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An estimated 25k Mesa residents have lost SNAP since last July.
▲ 248 r/EastValleyUnite+3 crossposts

An estimated 25k Mesa residents have lost SNAP since last July.

I live in Mesa and write a policy newsletter. This is my own analysis. Sources at the bottom.

H.R. 1 (better known as 'The Big Beautiful Bill') changed SNAP eligibility and pushed part of the program's cost onto states. Arizona has lost roughly 437,000 recipients since July 2025, the biggest drop of any state in the US. DES reports caseload by county every month, but there's no official figure for Mesa or for any Arizona city. So I estimated one for all 397 places in the state by splitting each county's reported caseload using Census SNAP household shares. These are estimates, but they are based on real county-level and state-level data.

https://preview.redd.it/b8cix9h2d1kh1.png?width=1072&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9ec28991b5bad2889d8db22b074e006b66784ca

The first figure is the map. Mesa is one of the larger blue circles in Maricopa County. An estimated 25,000 Mesa residents lost food assistance between July 2025 and June 2026, which is 4.9% of the city's population. About 9.9% of Mesa residents participated in the SNAP program last July and 4.9% this June. About 1 in 10 people here, down to about 1 in 20.

The second figure ranks places by how many people lost benefits. Mesa is third in the state behind Phoenix at 114,637 and Tucson at 49,936, ahead of Glendale, Chandler, and Yuma. Each bar splits adults and children. Roughly 11,000 of Mesa's are children. Statewide the child figure is over 200,000.

https://preview.redd.it/x9pbnxcdd1kh1.png?width=1220&format=png&auto=webp&s=7584aa12732f1931586722030e47639c3953afed

The third figure shows the twenty Arizona communities where SNAP reached at least a third of residents last July. Mesa is not on it, since more rural Arizona communities are the places that are more dependent on SNAP as a percentage of total population. Only one Maricopa County place is, and that is Guadalupe which went from 41% to 20%.

Mesa's estimated loss is $58.4 million a year in benefits, again third in the state. That is $114 per Mesa resident in grocery spending that was happening here and is not anymore.

https://preview.redd.it/a0sy17vhd1kh1.png?width=1220&format=png&auto=webp&s=9816ebce713af63db1673cc3e19e69450a69933e

United Food Bank's director of agency network said this spring that the warehouse is at capacity and distribution is up 10 to 12% every month. How does Mesa feel about the SNAP cuts? Know any of the 437,000 people in Arizona or the 25,000 in Mesa who have been impacted?

Method and the full table for all 397 Arizona cities, towns, and communities: Arizona's SNAP Collapse in 397 Cities, Towns, and Communities

reddit.com
u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 2 days ago
▲ 30 r/OrganizeTucson+1 crossposts

Arizona Proposition 141: What Kind of Conspiracy Theories are behind this Measure? Why is it a thing?

https://preview.redd.it/t4pp38p8qujh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=1358bf640b5c97837c48adfd212abd2510875ad4

Arizona Prop. 141 is going before voters in November 2026. It bans taxes on vehicle mileage. BUT - Arizona doesn't have any taxes like that. So why are we voting on this? 2 words: Conspiracy Theories.

✊👊ACTION ALERT: Please share this with everyone on your own socials. Get the word out: Vote YES to Prop. 212 (for voucher reform) and vote NO to all the other sneak sneaky propositions on the ballot in November 2026.

For more information on this Proposition - and others - see: https://azfemmeaction.substack.com/p/arizona-proposition-141-what-kind

Proposition 141 is an odd bill. The text calls for a ban on taxes based on vehicle mileage.

So basically - NO TAXES ON TESLAS.

However - Arizona has no tax like that. And so far, no legislator has even submitted a bill proposing a vehicle mile traveled (VMT) tax.

No state has enacted a VMT yet, or seriously considered it. Some pilot projects in cities and counties have been proposed or tried with the goal of reducing traffic congestion and pollution (see how congestion pricing efforts are going in NYC, for example). Those pilot projects have used GPS tracking, odometer readings or odomoter photos.

Why would a VMT tax be considered in Arizona?

Right now, Arizona pays for road and bridge repair through a maze of gasoline taxes, vehicle fees and taxes and federal sharing revenues. Some of the large counties also pay for road repairs with excise taxes.

The gasoline tax has not been changed in decades - while Arizona continues to grow in population. The Trump regime has made it clear that states are going to get much less revenues to pay for roads. And the costs of construction and road repair materials have exploded, amidst tariffs, the Iranian war and higher fuel costs, along with a lack of construction manpower. VMT has been floated as an option, as well as using vehicle weights, to help get $$ for roads.

So why the opposition? Apparently, a snake nest of conspiracy influencers have cooked up some interesting ideas about VMT taxes, globalist theories and environmentalist groups.

Holy Cow. A Poop-Fest of Wacky Conspiracies here!

*please note - No sources are linked here because frankly - that would just boost these conspiracy theories even more with the AI search algos. *

  • Big Brother government is going to require every car to carry some kind of tracker to follow the mileage and where people travel
  • Globalist forces like the World Economic Forum (WEF) or the United Nations (see UN Agenda 21/2030) are plotting to eliminate private car ownership entirely
  • Evil environmental activists, under the guise of urban planning and encouraging walk-able cities, are plotting to restrict travel, penalizing long-distance or rural travel to enforce “climate lockdowns.”
  • Those same diabolical environmental activists are trying to force Americans to use public transit by stacking a VMT tax on top of existing taxes and fees, with the goal of making car ownership unaffordable.
reddit.com
u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 3 days ago
▲ 88 r/EastValleyUnite+3 crossposts

Why is Proposition 320 a Trick?

From a post on fb ...by Jimmy Arwood, an advocate for schools ... (thanks for the great explainer!)

TL;DR: All the propositions on the Arizona November are tricks -- except for Prop. 212 (Protect Education/voucher reform). Vote NO on all but Prop. 212.

Action Item: Share this information with your community groups and on your own socials. Prop. 320 will mean closing a lot of neighborhood schools that our communities rely on ...after districts will be financially unable to keep them open.

Why is Proposition 320 a Trick?

It has to do with wording.

Today, AZ school districts spend 68% of the dollars they receive on the classroom. This includes teacher pay, math and literacy coaches, special education professionals etc.

They spend 12% on maintaining facilities, 5% on transporting students, 5% on preparing and serving meals. School districts spend the final 10% on administration.

Not only is the spending on administration lower than states like Texas and Florida, Arizona spends the least on administration in the country.

So if Arizona spends less than any other state in the country on administration, and spends nearly 7 in every 10 dollars on the classroom, why should it be so hard to spend 60% on direct instruction as Prop 320 requires?

Wording. Direct instruction vs. classroom spending.

Prop 320 states that AZ’s Auditor General is to define direct instruction. However, the auditor general currently defines classroom spending and direct instruction DIFFERENTLY- by excluding many pieces that are considered classroom spending.

So what does the auditor general exclude that are considered classroom spending?

Special Education professionals? Auditor General excludes this from direct instruction.

Counselors and nurses? Auditor General excludes this from direct instruction.

Librarians, teacher training, technology for the classroom? Yeah those are all excluded too.

Math and Literacy Coaches that are there to help students perform better? You guessed it - excluded.

But lots of things are excluded that are necessary for schools too that aren’t considered classroom spending:

Transporting students to school, or school sports and maintaining sports venues? Also excluded.

Even just feeding kids or repairing a broken A/C? That is excluded.

Even worse yet -

School security, and school safety? These are excluded.

Prop 320 wants to make it seem like 60% of direct instruction should be simple and easy for schools to meet.

The reality?

It’s downright dangerous for kids.

While the state average for classroom spending is 68%, the state average for direct instruction is 52%.

This means that districts would have to cut close to 20% of the ENTIRE rest of their budget in order to meet the mandate of Prop 320.

And if schools don’t meet it?

The fund that helps pay teachers called the classroom site fund?

Yeah so that gets slashed 25% every year, and by year 4 of non-compliance, it would be zeroed out.

Vote no on Prop 320.

Oh and if you don’t believe me? Here’s a screenshot where you can see it for yourself on the Arizona Auditor General’s website.

I’m happy to answer any questions.

https://preview.redd.it/f3736k0qs8jh1.png?width=2430&format=png&auto=webp&s=abf57ea7927a8096c2eb6c78075e4032c27ea69a

reddit.com
u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 7 days ago
▲ 56 r/TucsonPolitics+4 crossposts

Sign up for the Wall Watch: Document construction, environmental damage, and surveillance infrastructure in your community

The Border Chronicle is proud to announce the launch of Wall Watch, a border-wide, community-powered mapping project.

The Trump administration is quickly moving to finish walling off the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. What most Americans don’t realize is that what’s being built is not just a 30-foot wall but a “wall system.” This means two layers of a 30-foot-high wall along with 150-foot-wide enforcement roads, surveillance towers, stadium lights, and cameras. In Texas, this includes a more than 500-mile chain of buoys on the Rio Grande—each buoy weighing a ton—that will serve as a secondary wall.

This taxpayer megaproject will cost more than the Panama Canal, or the Hoover Dam, to build. And it will continue costing Americans billions to maintain for generations. With more than $46 billion in taxpayer money to spend in the next three years, a handful of private contractors are dynamiting mountains, pumping aquifers dry, closing public roads, and building walls through communities and environmentally sensitive areas, with little or no input from border residents, wildlife and environmental experts, or tribal nations.

The Department of Homeland Security has waived all federal laws that would require community input and impact studies.

We built the web-based Wall Watch app so that border residents can document construction, environmental damage, and surveillance infrastructure in their communities, allowing us to better understand what is happening on the ground in the absence of any meaningful information from the federal government. Our intention with Wall Watch is to create—for the first time—an interactive border-wide map for the public with reliable data that is continually updated.

Residents from across the border region can document and upload reports to the Wall Watch map. An example of a community report from Eagle Pass, Texas.

Eagle Pass, Texas, resident Amerika Garcia Grewal, an early tester of Wall Watch’s community reports, called it “seamless for regular folks to document, verify, and expose border construction. I was using it on a laptop and on a phone, and it was easy to use, easy to upload, and easy to document.”

Garcia Grewal added, “For those of us who live along the Rio Grande, we have a basic right to know what’s happening in our own backyards, and what’s going into the water that we depend on. Wall Watch helps bring to light a process that’s been completely hidden in the dark. Neither the federal government nor the State of Texas has given us accurate or timely answers. Administrations come and go, but we were here before them, and we’re going to be here after them. Wall Watch and The Border Chronicle are ensuring the public, not political agendas, control the record of what’s happening to our land and our homes.”

This was echoed by another early community tester, Myles Traphagen, a GIS data specialist and science writer at the Tucson, Arizona, environmental nonprofit Cuenca los Ojos. Traphagen said, “With border wall construction projects occurring along nearly 2,000 miles in mostly remote parts of four states, it’s difficult to comprehend the extent and magnitude of it all. Wall Watch is a much-needed tool that concerned citizens and elected officials can use to see the excessive waste of resources and wanton destruction of our public lands.”

How to Use the Wall Watch App

The Wall Watch app is simple to use. Just go to https://wallwatch.theborderchronicle.com/. There, you can view different layers of existing and current border wall construction, as well as other border infrastructure, including surveillance infrastructure. You can submit a report on wall construction, surveying, buoy barrier staging or installation, etc., in your community with geocoordinates, a written description, and photographs to be uploaded to the interactive map.

The Border Chronicle plans to maintain this map for years to come, updating it with useful data as we receive it. The web-based app was built by Matt Crocker, founder of Rioplex Technology in South Texas, and Dugan Meyer, a Tucson-based geographer who serves as the Wall Watch administrator and The Border Chronicle’s resident data and GIS specialist. Dugan will receive the community reports, vet them, and then add the approved reports to the map. The Wall Watch project director is (me) Melissa del Bosque, a Border Chronicle cofounder and its executive director. Additional information about the project, including our privacy policy, methodology, and data sources, can be found on the Wall Watch website.

Steal Our Data, Please!

The public is free to use Wall Watch data. We ask only that you cite Wall Watch and The Border Chronicle in your work. For assistance with downloading data or questions, contact Dugan Meyer or Melissa del Bosque at wallwatch@theborderchronicle.com.

We want to thank the many researchers and organizations whose data has made Wall Watch possible. You can read the full list of acknowledgments here, under “Data Sources by Map Layer.” We’ve taken that data, added our own, and will also add the community report data as it comes in.

We Need Your Support

The Border Chronicle was founded in 2021 by me and Todd Miller. We are independent journalists who have reported on the U.S.-Mexico border for the last two decades. Fun fact: I wrote my first border wall investigation in 2008 for The Texas Observer. The Border Chronicle relies on paid subscribers and grant support to exist. As the only independent border-wide publication in the country, The Border Chronicle is uniquely positioned for a project like Wall Watch, which no other outlet or organization would likely commit to.

So if you feel that this project is valuable and useful, please support our work as a paid subscriber or with a donation. We would like to keep The Border Chronicle and Wall Watch running for many years to come, but we will need your help!

u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 9 days ago
▲ 41 r/OrganizeTucson+2 crossposts

Socialism ... and Arizona Companies. and an Action item - asking our Congressmen some hard questions.

Just a headsup - our Trump regime has bought huge stakes in some major companies with Arizona ties. Government ownership of private corporations -- isn't that the key component of socialism? Please call out our congressfolk on this.

Some action items:

💥 Call out our GOP reps on social media about why they are voting for our Administration to buy up chunks of corporations. Why are they not standing up to our administration on this issue? And ask them: Doesn't this make you a socialist?

David Schweikert (District 1), Eli Crane (District 2), Andy Biggs (District 5) **running for AZ governor**, Juan Ciscomani (District 6), Abraham Hamadeh (District 8), and Paul Gosar (District 9)

💥Reach out to our US senators about opposing an upcoming defense spending bill that OKs Pentagon purchases of equity stakes.

Background .... over the last few months, our regime has purchased huge chunks in tech and military contractors.

Several of the companies in the government's equity portfolio have major operational ties, manufacturing hubs, or strategic investments in Arizona

  • Intel (Chandler, AZ): [Primary AZ Impact] Intel is one of Arizona's largest private employers. The federal equity deal is tied to CHIPS Act funding meant to finance Intel’s multi-billion-dollar expansion of its Ocotillo mega-site campus in Chandler, Arizona.
  • GlobalFoundries (Phoenix Metro): GlobalFoundries maintains operations and engineering design footprints in Arizona, benefiting from regional semiconductor cluster investments across the state.
  • PsiQuantum (Tempe / Phoenix): PsiQuantum has partnered with Arizona universities and state innovation hubs to deploy advanced quantum computing infrastructure and research partnerships in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

And ... it looks like our Department of War (defense?) is poised to start acquiring huge stakes in companies as well ... according to the latest version of the  National Defense Authorization Act. Some of these companies have already received juicy loans from the Pentagon (and at least one of them has a large equity stake owned by the Trump family.) The NDAA is now stuck in the Senate after getting passed by the House.

For more info:

https://www.cato.org/blog/government-ownership-stakes-companies-becoming-routine-under-trump

https://www.cato.org/blog/senate-ndaa-would-give-pentagon-equity-portfolio

https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-vulcan-deal-white-house

reddit.com
u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 13 days ago
▲ 20 r/EastValleyUnite+2 crossposts

Aug. 6 - Learn about Elections and our County Boards of Supervisors in Arizona

Join CEBV and All Voting is Local for an important briefing about our county Boards of Supervisors and the role they play in ensuring the safety and security of Arizona elections.  Thursday, August 6 on Zoom 6 pm MST

|[REGISTER FOR THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS BRIEFING

Thursday, August 6, 6 pm](https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/jUN6L-UGSPiW4C7ZPpzbwg#/registration)
Arizona has been designated one of the most at-risk states in the country by the Voting Rights Lab.    But we--everyday Arizonans--play the most important role of all. We're not only voters, we elect the Supervisors and Recorders who run elections, count the votes, and certify the results. We need to make sure they remember that they report to us.    Join us to learn about how elections are run and what we can do, together, to make sure Arizona's upcoming midterm election is run responsibly.   Sign up HERE!   MARICOPA, COCHISE, MOHAVE, AND YUMA COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE ESPECIALLY NEEDED!
reddit.com
u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 16 days ago
▲ 29 r/50501Arizona+1 crossposts

Coming up this week in Arizona | August 3-9, 2026

Hey all, this week's newsletter is out. Here are some highlights:

Two deadlines both land on August 4. The public comment window on the proposed DACA rule closes that day, and Aliento put together a toolkit for it, so if you use their prewritten text it takes about two minutes. That same evening Surprise City Council holds its first meeting since recess. The ICE detention facility there is paused (not cancelled), the mayor and council met privately with Sen. Gallego about it before the break, and residents still have not been told what was said. Northwest Valley Indivisible is organizing people to show up at that meeting, 6:00 PM in Surprise.

August 8 the League of Women Voters is running listening circles over video, as part of a national day of action for the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

The same morning Copper State Victory has door knocks going in nine cities, and there are rallies around the state.

Full issue: https://azadvocacyhub.ghost.io/sunburnt-stubborn-arizonas-weekly-activism-roundup-july-27-aug-2-2026-2/?ref=reddit

All events calendar: https://azadvocacyhub.ghost.io/event-calendar/?ref=reddit

If you make it to any of these, come back and say how it went. It helps to know what events are like before you show up to it. Have a great week all!

u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 18 days ago
▲ 4 r/AZAdvocacyHub

Learn How to Make Your Voice Count! - Saturday Aug 8 in Casa Grande

An event in Casa Grande on Saturday: Learn How to Make Public Comments ....https://www.mobilize.us/ruralarizonaengagement/event/996888/ ... through Rural Arizona Engagement.

Have you ever wanted to share your thoughts at a public meeting but weren’t quite sure how to get started? Don’t worry! This training is here to make the Public Comment/Request to Speak process super easy and fun, so you can confidently express yourself to decision-makers.

Here’s what we’ll explore together:

  • How to find the meeting agenda
  • How to sign up to speak at the State Legislature
  • Ways to participate in County Board of Supervisors meetings
  • How to make your voice heard during City Council public comments
  • Tips for crafting a clear and impactful message
  • Strategies for delivering your message with confidence

This training will be interactive and supportive, giving you a chance to:

  • Practice finding a public meeting agenda
  • Write a short public comment
  • Rehearse your speaking skills in a friendly environment
  • Engage in light role-playing to help boost your confidence
u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 18 days ago
▲ 93 r/PublicLands+1 crossposts

Trump admin OKs Data center on BLM Land - What does this Mean for AZ BLM Land?

The Bureau of Land Management has approved an AI data center on national public land that was originally approved for a solar energy project, without conducting a new review or taking public comment on the switch. The project is believed to be the first data center approved on BLM-managed public lands. However, the project is relying on prior approval for not a data center but a solar energy project, swapping out an energy-generating project for one that would consume more energy than the entire neighboring community of Boulder City, Nevada. .... that's just over the border from Arizona, where 16% of the land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management. No hearings, no community pushback allowed. This is the trend we are going to see in the next 2 years.

westernpriorities.org
u/Beautiful_Aerie6775 — 21 days ago