The BG Reads
Posts
BG Reads 12.21.2023

BG Reads 12.21.2023

🗞️ BG Reads | News - December 21, 2023

December 21, 2023

View this email in your browser

Was this email forwarded to you? Click Here to Sign Up!

December 21, 2023

Today's BG Reads include:

✅ Analysis suggests Texans work longer hours than workers in any other state

✅ Austin LGBTQ+ group wants to build multiple community centers

✅ Despite bankruptcy, Bird scooters to continue operating in Austin

✅ Top Senate GOP leaders silent on decision to boot Trump from Colorado ballot

Read on!

[BG PODCAST]

Welcome to BG Podcast Episode 227.

On this episode the Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham and Associate Hannah Garcia wrap up the week of December 11th in Austin politics.

LISTEN ON!

Apple Podcasts

SoundCloud

Spotify

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

Political parties reach joint primary agreement to preserve countywide voting (Austin Monitor)

After weeks of unusual delay, Democrats and Republicans in Travis County entered into a joint agreement on Tuesday that will preserve countywide voting and electronic ballots in the March 2024 primary election.

These agreements set the rules by which the Travis County Clerk’s Office administers the primary elections. But the Travis County Republican Party’s push for hand-counting ballots delayed adoption of the agreement this year. That led to a press conference by the Travis County Democratic Party during which its chair, Katie Naranjo, attributed the delay to election denialism within the Republican Party.

The parties reached an agreement Monday evening, and the Travis County Commissioners Court gave its approval Tuesday afternoon… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Grand jury indicts Austin police officer in 2022 fatal shooting of Raj Moonesinghe (Austin American-Statesman)

A Travis County grand jury has indicted the Austin police officer accused of shooting and killing Rajan Moonesinghe, a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur. Officer David Sanchez is charged with felony deadly conduct.

Sanchez, who worked at the Austin Police Department for almost three years, was placed on administrative leave after the shooting.

Moonesinghe was killed shortly after midnight on Nov. 15, 2022, when police responded to a 911 call reporting that a man was shooting into his home.

When officers arrived, Moonesinghe was holding a rifle outside of his Bouldin Creek residence. In security footage given to the American-Statesman by family members, Moonesinghe seemed to believe that there was an intruder in his home.

Police video shows that Sanchez fired at Moonesinghe immediately after telling Moonesinghe to drop his gun. Sanchez shot Moonesinghe five times, striking him in the chest, back, abdomen and thighs… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

River City Capital Partners, Evergen Equity to bring thousands of homes to rural Creedmoor (Austin Business Journal)

A new residential development could bring thousands of homes to a rural community south of Austin.

River City Capital Partners and Evergen Equity are teaming up to build the project, the official name of which is not yet known, on more than 550 acres in Creedmoor, according to an announcement. Developers are still working out an allotment plan, but the project could lead to about 2,000 homes, plus some multifamily, build-to-rent and small retail properties, said Cory Older, River City Capital co-founder and president.

“We want to position the land to be useful to a multitude of users but primarily to homebuilders and homebuyers,” Older said. “Its geographic vicinity is unbelievable. It’s a direct exit from 45 South … from 45 you can get to Tesla, you can get to the airport, you can get to Austin.”

The development is pegged for 564 acres south of State Highway 45 at the intersection of Williamson and Turnersville roads. It marks another development planned on the outskirts of Austin as the metro's housing needs continue to escalate and affordability challenges push residents outside of the city… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Despite bankruptcy, Bird scooters to continue operating in Austin (Austin American-Statesman)

Popular scooter company, Bird, announced Wednesday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

When reached for comment, a Bird spokesperson told the Statesman, "the company expects to continue operating as we have in the past and will continue our strong relationship with the city administration to work hand in hand with them to deploy the correct number of scooters in the City of Austin."

This summer, the American-Statesman reported that the Austin Travis-County EMS responded to 48 accidents involving a scooter or e-bike from July to August, many caused by drinking and riding. And yet, despite a propensity to injuries, Austinities and visitors alike took 725,700 trips on the scooters, for a total of 754,658 miles with an average speed of 6 miles per hour, according to the city's Public Safety Committee… (LINK TO FULL REPORT)

Note: Bingham Group represents Lime, the largest micromobility provider in Austin.

Austin LGBTQ+ group wants to build multiple community centers (KXAN)

An Austin-based nonprofit plans to build five LGBTQ+ community centers over the next few years in order to overcome what it calls “major barriers” to the city’s LGBTQ+ community.

According to QWELL Community Foundation, results from its “LGBTQIA+ Wellbeing Survey of Greater Austin” show that local members of the LGBTQ+ community report feelings of isolation and a sense of disconnection from community.

That study, conducted annually, surveys LGBTQ+ residents in Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Hays and Caldwell counties.

At a Dec. 12 fundraiser event for the project, Gibson described the centers as part of new mixed-use developments that will also include retail space and affordable housing in the same building. At the same event, he said that the Houston-based development company Penrose will handle the construction process for QWELL.

According to the group, the centers will not require city funds and will help generate revenue for QWELL to reinvest in the community… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Note: Pennrose is a Philadelphia-based developer and a Bingham Group client.

[TEXAS NEWS]

Analysis suggests Texans work longer hours than workers in any other state (KXAN)

Everything is bigger in Texas, including an employee’s drive to work long hours, apparently.

According to an analysis of 2022 data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, folks in Texas clocked more time on average than any other state.

The analysis by personal finance website Wealth of Geeks showed that employees in Texas work around 34.42 hours a week on average. Louisiana came in second with employees working 34.37 a week, and then West Virginia at around 34.11 hours weekly.

In its study, Financial Buzz found that Austin had a high number of households where more than one person worked a full time job and that Austinites worked a high number of hours per week compared to other U.S cities… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Texas AG Ken Paxton must testify in whistleblower case, judge rules (Dallas Morning News)

Attorney General Ken Paxton must testify in a whistleblower case revolving around his dealings with a federally indicted Austin real estate developer, a state district judge ruled Wednesday. The ruling delivered another legal defeat in the lawsuit involving four former top deputies who were fired after reporting their boss to the FBI.

Paxton had sought to thwart the case and block subpoenas for deposition from him as well as three other top-level executives at the Office of the Attorney General. The ruling means that for the first time, Paxton might be required to answer questions under oath

about why he marshaled attorney general office resources to aid friend and campaign donor Nate Paul. The four former employees sued Paxton after the attorney general fired them for reporting him to the FBI in 2020.

Democratic Judge Jan Soifer of the 345th District Court ruled quickly in the two-hour hearing at a Travis County courthouse, telling the court that the whistleblowers had shown testimony from Paxton and his office’s first assistant, chief of staff and a top adviser would be central to their case. Paxton’s attorneys had argued they should not sit for deposition because lower level employees would have closer knowledge of what led to the whistleblowers’ firings. “They are not figureheads sought for deposition because of the positions they hold,” Soifer said, ruling that the whistleblowers had proven Paxton and the others likely had first-hand knowledge what led to their terminations. After the hearing, Paxton’s attorney William Helfand would not say whether they would appeal. Whistleblower attorney Tom Nesbitt said he expects the attorney general to take the case to the Texas Supreme Court. “They lost badly today. I don’t put anything past Ken Paxton,” Nesbitt said. “There’s no limit to the amount of taxpayer money he will spend to hide from accountability. So, I’m sure he’ll try some kind of appeal.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[US/WORLD NEWS]

Legal sports betting continues to grow, though Texas and other states remain resistant (Associated Press)

Legalized sports betting continued its expansion this year while also factoring into scandals in college athletics and suspensions in the NFL for players who violated the league’s gambling policy. Six states either passed legislation to legalize sports wagering or allowed sportsbooks to begin accepting bets. Another state, Florida, relaunched sports betting after a two-year legal battle ended when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in October in the casinos’ favor. Still on the sidelines, however, are the nation’s two most populous states — California and Texas. Sports betting proponents will hope to make progress against significant headwinds in both states in 2024. There was no apparent movement in California this year to legalize sports betting after two competing measures, including one backed financially by Native American tribes, went down in flames in 2022 at the ballot box.

Baird Fogel, a California attorney who works with the sports betting industry, said the key is getting the full support of the tribes. “Remember, the tribes don’t need this,” Fogel said. “They can wait forever. That’s the trick here, what everybody needs to get their heads around. You’ve got to proactively come to them with an idea of how to get their support because without their support, this is going nowhere.” He said the tribes could be receptive if approached correctly. Connecticut and New Jersey reached deals, Fogel said, because those states made agreements with the tribal casinos. Some kind of revenue split, Fogel said, could get a similar deal done in California. “It’s got to happen,” Fogel said.

“The tax revenue alone is insane. Any casino is already generating nearly $9 billion a year in California alone. I can’t even imagine what that number would balloon to if you were able to do this from the comfort of your own home on a mobile device.” In Texas, any push for casino gambling is a matter of playing a potentially years-long game. Proponents have poured millions into political action committees and campaign donations. Casino magnate Miriam Adelson, who in November entered into an agreement to buy the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, donated $1 million to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2022 campaign... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Warner Bros. Discovery in talks to merge with Paramount Global (AXIOS)

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish on Tuesday in New York City to discuss a possible merger, Axios has learned from multiple sources.

Why it matters: The combination would create a news and entertainment behemoth that would likely trigger further industry consolidation.

Zaslav also has spoken to Shari Redstone, who owns Paramount's parent companTop Senate GOP leaders silent on decision to boot Trump from Colorado ballot (The Hill)y, about a deal.
WBD's market value was around $29 billion as of Wednesday, while Paramount's was just over $10 billion, so any merger would not be of equals. (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Top Senate GOP leaders silent on decision to boot Trump from Colorado ballot (The Hill)

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2-ranking member of the Senate GOP leadership, are staying quiet on the state Supreme Court ruling barring former President Trump from the Colorado ballot.

McConnell and Thune have held back from endorsing Trump, despite his commanding lead in the polls, and at various points have suggested that his lack of appeal to suburban swing voters and college-educated women would be a problem in a general election.

Some Republican senators think their party would be better off if Trump were not the GOP nominee in 2024, though polls show he is cruising easily to a third nomination for president.

So while a group of GOP lawmakers is rallying to Trump’s defense and demanding the U.S. Supreme Court immediately overturn the decision in Colorado, McConnell, Thune and other Trump skeptics in the Senate GOP conference are sitting this one out.

At the very least, they’re not eager to put more political pressure on the Supreme Court, which is now facing at least two major Trump-related rulings and will likely become a central player in the 2024 election… (LINK TO FUL STORY)

Amid leadership changes, LA28 still confident it can raise billions for 2028 Olympics (Los Angeles Times)

In the midst of this week’s sudden leadership changes, the private committee tasked with organizing the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles insisted it remains on track to raise billions of dollars needed to pay for the costly sporting event.

LA28 saw its chief executive Kathy Carter and chief business officer Brian Lafemina step down in recent days. The committee characterized both moves as part of a planned transition into a new phase of preparations.

But the departures raised concerns about a campaign to attract $2.5 billion in domestic corporate sponsorships. In the post-COVID era, amid lingering economic headwinds, organizers stood at only 35% of that goal as recently as last summer.

On Wednesday, LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman announced that sponsorships have now exceeded 65%, or about $1.6 billion, and promised additional deals will be announced in the new year.

“Our sales momentum is growing and we remain confident that we’ll have the resources to deliver a spectacular Games experience in L.A.,” Wasserman said in a statement… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[2024 Austin City Council Race Watch]

Next fall will see elections for the following Council positions, District 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, and Mayor. Candidates can’t file for a place on the ballot until July 22, 2024.

Declared candidates so far are:

District 2