2020 Pima County Supervisors District 5 Candidate Guide

Adelita Grijalva I am a parent, a public education advocate and I am a life-long resident of Pima County and District 5. I want to continue to serve our community that has afforded me so much. I am qualified and prepared. As Supervisor in District 5, I will be able to get right to work. I am familiar with the issues that Pima County faces and quite frankly, we need someone in the position that has the experience of representing a richly diverse community. District 5 encompasses Saguaro National Park, both Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O’odham Nations and the University of Arizona just to name a few landmarks. I seek to honor Richard Eliás legacy and continue to expand conservation efforts. I will never be able to replace my dear friend Richard, but I will work diligently to earn the right to represent District 5. I seek the position to protect the progressive values that he advocated for and worked hard to implement. I believe in what Richard stood for and all I can do is work to not let his ideals be forgotten or sold out. I am also familiar with the position from when my father, Raúl Grijalva, held the position before Richard. I have paid attention because the decisions made by the Board of Supervisors affect our community.

Fernando Gonzales Pima County has had the same leadership for approximately 18 to 25 years. The state of our County has only gotten worse under the Democrat controlled Board. It is time for new leadership.

Adelita Grijalva The number one priority will be to address the ongoing health impacts and economic repercussions associated with the Covid-19 virus. My initial plan is to work collaboratively with all sectors of our community to create a sustainable action plan that will get us through this health and economic crisis. It is crucial for all of us to feel safe enough to move forward with our daily lives once more. We will need to reassess our public health response to this pandemic; evaluate our successes and failures and make the necessary changes to our public health infrastructure so that we will be ready for all future unplanned emergencies which can occur. The cooperation with and collaboration by Pima County, all local jurisdictions and school districts, the state of Arizona, the federal government and community stakeholders will be a critical partnership. I will be guided by the values I bring to the position. The conservation and protection of our environment, economic and socially equitable opportunities for all residents represent a generalized sense of my values.

Ensuring that our community members have access to homes that are affordable and attainable to them is a priority. I am a firm believer that regardless of income, everyone should have a home they can afford, and housing will continue to be central to the well-being of our community. Pima County was one of the hardest-hit foreclosure areas in the entire United States. Looking back at the Great Recession and the Mortgage crisis from 2006-2011, I saw the effects it had on our families. We must look at the lessons learned from the past to make sure we do not make the same mistakes in the future. I will support our local community banks and mortgage lenders who put the needs and protections of our county residents first. Investing in our neighborhoods is another priority for me. It is essential to protect and invest in our existing historic neighborhoods.

Fernando Gonzales Economic Recovery, Infrastructure, Debt and Taxes

Adelita Grijalva When COVID-19 hit Arizona, we were completely unprepared and so was the Pima County Health Department. Cooperation between the City of Tucson and other municipalities is critical for the health of our community. The Pima County Health Department needs to be in the forefront of our community providing guidelines for distancing, cleanliness standards, improve contact tracing, targeted and widespread testing as needed, outreach to all communities but especially those that are high-risk and/or “hot spots” and multiple methods of communication utilizing many mediums. The world will be different after this immediate crisis and should be. The definition of “essential” vs. “non-essential” should be different too. We need to listen to those who have plans about how we should function differently after this COVID-19 crisis and implement those changes to prevent re-infection or another health crisis.

Fernando Gonzales The county went above and beyond the Governor's Executive order and imposed stricter guidelines for businesses than those mandated by the State. These guidelines made it virtually impossible for the already struggling businesses to survive. The county who already has an anti-business reputation did a terrible job of handling the pandemic crisis. There are so many things that we as a County could have done to help the business community, including providing guidelines that protect the public but also help businesses.

Adelita Grijalva Pima County will have a significant budget shortage due to pandemic. I will work to ensure that Pima County gets its fair share federal and state funds which will aid in stabilizing and creating an economic and social rebuilding strategy. The Federal Government has sent the State of Arizona 1.8 billion dollars to distribute to counties, cities and towns. Governor Ducey is holding a portion for a “rainy” day and only 441 million was initially dispersed. Pima County's state shared revenue funds will have a significant deficit due to loss in sales tax revenues- estimated at $25 million. All stakeholders in our state and local economy must join to demand the federal government reinvest in our state and local governments. Bankruptcy, insolvency, foreclosures, layoffs and service cuts are completely unacceptable and would do both short and long-term damage to our community and its private sector economy. My priority will be to study our revenues and expenses line by line and make budget recommendations that will have the least impact on our economy and vulnerable and our most vulnerable people. This investment will avoid cuts in critical services, foreclosures, layoffs, which could lead to both short and long-term damage to our community and its private sector economy. As a new Supervisor for Pima County, I will prioritize building a coordinated region-wide economic engine with all the jurisdictions within the county. We have a collective interest and must work together in solidarity with our workers, businesses, and the education community. Pima County will be fully functional and economically successful when together we get people back to work, keep local businesses open, and create educational opportunities to keep our best and brightest students in Pima County.

Fernando Gonzales I think we definitely need to re-open businesses. Many of the guidelines imposed today could have been imposed from the very beginning and many of the people who lost their livelihood could have survived the economic devastation. Now it is just dragging on and on, making it harder for recovery.

Adelita Grijalva It is not the role of local government like Pima County or the City of Tucson to provide the federal government support to the Border Patrol or immigration enforcement, which is federal responsibility.

Fernando Gonzales It is no secret that many of the dangerous drugs crossing the border come right through Pima County. We need the funds to be able to adequately patrol these dangerous routes. These funds help deputies with much needed equipment and overtime to keep our County safe. These funds have always been accepted but now, refusal is based on political motivations.

Adelita Grijalva Pima County’s top funding base is property taxes. This is not about affordability, it is about tax rates that the Board sets. This is too important of an issue to issue a blanket statement without a thorough review of all locally generated revenues and impacts from future state budget reductions due to pandemic impact on state and local revenues. I look forward once elected to convene budget study meetings to chart a positive step forward for our community.

Fernando Gonzales We have the highest property taxes in Arizona, and yet we have not made a dent on the debt load. Taxes are needed to run all county services but the community does not trust the Board to make efficient use of our tax dollars.

Adelita Grijalva I do not support eliminating law enforcement. I support working toward a re-design and accountability for police and community. I am in favor of criminal justice reform and changing the law enforcement responds to mental health and drug-induced emergencies. People reach out to 911 for help, sometimes for intervention with a loved one. We have to do a better job of responding to people in crisis in our community. We don’t want people afraid to call for help when they need it. In an ideal scenario, a community member in need would call 911 and have a team of people come to their aid-a member of law enforcement, a medical professional and a mental health professional. I realize that this may not be possible immediately but I look forward to working with the newly elected County Attorney and whomever is elected as our Sheriff to begin a thorough review of how we implement criminal justice in our community. I strongly believe that an investment in prevention services, programs offered for an alternative to arrest and cross-training of officers would have a positive impact.

Fernando Gonzales I do not support defunding the Sheriff's Department in any way. The only shifting I would do is to provide more funding to give our officers more training in the handling of crisis situations. We also cannot expect our officers to be professional mental health experts, babysitters, domestic violence counselors, etc.

Adelita Grijalva The need for road repair is great in Pima County. I believe that the County should continue with the current plan to repair established roads. As new board member, I will work with my colleagues to assess our current needs and revenue streams. I will champion protecting Avra Valley from a misguided freeway impacting Saguaro National Park West and seek to redirect state and federal funds to our community’s existing needs. I will review the potential to expedite existing unsold bonds, since interest rates are at all time lows to aid in our short term economic struggles and before and if we seek a longer term solution though the voters.

Fernando Gonzales Voters rejected the bonds because the County has lost all credibility with the tax paying public. Tax payers do not trust that the money will be used for its stated purposes. For example, the County has received funds to fix roads but have neglected to use these funds for their intended purposes.

Adelita Grijalva All companies receiving tax dollars must be thoroughly vetted when being offered as incentives for economic development relocation or start-up establishment of businesses. Too many times businesses have not met the promises made when seeking and receiving government assistance. My priorities will be to increase focus on reducing the cost of doing business with Pima County, improving development review processes, and ensuring all economic agreements with the private sector live up to their agreements and that promises made are kept. I will work with existing businesses to seek ways to aid in expansion and opening markets for them across the country and our hemisphere.

Fernando Gonzales No, that is corporate welfare and cronyism at its finest. The Board used Certificates of Participation to circumvent having to get voter approval.

Adelita Grijalva As a mama of the three, I am a firm believer in early childhood education. A quality preschool is critical for children to begin a strong start to their education. The lack of affordable and high-quality preschools adversely impacts children living in poverty and children of color. I do think Pima County can and should play a key role in coordinating a community plan to support universal early childhood education. One of the last meetings I attended with Richard Elias included Penelope Jacks talking about Strong Start Tucson. With potential changes in leadership at the national level, funding may become available again through federal and state grants. I feel that we are close to creating a framework that includes cooperation of the County, City, school districts, public and private preschool providers and additional funding through state and federal grants. . A child that graduates from high school is less likely to negatively engage with law enforcement and the legal system and more likely to be a productive and contributing member to the betterment of our society. This program would never “make” money because it is not a money-making venture. Preschool is an investment in our future as a community and one that will reap benefits for generations.

Fernando Gonzales No, leave that responsibility where it belongs. Education is the responsibility of the Department of Education.

Adelita Grijalva As we transition through the Covid-19 pandemic, now is not the time to create upheaval and disruption to Pima County’s administration. We need to have intelligent experienced management to help guide us through the upcoming flu season and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and economic rebuilding. We will need a well-coordinated vaccine delivery system once a safe and effective vaccine is available. We will need leadership to ensure the needs of vulnerable populations are prioritized. Now is not the time to disrupt our system, Instead all board members need to come together and put our community first.

Making Mr. Huckleberry the issue in the past has been an excuse for the Board of Supervisors lack of leadership, lack a majority or pressure from special interests that oppose the Sonoran Conservation plan and/or other initiatives.

Mr. Huckleberry is a talented and smart person. He is familiar with the inner-workings of every department as a County employee for 46 years. He has been able to work with a very divided board for nearly 30 years and kept the County fiscally sound. That is not an easy feat. I have not always agreed with Mr. Huckleberry and recently wrote an op-ed about the lack of testing sites in District 5 (something that I still have grave concerns about) but I understand that he serves at the pleasure of the board. It is the responsibility of the board to create a strategic plan and policies and it is the County Administrator who implements that plan. Having worked with many Superintendents in Tucson Unified, it’s that partnership and consistent leadership that provides the building blocks- the opportunity for systemic changes. Pima County will need to become much more transparent, flexible and responsive to our community and employees. I’m willing to work together with my colleagues on the Board and Mr. Huckleberry to that end.

Fernando Gonzales Unfortunately, Mr. Huckelberry runs the Board and not the other way around. The Board has abdicated its responsibilities to Mr. Huckelberry and he is a large part of the reason why this County is in such a mess. They just "rubber stamp" whatever he requests. Ally Miller and Steve Christy are the only ones who have tried to do their due diligence and ask the hard questions. Unfortunately, they are always outvoted by the Democrat majority.