Quality and inclusive healthcare for LGBTQ will be the focus of an annual conference hosted by local behavioral health providers.

The event, going strong on its fourth year, will have several workshops and keynotes to discuss the best clinical care practices for LGBTQI adults and children—both already in places and emerging methods. 

From a Community Partnership of Southern Arizona press release:

The Let's Get Better Together Leadership Track offered in conjunction with the conference is a two-pronged intensive focus targeting agency leaders. Attendees will learn some of the basics of institutional cultural competency and workforce development and will apply what is learned to their respective organizations, create a plan, and commit to follow up after the workshop is complete. Attendees will review and discuss their institutional policies around inclusion, and any information regarding cultural competency plans and committees. 

The keynote speaker will be LGBT/immigration rights activist Raúl Alcaraz Ochoa and the Rainbow Defense Fund—they do tons of work with LGBT immigrants/asylum seekers in Southern Arizona. There will also be presentations by organizations like La Frontera and the UA Institute for LGBT Studies.

Having providers who are knowledgeable and accepting of LGBT individuals is a constant struggle in the community. 

An October 2010 survey by the National Transgender Discrimination Survey and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force says that out of more than 7,000 LGBTQI people surveyed, close to 30 percent postponed visiting the doctor and that same number reported being harassed at a health center. Half of them said they ended up having to teach the doctors and health providers about transgender care and 19 percent said they were refused care due to their transgender and gender nonconforming status.

In January, the first clinic geared toward LGBT adults and children officially opened its doors—Living Out Loud. 

If you are interested in going to the conference, register on the Let's Get Better Together Conference site. There's also a good summary of what will take place at the event.

The conference, organized by the LGBTQ Coalition of Southern Arizona and the LGBT Consortium, is open to everyone on Friday, May 8 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador, 10000 N. Oracle Road. Also, tasty food is included!

One of my favorite of my Best of Tucson® categories is probably one of the more challenging ones: Best Local Legend. I love it because of the huge range of answers we're getting so far. Sadly, I can't share those with you. Well, not the specifics, at least.

I love that some of the people being nominated are national icons that hail from the Old Pueblo—They're not so much ours any more, but we're happy to watch them shine. Other people are a few years gone. Not dead, necessarily, but done being in the spotlight. These business icons and sports heroes still define our city years after their names stopped appearing in the papers. And, of course, we've got our current Tucsonans. Those people you know by stage names, through cartoons and appearances at the Loft. The people who pull you off the couch and out on the town every weekend.

What do you think? When you think of Tucson legends, do you think rainbow unicorn stickers or kick ass basketball seasons? Iconic radio personalities or people the whole nation has learned to love? Perfectly greased up hair, piles of used books or the best local musicians? What and who are our legends?  

Make your case in the comments, but don't forget to cast your vote where it counts.

After 30 years working at Casa Video, Tony Jensen is going to recommend his last movie (at least in a professional setting) on Friday, April 24. However, before he goes, we had a few questions for the long-time pillar in the Tucson movie community.

What did you do before Casa Video?
I worked on the Burlington Northern Railroad but they would lay you off for four months in the winter. One year I decided to go back to school and repair computers and VCRs.

What kept you in the movie rental business for 30 years?
I love movies and lots of patience.

Why do you think Casa survived while Blockbuster and other stores went out of business?
I think Casa Video survived because of the inventory of movies. We have over 60,000 titles—and our staff—you can come in and just have a couple of phrases from a movie and 90 percent of the time they know it. We have customers that come in and spend hours looking for a film to watch. Besides, we are a family owned business, not corporate. We care, I think, more for our customers.

Do you have a Netflix account?
What is Netflix?

What’s one movie you see rented a lot year after year that surprises you?
Ulysses With Kirk Douglas

A new exhibit is set to show at the Mayor's Gallery on Thursday, April 16. The show, which is the fifth in the gallery's existence, will feature pieces from eight different Native American and Mexican American artists.

Tucson Pima Arts Council and Mayor Jonathan Rothschild have joined forces on the exhibit, which explores different media like acrylic on canvas, relief printmaking, sculpture and more. Featured artists include David Contreras, Glory Tacheenie-Campoy, John Salgado, Lester Aguirre, Lydia Maldonado, Michael Contreras and Neda Contreras and Ceci Garcia.

UA senior David Contreras is featured in the show and said in a statement that his work comes with a sense of history and the artists that came before him.

“Part of my process before I begin making art is to research as much as possible on the topic or idea I am pursuing,” Contreras said. “I try with every finished work to breathe life into long forgotten ideas and styles that the masters left for me to follow.”

In general, the works explore topics like family, struggle, land and community.

The show will be open for the public to view on Thursday, April 16 from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. Proper will be providing the refreshments at the event. The pieces will hang from then until September at the Mayor's Gallery, located on the 10th floor at 225 W. Alameda St.

For more information, including purchasing information, call TPAC at 624-0595.

The City of Tucson announced this week that the preliminary phases of implementing a bike share program in town are under way. Although the above picture is actually an artist's depiction of what it would look like to get bike share bikes at major transit hubs such as the Mercado San Agustin Sun Link stop, the planning phases of the bike share project are real and have begun.

According to a statement from the city's transportation department (TDOT), an initial system planning document, which includes maps of both a station phasing plan and proposed station locations for the initial phases, is being released to show where potential riders can expect potential bike share locations. The locations were planned as a result of a months-long survey on the TDOT website. and technical analysis done as a part of the Public Bicycle Share Feasibility Study and Implementation Plan. TDOT's City Bike/Pedestrian Coordinator Ann Chanecka says over 300 suggested locations were submitted by the public in the survey.

Phases 1 and 2 of the program will include outposts along the streetcar link and in the "denser urban core of Tucson." Phase 3 will build upon those two phases, with six total phases suggesting spots along the Rillito River Path, and in south, east and southeast Tucson.


Although exact details on price and official release date are not yet available, a business plan for the project will be released this summer. Chanecka says if all of the funding goes through as planned, TDOT hopes to launch the program this year. The city is seeking for the program to include both single day access and annual membership options for riders at self-service kiosks, much like the Grid Bike Share program that launched in Phoenix in 2014.

Editor's Note: This piece has been updated to include new information.

I'll tell you, in my next life I want to come back as a consultant. Doesn't matter what kind‚—environmental, medical—hell, even toilet bowl technician will do. I just want a starboard seat on that gravy train of perpetual expertise. And hey, if my karma holds out, I might even reincarnate as a consultant on the Broadway Boulevard Project.

As you may recall, back in 2010 the City of Tucson convened a Citizens Task Force, ostensibly meant to represent various interests along the the proposed Broadway widening project, from Euclid Avenue to Country Club Road. Around that time, the city also brought onboard a gaggle of consultants, from Tucson's own Kaneen Advertising and Public Relations, and "facilitator" Nanci Beizer, to Philip Erickson of Oakland-based Community Design+Architecture.

So, just how much have taxpayers dished out, for all this per-hour prowess? Well, darned if these folks or their city handlers care to talk numbers. City staffer and project team co-leader Beth Abramovitz didn't return a call from the Weekly seeking sums. Neither did facilitator Nanci Beizer. When I ran into Kaneen project manager Joan Beckim at a Citizen's Task Force meeting, she simply couldn't say what the firm earned for chores such as erecting flip charts and fetching sandwiches and setting up meeting rooms. I did receive a return call from Kaneen Vice President Rick Kaneen, who referred me back to the city. Same for Community Design President Phil Erickson. When I reached him at his Oakland offices, Erickson told me in several different ways that such numbers—even ballpark figures—just weren't quite available.

Finally, with help from City Councilman Steve Kozachik—whose Ward 6 encompasses the Broadway project—I learned that, as of October 2014, this tribe of consultants, spinners and facilitators had collectively lassoed upwards of $2.5 million in taxpayer dollars.

Beneath all that hard cash, however, lurks a tart little irony. The entire Broadway project had nearly collapsed at a meeting in mid March, when the Citizen's Task Force was asked to enter a parallel universe, wherein existed a roadway plan that reflected almost none of task force's well-publicized priorities, such as historic preservation and dedicated transit lanes. Refusing to be bulldozed, many members revolted.

A week later—and some five years after this process began—city officials allowed a volunteer and retired transportation planner named Gene Caywood to present his own proposal before the task force. With a bit of creative pinching and squeezing, Caywood was able to place the road alignment without demolishing some 40 historic properties and businesses as suggested by all those wise consultants. The task force quickly adopted his route as a guidepost.

Caywood diagramed the whole thing in less than two weeks. His fee? Zero.

For details on Caywood's plan, go to http://www.tucsonaz.gov/broadway/citizens-task-force

Ever been to Valley of the Moon? What about your grandfather, did he ever go? Well, do you have any photos to prove it? Valley of the Moon is doing some repairs and bringing the Adobe House back into service. They want to have a book documenting the building's life through the years.
 
From and email I got this afternoon: 

We would like to document it's involvement in the lives of Tucson through the eyes of our neighbors and friends who have visited over those years. We are looking for photographs of the Valley of the Moon that may be in your readers' scrap books, garages, attics, closets, etc. It would be great to have them scanned and emailed to [email protected] with the words "Valley Pix" in the subject line so we know what we're getting. There really is no particular timeframe in mind, but we are actively looking now for the information. Any size picture will do and if an approximate date could be included the organization of the photos would be much simpler. Also, if the contributor would like their name listed on the photograph, that would need to be included as well as any memories they would like to share with the rest of the world. The photographs will potentially be used in a display book in the restored building's greeting area. 

Back in 1923, an eccentric chap named George Phar Legler decided to build a fantasyland on scrub desert near the Rillito River. Ten years and thousands of stones later, his Valley of the Moon—inspired by the then-popular Spiritualism movement—opened as a quirky crescendo of serpentine paths, towering grottos, and a “wizard tower” high atop the rocky ramparts.

Calling himself the Old Mountain Gnome, Legler wandered his beguiling garden up through the mid-1960s, entertaining local families with lithe tales of magical hijinks. But today, folks hoping to preserve this clever outpost have run smack into the fact that City Hall is no enchanted forest, and even nimble fairies can get tangled in red tape.

As the League of United Latin American Citizens, Council 1057 kicked off the Cesar Chavez Holiday weekend by hosting their 26th Annual Youth Leadership Conference at Pima Community College's West Campus we must not forget the legacy left by him such as his determination to improve the quality of life for all.

He was an educator, environmentalist and a civil rights leader. One of his most famous saying was "We can not seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own."

For the past 26 years LULAC Council 1057, in partnership with the Southern Arizona Institute of Leadership have been actively involved in our community providing educational assistance to our youth and motivating them to realize education is the key to success and that their number one goal should be to graduate. Education is a great equalizer.

Latino's are now the largest racial and ethnic population, affecting the cultural and political landscape and changing the way America does business. The presence and influence of Latinos has increased significantly in the United States through remarkable growth over the past 20 years. But according to recent polls, Latinos in the United States see education as the most important issue facing their community. Over 50% of Latinos equate sending their children to college with achieving the American dream. I thank LULAC and all the organizations that work hard to educate our youth and to get them to obtain their diplomas and college degrees.

Latino's have a rich heritage of educational innovation and achievement. The Spaniards established two universities in Lima and Mexico in 1541, and a total of seven universities in the new world before Harvard opened its doors. I believe Cesar Chavez, would tell us today that we need to recover their spirit and create our own renaissance in education. He said, "It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. He gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on earth. it is an awesome opportunity."

On this first holiday, I want to thank my colleagues on the Council and the many organizations who supported the Council’s vote for the Cesar Chavez holiday in 2014. His selfless dedication for farm worker and worker rights, economic justice, civil rights, environmental justice, peace, nonviolence, empowerment of the poor and disenfranchised, is a monumental legacy that will inspire all and the generations to come. What is most important is that remembering and honoring Cesar Chavez inspires more people to become involved in all the causes which continue his extraordinary legacy.

(Editor's Note: Richard Fimbres is Vice Mayor in Ward 5 – City of Tucson)

As she steps up to the podium, 17-year-old Ana Cobos Lugo has to take a few deep breaths while she tries to control the tears.

She and her mom, Norma, are there to start a campaign on behalf of Ana's father, Felipe. He's been held at Eloy Detention Center, where his progressive skin infection has gotten worse every day.

Felipe was arrested in February 2014. His intention was to report a crime, but law enforcement had him apprehended because he is undocumented, and had a previous deportation in his record. He spent a few months at a Pima County jail, briefly left, and when he was supposed to sign his probation, he was sent to Eloy.

Although the family's economic situation is a big concern (Felipe supported his family working as a landscaper), they are mostly worried about Felipe's health. He is recovering from a surgery that took place about two weeks ago. 

"When the surgery was over, they took him back, he was still semi-unconscious from the anesthesia," Norma says in Spanish, sitting down in Southside Presbyterians Church's worship room. A press conference was supposed to take place a few minutes later. The surgeon wanted Felipe to stay at the hospital for at least four days. 

Norma said he's gotten pain medication on and off, and that, sometimes, it'll be days before someone changes the gauze protecting the wound on his lower back. He's had to remain in his cell, instead of the infirmary.

"Every weekend we visit him, and we see how much this has affected him, psychologically, physically..." Norma says.

Watching Ana plead for her father was painful. The entire time she tried to read her notes, she couldn't stop crying. 

"As of today, it has been one year, one month and eight days since they took my father away, I miss him very much. One of my younger siblings just turned nine and my dad has not been able to be present," she said. "(I miss him) waking me up yelling, 'Cecilia, wake up! Ceci do your homework, Ceci come with me to the store, Ceci how was school?'"

(Cecilia is Ana's middle name.)

She said breakfast time was always a rush—dad trying to get to work and the kids getting ready for school. Dinner was their moment. Tasty, home-made Mexican food and chatting about what went on that day.

"Release him to us, we want our dad," she said. "We don't just want him back, we need him back. It breaks my heart seeing him cry and cry, seeing how this is affecting him, especially mentally."

He tells her he is sorry he can't be there for them, but that he will be home soon. Everything is uncertain. Felipe's lawyer is looking into a petition to have him released, at least while he appeals his case. 

(The family has a petition going around on the Not One More Deportation website: http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/portfolio/felipecobos/)

"I will not give up until they give us back my dad, no matter what, we will not give up," Ana said. "I will keep fighting until the end. I have a voice...I will be loud, I will not be intimidated by (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or Homeland Security."