WE ARE D5 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
December 2023
Hi friends,
Can you believe that this is the last D5 Newsletter for 2023? The year has flown by, and I'd like to take this chance to reflect on some of the highlights of the past twelve months.
It was a privilege to have been elected the Chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors in January and to have been the first Latina to serve in this position. In February, I was thrilled to visit over 40 schools to participate in Love of Reading, and in March we continued to celebrate our young people with the exhibition event of our 2nd Annual D5 Youth Art Contest. Earth Day in April saw D5 out in the weeds-- literally-- cleaning up the community. In June, our office was very proud to help coordinate Pima County's first ever PRIDE celebration, and in July we welcomed our newest D5'er, Naomi. In August, I was glad to sit down with Governor Katie Hobbs and Mayor Regina Romero during a Housing Continuum Round Table to provide Governor Hobbs insight into the housing policies and efforts that Pima County has been carrying out. In September, it was a privilege to attend the inauguration of the new Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, Chairman Verlon Jose and Vice Chairwoman Carla Johnson. In October, I was happy to share in remembering the legacy of the late District 5 Supervisor Richard Elías as Emerge opened their new offices, named in his honor, and in November, Pima County hosted their first ever Native American Heritage Celebration!
It's been an incredible year full of growth, learning, and exploration. Looking back, I'm reminded that each day I have the great honor to serve this community and how fortunate we are to live in this special place. I hope that you and all of your loved ones have a very happy holiday season and I look forward to the New Year with a sense of hope and appreciation for every single person in our District 5 familia.
As always, we are here to serve our community so please feel free to reach out to our office at district5@pima.gov anytime and follow us on social media to stay updated on what we are up to.
Thanks,
(Para español, haga click en el botón de arriba a la derecha y seleccione el idioma español.)
THE PEOPLE OF DISTRICT 5
YOUTH SPOTLIGHT
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Fernanda Isabel Cota Roman is ten years old (almost eleven), and is in fifth grade in Mission View Elementary School. In her own words she says, "I want to go to the U of A to learn about to how to be a surgeon and what kind of surgeon I want to be. My future career goal is to have a well-paying job, for example becoming a surgeon will let me earn more patients, and becoming a well-known surgeon is going to get a lot of money. My future career goal is to also help people who need help, becoming a surgeon will help me save lives. When I get promoted from fifth grade and go to sixth, I want to start learning about the human body and about being a surgeon, and then afterwards I want to go to medical school to become a surgeon. My hobbies are drawing, listening to music, doing puzzles, playing Roblox, researching about the human body and learning about anything. I am proud that in most of my test in Spanish, English, and math I get a score of 80-100% and that is incredibly good score that I usually get."
Congratulations Fernanda!
D5 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
VECINOS IN ACTION
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Photo: Courtesy of This Is Tucson
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Photo from the D5 Visit to the Food Bank
D5 is thrilled to welcome back one of our old favorite businesses, Cafe Passé! In the 18th months that it has been closed, this 4th Avenue staple has been renovated and revitalized to welcome back customers. The expanded kitchen has allowed for new menu offerings that will be sure to tempt the palate, while the lounge and bar area will delight the eyes. Stay up to date on their hours and menu with their Instagram!
Many thanks to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona for everything that they do to alleviate food insecurity for so many in our community! D5 was proud to volunteer with the Community Food Bank this month and see first-hand the work that goes into creating food boxes. This holiday season, consider donating food products or your time and help this organization tackle the challenge of food insecurity in Southern Arizona!
POLICY UPDATES
Welcome Dr. Sylvia Lee,
Pima County District 3 Supervisor!
DECEMBER
Care In Action Awards Celebration
It was a beautiful evening to join Care in Action US tonight in celebrating some wonderful mujeres! ¡Felicidades to Cecilia Valdez, the first ever recipient of the Women in Labor Award, and the other amazing women recognized, Mayor Regina Romero, Tucson Council Member Lane Santa Cruz, and Cinthia Garcia, community organizer and public servant! Such a beautiful evening celebrating you all!
Cirque du SoGayla
A thrilling time at the Cirque du SoGayla hosted by the Tucson LGBT Chamber of Commerce this evening! Glad to be invited to this wonderful holiday party full of festivity, creativity, and excitement— from the outfits to the food to the activities, there was no shortage of celebration Happy Holidays to all and thank you to the “Gaymber” for your advocacy, support, and dedication to the LGBTQIA+ community and to Tucson!
"In Memory Of" Unveiling
Unveiling one of Tucson’s newest public art pieces— the beautiful “In Memory Of” memorial mural at Mission Manor Park, dedicated to the many family members, friends, and loved ones who passed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you to the very talented Alex! Jimenez and Paloma Jacqueline, as well as all of the contributing artists, community members, and volunteers who worked to make this memorial happen!
Round Table Discussion with Congressman Gallego
Thank you to Representative Ruben Gallego for visiting border communities and for coming to Casa Alitas this afternoon to meet with Pima County. We are fortunate to have a Representative who is not just an advocate from afar but wants to see situations first hand.
City of Tucson Mayor & Council Inauguration
Congratulations to the newly re-elected City of Tucson Mayor and City Council members on today’s Inauguration! It was a wonderful and inspiring event to celebrate another four years in office for Mayor Regina Romero, and Tucson Council Member Lane Santa Cruz, Councilmember Paul Cunningham, and Councilwoman Nikki Lee. ¡Felicidades! Looking forward to continuing our work together and collaborating for the betterment of our region!
40/40 Breakfast
Congratulations to 2023’s Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 Honorees! Among the amazing folks being recognized for the work they do in our community were Zachary Stout, Education Program Supervisor, Pima County, and Liz Soltero, CEO of Sunnyside Unified School District Foundation (who is also one of our wonderful D5 appointees on the Library Advisory Board)!
UArizona 7th Annual Community Forum
D5 was glad to attend this morning’s Seventh Annual Community Forum hosted by The University of Arizona School of Sociology, focusing on Evictions and Poverty in Pima County and How Can We Build Housing Security? The students in this class presented their findings from the 2023 Tucson Field Workshop and Survey on Housing and Wellbeing, which asked them to study data on various topics relating to evictions, rental assistance, food instability, and poverty in Pima County. Great work on these important issues in our community!
United Hearts of Arizona Distribution Drive
It’s the holiday season, and what better way to celebrate than helping distribute gifts to 200 students from ten different schools in the community! Thank you to United Hearts of Arizona/Corazones Unidos de Arizona and Maria Vianey Valdez-Cardenas for hosting the 10th Annual Shoe and Jacket Distribution Drive. It was wonderful to see so many happy families and thank you to the many community organizations and partners who came together to create this event!