The Daily Agenda: The people behind the prosecutors
What's in a name? ... Quite a lot, actually, when that name is on a list of endorsements ... Historic bungalows on the move.
Both of the candidates for Pima County Attorney boast hefty endorsement lists, with more than 120 notable community members and groups throwing their support behind one candidate or the other.
When we took a closer look at the names on their endorsement lists, we found a clear dividing line between establishment versus legal community.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover has secured the backing of several Democratic Party bigwigs, while more than two dozen local attorneys and judges have lined up to show their support for challenger Mike Jette.
As of yesterday, Jette was outpacing Conover with endorsements to the tune of 84 to 45, according to their websites.
Conover’s endorsement page includes the names of several key members of the Democratic establishment, including Congressman Raul Grijalva, Mayor Regina Romero, former Congressman Ron Barber, former Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, Congressman Ruben Gallego and more.
She also has the support of Arizona List, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, Moms Demand Action and other progressive organizations.
Jette’s list includes fewer big names from the local Democratic scene, but he does have a few noteworthy elected officials, including former Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, who supported Conover during the 2020 election, and former Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, who Conover’s supporters have accused of hand-picking Jette from the Republican party in a bid to oust Conover.
He also has the support of state Reps. Alma Hernandez and Consuelo Hernandez, along with their brother and former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez.
Jette might not have as many powerhouse Democrats on his list, but what he does have that Conover seemingly lacks is broad support from the local legal community, with 28 lawyers and judges included on his list.
There are some big names here, too, including former U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Paul Charlton, retired Pima County Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini, former Pima County Attorney’s Office Chief Trial Counsel Rick Unklesbay, and practicing local defense attorneys Michael Bloom and Michael Piccareta.
Conover has a handful of current and past attorneys on her list, too, including former Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party Jeff Rogers, former U.S. Senator and former Pima County Attorney Dennis DeConcini, retired Chief Legal Defender Isabel Garcia and civil rights attorney Rubin Salter.
In total, 129 people have signed on to support either Conover and Jette, and many of them are lending more than just their name to the campaigns, but also weighing in on the public conversation.
Tucson Vice Mayor Kevin Dahl wrote a recent opinion piece for the Tucson Sentinel expressing his support for Conover, and Barber has shown his support for her more than once on the Arizona Daily Star opinion pages.
Jette’s supporters have been equally vocal in print, with Unklesbay, Charlton and Bernini all writing op-eds of their own.
And there’s one name on Jette’s list that you might not recognize, but she’s certainly no stranger to the county attorney’s office or Conover. Tamara Mulembo made history in 2021 when she became the county attorney office’s first Black chief deputy, but quit less than a year into the job.
At the time, Conover’s office said she was leaving to work in the nonprofit sector, but Caitlin later reported in the Arizona Daily Star that Mulembo’s resignation email said Conover “subjected her to microaggressions, undermined her authority, prevented Mulembo from doing her job, publicly diminished her contributions, denigrated her during meetings, rejected suggestions, questioned decisions and more.”
Conover didn’t directly address any of the allegations in the statement her office sent in response to Mulembo's claims, but she did dispute Mulembo's assessment of the office, saying that her administration “provides multiple avenues of support for employees.”
There are less than two weeks left until the race is decided, but judging from the news cycle on this one, we suspect that it won’t be a quiet two weeks.
Moving along: Bungalows with intriguing pasts are being relocated to make way for student housing near the University of Arizona campus, Arizona Public Media’s Paola Rodriguez reports. The bungalows were a key site of Tucson’s underground music scene in the 1980s, the Tucson Sentinel’s Xavier Omar Otero reported last fall. In all, five historic homes are being moved to a property in the West University neighborhood owned by Joel Ireland, who plans to refurbish them.
Hear from the candidates: The Arizona Daily Star’s Charles Borla interviews the four Democratic candidates running for Pima County supervisor in District 3. You can hear what Edgar Soto, Jennifer Allen, Miguel Cuevas, and April Hiosik Ignacio think about transportation, the environment, affordable housing, and more.
Congressional choice: Over at the Sentinel, Jim Nintzel interviews the two Republican candidates in Congressional District 6. Incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani says he’s brought a lot of money to the district in his first term, while challenger Kathleen Winn thinks she has a better shot at beating him this year than she did two years ago, when the vote was split among five candidates.
Party time: City of Tucson officials are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Sun Link streetcar on Saturday. They’re calling it an “epic celebration” in their news release, with events planned from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., including music, markets, storytelling, and other festivities.
Monsoon maneuvers: While Tucsonans watch monsoons storms roll in, city workers are busy placing barricades, putting up “road-closed” signs, and generally trying to keep the streets safe, AZPM’s Desarae Tucker reports. They’re also planning better drainage systems, like a 90-inch storm drain on Grant Road, for long-term safety.
Unions rising: Employees at a Starbucks in Tucson have unionized, making them the second Starbucks in town and the ninth in Arizona to unionize, KGUN’s Adam Klepp reports. The employees at the Starbucks on Speedway and Park say they’re hoping for “better wages, better hours, more secure wages and hours.”
$483,000: The amount of money Conover and Jette have raised in the race for Pima County Attorney, according to campaign finance reports.