PHX Council District 1 Newsletter

Our next meeting will be Monday, April 28th, at the DoubleTree Resort located at 10220 N Metro Pkwy E, Phoenix, AZ 85051. Plan for check-in to begin at 7:30am and the meeting to start at 8:00am.

You can register below for the upcoming meeting! As a reminder, please fill out the form SEPARATELY for EACH member of your family planning to attend. Thank you!

The Phoenix Police Department is launching the Smart Notification Program within the next few days. The voluntary program will create a pathway for community members or legal guardians to provide information to the police department regarding mental health concerns, cognitive issues, communication methods, or other important information about themselves or those in their care. The hope of the program is to help officers respond with care by having as much important information as possible about individuals they may interact with, and to also us the information to locate missing individuals if needed.

Anyone interested in the program would first fill out a form with the information online. Once the form is submitted, the information would then be entered into our communications system. This information would then be available for dispatchers and officers as they respond to the specific address entered.

We're pleased to announce our partnership with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) on the Blue Envelope program. This initiative provides autistic drivers with a designated Blue Envelope to keep their vehicle registration, insurance card, and emergency contact information in one accessible place. These are the documents typically requested during a traffic stop.

The Blue Envelope also includes clear instructions for both the driver and the officer, aiming to improve communication and increase officer awareness during these interactions. This focused approach can help reduce stress and promote safer encounters.

Phoenix Police officers have received information about the Blue Envelope program, and the envelopes are now available at the following locations: Phoenix Police Headquarters, Northern Command, and Southern Command. The Public Affairs Bureau will also be sharing details about this new partnership with the community through social media.

We are proud to join the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Arizona, and the University of Arizona Police Departments as partners in supporting the Blue Envelope Program.

The City of Phoenix has teamed up with Mill and R.City to work toward our goal of becoming a zero-waste city by 2050. Now you can try a new way to put food scraps to good use at home. Mill's food recycler is no larger than a typical kitchen trash can. It accepts fruits, vegetables, grains/breads, meat, eggshells, and more. The device works automatically while you sleep to turn the food scraps into dehydrated grounds. Every month, R.City collects Food Grounds from Phoenix homes, schools, and offices — turning them into compost for local farms. Sign up risk free for 30 days, or learn more about home composting from City of Phoenix Public Works Department. If you join Mill, you'll receive either a box of farm produce or a bag of compost every quarter!

You can now help recycle plastic bags through a new pilot program with Recyclops! While you should never put bags in your blue curbside bin (they get tangled in our sorting machines), Recyclops offers a subscription-based service that helps divert difficult-to-recycle plastics away from the landfill.

Sign up for doorstep pickups for plastic bags and soft film recycling at recyclops.com/phoenix and get your first 3 months FREE!

If you're ever unsure about what should go in your blue bin, use the Recycle Right Wizard.

April Sexual Assault Awareness Month.png

The City of Phoenix recognizes April as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and we invite you to join us to bring awareness to sexual violence and show support for survivors.

In 2019, the City launched a public education campaign, Let's Talk Teal. The Strategic Initiatives team, which leads the efforts, hosts activities and shares resources to encourage the public to have important conversations to prevent sexual violence.

The Denim Day story began in Italy 1992, when an 18-year-old girl was raped by the 45-year- old driving instructor. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, removed her jeans and forcefully raped her.

Although the perpetrator was convicted, years later, he appealed the conviction claiming that the sex was consensual, leading the Italian Supreme Court to overturn the conviction and release the perpetrator. A statement from the Court argued that because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she had to help remove them, and by removing the jeans it was not rape but consensual sex. This became known throughout Italy as the “jeans alibi.”

Enraged by the verdict, the women in the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court. This protest was picked up by international media, and Denim Day was born. Denim Day has continued around the world annually to challenge myths about why people are raped and to stand in support of survivors.

This April, in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Burton Barr Central Library’s Central Library will host a poignant art installation titled, “What Were You Wearing?” The exhibit, which runs from April 1 to May 1, 2025, is a collaborative effort with the City of Phoenix Let’s Talk Teal initiative and the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV).

“What Were You Wearing?” is a moving exhibition featuring recreations of the clothing worn by local sexual assault survivors at the time of their assaults. Each piece tells a powerful story, challenging the victim-blaming narratives survivors often endure when they come forward. This installation aims to foster empathy, raise awareness, and break down the harmful myths that perpetuate sexual violence.

To learn more about the City of Phoenix Let’s Talk Teal campaign and the efforts to prevent sexual violence, visit phoenix.gov/letstalkteal

Installation Details:
Title: What Were You Wearing?
Dates: April 1 – May 1, 2025
Location: Burton Barr Central Library @Central Gallery, 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004
Admission: Free and open to the public

The City of Phoenix recently launched ParkPHX, a web-based application dedicated to making finding parking downtown easier than ever. ParkPHX is designed to provide easy access to information on all public parking facilities in one convenient location—helping users find parking based on what matters most to them, from cost to electric vehicle charging stations. Along with information on each public parking facility, such as ADA access, EV inventory, and height limits, ParkPHX will also provide integrated parking reservations and dynamic pricing for participating partner facilities. The web-based application is intended to allow all demographics to easily access the tool. Reserve your parking ahead of time the next time you visit downtown at parkphx.com!

Please join your Cactus Park Precinct Commander Hein along with officers who serve for Coffee with a Cop at Ronnie's Cafe at 4323 W Cactus Rd on April 30th at 8:00am. This is a great opportunity to come out and meet the members of our police department that make up the Cactus Park Precinct.

The City of Phoenix is ready to launch the community survey. This survey asks questions on a wide range of topics around life in our community, from what residents think is working, to where they see a need for improvement, providing feedback that is used to calculate ongoing satisfaction scores. The survey is one more way to gather information from residents in our effort to more holistically understand neighborhood issues and enhance our responsiveness to community priorities.

The survey takes less than five minutes to complete and is available in both English and Spanish. The survey system sets response targets based on Census data to ensure community representation. Survey responses will be anonymous.

The survey is served up to residents on various websites and social media platforms. Residents can also respond to the survey directly with this link.

We’ve also created a survey landing page on Phoenix.gov to answer questions, including the security and privacy of the survey.

Genevieve Curtis, a freshman at Boulder Creek High School, won the national championship (1st place) in the 4th National Chinese Speech Contest on March 29 hosted by the American Academy of International Culture and Education (former Chinese program of College Board).

This is an incredible achievement that reflects her dedication to mastering the Chinese language and public speaking and her deep exploration of Chinese Culture. Fellow Boulder Creek students, Natalia Salazar and Abriella Seils won the Honorable Mention in this contest.

Notably, this marks the third consecutive year Boulder Creek High School has defended the championship title, a testament to the excellence of our students and the dedication of our Mandarin Immersion Program.

News From Washington Elementary School District

Attention Future Kindergarten Families - See the Joy of Learning in Action!

Attention families of future WESD kindergarten students! Come experience the joy of learning at your neighborhood school on Wednesday, April 30! During the event, families and their children will have the opportunity to meet the principal and kindergarten teachers, visit classrooms during instruction and participate in a learning activity, as well as, tour the campus and see a school bus!

Please view the images for the specific hours of your school’s event. If you'd like to RSVP, please visit www.wesdschools.org/kindergarten. We look forward to meeting you and our future kindergartners!

WESD to Host Teacher Interview Fair - April 19

The WESD is looking for passionate and dedicated educators to join our team for the 2025-2026 school year! Please join us for our Teacher Interview Fair on Saturday, April 19, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the WESD Administrative Center, located at 4650 W. Sweetwater Ave. We are hiring for several teaching positions, including kindergarten through sixth grade, seventh and eighth grades, all areas of special education and music.

Our District offers competitive teacher salaries of $53,000-$84,950 with performance pay, student loan forgiveness, school-age child care discounts, medical, dental and vision benefits, employer-matched contributions to Arizona State Retirement and much more. The WESD also provides the most support for teachers, including instructional coaches on every campus, weekly Professional Learning Communities (PLC), regular professional development and social workers on each campus.

Those interested are encouraged to pre-schedule an interview by calling Lydia Garcia at 602-347-2622. Walk-ins are also welcome. To review our current job openings and apply online, please visit jobs.wesdschools.org/

WESD Now Enrolling for Summer Kindergarten Program

Registration for our free, four-week, half-day kindergarten readiness program, Jumpstart, is now open! Available at 27 locations in the WESD, the program will be offered this summer from May 27 to June 19. During the program, children will make friends, learn kindergarten routines and practice kindergarten readiness skills. Free breakfast and lunch are also included!

To participate in the program, children must be registered for kindergarten in a WESD school for the 2025-2026 school year. Kindergarten registration can be completed online at www.wesdschools.org/kindergarten or in-person at the WESD Welcome and Registration Center, located at 3200 W. Cholla Ave.

To register for Jumpstart classes today, please visit: www.wesdschools.org/jumpstart

Abraham Lincoln Teacher Recognized for Giving Back

A special congratulations to Deb Lupnacca, first grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln Traditional School for earning the 2025 Community Partner of the Year Award from Arizona Professional Educators (AZPE).

Ms. Lupnanca was nominated for the award for being an amazing educator who offers her time through School Connect at Pure Heart Church to give back to 11 schools in the WESD. Leading a team of school champions, Ms. Lupnacca is appreciated for her tireless efforts in recruiting and training volunteers who support individual school sites by attending events, serving on PTOs and mentoring students. She is also committed to fulling any needs that she sees, whether it be providing supplies to students or catering meals during parent/teacher conferences. The WESD truly appreciates her efforts!

News From Glendale Union High School District

Greenway High School

Congratulations to Greenway High School! At Thursday’s student assembly, Erik Rendelman from the Arizona Educational Foundation proudly presented Greenway with the A+ School of Excellence banner!

Joining the school for this special presentation were the following: GUHSD Superintendent, Brian Capistran; AEF Representative, Erik Rendelman; Greenway Student Body President, Ainslie Dunbar; GUHSD Governing Board President, Patty Kennedy; Greenway Principal, Ed Barnes; Phoenix Vice Mayor, Ann O’Brien; Greenway Senior Class President, Boston Gadsby; GUHSD Board Member, Natalie Veidmark

This prestigious honor celebrates schools that demonstrate exceptional academics, innovation, and strong community involvement.

Interested in serving on Phoenix's Boards and Commissions?

District 1 is seeking community leaders interested in serving as the District's representative for various boards and commissions, such as the Village Planning Committee.

Vice Mayor O'Brien has been appointed chairperson of the Economic Development & Housing Subcommittee, and is also a member of the Public Safety & Justice Subcommittee. Visit the Council Subcommittee webpage for the schedule of public meetings.