BG Reads | News You Need to Know (December 9, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW BG PODCAST - EP. 116: Discussing the 87th Texas Legislative Session with Lobbyist Lorena Campos
Pre-filed bills for the 87th Texas Legislature:
[AUSTIN METRO]
Covid-19, remote work make Austin a magnet for new jobs (Wall Street Journal)
The pandemic and the prospect of working remotely have spawned an exodus from New York and San Francisco to sunnier, more-affordable cities. Few have benefited more than Austin.
Texas’ capital is attracting more corporate jobs and remote workers than ever before, lured by lower costs and lower taxes. Business relocations to Austin announced this year are expected to create nearly 10,000 jobs. That is the city’s highest figure on record for a single year, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, and is helping offset the hit from Covid-19 to the city’s tourist-dependent restaurants, bars and music venues.
It helps that Texas has no state income tax, that Austin winters are relatively short and mild, and that social distancing is easier in a city where homes tend to be roomy and many have backyards. Austin has also managed to remain cheaper than San Francisco, Brooklyn and Manhattan by building tens of thousands of apartments over the past decade.
Tech investor Joe Lonsdale said he and his venture-capital firm 8VC were moving to Austin, and Royal Dutch Shell recently opened a studio to develop energy-exploration ideas in the city, among others who have made or plan the move.
“It’s just a whole lot easier to hire. It’s a lot easier to get housing. It’s a lot easier to get business licenses than it is in other places,” said Greg Schwartz, chief executive of real-estate startup Tomo Networks. His company, based in Stamford, Conn., is preparing to open a co-headquarters in Austin… (LINK TO STORY)
Reports reveal party loyalties (Austin Monitor)
Even though City Council elections are generally nonpartisan, Austin’s incumbent Council members, Alison Alter and Jimmy Flannigan, both Democrats, have made it clear that they, not their Republican opponents, represent the voice of the people. Their runoff opponents, Jennifer Virden in District 10 and Mackenzie Kelly in District 6, have spent their energy talking about public safety and generally avoiding the Republican label.
But campaign finance reports filed this week show that liberal and Democratic organizations have been contributing to Alter and Flannigan. At the same time, Republicans and political action committees opposing reductions in the Austin police force and repeal of the camping ban have supported Kelly and Virden.
Election day is Dec. 15. Campaigns were required to file reports on Monday, covering the time period between Oct. 25 and Dec. 5.
Flannigan reported raising nearly $112,000 and spending a little more than $109,000. He still had about $66,000 in his campaign fund on Dec. 5. Opponent Kelly reported collecting nearly $81,000 in contributions, spending more than $85,000 and retaining about $1,200 in the bank.
Alter reported raising $134,000 and spending more than $144,000. She still had nearly $116,000 in the bank, according to her campaign finance report. Her opponent, Virden, reported raising more than $149,000 and spending more than $168,000. Her report indicates that she still had nearly $43,000 left in her campaign account as of Dec. 5.
Kelly and Virden both agreed to abide by the voluntary contribution and expenditure limits set forth in city regulations. Flannigan and Alter did not agree to those limits. Once an opponent indicates that they will not be participating in that program, those who signed the Fair Campaign Contract are free to raise and spend money without worrying about the limits of the program. No candidate, however, is allowed to collect more than $400 from any individual donor, although the runoff is considered a separate election from the general election. So, many donors contributed $400 before Nov. 3 and have donated an additional $400 since then.
As a result of their agreement to participate, both Kelly and Virden received $26,443.45 from the city fund for that program without following the contract’s rules.
Alter and Flannigan each received contributions from Mayor Steve Adler and his wife, Diane Land. Both also received a contribution from Mark Yznaga, a political consultant who is married to Council Member Ann Kitchen… (LINK TO STORY)
Adler, Pool voice support for cadet class this spring (Austin Monitor)
With Austin police officers either retiring or simply quitting the force in record numbers this year, Mayor Steve Adler told his colleagues at Tuesday’s City Council work session that he really wants to have a cadet class this spring. Council cut the Austin Police Department budget this fall and told department leaders they needed to make significant changes to cadet training after hearing from cadets who dropped out of the police academy complaining about racism, among other things.
Council will be considering an amendment to a contract with 21st Century Policing, LLC, for an extra six months and $180,000 to extend its consulting term. The company is assisting the city with a community task force on the process known as “reimagining public safety.”
Directing his comments in particular to City Manager Spencer Cronk, Adler said, “I, for one, would like to see us move forward with a greater sense of urgency than currently exists.” Adler noted what the police themselves have pointed out, that the first weeks, or even months, of cadet training is mandated by the state. The city is required to provide that training and after that, cadets learn whatever else the city wants them to know.
Council voted last December to direct Cronk to review and make changes to police training. Although that review was originally supposed to be done last summer, Council has yet to see it.
Council Member Leslie Pool said she completely agreed with Adler’s comments. “I had a conversation yesterday with the manager asking for a status update on the writing of the curriculum …. It has been difficult to communicate effectively to our residents how much we support a positive view of our values and culture in our police department.”
While she noted that “every barrel can have a couple of bad apples in it, we do support good work and good officers and good officer behaviors.” Pool reiterated that she thought it was “imperative to move forward” with a new cadet class in early 2021.
Council Member Greg Casar, who has been one of the strongest proponents on Council of cutting police funding, wanted to put the brakes on the effort to speed up the restart of academy classes. He said he didn’t want the public to forget what they had heard from the former cadets.
Council cut about $20 million from the APD budget last summer, but left open the possibility of considerably deeper cuts. One big factor in those financial decisions is cadet classes and paying more officers… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin to get nonstop flight to Honolulu (Austin American-Statesman)
Hawaiian Airlines is saying aloha to Austin.
The airline said Tuesday it will launch nonstop service between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport starting in April.
The route will be the first nonstop air service to Hawaii for Central Texas travelers and the first Pacific route from Austin. The flight is Hawaiian Airlines’ first nonstop connection to Texas.
The coming year "is going to be a special time to experience Hawaii, and we can’t wait to welcome onboard our Austin guests and introduce them to our islands," said Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines.
Flights will operate twice a week, with the Honolulu flight arriving Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:10 p.m. and departing Austin at 10:10 a.m. the following morning. The flight arrives in Honolulu at 1:30 p.m… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Elon Musk confirms that he has moved to Texas (Houston Chronicle)
Elon Musk confirmed that he has moved to Texas in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. "I have moved to Texas," he said during a video interview for the WSJ CEO Council Summit. The founder of commercial space company SpaceX and CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla said he moved to Texas because two of his biggest projects are in the Lone Star State.
SpaceX is developing the Starship prototype in South Texas, where he was on Tuesday during the video interview, and Tesla is building a "Gigafactory” 15 minutes east of downtown Austin. "These necessarily drive the use of my time here," he said. Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX was founded in 2001. And since 2003, it has been steadily increasing the size and workload at its McGregor test site. Every SpaceX rocket engine is tested in McGregor before throttling into space. It was in McGregor that the Grasshopper, used to test guidance, navigation and control systems for landing a rocket booster vertically, flew half a mile into the air. SpaceX has also been ramping up its presence in Boca Chica, a community outside of Brownsville.
The company announced plans to build a Boca Chica launch facility in 2014. Progress was slow at first. There were delays caused by construction issues, and the company's focus was pulled elsewhere after a rocket exploded en route to the International Space Station in 2015… (LINK TO STORY)
In new lawsuit, Texas contests election results in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania (Texas Tribune)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing four battleground states — Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — whose election results handed the White House to President-elect Joe Biden.
In the suit, he claims that pandemic-era changes to election procedures in those states violated federal law and asks the U.S. Supreme Court to block the states from voting in the Electoral College.
The last-minute bid, which legal experts have already characterized as a long shot, comes alongside dozens of similar attempts by President Donald Trump and his political allies. The majority of those lawsuits have already failed.
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, officials in most states and U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr have said. Biden won in all four states where Paxton is challenging the results.
In a filing to the high court Tuesday, Paxton claims the four battleground states broke the law by instituting pandemic-related changes to election policies, whether “through executive fiat or friendly lawsuits, thereby weakening ballot integrity.”
Paxton claimed that these changes allowed for voter fraud to occur — a conclusion experts and election officials have rejected — and said the court should push back a Dec. 14 deadline by which states must appoint their presidential electors.
“That deadline, however, should not cement a potentially illegitimate election result in the middle of this storm,” attorneys for Texas wrote… (LINK TO STORY)
Army punishes 14 at Fort Hood, after review sparked by Vanessa Guillén's killing (KUT)
The Army is punishing 14 leaders at Fort Hood, relieving some high-ranking officers of duty and suspending other leaders after a review sparked by the killing of Spc. Vanessa Guillén.
Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy cited profound problems at the base, including a command climate that was "permissive of sexual harassment and sexual assault."
The disciplinary moves and other changes stem from the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, whose chair,Chris Swecker, said its recommendations are meant "to address deeply dysfunctional norms and regain Soldiers' trust" at Fort Hood and possibly beyond.
Following Guillén's death and a string of other disappearances and deaths at the Texas post, the Army in September removed Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt as Fort Hood's senior commander. That change had been previously scheduled — but Efflandt was kept at the base rather than moving on to another command. In the new disciplinary moves, Efflandt has now been relieved.
McCarthy says he has accepted all of the review committee's findings. The group submitted a report with nine findings and 70 recommendations, touching on areas from protocols around missing soldiers and crime prevention to public relations.
"The tragic death of Vanessa Guillén and a rash of other challenges at Fort Hood forced us totake a critical look at our systems, our policies and ourselves," the secretary said in a midday briefing on the changes. "But without leadership, systems don't matter."
The committee's report will force the Army to change its culture, McCarthy pledged.
"This is not about metrics, but about possessing the ability to have the human decency to show compassion for our teammates and to look out for the best interests of our soldiers," he said.
The Army listed the leaders it relieved, starting with Efflandt. Also relieved were Col. Ralph Overland and Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Knapp, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment commander and command sergeant major… (LINK TO STORY)
Casino exec calls Texas the ‘biggest plum’ for expanding gaming (Houston Chronicle)
One of the biggest gaming companies in America is making clear it wants to open casinos in Texas if the Legislature agrees to allow them. “Texas is considered the biggest plum still waiting to be out there in the history of hospitality and gaming,” said Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government relations for the Las Vegas Sands Corp. Abboud said on Tuesday his company sees few places in the world as having a bigger potential for gaming. He said Texas is in a class with Japan, Singapore and Brazil as the best potential markets.
“We view Texas as a worldwide destination and one of the top potential markets in the entire world,” Abboud said during a conference organized by Austin-based Texas Taxpayers and Research Association. His comments come about a month before the Texas Legislature is set to kick off the 2021 session with increasing pressure to seek new revenues to bolster the state as it struggles to deal with crashing oil prices and the impact of the pandemic. Some lawmakers have already suggested the Legislature legalize marijuana or allow major casino gambling to boost the economy. Some lawmakers have warned that Texas is losing billions of dollars annually to neighboring states that allow full-scale gambling. Louisiana has both tribal and commercial casinos. Both Oklahoma and New Mexico have Native American gaming operations. Texas has one Native American casino in Eagle Pass operated by the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. The state also allows horseracing and dog tracks… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Pfizer vaccine moves closer to getting the OK in the US (Associated Press)
U.S. regulators Tuesday released their first scientific evaluation of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and confirmed it offers strong protection, setting the stage for the government to green light the biggest vaccination effort in the nation’s history.
The analysis by Food and Drug Administration scientists comes ahead of a Thursday meeting where the agency’s independent advisers will debate if the evidence is strong enough to recommend vaccinating millions of Americans. A final FDA decision and the first shots could follow within just days.
They are among a whirlwind of developments that are expected to make multiple vaccines available by early next year, in the U.S. and beyond… (LINK TO STORY)
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Republican challenge to Biden's Pennsylvania win (Reuters)
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a defeat to Republicans seeking to throw out up to 2.5 million mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania as they try to undo President Donald Trump’s election loss, with the justices refusing to block the state from formalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s victory there.
The court in a brief order rejected a request by U.S. congressman Mike Kelly, a Trump ally, and other Pennsylvania Republicans who filed a lawsuit after the Nov. 3 election arguing that the state’s 2019 expansion of mail-in voting was illegal under state law.
Pennsylvania was one of the pivotal states in the election, with Biden, a Democrat, defeating Trump after the Republican president won the state in 2016. State officials had already certified the election results.
There were no noted dissents from any of the justices on the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority including three Trump appointees. Trump had urged the Republican-led Senate to confirm his most recent nominee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, before Election Day so she could participate in any election-related cases.
Trump has falsely claimed that he won re-election, making unfounded claims about widespread voting fraud in states including Pennsylvania. Democrats and other critics have accused Trump of aiming to reduce public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and undermine democracy by trying to subvert the will of the voters… (LINK TO STORY)
Georgia elections official: Trump should 'act more responsibly' (The Hill)
Gabriel Sterling, a top election official in Georgia, on Tuesday criticized President Trump for continuing to “feed the fire” of voter fraud disinformation and urged him to “act more responsibly.”
In an interview with The Hill, Sterling, the Republican who made headlines last week for calling on Trump to condemn threats against election workers, predicted that Trump’s attacks on Georgia officials and the electoral process would hurt the Republican Party in the upcoming Senate runoffs.
And he lamented the president’s call for Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) to mount a primary challenge against Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has withstood a barrage of pressure from Trump to call a special legislative session to overturn the election results.
“I think the governor would win any such primary at the end of the day, but the infighting is unnecessary,” Sterling said.
“And the governor has done the vast majority of the stuff [Trump] has asked outside of outright overturning the will of the people,” Sterling continued. “There is just no legal path for that.” … (LINK TO STORY)
California judge says L.A. officials 'arbitrarily' set outdoor dining ban (Politico)
A judge on Tuesday dealt a rebuke to Los Angeles County public health officials racing to control Covid-19's spread, blocking an indefinite ban on outdoor dining announced late last month.
"By failing to weigh the benefits of an outdoor dining restriction against its costs, the County acted arbitrarily and its decision lacks a rational relationship to a legitimate end," wrote Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant in a tentative ruling issued Tuesday to a legal challenge from the California Restaurant Association.
The tentative ruling to block the open-ended ban won't have immediate practical consequences for Los Angeles-area restaurants, as the county is now under a temporary stay-home order tied to the region's quickly diminishing ICU capacity. But it marks a symbolic and legal victory for those challenging the emergency powers flexed by state and local officials — and a rare setback for public health authorities facing a worsening crisis.
L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, who was named in the lawsuit, declined to comment about the case when asked during a briefing Monday. A spokesperson for Los Angeles County said in a statement Tuesday that "Los Angeles County is committed to protecting the health and safety of its residents from a deadly virus that has claimed the lives of nearly 8,000 of our friends, family and neighbors and that has sickened more than 450,000 people just in L.A. County."
The nation's most populous county, with more than 10 million residents, reported 8,547 new cases on Tuesday alone. Its five-day average shot to nearly 9,000, almost double the five-day average for the day after Thanksgiving that triggered the local order. The county also for the first time reported a daily hospitalization tally exceeding 3,000… (LINK TO STORY)