About Larry Bodine

Larry Bodine is the President of Democrats of Greater Tucson, and a PC in Legislative District 9.

WATCH: Ann Chanecka, Tucson Housing and Community Development

Ann Chanecka, Deputy Director Tucson Housing and Community Development, spoke at the Democrats of Greater Tucson meeting on March 8, 2021. She described numerous projects tackling: Poverty rates, low incomes, and economic disparities; Education and economic mobility, Health disparities, Homelessness, Housing instability and Neighborhood inequities. In terms of Public Housing, the city has: 550 Multifamily units for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities 452 Multifamily units for Families 503 Single-Family Properties The City manages more than 6,000 Section 8 Vouchers, which allow individuals and families to pay 30-40% of their income on rent, and 451 Affordable Housing units. In 2020, Housing and Community Development received [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-03-11T08:22:48-07:00March 10th, 2021|Tucson|

Recall Rep. Finchem Campaign Reignites

The campaign to oust traitorous state Rep. March Finchem (R-LD11) is officially underway and aims to have 40,000 signatures by July 2. Now is the time for all good volunteers, precinct committee people, and defenders of democracy to click here for the new volunteer signup form. The Recall Finchem campaign is looking for volunteers to get signatures on the petitions from Democrats and independents. There is no need to be a resident to volunteer in Legislative District 11 (which includes large swathes of PinalCounty and northern Pima County), but people must live in the district to sign the petition. [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-03-14T18:07:43-07:00March 9th, 2021|Ballot Referenda and Initiatives|

Send Your Objection to these Voter Suppression Bills Now

Bills Advancing Republican voter suppression/election bills are advancing in the AZ legislature. If you click on the bill number in the list below, a pdf summary of the bill will appear. What can we do? * Use Request to Speak Go to My Bill Positions and fill in the bill number at the top. Click in this field. The bill number with a description will appear. Click on the field again. You can vote up or down without comment. ▪ Contact Representatives: Karen Fann -- President Senate Email: KFANN (602) 926-5874 Russell "Rusty" Bowers -- Speaker of the House Email: RBOWERS (602) 926-3128 or contact committe members (see list when [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-03-06T17:12:08-07:00March 6th, 2021|Arizona|

VIDEO: Lane Santa Cruz, Tucson Council Member, Announces 2021 Plans

Lane Santa Cruz has represented the Westside, Southside, and Downtown of Tucson in Ward 1 since 2019. She is a second-generation Tucsonan, born and raised in the Southside. As a council member, Lane’s mission is to serve as the bridge between working families and city hall. She has a Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies from the University of Arizona. Lane continues to teach courses at the U of A’s Department of Mexican American Studies and College of Education. Before running for office, Lane worked as a council aide for Ward 1 and spent more than a decade working [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-03-05T08:52:16-07:00March 2nd, 2021|Local Candidates and Electeds, Tucson|

Melinda Iyer Targets Republican Zombie Bills to Kill

Melinda Iyer, Editor of the AZ Legislature Weekly Update newsletter, discussed the raw power of the Request to Speak system for voters to kill bad legislation and upvote progressive bills. She spoke at the February 23, 2021 meeting of the LD9 Democrats. Iyer reads the short title and sponsor name of bills introduced in the Arizona legislature, including the 40 voter suppression bills introduced by Republicans. She also notes the bill sponsor -- so if it's rightwing Sen. Michelle Ugenti Rita (R-LD23), Iyer knows "it's up to no good at all." She closely tracks "striker" bills, where a [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-02-28T12:43:24-07:00February 28th, 2021|Local Candidates and Electeds, Voter Suppression|

Arizona List is Gearing Up for 2022, says Political Director Claire Knipe

Arizona is "trending Democratic" and a Democratic pro-choice woman is just waiting to announce that she'll run for Governor in 2022, according to Claire Knipe, Political Director for Arizona List. "The governor's race will be messy because there will be an open primary," she said at the February 22, 2021 meeting of Democrats of Greater Tucson. Katie Hobbs, the Democratic Secretary of State in Arizona is widely-presumed to be the candidate. She is popular with Arizona voters and became well known for defending the electoral system against bogus "voter fraud" conspiracies. Arizona List is an organization that supports pro-choice Democratic women [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-02-24T17:55:53-07:00February 24th, 2021|Arizona Democratic Party|

Activist Kevin Dahl, Candidate for City Council, on Protecting our National Parks and Environment

Kevin Dahl, an environmental activist who spent his career protecting National Parks, said that Ward 3 voters asked him to run for City Council to focus on climate change in Tucson. "We need to protect those most at risk," he said. "Parts of Ward 3 are seriously affected." Ward 3 is bounded by River Road to the north, Swan Road at the East, Grant Road to the South, and Silverbell Road to the West. He spoke at the February 15, 2021 meeting of Democrats of Greater Tucson. "Climate change is a horrible threat to our Saguaros and the [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-02-17T10:27:12-07:00February 16th, 2021|Environment|

VIDEO: How to Win Over Rural Voters with Susan Bickel, LD9 Chair

The path to turning rural counties blue runs through local parades, county fairs, and community affairs, according to LD9 Democrats Chair Susan Bickel. She spoke at the Democrats of Greater Tucson meeting on February 8, 2021. LD9 had a 90.4% Democratic turnout in the 2020 elections, so Susan knows what she’s talking about. Susan Bickel lived in Douglas, AZ, from 2000-2013 and successfully motivated rural voters. In contrast, the turnout in nearby rural counties was less: Cochise County: 78.6% of Democrats voted. Greenlee County: 77.5% of Democrats voted. Graham County: 73.2% of Democrats voted. It wasn’t always [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-02-11T12:51:36-07:00February 10th, 2021|Arizona, Elections|

Tell the Legislature What You Want: Sign Up for Request to Speak

Sign up for Request to Speak at http://bit.ly/3oWYH4n By filling out this form, you allow Civic Engagement Beyond Voting to create an account for you at the Arizona Legislature to use the Request to Speak (RTS) system. This will allow you to make your voice heard by supporting or opposing legislation while it's being heard in committees. We will add your name to our newsletter to receive tips and recommendations for RTS positions, and invaluable information about legislative activities. Thank you for using democracy! The Arizona Legislature convened on Jan 11, 2021. Please follow our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/azCEBVus) for alerts [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-02-19T17:42:12-07:00February 6th, 2021|Local Candidates and Electeds|

Professor: Expel the Koch-Sponsored Freedom Center from the University of Arizona

Dr. David N. Gibbs, a respected Professor of History at the University of Arizona, is calling for the Republican-financed, Koch-sponsored "Freedom Center" to be kicked out of the university's academic program. He spoke at the January 26, 2021 meeting of the LD9 Democrats, which was attended by more than 100 participants on Zoom. Dr. Gibbs set forth three steps to expel the freedom center from university campuses: Make it a priority of the Democratic Party to cut state funds to the three freedom centers at Arizona universities. Put public pressure on the university to get information on [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-02-19T17:40:08-07:00February 2nd, 2021|Education|