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City council recall, South Tucson, Arizona (2024-2025)
| South Tucson city council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Brian Flagg Cesar Aguirre |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| August 5, 2025 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Arizona Arizona recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An election to recall Mayor Roxanna Valenzuela and Councilmen Brian Flagg, and Cesar Aguirre was scheduled for August 5, 2025, in South Tucson, Arizona. Voters retained Valenzuela, Flagg, and Aguirre.[1]
The filing deadline for candidates interested in running in the recall election was June 6, 2025.[2][3]
Recall vote
Valenzuela recall
General election
Special general election for South Tucson City Council
Incumbent Roxanna Valenzuela defeated Anita Romero in the special general election for South Tucson City Council on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Roxanna Valenzuela (Nonpartisan) | 76.9 | 160 | |
| Anita Romero (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 23.1 | 48 | ||
| Total votes: 208 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Flagg recall
General election
Special general election for South Tucson City Council
Incumbent Brian Flagg defeated Christopher Dodson in the special general election for South Tucson City Council on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Brian Flagg (Nonpartisan) | 77.4 | 137 | |
| Christopher Dodson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 22.6 | 40 | ||
| Total votes: 177 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Aguirre recall
General election
Special general election for South Tucson City Council
Incumbent Cesar Aguirre defeated Eduardo Baca in the special general election for South Tucson City Council on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cesar Aguirre (Nonpartisan) | 75.1 | 142 | |
| Eduardo Baca (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 24.9 | 47 | ||
| Total votes: 189 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Recall supporters
Former mayor and current city councilman Paul Diaz initiated the recall effort. Diaz was serving as mayor of South Tucson at the time the recall effort was initiated. Diaz said, "After much personal concern, research, thought, and deliberation, I have decided to take this step because I am deeply troubled about the direction of South Tucson and am not willing to stand by and do nothing when I see a blatant violation of election law and unethical behavior by our elected officials."[2]
Recall opponents
Aguirre gave the following statement regarding the recall effort:[4]
| “ |
The Allegations brought against me by Paul Diaz are motivated by the fact that he has lost power and control of the city council. Under his leadership, the city had nearly gone bankrupt, our fire department had been so badly neglected we had to consider outsourcing, and crime on our streets had gone unchecked. Paul Diaz’s claim that being a renter “may influence me” to “shift the financial burden onto others” shows his complete disconnect from the South Tucson community, whom we are meant to represent. South Tucson has the lowest property tax rate but the highest sales tax rate in the entire state. With nearly 80% of South Tucson’s residents being renters, we have been carrying the weight of the city’s financial burdens through our high sales tax for far too long. The voters spoke on this by passing the bond last election for much needed funding for our fire department. The voters shall speak again with this recall so my colleagues and I can continue to increase revenue to improve public safety, fight for affordable housing, and together with the community, create an economic plan that benefits all South Tucson Residents. [5] |
” |
Valenzuela gave the following statement regarding the recall effort:[4]
| “ |
My opponents claim that I’m “serving illegally” because, they claim, I live outside the city. I proudly live at the Arizona Motel, where I’ve led an effort to renovate and make it safe for low-income families. After clearing the motel of crime, I’m proud to raise my daughters there. I will make South Tucson a safe community, too. Under my leadership, voters approved a $6 million bond to improve our police and fire. At the same time, this Council increased the City’s bond rating, meaning we spend less tax money paying the banks. This council has filed lawsuits and issued citations against our largest slumlord. I've strengthened our relationships with the City of Tucson, Pima County, and Pascua Yaqui Tribe, giving us access to vital resources. We’re fighting to reclaim the $23 million in regional transportation money that former Mayor Paul Diaz willingly handed over to wealthier communities like Oro-Valley. We launched Barrio Keepers, a program hiring South Tucsonans to clean our streets while getting valuable job skills. I’ve started “cafecitos” where local residents can give input to their council. These are just a few examples. Don't let this baseless recall attempt distract us from the progress we're making together. [5] |
” |
Flagg has said, "We're just going to keep working really hard and make this a better place."[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Arizona
No specific grounds are required for recall in Arizona. To begin the recall process, supporters must file an application for a recall petition that must be approved by the relevant election office. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast for all candidates at the last election for the relevant office in 120 days.[6]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- South Tucson, Arizona
- Recall campaigns in Arizona
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- City council recalls
- Mayor and city council recall, South Tucson, Arizona (2018)
- Paul Diaz and Ildefonso Green recall, South Tucson, Arizona (2014-2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tucson Sentinel, "South Tucson recall fizzles at polls," August 5, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 KVOA, "South Tucson Mayor Paul Diaz filed recall application for three city council members," October 3, 2024
- ↑ City of South Tucson, "SPECIAL ELECTION - RECALL AUGUST 5, 2025," accessed May 2, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 KGUN 9, "Former South Tucson Mayor calls for a recall election," April 16, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Recall," accessed October 16, 2023
