Weekly DOJ Investigation Update
Week of Jan 23
- City staff continued working with DOJ to provide access to the Police Record Management System (RMS).
- City staff continued to prepare material to fulfill outstanding DOJ document requests.
- Public comments are being taken for the draft Use of Force Policy.
Mark Your Calendars: Community Meeting
Our next meeting will be Feb 27th and will be located back at the Mel Martin Auto Museum (4320 W Thunderbird Rd, Glendale, AZ 85306). We will be meeting at our regular scheduled time for our dinner meetings. Plan for check in to begin at 5:30pm and the meeting to start at 6pm.
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!
News From the City of Phoenix
Phoenix Sister Cities Youth Ambassador Program
 Do you know a Phoenix resident high school sophomore or junior, who would like to represent Phoenix in one of our 11 sister cities this summer? Phoenix Sister Cities is accepting applications for the 2023 Youth Ambassador Exchange Program. Phoenix youth travel to one of our sister cities for approximately three weeks in June, where they are home hosted. In July, they welcome their international counterpart for three week here in Phoenix. Applications are due at 11:59 P.M. on March 3. More information and a link to the online application are at https://www.phoenixsistercities.org/youth-ambassador/.
Around the World in 5k
 Walk/run “Around the World in 5K” with Phoenix Sister Cities at 7:30 A.M. on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at Arizona Falls, located at 5802 E. Indian School Road. Virtual racers are welcome to “5K your way” from anywhere in the world. Report your results by March 10 and Phoenix Sister Cities will share your story (and photo) online. More information and registration is available at www.phoenixsistercities.org
PHN Cesar Chavez Community Engagement Scholarship
 As part of the Phoenix Hispanic Network’s (PHN) vision, PHN is dedicated to collaborating with community partners to strengthen relationships with the residents we serve. We are pleased to announce our fifth annual Community Engagement Scholarships, to be presented at our Cesar Chavez Celebration on March 30, 2023.
Two scholarship recipients will be selected and will receive a $1,500 scholarship to be used towards their college education in the field of local government or civic engagement.
Eligibility
- City of Phoenix resident
- Current high school seniors who are moving on to a two or four-year university,
- Must submit a copy of a high school transcript showing a minimum 2.5 Grade Point Average.
Thrive Bell Rd Community Clean Up
 Join the folks from Thrive Phoenix for another Bell Road clean up! They will be starting at 9am on Saturday, February 4th at their new headquarters off 15th Ave and Bell Rd. Their clean-up will last until noon or as soon as everything is picked up! Address: 1512 W Bell Rd Ste 3
City Launches Community Survey
 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.
Temporary Road Closures
Northbound I-17 weekend closures planned between Northern Avenue and Greenway Road Jan. 27-30
The Arizona Department of Transportation advises drivers who use Interstate 17 between Northern Avenue and Greenway Road in Phoenix to plan for the following two weekend closures for pavement resurfacing:
- Northbound I-17 between Northern Avenue and Greenway Road, along with the northbound frontage road between Dunlap Avenue and Greenway Road, will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, to 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 30. The following ramps will also be closed:
- Northbound I-17 on-ramps at Bethany Home Road, and Glendale Avenue.
DETOUR: Northbound SR 51 to westbound Loop 101 is an alternate freeway route while I-17 is closed. Drivers also may consider exiting ahead of the closure and using northbound 19th or 35th avenues to connect with I-17 beyond the closure.
Cactus Park Dinner With a Cop
 Please join your Cactus Park Precinct Community Action Officers for Coffee with a Cop at Anzio's Italian Restaurant at 12418 N 28th Dr #1, Phoenix, AZ 85029 on February 23rd 2023 at 6:00pm on Thursday.
Black Mountain Coffee With a Cop
 Please join your Black Mountain Precinct Community Action Officers for Coffee with a Cop at Chompie's at 3212 E Cactus on February 22nd 2023 at 8:30am on Wednesday.
News From Deer Valley Unified School District
DVUSD Fleet Maintenance Staff Named Arizona Department of the Year
 The Arizona Association of Pupil Transportation named DVUSD’s Fleet Maintenance as the Arizona Fleet Department of the year.
Over the past few years, the DVUSD transportation department had some big changes. Most notably, they welcomed a new director and shop supervisor. They hit the ground running with the transition and set a goal to continue training and decrease their Department of Public Safety failure rate in their DPS inspection reports.
Not only did they lower the failure rate, the fleet maintenance team brought it to below 12%, which is a huge accomplishment. Now, they’ve agreed to set their sights on lowering that percentage rate even more next year.
One of their staff members summed it up this way, “As an 18 year employee of Deer Valley, it has been quite enjoyable to witness the progress. It’s amazing to watch the mechanics come together as a team and openly help each other and cross train. They are also sharing new ideas which have been put into action. It’s evident that everyone has an important role and we are coming together not only as a team but as one big family!”
Congratulations to Arizona’s 2022 Fleet Maintenance Department of the year: Dawn Curran, Fili DeLarosa, Patrick Endrizzi, Alan Jibeault, Jeff Kingsley, Thomas LeClair, Richard Mathews, Jesus Medrano, Bill Pele, Gilbert Ponce, Norman Rose, Josue Sanchez, Steve Segovia, Edgar Torres, Shop Supervisor Jeff Krueger, and Transportation Director Nick Franklin.
News From Washington Elementary School District
WESD to Host Teacher Interview Fair
 Mark your calendars! The WESD is hosting its next Teacher Interview Fair on Saturday, February 11, 2023. We will be hiring for elementary, middle and special education teachers, as well as speech pathologists. In-person and virtual interviews will be available. To schedule an interview today, please call 602-347-2622. Walk-ins are also welcome. We would LOVE to see you there for this special opportunity to join our WESD Family!
WESD Honors national Board Certified Teacher
 Last week, the WESD was proud to honor one of its National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) as part of Balloon Day! Congratulations to Mountain Sky Junior High Instructional Coach Becky Wright who recently learned she maintained her National Board Certification! To celebrate this incredible achievement, Ms. Wright was surprised with a golden balloon from WESD Superintendent Dr. Paul Stanton, WESD administrators and Mountain Sky colleagues.
News From Glendale Union High School District
Cortez High School Boys and Girls Varsity Wrestling Teams Place in Invitational Meet
 Athletic excellence continues at Cortez High School as the Boys and Girls Varsity Wrestling teams compete at the Ironwood Eagle Invitational. Senior Damien Manygoats beat his opponent from Ironwood to secure his 1st place victory. Senior Jaime Sanchez placed 4th, and sophomore Anthony Manygoats placed 5th. On the girls side, freshman Bianca Durham ended the evening with a 4th place medal.
To learn more about Cortez High School news, visit @CortezHighSchoolAZ on Facebook.
Greenway High School Teachers Renew their National Board Certifications
 GUHSD is proud to present renewed National Board Certified Teachers for this year. Congratulations to Jen Fowler, Amber Gould and Jenn Walp from Greenway High School for renewing their certification. National Board Certification was designed to develop, retain and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide.
To learn more about Greenway High School news, visit @GreenwayHighSchoolAZ on Facebook.
Moon Valley Students Create Toys for Preschool Students Using 3D Printer
 Excellence in the classroom continues at Moon Valley High School as the Advanced Engineering class designed and created dragons, dinosaurs, and other complex projects to be reproduced by their 3D printer. When completed, the little dinosaurs will be given to the COOP preschool students in the district.
To learn more about Moon Valley High School news, visit @MoonValleyHighSchoolAZ on Facebook.
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.
To start the application process, please visit the Boards and Commissions webpage.
Upcoming City Council Meetings
- Next City Council Policy Meeting: February 21st
- Next City Council Formal Meeting: February 15th
Councilwoman O'Brien has been appointed chairperson of the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee, and is also a member of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee and the Economic Development and Equity Subcommittee. Visit the Council Subcommittee webpage for the schedule of public meetings.
Learn more about Councilwoman O'Brien, her priorities and focus for District 1 on the district's webpage.
Connect with us!
   
phoenix.gov/district1
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For those of you who do not speak Mandarin, I want to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! Over the last two weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to represent the City of Phoenix in the Chinese New Year festivities. On Saturday, January 21st, I helped open the New Year festival at Steele Indian School Park by dotting the eye of the dragon so he could see fresh for the year to come. We celebrated with traditional Lion Dances, martial arts demonstrations, and I even learned how to play traditional Mahjong!
Last week, I attended a breakfast honoring our Police Reserve Foundation and introducing what they do to Chief Sullivan. For those unaware, our Police Reserves are known across the world for how many folks are looking to volunteer their time to serve the citizens. We have over 100 daytime professionals who range from Fortune 100 accountants to doctors and lawyers that volunteer their evenings and weekends to serve as Phoenix Police Reserves and supplement our sworn officers. These individuals are sworn officers and indistinguishable from full time officers. If you’re interested in learning more about our Phoenix Police Reserves, or are interested in signing up,