BG Reads | News You Need to Know (August 5, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
*NEW* BG Podcast Episode 101 - Criminal Justice Reform with José Garza, Democratic Nominee for Travis County DA (SHOW LINK)
Note: Show also available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Sound Cloud, and Stitcher
[AUSTIN METRO]
Council talks six-month delay for bulk of police budget reform (Austin Monitor)
As City Council struggles to comprehend what it would mean to cut approximately $100 million from the Austin Police Department’s budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21, Council members are floating a temporary fix: approve half of the department’s budget during next week’s budget adoption process and return in six months to consider a revised budget for the rest of the year.
With Council set to begin budget hearings next Wednesday, Mayor Steve Adler said he agreed with many of the goals of reallocating a significant portion of police dollars, including the need for a robust mental health first response program and moving the city’s forensic lab under a different department. Still, he admitted he is unsure “how to get from here to there” within that time frame.
Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison proposed the six-month solution on the City Council Message Board Tuesday as an option to give Deputy City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde and Police Monitor Farah Muscadin time to develop a plan without waiting another fiscal cycle to reform the city’s public safety strategies.
“This year’s accelerated budget process has really left us with little time to do the work that’s necessary to create lasting change in how our city addresses public safety,” Harper-Madison said during Tuesday’s work session.
Considering that the city will need to create new police training protocols to meet higher ethical standards, Harper-Madison proposed delaying the November police cadet class this year and directing the $6 million in savings to Austin Public Health, workforce development, increased EMS capacity, healthy food access, mental health intervention, and a handful of other equity-centered efforts… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin ISD board to vote on pushing back school start, apply to extend remote learning (KUT)
The Austin Independent School District Board has scheduled a vote Thursday night to delay the start of the school year from Aug. 18 to Sept. 8, because of COVID-19. The district says the delay would give employees time to adjust to new health and safety requirements for in-person instruction.
The district is also applying to the Texas Education Agency to extend remote learning for four more weeks after the first four weeks of the school year. TEA officials have said districts can request to postpone in-person learning if they believe local public health conditions make it unsafe for students and staff.
The TEA has said schools must have a plan for on-campus learning to receive funding. The requirement comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion late last month that local health authorities cannot “issue blanket quarantine orders that are inconsistent with the law.” Paxton argued that authorities can close schools if there is an outbreak within it – but not simply to prevent the spread.
On Monday, Education Austin, the union representing Austin ISD’s employees, called for the school year to be delayed until Sept. 8. Union President Ken Zarifis said teachers need more time to adapt to virtual learning since not all are familiar with new technologies.
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on the delay at its meeting Thursday at 9 p.m… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
New COVID-19 cases trend upwards in past few days, city to remain in Stage 4 (KXAN)
The City of Austin will remain in Stage 4, according to Austin’s Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott.
Escott gave a briefing to Travis County Commissioners Tuesday. He says although Austin saw an aggressive decline in cases since mid July, that has changed.
A week ago, the decline plateaued, and now it’s shifted to a slight upward trend the past several days in regards to new cases, he says.
Just four days ago, Escott said ICUs were at capacity and on surge protocols.
But as of Tuesday, Escott says area hospitals are reporting ICUs are out of ‘surge stance,’ meaning there’s a normal ratio of nurses to patients.
While ICUs move out of surge protocols, public health leaders say Austin is staying in Stage 4.
Although the city is seeing less than 40 hospital admissions a day, which puts it in Stage 3 territory, Escott says they want to stay in the realm of Stage 3 for two weeks before officially downgrading to that level.
That could could be difficult, since Escott says new hospital admissions have begun to plateau when they were previously declining.
Positivity rates among ages 10 to 19 are increasing, according to Escott, and the city is also seeing increased hospitalizations in this age range.
Right now, that age group makes up about 6 to 6.5% of the cases in Travis County, Escott says.
Ideally, Escott says they’d like the city to be in Stage 2 by at least Sept. 8, when students are scheduled to start in-person classes… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin Java closes 3 locations in Austin and Dripping Springs (Community Impact)
Austin Java will close three locations in Austin and Dripping Springs, including the cafe's City Hall, Met Center and Dripping Springs locations, according to an Aug. 4 social media announcement that referenced coronavirus as the reason for downsizing.
"It's been a rough few months for us," read the post. "We intend to keep serving up your favorite java and eats at our Menchaca location and find some new spots to rebuild post-COVID[-19]."
With the closing of Austin Java's City Hall location at 301 W. 2nd St., Austin; its Met Center location at 7701 Metropolis Drive, Austin; and its location at 3799 Hwy. 290, Dripping Springs, only the company's 5404 Menchaca Road location in South Austin remains.
Jeff Zuniga, general manager of Austin Java Dripping Springs, told Community Impact Newspaper he wanted to express gratitude to community members who have supported Austin Java, including those who purchased groceries from his location during a special pandemic initiative… (FULL STORY HERE)
[TEXAS]
Gov. Greg Abbott stresses local school officials "know best" whether schools should reopen (Texas Tribune)
Gov. Greg Abbott stressed Tuesday that only local school boards, not local governments, have the power to decide how to open schools this fall during the coronavirus pandemic.
"The bottom line is the people who know best ... about that are the local school officials," Abbott said during a news conference in San Antonio, echoing a message he's been relaying in response to questions about the process.
Texas educators and parents have been confused about who has the power to keep school buildings closed. They have also been frustrated by conflicting messages from state and local leaders.
Abbott also said that in preparation for the new school year, the state has already distributed to schools more than 59 million masks, more than 24,000 thermometers, more than 565,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and more than 500,000 face shields. He promised schools "will have their [personal protective equipment] needs met at no cost" to them, with the state picking up the tab… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Senate Democrats wade into pricey Texas race (Politico)
Senate Democrats' official campaign committee is making its first big investment in Texas for the general election to boost Democrat MJ Hegar in her bid against Republican Sen. John Cornyn. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is planning a seven-figure investment in Texas through coordinated campaign funds, which is intended for a combination of TV ads, polling and field organizing and data resources, according to details shared first with POLITICO. This marks the Senate committee's first significant investment in Texas for this fall, though neither the DSCC nor outside allies have booked independent expenditures to run in the state's multiple expensive media markets.
The new investment comes after the committee commissioned an internal poll showing a tight race between Cornyn and Hegar. The survey, conducted late last month, showed Cornyn with a slim lead over Hegar, 43 percent to 42 percent, with 15 percent of voters undecided. The poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group and Latino Decisions. The poll showed Hegar with relatively low name ID and room for growth. One-third of voters rated her favorably compared to 23 percent who rated her unfavorably. Cornyn, a three-term incumbent, was viewed favorably by 38 percent of voters and unfavorably by 37 percent. Democrats have grown optimistic about Texas this cycle, with most public polling showing Joe Biden competitive against President Trump and a handful of critical House battleground races taking place in the state. Still, the Senate race has not emerged as a top-tier battleground. "This race is a dead heat, and our increased investment reflects how MJ's campaign and the increasingly competitive climate has put another offensive opportunity on the map," Scott Fairchild, the DSCC executive director, said in a statement… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
After month of work, Dallas County cities are ready to invest in underserved communities but not ‘defund’ the police (Dallas Morning News)
A committee of community activists and city managers from across Dallas County — formed after a national outcry over police brutality — will have its last meeting Wednesday as public officials begin crafting budgets they hope can strike a balance between concerns about crime and demands to defund the police. Although a final report is still to come and the independently elected councils of the six cities participating in the committee must approve any local budget changes, committee members hope their work in the last month will help shift how the nation’s ninth-largest county addresses crime, mental health emergencies and poverty. The cities involved are Balch Springs, Dallas, DeSoto, Irving, Lancaster and Mesquite.
The drastic cuts in police budgets that some committee members have recommended are unlikely. But activists and bureaucrats said there’s a new mutual understanding that the current system that leads to the over-representation of Black, Latino and poor people in the criminal justice system must end. Meanwhile, the county government is expected to play a larger role in coordinating efforts, and it’s also expected to launch several programs of its own. Among the programs that are most likely to take hold is a jail alternative championed by District Attorney John Creuzot that would help the homeless and people with mental health problems find resources, including shelter and medicine, rather than simply throw them in jail. “The idea you’re going to accomplish something positive by putting the homeless and mentally ill in jail is ridiculous,” said Creuzot, who began developing his idea last year after he visited a similar program in Harris County…(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Dallas County may withhold millions of dollars from coronavirus testing company, citing concerns over contract (Dallas Morning News)
Dallas County may withhold payment to a Washington-based company that is operating one of the region’s largest public coronavirus testing sites after commissioners raised concerns during their meeting Tuesday. Commissioner John Wiley Price, who represents southern Dallas County, said he was worried about a lack of oversight of the Honu Management Group’s testing site, which the county is spending millions of dollars for. “Who is paying attention to what Honu is doing?” he asked. “I’m just saying we entered into a contract where we have nothing to say.”
Dallas County is splitting the cost of the $14.6 million contract with the city of Dallas, which led the effort to work with Honu. The city and county hired Honu to run the testing site at the University of Dallas in Irving after the federal government ended financial and logistical support for a testing site at the American Airlines Center in June. The testing location was moved to Dallas College Eastfield Campus this month. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and Commissioner Theresa Daniel, who represents eastern Dallas County, echoed Price’s concerns. “I’m not a defender of Honu, by any stretch,” Jenkins said, without getting into specifics. “There are problems. The city of Dallas has been good to work with, but there are challenges with the Honu contract.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
State attorneys general urge U.S. to increase supply, lower price of Gilead COVID-19 drug (Reuters)
A bipartisan group of state attorneys general on Tuesday urged the U.S. government to allow other companies to make Gilead Sciences' COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir, to increase its availability and lower the price of the antiviral drug. The coalition of more than 30 state attorneys general called on the government to act or allow states to do so, saying in a letter to U.S. health agencies that Gilead “has not established a reasonable price” for remdesivir.
“Gilead should not profit from the pandemic and it should be pushed to do more to help more people,” the letter said. The drugmaker is charging most U.S. patients $3,120 per course, or $520 per vial of remdesivir. The medicine is one of only two that have demonstrated an ability to help hospitalized COVID-19 patients in formal clinical trials. It received emergency use authorization (EUA) in the United States and approval in other countries after it shortened hospital stays in a large U.S. trial. In the letter, the coalition, led by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, urged the federal government to exercise its rights under the Bayh-Dole Act and license remdesivir to third-party manufacturers to scale up production. The letter went to the heads of the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) department, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Negotiators hit gas on coronavirus talks as frustration mounts (The Hill)
Negotiators are hitting the gas on coronavirus relief talks amid growing skepticism about the chances of a quick deal.
After days of closed-door negotiations, congressional Democrats and Trump administration officials say they aren't yet close but are now aiming to reach an agreement by the end of the week, injecting fresh urgency into their discussions.
The effort to buckle down comes as Congress and the White House face mounting pressure to take action on a lapsed federal unemployment benefit and eviction moratorium, with simmering frustrations from senators who have watched days of negotiations yield little to no progress.
“We did try to agree to set a timeline,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday. “We're going to try to reach an overall agreement, if we can get one, by the end of this week.”
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) added that negotiators went through a list of issues during Tuesday’s meeting, saying, “They made some concessions, which we appreciated. We made some concessions, which they appreciated.”
But the hurdles to getting an agreement in a matter of days are steep, and senators are increasingly agitated and pessimistic about the chances of both sides resolving their differences by the end of the week… (LINK TO FULL 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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