The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the county's ongoing efforts to reduce the Pima County jail population.

The average daily population was 1,428 as of last week. Before the pandemic, the jail had an ADP of around 1,900, according to April 25 memo from Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry to the Board of Supervisors.

Huckelberry said there has been a "rapid decline" in daily bookings since around March 11, and he hopes that future bookings will be only for those who are an "actual danger to our community." A coalition of criminal justice agencies in the county have worked to reduce the number people in jail for nonviolent, low level drug offenses for years, with slower progress.

The decline in new bookings, coupled with recent efforts from the Pima County Public Defender's Office to secure the releases of people who were accused of nonviolent crimes and simply couldn't pay their bail, have resulted in a lower jail population, which is crucial in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

"It is ironic that all of our previous actions and activities associated with attempting to reduce our detention populations have been difficult," Huckelberry wrote in his memo. "However, the COVID-19 pandemic has succeeded in what previously has been difficult to accomplish."

The Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona had a big fundraising event scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, that was swiftly canceled—along with all the other fun spring events in Tucson—because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But in an effort to still raise money for groups and initiatives that work to improve the quality of life for local women and girls, the Women's Foundation has decided to reboot the annual luncheon into an online event that people can participate in right from the comfort of their homes.

Want to help out service industry workers across Pima County who are hurting as the governor-mandated shutdown continues? A local barman has made it easy for the public to tip their favorite bartender or server using the interwebs.

The group is called Tips for Tucson, hosted by a Facebook page and a google docs spreadsheet. Tips for Tucson even made a video, shot and produced by Tyler Lidwell Videography, and features many bartenders from around Tucson’s nightlife scene helping get the word out.

The idea came to local bartender Kyle Blessinger over a morning whiskey with his friend Eric Smith, a bartender at the temporarily shuttered Kingfisher. Earlier, Smith had forwarded Blessinger a post about what bartenders in Indianapolis were doing to raise cash during the pandemic—a virtual tip jar.

“I was having a morning whiskey because it’s quarantine and there are no rules. Eric had forwarded me this idea,” Blessinger said. “We got to talking and I said, “Dude, we have to do something and this is easy.'”

Bartenders and servers depend on tips to supplement their income since they are paid a lower minimum wage rate—currently $8 per hour in Arizona. While applying for unemployment benefits may seem like the best option, Blessinger notes there can be a lot of down-time between applying and actually being approved for assistance. It took more than five weeks for Blessinger to receive benefits, he said.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 6,716 as of Monday, April 27, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 1,164 confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 275 people statewide, including 76 in Pima County, according to the report.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 3,457.

Because testing lags in Arizona and COVID-19 symptoms can take as long as two weeks to appear after exposure to the virus (while some people can remain entirely asymptomatic), health officials say community spread of the disease is worse than the official numbers suggest. They continue to urge the public to avoid unnecessary trips and gatherings of more than 10 people and have advised people to cover their faces with masks in public.

This week, Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-home-home order, which drew a two-day protest earlier this month at the state Capitol, expires on Thursday, April 30.

The order has closed a wide number of “non-essential” businesses, including bars, barbershops, salons, theaters, gyms, swap meets, and many retail stores. Restaurants may remain open but only for takeout and delivery service. Public parks remain open but amenities such as playgrounds and restrooms are closed.

Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak said that administration officials were still tracking data to determine the best course of action regarding whether the stay-at-home order would be extended into May.

“We appreciate the passion expressed by Arizonans yesterday, and share their desire to get back to normal as quickly as possible,” Ptak said. Gov. Ducey is working closely with President Trump, Vice President Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, Dr. Cara Christ, and state, local and federal health experts to implement the latest guidance from CDC and the White House. Every decision we make will continue to be informed by public health and a commitment to reenergizing our economy when it is responsible and safe to do so.”

Ptak said there were three options under consideration.

“We can let the order expire. We can extend it as is. Or we can extend it with changes and modifications that reflect Arizona’s improving situation on the ground,” Ptak said. “The decision will be based on the data over the next week as well as the guidance and recommendations of public health officials.”

For more Claytoonz click here.

For more Claytoonz click here.

TEMPE – The scramble to deliver lessons remotely because of COVID-19 has been a challenge for all schools in the state, but a particularly difficult one for districts on the wrong side of the digital divide, school leaders said this week.

While some districts have had a relatively smooth transition, others have found themselves forced to provide everything from wireless access to laptops for families – and sometimes teachers – who might not otherwise be able to participate.

“Many of our districts were able to shift pretty quickly to online learning, many of our districts already had laptops that they were able to loan out to students,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said in a web conference Wednesday organized by the Arizona Capitol Times.

On the other hand, Hoffman said, “far too many districts” did not have the resources to make the switch, specifically the Navajo Nation.

“This digital divide is crippling to Arizona and it’s not going to be a short-term problem, it’s going to be a long-term issue that we need to address,” Hoffman said, highlighting issues such as a lack of technology devices and internet access.

The Baboquivari Unified School District on the Tohono O’odham Nation is a case in point.

Because of spotty internet access, the district had to bring in wireless hotspots, said Superintendent Edna Morris, then followed that by distributing Chromebooks to families that did not have a computer, so students could do their schoolwork at home.

Today Congressman Raúl Grijalva joined with a number of border groups to call for a suspension on construction of the border wall during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a press conference call, they said the construction only puts vulnerable communities further at risk and all federal resources should be aimed at fighting the pandemic.

While President Trump recently announced he would suspend immigration into the United States for 60 days in order to slow the spread of the virus, the coalition was quick to point out that deportations are still continuing, including deportation of people with known cases of COVID-19 to countries that already have a strained healthcare system. Meanwhile, the number of people housed in U.S. detention centers continues to grow.

There are still thousands of asylum seekers in Mexico waiting to present themselves at the US border for protection.


Efrén Olivares, legal director of the Racial and Economic Justice Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project, represents about a dozen landowners located near the US/Mexico border. Their properties have been identified by the U.S. government as key building spots for the wall, and Olivares provides counsel to them in their condemnation cases. He is now working to get the government to halt construction so that landowners won't be put at risk of being in contact with workers during this time.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic in the last month, month and a half, not only has border wall planning and construction work not slowed down in some places, in fact it has accelerated," he said.

In early March, he represented a 75-year-old man who had 15 surveyors for the border wall come to his property, in an effort to make preparations for the construction. Another one of his clients, a woman in her 60s, was also visited by a group of surveyors trying to make contact.

Olivares argues that these groups of workers, who weren't wearing any personal protective equipment, are endangering the lives of these older citizens who live in rural settings and do not have easy access to medical care.


"This virus has opened up a portal," Grijalva said. "And as you walk through it, we're seeing who's left behind. We're seeing where the relief is not reaching people."

The Small Business Administration will begin accepting Paycheck Protection Program loans next week after President Donald Trump signed a $480 billion relief package into law on Friday, according to a joint statement released by the SBA and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. 

“The Small Business Administration will resume accepting PPP loan applications on Monday, April 27 at 10:30 AM EDT from approved lenders on behalf of any eligible borrower," according to the statement. "This will ensure that SBA has properly coded the system to account for changes made by the legislation."

The SBA recently set new guidelines to help ensure small businesses will receive this round of funding, and not publically traded companies. Under the new guidelines, companies will have to certify that they do not have other sources of funding (like the ability to sell company stock) and are unable to secure a loan from a financial institution to be eligible.

In addition, the SBA is also urging large corporations to give back the money received during the last of $350 billion disbursements of PPP loans - which ran dry in two weeks - or face scrutiny over whether they made the required certification in good faith.  Corporations with other means of securing funding and accepted a PPP loan will have until May 7, 2020, to repay their loan in full without further SBA investigation.

“We encourage all approved lenders to process loan applications previously submitted by eligible borrowers and disburse funds expeditiously. All eligible borrowers who need these funds should work with an approved lender to apply," according to the statement. "Borrowers should carefully review PPP regulations and guidance and the certifications required to obtain a loan."

For more information on the Paycheck Protection Program, click here. 

If your company thrives on community events and foot traffic, the COVID-19 pandemic basically dammed revenue streams and sent business plans out the window.

Such was the case for Madaras Gallery, owned and operated by local artist Diana Madaras, when President Donald Trump delivered his speech at the March 17 Coronavirus Task Force press briefing.

The same night the president asked businesses to allow employees to work from home and limit social gatherings to no more than 10 people, Madaras sent an email to her staff to remind everyone how vital it was to keep the gallery clean. She voluntarily closed down a few days later.

Madaras said she was uncomfortable and worried for the safety of her staff and customers. She was hearing too much “scary information” about COVID-19.

That decision came with a price, however.

“We’re still doing some online business, and we’ve tried to get creative to generate revenue,” Madaras said. “It’s been a real challenge.”

Rising to the challenge, the gallery team shifted its focus to several new ventures. Madaras and her sister produce one-minute videos for YouTube, the company website now hosts free coloring pages for kids. In addition to artwork, customers can also purchase birthday gift baskets, and there’s now curb-side pickup. Customers can also take advantage of free no-contact delivery for larger canvases.

One of the most popular new programs is the virtual home visit, Madaras said. Customers can send a photo of their wall and provide a list of paintings they live or ask for suggestions based on decor. The Madaras team then edits artwork into the photos so customers can plan out their rooms.

Aside from helping customers decorate their homes during quarantine, Madaras and her team repainted the gallery and hung new art so everything is fresh and new for re-opening. They’re still waiting for guidelines from the government regarding customer safety, and Madaras said she doesn’t anticipate hosting any large events for a while.

Outside of the gallery, Madaras recently donated 600 coloring books and boxes of crayons to Tucson Unified School District for distribution in the school lunch program.

“Here are these kids that are quarantined...and they might not have coloring books and crayons at home,” Madaras said. “These are the kids that would come to school for the school lunch program. So when they came for their lunch, they got a little surprise.”

For more information, visit madarasgallery.com online or call (520) 615-3001 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.