D4 is the only majority-renter district in Phoenix — 55.3% of residents rent, across 44.8k households. The median income is the lowest among the eight districts at $64k. Half of D4 renters spend more than 30% of their income on rent.

Michael’s approach: protect what makes D4 special while making sure people can afford to stay.

The Problem

D4 has 11.8k registered rental properties. There have been over 66k eviction filings in D4 ZIP codes since 2020. Rent burden ranges from 37.6% to 77.1% - in some neighborhoods, three out of four renters are cost-burdened, and monthly rent can reach $2,400 in some D4 neighborhoods, with new construction along Central Avenue listing above $3,000. Rising rents and redevelopment are pricing longtime families out of the neighborhoods they built.

Immediate Actions

• Aggressive upzoning along transit corridors — multi-story mixed-use development near light rail stations and major bus routes, with pathways to greater height where appropriate.
• Streamline permitting for ADUs and middle housing — ministerial approval with 30-day maximum review timelines for projects that meet code. Pre-approved plans available online so developers can skip the design phase and break ground faster.
• Public land strategy for affordable housing — comprehensive inventory of city-owned parcels. Work with Maricopa County, the State Land Department, and federal agencies to assemble sites. Sell or lease land to affordable housing developers at below-market rates.
• Eviction diversion programs — city-supported mediation before filings, rather than eviction as a first resort. Cheaper than court for both parties.
• Proactive code enforcement — holding negligent landlords accountable.
• First-100-days renter roundtable — bringing District 4 renters to the table within Michael's first 100 council days, building into a standing housing affordability task force with renters, not just developers.

Long-Term Solutions

• Voluntary inclusionary zoning with strong incentives — developers who include 10-15% affordable units receive 20-30% density bonuses, fee waivers, and expedited permitting. Developers build more, Phoenix gets permanently affordable units.
• Community land trusts — keep housing affordable permanently by separating land ownership from home ownership. Phoenix can donate or sell public land to CLTs at reduced rates, provide grants and loans, offer property tax incentives, and waive development fees.
• Preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing — create an acquisition fund to help nonprofits purchase older apartment buildings before they convert to luxury housing. Preserving what we have is more cost-effective than building new.
• Partner with the Arizona Department of Housing — leverage federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, explore public-private partnerships, and maximize every state and federal dollar available.

Tenant Protections

• Source-of-income protections — require in all city-funded housing projects. Landlords can't reject housing vouchers.
• Tenant relocation assistance — when city actions cause displacement.
• Tenant education and legal assistance — rights workshops and legal aid.
• Anti-retaliation protections — tenants who report code violations can't face retribution from landlords.
• Eviction data transparency — require the city to publish eviction data so intervention targets the right neighborhoods.
• Renter-landlord bill of rights — an equitable framework so renters and landlords both have clear, fair rules.
• Senior housing stability — protect D4 seniors on fixed income from displacement. Prioritize aging-in-place programs, senior-specific rental assistance, and accessible housing in city-funded projects.

Michael's Voice at the State Capitol for Renters

The Arizona Legislature has tied cities' hands when it comes to tenant protections. State law prohibits rent control. Arizona's Property Rights Protection Act makes just cause eviction laws legally vulnerable.

Michael will use his platform as a council member to advocate for changing these state laws:

• Repeal the rent control prohibition so cities can stabilize housing costs.
• Restore local authority over landlord-tenant relationships, including just cause eviction protections.

While pushing for state-level change, Michael will use every available tool to increase housing supply and affordability.

D4 is home to some of the most diverse communities in Phoenix. The Melrose District along 7th Avenue is the city’s LGBTQ+ cultural corridor. Miracle Mile, Melrose, and 27th Avenue are neighborhoods where community pride runs deep. LGBTQ+, Native, Hispanic, refugee communities, and more all call D4 home. Michael wants to work with these neighborhoods to build community and protect what makes them strong — their sense of pride and community.

The Problem

• Gentrification pressure on corridors that are home to D4's diverse communities. 
• Small businesses in diverse communities squeezed by rising commercial rents.
• State legislation threatening local anti-discrimination protections.

Michael has almost 20 years of institutional leadership in Phoenix and its diverse communities, bringing people together across D4 since 2006.

Michael's Plan

• Invest in D4’s cultural corridors - Melrose, Miracle Mile, and 27th Avenue. Bring residents and small-business owners into planning conversations early so corridor growth reinforces the communities already there instead of replacing them.
• Strengthen Phoenix anti-discrimination protections — defend existing protections against state preemption for all of D4's diverse communities.
• Community business support through the Office of Economic Empowerment — connect small businesses owned by members of D4's diverse communities to city programs and storefronts.
• Fast-Track Cities (HIV/AIDS) — join the initiative to get 90% of people with HIV tested, 90% on treatment, and 90% virally suppressed.
• Outcome-based accountability — publish annual performance metrics on homelessness, public safety, and housing so D4 residents can see what's working and what isn't. No more programs without results.

Michael is a citizen of the Delaware Nation. If elected, he would be the first Native American on the Phoenix City Council. D4 has over 10.3k American Indian and Alaska Native residents (5.0%).

Why This Matters

Phoenix sits on the ancestral lands of the Akimel O'odham and Piipaash peoples. The city has the fifth-largest urban Native American population in the country. Phoenix hosts significant Native American cultural institutions, including the Phoenix Indian Center, the Heard Museum, and Native American Connections. Urban Native communities have lacked representation in city governance.

Michael's Plan

• Indigenous perspective at the council table — bringing lived experience as a voting member, not as a liaison consulted after decisions are made.
• Connect urban Native residents with city programs — close the gap between existing city services and the 10,337 Indigenous residents who cannot always access them.
• Cultural competency in city services — ensuring service providers understand the communities they serve.
• Engage urban Native communities and tribal liaison offices through direct collaboration.

Michael is a small business owner in Phoenix. He founded Michael Mazzocco Events in 2017 and brings over 20 years of experience in the events and catering industry.

The Problem

D4 has 3.4k commercial parcels. 1.1k of them are vacant. Small businesses along Central Avenue, 7th Avenue, and 27th Avenue struggle with red tape, rising costs, and empty storefronts next door.

D4 loses entrepreneurs between the business incubators and the day they open.

Signature Policy: Office of Economic Empowerment

Michael's signature policy proposal.

• Take graduates of city and nonprofit small business programs (Urban League, Local First Arizona) and walk them through every city economic development program.
• Staff storefronts with people who guide businesses into D4's vacant commercial spaces.
• Miracle Mile, the Melrose Curve, and 27th Avenue — pay special attention to these corridors so neighbors can take back their communities. A vibrant street is a safe street.
• Arts & Culture Corridor from the Heard Museum to the Phoenix Art Museum — fill that corridor with cafes, restaurants, and local businesses. Keep cultural tourists spending money in D4.
• 27th Avenue revitalization — empower D4 residents to bring their own corridors back to life.

"Economic empowerment, getting small businesses into shuttered storefronts, brings vibrancy back to the street, which brings safety back to our streets."

From Willo to Encanto-Palmcroft, F.Q. Story to Coronado, these neighborhoods are why people choose District 4. Michael went to the legislature to support the historic neighborhood carve-out from the middle-housing bill. He believes middle-housing should provide affordable housing, not luxury units.

What's at Stake

28 historic districts across 1.9k acres. Teardown pressure from rising land values. State housing law can accelerate demolitions in historic neighborhoods without local safeguards. Demolition-by-neglect hollows out neighborhoods that define D4's history.

Michael's Plan

• Strengthen preservation review - community input before development approvals, not after.
• Fight demolition-by-neglect - hold property owners accountable.
• Middle housing done right - responsible density that preserves neighborhoods.
• Historic preservation at the state level - advocate for protections that keep longtime residents in their homes without blocking the housing Phoenix needs.

Nearly 65% of D4 children under 6 have both parents working. They need affordable childcare, strong schools, and a councilmember who understands family policy starts at the local level.

The Numbers

14.4k children under age 6 live in District 4. Five school districts overlap the area: Alhambra, Phoenix Union, Osborn, Isaac, and Cartwright. Childcare workers earn $35.6k annually. That wage drives turnover and reduces quality.

Every dollar invested in early childhood returns $4 to $9 to the local economy. Childcare is families' second-largest expense after rent.

Michael's Plan

• Childcare infrastructure investment — expand capacity in underserved areas in D4.
• Raise childcare worker wages — leverage city contracting authority and advocate for local minimum wage increases.
• Employer-sponsored childcare — partner with local businesses to develop workplace childcare options.
• School district partnerships — collaborate with D4's five school districts on wraparound family supports. City council does not set teacher salaries, but it can be a loud, consistent partner for the districts that need investment.

D4 voters bring up homelessness more than any other issue.

The Problem

PHX C.A.R.E.S. calls quadrupled from 331/month in 2018 to 1,227/month in 2025. The city's goal is to resolve cases in 7 days — it takes 11. In D4, there are over 25,000 homeless-related calls for service every year. Phoenix answers 60% of 911 calls within 15 seconds. The national standard is 90%.

Michael's Plan

• Build a coordinated command structure — as part of the Mayor's office.
• Housing first — with wraparound services — housing navigation, behavioral health, substance treatment, job placement. Connect people to services before they cycle through emergency rooms and jails at ten times the cost.
• Integrated behavioral health response — PHX C.A.R.E.S. expansion with civilian crisis response teams for mental health and substance use calls. Trained professionals, not armed officers. Expand into D4 corridors where it does not currently operate.
• Shelter network expansion — more beds, transitional housing, and safe parking programs. The city cannot address unsheltered homelessness without somewhere for people to go.

D4 has the highest crime rate in Phoenix — 558 crimes per 1,000 residents, double the citywide median. Violent crime hit its highest level on record in 2025.

The Problem

• 2,712 violent crimes in D4 in 2025. Only 28.3% were solved, below the city's own 35.9% target.
• The #1 crime location in D4 are within our apartment communities — renter safety is a public safety issue.
• Phoenix answers 60% of 911 calls within 15 seconds. The national standard is 90%.
• Priority 1 police response averages 7.6 minutes, more than a minute past the city's own 6.5-minute goal.

Michael's Plan

• Fight for D4's fair share — D4 generates calls at a disproportionate rate. Michael will push for public safety resources that match the district's actual need.
• Expand the Community Safety Plan model — the CSP on 27th Avenue cut violent crime 40% through coordinated services, outreach workers, and community investment. Bring the model to more D4 corridors.
• Renter safety is public safety — Most crime in D4 occurs within apartment complexes. Proactive code enforcement, community engagement, and on-site resources address crime at its source.

The switch lanes on 7th Avenue and 7th Street reverse direction at different times of day. The result: head-on collisions, cyclist deaths, and pedestrians caught in a system designed for commuters passing through, not people who live here.

The Problem

• Phoenix recorded 278 traffic fatalities in 2024. Pedestrians were involved in 44% of fatal crashes.
• The switch lanes on 7th Avenue and 7th Street have been in place for over 40 years — causing head-on collisions and cyclist deaths with no resolution from the city.
• D4's transit-dependent precincts are served by bus routes that run too infrequently to be reliable, leaving residents without a car and without a real alternative.

Michael's Plan

• Remove the switch lanes on 7th Avenue and 7th Street — replace with dedicated bike lanes, wider sidewalks, or consistent traffic flow. The commuter throughput is not worth the lives it costs and the economic drag on our small businesses.
• Safer pedestrian infrastructure — protected crosswalks, pedestrian-activated signals, traffic calming near schools, parks, and transit stops.
• Light rail expansion — connect D4 residents to jobs, healthcare, and community resources.
• Better bus service — D4 has transit-dependent precincts where routes run too infrequently. Advocate for better frequency and coverage.

Phoenix hit 105°F in March 2026, the hottest March temperature in city history. Scientists say that heat wave would have been virtually impossible without climate change. It is getting worse every year.

The Problem

• 645 people died of heat exposure in Maricopa County in 2023 — a 700% increase from a decade ago.
• Over three years, more than 1,680 people in Maricopa County have died from heat.
• In 2024, Phoenix endured 113 consecutive days above 100°F, shattering the previous record by 37 days.
• Nearly half of those who died were experiencing homelessness. Among those who died indoors, 70% had broken air conditioning.
• Low-income neighborhoods are up to 7 degrees hotter than wealthier parts of the city.

Michael's Plan

• Cool corridors — shaded pedestrian paths connecting transit stops, schools, and community centers.
• Tree canopy investment — more trees in D4's most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods.
• Emergency AC repair program — 70% of indoor heat deaths involved broken air conditioning. Push for a city-funded rapid-response AC repair and replacement program for low-income and elderly residents.
• Earlier activation of cooling centers — March 2026 proved that deadly heat no longer waits for summer. Cooling infrastructure needs to be operational earlier in the year.
• Water conservation incentives — enhanced tax breaks for desert landscaping, efficient irrigation. No pool restrictions, no watering bans. Incentivize conservation.