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Oh My Gosh >> I Thought I'd Never Admit It Publicly. . . but Rogue Columnist Jon Talton is Hot!

Please take that compliment as a very professional observation. Nothing more intended.

Here's the latest

Ground zero II

Rogue Columnist | July 26, 2021

                    

Carl Muecke illustration

 

In Phoenix this past weekend, Trump said, "If I lost the election, I could handle it pretty easily. But when they steal it from you and rig it, that’s not easy, and we have to fight!"

The location and big-lie language are no random coincidence. For the past several months the Republican-controlled state Senate has been conducting an "audit" of Maricopa County ballots. The goal is to show the presidential election was stolen here from Trump (When Fox "News" called Arizona for Biden, something approved by Rupert Murdoch himself, Trump exploded).

The "stolen election" and the January 6th insurrection to prevent the results from being certified by Congress, is a national Republican narrative. But, as with climate change, Arizona is ground zero.

The deeper consequence of the "audit" is to kneecap Arizona from turning purple or blue. It sets a blueprint by which any future election that goes Democratic can be challenged and even reversed. No wonder Republicans from other states have been watching closely and trying to install their own "audits."

It's not the only way Republicans are working to ensure they maintain power, whatever the changing demographics and politics of the nation. . ."

Continue reading "Ground zero II" »  

When is the City of Mesa's 'Climate Action Plan' NO PLAN AT ALL...It's all more Jive Happy-Talk!

Are they serious???

Mesa City Council accepts City of Mesa Climate Action Plan

June 21, 2021 at 6:28 pm 

 

Mesa, AZ - Mesa City Council voted to accept the City of Mesa Climate Action Plan at the City Council meeting held this evening. The plan represents the City's commitment to proactively and responsibly protect and conserve Mesa's environment and natural resources.

 

The goal of the Climate Action Plan is to lower the City of Mesa's climate impact, serve as a guide for sustainable growth and build resiliency by reducing carbon pollution in City operations. Mesa will use the plan to further study mitigation and adaptation strategies, implement intentional policy direction and support the advancement of innovative technologies.

"The Climate Action Plan affirms Mesa's commitment to resiliency and sustainability," said Mayor John Giles. "Now it's time to engage the community and measure our progress to ensure we pass along a community to future generations that's healthy at every level."

The plan uses four Aspirational Goals that will guide the vision for the future: BY THE YEAR 2050 !

Carbon Neutrality- Reduce the carbon footprint of City operations by 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon sinks.

Renewable Energy- Prioritize the use of renewable, resilient energy to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Materials Management- Manage material responsibly and divert 90% of waste from the landfill by 2050.

Community Action- Develop community-based action items to be incorporated into the Climate Action Plan.

"I am proud the City of Mesa has made a commitment to a Climate Action Plan," said Vice Mayor and District 4 Councilmember Jen Duff. "Around the world we are seeing the impacts of climate change. In Arizona we're experiencing record drought, extreme temperatures and increased wildfires. We must do our part in joining the global community to mitigate climate change, prepare and adapt for our future."

City departments will focus on six areas to help to achieve progress towards the goals laid out in the plan. The six focus areas are energy, air quality, heat mitigation, water stewardship, materials management and food systems. The City will work within these areas to create solutions with short-term and long-term benefits.

"The Climate Action Plan is one that I'm proud to support," said District 5 Councilmember David Luna. "It keeps Mesa consistent with other municipalities in an effort to minimize our carbon footprint."

The Climate Action Plan will be a living document that will evolve over time as new strategies, resources, technologies and collaborations come to light.

For more information and to see a copy of the Climate Action Plan, visit www.mesaaz.gov/climateaction.

Contact: Casey Blake
(480) 644-3662
casey.blake@mesaaz.gov

 

KEEPING YOU INFORMED (and otherwise an active and engaged resident) > REQUIRED REDISTRICTING Mesa City Council

Yes, for the past 10 years Mesa has been "fast-growing" - in the sprawling city at-large, 'leap-frogging' into areas and sub-divisions on the near and far outer fringes and The Inner Loops and the Outer Loops by increasing land-acreage using annexation to foment a suburban housing new construction population-boom expansion.

If you live here you probably know already that 3 new districts were added to Mesa City Council in 2012 to equalize the populations in each district. Obviously the balances of populations in each (now six) designated district boundary shrank and grew dis-proportionally and way out-of-proportion to each other!

And that was across and over time in three different election cycles: 2012, 2016 and 2020.

Southeast Mesa (as well as Northeast Mesa) got the biggest hog-share of new master-planned communities and massive new subdivisions creating more inequality without even making any minor adjustments in representation on the City Council.

WHAT ARE THESE 'COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST' SURVEYS WITH THREE QUESTIONS THE CITY OF MESA WANTS FROM RESIDENTS??

RE-DISTRICTING 

 

RE-DISTRICTING: Redistricting Best practices

Equal population - Every Vote is Equal so districts must be nearly equal in population

Adherence to the Federal Voting Rights Act

Compactness and Contiguity

Councilmembers Remain in Their Districts - A requirement of the Mesa City Charter

Respect Communities of Interest - Communities that have a shared interest at the local level or common social bonds are called communities of interest (COI). Some examples could be urban or rural communities, communities with a stake in a local asset such as a park or school, or race and ethnicity. COI should be recognized and kept whole to the greatest extent possible.

Natural and Man-Made Boundaries

Existing Districts - Mesa’s redistricting process is an adjustment to existing council boundaries, not a wholesale redrawing of the map. Council districts will remain in their relative locations to one another.

 

Resident Input - Mesa’s City Council Districts belong to its residents! Residents will be provided public hearings, and other means to provide input on boundary adjustments.

You will find all public feedback options on this webpage https://www.mesaaz.gov/government/redistricting

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RE-DISTRICTING: The Official City Information Provided

"What is Redistricting? Over time, people move and neighborhoods change.

That’s why every ten years Mesa is required to redraw its City Council districts based on the latest U.S. Census data in a process called redistricting. The redistricting process helps ensure Mesa residents receive fair and equitable representation in our local government by equalizing the number of residents in each district.

Because local residents know their communities best, the redistricting process offers numerous opportunities for public participation."

Mesa’s redistricting process follows national best practices. There won't be a new Congressional District.

You can get involved one of four ways:

Attend public meetings. See a full list of meetings below.

> Submit your map using our free online tool called DistrictR.

> Currently we are accepting maps identifying Communities of Interest.

To learn more about Communities of Interest, please follow the DistrictR link or see the Redistricting Best Practices section below.

Community of Interest Form (Coming Soon!)

Email feedback and comments to redistricting@mesaaz.gov

 

Mesa City Council elections are non-partisan (not affiliated with any political party).

Mesa’s redistricting process follows national best practices.

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RE-DISTRICTING: The Redistricting Commission 

Every ten years, following the U.S. Census, the City of Mesa is required by law to review their voting districts to ensure continued compliance with the Constitution and the Federal Voting Rights Act. Learn more about this redistricting process and public input.

Per the Mesa City Charter, The Mesa City Council appoints a five-member commission composed of Mesa residents to draw the new council district boundaries.

The Commission has received training from national experts in redistricting and they consider both qualitative and quantitative data, including 2020 U.S. Census data, to redraw city council boundaries.

Commission members were appointed by the Mesa City Council on April 29, 2021 and will serve until a map is adopted by the Mesa City Council in late 2021.

The commission is non-partisan and is composed of volunteers who are Mesa residents.

All Redistricting Commission meetings are open to the public.

---

Board

[[ BLOGGER NOTES: The five members may all be volunteers, but they all have day jobs that keep them employed.

For example, Elaine Miner is involved in real estate . . ]]

The terms will expire when Council adopts a new City Council District map.

Board Member	Role	Date Appointed
Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo - District 4	Chair	4/29/21
Elaine Miner - District 2	Vice Chair	4/29/21
Catherine Jiang - District 1	Commissioner	4/29/21
Greg Marek - District 5	Commissioner	4/29/21
Jo Martin - District 6	Commissioner	4/29/21

Staff Contact:
Jeffrey Robbins
jeffrey.robbins@mesaaz.gov
480-644-5249

 

PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE UP-TO-DATE AGENDAS & MINUTES

Source > http://apps.mesaaz.gov/MeetingArchive/Meetings?Body=REDCOM

Redistricting Commission

Search Minutes & Agendas

Redistricting Commission Home

Meeting Date Document Title Meeting Type Document Type   6/23/2021 June 23, 2021 Agenda Regular Agendas 6/23/2021 Draft Process Timeline Regular Attachment 6/23/2021 Presentation Regular Attachment 6/23/2021 Draft Process Timeline Regular Attachment 6/16/2021 June 16, 2021 DST Action AdHoc Results 6/16/2021 June 16, 2021 Agenda Regular Agendas 6/16/2021 Agenda Item 3: Redistricting Principles Regular Attachment 6/16/2021 Alternatives for Logo Regular Attachment 5/20/2021 Agenda Item 3: City Charter Redistricting AdHoc Attachment 5/20/2021 Agenda Item 3: Legal Overview AdHoc Attachment 5/20/2021 Agenda Item 5: Communities of Interest AdHoc Attachment 5/20/2021 May 20, 2021 DST Action AdHoc Results 5/20/2021 May 20, 2021 Agenda Regular Agendas 5/19/2021 May 19, 2021 Redistricting Commission AdHoc Results 5/19/2021 May 19, 2021 Agenda Regular Agendas 5/19/2021 Agenda Item 4: Redistricting Presentation Regular Attachment 5/19/2021 Agenda Item 3: Open Meeting Law Regular Attachment 5/19/2021 Agenda Item 5: Role of Commissioner Regular Attachment

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RE-DISTRICTING: The City of Mesa says it needs to hear from you

Mesa strives to get input from all our residents, ensuring different voices are heard and represented. Strengthening the voices of a group maximizes their impact in the community.

Please take this brief three-question survey about what brings your group(s) together.

Why are we asking?
We all belong to communities that are defined by where we live, work and play.

Knowing these boundaries will help us keep communities together as we redraw City Council district lines based on new census data.

Schedule

> April
Mesa City Council appointed the Mesa Redistricting Commission on April 29, 2021

> June - July
Commission meetings for training and planning

> August
Public meetings

> September
Public feedback and map drawing meetings.

> October
Map drawing meetings and public comment on maps.

> November 15, 2021
Anticipated City Council action on the proposed map

> December
Follow up action by the City Council (as needed)

============================================================================

RE-DISTRICTING:

Public Meetings

Mesa’s Redistricting Commission will hold public hearings throughout Mesa in addition to a virtual meeting in August 2021.

Below is a list of meeting locations, dates and times.

Residents attending public meetings can expect a presentation explaining the redistricting process, materials to provide feedback and a forum to answer questions and discuss.

Date	Time	Location
August 12	6 pm	Webster Recreation Center 202 N. Sycamore
August 14	10 am	Fire Station 218 Community Room 845 N. Alma School Rd.
August 17	6 pm	Eagles Community Center 828 E. Broadway Rd.
August 18	12 pm	Red Mountain Library 635 N. Power Rd.
August 25	6 pm	Virtual Zoom meeting (link coming soon)
August 26	6 pm	Cadence Community Room 9760 E. Cadence Pkwy.
August 28	10 am	Madison Elementary 849 S. Sunnyvale

QUESTION: English and Spanish-Speaking Representatives will be available in these district public meetings or not? As well as any hand-out materials and/or communications

 

 

If you cannot attend a meeting, you can submit written comments to:

Jeff Robbins, City Manager’s Office, P.O. Box 1466, Mesa, AZ 85211-1466 or via e-mail at redistricting@mesaaz.gov

If you require a special accommodation due to disability, please email redistricting@mesaaz.gov at least 72 hours in advance. Spanish translators will be present at all meetings. 

What District am I in?

Find your Council District on our interactive map.

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RE-DISTRICTING:

2020 Census Data

Due to Covid-19 and other impacts, the decennial census data has been delayed several months. The U.S. Census Bureau announced that local census data will be delivered by August 16, 2021.

The August release of data is called the “Legacy Format” and it will not be in a format for public use. We anticipate converting the raw data into a usable format for public use in early September 2021.

This is yet another reason your input on how you define your community, your Community of Interest, is so important! Having your input now will only help the process once data is released and in a usable format.

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Noam Chomsky - "The End of the Mega Machine" [ A Re/Airing for Those Who Are Interested]