Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. Here’s your recap of what we did this week, what's on the horizon, and more. Reply to this email with any questions or suggestions regarding the newsletter. And thank you for subscribing!

Affordable housing in SLC 

This week we were excited to attend the groundbreaking for “The Silos,” an 8.5-acre redevelopment project with a focus on affordable housing in our capital city. Housing is a difficult problem to solve – the simple answer is we need more supply to meet the demand we’re seeing in our state. This requires partnerships across the board, from cities and towns to developers and investors willing to prioritize these types of housing options. Thanks to Jim Sorenson, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah Housing Corporation, Jupiter Management, Blaser Ventures and Lowe Property Group for working together to make The Silos a reality!

Housing is one of our top issues and we’re working hard to ensure that homeownership is possible for more Utahns. View photos from the groundbreaking here.

‘When everyone gives a little bit, we can do a lot’ 

Have you ever wondered what you can do to help our homeless friends? As our incredible friend and community advocate Pamela Atkinson says, “When everyone gives a little bit, we can do a lot.” 

This week we joined Pamela to invite Utahns to donate to the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund. You can donate directly on your tax form, or donations are accepted year round at jobs.utah.gov/HTF. In years past, organizations across the state have benefited greatly from funding received to support statewide emergency shelter and winter response. 

Filling the gaps in our existing homeless service system is a top priority for our administration, and we hope you will join us!

Supporting 1A Sports in Utah

Small towns coming together truly reminds us of the spirit of America. This week we traveled to Richfield to attend the 1A boys and girls basketball tournament. This is one of my favorite times of year – the energy, the camaraderie and school spirit is electric, and it was great to meet with students and coaches, and even participate in some on-air commentary. 

Thanks for having us, Richfield High School and Snow College! And congratulations to all of our student athletes!

Election/Caucus Night/Super Tuesday 

Lt. Gov. Henderson would like to remind Utahns that next Tuesday is the Presidential Primary Election. Voters in the Democratic party should have received a ballot in the mail. Republican voters will need to attend caucus night to participate. You can go to vote.utah.gov for more information.

Welcoming the Welsh to the Capitol

Lt. Gov. Henderson welcomed the Welsh delegation to the Capitol this week. They discussed the importance of Martha Hughes Cannon — of Welsh origins — being the first female state senator in U.S. history. See pictures of the event here.

Last week at NGA

ICYMI: Last week we were in Washington, D.C. with the National Governors Association for their 2024 Winter Meeting. As chair, we participated in discussions about housing, national security, education, artificial intelligence and more. We also visited with foreign ambassadors to the United States including Mexican Ambassador Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova and Swiss Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud. 

We also had a chance to highlight our “Disagree Better” NGA Chair’s Initiative at several events including an incredible forum at the National Cathedral focused on faith and service, and excellent discussions at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., George Washington University and American University. During the Winter Meeting, governors and attendees heard from U.S. Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Sonia Sotomayor. Watch their full remarks here. We also appreciated hearing from esteemed pollster Frank Luntz who discussed the language of respect and why our Disagree Better initiative matters. Watch Frank’s full remarks here. And learn more about the NGA and our Disagree Better Initiative here.

Governor’s Award for Excellence Highlight

Each week, we’re highlighting a state employee who was recently awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence. This week we’re recognizing Sierra Schaefer-Funsch and Allison O’Bryan with the Utah Department of Natural Resources. 

On July 3, a 17-year-old young man was enjoying a day sailing at Jordanelle State Park when a summer storm unexpectedly hit. Gusty winds caught the sail, causing the boat to thrash around in the water. As winds and waves threatened to overcome the boat, the young sailor abandoned his boat. State Park Rangers Allison O’Bryan and Sierra Schaefer-Funsch heeded the 911 call from his frantic father and found the young man clinging to a buoy. Ranger O’Bryan was able to deadlift him into the rescue boat while Ranger Schaefer-Funsch kept the boat steady in the stormy water. They quickly transported the hypothermic young man back to the dock. While EMTs treated him, Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers went looking for the overturned sailboat, which washed up the next day. The heroic actions of Rangers O’Bryan and Schaefer-Funsch saved this young man’s life. As his mother wrote, “I just wanted to say how appreciative we are of your services and for truly saving our son. The night could have turned out much worse than it did.” Shortly after this rescue, they headed back out into the storm to search for a reported sinking vessel with children on board. These Rangers are truly heroic, and our state parks are safer because of them.

Thank you, Sierra and Allison, for your dedication to the state of Utah. Keep up the great work! To read about the Governor’s Awards for Excellence, click here.

ICYMI

• It’s official! This week we submitted our bid to host the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games to the International Olympics Committee. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to get us to this point. 

• This week we were honored to meet with His Excellency Dr. Kevin Rudd, Australian Ambassador to the United States. Australia is Utah’s 11th largest export destination targeting the energy, manufacturing and life sciences industries. Looking forward to continuing to strengthen this relationship!

• This week Lt. Gov. Henderson and her team met with Ambassador Mohamed Nazri Bin Abdul Aziz of Malaysia . We loved welcoming this delegation to the Capitol. See pictures here. 

   

Coming up

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