Austin’s environmental activists don’t always agree with one another on local policy issues, but they spoke with one voice Thursday in support of a resolution to beef up funding for the city’s many ambitious climate plans.

As expected, City Council passed the resolution, which sponsoring Council Member Ryan Alter modified to incorporate several amendments. The vote was 10-1, with Council Member Mackenzie Kelly dissenting, stating her concerns about the ultimate cost to taxpayers.

Save for brief comments from Council members, there was no discussion on the measure since Council hashed out consternations over a potential 2024 bond election at Tuesday’s work session. It’s still uncertain whether there will be a bond election this year, but if Council heeds the debt concerns of the interim city manager and financial staff, it’s possible there won’t be a ballot measure on climate until 2026. The resolution also calls for other potential funding mechanisms, such as grant dollars and utility rates and fees... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Austin City Council begins steps to revive Blues on the Green (KXAN)

The City of Austin is moving forward with plans to try and develop a co-sponsorship process for live music events in the city, following Austin City Limits Radio’s cancellation of its 2024 Blues on the Green event.

When announcing the cancellation in January, ACL Radio officials cited rising costs as reasons behind foregoing the free concert series this year. On Thursday, Austin City Council unanimously approved a resolution to look into support opportunities to help sustain live music events within the community.

Council members and city staff said the city’s live music industry contributes substantially to Austin’s “cultural identity” and economy, per documents... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[BG Podcast]

On this episode (237) the Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham and Associate Hannah Garcia wrap up the week of February 5th, 2024 in Austin politics.

Topics include:

✅ Austin Interim City Manager search and current events with the office.

✅ Items on next week's Council meeting (2.15.2024)Austin's interim police chief talks priorities, goals for 2024 (CBS Austin) including potential Artificial Intelligence guidelines and a Climate Bond (Items 24 and 25).

LISTEN ON: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify

[TEXAS NEWS]

Amid high rents, eviction filings in major Texas cities soar above pre-pandemic levels (Texas Tribune)

As more renters struggle to afford housing, Texas landlords are filing more evictions than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic — and tenants have few, if any, protections to keep them housed.

Landlords filed more than 177,000 eviction cases in the Houston, Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth areas in 2023, according to records tracked by Eviction Lab, a research center based at Princeton University that tracks eviction filings. The figure represents a slight uptick from 2022, the first full year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal government’s nationwide eviction moratorium. In Houston and Fort Worth, eviction filings have consistently exceeded pre-pandemic levels for nearly two years.

“Cities in Texas used to be some of the more affordable ones in the country,” said Adam Chapnik, a research specialist at Eviction Lab. “It's not like that anymore. A lot of renters are facing this new reality and the laws don't exist to protect them.”

Some $1.8 billion in federal rent relief flowed to Texas over the course of the pandemic, helping more than 265,000 families keep a roof over their heads. Now that money has all but run out. Texas shuttered its statewide rent relief program last summer along with a sister program aimed at diverting tenants from eviction. Most local governments, too, have closed their rental assistance programs for lack of federal funds… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Federal judge disputes Texas' invasion claim during sweeping immigration law hearing (Texas Public Radio)

The state of Texas squared off today in federal court against the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of immigrant rights groups that argue a sweeping, new state border enforcement bill is unconstitutional.

Senate Bill 4, which was approved by the Texas Legislature late last year, authorizes a judge or magistrate to order a migrant to return to Mexico, regardless of their nationality. It also makes it a state crime to enter Texas from Mexico without authorization. The measure was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in December and is scheduled to go into effect March 5.

Both the Justice Department and coalition of immigrant rights groups filed lawsuits against the state, which were consolidated and heard in federal court for the first time on Thursday.

“SB 4 is clearly invalid under settled precedent,” Brian Boynton, the principal deputy assistant attorney general, told the court.

Arguing for the Justice Department, Boynton said the law is in direct conflict with federal immigration law. In part, that’s because of its provision empowering magistrate judges to return migrants to Mexico… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[US/WORLD NEWS]

After border bill failure, ICE considers mass releases to close budget gap (Washington Post)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has drafted plans to release thousands of immigrants and slash its capacity to hold detainees after the failure of a Senate border bill that would have erased a $700 million budget shortfall, according to four officials at ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.

The bipartisan border bill that Republican lawmakers opposed last week would have provided $6 billion in supplemental funding for ICE enforcement operations. The bill’s demise has led ICE officials to begin circulating an internal proposal to save money by releasing thousands of detainees and cutting detention levels from 38,000 beds to 22,000 — the opposite of the enforcement increases Republicans say they want.

The budget crunch and the proposal also present a difficult scenario for the Biden administration heading into the spring, when illegal crossings at the southern border are expected to spike again. On Tuesday, House Republicans voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his border record, and immigration remains President Biden’s worst-rated issue in polls… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Employers open more doors to workers without degrees, but few are getting in (Wall Street Journal)

American companies are hung up on the diploma.

Facing a long-term labor shortage, employers are looking to expand the pool of potential workers. One group—people without a college degree—holds particular promise. They make up nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population over 25, and traditionally have been ineligible for many managerial and technical positions.

A push by some companies to eliminate degree requirements has opened the door to more candidates. Yet the share of jobs that went to those candidates barely budged after the requirement was lifted, according to a new analysis.

There are several explanations for the plodding progress, from automated screening tools that favor college graduates to the difficulty of changing hiring managers’ long-held beliefs about the value of a bachelor’s degree.

Many employers say they know time and demographics aren’t on their side. Baby boomers are aging out of the workforce, U.S. birthrates are low, and shifting immigration policies make it difficult to count on reinforcements from abroad.

Meanwhile, college enrollment is on the decline. Only 38% of Americans over age 25 have at least a bachelor’s degree... (LINK TO FULL STORY)