🔥 Pima County District 5 Supervisor Race: 5 Candidates Face Off on Housing Crisis, Conservation, and Trump-Era Cuts
As Trump administration threatens $120M in funding cuts, five diverse candidates battle to represent Tucson's south side communities.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
👥 Five people want to be the new Pima County Supervisor for District 5, which covers parts of Tucson where many families 👨👩👧👦 live. At a special meeting, they answered questions ❓ about important topics like affordable housing 🏠, protecting the desert 🌵, and helping people find good jobs 💼. Some candidates grew up in the area and talked about their personal experiences 🗣️, while others focused on their professional skills 🧠.
The person chosen for this job will help decide how to spend county money 💰 and which programs to support, especially since the federal government might give less money 📉 to help local communities. The candidates had different ideas 💡 about what's most important to fix first and how to solve problems 🔧 facing people who live in District 5.
🗝️ Takeaways
🔍 The Board of Supervisors will appoint one of five candidates to fill the District 5 vacancy left by Adelita Grijalva
🏘️ All candidates acknowledged the housing crisis but offered varying levels of systemic solutions to address affordability
🌱 Knowledge of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan revealed significant differences in candidates' environmental policy understanding
💸 The specter of Trump administration funding cuts ($120 million) loomed over discussions of future priorities
👨👩👧👦 Candidates with personal connections to District 5's challenges (like Cano's experience with Section 8 housing) brought more authentic perspectives
🤝 The Prosperity Initiative was universally supported, though with different emphases on workforce development versus systemic poverty solutions
🚗 Transportation planning and RTA Next emerged as significant issues for the district's future
🏢 The county's $1.7 billion budget and relationship with 7,000 employees will require careful management in the coming years
🗣️ Community engagement varied widely among candidates, from grassroots organizing to business-oriented networking
Pima County District 5 Supervisor Candidates Face Off: Who Will Represent the South Side?
The Battle for District 5: What's at Stake
As Pima County's political landscape continues to evolve in turbulent times, the vacant District 5 Supervisor seat has become the focal point of a crucial community conversation. Following Supervisor Adelita Grijalva's departure, six candidates have stepped forward, with five present at this forum, each vying to represent an area that encompasses some of Tucson's most vibrant yet historically underserved communities.
¿Quién nos va a representar? That's the question lingering in the minds of District 5 residents as we face continued attacks on our communities from a hostile federal administration that seems determined to undermine decades of progress for working families, immigrants, and people of color.
The League of Women Voters recently hosted a candidate forum, bringing together this diverse group of hopefuls to share their visions for District 5 and answer critical questions about housing, conservation, poverty reduction, and more. The Board of Supervisors will ultimately appoint one of these candidates to fill the vacant position.
For those unfamiliar with the significance of this role, the Pima County Board of Supervisors wields considerable power over our daily lives—from managing a $1.7 billion budget to overseeing land use, infrastructure, public health, and economic development programs that directly impact the predominantly Latinx and working-class communities of District 5.
Esta lucha no es solo política—es personal para nuestra gente.
Let's break down what each candidate had to say on the pressing issues facing our communities.
The Candidates
Before diving into the issues, let's meet the contenders:
Lewis David Araiza, Sr.: A self-described public servant with experience in education and community organizing in the barrio, emphasizing his Catholic background and connections to community centers.
Andrés Cano: Born and raised in District 5, former policy aide to Supervisor Richard Elias, and former State Representative who served as House Minority Leader.
Kimberly Baeza: A transplant drawn to Tucson by its natural beauty, with over 10 years working in Pima County government, focusing on regulatory compliance and conservation science.
Cynthia Sosa: Born in Mexico and raised in El Paso, with an engineering background and community engagement experience through volunteer work.
Karla Bernal Morales: A graduate of Pima Community College and the University of Arizona, vice president of the Arizona Technology Council, and former chair of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Community Connections: Where Have They Been?
The first question addressed each candidate's involvement with District 5 community organizations—an essential litmus test of their genuine connection to the communities they seek to represent.
Cano highlighted his early start in community organizing with Pro Neighborhoods, his work with the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day Planning Committee, and his current board positions with Literacy Connects and El Rio Health Foundation, demonstrating long-standing ties to District 5.
Baeza spoke about volunteering for cleanup efforts along the Santa Cruz River, though she offered fewer specific connections to community organizations directly serving the district's residents.
Sosa emphasized her volunteer work with Big Brothers, Big Sisters' Mentor 2.0 program at Amphi High School, and the United Way VITA tax preparation program, which shows a commitment to youth development and financial literacy.
Morales cited her role as Vice President of the Arizona Technology Council, her work with local businesses and nonprofits, and her leadership as chair of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as indicators of her ties to the district's business community.
Araiza discussed his work with the elderly and addressing high dropout rates at Sunnyside, highlighting unemployment and infrastructure as key issues, though his answer partially veered from the specific question about organizations.
Progressive Perspective: Community credentials matter deeply in District 5, where residents have long battled institutional neglect. The candidates who demonstrated genuine, long-standing connections to grassroots movements—rather than simply professional or institutional affiliations—showed a more authentic understanding of the community's needs. No podemos olvidar que los políticos vienen y van, pero la comunidad siempre permanece.
Housing Crisis: Root Causes and Solutions
Housing affordability is reaching crisis levels across Pima County, especially in working-class neighborhoods. Candidates were asked to identify root causes and propose county-led solutions.
Baeza attributed the crisis to multiple factors and supported making county-owned properties available for low-income housing, praising existing projects like "Miracle on Oracle" and emphasizing collaboration with other local governments.
Sosa agreed on the multifaceted nature of the problem, calling for multilateral approaches across local, state, and federal levels, while emphasizing the need to address homelessness with humanity.
Morales pointed to stagnant wages not matching rising housing costs, Pima County's high poverty rates, and limited housing supply, advocating for comprehensive strategies including affordable housing development and enhancing wage growth through conversations with industry partners.
Araiza focused on the plight of trailer court residents facing rising leases, particularly impacting those on fixed incomes, and called for community-level collaboration between Tucson, South Tucson, and the county, referencing Community Development Block Grants and the need for a "war on poverty."
Cano shared his personal experience being raised by a single mother using Section 8 vouchers, highlighting his work as House Minority Leader securing a historic $100 million investment in Arizona's housing trust fund, and praising the county's transition center for people experiencing homelessness.
Progressive Perspective: The housing crisis in District 5 epitomizes the failure of market-based approaches to meeting basic human needs. While most candidates acknowledged multiple factors, few directly named the elephant in the room: unchecked capitalism that treats housing as a commodity rather than a human right. El sueño de tener casa propia se aleja más y más de nuestra gente trabajadora.
Environmental Protection: The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
The candidates' knowledge of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan revealed their understanding of one of the county's most significant environmental policies and its importance to District 5.
Sosa admitted she wasn't well-versed in the specific plan but pivoted to discuss water conservation and celebrate the state's retraction of the controversial I-11 corridor plan.
Morales described the plan as balancing conservation with sustainable development, protecting waterways and habitats, maintaining ecological corridors, and safeguarding cultural sites while accommodating growth.
Araiza spoke generally about loving the river walk, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and the importance of bat populations for saguaro cactuses, suggesting Tucson could leverage tourism around desert ecology.
Cano called the plan "one of the smartest policies the Board of Supervisors has ever adopted," praising its promotion of smart growth, protection of native species, and clean air and water conservation standards, while pledging to evaluate land use through an environmental lens.
Baeza, with her background in conservation science, strongly endorsed the plan, noting it took decades to develop and led to the Multi-Species Conservation Plan and Section 10 permit from the U.S. Wildlife Service. She also emphasized how natural landscapes drive economic development by attracting people seeking recreation access.
Progressive Perspective: Environmental justice is inseparable from social justice in District 5, where communities of color have historically borne the brunt of environmental degradation. The candidates' varying levels of familiarity with the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan revealed disparities in their environmental policy knowledge. Those who recognized the plan's significance in promoting equitable development while protecting our sacred desert ecology demonstrated a more nuanced understanding of the intersection between environment and justice. Nuestra tierra es sagrada—no es simplemente un recurso para explotar.
Prosperity Initiative: Addressing Poverty and Economic Inequality
The Prosperity Initiative represents the county's comprehensive approach to reducing poverty and creating economic opportunities—a critical issue for District 5, which includes some of the county's most economically challenged areas.
Morales emphasized collaboration and compromise, focusing on the synergy between economic and workforce development, and strengthening partnerships between local government, educational institutions, and community members.
Araiza compared the initiative to a "war on poverty," advocating for trade schools and zero unemployment, particularly in rural areas facing transportation barriers, and suggested building bridges with city, state, and federal partners as well as tribal communities.
Cano called the Prosperity Initiative a "game changer" that recognizes the intersection of poverty, economic insecurity, healthcare access, and educational opportunity, highlighting the Summer Youth Employment Program as a concrete example of providing teenagers with workforce exposure.
Baeza expressed pride in the county's initiative to address intergenerational poverty, acknowledging its complexity while supporting affordable childcare and early interventions to help children achieve better socioeconomic outcomes.
Sosa praised the initiative as exemplifying how the county can work with multiple organizations to address problems at their core, emphasizing workforce development and financial literacy as crucial components to help working families overcome barriers.
Progressive Perspective: The Prosperity Initiative, while well-intentioned, risks becoming another band-aid on the gaping wound of structural inequality without addressing the systemic roots of poverty. Candidates who recognized the need for living wages, educational equity, and challenging the status quo economic system showed a deeper understanding of what true prosperity requires. The focus on youth employment and workforce development is important, but prosperity must be measured in dignity and quality of life, not just jobs. No queremos solo sobrevivir—queremos prosperar con dignidad.
Future Priorities: Policy Focus for 2025-2026
With unprecedented challenges facing Pima County, including threatened federal funding cuts under the Trump administration, candidates outlined their priority policy areas for the immediate future.
Araiza emphasized infrastructure maintenance, public health issues including COVID and AIDS prevention, natural resources and energy, and attracting industry and tourism through partnerships with major employers and community leaders.
Cano directly addressed the threat posed by the Trump administration, warning of $120 million in anticipated federal cuts and highlighting his experience navigating multi-billion dollar budgets and working across the aisle at the state capitol. He stressed the need to find efficiencies within the county's $1.7 billion budget, fight state cost shifts to counties, and invest in Pima County's 7,000 employees.
Baeza acknowledged the unprecedented times and funding shortfalls, suggesting the need to find new ways to grow general funds to address community needs, particularly affordable housing, while highlighting transportation planning and the upcoming RTA Next vote as critical issues.
Sosa focused specifically on RTA Next, expressing concern about delays in bringing it to a vote and highlighting it as an example of successful regional self-investment in safety and infrastructure.
Morales advocated for streamlining service delivery with the City of Tucson to reduce duplication, acting more strategically about economic development (particularly with Mexico as the region's primary trade partner), and expanding early childhood education and family stability services.
Progressive Perspective: The looming threat of federal funding cuts under Trump 2.0 casts a dark shadow over Pima County's future. Candidates who acknowledged this reality while offering concrete strategies for resistance and resilience demonstrated the clearest vision for navigating the challenging road ahead. The focus on protecting vital services, finding operational efficiencies without sacrificing worker dignity, and strengthening regional partnerships offers a potential pathway forward—though truly progressive solutions would also include more radical reimagining of revenue structures and wealth redistribution. Frente a este gobierno federal hostil, necesitamos líderes que sepan resistir y construir alternativas.
Final Thoughts: Who Will Champion District 5?
As the Board of Supervisors prepares to select Adelita Grijalva's successor, the forum revealed meaningful differences in the candidates' experience, knowledge, and vision for District 5.
Andrés Cano shared personal connections to the challenges facing District 5 residents. His explicit naming of threats from the Trump administration and concrete policy accomplishments suggest preparedness to navigate difficult political terrain.
Karla Bernal Morales offered strong business community connections and emphasized collaborative approaches, particularly around economic development, though with less emphasis on systemic challenges facing working-class residents.
Cynthia Sosa brought engineering expertise and grassroots volunteer experience, particularly focused on youth development and financial literacy, while acknowledging gaps in some policy areas.
Kimberly Baeza demonstrated strong knowledge of conservation issues and county operations from her work in county government, though with fewer explicit connections to District 5's community organizations.
Lewis David Araiza emphasized his long-standing community ties and work with vulnerable populations, though his responses sometimes wandered from the specific questions posed.
In these challenging times for our communities—with renewed attacks on immigrants, working families, and environmental protections—District 5 needs a supervisor who not only understands the technical aspects of county governance but also possesses the courage to stand against injustice and the vision to build more equitable systems.
La lucha continúa. The struggle continues. But even in dark times, the engagement of community members in forums like this one reminds us that democracy thrives when people participate. The very diversity of candidates willing to serve represents hope for our political future.
How to Stay Engaged
As we await the Board's decision, there are many ways to stay involved in shaping District 5's future:
Attend or watch Board of Supervisors meetings (held every other Tuesday)
Join neighborhood associations and community advocacy groups
Contact current supervisors to express your priorities for the appointment
Follow local independent media covering county politics
And, of course, supporting independent media outlets like Three Sonorans helps ensure that our communities' perspectives and challenges remain visible even when mainstream media turns away. Your donations and subscriptions make it possible for us to continue providing critical coverage of issues affecting the borderlands and beyond.
Juntos somos más fuertes. Together, we are stronger.
What do you think about the candidates? Who would you choose to represent District 5? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Questions for readers:
What qualities do you believe are most essential for the next District 5 Supervisor to effectively represent our communities in this challenging political climate?
Beyond the issues discussed in the forum, what critical needs in District 5 would you want the new supervisor to prioritize in their first year?
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