BG Reads // June 19, 2025

Author

A.J. Bingham
June 19, 2025

Presented By

✅ Today's BG Reads include:

🟪 Paige Ellis running for reelection to Austin City Council, faces challenge from former ATCEMS union leader (KVUE)

🟪 Austin Public Health officials outline another $28+ million in funding cuts anticipated (Community Impact)

🟪 Austin ISD cuts more than 20% of staff at headquarters, works to cover $110M deficit (KXAN)

🟪 Tesla asked to delay robotaxi launch by Democratic Texas lawmakers (Reuters)

🟪 Texas asks voters to approve billions to avoid future water shortages (The Washington Post)

🟪 The biggest companies across America are cutting their workforces (Wall Street Journal)

[CITY OF AUSTIN]

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

✅ Paige Ellis running for reelection to Austin City Council, faces challenge from former ATCEMS union leader (KVUE)

Austin City Councilwoman Paige Ellis is seeking reelection to her District 8 seat and will face a challenge from a well-known challenger.

The Austin City Council has a two-term limit and Ellis is currently serving her second term, but the city has a provision that allows council members to run for a third term if at least 5% of voters in her district sign a petition approving of her reelection campaign. 

Ellis has served a leadership role on major events in Austin such as hiring a new city manager, the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout of two winter storms.

“I have lived and worked in southwest Austin for 15 years and I understand the unique needs of our friends and neighbors,” Ellis said in a news release on Wednesday. “Together we have improved parks and roads, come together in crisis and worked to make life a little bit better for everyone. I would be honored to have the community’s support once again.”

If Ellis' reelection bid gets approved, she would face Selena Xie, the former president of the Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) union.

On her campaign website, Xie touts her experience as a paramedic during the pandemic, ice storms and the opioid pandemic, writing that she "understands the frustration of inaction by city leadership," in reference to recent changes to staffing and EMS responses.

Neither Ellis nor Xie can formally file for the 2026 election until July 2026… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin Public Health officials outline another $28+ million in funding cuts anticipated (Community Impact)

Austin Public Health officials outlined a list of local programs at risk of losing funding June 10, warning Travis County commissioners that cuts could affect local access to HIV prevention and treatment, substance use prevention, bioterrorism air monitoring and community violence intervention services.

This spring, the Austin-Travis County health agency was confronted with the effects of widespread funding cuts at the federal level, the result of rescinded unspent federal COVID-19 pandemic funding.

The first wave of cuts resulted in the immediate loss of around $2 million in unspent dollars, per county documents, affecting the the following programming:

  • Disease intervention specialists

  • LBGTQ+ tobacco cessation

  • COVID-19 epidemiology, vaccination and outreach

  • Refugee health screening services

These programs are not expected to be renewed, contributing to a projected total loss of $14.7 million in future programming… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin ISD cuts more than 20% of staff at headquarters, works to cover $110M deficit (KXAN)

Austin ISD will cut more than 170 positions from its central staff as the district looks to make a dent in a $110 million budget deficit.

In a release sent out by Superintendent Matias Segura, this equals a more than 20% reduction of staff at the AISD headquarters, saving roughly $9.6 million

Segura said more than 170 employees were somehow impacted, ranging from job eliminations, salary reductions or reorganization.

“I recognize this is a very challenging time for our community and I encourage every student, staff and family member within Austin ISD to navigate this with empathy,” said Segura. “This restructuring is only one step in a series of difficult conversations and decisions that must be made to ensure our district remains stable and we can maintain our ability to offer the highest quality education.”

Along with the staff cuts, the AISD board has discussed consolidating schools in order to balance its budget. Segura said the cuts are “a critical step” before consolidating schools.

“The impact of this restructure and every individual affected will be felt,” he said… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Tesla asked to delay robotaxi launch by Democratic Texas lawmakers (Reuters)

A group of Democratic Texas lawmakers has asked Tesla to delay its much-anticipated robotaxi launch in Austin until September, when a new autonomous-driving law is scheduled to take effect.

The group of Austin-area lawmakers said in the letter sent on Wednesday that delaying the launch, which CEO Elon Musk said could "tentatively" happen this Sunday, "is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla's operations."

If Tesla decides to move forward with a launch this month, the lawmakers asked that Tesla respond with "detailed information" demonstrating how Tesla will comply with the new state law when it launches.

Musk last year staked Tesla's future on autonomous-driving technology as it pivoted away from chasing rapid growth in electric-vehicle sales.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.

It is unclear how much weight a letter from Democratic lawmakers will carry in a state where Republicans hold the governorship and majorities in both legislative chambers… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Williamson County Commissioners split on Atlas 14 funding increases (Community Impact)

In a 3-2 vote June 10, Williamson County Commissioners approved bumping up funding for the Atlas 14 floodplain mapping study, an initiative officials signed off on in spring 2021 to update countywide floodplain information.

Senior Director of Infrastructure Bob Daigh said errors in the original mapping plan led to increased funding needs. This way, officials can accurately include recent county development in the final study. The mapping study is now $3.67 million over its original budget, according to information shared by county officials.

“I'm not sure who messed up, but the scope originally was to cover the whole county, so the fact that we're having to add pockets that we failed to include originally in the original scope is problematic,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said June 10… 🟪 (READ MORE)

[TEXAS/US NEWS]

✅ Texas asks voters to approve billions to avoid future water shortages (The Washington Post)

Lawmakers in the Lone Star State will ask voters to make a Texas-size investment in the state’s water future, as part of a push to stave off looming shortages in one of the fastest-growing corners of the nation.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday afternoon signed into law pieces of a legislative package aimed at helping Texas tap into new sources of water over the coming decades, as well as to invest in flood mitigation, conservation and repairs, and upgrades to aging infrastructure in many communities.

“We’re fools if we’re not recognizing the crisis situation that confronts us,” Abbott said at an event in Lubbock, adding that Texas has “an across-the-board urgency” to address the state’s water challenges.

The legislation will put a referendum on the ballot in November, seeking voter approval of $1 billion per year for water-related projects over the next two decades, beginning in 2027. The money would come from sales tax revenue.

In addition to that $20 billion potential funding boost, lawmakers also set aside a one-time investment of $2.5 billion into the Texas Water Fund, a special reserve created in 2023 to spur investment in water infrastructure across the state… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Abbott touts Fort Worth as economic ‘linchpin’ in signing blizzard of pro-business bills (Dallas Morning News)

Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed several bills intended to solidify Texas’ growing reputation as a powerhouse of business and economic growth. Technically, Abbott had signed some of the bills late last week, but the ceremonial public event ? occurring several days before the end of Texas’ designated legislative signing period also doubled as a celebration of the area’s ongoing economic success.

Against a backdrop of a Downtown Fort Worth hotel ballroom, where 100 or more local business and civic leaders dined on baked chicken and spinach salads, Abbott affixed his signature to measures aimed at reducing red tape for small businesses and veteran-owned establishments and extending research and development tax credits. “The Texas economy is more than $2.6 trillion a year. That’s the size of the Texas economy and it does nothing but continue to grow,” Abbott said Tuesday.

He also spoke at length about North Texas and Fort Worth, referring to Tarrant County’s largest city as “a linchpin” that “attracts so many of these Fortune 500 companies to this region.” “And you’ve seen more and more of them saying, ‘the right place for us is Fort Worth,’” he continued. “You have all the ingredients that provide that. You’re one of the best cities to start a business.”

The governor’s frenetic 10-day bill signing blitz, during which Abbott is reviewing more than 1,200 bills passed by the legislature, lasts through Sunday. “He literally goes through all of them,” said Andrew Mahaleris, the governor’s press secretary. Following the ceremony Mattie Parker, Fort Worth’s third-term mayor, told The Dallas Morning News that she credited the city’s relatively new economic development partnership (EDP).

“When we started EDP — now it’s been over three years ago — this was our vision. …To put economic leaders in the room that really understand what it looks like to put Fort Worth on the map.” The first bill Abbott signed was House Bill 346, an effort to expedite business record searches and speed up filings with the Texas Secretary of State’s office. The bill also makes permanent an existing tax exemption for veterans who start small businesses… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Texas Republicans back President Trump as he considers striking Iran over nuclear program (Dallas Morning News)

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump’s authority to order a limited strike against Iran without first seeking permission from Congress. “A single bombing run, historically, has not been understood to require congressional authorization,” Cruz told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. “To engage in sustained hostility, to engage in continued warfare does require congressional authorization.”

The president’s authority to order a strike against Iran, as well as the wisdom of such action, are pressing questions after Trump returned from the G7 summit early this week to consider joining Israel in its military campaign to stop Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. Cruz said Israel has done an “extraordinary job” of eliminating Iran’s senior military leadership and nuclear scientists since launching its campaign last week, while decimating many of its nuclear facilities.

A key facility in Fordo, where much of Iran’s nuclear weapons research occurs, was built into the base of a mountain and designed to withstand aerial bombardment. Taking out the Fordo facility would require massive “bunker buster” bombs. Israel reportedly has neither those bombs nor the type of bombers needed to deliver them. The United States has both. Cruz has been a longtime, vocal supporter of Israel, advocating for the U.S. to share the bunker buster bombs with it.

He said Tuesday a strike to eliminate the Fordo facility is no doubt being discussed by Trump administration officials and Israel. “I don’t know what the president is going to decide on that front,” Cruz said. “Taking out Fordo would make America much safer and what Israel is doing right now is an enormous favor to the United States.”

Asked about the situation with Israel, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said “they ought to finish the job” and declined to answer further questions on the topic. “You’ve got my answer,” Cornyn said. The U.S. House is on recess this week, with many of its members on official overseas travel. Some Texas Republicans said they are putting their faith in Trump to navigate the fraught situation successfully… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Trump struggles to press deportations without damaging the economy (Wall Street Journal)

When federal agents raided Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Neb., last Tuesday, they arrested about 75 of the meat processor’s workers, roughly half of the production line. The following day, the plant was operating at about 15% of capacity, and a skeleton crew strained to fill orders. Chief Executive Gary Rohwer can’t see a future that doesn’t include immigrant workers.

“Without them, there wouldn’t be an industry,” he said. President Trump’s aggressive deportation push has slammed into an economic reality: Key industries in the U.S. rely heavily on workers living in the U.S. illegally, many of them for decades. That presents a major challenge for the administration unfolding in real time, with business leaders urging a softer approach while anti-immigration hard-liners demand more deportations. The conflict could be difficult to untangle—and public signs are emerging of a clash within the administration.

The Department of Homeland Security late last week directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels, stressing that sweeps should focus on people in the U.S. illegally who have criminal backgrounds. “Severe disruptions to our food supply would harm Americans,” wrote Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on X Sunday.

“It took us decades to get into this mess and we are prioritizing deportations in a way that will get us out.” At the same time, DHS appeared to walk back its own directive from last week. In a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership over the weekend, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem doubled down on the administration’s efforts to deport millions of people living in the country illegally. “[W]e must dramatically intensify arrest and removal operations nationwide,” she wrote in the letter, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “This is a nonnegotiable national priority.” ICE agents will be judged “every day by how many arrests you, your teammates and your office are able to effectuate,” she wrote, adding, “Failure is not an option.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ The biggest companies across America are cutting their workforces (Wall Street Journal)

Corporate America is convinced: Fewer employees means faster growth. U.S. public companies have reduced their white-collar workforces by a collective 3.5% over the past three years, according to employment data-provider Live Data Technologies. Over the past decade, one in five companies in the S&P 500 have shrunk.

The cuts go beyond typical cost-trimming and speak to a broader shift in philosophy. Adding talent, once a sign of surging sales and confidence in the future, now means leaders must be doing something wrong. New technologies like generative artificial intelligence are allowing companies to do more with less. But there’s more to this movement.

From Amazon in Seattle to Bank of America in Charlotte, N.C., and at companies big and small everywhere in between, there’s a growing belief that having too many employees is itself an impediment. The message from many bosses: Anyone still on the payroll could be working harder.

In a note to employees on Tuesday, Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy wrote that the “once-in-a-lifetime” rise of AI will eliminate the need for certain jobs in the next few years. And earlier this year, he told his staff that not every new project requires 50 people to do it.

The best leaders, he added in his annual letter to shareholders, “get the most done with the least number of resources required to do the job.” Procter & Gamble said this month that it would cut 7,000 jobs—or 15% of its nonmanufacturing workforce—to create “broader roles and smaller teams.” Estée Lauder and dating-app operator Match Group recently said they had each jettisoned around 20% of their managers.

“Flatter is faster,” Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s finance chief, Marie Myers, told investors this month as she discussed recent staff cuts. With fewer than 59,000 employees, HPE is at its smallest size since it became an independent company a decade ago, she pointed out. All of the shrinking turns on its head the usual cycle of hiring and firing.

Companies often let go of workers in recessions, then staff up when the economy picks up. Yet the workforce cuts in recent years coincide with a surge in sales and profits, heralding a more fundamental shift in the way leaders evaluate their workforces. U.S. corporate profits rose to a record high at the end of last year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis... 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Early humans survived in a range of extreme environments before global migration, study says (Associated Press)

Humans are the only animal that lives in virtually every possible environment, from rainforests to deserts to tundra.

This adaptability is a skill that long predates the modern age. According to a new study published Wednesday in Nature, ancient Homo sapiens developed the flexibility to survive by finding food and other resources in a wide variety of difficult habitats before they dispersed from Africa about 50,000 years ago.

“Our superpower is that we are ecosystem generalists,” said Eleanor Scerri, an evolutionary archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena, Germany.

Our species first evolved in Africa around 300,000 years ago. While prior fossil finds show some groups made early forays outside the continent, lasting human settlements in other parts of the world didn’t happen until a series of migrations around 50,000 years ago… 🟪 (READ MORE)

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