who we are in terms of our environment, will we have an opportunity to, I know that the first phase is research and analysis. Will we have an opportunity to make sure that we are guided by the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan and our own ordinances and policies in terms of wash preservation, etc. ?

Yes, thank you, Honorable Mayor. That's absolutely going to be fundamental to our planning process is really looking at the environmental resources in this area and how best to plan for their conservation. And really one of the goals of this proactive planning process is to really look at that holistically so that we have an interconnected open space network rather than fragmented open space as development occurs. So yes, we definitely want to include the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection as a stakeholder and build on the work they've done through the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan to make sure we are thinking holistically about open space and natural resource conservation.

Also, you talked a little bit about the infrastructure, the possible, what is the Sonoran Corridor that is being planned by Arizona Department of Transportation and others. I think that this is 50 square miles. This is a huge area. And there's very little infrastructure. One of the biggest concerns about developing state lands is the infrastructure and who pays for it, right? And how do we make sure that we balance the needs of the urban core of our city? Many of our neighborhoods have been around since Tucson started. And so the infrastructure question is always there for me. How do we afford to reinvest in the urban core of our city with balancing the need to make sure that we're planning for future growth? So can you talk a little bit about that?

Yes, thank you, Honorable Mayor. Absolutely, that's another really fundamental piece of this planning process will be to work with other departments to identify what will be the infrastructure needs over time as development occurs in this area and make sure we have a good sense of those infrastructure needs so that as Arizona State Land Department and their partners and future developers are coming to the table with development proposals, we have clear asks and awareness of what infrastructure will be needed to support that growth so that it is future development is paying for a lot of those infrastructure needs as development occurs and really look at what is the appropriate phasing for that infrastructure and things like that.

So what we've learned over the last year in terms of economic development, including from having in front of us Project Blue, is being able to balance economic development opportunities with natural resources and the preservation of natural resources. how are we going to make sure that we, as we plan for what's gonna happen in this area, how do we insert the, both new ordinances that we're creating, the new land use code, the large water users ordinance, all of it with the balancing of economic development. And who are you envisioning to sit at the stakeholder table to help guide the conversation as we commence, as we start?

Yes, thank you, Honorable Mayor. In terms of the economic development opportunities and how we balance that, I mean, I think that the plan really is the opportunity to establish what those community priorities are for economic development. So this is the opportunity to hear from our community, hear from stakeholders about what are the things that we want to say yes to as a community and what are the things that our community needs does not prioritize for economic development. So this plan will be that clear documentation that can be used as policy guidance for mayor and council when those types of proposals and considerations come forward in the future. That's really the goal of a land use plan like this is to establish those community priorities that can then be shared with prospective developers and used by mayor and council when considering future rezoning requests. So it is meant to be that policy guidance and also will incorporate recent ordinances like the large scale data user ordinance and large quantity water user ordinance. Those are all meant to work in concert with a plan like this. In terms of stakeholders, I think we want to make sure that we are hearing from a broad range of stakeholders. you know, economic development groups, our business chambers, but also environmental advocacy groups, community organizations, neighborhood associations, school districts in this region, really a broad range of community voices will be our goal.

Thank you. And this area is in, you know, ward five, ward four, and I just wanna make sure that we give you all the opportunity to jump in. Who wants to start?

Council Member Barajas. Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, Council Member Lee and I are excited for this process to begin. And I do know this process is going to require a lot of creative community engagement because there's not that many residents. There's not that many stakeholders actually there within the Southlands area. So I would love if we could start thinking about researching examples from across the country and perhaps even around the world to see if they've addressed similar exciting planning and development challenges to the Southlands. And I would like for us to consider an official partnership with the University of Arizona, including the College of Architecture Planning and Landscape Architecture, also known as CAPLA, to see if they could work with us on this effort to think creatively around the uses. Thank you, I'm really excited.

I'm definitely excited too. You're right, Council Member Varas. There's not a lot of people out there, but we did see a lot of cows out there when we went to tour with the mayor a couple months ago. So thank you for bringing this forward so that we can finally initiate this process. This has been a big bucket list item that I've had on my radar for a long time and kind of bummed I'm not going to be sitting at this table in two years, but I will be one of the annoying constituents chiming in at the public meeting on how this goes once the plan is... that's right once the plan is drafted so um thank you for bringing this forward really excited about this process and grateful that the team has the capacity to take this on right now so looking forward to it thank you so much any questions or comments councilmember doll

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you for a great presentation. It makes sense that we're doing this planning process. The mind boggles, though. 20% of Tucson is undeveloped, and I think it's very important when people are concerned about water that we're really clear about how, as a city, we're taking care of water, and we will be using our large water ordinance and perhaps other devices as we go through the planning process so that it doesn't take away or make more expensive our resources elsewhere. I know some of that area because I've surveyed for Pima pineapple cactus. You don't think of Tucson being a place where there's endangered species, but there's really likely the possibility. So I think we need, because we're not part of the Pima County multi-species habitat conservation plan, if we were, that would have been taken into account and we could just go ahead. I think we need to be very careful about identifying that resources and having a plan for dealing with it. And that's it, thanks.

Any others? Alrighty, well, do you need direction to start the process? Alrighty, may I have council women involved in this? Please move us along. I would like to move that we begin this process.

I second that motion.

There is a motion and a second. Any further discussion on this? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any against? Motion carries. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Ms. Manning, for the presentation. Great presentation. Alrighty, so we move on to item 8. Time has been set aside for Mayor and Council direction regarding a site-specific sales tax incentive request for the Clara Hotel, the renovation and modernization of an existing hotel at 755 East Benson Highway. Mr. Manager.

Honorable Mayor, members of the Council, coming once again to the stage. Chief Economic Development Officer Mike Joukowsky with another exciting opportunity.

Mike. Thank you, Mr. Manager, Mayor, Mayor Romero, members of the Council. Thank you all for your time today. This is actually a very exciting project. It's not quite to the scale of Southlands, but it does have a significant impact, I think, in that corridor redevelopment of the former Minsk Hotel. an abandoned vacant hotel has been sitting empty for the last several years, blighted. Again, the item before you today is consideration of site-specific sales tax incentive with Benson Hospitality Manager, LLC, the developer. General terms of this incentive, we've seen this several times over the last couple of months, reimbursement of a portion of city sales tax capped at the 2% rate. and the hotel tax to offset eligible on or off-site public improvements, permit and impact fees, and workforce training, or any combination of these. This is the first step in the process. With your direction today, we will be requesting $5,000 application fee and third-party economic analysis, which would bring those future results to a future council meeting. And as a reminder, this will come back several times to mayor and council presentation of the economic analysis, Notice of intent and then finally the development agreement. Final consideration of that development agreement. Apologize. No incentive dollars shall be paid until the project received the certificate of occupancy. So our incentives are all very low risk. They do what they do and then we offer our reimbursements. developer, as I mentioned, is proposing renovation, modernization of an existing hotel located at 755 East Benson Highway, the intersection of Park and Benson, formerly known as the Minsk, and to be renamed the Clara, which I understand when you met with them, and it is the first female student to graduate from the University of Arizona?

The first student ever to graduate from the University of Arizona was Clara Fish.

Correct.

And so they wanted to use like a historic figure.

Tying it back to a little bit of Tucson's history here. The site has been vacant for several years and it's considerable disrepair. Development team has engaged with Ward 5 Council Office, Mayor's Office, and Tucson Police as well. They work on safety and overall improvements to this corridor and enhancing the overall neighborhood. Park and Benson Highway Corridor is currently experiencing some significant investment, and this is an ideal example of what we can see along that corridor. I'm happy to answer any questions. I do have Bala Krishnan available virtually if there are any questions for the development team. With that, I'm happy to take any questions from your counsel.

Councilmember rodak us. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much Well, I'm comfortable moving this project to the next step so we can better understand the potential economic impact here in Ward 5 in the city of Tucson The Clara Hotel has been vacant and deteriorating as you shared So bringing this property back into use would be positive a positive investment investment along Benson Highway but before we consider any final I would like to review the independent analysis and have a clear picture of the private investment, jobs, tax revenue, other benefits this project will bring to our community. I also want to ensure that clear expectations and accountability measures are in place for the developer. So I'm glad the developer's here. So I do have a couple questions, maybe either of you can answer. What is the estimated total private investment in the renovation and how many jobs are expected to be created or supported during construction and once, once the hotel is operational. So we'll start with that.

Yeah, thank you, Council Member Rojas, Mayor Romero, members of the council. Per their application, and I can have the developer definitely speak to this, but their proposed total investment on this is... including acquisition of the site is about $7.9 million. And we'll have a much clearer picture on that as the economic analysis comes through. And then they are projecting, it's a hotel, It's not a big job creator, so there will be five full-time positions and four part-time positions, and in addition to the construction jobs during the ongoing construction activity, which, again, we'll have a better idea of as the economic analysis comes through. Paula, I'm not sure if you had anything you wanted to add on to that. You are on mute.

Yes, I second what Mike just said. And it is our understanding that the total investment in this project, including acquisition, is going to be approximately $7.9 million. And the hotel job estimates are about five full-time approximately and four part-time jobs to be created.

Thank you. Yeah, no, no further questions. Actually, I just I'm hoping that this will be a catalyst for additional investment along this Benson Highway corridor. And I'm looking forward to seeing the process in action as I drive to our Ward 5 office down Park Avenue. So thank you for being also in the room.

I just wanted to include my voice into being very excited about looking at the possibility of this project. I am very interested in seeing this property restored. This area needs to see investment and if the independent analysis demonstrate that the city incentive will help put this project into work and really influence the development and future development of this area. I believe that this is something that the community will appreciate, and it really, I feel, will be a catalyst to continue moving investment in this area forward. So we all have seen the... You know, what can happen if properties like this one are not taken care of, if they're abandoned, if, you know, there's issues with it when they are active. Lots of crime reported in this area because of the abandoned hotels, and so... Right across the interstate, we are seeing incredible investment, both from the city and private developers. And so I'm happy to see the continuation of this investment. Hopefully, the analysis will demonstrate that it will be a good investment for all of us. Alrighty, any others? And so Council Member Barra, as we do need a motion to proceed as recommended by the city manager.

So move, Mayor.

There is a motion. There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? Motion carries. Thank you all. Really appreciate it.

Alrighty, so we move on to item nine.

Time has been set aside for discussion direction relating to matters pending in front of the Pima County Board of Supervisors and other regional jurisdictions. Mr. Manager.

Honorable Mayor, members of the council, as we reported at last meeting, Laura Dent has stepped down as our Intergovernmental Relations Director. And Stephanie Zamora, who's filling in in that space, is actually out today. So the report is quite brief. I turn it back to you, Mayor. We've provided the written materials that we do traditionally, and so nothing really of substance to report, except we are in the planning process for the next Joint Parent Council Board of Supervisors meeting.

I just wanted to make sure that we had follow-up by Administrator Lesher and you, especially before she leaves, on the discussion that we had on the Prosperity Initiative discussion and the areas of interest of the Board and the Mayor and Council and where we can further partner on Prosperity Initiative issues. Also on tonight's consent agenda, we have two really important intergovernmental agreements that will continue supporting the city of Tucson residents who are living in mobile homes. Since the city of Tucson completed four and secured the federal price grant, funding will now be available for both emergency eviction assistance as well as critical home repairs and we are partnering with pima county on this the price grant will help city of tucson create housing affordability and communities that are most vulnerable to displacement manufactured housing is the single most affordable type of housing available in Tucson and throughout the country. And we all know that city of Tucson has some of the highest numbers of manufactured housing, not just in the state, but in the entire country. And so as one of the fastest warming cities in the country, this investment will also help weatherize housing and that's part of the work that we will be partnering with Pima County on. So I just wanted to comment on the continued partnership with Pima County and this time through the price grant to continue maintaining and creating affordable housing in our community. So good work to our team. Other than that, if there's no more, we move on to item 10. Time has been set aside for mayor and council to receive an update on state and national legislation and regional committees, executive orders, and direction to any associated litigation. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, honorable mayor and members of the council. Same report with the following addition that we recently were in attendance at the League of Arizona Cities and Towns event. Many of you were actually there and engaged with the different sessions. We were well represented there. Our mayor led a panel. We had a number of our directors lead panels. And we had very successful attendance at the League of Cities and Towns just a couple short weeks ago. And so with that, I turn it back to you, Mayor.

Thank you, Mr. Tamir. Mr. Lesk.

Thank you, Your Honorable Mayor, members of council. Just real quickly related to our ongoing federal funding litigation, I'll be asking the mayor and council to remove 7C from the consent agenda so we can have a short discussion.

Thank you, Mr. Attorney. I just wanted to make sure that I shared with you, some of you were present and all the offices were invited to celebrate Tucson Waters TARP expansion and new PFAS treatment facility, which will further protect our groundwater and strengthen our water resilience. I wanna thank our federal partners, state, regional, and community partners, as well as the Tucson Water Team for moving quickly on this project. I also joined Senator Kelly and Chief McDonough to highlight Tucson's Fire Emergency Response Program and the need for additional emergency response vehicles. It was very fun getting up that ladder going 110 feet up in the air, which was Senator Kelly's idea. I think he likes heights. I think he likes heights. We also met with Congresswoman Grijalva and her team to discuss water issues and tour our 911-311 facility. We'd like to thank Congresswoman Grijalva for her continued partnership with Tucson. And I'll just also share a couple of federal updates. Congress returns on September 14th with a shortened schedule. The House will convene for just one week, while the Senate is expected to remain in session through early October. Before Congress departed, the President signed legislation funding the government through December 11th, extending surface transportation programs and delaying proposed federal grant rule changes. This keeps the government operating while Congress postpones major decisions until the post-election season. I feel like Laura Dunn right now. But this information was shared by Tracy Tucker and our federal lobbyists. I just wanted to share some stuff that we've been doing while our congressional delegation is at home and lots of interest in partnering with the city of Tucson by both Senators Gallego and Kelly, as well as our House representatives. Open the floor for my colleagues if you have any questions or comments. and hearing none we move on to item 11 does anyone have any items to remove from the consent agenda for today's regular meeting uh council member should work today here city attorney already removed item 7c okay and then i also wanted to remove um 7f about the price grant just to give a shout out Any others? All righty. Item 12, does anyone have any future agenda items? Seeing none, study session is adjourned. The next regularly scheduled meeting is on Tuesday, September 22nd.

What time is it right now?

We are adjourned and we will return at 5.30 p.m. Thank you so much.

so Thank you. Thank you. Bye. so so so so you Thank you. you you Thank you. All right. Thank you. Bye. so so Bye. so so you so so Thanks for watching! you

Thank you.

Bye. ¶¶ Thank you. Bye. Thank you. so Bye. so Bye. Thanks for watching! Thank you. Bye.

Thank you.

GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE COUNCILMEMBER CUNNINGHAM. SO FOR THE RECORD, COUNCILMEMBER CUNNINGHAM WILL BE PARTICIPATING ELECTRONICALLY THROUGH MICROSOFT TEAMS. COUNCIL WILL STAND IN SESSION. LET'S GO TO ROLL CALL.

NEW SPEAKER COUNCILMEMBER CUNNINGHAM. NEW SPEAKER COUNCILMEMBER DALL. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER LEE.

HERE.

COUNCIL MEMBER BARRAJAS. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SCHUBERT. HERE. VICE MAYOR SANTA CRUZ. HERE. MAYOR ROMERO.

HERE. BEFORE WE GO TO ITEM TWO, THE CITY ATTORNEY WILL GO OVER THE RULES OF DECORUM FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETINGS. MR. ATTORNEY.

Thank you, Your Honorable Mayor. Arizona's open meeting laws provide that members of the public may attend and listen to the proceedings during tonight's public meeting of the Mayor and Council. Arizona law also allows the Mayor and Council to enforce rules and procedures for public attendance of the meeting to ensure orderly behavior and to prevent unnecessary interference with the public meeting. Here are the rules that apply. The rules require decorum and orderly conduct by the members of the audience. No person attending the meeting shall engage in conduct that disrupts or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting, including any statements or conduct that interrupts the persons who might be addressing the Mayor and Council or that disrupts the discussions of the Mayor and Council. The mayor has the authority to ensure compliance with the rules of orderly conduct. If disorderly or disruptive conduct continues after a warning, and this is that first warning, the mayor may direct the removal of persons from the chambers and or recess the meeting itself. If disruptive behavior being necessary, To clear the chambers, the persons who disrupted the meeting will not be allowed to return to the chambers for the remainder of tonight's meeting. As a final note, please be aware that interfering with or preventing this lawful public meeting from being carried out in an orderly manner not only violates the rules of participation, but also violates Title 13 of the Arizona Revised Statutes.

Thank you, Mr. Attorney. Item 2.

Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, and appointments to boards, committees, and commissions.

We will start with the land acknowledgement as our invocation. Let us begin by grounding ourselves and acknowledging these lands. The city of Tucson is on the lands that have been stewarded by the Tohono O'odham since time immemorial and the Pascua Yaqui people who have lived in the Sonoran Desert for thousands of years. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Item 2C.

Presentations.

I would like to proclaim September 13th through September 21st, 2026 to be Latino Conservation Week. And we have a host of wonderful guests to receive the presentation and proclamation. I'd like to welcome our amazing guests to join me at the front, please. We have Vanessa Gallego representing Sierra Club Nopales Chapter and Fuga. JUPITER VILLA, REPRESENTING CHISPA, ASUSANA BRAVO, REYNES HUJAIC, PATTY SANCHEZ BARRIO, SPIRIT YOGA, CASANDRA VECERRA, WITH THE ARIZONA MOUNTAIN MAMAS, CAMMY JUAREZ, LATINO CONSERVATION PLANNING COMMITTEE, Rebecca Perez, the Wilderness Society, Lara Hamway, Director of Parks and Recreation, Fatima Luna, City of Tucson's Chief Resilience Officer, Nicole Gillette, City of Tucson's Environmental Manager, Commissioner Maurice Roberts, Tucson Parks and Recreation, and any others that would like to join us at the front. And then we'll have a second presentation that Vice Mayor will help us lead. So let's meet up up front, everyone. AND IF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WANT TO JOIN US, PLEASE DO SO. Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much. Really appreciate your doing this. Actually, as a matter of fact, Latino Conservation Week here in Tucson was started maybe about eight to 10 years back, maybe even more. I participated in the first Latino Conservation Week here in the city of Tucson when I was working for the Center for biological diversity as a council member as well. I'm so excited that you all are really reviving and continuing the work of Latino Conservation Week. It's so important to make sure that we acknowledge the participation of Latinos in one public lands and in conservation because really the earth really belongs to all of us and the responsibility of caring for it is all of us, all of ours as well. With that, I am going to read a proclamation recognizing Latino Conservation Week in this community on behalf of the City of Tucson and the Office of the Mayor. I'd like to recognize everyone involved in this effort. Whereas Latino Conservation Week was created by the Hispanic Access Foundation to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources. And whereas in 2026, Latino Conservation Week will be observed from September 12th through September 20th, the Latino community, families, organizations, and faith-based organizations across the United States will go on hikes, gatherings, rallies, bike rides, camping and river outings on public lands, learn about conservation efforts in their community and share their support for permanently protecting our land, water and air. And whereas local activities include a press conference and rally at Ironwood Forest National Monument, Second Sunday bike ride to Sweetwater Wetlands. Mixer and closing reception of the Living with Injury exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art here in Tucson. Hike at Bowen Stone House. Dance party at Slow Body. Mushroom foray with the Desert Alchemist on Mount Lemmon. And children activities at the Sunnyside Foundation Big Burrito Run. And whereas partners facilitating and supporting this initiative include Reinas Juhaik, Mountain Mamas, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Mexican American Heritage and History Museum, Sonoran Institute, Chispa, Arizona, Poder Latinx, Latinos Outdoors, Mi Familia en Acción, and Familias Unidas Ganando Accesibilidad. and the City of Tucson's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, which was adopted unanimously by the Mayor and Council in 2023. And whereas 87% of the 122 actions included in the Tucson Climate Action Plan, Tucson Resilient Together, have been advanced. And whereas Latinos and other historically excluded communities in Tucson have faced unequal access to parks, rivers, trails, and other natural spaces. And whereas public lands, trails, and natural spaces belong to everyone, and equitable access to nature and cultural sites is essential to the well-being of the Latino community, contribute to local economies, and foster community connection. whereas we support these priorities because we believe it is a moral obligation to protect our natural resources, public lands, and heritage for future generations. Now, therefore, I, Regina Romero, Mayor of the City of Tucson, Arizona, do hereby proclaim September 12th, 2026, through September 20th, my birthday, 2026, as Latino Conservation Week in Tucson and encourage all residents, community organizations to participate in Latino Conservation Week activities and commit to advance equitable access to nature for the Latino community. And witness whereof, I have here on to set my hand and cause the seal of the city of Tucson, Arizona to be affixed this ninth day of September, 2026. Congratulations.

Thank you so much. I'm here on behalf of Arizona Mountain Mamas, also Reynas Who Hike. And I just want to thank mayor and council, not just for this beautiful proclamation, but just for being there when the work needs to get done, when it comes to protecting our environment and our natural resources. And even though we have really good leaders, great leaders at the table for the Latino community, it's always important to be the voice. and not let others be our voice, right? And so that's what this is all about. 11 different organizations have come together to make sure that Latino Conservation Week is going to be a big fiesta in nature. So thank you so much.

Thank you everyone. I just wanted to share with you all that I think it's safe to say that we've throughout these years we've been through a lot. We've all been through a lot and I know that our parks have been one of the safe havens for a lot of people. It has been a way of wellness and mental health for a lot of us and Every day we get the chance to step outside. So I encourage you to take a state of mindfulness with you, to be in that state of mindfulness so that you can enjoy what we have and being grateful for our health, what we do have and any goals that you're working on in your wellness, to remember that your breath is always with you. And when we take these hikes, it's a moment of mindfulness and taking care of ourselves, but also taking care of each other because we know that that's what truly makes a change is being there for each other and coming together. So that's why it's not just one of us. It's a whole group of us putting in work and just being there for each other. So I thank you all for being here and just remember to breathe.

Hello, all. I'm Rebecca Perez with the Wilderness Society. And I just want to extend an invitation to everyone to come to our activities for Latino Conservation Week. This has been a collaborative effort through a bunch of organizations, but community members as well. And it's an inviting space, a place to build community. So I just want to remind you all that you are welcome. You're welcome in our outdoors. And if you can't make it, to one of our events you can enjoy one of the many public lands that we have here in tucson and just you know step outside

Hello, everyone. Thank you, Mayor and Council. We really appreciate you, and I appreciate all of our partners at different organizations. I'm here on behalf of Chase Barizona, and we're so grateful for all the collaboration and advocacy from both Mayor and Council and from our partners, and this is so exciting to us. This has been a long time coming, and so... We really also want to extend an invitation to one of our events, which we are getting young folks out, but also just all members of the community out to Mount Lemmon on a mushroom foray, which we will be teaching community members about land stewardship, about learning about the plant diversity in the area, but also have been mindful of not taking more than they need, how else that they can identify with the area around them. So, yeah, we're just, you know, we're hoping to teach the youth and other community members a lot more about our non-human community members as well. So, thank you.

Alrighty, so I'm going to go to the dance party at Slow Body for sure. I don't know about the 8 o'clock in the morning hike, but...

um can we take a picture and then yeah come on squish in council colleagues too everybody

Alrighty, happy Latino Conservation Week. Alrighty, Vice Mayor.

Buenas tardes. Good afternoon, everyone. I wanted to ask Maris and Ms. Erica Quintero if y'all could come forward to receive this award on behalf of Samia. So I was really honored to have Ms. Quintero reach out to share the big news about Samia Posadas' Best Actress Jimmy Award. Congratulations, Mama, for raising such a talented human being that makes Tucson really proud. Mrs. Quintero and I grew up TOGETHER IN THE SUNNY SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND WE BOTH GOT TO PLAY TENNIS, AND WE HAD AN AMAZING TENNIS COACH, STACY HAINES, WHO INVESTED IN THE STUDENT ATHLETES AND REALLY GAVE US OPPORTUNITIES WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD OTHERWISE, AND I SEE THAT IN YOUR TEACHING AND HOW MUCH YOU CARE ABOUT STUDENTS AS A THEATER TEACHER, SO THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE AND CARE YOU GIVE TO ALL OUR STUDENTS. SO WE WANTED TO JUST TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY RECOGNIZE SAMIA AND TELL HER THAT THE CITY IS REALLY PROUD OF HER ACHIEVEMENTS.

So proud of our teachers in this community that give so much to our wonderful students. And mom, congratulations on, because it takes moms and families, it takes a village to help a child with their dream. And so thank you so much. I'm just going to read the recognition of excellence to Samia Posadas, Best Actress Jimmy Awards. On behalf of the residents of the city of Tucson, it is with great pleasure that this plaque is presented to Samia Posadas in recognition of your extraordinary achievement in receiving the 2026 National High School Musical Theater Jimmy Award for Best Actress. Your exceptional talent, dedication, and perseverance has earned national recognition while bringing great pride to the Tucson community. Your accomplishments inspire aspiring artists throughout Southern Arizona and demonstrate that hard work and passion can lead to extraordinary success. May you continue to inspire others through your artistry and achieve continued success in all your future endeavors. Given under my hand and the seal of the city of Tucson, Arizona, this 21st, what is it?

Today?

Today's the 9th. This 9th of September. We had another date because we had other plans. This 9th day of September, 2026. We are so proud of you. Thank you so much. Mom, do you want to say something?

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, we are here on behalf of Samia, who unfortunately cannot be here because she's in college. She's at USC in LA right now. She just finished a three-week tour, a 13-city tour with Josh Groban going around the country, which is amazing. Thank you. Thank you. I think through it all, though, Tucson will always be home and she carries that. She owes it to all her mentors here, especially Miss Quintero in her South Point Theater. And I think this just reminds us of the support that the theater needs in Tucson because it's really what has raised her into getting her to where she is now. But she's extremely, extremely grateful. I speak for her and for our family on her behalf. Thank you.

Thank you.

I want to thank Regina, thank you, and the council, thank you, Vice Mayor. Thank you for recognizing the arts because if it wasn't for the village that we get to create, we wouldn't be able to celebrate the beautiful things that have been established here in Tucson. I'm super proud of Samia. It's not an easy fight to do, and being someone who's worked so hard her four years, and it was a battle, and she did a beautiful job. And as you know, because getting on the stage is not easy, because I made her get on the stage. It takes a lot of courage and that is something that she has done and she represented Tucson, not only just our school, but Tucson and her family and our theater family with pride and thank you for recognizing that because there's so much that we don't get to see and this is something spectacular that we get to celebrate. So thank you for acknowledging that. I appreciate that, thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it.

ITEM 2D.

APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS.

CITY MANAGERS COMMUNICATION NUMBER 252 DATED SEPTEMBER 9TH IS RECEIVED INTO MAKE PART OF THE RECORD. ARE THERE ANY PERSONAL APPOINTMENTS TO BE MADE AT THIS TIME? SEEING NONE, WE MOVE ON TO ITEM 3.

MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS, SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS.

CITY MANAGERS COMMUNICATION NUMBER 253, DATED SEPTEMBER 9TH, IS RECEIVED INTO AND MADE PART OF THE RECORD. THIS TIME HAS BEEN SCHEDULED TO ALLOW MEMBERS OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO REPORT ON CURRENT EVENTS. THESE ARE TO BE CURRENT EVENTS OF ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, NOT POSITION STATEMENTS ON POLICY ISSUES. DOES ANY COUNCIL MEMBER HAVE ANYTHING TO REPORT AT THIS TIME?

YES, OKAY, SO WE USUALLY DO.

WE CAN START WITH AWARD SIX AND THEN GO DOWN THE LINE.

Thank you, honorable mayor, members of the council. I'm going to open my current event report with a traffic violence update. For those of you who are new, I give an update of the car crashes and pedestrian crashes that have occurred since the last meeting. In an effort to keep this on our radar is something that we need to move urgently on. in terms of street safety. So on August 18th, a motorcyclist was left with life threatening injuries after a multiple vehicle crash. On August 22nd, there was a fatal pedestrian collision. On August 31st, a serious crash with life threatening injuries. On September 2nd, a car drove into a wall and the driver was left hospitalized. On September 4th, there was a motorcycle fatality. On September 6th, a two vehicle crash left a 52 year old dead at the scene after the rear ended another vehicle and struck a power pole. The other driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. And on September 8th, a bicyclist was pronounced dead at the scene after being hit by a car. Moving on to current events, an update from the Ward 6 chill space, which is the cooling center that we're operating out of our kitchen at the Ward 6 office. As of September 3rd, we've logged a total of 1,776 visits, 276 non-duplicated visits, so that's 276 individuals who have visited the chill space. We have provided 670 showers. 228 resources have been utilized, including El Rio, City of Tucson Housing, COPE, CMS, which is Community Medical Services, Sullivan Jackson, and VoteRiders. There's been 49 case management sessions and 12 local service collaborations, which also include the Pima County Health Department, St. Francis Community Services, The Haven, America's Rehab Campuses, Skerritt Foundation and Primavera. There's also been 71 pets who have been served at the Chill Space. The biggest needs for donations to support the Chill Space for the remainder of September are socks, snacks, and mini hygiene items. Upcoming current event, the City of Tucson Shelter Care Code Amendment public session feedback. It's called Gimme Shelter. It's gonna be on Sunday, September 13th, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fourth Avenue Coalition Space. This is a partnership between the Drachman Institute, the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture, also known as CAPLA, the University of Arizona, and the City of Tucson Planning and Development Services. So what it is is an interactive exhibit to help redefine how emergency shelters are regulated and land use codes. You can also learn about what other communities across the country are doing. So again, that's 11 to five at the Fourth Avenue Coalition Space. You'll be able to see interactive displays that include topics like where do you want to live? guess that homeless shelter, and if you lived in a shelter, where in Tucson would you want it to be? So I hope you can make it out on Sunday, September 13th. And then I wanted to give an update about the Sixth Avenue Protected Bike Lane project because we've gotten a lot of questions. New pavement was installed earlier this month and needs about a month to fully cure before permanent markings can be applied. The striping currently visible on 6th Avenue is temporary and is not the permanent configuration. Temporary markings help guide traffic while the pavement cures and allow the project team to confirm that everything is properly positioned before installing the permanent design. So in the coming weeks, crews will install the final reflective thermoplastic striping, which includes the white and green markings that will more clearly identify the bike lanes, parking areas, and other roadway uses. After that, the project will receive its final protective elements, which include precast curbs, vertical separation, and additional signage. with that work being expected to continue into early October. So if you're on 6th Avenue and the current configuration looks unfinished or it isn't clear where parking and bike lanes will ultimately be located, just know that what you're seeing is not the finished product. It's an interim condition while the new pavement cures and crews prepare to complete the protected bike lane. And then finally, I want to close by acknowledging that it's been a week since the loss of two of our LGBTQIA plus community members, Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara, in a violent attack outside of beloved neighborhood Bar Venture Inn. The Ward 6 team and I want the guests and staff surrounding neighborhoods and especially Tucson's LGBTQIA plus community to know that we are with them for the long haul. Like so many queer spaces, Venture Inn has been a place where all people could walk through the door and know they're welcome. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own community. Everyone deserves to gather with friends, to hold the hand of someone they love, to walk into a neighborhood bar and to go home safely at the end of the night. I'm proud to be part of a mayor and council that understands that violence and hate have no place in our community. In moments like these, we respond by making it clear that LGBTQIA plus people belong in Tucson, that we're valued, and that here we hold and love one another. And I also just want to make sure that everyone knows there's a plaque just outside the council chambers here, east of the front stairs honoring Richard Heakin, a gay man who was beaten to death in 1976. His death mobilized Tucson's LGBTQIA plus community and brought hate crimes into the public discourse. 25 years after that occurred in 2002, a young gay man named Philip Wallstead was beaten to death just blocks from Catalina Park. where a candlelight vigil was held last week in honor of Cameron and Vinnie. I want to thank Ted Pozelski for letting us know about this important piece of history. So in closing, we vow to never forget Richard, Phillip, Cameron, or Vinnie. Thank you.

Council Member Barajas. Thank you, Mayor. There's a lot happening across Ward 5. Here are some updates from the work happening in our community. First, please join us next Friday for our lunch meetup September 18th from 12 to 1.30 p.m. at Mr. K's Original Barbecue at 6302 South Park Avenue. We'd love to see you, hear what's on your mind, and connect over lunch. Our office has been very busy preparing for the reopening of Santa Rita Park. Please join us on Friday, October 2nd for the ribbon-cutting ceremony with activities beginning at 5 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs, your splash pad gear, skateboards, and come enjoy a special evening with family, friends, and neighbors. We look forward to celebrating the reopening of this important community space and seeing you at the park. The fun continues with our Movies in the Park series sponsored by Tucson Electric Power. We're excited to bring our community together for the first time ever to experience three evenings of movies, family fun, and time under the stars for free. Join us on Saturday, September 19th at Silver Lake Park for the movie Goat. Saturday, October 3rd at Santa Rita Park for the Super Mario Galaxy movie. Saturday, October 24th at Gunny Barreras Memorial Park for Coco. Activities begin at 6 p.m. each evening and the movies will begin after dusk. Please stay connected with our office and follow us on social media for updates and additional information. In celebration of Latino Conservation Week, Mountain Mamas and Reinas Who Hike will host an intergenerational community hike to the Bowen Stone House on Saturday, September 19th at 8 a.m. Mayor, I would love for you to come wake up early and come join me because I'll be there. This gathering will honor the Latino community's roots, contributions to the public lands while connecting families of all ages across nature and conservation. I want to thank all the neighbors who attended the Western Hills and Las Vistas pre-construction open house with me and the mayor last week. As someone who grew up in Tucson, I know how much investment matters, and it means a lot to see this investment happening here in Ward 5. Western Hills and Las Vistas have strong histories, families, and neighborhood leaders who have invested in their communities for generations. This project is helping address areas of our ward that have not received the public investment they deserve. This work is more about repaving the streets. It means safer sidewalks, intersections, bus stops, bike routes, parks, green and water infrastructure, and spaces where families can gather. This investment was possible because people came together. Our mayor, former council member Richard , Congresswoman Kirkpatrick, city departments, Pima County, community organizations, and most importantly, our Ward 5 neighbors. I AM PROUD TO BE PART OF THIS WORK AND COMMITTED TO ENSURING WARD FIVE CONTINUES TO RECEIVE THE EQUITABLE INVESTMENT OUR COMMUNITIES DESERVE. AT THE SAME TIME, THIS WEEK HAS ALSO FELT VERY HEAVY WITH THE LOSS OF OUR MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. MY HEART IS WITH THE LOVED ONES OF VINCENT AND CAMERON AND ANTHONY AND WITH EVERYONE WHO IS CARRYING THESE LOSSES, I'M REMINDED ONCE AGAIN HOW DEEPLY CONNECTED WE ARE AS A COMMUNITY. Early Monday morning on August 31st, a gunman opened fire at Venture Inn. Violence and loss of life of any kind have no place in our community. Our neighbors deserve to feel safe, supported, and welcome. We also mourn the loss of 19-year-old Anthony Valenzuela, who was killed in a shooting at Thomas J. Regional Park on September 5th. These incidents are difficult reminders of how much our community needs one another. Please know that our office is a safe space for any neighbor who needs to connect, find support, or simply know that they are not alone. Our hearts are with our community today and always. If you know someone who needs extra support, please reach out to Pima County Victim Services or the Trevor Project for crisis support and resources. I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO SHOW UP FOR ONE ANOTHER IN MOMENTS OF GRIEF, IN MOMENTS OF NEED, AND IN MOMENTS OF CELEBRATION. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MANY OF YOU AT OUR PARKS AND THROUGHOUT WARD FIVE IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS. THANK YOU.

NEW SPEAKER THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER. COUNCILMEMBER LEE. NEW SPEAKER NO ANNOUNCEMENTS, THANK YOU. NEW SPEAKER COUNCILMEMBER DALL.

NEW SPEAKER NOTHING TODAY, MAYOR.

All righty, Vice Mayor.

Hi, thank you, Mayor. I want to invite everyone to join us tomorrow, Thursday, September 10th from 530 to 7 at the El Rio Neighborhood Center for a Data Center Town Hall. We'll be talking about Tucson's new data center regulations, what they mean for our community and giving folks a chance to ask questions and share their thoughts. We hope that folks can come out and join us. I WON'T REPEAT THE MOUNTAIN MAMAS AT LATINO CONSERVATION WEEK ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT COUNCILMEMBER BARRAJAS JUST ANNOUNCED, BUT ENCOURAGING THE COMMUNITY TO SHOW UP AND BE IN COMMUNITY WITH ALL OF US IN OUR OUTDOOR SPACES. I will be joining this Sunday, September 13th, from 8 to 11 a.m., Pedales y Pajaros. So we'll be meeting at the Ward 1 office for our second Sunday ride. We're going to be riding to the Sweetwater Wetlands Park, so you're welcome to ride with us or meet us there. It's our way of partnering to celebrate Latino Conservation Week and connect with our community and enjoy some time outdoors together. Then on Sunday, September 20th, we have the Sunnyside Foundation's Burrito Run as part of their Gives Week. It's a 5K walk or run around Mission Manor Park. Check-in starting time is at 7 in the morning and the race kicks off at 8. Come out, get moving, and support our Sunnyside community. I have two recaps. It was great to spend Labor Day, having our Labor Day picnic at Joaquin Murrieta Park with our union family. We know that Labor Day is rooted in worker power and workers organizing and fighting for the rights that so many of us take for granted today. I'm grateful for everybody that showed up, who shared some of the challenges that their groups are facing and how we can continue showing up for each other. So I want to thank PELF for organizing and getting us all there. And then also just want to add my voice to the tragedy that happened last week and just join our community in honoring Cameron and Vincent. and to continue to hold our loved ones and our LGBTQ family close. At the vigil last week, there was a lot of grief, but also so much love that was surrounding us. And I'm grateful for everyone that showed up and showed that this is how we take care of each other, even through these hard moments. And just to remind people that they're never alone. And I'm glad that my colleagues here showed up in support of the families and the communities impacted by this loss.

THANK YOU MAYOR AND I DO WANT TO ADD MY VOICE UM AND UM MY PRAYERS TO THE FAMILY OF CAMERON CAPADA AND VINCENZI QUEDOS FOR THE TRAGEDY AND THE ATTACK THE BRUTAL ATTACK ON OUR LGBTQIA COMMUNITY UM AND THAT IT WAS A WONDERFUL VIGIL US COMING TOGETHER AND Really what was talked about at that vigil is that we have to continue the work. The work against homophobia, the work on easy access to illegal guns, and the work as a community to really work shoulder to shoulder and fight these injustices. TODAY MARKS THE SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL APPROVING A CLIMATE EMERGENCY. UNANIMOUSLY, WE APPROVED IT FIRST ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2020. HERE'S EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE WORKED ON SINCE THEN. WE'VE CREATED A COMMUNITY-LED CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN TO SOUND RESILIENT TOGETHER. with 87% of the plan is either completed or in progress. We created an EV roadmap with the largest electric bus fleet in the entire Southwest United States. We passed a heat action plan, which included a worker protection ordinance to protect our city employees and those that contract with the city of Tucson from exposure to extreme heat. And I'm proud of all the city departments, city staff and the city's climate action team for their continued work implementation of Tucson resilient together we still have much more work to do but I remain committed in meeting our climate goals and our carbon neutrality goals for the city of Tucson since We started in this journey and passed our climate emergency declaration. We kicked off our Tucson Million Trees initiative and happy to report since then we've planted 200,000 trees. in the city of Tucson. So lots to be proud of and lots to do. I also want to report that I had the privilege of joining Vice Mayor Santa Cruz and Council Member Barajas at the Unidos Economic Prosperity Forum, where we had the Executive Director, Arizona State Director of Unidos, really create an opportunity for us to be able to talk about our implementation of the City of Tucson's Prosperity Initiative and Unidos Economic Prosperity Agenda. This is a partnership that the City of Tucson and Pima County are holding hands on and are committed to the work of bringing down poverty in both City of Tucson and Pima County.

With that, we move on to item four.

Yes.

Oh, Council Member Cunningham, do you have anything to report? All righty, I think he texted me. He said he did not have anything to report. All righty, so we move on to item four.

City Manager's Report Summary of Current Events.

City Manager's Communication Number 254, dated September 9th, is received into and made part of the record. This time has been scheduled to allow the City Manager to report on current events.

Thank you, Honorable Mayor. Actually, no report for tonight. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Manager. We move on to Item 5.

Liquor License Applications.

City Manager's communication number 255, dated September 9th, is received into and made part of the record. Mr. Clerk, please read the liquor license agenda.

Your Honor, on the evening's agenda, we have six applications for new licenses, one application for a person transfer, one application for a person and location transfer, seven applications for special events, and one application for agent change slash acquisition of control. All applications are in compliance with city requirements. An appropriate motion would be to forward items 5B1 through 8, 5C1 through 7, and 5D1 to the state liquor board with a recommendation of approval.

May I have a motion, please? So moved, Mayor. THERE'S A MOTION. SECOND. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION? HEARING NONE, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY AGAINST? MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHTY. ITEM 6.

CALL TO THE AUDIENCE.

MR. CLERK, PLEASE READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

At this time, any member of the public is allowed to address the mayor and council on any issue except for items scheduled for a public hearing at the meeting. Call to the audience will last for 30 minutes, and speakers are limited to three-minute presentations. The green light will turn on when you're called to speak, turn yellow when you have 30 seconds remaining, and will turn red and beep when your time is up. At that time, please conclude your comments.

Mr. Clerk, do we have any requests to speak?

We do, Your Honor. All righty.

We have a lot of cards for requests to speak. So if you do hear one of the other speakers say what you intended to say, please keep your comments short so that we can go through as many speakers as we possibly can. Our first speaker is Pedro Gonzalez.

Buenas tardes. Can you hear me? Oh, okay. Well, I'm here from Barrio Viejo, and I'm not mad, not angry. I'm here today, actually, all the people that are here, it's a reunion. All the people from the barrios, all the west side, Barrio Viejo, glad to see you guys. We need to stay active, make sure we keep the city in line. I'm here to, I'm here, because I'm not mad. We support the renaming of the park to Salamon Valdenegro. And his contributions to the West Side have been an inspiration to a lot of us that are younger than him. And we're a product of that fight that happened in the 70s. And so we have a lot of respect for La Familia Valdanero, what they've done, and also all the people that were part of that fight, that took part in that fight. There's a lot of families here, and some of them passed away. And Barrio Viejo supports that. And I'd also like to say that I also, my familia, La Familia Gonzalez, supports them naming the ballpark after Stacy Redondo, because she also worked with my wife at Cario, at Dragne Montessori School. And, you know, she contributed a lot to the kids. She was a good teacher. So, you know, we support Familia Gonzalez from Barrio Viejo and Barrio Santa Rosa. But I'm glad to see you guys here, all the raza.

Thank you, Pedro. Maria Garcia. Maria Garcia. Can you use the talk mic, please? Okay. Thank you.

Okay. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. I'M HERE TO MAKE A STATEMENT FOR ALMA HERNANDEZ. SHE'S THE ARIZONA STATE REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISTRICT 20. THIS IS WHAT SHE'S WRITTEN. I AM WRITING TO REITERATE MY SUPPORT FOR RENAMING JUAN GURIETA PARK IN HONOR OF SALOMON ARBALDE NEGRO. YOU WILL BE VOTING TO HONOR A MAN WHOSE DECADES OF SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY HAVE HAD A LASTING IMPACT ON THE TUCSON COMMUNITY. AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THIS DISTRICT AND AS SOMEONE WHO PERSONALLY HAS KNOWN MR. BALDENEGRO FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS, I HAVE WITNESSED HIS COMMITMENT TO THIS COMMUNITY FIRSTHAND. HIS CONTRIBUTIONS ARE NOT SIMPLY PART OF TUCSON HISTORY. They are a part of the living history of the neighborhood and families he has spent his life serving. Salomon grew up in Barrio Hollywood and experienced firsthand inequities faced by Tucson Westside Barrios, including the lack of safe and accessible public spaces for children and families. Mr. Balenegro was the principal organizer and spokesperson for the ARIO Coalition. He stood with his community and fought for the resources and opportunities that the Tucson families deserve. His advocacy and negotiations helped lead to the creation of the real neighborhood center and the development of Joaquin Murrieta Park. THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER, HE HAS SERVED OUR COMMUNITY AS A COLLEGE ADMINISTRATOR, A LITTLE LEAGUE COACH, CATECHISM TEACHER, MENTOR, ADVOCATE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. THROUGH HIS WORK AT THE U OF A AND PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND YOU SERVICE BUREAU, HE HAS DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO EDUCATION, OPPORTUNITY, IMPROVING THE LIFE OF OTHERS. SALOMON B. BADENEGRO REPRESENTS THE LIVING HISTORY AND THE POWER OF THE COMMUNITY ADVOCACY. I RESPECTFULLY URGE THE COMMISSION TO RENAME JUAN MURRIETA PARK AS SALOMON ALBAR DE NEGRO PARK AS YOU CONSIDER FUTURE RENAMINGS TO CONTINUE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES OF SERVICE HELP BUILD THE TUCSON WE KNOW TODAY. Thank you for your consideration in honoring those who have dedicated their lives to our community. Alma Hernandez, thank you. I have a lot of the same thoughts, so I just figured I'd read her stuff. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Garcia. Cecilia Cruz-Valdenegro. Cecilia Cruz-Valdenegro.

Hello, Mayor and Council. I am Cecilia Cruz Vallenegro. Sal and I have been together for over 55 years. I met him during the El Rio Coalition's struggle to have a park be built on the west side of the city. I have intimate knowledge of his efforts in social justice, helping workers for better working conditions and equal pay, equal treatment of minorities and marginalized students from grade school to the universities. He helped change unfair laws and practices. Many of you sitting here in the audience and on the diocese have benefited by the work that Salomon has done. Salomon has been marginalized throughout his life. Lawmakers, police, politicians in particular have marginalized him. Differences of opinion have morphed into lies and character assassinations. Also of note, those character assassinations verbally have turned into physical threats, both for him and for myself and his children. One of the particular issues that has been raised today and at other times in hopes of getting you to vote against the park renaming proposal before you. The issue or charges of domestic violence were dismissed over 50 years ago because his wife knew and so did the judge that the charges were trumped up. as happened to many activists and protesters and happening now at that time. Today, some of his political enemies want to recharge him and find him guilty of something he did not do. I am a founding member of the Tucson Women's Commission that's celebrating 50 years in existence. I worked on women's issues, including domestic violence, back when they were not fashionable. I, better than anyone else, know Solomon's character. He is a hardworking, caring, and humble human being. In my over 55 years of knowing Solomon and being with him, he has never, ever been violent. His body of work is well known and should be acknowledged and recognized by you today. Do the right thing. I still have time, and I want to thank all those individuals. Thousands of letters, thousands of petition signatures, thousands of people in the city of Tucson have come to respect Salomon and are urging you to vote to rename the park. Again, they're asking for you to do the right thing. Rename the park for Solomon R. Baldinegro. Thank you.

Anthony Nelson. Anthony Nelson. Anthony Nelson. Nikon. Patricia Palomera. Patricia Palomera.

Good afternoon. My name is Patricia Palomera, and I'm a lifelong resident of the West Side community. I was born and raised in Barrio Hollywood and remained in my home on Delaware Street until I moved into Barrio El Rio, Sabaco at the time. After attending all West Side schools, Manzo Maxwell, Tucson High, attended U of A, graduated my degree in psychology and sociology and worked as a social worker for 14 years. I worked with multiple clients, many of whom were victims or perpetrators of domestic violence, women, men, and children. So I know the impact domestic violence has on our community and families. On a personal note, I also have the misfortune of seeing my mom get into a long-term relationship with a very abusive man. I heard the verbal abuse, saw the physical damage on her body, and threatening letters when she would dare to leave or call the police. My mom was forever changed and no longer the strong single mom and that independent spirited woman. She never once pressed charges on the man who stole her spirit. She was one of the main reasons I educated myself with psychology. That was my attempt to understand. After years of social work, I decided to return to school and become a teacher. The luck I had as I got a job at the school where my own two children go, which was Tully. I simply have to walk every day, and for almost 10 years, I have been a proud educator. I was also proud to be a part of the board that picked the art at the park, which included murals depicting the movement in the 70s and beautiful desert sculptures for the kids. I am proud of our community park. But when I found out they were proposing to change the name to honor Mr. Baldenegro, I found out more and asked other community members about him. I heard good things, but I also heard not so great things. When I heard about the incident reported in the newspapers back in 1973, I grew very concerned about the name change. I feel we need to raise the bar for our community's leaders. We all felt the pain when our hero Cesar Chavez was accused of assault and rape on several women and minors. I felt a quiet urge to pretend that it never happened, because he was one of my favorite personal heroes. Unfortunately, I cannot separate the man from his violence. I hear people say it was kept secret so as not to harm the movement. But here we are. What now? He wasn't held accountable prior to his death and left us all to grapple with conflict. Members of our community presented Mr. Baldinegro to be renamed the Joaquin Murrieta Part II. According to the newspaper articles, in 1973, Mr. Baldinegra was witnessed beating and kicking his wife, so much so that the gas attendants attempted to intervene, tried to help her, but they could not, and this resulted in the police being called. Mr. Salamone was arrested. It was reported in the paper. It is well documented. It is no surprise charges were not filed. I saw that happen often with my mom and clients. I also know in my private profession and life experience that likely this was not an isolated incident. I am asking not only for myself as a lifelong resident of the Westside, but also for my daughter, my son, my mom, who lives with me now. She has dementia. But I also ask for my students, their families, my neighbors, and any victims of domestic violence to please vote no on naming the park after the man who committed this act of violence towards his wife. According to my data, 61 domestic violence incidences resulted in murder in Arizona, and this number continues to grow. We cannot separate any civil rights movement in our community without first addressing our own devastating problems. We have to make the change and it starts by admonishing the acts of violence and discontinuing honoring those who have committed any of those violent acts of our community. Please vote no. Thank you, ma'am.

Hannah Glaston. Hannah Glaston.

Mayor Romero and council members, my name is Hannah Glaston, and I'm a resident of the city of Tucson. In light of the abhorrent recent murders, which several of you spoke about, of our fellow Tucsonans, and a recent mass shooting downtown, city, state, and federal officials made an urgent appeal regarding the easy access to firearms and common sense gun safety laws. I am here to ask you once again to please review your transportation policy with Lamar Advertising regarding advertising gun shows on Suntran buses and city bus benches. With the start of the fall season, two prominent gun shows will be advertising citywide about shows at either a private venue or on county-owned fairground land. We cannot simultaneously talk about easy access to firearms without also discussing signs on our transit stops and using our buses as moving billboards highlighting gun shows. In 2024, California was successful in banning gun shows from county properties. Obviously, until our state legislature passes a similar law here, we may continue to have our fairgrounds unfortunately used in this manner. In 2023, the former city attorney and my former ward six council member, a gun control advocate himself, told me that it is legal to advertise gun shows in this manner and that the city's hands are tied. But I have not given up. because I know we can do better. I think that we can more widely interpret our current city policy or change the policy to more directly respond to gun show marketing. I believe the wording, for example, avoid displaying material not suitable for viewing by minors, alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, rings that bell. This does not preclude gun shows from advertising. The numerous bright yellow yard style signs littering prominent intersections already give gun shows adequate city land to advertise on. Let's look at our city advertising policy with an eye toward making our city safer. In doing so, we would not be openly supporting gun shows nor violating anyone's right to conduct business. I think we can do this. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Claston. J.P. Salvatierra. J.P. Salvatierra.

Madam Mayor, Councilman, JP Salvatierra, I'm not retained, native Tucsonan, and a real estate broker here. I would like to congratulate Sal and Ceci for a very long and productive relationship. And I honestly consider them sal de la tierra, salt of the earth. They're very wonderful people. They are the reason why we have challenges to issues within our community that don't seem appropriate. They have also supported open space in El Rio. neighborhood it seems awkward to have a park named after you know a ballad sure but not a park named after a bandito you know instead of someone who has supported civil rights equal minority respect that gave us el rio golf course that gave us open space these beautiful areas that we enjoy in our community because it transferred over throughout the entire metropolitan area. I would also like for anyone that feels so inclined, my own ward five councilman or others, to ask that there be a study session ITEM TO ADDRESS WHAT THERE IS IN PROP 421, THE TEP CONTRACT THAT WE'RE GIVING AWAY. things that our city attorney Roy Lust can give us a really clear identification of what it is that we will lose over the 20-25 year period of this contract. It's a very difficult thing for us to give up all our hopes and aspirations just so that we can create a nest egg for future dividends to shareholders by a foreign proxy entity that does not help. They ignore the fact that we have tornadic events devoted by or not acknowledged by the National Weather Service and the fact that it's not an issue to them because that supports them. They get paid when we replace these telephone poles instead of undergrounding everything and supporting our beautiful native desert and the community we love and share together. This is something very important to all of us, and we can never forget that. So thank you very much.

JP, thank you. Karen Torres, Karen Torres. Okay, Eddie Rios.

Thank you, Mayor and Council. First of all, I have lived in El Rio Monzo all my life, except now that I wanted to get a nice house. I went over to Menlo Park. They had sidewalks so I could roller skate. But the issue here tonight is. Where do we look for positive role models? I found one at age 13, I was involved in the Chicano movement since, and I'm an eyewitness to seeing how Salomon was able to mentor a lot of people like myself, and community members. He put his soul into the movement itself. He sacrificed a lot of criticism. He could not get a job for years because they thought he was a communist. I don't know how you can become a communist one year and then a Chicano. That was very mind-blowing for me. Of course, I was sanctioned by my mother to make sure that I was involved with the right people. And she said, ,, go and do what you think is in your heart. And let me tell you what I'm telling you today. are the greatest people that I have known. They put their guts in the front of the room and did what we needed to do, is question society, question rules and regulations. Question, what is justice for this community? I saw it today with all of you mentoring the ones from the Conservation League here. I think that's beautiful. Did you see their smiles? When they were taking the pictures, there were great smiles. They were glad that somebody was caring about them, somebody was mentoring to them, somebody that was giving leadership skills to them. That's what we need and it's continuing very well. I think the city of Tucson has a great record of citizen participation since 50 years ago. We remember the model cities days. They involve people, they involve senior citizens. The same thing is happening today in this city and under the leadership of the mayor and the city council, which is good. But in terms of the park, we need a physical site where we can look up and say, that's Salomon Park. He was once a civil rights leader. He was once a leader that decided to improve our community. That's why we need that park renamed today. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Rios. Andy Morales. Andy Morales.

Hi, my name is Andy Morales, mayor, council members. I think I know most of you. I rise in favor of renaming the new Sawpaw Fields at Kennedy Park after Stacy Redondo. Her parents are here, Alice and Renee. I am not currently a resident of Tucson, but I was born here. FORTY YEARS NOW, TWO-THIRDS OF MY LIFE IN THE CITY OF TUCSON AT THE SCHOOL IN MR. DALL'S NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I'VE BEEN REPORTING ON HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS THROUGHOUT PIMA COUNTY FOR THE LAST 20-PLUS YEARS, AND MY DAD uh he used to sit in that seat so and these are a lot of his friends back here but he would be so proud with makeup of this council because you guys don't look like those people with respect to mr doll but um but he was also proud of stacy stacy went to cholla high school and she passed away sadly three years ago She was part of Mike Andrea's two national softball championship teams. Like myself, she was almost a lifelong teacher in this city. It's a non-political thing. It should be a no-brainer. And I met her in college, and I retouched with her when she was a coach at South Point, her three kids. And I believe she has cousins here. Her three children couldn't make it, her sister, and yeah, It should be a no-brainer. Take the Latina part out, she's a daughter of this city. And what she accomplished, and the softball community loves her. And I don't want to comment on Saul, although they were contemporaries. But I do want to make one pitch. The Reid Park Annex should be named Eddie Leon Complex before it's too late. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Morales. Joan Leonetti.

I haven't been around here in a long time. Joan Mayonetti, former executive director of Tucson Clean and Beautiful for 30 years, working. Starting recycling with phone book recycling land stewardship with starting adoptive parks in 1987 where we have thousands of volunteers out on a regular basis and the cost-benefit analysis to the city in the county is outstanding founder of trees for Tucson in 1989 and Thanks, Rohina, for carrying trees forward. I will tell you, you've done a great job in supporting all of the efforts in this community to address the need for trees in the desert. I'm also the founder of the development of El Paseo de los Arboles in Ward 5, the Children's Memorial Park in the county, the Children's Memorial Park in Ward 4, and the Tree Park in Ward 4. by responsibility, meaning that this community is so behind environmental issues and our land stewardship is incredible. So it gives me great privilege to be able to be here to honor Solomon Baldinegra. I have worked in every ward in this community and I will tell you some of the finest moments have been out in neighborhoods and addressing land stewardship, recycling, waste reduction, all of the things that make us all proud of the community. I want to comment and address the fact that we have all these commissions that help advise the Marin Council. Each one of you had a representative on the commission. The commission unanimously voted and advised you to please accept Solomon Baldenegra change in the Moretta Park. I encourage you to follow that. I would also like to compliment Ward 1. I attended your program in your efforts to review the application process and I thought it was run excellently and it was extremely productive and I hope the things that we addressed about the process are addressed in the short term, not the long term. So it is with great privilege that I please urge you to support this name change. And support the people on the commission who represent you. And represent our community.

Flor Burruel. Flor Burruel.

Can I use this one?

This one's taller. Buenas tardes, Mayor and Council. I do want to say that I am angry and I am not a political enemy. I am a first generation Chicana and a product of Chicano studies and the ethnic studies movement that fought along with many others to keep our culture and history in our schools. I'm here tonight to speak in opposition of renaming Joaquin Murrieta Park after Salva de Negro. It's 2026 and I really think we should have learned by now to stop idolizing men at the expense of the movements and the communities that they're a part of. I also want to be clear that this isn't about erasing the Chicano movement or denying South's place in Tucson history. It's about asking who and what we're choosing to honor in our public spaces. There are significant and well documented concerns about Salvador De Niro's history with domestic violence, and I don't believe someone who abused their spouse should have a public park named after them, period. Beyond that, I think that we need to ask ourselves what exactly we're honoring when we put one person's names in a public space. The Chicano movement was never the work of one man. It spans generations of people who marched, organized, sacrificed, raised children, built community, faced state violence, and put their blood, sweat, and labor into creating something bigger than themselves. So much of that work was done by people, mostly women and femmes, who were often behind the scenes at home making sure movements could actually function. Children also grew up in these movements and sacrificed parts of their childhood experiencing the consequences of that same violence. Many of those people who are here in this room and will never have their name recognized. Our movements and our achievements are collective. Chicanos are an ecosystem and every person plays a role. None of us exist in isolation and no single person should be elevated above the people who made this work possible. Chicanos are not a monolith. There are West Siders, Tucson residents, movement leaders, community members, and survivors of domestic violence who do not support this renaming. So when we take a collective movement and put one man's name on a park, especially a man with a documented history of abusing his spouse, we aren't just honoring him. We are making a choice about whose contributions become history and whose contributions disappear. I WOULD MUCH RATHER SEE THE CITY DEVELOP A PROCESS FOR MEMORIALIZING OUR HISTORY THAT ALLOWS FUTURE GENERATIONS TO BE INSPIRED BY THE WORK WITHOUT BEING ASKED TO WORSHIP ANOTHER FALSE TITLE. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WE CAN SHOW OUR CHILDREN THAT ACCOUNTABILITY, REPAIR AND HEALING ARE PART OF HOW WE MOVE FORWARD AND NOT SOMETHING WE SACRIFICE FOR THE SAKE OF UNITY. I'm just gonna take a breath. And we're going to rename public spaces. Let's honor the people, the movements, and the collective work that actually built this community. Let's make sure that the processes reflect the values we want Tucson to carry in the future. I ask that you not approve renaming things for a single person's action. It's 2026, and I have yet to meet or learn about a man who is deserving of a park, a building, or an alley named after them.

Thank you, Ms. Pluriel. Thank you. All righty, Rene Lopez.

Good evening, Mayor Romero and Council. My name is Rene Lopez, and I'm a native Tucsonan. I'm here today to ask that the new complex at Kennedy Park, excuse me, be named the state's original field at Kennedy Park. in honor of the late Stacy Redondo. I would like to establish by doing so, we're not renaming Carrick Kennedy Park. We're just adding her name to a specific location. Stacy passed in 2023 at the age of 52 from a sudden brain bleed. She was well known and respected and deeply loved member of our softball community. Thank you. I'm going to skip to the bottom. This is tough. Stacy's accomplishments didn't stop there. She was recruited by Coach Condrea for the University of Arizona, where she became the key member of the two softball programs, first two national championships. But Stacy's legacy was more than just softball. She graduated from the University of Arizona with two degrees and became an elementary school teacher. She later earned her master's degree in early childhood development. As a coach, she continued to give back to young athletes and led South Point Catholic to a state championship. Stacey has been inducted to the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Cleveland County Sports Hall of Fame, and is a member of both Roscoe's Bilingual and TUSD Hall of Fame. Stacy excelled as an educator. She was proud to be a fourth-generation Tsonan, a Hispanic bilingual teacher, and a coach who had the opportunity to influence many young lives. For those that were lucky enough to know Stacy, knew that the championships, the awards, and the Hall of Fames were only part of her story. She was outgoing, she had a contagious smile, and she could light up a room with her personality. This is the Stacey we want people to remember. The Stacey we want young athletes to know. Kennedy's Park is where Stacey's journey began. It's only fitting that a place where future generations of young athletes will learn, compete, dream, and grow should carry her name. The station on the fields at Kennedy Park would not simply just be a name on the field. It would be a reminder of what is possible when you work hard, believe in yourself, give back to your community, and never forget where you came from. It would inspire young athletes to strive for excellence, not only in sports, but in academics and in life. So today, I respectfully ask that you honor Stacey by giving her name and place to where her incredible journey began, the station on the fields at Kennedy Park, a name that would honor her past, celebrate her legacy, and inspire the future. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Lopez. Max Torres.

Good evening Honorable Mayor and Council. Thank you for the opportunity to be able to speak. I want to thank all of you for your public service. We all know that one of the hardest things to do these days is to be in your position because of the criticism that people bring against you and many times unsubstantiated. We've seen that at the national level where there's a constant retribution against people who are innocent. And I think that we need to be real careful about what we do. Let's remember that during this time, Salomon, whom I've known since 1969, that's when I first met him during the marches. I was a student at Pueblo High School, and I played hooky one day to be able to join. But don't tell my mom, please. And so anyway, I've known him since then, and... He was a real motivator. He was a great speaker. He spoke from the heart about the issues of the West Side. And he succeeded in his efforts. And in fact, some of your constituents are benefiting from his work to this day. And one of the things that came out of his efforts was El Rio Neighborhood Center. El Rio Neighborhood Center would not have happened without that activism. And what happened after that? Center after center after center after center were built throughout the entire city. There's 12 or 13 neighborhood centers and recreation centers throughout the city of Tucson. And El Rio Neighborhood Center, which happened because of the activism of this man, was the first one. And your constituents are all benefiting from those neighborhood centers. It's very easy to condemn somebody on information that is incomplete. We need to remember that because of his activism, he was not very popular in those days with law enforcement because they were having to deal with the marchers that were walking to City Hall. All right, so I'm not surprised that he was charged. Heck, anybody that is that kind of an activist would be charged. The real issue is that they dropped the charges and he was not tried and he was not convicted. So let's not make a mistake here tonight and try him with no evidence because the cops didn't have the evidence to try him. And let's not convict him for something he did not do. So lastly, I just want to say thank you to the staff who processed the application. Thank you to the Parks and Recreation Commission for their unanimous vote. And let's not drag our leaders through the mud. We have enough help from the opposition doing that. I came here at the request of 150 senior softball players that circulated a petition in support of this name change. A lot of them played at Western Little League at Murrieta Park. They signed a petition to change this name because they knew what Solomon had done for them. Let's do the right thing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Torres. These are gonna be our last two speakers. Steven Carlott. And then Ramon Olivas, Steven.

Thank you. I am going to defer because there are other speakers that seems to have a more significant and passionate thing to say, and this can wait until your next council meeting. Thanks.

Thank you, sir. And Mr. Carlott, can we, I'm gonna send a clerk to get your email and phone number so that we can follow up with you, okay? Alrighty, Ramon Olivas.

Wow, this is the first meeting here, so thank you for having me. And peace be with you, sir. I know that was hard for you to do. Anyway, my name is Ramon Olivas. I was born and raised in Barrio Hollywood and in Barrio Anita. My grandmother and my great aunts came to Barrio Anita on a wagon train before the train tracks were there. Most of my adult life, I've been a human service worker, an educator, community activist, and again, most of my adult life. Unfortunately, in my adult life, I found government personnel taking a parental, maternal role in the circumstances in which they served us. Now the Mayor, Regina, and Vice Mayor, Lane Santa Cruz, want dedicated to Barrio Anita, dictated to Barrio Anita residents that El Rincon housing units will be built at 550 West Davis, regardless of what the Barrio Anita residents wanted. We wanted to vote on it, at least give us that opportunity. And we weren't giving that vote because it was an emergency. Well, apparently there's gonna be another emergency and everybody's not gonna be able to vote. Anyway, I believe that the housing project might make Barrio Anita less safe. So I'm hoping that we all learn to live based on the values of truth, peace, love, and joy so we can all get along and we can all take care of ourselves, take care of our space. And so thank you so much, Mayor, and I'll be talking to you soon. Thank you, Ramon.

And our last speaker is George Felix. George Felix. Raquel Felix? Or George?

Good afternoon. Good afternoon. I've known Sal since we were kids. We went to junior high together, to high school, and to a lot of these juntas, gatherings, to get things done for our barrios. I was born in Barrio Blue, in an old adobe house, and making, helping my dad make adobes to sell and cut mesquite wood back in the 50s. And I've known Sal since the mid-50s, and he's always been a down-to-earth, good person. And I'd like for you to please vote yes. Thank you all. Have a great evening.

Thank you, Mr. Felix. Thank you, everyone. We have gone on for about 45 minutes, 50 minutes for a call to the audience when we usually put 30, but we wanted to make sure that we gave as many people the opportunity to speak. We are going to move to item seven.

Consent agenda.

Reports from the city manager on the consent agenda are received intimate part of the record. Mr. Clerk, you are requested to read the consent agenda items.

Your Honor, upon no objection by Mayor and Council, items 7C and 7F will be considered separately. On this evening's consent agenda, item A is approval of minutes. Item B, data sharing agreement with ADOT to support TBD crash reporting and statewide traffic safety planning. Item D, authority to acquire right of way for the Limberlost Drive Complete Streets Project, flowing Wells Road to First Avenue. Item E, Intergovernmental Agreement with Pima County Community and Workforce Development for the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement Price Home Repair Program. Item G, approval of First Amendment to lease file 1700 to extend the term of the lease between City of Tucson and Pima County for the materials testing lab located at 1313 South Mission Road, RES 2026-279. An appropriate motion at this time would be for consent agenda item 7A through G, with the exception of C and F, be passed and adopted and have the proper action taken.

May I have a motion, please? So moved, Mayor.

Second.

There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, let's go to roll call.

Mrs. Lee.

Aye.

Mr. Cunningham. Aye. Mr. Dahl. Aye. Ms. Barajas.

Aye.

Mick Schubert.

Aye.

Vice Mayor Santa Cruz.

Aye.

Mayor Romero.

Aye. The items on the consent agenda are approved by a vote of 7-0. We're considering a couple separately. Item C.

Item 17, BGA fiscal year 25, Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant Program, local solicitation.

Mr. Attorney.

Thank you, honorable members of council. We just wanted to pull this off to have a short discussion about there are some troubling conditions related to this grant, related to the programs of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as some conditions related to enforcement of immigration law. We would ask that additional direction be given on the motion directing our office to provide a cover letter stating that we do not agree to those conditions.

Alrighty, so thank you so much. You need a motion to include that language and then a motion to forward.

To approve, yes.

I'll move that forward, Mayor. Alrighty, so there's a motion.

Second.

There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion on this item? Seeing none, we need to go to roll call.

And Your Honor, before going to roll call, I would just read the resolution by number and title only. Resolution number 24179, relating to the Tucson Police Department and grants, accepting a grant in the amount of $390,696 for fiscal year 2025 from the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant Program to be shared by the City of Tucson and Pima County and declaring an emergency. Vice Mayor Santa Cruz.

Aye.

Mr. Cunningham. Aye.

Aye.

Mr. Dahl? Aye. Mrs. Lee?

Aye.

Ms. Barajas?

Aye.

Ms. Schubert?

Aye.

Mayor Romero?

Aye. The item is approved by 7-0. What are the next ones that we're going to?

Yes, item 7-F.

Okay. Item 7-F, this was removed by Councilmember Schubert.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, members of the council. I wanted to take a moment to thank all those who worked to make the price grant possible. This grant is bringing significant funding for manufactured housing residents to the city of Tucson and Pima County. Residents often face compounded challenges with their housing, especially in extreme weather and complicated legal rules around ownership. The proposal grew out of thoughtful collaboration between our two municipalities, and today's IGAs will move us forward to start the day-to-day work. I pulled item F, but technically both E and F include IGAs related to the price grant. Funds in these two IGAs will support Pima County teams to deliver home repairs and weatherization, eviction legal assistance, and direct financial assistance services to prevent eviction and support stability for manufactured housing residents. We anticipate that these funds will support more than 300 households in need of assistance. Thank you to Mayor Romero and the city council members who provided leadership in bringing these funds to Tucson. Thank you to our incredible HCD team, including Jason Thorpe, Ann Chenneka, and Andrew Paredes for your consistent efforts over the past nearly three years to bring this grant to fruition, and to Thelma Magallanes for her leadership and grant implementation. Thank you to the remarkable staff of Pima County's Community and Workforce Development, especially Andy Flagg, Dan Sullivan, Leonora Anderson, Gloria Valenzuela, Cassandra King, and Gabriella Lugo, who are on the ground every day responding to hundreds of calls to support families to stay in their homes. I'm extremely proud to see this initiative getting underway in our community. Thank you for giving us a moment to recognize it.

Thank you, Council Member Schubert, for pulling this item. And I do want to thank some people because this really was the work at a time when we were really daring to dream and push the envelope in terms of what the needs of our community dictated. We first led as a council in putting together the housing affordability strategy for Tucson, where we really laid out an action plan of the work we needed to do for affordable housing. I deeply believe in investing in areas of our community. And every piece, every single inch of Tucson deserves investment. Yet there are areas of our community that had been historically disinvested in. And the work cannot stop, especially areas and, you know, people that live in mobile homes that are sometimes the most vulnerable and the most in need. And so during the Biden administration, we really, you know, pushed forward with the help of our city manager, Liz Morales, our assistant city manager, ANCHA NECAR DIRECTOR OF HOUSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORIN MANNING AT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND SO MANY OTHER PARTNERS INCLUDING PIMA COUNTY THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AND THEIR WORK AND RESEARCH PODER CASAS MOVILES THE CITY OF TUCSON IDEA INNOVATION FOR JUSTICE AND OTHERS THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER you know, all of the information that proves that the needs, the areas of needs are still there and that we have to continue investing as a city. So thank you to all that participated. I'm glad that we're seeing this move forward. The city of Tucson applied for $22 million, but we ended up receiving $11.5 million from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Price is intended to preserve affordable manufactured housing. and prevent displacement of low and moderate income residents that usually are the most vulnerable in our community. So muchas gracias, thank you all so much for this work and thank you Council Member Schubert for pulling, deciding and recognizing the work in front of us. So with that, we need to read the resolution number and then move forward.

Yes, Your Honor, I'll go ahead and read the item into the record followed by the resolution number. So item 7F, Intergovernmental Agreement with Pima County Community and Workforce Development for the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement Price Emergency Inviction Legal Services. Resolution number 24174 relating to intergovernmental agreements approving IGA between the City of Tucson and Pima County Community and Workforce Development for the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement, Emergency Eviction Legal Services, and declaring an emergency.

And we need a motion to move forward.

Correct.

May I have a motion, please? So moved.

Second.

There's a motion and a second. And we do need to go to roll call.

McShubert.

Aye.

Mr. Cunningham? Aye. Mr. Dahl? Aye. Mrs. Lee?

Aye.

Ms. Barajas? Aye. Vice Mayor Santa Cruz?

Aye.

Mayor Romero?

Aye. The item is approved by a vote of 7-0. And we're done with item seven.

Yes, ma'am.

All righty, we move on to item eight.

Rezoning, City Manager's Report, TP-ENT-426-0008, El Toro Square, East Bellevue Street, and Speedway Boulevard, R1 to C2.

City Manager's communication number 250, dated September 9th, is received into and made part of the record. This is the request to rezone 0.84 acres of a 1.66 acre development site from R1 to C2 for a commercial shopping center. The subject site is located approximately 375 feet west of the Wilmont and Speedway intersection on the north side of Speedway at 6216 EAST BELLEVUE STREET AND ENCOMPASSES FIVE INDIVIDUAL PARCELS IN THE AREA BOUNDED BY SPEEDWAY BOULEVARD, ROOK AVENUE AND BELLEVUE STREET. THE ZONING EXAMINER RECOMMENDS AUTHORIZATION OF ZONING SUBJECT TO CERTAIN CONDITIONS. IS THE APPLICANT OR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE APPLICANT PRESENT?

Good evening, Madam Mayor and members of the Council. My name is Lexi Wellett. I'm with the Planning Center, and we're located at 2 East Congress here in downtown, and I represent the property owner here.

Ms. Wellett, are you agreeable to the proposed requirements?

Yes, Madam Mayor, we are, and I would just like to extend my gratitude to the Council here, and particularly Council Member Schubart and her team at Ward 6. It's been a phenomenal process working through them, and I couldn't thank you all more for the support. AND AS I NOTED WE AGREED TO THOSE CONDITIONS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.

SO WE NOW GO TO COUNCIL'S PLEASURE. WHAT IS THE COUNCIL'S PLEASURE?

MADAM MAYOR, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE REZONING TO C2 SUBJECT TO THE ATTACHED PRELIMINARY CONDITIONS. THERE'S A MOTION.

SECOND. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY AGAINST? MOTION CARRIES. READY, WE MOVE ON TO ITEM NINE.

REZONING CITY MANAGED REPORT TP-ENT-0426-00009 COPPER AVENUE PARTNERS COPPER STREET R2 TO I1.

City Manager's Communication Number 251, dated September 9th, is received into and made part of the record. This is a request to rezone approximately 7.82 acres from R2 residential to I-1 light industrial zoning. The zoning site is located at 11... 1160 feet north of Grant Road and 220 feet west of Jackrabbit Avenue. The zoning examiner recommends authorization of zoning subject to certain conditions. Is the applicant or representative of the applicant present?

Madam Mayor, mayors of the council, my name is Steven Vasquez. I'm with Rick Engineering at 3945 East Fort Lowell, and I represent the owner.

Mr. Vasquez, are you agreeable to the proposed requirements and the development?

Yes, ma'am.

All righty. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. What is the council's pleasure on this item?

Madam Mayor, I move we pass and adopt resolution number... No, we do this rezoning. Approve the request for authorization to rezone as recommended by the zoning examiner for rezoning with any additional conditions.

Alrighty, so there is a motion. Second. There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? Motion carries. Alrighty, item 10.

Proposal to rename Joaquin Murrieta Park to Solomon R. Bandenegro Park.

You know what? I wanted to make sure the Vice Mayor is here because this is in Ward 1. And then the next item is also in Ward 1. So here. There she is. I'm sorry. We got to your item first. All righty. So let's see. Vice Mayor, did you want to hear item 11 and then item 12, or in order? I mean, item 11 and then 10? 11 and then 10. All righty, so we move to item 11.

Proposal to name the new softball complex at Kennedy Park, Stacy Redondo Fields.

City Manager's Communication Number 261, dated September 9th, is received into and read part of the record. Mr. Clerk, you are requested to read Resolution 24178 by number and title only.

Resolution Number 24178, relating to Parks and Recreation, authorizing and approving the naming of the Kennedy Park Softball Complex to the Stacy Redondo Field and declaring an emergency.

What is the council's pleasure?

Vice Mayor. Yeah. Hi, Mayor. Before I move with the motion, I just wanted to comment that this is not a renaming, but a naming of a new softball complex at Kennedy Park. As we heard from her family, Stacey was a fourth-generation Tucsonan, an excellent softball player, coach, and dedicated teacher. She grew up playing softball at Kennedy Park. and continued her career at Cholla High School and then the University of Arizona. Stacey was a proud member of the first two national softball championship teams at the U of A in 1991 and 1993. She was then an assistant coach and later head softball coach at South Point Catholic High School and is in their Hall of Fame. We all know that she loved teaching and was an elementary teacher for TUSD. AND HER TEACHING CAREER LED HER THROUGH HOLLINGER, LYNN URQUIDA, CE ROSE, DROCKMAN MONASORI MAGNET, AND LASTLY AT ROSS GRUGE BILINGUAL MAGNET, WHERE SHE TAUGHT THIRD GRADE MIDDLE SCHOOL GATE PROGRAMS, AND SHE'S LOVED AND MISSED BY COUNTLESS STUDENTS, PLAYERS, AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS. SO WITH THAT, I MOVE THAT WE PASS AND ADOPT RESOLUTION 24178. I SECOND.

THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? Council Member Barajas.

I'm really proud to see this happening as somebody that played softball at Tucson Mount Little League at Kennedy Park and a graduate of Troya that played softball. Just know that Stacy Redondo was somebody that a lot of us looked up to even though I never got the chance to meet her. So just know that she made a difference in us and she was an inspiration. So thank you all for being here to the family. And I'm excited to return back and Maybe practice a little because I'm a little rusty right now, but thank you.

AND I TOO WANT TO ADDRESS THE FAMILY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REQUESTING, SUBMITTING THE REQUEST TO NAME THIS NEW SOFTBALL FIELD AT KENNEDY PARK THE STACEY REDONDO FIELDS. I'VE BEEN TO THE RIBBON CUTTING OF THE NEW COMPLEX AND IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SPACE AND THERE'S new generations of young girls looking up to Stacy Redondo. And, you know, she was not just a softball player. She was a beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, cousin, friend. She is remembered for her contagious smile and warm personality that could light up any room. Fourth generation Tucsonan, Stacy proudly embraced her Hispanic heritage and served as a coach and bilingual teacher and influenced so many of our young kids in this city. So as a person that was there on the council when we passed funds for our parks, This is exactly what we imagined, that the community would embrace these new spaces and that we would name it because naming it is so important for the young kids that play in those fields today. So thank you so much for bringing it. Thank you, Vice Mayor, for presenting it to us. And I appreciate the family being here. Thank you so much. I DO SEE COUNCILMEMBER CUNNINGHAM'S HAND UP. COUNCILMEMBER CUNNINGHAM, DID YOU WANT TO INCLUDE ANYTHING?

I JUST WANTED TO, I'M PRETTY SURE, I'M NOT SURE IF FALIS IS THERE, BUT RENEE, MR. RODONDO, AND ANDY, THANKS FOR COMING OUT. I DON'T KNOW IF GENIE'S THERE. I WENT TO MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH HER, ACTUALLY, AND I'M FAMILIAR WITH STACY AT THE U OF A WHEN WE WERE THERE AT THE SAME TIME. The big thing I think with Stacy is she belonged to so many different Tucson families. The Redondo family primarily, of course, but she's also part of the South Point family and part of the Roscoe family, part of the U of A softball family. And, you know, it's really special for Tucson to have this moment. And I hope everybody remembers to bear down. And I think we should take the next step in figuring out how to properly decorate the field in her honor. So those are the those are my thoughts on this and I'm proud to vote for it. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Any other comments? Hearing none. We do need to go to work.

Vice Mayor Santa Cruz.

Aye.

Mr. Cunningham. Aye. Mr. Dahl? Aye. Mrs. Lee?

Aye.

Ms. Barajas?

Aye.

Ms. Schubert?

Aye.

Maria Romero?

Aye. Resolution 24178 passes by a vote of 7-0.

Congratulations to the family.

Thank you all for coming. Alrighty. So lots of games at Stacy Redondo Softball Complex. Looking forward to it. Alrighty. We move back to item 10.

Proposal to rename Joaquin Murrieta Park to Salomon R. Valdenegro Park.

City Manager's communication number 260 dated September 9th is received into and made part of the record. Mr. Clerk, you are requested to read resolution 24177 by number and title only.

Resolution number 24177 relating to parks and recreation to approve and authorize renaming Joaquin Murrieta Park to Salomon R. Valdenegro Park and declaring an emergency.

What is the council's pleasure?

Hi, Mayor, I wanted to have some remarks before I make a motion. As we've heard tonight and over the past couple of months through this renaming process, we know that naming is never neutral. What we name and what we choose to rename tells our community who and what we value. Leading up to the current park renamings, I had been hearing from folks who felt tied to existing names because they represent a connection, a marker, memories of family events. and that changing the name feels like an erasure of something that they hold on to. I know that change is hard and that is why I believe in a process, even when we don't end up aligned at the end of it. Going through an iterative process means I get to be informed by multiple perspectives and experiences before I ultimately am tasked with approving, denying, or amending a recommendation. So we... We're already moving on the Parks Commission renaming recommendation when the sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez surface. And that has put us in a reckoning for how we name and honor people. Many of us are sitting with that harm that this brings up, the harm of having lived with silence, harmful and violent experiences. And this is why in August, my office hosted a community conversation on park naming and renaming at El Rio Neighborhood Center with constituents and stakeholders from across the city. My intention was to bring people together so I could hear directly from them about the values that we need to build into a revised administrative directive for city asset namings and renamings. What came back from stakeholders touched on naming criteria for both parks and park amenities, naming and renaming processes, community voice and engagement, equity and representation, how we handle harm discovered in an honoree, restorative justice, healing, and alternative ways to honor someone beyond a park name. So I believe in trauma-informed approach to local government and one that accounts for intersectional historical context that takes seriously the physiological effects of trauma and can communicate that transparently, also that it can empower survivors of violence to have a real stake in decisions that affect them. So that is the foundation for the direction that I'm about to move. So with that, I move that mayor and city council direct the city manager to place a moratorium on the naming and renaming of city assets effective immediately and direct staff to revisit administrative directive 10219 to include clear and specific criteria for evaluating a name's character and contribution, including how community harm is accounted for, if any. establish a process by which naming renaming submittals are made directly to the city manager's office rather than to individual city departments and review and make recommendations for the extent and adequacy for community engagement for such requests and establish a time frame for completing this revision and reporting back to council that is in the form of a motion

May I have a second, please? I second. There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Council Member Dahl?

Thank you, Mayor. I'm not going to support this motion because I was prepared to vote for the Salmon-Baldinegro Park, given the overwhelming support, community support for it. I would support the motion after we voted for this, but I'm not going to support it at this point. Thank you.

Any others? Council Member Cunningham?

Yeah, I'm not going to support this one. I'm not prepared to make this unilateral decision. To not be able to rename a park bench or a small city asset or find common ground on alternative ways to name things by placing a moratorium on everything, I think that's a little much. So I'm out.

Alrighty. Alrighty, any others? Councilman Lee.

I will just say, because I like to be transparent about what I'm thinking, in decisions that are related to a ward, I always support my colleagues in the ward decision, because I quite frankly don't like them telling us what I should do in ward four. I think that's what I'm elected to do. In this situation, though, going citywide, in this item does feel too much for me as well. So I think I'm gonna vote no on this particular part because it does feel very large for what is in front of us in this moment. So that's where I'm at for today. If it were purely on the park in Ward 1, I would 100% go with whatever the Vice Mayor wanted to do with that specific park, but this is broader, so I have to look citywide at this.

Already, Council Member Vargas? Yeah, no, I really do think we need to reevaluate the system with the renaming because I've just been here in this office for nine months and I've received so many questions about benches, fields, park renaming, streets, corridors, bridges. I just feel like right now we need to really reevaluate a holistic process and do a robust community engagement to let the community know what the steps are because there is a lot of confusion right now within I could speak in Ward 5, within Ward 5.

Right. I, too, will be supporting the motion because I feel as though, just like you, we have to put much more time into the process and protocol. And I, you know, I... I'm deeply concerned about the reported and documented acts that we have been presented. And so I agree that we should take our time and put it together, have a timeline. And while we do that, we, put a moratorium on this. So Council Member Barajas.

And I just wanna say there's a lot of community leaders here who I respect and I think right now we need to, again, think about the process because it does take a lot of time and energy and I don't discredit the work that you all have done, but I wanna make sure that Every action we take today is going to be in place for the future generation beyond our lifetime. So this is something serious that I don't take lightly. I don't take all sides lightly. And again, I just really want us to be very intentional with the next steps.

All righty. So we do need to go to roll call.

Vice Mayor Santa Cruz.

Aye.

Mr. Cunningham. Nay. Mr. Dahl. No. Mrs. Lee?

No.

Ms. Barajas?

Aye.

Ms. Schubert? Aye. Mayor Romero?

Aye. Resolution 24177 fails by a vote of 4-3. All righty. Passes. Oh, passes, I'm sorry. Passes by a vote of 4-3. Yes, okay.

Yeah.

Do you want to clarify, Mr. Cliff?

Yeah, so the motion was the motion made by Vice Mayor Santa Cruz to establish the moratorium. So that's the motion that passes, not the resolution.

The motion passes. Okay. Item 12.

Adjournment.

Council will stand adjourned. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be on Tuesday, September 22nd at or after 5.30 p.m. Thank you, everyone.