bumper sticker image from the SOS website

In 1987 the Pima County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution declaring May 5 as “Free Baja Arizona Day”. 24 years later the Start our State (SOS) campaign kicked off officially today at The Shanty, 401 E. 9th Street, on “Free Baja Arizona Day”. Signatures on the petition to formally form a new state in Southern Arizona are now being collected. More than 48,000 signatures of Pima County residents need to be collected before July 15, 2012 to get this initiative on the November 2012 ballot. These petitions with valid signatures will be submitted to the Pima County Division of Elections.

Co-Chairs Paul Eckerstrom and Peter Hormel, as well as Treasurer David Euchner (all Tucson attorneys) are spear heading this effort. I wrote about this movement before (click here), but Tucsoncitizen.com blogger attorney Hugh Holub (“View from Baja Arizona”) is the expert on this issue. For an in-depth article on this movement read Hugh’s article “Baja Arizona – American’s 51st State?” (click here).

About 75 people listened to Paul speak tonight about the reasons to leave the State of Arizona and what the Arizona legislature has done over the years to reduce public education funding, cut the University of Arizona funding, as well as targeting Pima County and the Hispanic population down here. He said it wasn’t a “mission impossible”, as recent polls in the AZ Daily Star and KOLD TV said that there were 58% and 63% in support for this movement, respectively. Voters in Santa Cruz and Coconino Counties have also expressed interest in joining on, but would need to start up their own initiative drives.

In attendance tonight were LD 29 State Rep. Daniel Patterson, Ward 3 Councilmember Karin Uhlich, former LD 28 House candidates Ted Prezelski and Tim Sultan, attorney Bill Risner (election integrity), Adam Kinsey (Executive Director of Pima County Democratic Party).

For more info: www.startourstate.com, or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/startourstate (with 3363 fans). On the Facebook page you can also vote for the name of the new state.

The SOS committee meets every Thursday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Shanty to collect petition signatures and donations (also can be made online via Pay Pal). They are selling Free Baja Arizona t-shirts, bumper stickers, buttons. Email address is startourstate@gmail.com. Mailing address for checks is Start our State, P.O. Box 308, Tucson, AZ 85702.

Free Baja Arizona!

Paul Eckerstrom, taken by Curtis Dutiel

Tucson attorney Paul Eckerstrom, Co-chair of the Start Our State (SOS) campaign to separate Pima County from the State of Arizona will be speaking at Democrats of Greater Tucson (DGT) on April 4.

This political committee started in late February and has been reported extensively on by Tucsoncitizen.com blogger/attorney Hugh Holub (“View from Baja Arizona”), who is somewhat credited with this idea of promoting the formation of a Southern Arizona state, tentatively called “Baja Arizona”. Click here (http://tucsoncitizen.com/view-from-baja-arizona/2011/02/25/americas-51st-state-movement-starts-to-free-baja-arizona/) for one of Hugh’s first blogs on this subject.

Eckerstrom is a former Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party.The other SOS Co-chair is Peter Hormel, another attorney activist in Tucson who was once a Green Party of Pima County candidate for Pima County Attorney, and the Treasurer is attorney David Euchner, former Chair of the Pima County Libertarian Party. These three local attorneys, from each of the 3 parties are leading the way in this “separation for equal representation” movement.

To establish a new state in Southern Arizona free of the un-American, unconstitutional machinations of the Arizona legislature and to restore our region’s credibility as a place welcoming to others, open to commerce, and friendly to its neighbors.

(from the SOS website)

Websites: http://startourstate.com/, and http://www.facebook.com/startourstate (with 3245 “likes” so far). Donations can be sent to “Start Our State”, P. B. Box 308, Tucson 85702 or online via Paypal, email is startourstate@gmail.com. “Free Baja Arizona” bumper stickers are for sale as well.

I heard Paul speak at Drinking Liberally (at The Shanty) on February 27, and about 30 people in the bar agreed that they no longer wanted to be associated with the conservative Arizona legislature. One fellow said that the current situation felt like “taxation without representation” because the current legislators did not represent the interests of the tax paying people here in Pima County.

And here’s Paul being interviewed on KUAT TV Channel 6 on March 11: http://www.azpm.org/politics/story/2011/3/11/1830-is-baja-arizona-for-real/

If you want to hear about this movement to separate/secede from the State of Arizona which has gotten a lot of media coverage (even nationally), log onto their website, read Hugh Holub’s numerous articles, and/or go to DGT on April 4.

DGT meets at the Dragon View Restaurant, 400 N. Bonita (between W. St. Mary’s Road and W. Congress) on Mondays at high noon (except holidays). Chinese buffet lunch costs $8.50 including drink & tip, or just $2.50 for a drink.

Jonathan Rothschild, a Tucson attorney and former Treasurer of the Pima County Democratic Party who is exploring a run for Mayor, is having his first fundraiser on Tuesday, December 7.

Please join me (Jonathan) and host Terry Etherton at the Etherton Gallery downtown for the first fundraiser of our exploratory campaign, and enjoy the photography exhibit

“Con-struct: The New West”

Etherton Gallery
136 South 6th Avenue, Tucson

Tuesday, December 7
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Suggested donation: $50, $100 or $150

Jonathan Rothschild for Mayor
Exploratory Committee

RSVP to rsvp@jonathanformayor.com

Read my previous article about Rothschild’s exploratory committee for Mayor (click here). His early supporters on his campaign website are former Mayors George Miller and Tom Volgy, District 3 Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson (as well as her past challenger Donna Branch-Gilby), Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, former Councilmembers Janet Marcus and Chuck Ford, LD 27 Rep. Phil Lopes, LD 29 Rep. Matt Heinz, former LD 26 Rep. Lena Saradnik, LD 27 Rep.-elect Dr.Macario Saldate, former Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party Paul Eckerstrom, TUSD board member Dr. Mark Stegeman, lots of attorneys & doctors, political candidates (i.e. Vince Rabago, Tim Sultan, Clarence Boykins) & aides, etc. (click here for full list of early supporters).

Other possible contenders are of course Republican Mayor Bob Walkup (if he decides to seek a 4th term), and Democratic Councilmembers Karin Uhlich (Ward 3) and Shirley Scott (Ward 4). I have contacted the Mayor and Uhlich, but no word back yet as to their decisions to run. Scott told me she is “keeping her options open”. I wrote a previous article entitled “Will Mayor Walkup run again?” (click here).

Ron Asta, a real estate consultant, formerly a Democrat now a Republican, who is a former Pima County Supervisor told me he is considering a bid (click here).

Propositions 106, 107, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 203, 301, 302 are state-wide, while 400 and 401 are from the City of Tucson.

http://ondemand.azpm.org/videoshorts/watch/2010/10/27/1642-election-2010-the-propositions/

In a quick review of the City of Tucson booklet’s “The Choice is Yours” statements regarding Proposition 400 & 401, here’s a list of the people/groups supporting and opposing these two props:

– In favor of Prop. 400 (proposed increase in City sales tax by .5%):
Jeff Rogers, Chairman & Martin Bacal, Corresponding Secretary for Pima County Democratic Party

–Against Prop. 400
Kent Solberg, LD 27 House candidate (Green party)
John Kromko

____

– In favor of Prop. 401 (huge increases in Mayor/Council salaries, more power for Mayor & City Manager, & other Charter changes):

Peter Likins, President Emeritus of UA

Laura Penny

Lea Marquez Peterson, President & Bill Holmes, Past President of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

David J. Cohen, Treasurer, “Tucson Charter Change Coalition for Prop. 401″

Trent Humphries, Organizer of Tucson Tea Party

Jeff Rogers, Paul Eckerstrom, & Curtis Dutiel

Michael Guymon, Executive Director & Steve King, President of Metropolitan Pima Alliance

–Against Prop. 401:

Steve Leal, Susan Willis, John S. O’Dowd, Brian Flagg, & James Hannley, Treasurer, “Protect Local Control: No on Prop 401″

My previous blog on 400:

http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2010/08/10/core-tax-town-hall-regarding-proposed-city-of-tucson-sales-tax-increase-on-august-11/

My previous blog on 401:

http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2010/09/03/committees-for-and-against-proposition-401-mayorcouncil-salary-increases-and-other-city-charter-changes/

Secretary of State’s information on the propositions (click here).

League of Women Voter’s guide on the state-wide propositions (click here).

Vote wisely on November 2nd, as the choice is indeed yours.

These were the state legislators that participated tonight (1st panel):
LD 25 House Rep. Pat Fleming (D)
LD 27 House candidates Sally Ann Gonzales and Dr. Macario Saldate (Ds)
LD 28 Senator Paula Aboud (D)
LD 28 Senate candidate Dave Ewoldt (I)
LD 28 House Rep. Steve Farley (D)
LD 28 House candidate Bruce Wheeler (D)
LD 30 House candidate Andrea Dalessandro (D)
LD 30 Senate candidate Dr. Todd Camenish (D), came in late

Also attending to participate in the 2nd panel were U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman,
Attorney General Terry Goddard running for Governor, Sec. of State candidate Chris Deschene, and State Mine Inspector candidate Manuel Cruz, all Democrats.

Questions asked of the panelists were basically about steps they would take to improve education, to bring economic opportunity to minority populations, to strengthen public health for communities of color, to provide quality health care, and to insure equal treatment in the criminal justice system for minority populations. Being as these were all Democrats (and one Independent, formerly a Green Party activist) their answers were quite uniform in advocating and trying to restore funding to all these areas.

Of note: Sally Ann Gonzales mentioned that she is of Yaqui heritage, Chris Deschene is a member of the Navajo Nation, and Manuel Cruz and Dr. Macario Saldate are Hispanic, and provided their ethnic backgrounds and expertise to their responses.

The last question was about what steps could be taken to insure a fair and just dialogue re: immigration reform, and both Rodney Glassman and Terry Goddard said that could be done by “retiring John McCain.” Chris Deschene repeatedly asked the audience to elect Democrats to the state legislature, where he currently serves as House Rep. in LD 2.

Also in attendance tonight were former Pima County Democratic Party Chair Paul Eckerstrom for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and former Democratic Pima County Supervisor Dan Eckstrom. Fellow blogger “3 Sonorans” (David Morales) was there as well, and will be posting a video capturing the panelists’ answers to some of these questions. I’ll link to his blog once he posts it. UPDATE: Unfortunately neither David nor I got a lot of advance notice of this forum, so his cell phone video did not tape well (see his comment below).

The forum will be held on Monday, October 19, 5:30 p.m. in the downtown Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone (south of Alameda Street), in the large meeting room on lower level LL1.

LWV logo

For more info, refer to the Blog for Arizona political blogsite, wwwblogforarizona.com. There will be pro and con speakers on Propositions 200, 400, 401 & 402.

Joyce Garland, City Budget Administrator, will speak on behalf of Proposition 400, the “Home Rule Option”. Then Paul Eckerstrom will speak on behalf of Propostions 401 and 402 (both regarding Tucson United School District), with Mary Terry Schiltz speaking against them. Both will answer questions from the audience.

Finally, Brian Delfs of the Tucson Firefighters Association and Larry Lopez, President of the Tucson Police Officers Association will speak on behalf of Proposition 200, and Brandon Patrick and Former Mayor George Miller will speak against it. If you want to view Captain Delfs and Mayor Miller who debated this proposition on KUAT Channel 6 on October 12: here’s the link at www.azpm.org.
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There have been several campaign flyers arriving in the mail, and robo phone calls about these Propositions, so this is a non-biased way to find out more about the proposed measures and how they will be funded. This would also be your chance to find out more about the controversial Proposition 200, the Public Safety First Initiative, which is receiving a lot of press. For further info: Vote Yes website and the Vote No website.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization which “encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.”

Parking is on the street, in the underground garage (free after 5 p.m.), or consider biking or walking to the Main library, or taking the Sun Tran bus.