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August 29, 2023

In today's BG Reads:

Leading News

⚖️ City of Austin program Affordability Unlocked challenged in court

⚖️ Lt. Gov. Patrick selects new counsel for AG Paxton trial

🎖️ Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) holds up 301 generals and admirals

From Bingham Group

🎙️  BG Podcast Ep. 213: Discussing Mckinsey and Co.’s city of Austin Development Site Plan Assessment(Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify)

🗒️ BG Blog: A look back at the city of Austin’s Zucker Report (news links)

➡️ Congratulation to Associate Wendy Rodriguez on her selection to Austin ISD’s    UpClose program! Created in 2007, UpClose offers a unique opportunity to learn about Austin ISD. Through monthly meetings, participants learn about the district's infrastructure, programs and services, as well as the challenges and opportunities for growth.

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

City facing new legal challenge over Affordability Unlocked, other rules this week (Austin Monitor)

The 18 plaintiffs who won a judgment against the city of Austin over its attempted rewrite of the Land Development Code in 2020 are going back to court this week. This time, they’ll attempt to overturn city regulations created in response to the need for more housing.

Led by Frances Acuña, the group’s members have asked that a Travis County district judge throw out four ordinances that they believe were passed without sufficient notice to the public. The city did not go through the process of notifying neighbors that rules were changing for development of nearby properties, arguing that such notice requirements do not apply in these cases, because the zoning classifications are not changing.

At issue are the Affordability Unlocked ordinance, the Vertical Mixed Use 2 (VMU2) ordinance, the ordinance allowing residential use in commercial zones and the compatibility ordinance... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

And in other Austin Metro News:

➡️ Regulating plan for Austin’s South Central Waterfront could be adopted this year (Austin Monitor) -> FULL STORY HERE 

➡️ EMS closer to contract agreement with City of Austin (KXAN) -> FULL STORY HERE 

[TEXAS NEWS]

After setback, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick names another judge to help with Ken Paxton impeachment trial (Texas Tribune)

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday named Lana Myers, a former state appeals court judge in North Texas, as his counsel for the upcoming impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.

It was Patrick’s second effort at selecting a legal adviser for the trial after his first pick, Marc Brown, backed out amid questions about his impartiality.

Myers was a Republican justice on the Dallas-based Fifth Court of Appeals from 2009-2022. She previously was a Dallas County district court judge and assistant district attorney for the county.

Paxton’s trial is set to start Sept. 5… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

OTHER TEXAS NEWS:

➡️ Texas National Guardsman allegedly shoots across U.S. border wounding man in Mexico (CBS News) -> FULL STORY HERE

[NATIONAL NEWS]

With hold on confirmations, Pentagon says fate of hundreds of officers in limbo (NPR)

The Pentagon says there are 301 generals and admirals whose nominations have been placed in limbo because of an indefinite "hold" by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, who wants the military to change its policy of reimbursing servicemembers for travel to get reproductive care, including abortions.

By the end of the year, the Pentagon says that number could swell to 650 generals and admirals who need Senate confirmation before they can assume their jobs. Any single senator can put a hold on nominations under Senate rules.

"The Department has 83 three- and four-star nominations pending for positions already vacated or due to rotate within the next 150 days," the Pentagon said in response to questions by reporters. "Because of this blanket hold, for the first time in the history of the Department, three of our military services are operating without Senate-confirmed leaders. This is unprecedented, unnecessary and unsafe."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

OTHER NEWS:

➡️ Where’s ‘Woke’? Republicans Test a Different Education Message (New York Times) -> (LINK TO FULL STORY)

 ➡️ There's a labor shortage in the U.S. Why is it so hard for migrants to legally work? (NPR) -> LINK TO FULL STORY 

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