Late into the night went the last Tempe City Council meeting before summer break, as homeless advocates spoke against a proposed park ordinance which members unanimously approved.
Now the measure may go before voters.
The ordinance expands permit requirements to hold events in Tempe parks.
Tension between the city and homeless advocates has been building. And the latter have accused Tempe leaders of trying to stop aid groups from using public space.
Now a city spokesperson says enough signatures have been submitted for the ordinance to go onto the ballot in March, when Tempe holds City Council elections.
Whether voters get to decide the future of the ordinance is up to the City Council. Once meetings resume, members can choose to claw it back or send it to the ballot.
-
Progressive activist Kai Newkirk is looking to unseat fellow Democrat Rep. Greg Stanton, who has represented Arizona in Congress since 2019. -
State authorities are recommending the owner of a Tempe bar raided twice last year should lose his liquor license and face prosecution on criminal charges. -
Darlene Justus is determined to preserve two military barracks from Camp Papago Park — a World War II POW camp. -
Arizona residents and officials expressed a wide variety of reactions to Operation Epic Fury, the joint American-Israeli attacks in Iran. They ranged from relief at the toppling of a theocratic regime to fears of rising costs here in the Valley. -
A college bar near Arizona State University has sued Tempe, alleging city officials engaged in selective enforcement and defamed the business’s reputation after a series of underage drinking busts.
