YOUR WATER: THE NEXT 100 YEARS

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Amer Taleb

Vital to keeping the state’s citizens and economy alive, Arizona’s water resources are a bubbling hot topic in academia. Over the next 100 years, the Grand Canyon State will see more urbanization and population growth, but how water is used and conserved remains unclear.

Three water-related reports are the bedrock of next week’s “Urbanization, Uncertainty and Water: Planning for Arizona’s Second Hundred Years” conference hosted at the University of Arizona in collaboration with Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy.

A water-induced crisis is not expected to strike Arizona anytime soon and such a scenario is not inevitable, but inaction can change that quickly.

At least one projection shows the Southwest losing billions of dollars in economic impact annually because of increased water shortfall of surface and ground water, according to a Grand Canyon Institute report that will be discussed at the conference.

“To ensure Arizona maintains sustainable economic growth requires recognizing the contribution of water as an engine of economic stability,” wrote Karen L. Smith, report author and an institute fellow.

Water resource certainty drives Arizona’s economy and is essential to our $10.5 billion dollar recreation and tourism industries, according to Smith’s report.

A one-size-fits-all solution does not exist in a state filled with diverse landscapes and communities with unique concerns.

Through patience, persistence and public education, answers can be found, wrote Sharon B. Megdal, director of the UA’s Water Resources Research Center, in her contribution to a Morrison Institute report, which also will be discussed at the conference.

“The people of Pima County realize how critical water management is for their future,” she wrote. “… they must work together on shaping that future.”

OBAMA WILL VISIT AZ, STILL CONSIDERED IN PLAY

posted to Political Buzz by Michael Chihak

The Arizona Republic reports that President Obama will visit Phoenix next week as part of a five-state trip following his State of the Union speech. Read the Republic story here.

Obama's visit should be taken as a sign that he considers Arizona a swing state, despite having lost to favorite son John McCain in 2008.

As noted in the Republic story, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Democratic National Committee chairwoman, says "all the ingredients are here for Arizona to be in play," including a growing Hispanic population that should favor Democrats.

DEALING WITH THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

posted to Political Buzz by Michael Chihak

Tucson’s new mayor, Jonathan Rothschild, has done the politically improbable only six weeks in office: He got a significant issue off his desk, calming for now a growing herd of angry Tucsonans.

The mayor announced a deal to move both of Reid Park Zoo’s elephants to San Diego, keeping them together as many Tucson residents had demanded.

As a native, Rothschild must know the perils of pachyderm politics in the Old Pueblo. The admonition that you can’t fight City Hall gets flipped around when it comes to Tucson and its elephants. City leaders have gotten their trunks caught in the ringer more than once over these giants.

Our latest elephantine episode was on the cusp of controversy when the deal with San Diego was struck.

For you newcomers, here’s an abbreviated history of Tucson’s elephant issues.

Our first zoo elephant was Sabu, an Asian male bought from a petting zoo when he was two years old in 1966. By 1970, he was a big brute, and his nasty disposition included knocking a zookeeper around.

That led the zoo commission to sign his death warrant. But a cacophony of trumpeting arose from the populace, and the City Council voted unanimously to spare him and instead put the zoo commission to death by abolishing it.

Sabu died in 1981, and his passing merited a top-of-page-one obituary in one local newspaper.

And did you know that in the 1970s, a circus elephant died in Tucson? Its carcass was claimed by scientists who wanted to watch it decompose. So it was unceremoniously deposited on the slope of Tumamoc Hill as a science experiment. There, it drew more curiosity than controversy.

Yes, we love our elephants in Tucson. Keep that in mind if you have your eye on local elective office.

Just ask Mayor Rothschild, who now has in his brief political career already successfully dealt with the elephant in the room.

WHERE WILL TOMORROW'S WATER COME FROM?

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Michael Chihak

Three significant pieces of research will be the focal point of the University of Arizona's annual water conference next week.

"Urbanization, Uncertainty and Water: Planning for Arizona's Second Hundred Years" will be held Tuesday, jan. 24, and feature a host of public policy and water specialists.

The three research reports are the Morrison Institute for Public Policy's "Watering the Sun Corridor: Managing Choices om Arizona's Megapolitan Area," the Grand Canyon Institute's "Arizona at the Crossroads: Water Scarcity or Water Sustainability?" and the Arizona Water Resources Development Commission's 2011 report.

On Friday's program, we will speak with four participants in the water conference, including Morrison Institute report author Grady Gammage Jr and Grand Canyon Institute report author Karen L. Smith.

In additional, Sharon Megdal, director of the UA Water Resources Research Center, and Gary Yaquinto, president of the Arizona Investment Council, will parlay their viewpoints.

GOV. WANTS MORE FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Michael Chihak

The 2012-13 state budget proposal from Gov. Jan Brewer's office calls for additional resources for behavioral health care.

The amounts are small but worth mentioning because in this space last week -- read it here -- yours truly pointed out that the state had done nothing to improve resources for mental health services in the year since the Jan. 8, 2011 Tucson shooting tragedy.

Brewer's proposed budget includes $2.5 million this fiscal year and $7 million next fiscal year for the Arizona State Hospital and $38.5 million next fiscal year for behavioral health services.

The latter figure allows the state to meet its obligations to the "seriously mentally ill" as defined in a 1981 court case whose effect was suspended in 2010 by mutual agreement because of the state's budget crisis. That suspension expires June 30, and thus the governor is recommending reinstatement of the funding.

ROMNEY RUNNING AWAY WITH ARIZONA

posted to Political Buzz by Christopher Conover

According to the Rocky Mountain Poll, 41% of Arizona Republicans are voting for Mitt Romney. The next most popular GOP candidate is undecided with 25%. Rick Santorum gets 14% of the GOP vote.

The Rocky Mountain Poll also shows Romney beating President Obama in a head to head match up. According to the survey, 37% of voters favor President Obama while 43% like Romney in a head to head match up. President Obama beats all other Republican candidates according to the poll.

Arizona’s primary is February 28th.