BG Reads | News You Need to Know (November 11, 2019)
[BG PODCAST]
NEW -> Episode 60: Opportunity Zones with Christine Maguire, Redevelopment Division Manager at City of Austin (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
In the pilot seat for airport expansion (Austin Business Journal)
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is rapidly growing — just like the city and region it serves.
But the airport's new director hasn't seen challenges from that growth yet.
"I've seen the positives so far," said Jacqueline Yaft. "We're handling the operations very well. We're working very well with all our partners from the airlines and the federal agencies here to make it as smooth as possible ... from the curbside to the sky."
Yaft has served as Austin's airport director — officially, the executive director of aviation — since June, when she took over from retiring longtime director Jim Smith. She's worked at bustling hubs of air travel like Los Angeles International Airport and Denver International Airport, serving most recently as an aviation consultant in the private sector before joining ABIA… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin To Investigate Claims Of Racism Against Former Police Assistant Chief (KUT)
The City of Austin hired a third-party investigator to look into allegations of racism against former Austin Police Assistant Chief Justin Newsom, who abruptly retired from the department last week after 23 years with APD.
In an email to Mayor Steve Adler and members of the Austin City Council Thursday evening, City Manager Spencer Cronk said anonymous complaints had been filed with the Office of Police Oversight.
“Racist language, slurs, intolerance, and derogatory behaviors are completely unacceptable in our community,” wrote Cronk, who did not clarify the complaints against Newsom in his email. “I am saddened to have received these anonymous allegations, and I intend to fully understand if there is any truth to them.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin City Council to consider financing options for new MetroRail stations at Broadmoor Campus, soccer stadium (Community Impact)
The city of Austin could start working with Capital Metro to look into public financing options to fund new MetroRail stations adjacent to the Broadmoor Campus and the future Major League Soccer stadium in North Austin.
According to the Nov. 14 Austin City Council agenda, Item 100 proposes to direct the city manager to work with Capital Metro on the completion of these two stations and look into public funding options that could leverage private financing. The item would also direct staff to conduct a feasibility and financial study of creating what is called a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone District, or TIRZ. A memo of the findings would then be presented to council in January, according to city documents.
Council Member Leslie Pool, who represents District 7 that includes the Broadmoor Campus and soccer stadium, brought the item to council… (LINK STORY)
[TEXAS]
San Antonio’s sick leave ordinance now rests in the hands of a judge (San Antonio Express-News)
A San Antonio ordinance allowing workers to earn paid sick leave is now in the hands of a Bexar County District judge. The Sick and Safe Leave ordinance is set to go into effect on Dec. 1 unless the judge grants an injunction.
The plaintiffs include 12 business groups like the Associated Builders and Contractors of South Texas, the American Staffing Association and Hawkins Associates. Their claim says the ordinance circumvents state law, specifically, the Texas Minimum Wage Act. Officials with the city said the ordinance provides a benefit, and not a wage, under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. District Court Judge Peter Sakai ended the Thursday hearing without issuing a ruling… (LINK TO STORY)
See also:
Texas GDP growth top among U.S. states (San Antonio Express-News)
Texas had the fastest-growing economy among U.S. states in the second quarter of this year, according to data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The state’s gross domestic product — the value of all goods and services produced over a period of time — grew by 4.7 percent in the quarter. That’s well above the national growth rate of 2 percent over the same time.
Alaska, New Mexico and Wyoming were the only other states with at least 4 percent GDP growth. “The reality is that we in Texas are living in a parallel universe,” said Nathaniel Karp, BBVA’s chief U.S. economist. “We’re talking about 4 percent real GDP growth rates in an environment where all developed economies pretty much have stagnated. There’s been very meager growth.” The mining sector, which includes oil and gas extraction, had the largest growth among industries in Texas in the quarter. Oil and gas production has risen sharply since the 2015 oil bust, powering Texas’ recent economic growth… (LINK TO STORY)
Kay Granger is the most senior Republican woman in the U.S. House. But her reelection could turn into an intra-GOP battle. (Texas Tribune)
It’s the question on the minds of Republicans from Washington to Cowtown: Is one of Texas’ most powerful U.S. House members in political trouble?
Enough people think so that many in the GOP political class are bracing for Fort Worth to serve as the setting of the next nationalized battle between the party's establishment and rebellious conservative factions.
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, is running for reelection in her Fort Worth district. But at least one well-funded primary challenger has emerged: Chris Putnam, who shot out of the gate this fall with a burst of cash and accusations that Granger is not sufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump… (LINK STORY)
[NATION]
Justices take up high-profile case over young immigrants (PBS)
The Supreme Court is taking up the Trump administration’s plan to end legal protections that shield 660,000 immigrants from deportation, a case with strong political overtones amid the 2020 presidential election campaign. All eyes will be on Chief Justice John Roberts when the court hears arguments Tuesday. Roberts is the conservative justice closest to the court’s center who also is keenly aware of public perceptions of an ideologically divided court.
It’s the third time in three years that the administration is asking the justices to rescue a controversial policy that has been blocked by several lower courts. The court sided with President Donald Trump in allowing him to enforce the travel ban on visitors from some majority Muslim countries, but it blocked the administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Roberts was the only member of the court in the majority both times, siding with four conservatives on the travel ban and four liberals in the census case. His vote could be decisive a third time, as well… (LINK TO STORY)
America’s billionaires take center stage in national politics, colliding with populist Democrats (Washington Post)
The political and economic power wielded by the approximately 750 wealthiest people in America has become a sudden flash point in the 2020 presidential election, as the nation’s billionaires push back with increasing ferocity against calls by liberal politicians to vastly reduce their fortunes and clout.
On Thursday, Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire and former mayor of New York City, took steps to enter the presidential race, a move that would make him one of four billionaires who either plan to seek or have expressed interest in seeking the nation’s highest office in 2020. His decision came one week after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed vastly expanding her “wealth tax” on the nation’s biggest wealth holders and one month after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said America should not have any billionaires at all… (LINK TO STORY)