Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva spoke with community leaders Tuesday in a panel discussion about the affordability issues faced by Arizona’s voters.
The event was hosted by UnidosUS, the largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country. Romero endorsed the group’s Economic Prosperity Agenda and its similarity to the Tucson Prosperity Initiative, a research-backed anti-poverty policy framework adopted by the City Council in 2024.
“We said OK, this is the research from Harvard, from all of these fancy universities, that said, ‘if you do these things, they will give you results to turn and bring down poverty and create prosperity and wealth in our communities,’” Romero said.
The discussion centered around the goals shared by the Tucson city government and UnidosUS, including increasing access to affordable housing, food, transportation, and childcare.
“Unidos’ Economic Prosperity Agenda and Tucson Prosperity Initiative have seven of the same pillars,” said Romero, referring to the 13 policy points which make up the Tucson Prosperity Initiative. “And I’m really excited because we all came to this conclusion based on the work that we’re doing, our own personal experiences, what people are telling us on the ground… and we have an opportunity to work to make a difference.”
Though UnidosUS representatives made it clear that the organization was not politically affiliated with any party or candidates, Grijalva took several shots at her Republican colleagues in Congress.
“We cannot continue to elect the same majority and expect anything to be different,” she said. “So when you look at where the federal system, I think, is really not doing their part, it's in health care, our immigration policies, and education. And our economy is suffering because of it.”
