Jennifer Allen
Candidate for County Supervisor, Pima County, AZ
Jennifer and her family have called Southern Arizona home for decades. She is a community leader with a collaborative problem-solving approach that has been forged over decades of experience leading organizations on the front lines of some of the toughest issues in Arizona and nationally. Jen has built her career on using her values to guide her work including serving as Executive Director of ACLU of Arizona, Senior Vice President at League of Conservation Voters, the Founding National Director of Chispa, the Founding Executive Director of Border Action Network, a staff member at Western Shoshone Defense Project, and serving on the boards of Las Adelitas Arizona and GreenLatinos. From immigration to protecting our democracy to climate change and more, Jen doesn’t back down from a challenge while always working to build broad coalitions. She is the dedicated mamá of an 11-year-old bilingual public school student, partner of a City of Tucson employee, sister of a union truck driver, and daughter of parents who taught her the values of compassion and hard work.
Jen’s Vision
Developing a Climate Action, Resilience and Adaptation Plan
I will champion the development and implementation of a County-wide comprehensive climate action plan that focuses on combating extreme heat, bolstering climate-clean energy economic and workforce development, reducing emissions from buildings, housing, transit and industry, building sustainable affordable housing, retrofitting commercial and residential properties to improve efficiency, and residential and commercial water conservation.
Protecting Pima County's water resources
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Whether enacting pro-conservation policies, finding more opportunities to replace potable water use with the County's reclaimed water system, or assisting in cleaning contaminated aquifers, the County needs to work closely with Arizona Department of Water Resources and other municipalities to improve Arizona's water future. Specific policy priorities include: rainwater harvesting requirements for commercial and residential construction, easing county sewer requirements to promote composting toilets, and other utilizing water saving technologies in County operations. I will also ensure that water conservation continues to be a core criteria for Pima County’s Economic Development strategy as they work to attract and retain industry to the region.
I will ensure the nationally recognized, science and data-driven Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan continues to be aggressively implemented and informs land-use decisions across the County. The SDCP guides the County’s acquisition of land for conservation and wildlife corridors and provides clear parameters for land use development in the County. I will ensure that Plan’s data is matching the pace of the effects of climate change in our arid desert.
"Extreme heat, drought, wildfires and other effects of climate change have become the norm in southern Arizona. We need bold, aggressive action to combat climate change on all fronts while also ensuring our communities are resilient today and for generations to come. As Supervisor for Pima County District 3, I look forward to building a union-strong, clean energy economy, sustainable affordable housing, accessible public transit, and other steps that protect our desert, our cultures, and our communities for the long haul."