BG Reads | News You Need to Know (November 19, 2019)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW -> Episode 61: CBD Market for Small Businesses with Prohibition Creamery's Laura Aidan (LINK TO SHOW)
NEW -> In the Weeds: Hemp legislation updates from USDA and State of Texas (LINK TO BLOG)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Council argues over adopting zoning map (Austin Monitor)
City Council still has at least two more work sessions and a public hearing in which to understand and hash out differences of opinion about the new Land Development Code before Dec. 9, the first of three readings to adopt it. Mayor Steve Adler noted during Monday’s work session that second reading of the ordinance would likely not take place until February 2020.
Although Council has reached agreement on a number of important features of the new code, including the need to make room for thousands of more modest homes, there are significant differences of opinion about one aspect of the adoption – the all-important map showing which properties fall into which zoning categories. Council Member Ann Kitchen is particularly adamant about not adopting a new map until staff and consultants have incorporated the changes proposed by Council and the public… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin ISD trustees vote to close four elementary schools (Community Impact)
After a day of rallies, a press conference by local leaders and more than two hours of public testimony—where over 80 local parents, students, teachers and elected officials asked trustees to delay or vote against its current School Changes plan—Austin ISD trustees in the early hours of the morning Nov. 19 to close three East Austin and one downtown campus for the 2020-21 school year in the process.
As approved, AISD's School Changes plan will close the Pease, Brooke, Sims and Metz elementary school campuses for the 2020-21 school year; draw new boundaries for elementary schools in Southwest Austin; and reinvest savings from closed schools into district-wide programing, according to the district.
Trustees Ann Teich, Arati Singh and LaTisha Anderson vote against the motion, which passed 6-3.
Prior to the vote, the district’s Chief Equity Officer Dr. Stephanie Hawley called the School Changes process “very flawed” and “not transparent.”
“The map of what you have with the school closures is a map of what 21st century racism looks like,” Hawley said… (LINK TO STORY)
Adler suggests more housing everywhere (Austin American-Statesman)
Just as the Austin City Council entered the home stretch Monday in updating the city’s decades-old land development code, Mayor Steve Adler suggested every residential lot in Austin should allow for three units of housing.
Adler made the suggestion at Monday’s council meeting, introducing a new wrinkle into efforts to overhaul the city’s rules governing what can be built and where in Austin.
Currently, most single-family lots allow for two units. But Adler said the council could blanket all single-family lots with a zoning specification — “R3” — that would allow for three units basically everywhere.
Combined with rules that encourage preserving existing structures, Adler’s idea would create what Council Member Kathie Tovo called “invisible density” — an older house at the front of a lot and two new housing units behind it.
“I don’t know how crazy an idea that would be because I haven’t looked at it at all but I just throw that out there because I hadn’t heard anybody suggest that simplicity,” Adler said… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Beto O’Rourke casts long shadow over 2020 Senate race in Texas (Houston Chronicle)
Beto O’Rourke isn’t running for the U.S. Senate in 2020, but he continues to loom over the race, provoking constant questions about how the 11 Democratic candidates measure up to his historic 2018 run — as well as persistent rumors that he could parachute into the contest. None of the 11 Democrats vying to take on Republican Sen. John Cornyn can match the frenetic pace O’Rourke established as he came within 3 percentage points of beating Sen. Ted Cruz.
By the end of 2017 — nearly a year out from the general election — O’Rourke had logged 120 campaign rallies, visited half of the 254 counties in Texas and raised $6.6 million. The 2020 Democrats haven’t raised that much cash combined and are relatively unknown, locked in a very different race that has them focusing on expanding the connections they already have. For longtime state Sen. Royce West of Dallas, that means trying to run up big numbers in the Metroplex. For Houston area candidates like former Congressman Chris Bell and Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, it's about trying to boost big numbers in Harris, the state's largest county… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas driver’s license centers to get new appointment system to shorten hours-long wait times (Dallas Morning News)
The Texas Department of Public Safety will unveil a new appointment system at driver’s license centers next year in an effort to reduce hours-long waits that politicians and residents have denounced for years. Officials told The Dallas Morning News that as early as next spring, the system would allow people to to book an appointment up to six months in advance.
The department currently has a “queue system" in which people can check to see if offices have availability for the current day. But the queue closes each day when the office is at capacity. Many Texans say capacity is often filled within hours of an office opening, which results in people coming to the office anyway to stand in long lines. Officials say the new appointment system will allow Texans to plan visits in advance. It is supposed to reduce wait times because workers at the centers can estimate how much time a driver’s stated transaction will take and plan accordingly… (LINK TO STORY)
Working on a plan to end homelessness in San Antonio, a San Francisco firm arrives next week (San Antonio Express-News)
Over the last year, San Antonio’s Department of Human Services has had a significant increase in the amount of calls about encampments and the presence of the homeless population becoming more apparent in some City district’s where it used to be seemingly unobtrusive. “I don’t know if it is because people are simply more aware of the issue and that there is a resource available to do outreach and help restore the areas where encampments are held,” said Melody Woosley, the director of the Department of Human Services for the City. “But yes, we have received more complaints.”
Between residents’ heightened awareness of the issue and San Antonio’s ever prevalent homeless population, the city recently hired a San Francisco-based consultant to develop a new strategy to tackle homelessness. Woosley said the firm’s staff are expected to arrive next week for fieldwork to begin to meet with local advocates, experts and the homeless themselves. They will hold focus groups and learn about the challenges and needs of the City’s homeless population. In October, San Antonio City Council approved a $128,898 contract with Center for Common Concerns/HomeBase to conduct a comprehensive homeless strategy by the end of March 2020… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Impeachment public hearings week 2 — who is testifying and what happens next (NPR)
The House impeachment inquiry begins its second week of public hearings with the Intelligence Committee scheduled to hear testimony from eight more witnesses over three days. Last week, Democrats launched the public phase of the inquiry with testimony from three career public servants: William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine; George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs; and Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
Who is testifying? On Tuesday, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine specialist on the National Security Council. Vindman listened to the July 25 telephone conversation in the White House Situation Room and reported his concerns about the president's mention of political investigations to the top NSC attorney, John Eisenberg. He said the attorney decided to move the record of the call onto a highly classified system that few could access. Jennifer Williams, a foreign service aide detailed to Vice President Pence's office who listened in on the July 25 call between Trump and Zelenskiy. Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine, who along with Sondland and Energy Secretary Rick Perry was part of the "three amigos" tasked by the president to handle Ukraine policy. He was on the list of witnesses requested to appear by Republican members of the Intelligence Committee… (LINK TO STORY)
Samoa Closes Schools And Mandates Vaccinations Amid Deadly Measles Epidemic (NPR)
The Samoan government closed schools indefinitely Monday as it attempts to quell a measles epidemic that has killed at least six people and hospitalized dozens more. Health officials said the Pacific island nation's low immunization rate is the cause of the outbreak.
A state of emergency was declared Friday by acting Prime Minister and Minister of Health Faimalotoa Kika Stowers-Ah Kau. The proclamation legally mandates that all Samoan citizens receive an MMR vaccination and bans minors from public gatherings…(LINK TO STORY)
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