The council is composed of volunteer members appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Members must reside in Coconino County, and should have an interest in and knowledge of issues and concerns of importance to the Hispanic Community residing in Coconino County. One does not need to be Hispanic to be a member. For more information about membership appointment and term limits, please read through the council bylaws. The council is currently recruiting interested citizens. Interested citizens are encouraged to submit an electronic application for membership to the council.
Call James Orloski at 928-679-8626 or send an email to jorloski@coconino.az.gov to get an application or more information.
COCONINO COUNTY — The public is invited to attend the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council’s (CHAC) 7th annual César E. Chávez Community Breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. Friday, March 21, 2025 at American Legion Post 3, 204 W. Birch Ave., Flagstaff.
Doors open at 6:45 a.m.
Join us in honoring those who supported the Hispanic community this past year.
The celebration includes guest speakers (with presentations on an upcoming Cesar Chavez/UFW-related student mural art project at NAU; update on NAU Hispanic Serving Institution programs, community updates by local elected officials), Cesar Chavez historical video presentations and the return of NAU’s Banda Latino Caribeña de Flagstaff.
Bring your handouts for our Community Information Table!
FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors will read a proclamation at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 honoring life of Miguel Vasquez, who passed away on Sunday, Oct. 6.
Vasquez Ph.D, Professor of Anthropology (Emeritus) Northern Arizona, was a founding member of the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC).
A native of San Francisco, he recently retired as an applied anthropologist who worked with Latino, Mayan, Native American, African American, and disabled adult communities for almost 50 years. He was recognized as an NAU President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow. In his 32 years at NAU, he taught nearly 12,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, according to his biography on the county’s CHAC website.
With extensive experience working with farmworkers in California, the Hopi Tribe here in Arizona, in Mayan communities in Guatemala and Mexico, and as consultant with the U.S. Department of Health &Human Services, he provided valuable cultural insights and technical assistance in community engagement, asset based community development, and program assessment.
He was a contributor to the World Health Organization Spanish-Language Manual on Disabilities, a past Board Member of the Society for Applied Anthropology, the Flagstaff Unified School District and the Museum of Northern Arizona.
He was married for more than 45 years to Marina Vasquez, a Mayan elder (now retired) with the NAU Native American Cultural Center. They have 2 sons, (District 2 Supervisor) Jeronimo and Francisco Vasquez, and 7 wonderful grandchildren.
Miguel Vasquez with Jeronimo Vasquez at the Grand Canyon in November 2022. Photo courtesy office of District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez.
Miguel Vasquez and family at the October 2022 Celebraciones de la Gente at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Photo courtesy office of District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez.
Miguel Vasquez, speaks about the steps in creating a healthier community during the Hermosa Vida program held May 12, 2010 in Flagstaff. Photo by http://www.AmigosNAZ.com
FLAGSTAFF — Members of the Tri-Diversity Councils, which included the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) and the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council, visited the Coconino County Election Center in Flagstaff to gain information on ballot security for the Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 General Election.
A team of election officials answered a wide variety of election-related questions during the nearly two-hour tour.
Participants were able test the system using KNOWiNK PollPads for registration validation and then submit via traditional ink-marked paper ballot or ExpressVote Marking Devices to submit sample votes. None of the electronic equipment is connected to the internet.
Members then visited a large warehouse storage room which contained all the sets of voting equipment that will be securely sent to 30 polling centers and 15 voting centers throughout the county. More than 400 poll workers have been hired by the county, with each center having between 5 and 15 workers depending on the size of the area served by the center.
Submitted votes are then escorted by county law enforcement officials from each voting location back to Flagstaff, where every vote is tabulated and counted used the Elections Systems and Software (ES&S) closed network system.
On election night, observers appointed by their political party can view from a corridor the tubulation of ballots from behind a large glass window. Early, Provisional and Conditional ballots are also counted on election night, with all signatures verified.
Coconino County has two separate departments that work together to administer elections. The County Recorder and the Elections Department are each responsible for overseeing specific areas of the election process. For more information, visit https://www.coconino.az.gov/195/Elections
Election officials describe the variety of equipment in the Elections Center Warehouse that will be sent out to 30 polling centers and 15 election centers throughout Coconino County.
Visitors to the Ballot counting observation corridor art first created with a large mural showing voting history in the United States, Arizona and Coconino County, above and below.
Elections workers are still being sought by Coconino County. Click here or on image above for more information.
Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) Chair Patricia Garcia, center left, receives the 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation from District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez. Courtesy photo.
COCONINO COUNTY — At their most recent meeting, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors officially proclaimed Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month in Coconino County!
In recognition of the 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month theme, “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together,” the County acknowledges how Latinos and Latinas are pioneers of change who are shaping the future, with the spirit of innovation, resilience, and unity that defines the Hispanic experience.
CHAC 