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- BG Reads 11.15.2024
BG Reads 11.15.2024
BG Reads - November 15, 2024
Bingham Group Reads
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November 15, 2024
➡️ Today's BG Reads include:
🟪 Kirk Watson avoids runoff, secures new term as Austin mayor (KUT)
🟪 New APD chief unveils '100-Day Action Plan' that will kick off with 'listening campaign' (Austin American-Statesman)
🟪 Travis County voters supported a tax rate increase to expand access to affordable child care. What happens now? (Austin Monitor)
🟪 Texas lawmakers target property taxes, abortion and gender transition care in first bills for the 2025 session (Texas Tribune)
🟪 The Onion wins auction for Alex Jones' media company. (NPR)
Read On!
[CITY OF AUSTIN/TRAVIS COUNTY]
🟪 MEMO: City of Austin Executive Leadership Team and Organizational Announced (Effective November 4, 2024)
In an October 30 memo, City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced several key additions to the city leadership team, effective November 4.
You can view the memo here: CITY OF AUSTIN MEMO: Executive Leadership Team and Organizational Announcements. An org chart is included on page 3.
We particularly wanted to flag the creation of a Grants Division within the Intergovernmental Relations Office to focus on creating a centralized grant funding strategy and governance for the City that advances City Council’s strategic priorities, leverages local resources, and targets investments for Austin.
The memo notes “the City lacks a centralized grants function causing us to potentially leave federal and state funding on the table. Staff from across the organization are currently being identified for potential reassignment to the Grants Division.”
🟪 The Austin Council has three (2) regular meetings left in 2024:
November 21
December 12
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
➡️ Kirk Watson avoids runoff, secures new term as Austin mayor (KUT)
Kirk Watson has officially won a new term as Austin's next mayor.
Watson led his four challengers on Nov. 5, but did not have enough votes to claim victory outright. He had to win a majority of the vote, or 50% plus one vote, to secure a new term and avoid a runoff.
After adding in overseas military ballots, certain domestic mail-in ballots and provisional ballots – which were counted through Tuesday – Watson enough votes to avoid the runoff with Carmen Llanes Pulido, who had the second most votes.
Final tallies released Thursday showed him to have earned 175,090 votes, about 13 votes over the threshold he needed to avoid a runoff. Those votes include tallies across Travis, Williamson and Hays counties.
"I want to thank voters for their confidence in me, and for electing me to serve as Austin mayor for a 4th time," Watson said in a written statement.
"We knew that winning outright, with no runoff, against four opponents in a presidential year would be extraordinary."… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ New APD chief unveils '100-Day Action Plan' that will kick off with 'listening campaign' (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin’s new police chief, Lisa Davis, on Thursday released a 100-day action plan that calls for incorporating an array of community feedback into “a strategic road map for the future of public safety in Austin.”
“This next 100 days is just going to truly push where we go in the future as an organization,” Davis told the American-Statesman in an interview. “It's really going to solidify and really pin down the changes that are going to happen here.”
The eight-page plan comes nearly two months into Davis's tenure as Austin's 11th police chief and weeks after the approval of a five-year, $218 million police union contract that calls for historic pay raises for officers.
While short on details, her plan identifies several “key priority areas.” The first among them: recruitment, retention and morale at the Austin Police Department. The department has struggled with those issues for years… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Travis County voters supported a tax rate increase to expand access to affordable child care. What happens now? (Austin Monitor)
Last week, approximately 60 percent of Travis County voters approved Proposition A – a property tax increase that will expand access to affordable child care and after-school/summer programs for lower-income families. The tax increase ($0.025 per $100 valuation for a total ad valorem tax rate of 0.34 percent) will also support the development of child care-related workforce programs. However, child care advocates say there’s still more work to be done.
Earlier this year, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to place Proposition A on the ballot, building off of a policy recommendation from the Austin cohort of the Children’s Funding Project Work Group. The Children’s Funding Project (CFP) is a national organization that aims to help communities fund access to high-quality child care. The Austin work group includes representatives from the city, Travis County, the Austin Early Childhood Council, United Way and other advocacy organizations, and it has studied the child care industry in Austin since 2022.
The group shares many members with the Affordable Childcare Now coalition, which is managed by Cathy McHorse through United Way for Greater Austin, and includes local business leaders who support the economic benefits of access to child care.
The recent tax rate election is the latest in a series of initiatives to address the child care crisis in Austin and Travis County.
Last year, City Council voted to make Austin the first Texas city to ensure a 100 percent property tax abatement for eligible child care providers and to expand zoning allowances for local child care facilities. And this week, the Employers for Childcare Task Force announced its priorities for the 2025 Texas legislative session, which center on making child care more accessible for working families statewide.
Now that Proposition A has passed, members of the work group and the coalition are focused on its implementation with the county… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Houston-based developer aims for up to $3B in projects in Austin's suburbs (Austin Business Journal)
Dharma Rajah sees parallels between Austin's growth pattern and those of Dallas and Houston, but with one big exception — the Austin suburbs are relatively closer to the central city, and they're much less developed.
That's why his real estate company, Houston-based Epitome Development LLC, is focusing on them. The little-known firm has been quietly working on a dozen projects, everywhere from Leander to Hutto to Elgin to Lockhart. Its investments could eventually span several thousand acres, total between $2 billion and $3 billion and include 6,000 single-family homes, 1.5 million square feet of industrial space, 600 multifamily units, a hotel and more in the next several years.
That's a lot of balls in the airs — and a lot of different products. But Rajah said Epitome is different from many developers in that it tries to meet the market based on feedback heard in meetings with city leaders and economic development groups, even going so far as to fly to Korea to meet with suppliers of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Austin-area student may have first case of measles in Texas this year (KUT)
A student at a Pflugerville ISD elementary school was diagnosed with measles, a spokesperson for the school district said Thursday. If confirmed by local health officials, it would be the first case of the disease reported in Texas this year.
Parents of students at Windermere Elementary School were notified about the case in a letter from the school’s health office Thursday.
“A Windermere Elementary student has been diagnosed with measles, as confirmed by their physician. Due to the contagious nature of this rare virus, we are notifying all families on the campus and submitting the information to Austin Public Health,” Tamra Spence, chief communications officer for PfISD, said in a statement to KUT...
[TEXAS NEWS]
➡️ Texas lawmakers target property taxes, abortion and gender transition care in first bills for the 2025 session (Texas Tribune)
Lawmakers in the Texas House and Senate filed more than a thousand pieces of legislation Tuesday, offering an early look at the issues they hope to prioritize when they gavel in for the 89th legislative session in January.
Tuesday marked the first day lawmakers could file bills they hope to pass when the Texas Legislature reconvenes next year. Republicans control both chambers and expanded their majority in the House and Senate after flipping a handful of seats during this year’s elections.
The ouster of many Republicans by challengers further to their right during this year’s primaries means that the Texas GOP’s far-right wing will have unprecedented sway over the upcoming legislative session. Few of those lawmakers filed bills on Tuesday, but it's likely they'll seek to push the Legislature's already deep-red agenda even further right once they file their own bills.
Lawmakers typically file thousands of bills in the course of a legislative session, and most never make it to the governor’s desk.
The lowest bill numbers are reserved for the highest priority bills set by the House speaker and lieutenant governor, who leads the Senate. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced last week that his top policy priority will be Senate Bill 2, which is expected to propose a program that lets families use tax dollars to pay for their children’s private schooling.
Other priorities have yet to be announced.
Texas is expected to have plenty of cash to fund any new mandates. State Comptroller Glenn Hegar projected the state will have a $20 billion surplus at the start of the 2025 session on Jan. 14… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ ‘Uber with guns’: Rideshare service with armed drivers launching in Dallas (Dallas Morning News)
A new rideshare service featuring armed drivers is launching and Dallas and two other Texas cities. BlackWolf, a small ridesharing startup that gained fame through TikTok, is recruiting drivers in Dallas, Houston and Austin and hopes to launch by the end of this year or early 2025, founder and owner Kerry KingBrown said.
To begin, the company looks to hire 35 to 50 drivers in each city. Drivers must have spotless background checks and at least four years experience in the military, law enforcement or other security positions.
BlackWolf, which launched in Atlanta in 2023, has gained a large following on social media, with more than 1 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. KingBrown said rising crime in some large cities helped fuel demand. Some media outlets have likened the company to “Uber with guns.”… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Community speaks out against Mike Miles' role in Houston ISD's $4.4B bond failure (Houston Chronicle)
Parents and elected officials spoke out Thursday against Superintendent Mike Miles’ reaction to Houston ISD’s failed $4.4 billion bond at the district’s first board meeting since Election Day. Nearly 60% of voters rejected the measure, which Miles said was not a referendum on his leadership and that the "politics of adults" won over childrens' needs.
Some members of the state-appointed board of managers have since called the failed bond a “wake-up call” and pledged renewed emphasis on community engagement. Nearly 140 community members, parents and students spoke at the Nov. 14 board of managers meeting. Many said the bond's failure represented widespread distrust and dissatisfaction with Miles, who was appointed alongside nine members of the Board of Managers in June 2023 as part of the district's state takeover.
"These moms told you that if you didn't build trust, they wouldn't support a bond," HISD parent Travis Dubose said. "You claimed otherwise, but this was absolutely a referendum on you." A coalition of parents, teachers and community members successfully spearheaded a monthslong grassroots campaign to convince voters to show their dissatisfaction with the state takeover by opposing the bond.
Several Houston-area elected officials and organizations, including both the Harris County Republican and Democratic parties, also urged against the measure. Members of the "no trust, no bond" movement said the bond's failure was bittersweet at the Thursday meeting.
Many said they'd hoped the bond's rejection would cause the district to reconsider Miles' leadership and bring the community into its decision-making process. "It's not just a political disconnect.
It really is a clear message from the community that the voices of educators and parents and their families shouldn't be unheard," HISD teacher Michael Lauck said. "We have a critical opportunity to take this failure, to now change course. We must rebuild trust and transparency ... This is the moment to listen, to engage, and to rise to the challenge of creating a district that truly serves the students and community… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[US and World News]
➡️ The Onion wins auction for Alex Jones' media company. (NPR)
Alex Jones' Infowars company has shut down, after being sold in a bankruptcy auction to The Onion. No joke.
The satirical news outlet was the winning bidder of Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, with help from the Connecticut families who sued Jones for defamation. The sale, which still needs to be approved by a bankruptcy judge, includes Jones' studio and equipment, his lucrative online nutritional supplement store, domain names, customer lists and some of his social media accounts. Jones continued his broadcast Thursday from a back-up studio he had set up.
Lawyers were already racing to the bankruptcy court after the news broke on Thursday, raising concerns about the auction process and some of the items that the sale included. By the end of the day, Jones was back in his studio claiming that he cannot be kicked out until the judge approves the sale, and Jones suggested that was dubious… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Gaetz nomination seen as doomed by some Senate Republicans (Wall Street Journal)
Senate Republicans warned that attorney general pick Matt Gaetz would struggle to win the support needed for confirmation and said the close ally of President-elect Donald Trump would face intense scrutiny over sexual-misconduct allegations if he continued to seek the post.
Trump can afford to lose the support of no more than three GOP senators on his most contentious picks, assuming all Democrats are opposed, in a chamber that will be split 53-47 in the new Congress. People familiar with discussions among Senate Republicans said that far more than three of them are prepared to vote no if the matter comes to a vote, and some said there was already talk of trying to convince Trump to pull Gaetz, or get Gaetz to voluntarily withdraw his name.
“It’s simply that Matt Gaetz has a very long, steep hill to get across the finish line,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.). “And it will require the spending of a lot of capital, and you just have to ask: if you could get him across the finish line, was it worth the cost?”
Cramer said he didn’t think Gaetz would have the votes to be approved by the Judiciary Committee, much less to be confirmed by the full Senate. One person familiar with the conversations among Republican senators said “significantly more than four” of them are opposed, which would be enough to tank Gaetz’s chances.
“People are pissed,” the person said. Other estimates ranged from more than a dozen Republican “no” votes to more than 30. “It won’t even be close,” another person said.
“It’s going to be very difficult,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R., Okla.), when asked if Gaetz could win the votes necessary for confirmation. Mullin, a close Trump ally, said he would keep an open mind because he trusts Trump to pick his cabinet. But he said Gaetz will have to go through the vigorous vetting process required of any nominee, and said the former Florida congressman might decide to opt out and withdraw.
“We’ve seen a lot of nominees, when they go through the process, they’re like, ‘You know, it’s not going to happen,’ and they pull out,” Mullin said… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Trump taps Robert F. Kennedy Jr., vaccine skeptic, to lead health department (Washington Post)
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the sprawling agency responsible for administering millions of Americans’ health insurance, approving drugs and medical supplies, regulating food, and responding to infectious-disease outbreaks. Kennedy, who in August suspended his own bid for president in hopes of winning a spot in a Trump administration, has pledged to make fighting chronic disease his signature cause.
“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” Trump wrote in a post on the social media platform X on Thursday afternoon.
The decision, which public health experts and many Democrats characterized as alarming and unprecedented, means that one of America’s most prominent vaccine skeptics could soon oversee an agency responsible for the safety of vaccines. Kennedy did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Kennedy, founder of one of the country’s most prominent anti-vaccine groups, has long criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended list of childhood immunizations, promoting debunked claims about vaccines’ link to autism. He has argued that federal agencies have not done enough research on the shots that hundreds of millions of Americans have received to protect them from measles, flu and other infectious diseases.
His claims are rejected by health officials who say that vaccines have been thoroughly studied and are responsible for ending threats such as polio in the United States. “We’ve had people nominated for the job we disagreed with on policy and ideology, but I’m unaware of anyone who’s been nominated for this job that we can’t trust what they say,” said Georges C. Benjamin, longtime executive director of the American Public Health Association… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
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