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February was a big month in Tucson with the changing weather, Rodeo, and Gem Show. It was also a busy month for us here at PCAO, we’re recruiting, interviewing, and hiring. We had some major wins while continuing to make strong connections in our growing community. Your February Monthly Newsletter has arrived!
Much of the work that dominated our attention throughout the month fell into a trial and awaiting the verdict in the homicide of Isabel Celis. The verdict for Christopher Clements was guilty on all counts, and if you haven’t seen the press release, please take a moment to read it here because it talks a bit about the many extraordinarily talented people here at PCAO and from half a dozen different agencies who put twelve years of their lives into the case. It also talks a bit about the way the whole community came together so profoundly when the incident first occurred. This case was so tragic, and it may help to remember the way thousands, truly thousands, volunteered time, and effort in those early days when we still hoped Isabel could be found, unharmed. It’s an honor to live in a community like this and to get to serve alongside the folks who successfully reached this conviction.
I’ll share more personally here, that I was very proud, of course, for the team here. But I also spent time alone in a sad contemplation over this case. Because after so much hard work, for so many years, we still don’t have what we most long for: an ability to bring Isabel Celis and Maribel Gonzalez from the related case, back home to their loved ones. It’s a hard truth for us here at the People’s Office. Yet, we persevere on.
Most sincerely: que en paz descansen, Isa y Mari.
Laura
We are facing the reality of heavy caseloads and new Court directives to get them done more quickly.
So, providing leadership in those matters included trips to the Arizona Supreme Court to share ideas and recruiting young and talented attorneys to share the workload. The month started with growing concern in Pima County Superior Court about the attempts to get the criminal docket moving as quickly as possible. While we agree that efficiency is valued and can save taxpayer money, we also recognize that rushing toward completion can lead to errors our office cannot afford to make when justice and accountability are at stake. The efforts to resolve this issue continue with our team at PCAO to press on with our service to the people of Pima County.
In February, we launched a new and upgraded program for notifying crime victims of upcoming court dates and other case-related events through email and text messaging. The new electronic approach is designed to reach more victims more effectively than the old mail notification process, including those who move frequently and those without a home address.
The e-notice program is one of the first in Arizona to use text messaging and will ultimately allow PCAO to use less paper and eliminate postage costs. Not only have we modernized our paperwork system, but now victims can also get quicker access to information. A special thank you to PCAO Administrative Specialist Genaro Venalonzo who led the charge in this effort and our IT Manager Joseph Alvarez and his team who helped to get the project across the finish line.
We continue to work with partners throughout Pima County and the state to find ways to make people safe from firearm violence.
Part of that process is delivering 900 free gunlocks to schools in the Tucson Unified School District to satisfy our recent agreement to put 10 locks into every single school in the district.
Meanwhile, our Civil Division worked with the Pima County Board of Supervisors on appropriate legal language for an ordinance they are developing, and we also assisted the Arizona Legislature with legal language for a bill in the works in the state capitol.
We are in FULL SWING with recruitment season. At the UA alone, we received 38 applications for our summer law clerk program, and we attended events in Phoenix and other locations to get more attorneys and staff through the doors at PCAO. We also had virtual recruiting conferences with attorneys in the Midwest and Southern California and hosted the spring interns from The AG’s Office, some of whom will shift to us this summer. The future looks BRIGHT!
And the best part of course is the swearing-in, once a law student has studied, survived, passed the Bar, and received their license. Congrats Ryan Klee! (pictured)
(Mark Hotchkiss, Josh Moser, Ryan Klee, and Bill Brammer are pictured below.)
We are currently taking applications for teens to work over the summer, so be sure to send in your information before the deadline.
During Black History Month, our team here at PCAO honored the month in various ways. Chief Civil Deputy Sam Brown spoke at the Black History Month event at the Old Historic Courthouse about the importance of building a more inclusive and equitable workforce for the future. We also shared posts about the month’s importance and the contributions of historical figures. Lastly, we produced a podcast featuring Juneteenth President Larry Starks and Dunbar Pavilion Executive Director Freda Marshall. Both offered insight into the significance and evolution of Black History Month and the many changes that still need to be made within our justice system. Here are links to the podcast, and social media posts we shared.
Laura, PCAO’s outreach team, and our terrific volunteers had plenty of opportunity to be out with the people of Pima County in February. Here are some of the ways we connected with the community in ways that mean so much to us and those we serve.
Love of Reading Month is one of our favorite times of the year. Laura and other PCAO staff have visited area schools to share our love of reading with students. We spent a morning at Grijalva Elementary School, where we read to third- and fourth-grade students. As Laura said “It was pure joy,” It was a treat to meet the kids and staff at the following schools.
-Davis Elementary
-Ochoa Elementary
-Tully Elementary
-Lawrence Intermediate
We joined the Barrio Hollywood Neighborhood Association meeting to share our Year Three Review, an annual report to the community that shared stories about the work we did in 2023, and also to check in on the needs of that community in 2024. We heard that a neighborhood park in the area needs some attention, so we steered our Tucson Police partners in that direction. We also met with folks in the Barrio Hollywood, Julia Keen, and Pueblo Gardens Neighborhoods along with the Tucson Metro Chamber.
Our community partners at Homicide Survivors are back at the PCAO Legal Services building. Staff will have the ability to use a respite space that we’ve made available on-site to help give advocates who serve as liaisons to family and victims services a space to decompress and do paperwork during the day. It will allow them to maximize their time while attending court hearings downtown. We appreciate our community partners for everything they do.
Our first town hall of the year was hosted by Law Matters Radio at the Pima Federal Credit Union in Oro Valley. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen. Here is a live stream link to the entire event: https://fb.watch/qxP8u58wji/
Here’s a look at some of the links to social media and podcast messages we shared throughout February.
All Podcast episodes including the latest on Black History Month and 88-Crime are available here:
https://thepeoplesofficepodcast.podbean.com/
Social Media Posts:
Podcast production, Love of Reading, and Year End Review presentations.
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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