local PRIORITIES
Our local public policy priorities addresses issues that our local community has shared are most important.
housing and homelessness priorities
MC2026 GOAL: Ensure all can have a safe home to call their own. Reduce the number of families and individuals entering or experiencing homelessness by 50%.
- Support local efforts to mitigate zoning and community opposition for affordable housing, new shelter, and homeless services.
- Strengthen funding to decrease homelessness through providing resources that promote housing stability, shelter services, and mental health.
- Strengthen funding to decrease homelessness through providing resources that promote housing stability, shelter services, and mental health.
education priorities
MC2026 GOALS: Close opportunity gaps to ensure children read at grade level by 3rd grade and youth are prepared for educational success and employment. Increase the number of 3rd graders reading proficiently by 25%. Increase the number of people between ages 16-24 who are working and/or in school by 38%.
- Support programming that reduces chronic absenteeism in partnership with school districts and school boards, and implement policies identified by the Absenteeism Task Force.
- Support family and student access to high quality academic supports, appropriate tools, and basic needs to effectively support their child’s academic journey.
- Assist in roll out of Education and Career Action Plan, state mandated for students prior to graduation addressing career readiness.
health priorities
MC2026 GOAL: Remove barriers to ensure everyone in our community is healthy, with focus on access to food and health care. Decrease food insecurity by 50%. Increase the number of individuals with access to affordable care by 100,000.
- Support the City of Phoenix Food Action Plan to reduce food insecurity by increasing the community’s ability to access healthy, affordable food.
- Chris Mackay -ECD and office of environmental programs – led to city wide analysis of available land available for community benefit.
- In coordination with the Land Use Coalition for Open Space Equity, and the City of Phoenix Office of Environmental Programs, work with City of Phoenix Councilwoman Hodge-Washington to pass an ordinance on permanent Earned Density Incentives to incentivize developers to provide green and open spaces to local communities. VSUW to coordinate the gathering of data with stakeholders, and to receive feedback from developers on board of directors around these efforts, at the request of the councilwoman.
workforce development priorities
MC2026 GOALS: Open pathways to better paying jobs. Increase preparation for a living wage job by 33%. Achievement of higher paying employment by 20%.
- Maricopa Association of Governments-Support efforts to provide more affordable, high-quality options for childcare promoting successful models of employers offering workplace benefits to expand access.
- Participate in policy and civic dialogue to drive consensus around economic performance objectives for advancing our region’s competitiveness. Restore STEM and Workforce funding for Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal Community Colleges to match STEM and Workforce funding for rural counties.
- 2024 Central Arizona Workforce Forum Series: Presentations from the National Association of Workforce Boards and local business representatives on critical workforce and economic development topics. Series of virtual online forums dedicated to strengthening and fostering workforce partnerships, regional collaboration, economic development, innovation, and inspiration.
Other priorities
county priorities
Our county policy priorities aim to enhance the lives of Maricopa County residents.
state PRIORITIES
Our state policy priorities offer a range of solutions aimed at improving the lives of Arizonians.
For more information, please contact:
Beatrice “Bea” Rocklin
(602) 499-8600
Bea@beaspoken.com
