🏛️ The Grijalva Succession: Political Chess Moves Begin as Fontes, Grijalva, Hernandez Eye Progressive Congressional Seat

🔬 Dr. Cullen Navigates MAGA Health Policy: Pima County Health Director Reveals How Equity Work Continues Under Hostile Federal Administration

Mar 22, 2025

😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾

📻 The Buckmaster Show discussed how Pima County is trying to protect public health programs while the federal government targets diversity and equity initiatives. 🚑 Dr. Teresa Cullen explained they're now calling these "geography-based" programs since neighborhoods reflect who lives there without mentioning race or ethnicity directly.

🏘️ Meanwhile, local politicians are positioning themselves to run for Raúl Grijalva's congressional seat, with his daughter Adelita considered the frontrunner if she decides to run. 🗳️ The city council tied on whether to ban homeless people from sleeping in washes, showing how divided Tucson is on addressing homelessness. 🏙️ The Arizona Daily Star might be sold to a billionaire, which could affect local news coverage. 📰

🗝️ Takeaways

🔍 Pima County Health Department is being forced to rebrand equity initiatives as "geography-based" to avoid federal targeting of diversity and equity programs
💉 Kindergarten vaccination rates have fallen below the crucial 95% threshold needed for herd immunity against measles
📊 Overdose deaths are down 20% in Pima County, but emergency room visits for overdoses remain steady
🔄 A shift from fentanyl toward methamphetamine usage is emerging in substance abuse patterns
🏛️ Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is positioning himself as a CD7 candidate if Adelita Grijalva doesn't run
🏠 A proposal to ban camping in Tucson's washes deadlocked 3-3, with questions about whether Councilmember Fimbres' vote was properly recorded
📰 The Arizona Daily Star generates $6-7 million in annual profit, making it an attractive target for acquisition

Get 7 day free trial

Buckmaster's Beat: Health Equity Under Siege & Political Maneuvering in the Post-Grijalva Era

The sun blazed over I-10 Friday morning as traffic came to a standstill due to a fatal crash—a somber backdrop for Buckmaster's deep dive into community health and political maneuvering. As Bill Buckmaster and co-host Tim Steller settled into the Green Thing Zocalo Village Studio, the weight of our current moment hung in the air: health initiatives under ideological attack, a congressional seat in flux following Representative Raúl Grijalva's passing, and the ever-present question of how we care for our most vulnerable neighbors.

Public Health in the Crosshairs: Dr. Cullen Navigates MAGA Headwinds

Dr. Teresa Cullen, Pima County Health Director, arrived armed with data and diplomatic language as she carefully navigated the treacherous waters of public health in Trump's America 2.0. Though measles hasn't yet appeared in Pima County this year, she cautioned that kindergarten vaccination rates have fallen below the critical 95% threshold needed for herd immunity.

"The goal is to have a 95% vaccination rate," Dr. Cullen explained. "The vast majority of schools are well—not the vast majority, but a majority of schools are above 95%."

Notice that careful correction? When facts matter, precision matters. Something our "alternative facts" friends might learn from.

The Board of Supervisors has directed Cullen's department to develop mobile vaccination programs targeting schools below that threshold. "The board charged us with coming up with a plan to identify the schools that are less than 95% at kindergarten and offer mobile vaccinations on site to those facilities if they choose to engage in that," she said.

When Steller asked about changes under Trump's administration—specifically with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heading Health and Human Services—Cullen revealed how federal grant funding temporarily froze under directives targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

"We have a few large grants that got caught up in the early recommendations that if you had anything with diversity, equity, or inclusion, those grants needed to be stopped," Cullen explained, her measured tone belying the gravity of this ideological purge.

Remember when "diversity" wasn't a trigger word for the right? Me neither.

The conversation took a revealing turn when pressed about DEI policies. Cullen artfully explained how the department is adapting by emphasizing "geography" rather than demographic factors:

"Nobody has asked us," she said, "But there's a concern that the way diversity, equity, and inclusion is being interpreted may ultimately apply to health equity... However, we have had this discussion with our partners at CDC, and what we've been encouraged to look at is geography as an indication of where we should put our resources."

She then revealed the bureaucratic sleight-of-hand required to continue essential equity work: "It turns out geography, you know, if you think of a census tract, it reflects who is in that census tract, the demographics of that census tract... We can define it by geography, [so] we'll define it by geography."

Imagine having to rename "water" as "hydration fluid" because one political party decided to ban the word "water." This is where we are.

On the substance abuse front, Cullen shared one positive development: overdose deaths are down 20% in Pima County. However, emergency room visits for overdoses remain steady, suggesting that intervention tools like Narcan are working. She also noted a concerning shift toward methamphetamine usage—a stimulant that, unlike respiratory-depressing opioids, kills differently, often triggering cardiac events in vulnerable users.

When reflecting on COVID's five-year anniversary, Cullen emphasized transparency and data collection. Asked by Buckmaster if we "overreacted" in COVID's early days—a common right-wing talking point—Cullen offered a measured defense:

"I don't have a sense that we overreacted in the early parts because we didn't know what we were confronting. And you'll recall there were these predictions of innumerable deaths, hundreds of thousands of deaths early on, which, thank goodness, did not materialize."

They didn't materialize immediately, but COVID has killed over a million Americans. Imagine if we hadn't taken those early precautions.

Political Puzzle: The Race to Replace Raúl

The conversation shifted to the developing race for Congressional District 7 following Raúl Grijalva's passing. Tim Steller, the Star's veteran columnist, delivered a razor-sharp analysis of the political posturing already underway.

With Regina Romero declining to run, all eyes turn to Adelita Grijalva as her father's potential progressive successor. Meanwhile, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has expressed interest—strategically positioning himself while respectfully waiting for the Grijalva family's decision.

"My way of looking at Fontes' move of saying, 'yes, I'm looking at it,' is to kind of put a reservation down and say, 'if Adelita Grijalva doesn't run, I'm here to run,'" Steller explained. "I don't think he would run against her."

Politicians and their chess moves. At least these ones aren't trying to overthrow democracy.

Steller added that Fontes "is probably endangered as Secretary of State because Republicans have a lot of things they don't like about him. And, you know, if they can get their act together, they'll get a good, strong candidate to run against him."

Daniel Hernandez appears poised to announce his candidacy, while Republican Daniel Butierrez—who lost to Raúl Grijalva by a 2:1 margin—seems determined to fight an uphill battle in a solidly progressive district.

"He's going to run," Steller noted of Butierrez. "Would be surprised if he wins the nomination. It's a tough, tough district for a Republican to win in. I mean, especially if it's Adelita Grijalva."

Losing 2:1 and coming back for more? There's persistence, and then there's delusion.

Homelessness: A Narrow Victory for Compassion

In city politics, a critical vote on homelessness revealed the thin margin between criminalization and compassion. A proposal to ban camping in Tucson's washes deadlocked 3-3, with an apparent technical issue preventing Councilmember Richard Fimbres' vote from being recorded.

"They called on him, and he simply didn't vote," Steller explained, though KVOA Channel 4 audio suggests Fimbres may have attempted to vote "yes."

The split revealed deep divisions on how to address homelessness: Mayor Romero, Councilmember Karen Ullich, and Councilmember Nikki Lee voted for the ban, while Kevin Dahl, Paul Cunningham, and Lane Santa Cruz opposed it.

We can't arrest our way out of homelessness, and pushing people from washes to parks to sidewalks solves nothing. Housing first, criminalization never.

Corporate Media Matters: Star For Sale?

The precarious state of local journalism emerged when discussing billionaire David Hoffman's interest in purchasing Lee Enterprises, parent company of the Arizona Daily Star. The Star, co-owned by Lee and Gannett, generates substantial profit.

"If I were David Hoffman looking to keep, looking to assemble some Lee Enterprises properties, I definitely want this one," Steller noted, revealing the Star made "six to seven million dollars a profit the last year."

As local newsrooms shrink nationwide, these financial vultures circle, stripping assets while communities lose vital watchdogs. Democracy dies in darkness—and corporate consolidation is flipping the switch.

Weekend Ahead: From Monster Trucks to Adoptathons

Matt Gentry from 101.7 The Drive closed with weekend recommendations: the 4th Avenue Spring Street Fair, Thunder and Lightning over Arizona air show, Monster Jam at the Tucson Convention Center, and Wolfstock adopt-athon at Brandi Fenton Park.

Gentry warned about the Monster Jam, "It's incredibly loud," perhaps a fitting metaphor for the political noise we all navigate daily.

Fighting Forward: Hope in Action

As public health initiatives face ideological attacks and our political landscape shifts, now is not the time for despair but for organized action. Dr. Cullen's subtle resistance—finding creative ways to continue equity work despite hostile federal environments—reminds us that persistence and adaptation are powerful tools.

Want to get involved? Start locally:

Attend Board of Supervisor meetings and speak in support of public health initiatives
Support progressive candidates who understand that health equity isn't ideological—it's essential
Volunteer with organizations addressing homelessness through housing-first approaches

The political landscape, like our beloved Sonoran Desert, contains both beautiful possibilities and hidden dangers. Your voice matters in shaping what blooms and what withers in our community garden.

What strategies do you think will be most effective in protecting health equity initiatives in our current political climate? And which candidate for CD7 do you believe would best continue Raúl Grijalva's progressive legacy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.