SunTran Community Meetings to Discuss Fare & Route Changes

Ronstadt Transit Center at night.
Ronstadt Transit Center at night.

NOTE: This story has been updated with further background and additional links provided by the Tucson Bus Riders Union and Sun Tran, including how to voice you opinion if you cannot attend one of the meetings.

A series of seven meetings have been scheduled by the City of Tucson and SunTran to gather public input on proposed fare increases and changes to bus routes.

These meetings are being held all over town; most meetings target specific routes. If you have an opinion on this topic, be there. 

If you ride Sun Tran buses or care about how transit works for Tucson, it’s time to pay attention. The city is moving forward toward changes in routes and fares. Please forward this info to your networks!
1. Sun Tran’s link to documents fully outlining the route changes (service reductions) and fare increases proposed to go into effect this summer.  http://suntran.com/Proposed_Service_Change14.php
2. Bus Riders Union website’s excellent rundown of the federal Title VI process for vetting proposed changes, and how you can make your voice heard.  http://tucsonbusridersunion.org/2014/03/14/title_6_hearings/
(Oh, that’s why there are public meetings: the feds require it! and you thought they just wanted our opinion because our lives are affected….)

All of the meetings are listed in the Blog for Arizona Calendar here. For additional background information check out the Tucson Bus Riders’ website here.

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John Nichols of ‘The Nation’ Returns to Tucson for Progressive Politics & Book Signing (video)

John Nichols
John Nichols speaking in Tucson in 2013

Author, historian, and humorist John Nichols of The Nation and MSNBC returns to Tucson on Saturday, March 15, 2014. This is the third year in a row that the PDA Tucson and the Pima Area Labor Federation have hosted an evening with Nichols at the IBEW Hall.

Nichols mixes political commentary with snippets of history and calls for progressive action. Join Progressive Democrats of America’s Tucson Chapter and PALF for an inspiring evening with a national figure. I guarantee that you will come away from this event inspired, informed, and maybe just pissed off enough to fight the forces of greed who are trying to destroy our country. [Video after the jump.]

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Teapublican Legislative Update: Guns, Gays, God, & Greed

It’s so stressful when the Arizona Legislature is in session. It’s like living with an abusive parents because you never know when or where they will strike next– so, we live under a veil of paranoia, waiting for the old grizzled old farts to leave Phoenix and go back to their bunkers.

My head is spinning from all of the crazy bills they considering this spring. One thing predictable is that they are sticking with their long-time playbook: Guns, Gays, God, and Greed. Reading the list below makes me wonder what they have against children, wolves, and the unemployed. Brace yourself.

Thanks to the Pima Dems for compiling this list of bills that are in play. (I have highlighted a few key words to make this easier to sort through.)

In the Senate

SB 1100: would requiring that school districts lease or sell unused/underutilized buildings to charter schools or private schools. Had its first floor reading Monday.

SB 1227: inspired by the conspiracy theory that the United Nations will order the U.S. government to raze housing developments that don’t meet U.N. environmental standards, this bill would prohibit counties and municipalities statewide from implementing “green” building codes. Had a first reading on the Senate Floor last week, no second reading scheduled yet.

SB 1281: Sponsored by LD-3 Sen. Olivia Cajero Bedford and LD-10 Sen. David Bradley, this bill would provide a back-to-work program for unemployed people needing a career change, including internships while still getting unemployment checks. Passed by a 22-6 vote Tuesday in the Senate and transmitted to the House. 

SB 1351: would allow residents of Pima County who do not live within the Tucson city limits to serve on the Rio Nuevo Board. Also removes the requirement for construction of a hotel at the Tucson Convention Center. Approved by the Senate Monday by a 25-0 vote.

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Democratic Party Glitterati Coming to Arizona

Do the Democrats smell blood in the purple waters of Arizona? Given our Tea Party Legislature’s current assault on the citizens of Arizona. Let’s  hope so. Democratic Party superstars–Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton and Nancy Pelosi– are coming to Arizona this spring for separate events. The Clinton Global Initiative University is sponsoring a university-based event … Read more

Sustainable Tucson: Preparedness for a World of Change, March 10

Join the Sustainable Tucson community and extended network to hear Nicole Foss, world-renown lecturer and co-creator of TheAutomaticEarth.Com speak from their DVD on Preparedness. Time will be taken to discuss this important subject which all of us are interested in. Topics include Navigating an Epic Predicament, Psychology of Contraction, De-Globalization, Community and Society, Energy and Resources, Goods … Read more