Bad news, PEEPs

Kids are expensive … Meet your newest councilman … And the garage always closes at 8.

On Tuesday, the Tucson City Council voted 5–1 to eliminate the city’s funding for a popular early education scholarship program that served about 90 families.

Members of the Council made the cut — which totals $750,000 annually — despite a full-throated effort by Councilman Kevin Dahl to convince his colleagues to find other solutions rather than cutting funding for the county-run Pima Early Education Program Scholarships (PEEPs) program.

“In an ideal world, the state would be supporting this key educational program that launches young people and their families into a new generation of knowledge and a better quality of life,” Dahl said.

Dahl even floated providing some one-time funding by cutting from other programs that benefit his ward, including the Violence Interruption & Vitalization Action (VIVA) program. But he was unable to convince his colleagues.

City residents already pay into the library district which funds the PEEPs program — about 39% of the district’s money comes from city residents — and some members of the Council argued Tucson shouldn’t dedicate additional city dollars to the program given it is a very tight budget year.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said the city asked voters to support PEEPs as part of Proposition 414, which voters rejected in March. She said during the meeting that the county can raise taxes to avoid making cuts in the budget, where the city cannot.

“The county administrator is presenting a budget that asks to move the rate of property taxes up. That alleviates some of the pain that the Board of Supervisors and county residents have to face. We don't have that ability for property taxes. We asked the voters for 414 to supplement these needs and they said no," Romero said. “We cannot afford it.”

The decision to cut PEEPs funding came out of the recommended budget written by City Manager Tim Thomure, who has been working behind the scenes with city staff to balance the needs of city departments with a decline in both federal funding and forecasts of lower state-shared revenues in the future. The city’s contribution to the PEEPs represents a fraction of the overall budget for the early education scholarship programs.

Hours after the decision, dozens of residents came to the Council’s night meeting to fiercely advocate for PEEPs, helping to fill the Council chambers.

Elementary school teacher Benjamin Collinsworth asks the Council to restore funding to the PEEPs program in next year’s fiscal budget.

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After the meeting, Dahl said he was hopeful that the dozens of people who showed up at call to the public could convince his colleagues to revisit funding for PEEPs.

As the sole vote for PEEPs funding on Tuesday, Dahl cannot bring the issue back for another vote.

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A green light for Cunningham’s HAUS program

The pilot program to help struggling families qualify for a lease on an apartment — with the goal of helping to empty temporary shelters and move some people off the streets — will move forward.

The proposed Housing Alternatives and Urban Strength (HAUS) program, authored by Councilman Paul Cunningham, was conditionally approved during the Council meeting.

The Council gave staff 90 days to draft a full policy on the subject and clear any legal hurdles before bringing it back for a formal vote on the program.

Cunningham wants to set aside $100,000 for the program but said that number was a worst-case scenario that assumes everyone will default on their leases during the pilot period (which he says is unlikely). Cunningham also offered $20,000 from his ward office budget as a carrot to help launch the program.

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Challenging Donald Trump

The Council also again authorized City Attorney Mike Rankin to take on the Trump administration when it came to defending the city’s interests, as well as city residents.

Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz gave the direction to Rankin shortly after spending about 75 minutes in executive session discussing the issue as well as a lawsuit against the city.

Their motion hinted at some of the issues that are of concern for the all-Democrat City Council.

“The mayor and council authorize the city attorney to join or initiate any legal action to challenge the imposition of new or modified grant conditions by the federal government that violate the U.S. Constitution or are otherwise unlawful, including but not limited to those conditions related to DEI programs, local enforcement of immigration laws, application to so-called gender ideology policies, and/or policies related to access to lawful abortions,” Santa Cruz said.

Later in the meeting, Rankin outlined how recent federal actions are turning the screws on local governments, causing more uncertainty when it comes to future federal dollars. He said many federal agencies are now conforming their policies to align with recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump.

The funding for PEEPs is a complicated, multi-faceted issue, and covering the program requires a lot of reporting. Help us keep on top of the issue by upgrading your subscription today.

Newly appointed Tucson City Councilman Rocque Perez, in his own words.

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There was a surprise at the Tucson City Council meeting on Tuesday, when it came to appointing a replacement for Councilman Richard Fimbres, who recently stepped down after 16 years in office.

An interpretation of the Tucson City Charter by City Attorney Mike Rankin suggested that being appointed to the vacant seat would serve as an automatic resignation from any other elected political position they may already have.

In the case of Sunnyside Unified School District board member Robert Jaramillo, it was a deal-breaker.

Jaramillo effectively withdrew his name from consideration, saying Sunnyside remained his top priority.

The Council eventually selected Rocque Perez, the executive director with the Metropolitan Education Commission (MEC).

As part of his interview for the position, Perez told the council that he would take an unpaid leave of absence from the MEC and make the City of Tucson his priority for the next seven months, when his appointed term will end.

Perez was sworn in shortly after the vote and joined yesterday’s meeting — his first as an elected official!

Red light: Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed yet another water regulation bill from Rep. Gail Griffin, a Cochise County Republican who plays a key role in all things water at the Legislature, the Herald/Review’s Shar Porier reported. Hobbs called it one of several “pointless bills that would only weaken groundwater protections,” while Griffin said the bill would have “given rural Arizonans a real say” in managing local groundwater.

Green light: Hobbs signed a bill that requires university administrators to order protesters who camp out on campuses to dismantle their tents and leave, Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer reports. If protesters refuse, they could face trespassing charges. The bill was sponsored by Tucson Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez, who said last year’s pro-Palestinian protests on campuses, including the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, led to Jewish students getting harassed.

One step forward, one step back: A federal judge in Rhode Island blocked the Trump administration from dismantling federal agencies that support libraries and museums, KVOA’s Zachary Jackson reported. Other federal agencies weren’t so lucky. The National Endowment for the Arts withdrew a $30,000 grant for the Loft Film Fest, saying the grant “falls outside the funding priorities of the President,” KGUN reported.

Court questions: Pima County officials are asking the public to weigh in on eight candidates to fill a vacancy left by retiring Pima County Superior Court Judge James E. Marner, the Tucson Sentinel’s Paul Ingram reports. Elsewhere in the court system, officials need to improve the process for making records available to the public, Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller writes. He tried to get some documents and came away thinking “it’s mostly harder to get information now than it was in the old days of paper files.”

Pushing officials for more transparency is a constant battle. The good news is you can join that battle with a click of a button.

Talking trade: Hobbs and Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo will hold a “fireside chat” this morning at the Tucson Convention Center to discuss economic development, trade, tourism and other issues that affect both Arizona and Sonora. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Pima County Supervisor Rex Scott will also attend the event, hosted by the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

Fond farewell: Tucson City Councilman Paul Cunningham penned a tribute in the Sentinel to his father George, a former state lawmaker and University of Arizona vice president who passed away this week.

It’s not just seven U.S. states that depend on the Colorado River.

The “American Nile” also plays a key ecological role in the borderlands of Mexico and supplies 90% of Tijuana’s drinking water.

As negotiations about the river’s future unfold, Mexico is sure to have a seat at the table.

If you want to read the water news from south of the border, take the plunge and subscribe today!

A quick public service announcement for those who frequent City Council meetings.

The Presidio Parking Garage, the three-level underground parking structure located just beneath El Presidio Park, closes at 8 p.m.

Joe learned this the hard way on Tuesday night when the Council meeting wrapped up around 8:40 p.m.

A special thanks to the security guard who escorted Joe and a few others — including City Manager Tim Thomure and new Councilman Rocque Perez — into the locked garage.