BG Reads | News You Need to Know (December 3, 2019)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW -> Episode 63: The Future of Texas Hemp Farming with Robert Head, CEO, Blue Cord Farms (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin’s rewrite of land use rules enters homestretch with upcoming vote (Austin American-Statesman)
Seven years have passed and at least $9 million has been spent since a comprehensive plan called for an overhaul of Austin’s antiquated land development code.
The effort has faced numerous challenges, both self-inflicted and from fierce opposition groups. Skepticism also continues to swirl around the latest effort to rewrite city rules on what can be built and where.
But like it or not, the Austin City Council is a week away from its most crucial vote to date on the massive change to the city’s land use code and zoning map.
The council will consider what critics have dubbed the “Son of CodeNext” for the first of three required approvals Dec. 9. The members will decide what recommendations from the Planning Commission should be included in the next draft of the proposed code as well as the staff revisions report issued Nov. 25.
The main goal of the rewrite is to encourage the construction of 135,000 housing units in the next decade without triggering rapid redevelopment of neighborhoods or furthering gentrification… (LINK TO STORY)
Commission recommends stopping cadet training amid probe into Police Department’s culture (Austin American-Statesman)
Members of Austin’s Public Safety Commission on Monday recommended City Council members suspend new cadet classes at the Austin police academy next summer until an investigation into a former assistant police chief’s alleged racist remarks has concluded.
Council members are scheduled on Thursday to vote on an ordinance that would put a stop to cadet classes after the most recent class graduates early next year. It would also call for broad investigations into the Police Department’s culture.
If council members adopt the recommendation ahead of their vote, it would nix a cadet class slated to start in June and bar any additional classes from beginning until September or until investigations into allegations of racism within the department are complete… (LINK TO STORY)
South Austin zoning could be a game-changer (Austin Monitor)
“This is going to be a game-changer for South Austin,” Council Member Pio Renteria told his colleagues, as they voted to allow a developer to turn an industrial site near the intersection of Interstate 35 and Ben White Boulevard into a mixed-use residential development with 400 apartments and more than 12,000 square feet of retail.
Although some Council members still had questions, they unanimously approved on first reading the new zoning for about 65 acres at 600 Industrial Boulevard at their Nov. 14 meeting. The property, which sits amidst other mostly industrial properties, will be redeveloped under a planned development agreement.
Attorney David Hartman represented Keller Capital, which plans to develop the property after making numerous promises to the neighborhood, including flood mitigation and sidewalks. The owner has also agreed to a restrictive covenant to prevent traffic from being more intense than that projected by the Big Red Dog engineering firm… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Democrat Beto O’Rourke turns his attention to flipping the Texas House (Houston Chronicle)
A month after ending his presidential campaign, Democrat Beto O’Rourke has turned his attention to state politics — namely, an effort to help flip the Texas House of Representatives from Republican control to the Democrats.
With Texas Democrats nine seats away from retaking the majority of seats in the Texas House, O’Rourke is trying to convince his donor base to send money to an organization called Flip The Texas House, which has targeted 17 House Districts in which Republican candidates won by fewer than 10 percentage points last year. More than half are districts in which O’Rourke won the majority of votes as he ran for U.S. Senate. “In 2018, I carried nine of the 17 districts now represented by Republicans. So we know that we can do this,” O’Rourke said in the email. “We just need your help to make sure that we make the most of this opportunity.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Why is presidential contender Michael Bloomberg betting big on Texas? (Houston Chronicle)
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg is spending millions of dollars to run ads across Texas, which his campaign declared a “pivotal” state for the former New York mayor trying to break into the crowded Democratic primary race. Bloomberg’s self-funded presidential campaign, launched just over a week ago, has already spent at least $6.2 million on ads in Texas, including at least $2.25 million in the Houston area alone, according to an analysis by the research firm Advertising Analytics.
The campaign has so far only spent more in California, and the Houston market ranks third in the nation behind just New York and Los Angeles. Dallas ranks just after Houston at nearly $2 million. Bloomberg spent $671,000 on ads in San Antonio, the analysis shows. The former Republican, who served as mayor of New York for a decade, is running as a moderate alternative to progressives in the Democratic presidential race, such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who have made taxing the rich central to their campaigns. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas in 25 years, though tightening margins in 2016 and 2018 have the party energized for 2020… (LINK TO STORY)
Chip Roy launches reelection bid (Austin American-Statesman)
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a first-term Republican from Hays County, said Monday that he will run for reelection. Roy, who has become one of the better known freshmen Republicans for his outspoken views and hardball tactics, filed for reelection at the Republican Party of Texas headquarters. “I committed to do a job, and I’m 11 months into doing that now,” Roy told reporters after filing. “There’s a lot more to do.”
Roy likely will face Wendy Davis next November. Davis, a former Democratic state senator from Fort Worth who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2014, launched a bid for Roy’s seat four months ago. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting the 21st Congressional District after Roy won by just 2.6 percentage points last year. The district stretches from Central Austin to San Antonio and includes six Hill Country counties. Davis and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee separately called out Roy for waiting until December to announce that he would run for reelection. “Today is a big day for the Wall Street executives, pharmaceutical lobbyists and NRA bigwigs who have been praying that their favorite congressman, Chip Roy, would be running for reelection,” Davis said in a statement… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Trump campaign won't allow Bloomberg reporters at events (Associated Press)
President Donald Trump’s campaign said Monday it will no longer give credentials to Bloomberg News reporters to cover campaign events because of coverage “biases,” an accusation that the news organization rejects.
The decision comes a week after the news service’s founder, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, announced he was seeking the Democratic nomination for president. And Bloomberg News, which the former New York City mayor founded in 1990, said it would not investigate him or his Democratic rivals but would continue to probe the Trump administration, as the sitting government… (LINK TO STORY)
The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin-based full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on municipal, legislative, and regulatory matters throughout Texas.
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