BG Reads | News You Need to Know (November 5, 2019)
[BG PODCAST]
NEW -> Episode 59: Land Development Code Draft 1 with Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin's homeless residents say Abbott's intervention is a short-term setback without a long-term solution (Texas Tribune)
The sun warmed a North Austin sidewalk Monday before the state began clearing homeless communities under some of the city's highways. But there was no sunshine under U.S. Highway 183 near Burnet Road.
In the shadow of the overpass, a crisp wind carried the echo of traffic over abandoned luggage, books, bikes, mattresses and tents. The girded-up belongings of Austin’s homeless residents dotted a grid of concrete columns marked with notices of the Texas Department of Transportation's impending sweep of homeless encampments.
TxDOT officials last week posted notices that they would remove all remaining property from under overpasses at the order of Gov. Greg Abbott. John Wittman, a spokesman for the governor, said such clearings will be weekly under 17 overpasses — and could possibly be more frequent at the governor’s discretion… (LINK TO STORY)
Big plan for Austin gets graded on housing, transportation (Austin Business Journal)
A new report card is stacking up how far Austin's land development code revisions would go toward addressing city priorities on housing and traffic.
City staff have previously shared that the revised land development code, which will determine what can be built where throughout the city, would boost housing capacity by nearly 400,000 units and shift about 5% of local commuting away from single-occupant car use.
But the Oct. 30 report card — completed by city consultant Cascadia Partners — offers a more complete view of how well the city thinks its overhaul effort is performing against goals set by Austin City Council… (LINK TO STORY)
ACC rejects all bids for piece of Pinnacle campus property (Community Impact)
Since April, Austin Community College has been soliciting bids for a building on its Pinnacle campus and the 9.5-acre tract of land on which the building sits. On Nov. 4, the community college district’s board of trustees voted to reject those bids.
ACC’s board of trustees declared that the property, which sits adjacent to a 46-acre portion of the Pinnacle campus—which the college also owns—as “surplus” on April 1, thus authorizing President Richard Rhodes to receive and review bids on the property.
According to district documents, bids were received “from multiple parties," and those bids were assessed and ranked by ACC and CBRE, a commercial real estate firm ACC hired as a consultant during the process.
“We went through a bidding process; we got the bids back; we have evaluated those bids, and we are making the recommendation to the board of trustees that we reject all bids,” Rhodes said Nov. 4… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Election Day ballots feature 10 constitutional amendments, three vacant Texas House seats and one heated Houston mayoral race (Texas Tribune)
Texas voters Tuesday will decide 10 proposed state constitutional amendments. Some will cast ballots in three special elections for Texas House seats. And Houstonians will weigh in on a heated mayoral race in the state’s largest city.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Texans can check their voting location on the Texas secretary of state’s voter information website.
Here’s a look at the proposed amendments and biggest races being decided… (LINK TO STORY)
The crowded Houston mayoral race has shaken up traditional Bayou City politics (Texas Monthly)
On May 20, Mayor Sylvester Turner delivered his fourth State of the City address at the luxurious downtown Marriott Marquis, the hotel with the Texas-shaped lazy river. His top opponent, Tony Buzbee, delivered a competing state of the city address, which happened to take place in the same building on a different floor. Turner largely avoided discussing the coming election and instead focused on issues like preventing flooding and attracting tech jobs. Buzbee, on the other hand, gave a politically charged speech that took direct aim not just at Turner but at the 1,500 movers, shakers, fundraisers, business leaders, and local pooh-bahs who attended the mayor’s speech… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stepping up for House Republicans as Speaker Dennis Bonnen steps aside (Dallas Morning News)
The controversy involving outgoing House Speaker Dennis Bonnen is a setback for Republicans looking to maintain control of the Legislature. But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his allies have developed a voter engagement plan they hope will offset Bonnen’s departure from the political scene. Their goal is to provide money and resources that will not only protect their majority, but also help recapture seats they lost to Democrats in 2018.
Bonnen, the Angleton Republican and first-term leader of the House, was caught on a recording trying to broker a deal with conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan that involved unseating 10 House members from his party. The speaker was also heard disparaging House colleagues, including two female Democrats. And he proclaimed his disdain for local government amid concerns from city and county officials that state leaders are against them. Days after the recording was released, Bonnen announced he would not run for reelection, though he won’t resign until his term expires at the end of 2020… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Apple Pledges $2.5 Billion To Combat California's Housing Crisis (NPR)
Apple is pledging $2.5 billion to confront California's housing crisis, in a bid to help the state ease a situation that's been blamed for marginalizing people in service and support jobs and creating a spike in homelessness.
"The sky-high cost of housing — both for homeowners and renters — is the defining quality-of-life concern for millions of families across this state, one that can only be fixed by building more housing," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement from Apple. "This partnership with Apple will allow the state of California to do just that."… (LINK TO STORY)