SOMOS D5 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
January 2025
Hi friends,
¡Feliz año nuevo! The month of January has always been the time to make sure that we're starting off on the right foot-- making new goals, figuring out next steps, and embracing the changes that the new year brings. Over the past few weeks, we've seen just how much our community can be affected by those changes. However, one thing that we are working to remain the same is our ability to come together, to share our perspectives, and to foster respect and dialogue. Tucson is a very special place and the past month, with commemorations like MLK Day and the January 8th Remembrance, and celebrations like Ted Walker Youth Day and La Estrella Bakery Appreciation Day, has been a beautiful indication that we still hold the values and spirit that make our community so wonderful. Here's to a safe, happy, and healthy 2025 for all of us!
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.)
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Calling all K-8 D5 artists! The District 5 Office is excited to announce that our 4th Annual Youth Art Contest has begun and will run through February 14th! Visit our Youth Art Contest page for all the info you need to submit your work and then get creative! We're looking forward to seeing what you love best about our wonderful community!
THE PEOPLE OF DISTRICT 5
YOUTH SPOTLIGHT
Photo courtesy of the Robles Family
Congratulations to Sunnyside High School junior Alezandra Robles for winning the 170-pound weight class at the 11th Annual Queen of the Hill wrestling tournament in Corona, California! Alezandra made it through six rounds and was able to claim the top spot out of 40 wrestlers in that class. She and her fellow Sunnyside Blue Devils were so successful that they placed seventh out of 116 schools! Alezandra comes from a family of Blue Devils, including her father, uncles, and brothers, Rico Robles, State Champion 2019, wrestling at AZ Christian University, and Sebastian Robles, two-time State Champion 2020 and 2021, wrestling at the University of Iowa. In the 2024-2025 season, Alezandra has placed first at many other wrestling tournaments, including Bill Bell, Peoria, and the Flowing Wells Invitational, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Felicidades!
D5 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
VECINOS IN ACTION
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Photo courtesy of Sonoran House
Welcome to Sonoran House, one of D5's newest businesses! Located in the historic Blenman-Elm neighborhood, this locally owned and operated coffee and shopping experience offers patrons sustainably roasted coffee and vegan pastries baked fresh daily. Besides the tasty treats, Sonoran House also partners with over 75 different local artisans to stock their work at the cafe for a unique, wholly-Tucson shop. So wonderful to see the support that our small D5 businesses offer each other! Stop by Sonoran House, open daily from 7am-4pm, at 1610 N. Tucson Boulevard the next time you need your caffeine fix or a little retail therapy- and stay tuned for exciting developments on their relocation to the former Flora's Market Run site!
Photo from the 2025 Point in Time Street Count
The D5 office joined Pima County staff and volunteers from around the community for the 2025 Pima County Point-in-Time (PIT) Street Count to survey people without housing, learn more about the resources they need, and other data that will help inform national and local efforts to help reduce homelessness. Each group was provided a specific area of the community to focus efforts and outreach and walked the streets to find folks to ask about their experiences. Having the chance to talk directly with individuals experiencing homelessness is the best way to get that information, and it was a privilege to participate this year in this powerful event.
POLICY UPDATES
SOMOS D5 STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATES
Every month, D5 will be highlighting an accomplishment that directly meets the goals and priorities of our Somos D5 Strategic Plan.
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In January, Pima County and the City of Tucson received a highly competitive grant for $7 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reduce regulatory and financing barriers to producing and preserving affordable housing in the region. The funds from this grant, one of only eighteen awarded across the country, will be used to advance Pima County's goals to reduce poverty throughout the community, including poverty perpetuated by lack of affordable or stable housing. Along with millions in local funding from the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the Tucson City Council, the County and City have proactively sought and secured well over $100 million in competitive Federal, State, and private funding for housing and shelter initiatives since 2022. Affordable housing and the reduction of poverty are key pillars in the D5 Strategic Plan, ensuring that our community is healthy and safe-- which heavily depends on having a place to live.
Check out our Somos D5 Strategic Plan webpage to learn more about each of our priorities or click the button below to dowload our complete Strategic Plan!
JANUARY
Swearing In Ceremony
During the first Pima County Board of Supervisors Meeting of 2025, the Board and their fellow elected Pima County officials were sworn in by Pima County Superior Court Presiding Judge Danelle Liwski. It’s an honor to participate in this significant ceremony and to reaffirm the commitment to this community and this role, and I am proud to be able to represent District 5!
2025 MLK Celebration and Commemorative March
Every year, Tucsonans gather to observe the annual MLK March and Celebration, hosted by the MLK Celebration Tucson, and this year the community showed up in an incredible way to honor Dr. King and all those who marched alongside him and who have marched since for a better, more equitable, more just, and more inclusive country. As Dr. King said, “Let us rise up … with greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.”
Governor's 2025 State Report
“Arizona is my home, and like you, I love this state. That’s why I will never give up on the Arizona Promise.” The theme of Governor Katie Hobbs’ state report, hosted by the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was the Arizona Promise, and throughout her report she highlighted the importance of early childhood education, support for public schools, water conservation, environmental protection, and economic development— issues that impact and are important to all Arizonans. Thank you, Governor Hobbs, for bringing information about Arizona directly to our Pima County community!
January 8th Remembrance Ceremony
Fourteen years ago, in 19.6 seconds, our community changed forever. Every year, at 10:10 a.m. on January 8, survivors, loved ones, and community members gather to observe the anniversary of the January 8th, 2011 tragedy that claimed six lives, wounded thirteen others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and continues to be a reminder of the extreme harm that gun violence can create. Despite the sadness and loss, Tucson came together back in 2011 to support victims, survivors, and each other— and we will continue to do so, working for a better, safer, and loving world.
National Day of Racial Healing
The annual National Day of Racial Healing, hosted by the YWCA Southern Arizona and the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, is always a thought-provoking and inspiring event that brings our diverse Tucson community together for an afternoon of discussion, engagement, and reflection on what it means to come together, talk about past wrongs, and how to move forward together. The weekend leading up to MLK Day was full of events like these, and it’s always a privilege to be able to participate in them.
D5 Day of Service
A real D5 Day of Service! Two clean ups in one morning— the perfect way to start off a beautiful Saturday with folks working to improve and enhance our special community. Thank you to the Barrio El Rio Neighborhood Association, Pima County, Tucson Council Member Lane Santa Cruz, the City of Tucson, Tucson Police Department, and all of the local groups and volunteers who came out for these different clean up events! Amazing to see what we can accomplish we work together!
A Night with the Doctor: A Fireside Chat with Dr. J
“The only wrong decision is no decision.” - Dr. Julius Erving
Privileged to hear the amazing and inspiring “Dr. J,” Dr. Julius Erving, brought to Tucson by the African American Museum of Southern Arizona, sharing stories of his life, his experience as a basketball player, and what it means to be a team player— an unforgettable evening! As Magic Johnson said, “When greatness meets class— that’s Dr. J.”
Public Transit Tour with Vice Mayor Santa Cruz
The D5 team joined City of Tucson Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz and the Ward 1 office for a transit tour of two of Tucson’s public transit systems— starting with a streetcar ride down 4th Avenue and then a bus trip to the Laos Transit Center, it was great to get a better sense of how our community utilizes public transportation. This tour was wonderful reminder of just how important our bus drivers, streetcar conductors, and transit employees who work to maintain, clean, and operate these systems are for the thousands of Pima County residents who use them every day.