In the late 1980s, environmentalists and activists were moved by a Diamond Ventures proposal of the Rocking K Ranch to fight a development proposal that would have brought more than 20,000 homes on 6,300 acres, with four golf courses and four resorts in the Rincon Valley. Thanks to those who opposed the development, the plan is now at 3,223 homes on 2,047 acres with work scheduled to begin in 2008 or 2009. While this development remains questionable, considering no one knows how much water the development will take, there is a new proposal making its way through the Pima County Planning and Zoning Commission that has red flags of its own with shades of those early Rocking K Ranch days.

On Oct. 31, 9 a.m., the commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed Mission Peak development. If you remember the early Rocking K Ranch development of the late '80s, then go to this planning commission meeting. American Nevada, a Nevada-based development company, wants to build a 15,000-home subdivision near Sahuarita. Can you imagine the roof-tops in this subdivision? Can you imagine where a water source is for this subdivision? Neither can the developer, although they told county officials they are not interested in CAP, even though the proposed pipeline supported by Green Valley folks is going through the Mission Peak area and could easily provide a hook-up.

The planning commission meets in the Basement Meeting Room C of the County-City Public Works Building, 201 N. Stone Ave. Want more info, call the planning dept. at 740-6800.

The mailer had a list of ways the “Democrat Controlled City Council” had “failed” the city. Numero uno: garbage-collection fees.

Given that the Republicans were the ones to create the trash fee, we got to wondering just what the GOP meant by failure. Pima County party chair Judi White explains that that Democrats Nina Trasoff and Karin Uhlich failed to follow through with their promises to repeal or reduce the fees--which is certainly true. But White also acknowledged that her candidates this year—Mayor Bob Walkup, Lori Oien in Ward 2 and Dan Spahr in Ward 4—all think repealing the fee would be a bad idea. So basically, the GOP is knocking Democrats for agreeing that the city should keep the trash fee.

The mailer also said Democrats had failed to fix the streets or attend to neighborhood safety. But after some stuttering humina-humina-humina, White conceded that the Democrats had started a program of paving neighborhoods streets, though she says it should have started a long time ago. Like when the GOP controlled the council? (OK, to be fair, it was the GOP-controlled council that enacted the trash fee that freed up money for street maintenance.)

Strike three: The City Council is hiring more police officers and putting more money into after-school programs to help with those neighborhood-safety program--which is pretty much what the GOP council did before the Democrats were elected and what the GOP candidates would do if, by some miracle, they won in November.

The final item on the GOP’s failure checklist is a just a blank line that you can fill in. Hey, write down whatever you want: The GOP already made up the first three.

Local members of the Alliance for Democracy are hosting the organization's national convention in Tucson on Nov. 1-4. If interested, here is the info:

Alliance for Democracy's 7th annual national convention, entitled “Shifting Power From Corporate Rights to the Rights of People and Nature" will be held in Tucson Nov. 1 to 4 at the First Christian Church, 740 E. Speedway Blvd. All programs are open to the public and everyone is invited to attend any or all sessions, beginning Friday afternoon, Nov. 2.

The Alliance was founded in 1996 to challenge the tremendous power of corporations over our lives, our communities and our country’s elections, economy, environment, media and culture. With 17 chapters and 10 activist groups across the country, we are dedicated to building rights-based, participatory democracy from the grassroots up, encouraging member activism to fight corporate dominance at every level of government.

Convention highlights include: the Tapestry of the Commons presentation, Friday at 3:15 p.m., and Saturday workshops (starting at 10:00 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.) on such issues as water, corporate globalization, healthcare and sustainable communities, with participants from the Tucson community that focus on the convention theme. For full details, please visit www.thealliancefordemocracy.org

Friday evening, Thomas Linzey will give the keynote address on “How Rural America Is Taking on Settled Law and Asserting Local Authority Over Corporations.” Linzey is founder of the Community Legal Environmental Defense Fund in Pennsylvania where he's helped more than 100 towns assert their community rights over corporations.

The Saturday evening panel discussion is titled: “How Corporations Use Trade, Immigration and the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America to Destroy Communities in the United States and Mexico.” Local panelists include Rick Ufford-Chase, Isabel Garcia and Rev. John Fife. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the programs begin at 7:30.

Sunday’s program, at the The Riverpark Inn, 310 S. Freeway Drive, will focus on “Building Sustainable Communities, with representatives from the following groups: Sustainable Tucson, a Tucson co-housing community; Tucson’s Food Conspiracy Coop; and the new “off the grid” Hundredfold Farm Housing Cooperative located near Gettysburg, Pa. Following lunch, there will be a workshop, "Moving Forward: Tucson Ordinance – Confronting Corporate Power."

Tom Neilson, the Bard Insurgent, will provide music throughout the convention. Praised as a “master of parody,” Neilson’s performances include appropriate send-ups of “the greedy and powerful in the media, corporate and political world.”

Cost for the entire convention is $60 or $30 for each day. The evening programs on Friday and Saturday are $10, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Please join AfD members at community meals. You may make reservations up to Friday, Oct. 26 by emailing [email protected] and then pay at the door. Saturday lunch is $10, catered by Food Conspiracy Coop and Sunday by the Riverpark Inn. Friday and Saturday dinner is $17, catered by Spice of Life (Friday) and El Molinito (Saturday).

For more information, contact CJ Jones at 622-3580 or [email protected].

My friend who lives in the Poets Square neighborhood (Swan/Broadway/5th/Columbus) told me she had her car stolen on Friday.

She said the battery died and the emergency road service came to charge the battery. The guy told her to keep the car running for 30 minutes. The car, which is a later model minivan (Honda, maybe?) was sitting in her driveway.

Thirty minutes later, she went outside and the car was gone.

She thinks the emergency road service guy called one of his buddies to come and get the car.

She's a busy mom and didn't think about going inside and getting another set of keys to lock the car. (No, I am not putting down busy moms.)

I don't know what she told the police, but I'm just wondering if you think this sounds like a scam. This particular neighborhood like most other Tucson infill neighborhoods has a lot of theft.

Don't you think 30 minutes is excessive to charge a battery?

The Tucson Police Department's photo-radar van will be in the following areas on Monday, Oct. 15:

• 7 to 9 a.m.: Gridley Middle School, 300 Block S. Harrison Road
• 9 to 2 p.m.: On Speedway Boulevard near Kolb Road
• 2 to 4:30 p.m.: At the school crossing on Pima Street near Sarnoff Drive
• 4:30 to 8 p.m.: On Golf Links Road near Wilmot Road

Put the horror of urban sprawl behind you and head over to Valley of the Moon tonight and tomorrow (from 6:30 to 9 p.m.) for Valley of the Zombies at 2455 E. Allen Road, between Country Club Road and Tucson Boulevard. Valley of the Moon is a 2.5-acre piece of fairy dust paradise built by George Phar Legler in the 1930s.

Valley of the Zombies is a fundraiser for the organization that now owns and maintains the historic site. Mr. Legler built Valley of the Moon with the philisophy that kindness is the key to happiness. How can anyone, flesh-eating zombie or George Bush, disagree with that?

For more information, visit www.tucsonvalleyofthemoon.org

The Tucson Police Department's photo-radar van will be in the following areas on Friday, Oct. 12:

• 7 to 9 a.m.: At Davdison Elementary on Alvernon Way near Kleindale Road
• 9 to 2 p.m.: On First Avenue near Ft. Lowell Road
• 2 to 4:30 p.m.: Menlo Park, on Grande Avenue near St. Mary's Road
• 4:30 to 8 p.m.: On Broadway Boulevard near Campbell Avenue

... a new Weekly! And the new issue's already online.

Feel free to comment on this week's issue here.

Here are a few events that were received too late for inclusion in our print issue:

• Friday, Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  UA Mall

  Women's Resource Fair and Farmers' Market. The free event will provide resources that will encourage overall health, well being and success of individulas on campus in the community. Social service agencies will provide information on pregnancy services, health issues, infant care, family services and more. Vendors will provide food. Call 203-3014 for info.

• Friday, Oct. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m.

  PS48

  48 E. Pennington St.

  Open House. PS48 will have an open house to kick off VOICES and City High School's joint capital campaign. Enjoy tours, appetizers and student musical performances. For more information, visit www.cityhighschool.org, www.voicesinc.org, www.ww2stories.org.

• Saturday, Oct. 13 at 10:30 a.m.

  The Womens' Resource Center

  UA Student Union, Third Floor

  1303 E. University Blvd.

  Sexuality Online: Teens and the Internet. Learn about adolescent development and social networking Web sites. Parents will get hands-on practice with Myspace. Free.

• Wednesday, Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  Pima Community College Northwest Campus

  7600 N. Shannon Road

  Earth Science Day. The free event will include geology tours, viewing the campus minteral collection, a solar-cooking demonstration, a nature photography exhibit, astronomy quizzes and prizes. Call 206-4500 for info.

The Tucson Police Department's photo-radar van will be in the following areas on Thursday, Oct. 11:

• 7 to 9 a.m.: Near Desert Sky Middle School, 9600 Block E. Rita Road
• 9 to 2 p.m.: On Valencia Road near Old Vail Road
• 2 to 4:30 p.m.: Near Henry Elementary on Harrison Road near Fifth Street
• 4:30 to 8 p.m.: On North Camino Seco near Speedway Boulevard