As we have had the first snow on Mt. Lemmon and are finally enjoying sweater weather in the Valley, media types of all forms, armed with their pens, keyboards, and voices are asking their readers and listeners, “What are you thankful for this holiday season?” Well, we’re no different.
Our response is that we have so much to be thankful for in our Southeast Region; our caring community, our school district, our beautiful natural surroundings, and our opportunities. It is so much healthier to reflect on these gifts as we put aside the divisive issues that plagued our community this past Halloween.
Many unfortunate actions, words and accusations, amplified by raw wounds, painful events, and deep sorrows surrounded our community in a gut-wrenching manner. In hindsight, do many of us wish we had made different choices, said different words, taken different actions, and thought different thoughts? I certainly think and hope so, just as I think and hope all of that is behind us. Perhaps focusing our energies on things other than our mobile devices and social media (a “digital detox”) would be a good start during this holiday season.
Along with the holiday season comes the ramp up to the Arizona Legislature session in January, and recognizing an urgent need, your District 4 Office introduced a new initiative to the Board of Supervisors last month.
There has been growing concern over home title theft and fraud, especially as these bad actors prey upon our most vulnerable communities. What transpires is chilling. Criminals who are technically talented with high internet acumen scour various publicly available records for residences where the property is held free and clear of mortgages or the amount of the loan is dwarfed by the homeowner’s equity. Armed with this data, the crooks file a false title transfer, take out new mortgages using the equity in the targeted homes, pocket the money proceeds (often hundreds of thousands of dollars) and leave the original homeowner responsible for the new falsely-created debt.
This is devastating to our senior citizens who have paid off mortgages after years of sacrifice only to be faced with the repugnant task of losing their homes due to foreclosure or unplanned legal expenses to reclaim their clear home titles. This dastardly process all takes place quickly, with no advanced warning or knowledge and little recourse available. Our County Assessor has made this crime a top priority to be addressed within her office and one can register on the County Recorder’s site to receive a title change notification, but therein lies the problem – the notification is after the fact.
Home title theft prevention measures require state legislation to focus fully on policy with teeth to stop this activity, and the sooner, the better. Accordingly, your District 4 Office submitted an agenda item during the November 18th Board of Supervisors meeting, directing the County Administer to instruct our state legislative lobbyist to add Home Title Theft Protection to Pima County’s 2026 legislative agenda and work with State Senators and Representatives to craft and introduce such a bill. This item was passed by the Board unanimously, 5-0.
This joins District 4’s recent successful initiatives: the Wildfire Danger Mitigation Plan, Homeowner’s Insurance Affordability and Availability, and the Remote Area Safety Plan; all issues facing our district’s constituents that we will carry on and fight for.
Finally, it is with great pleasure that I introduce your new local contact in the Vail/Corona de Tucson/Southeast Region representing our District 4 Office, Erin Johnson. Erin is a longtime Vail resident who is eager to engage with and serve our community, helping connect her neighbors with the resources they need and work on their behalf with Pima County departments to resolve issues. Please feel free to welcome her via email, erin.johnson@pima.gov or call 520-609-6233.
As we roll through the holidays, I hope we can all slow down a bit to truly enjoy the company of our families and friends, and have a wonderful season. And, oh yes, I love being your Supervisor.
Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy, District 4
33 N. Stone Avenue, Floor 11
Tucson, AZ 85701
520-724-8094
district4@pima.gov
