BG Reads | News You Need to Know (March 9, 2020)
[BG PODCAST]
Episode 77 - A Talk with Austin Brand Entrepreneur Doug Guller (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
The city’s rewrite of its land use code heads to court (again) (Austin Monitor)
Lawyers representing a group of Austin homeowners will argue in court today that landowners have the right to formally protest the rezoning of their property under a citywide land code rewrite.
If the court sides with them, it could mean that a portion of the city’s land would be exempt from a broad rewrite of zoning rules currently being hashed out and voted on by City Council members.
“Our lawsuit doesn’t directly challenge the specific provisions of the new proposed code,” said Doug Becker, who filed a lawsuit in December on behalf of 19 homeowners. “We’re challenging the way the city has gone about it.”
Under state law, property owners can challenge changes to the zoning of their land or nearby land. If they do so, a three-fourths vote of the local governing body is required to override that protest and let the new zoning be applied. In Austin, that means nine of the 11 city council members would need to vote against any protests in order to stop them.
But the city’s legal team has maintained that legal protest rights are not valid under a land code rewrite, which affects every piece of land. City lawyers have argued in memos, on the city website and to Council members that a comprehensive code rewrite is a policy change and thereby landowners are not guaranteed the same rights as in smaller, more specific rezoning cases – such as a neighbor going to the city to ask that the zoning on their land be changed… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
These Austin Businesses Are Trying To Keep The Music Going After SXSW's Cancellation (KUT)
There they were, close to 30 of them, gathered around the bar, licking their wounds, talking about spreadsheets and orphans.
Less than 24 hours after the cancellation of South by Southwest over COVID-19 concerns, club owners, restaurateurs, managers, talent buyers and bartenders gathered at the Empire Control Room with a simple goal: to find homes for those hundreds of orphans – the live music showcases, day parties and other events that were without a home after the festival's cancellation.
Spreadsheets would be key.
Friday's decision to cancel the economic juggernaut that's taken over downtown every spring for the last 34 years will send shockwaves through the ecosystem that props up Austin's music scene – from bar backs to servers to bartenders to sound engineers to stage managers to artists to owners… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez becomes first to enter race for Senate District 14 (Texas Tribune)
State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, an Austin Democrat, announced Saturday that he is running for Texas Senate District 14.
"It is truly an honor to even be running [for] the Senate," Rodriguez said at B.D. Riley's Irish Pub in Austin, where he kicked off his Senate campaign with supporters. "I want to run for the Senate because I want to make Texas a more progressive place for everyone."
Rodriguez, who has served in the House since 2003, is the first candidate to formally enter the special election for the historically Democratic seat, which will be vacated by retiring state Sen. Kirk Watson, a fellow Austin Democrat, at the end of April. The seat, which covers Bastrop County and parts of Travis County, overlaps with Rodriguez’s House seat… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin ISD cancels international school trips in March due to coronavirus risk (Community Impact)
Due to concerns about the coronavirus, Austin ISD announced in a March 7 letter to parents that the district would be canceling all international school trips through the end of the month.
“We care about the health of our students, staff and families, and we want to keep everyone updated on what we’re doing as a district to mitigate the risk of the coronavirus,” Superintendent Paul Cruz said in the letter. “Out of an abundance of caution and to be in alignment with other governmental partners, Austin ISD has canceled all district-sponsored international trips through March 31 because of the increased risk of exposure to the coronavirus.”
The letter said the district will continue to assess the impacts on domestic travel.
District staff began screenings Jan. 27 on students who had fevers and had traveled to China within the prior 14 days. The screening process used was developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and modified for use in schools by Ascension/Seton, according to a January message… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Public Hearings -> House Committee on Public Health - 3.10.2020 (10AM)
The committee will hear invited testimony to discuss the state's preparedness on the coronavirus. (LINK)
Texas Democrats are trying to draw LGBT Republicans snubbed by state GOP leaders (Texas Tribune)
For more than two decades, Texas’ GOP leadership has snubbed LGBT Republicans asking to participate in the annual state convention — a move that has some conservatives calling on the party to reconsider its exclusionary policies.
The rejection of LGBT conservatives, or Log Cabin Republicans, came again in February — with an added insult from a state GOP official who compared LGBT people to criminals in a social media post. Now Texas Democrats say they are reaching out to disillusioned Republicans who are turned off by the party's stance on LGBT rights.
Texas Democrats are positioning themselves as an “inclusive” political alternative, and the party is hiring its first-ever LGBTQ+ constituency organizer, said spokesman Abhi Rahman, who added that several former Republicans have contacted the party as a result of its outreach.
“The Texas Democratic Party is open and inclusive, and we welcome anyone who wants to fight for issues that matter to all of us … regardless of what divides us,” Rahman said. “We are creating a movement that's diverse and inclusive that defeats Republicans up and down the ballot in 2020.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Sylvester Turner endorses Biden after Bloomberg drops out (Houston Chronicle)
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday endorsed former vice president Joe Biden, days after Mike Bloomberg, the candidate he originally endorsed, dropped out of the presidential primary. In a statement, Turner called Biden “a proven and trusted leader” and “a very caring person” who can “unify our country.”
“Experience matters and for years Mr. Biden has had a front row seat in our national government, participating in issues both domestic and international,” Turner said. “He will be ready to do the job as president from day one.” Before Bloomberg dropped out on the heels of a disappointing performance on Super Tuesday, including in Texas, Turner had played an active role in promoting his candidacy. He appeared at the launch of Bloomberg’s “Mike for Black America” initiative in Houston, and introduced the former New York City mayor at a Houston rally last week… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Trump names Rep. Mark Meadows his new chief of staff (Associated Press)
In the midst of one of the most daunting crises of his administration, President Donald Trump announced he had made a major staff overhaul, replacing his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney with Republican Rep. Mark Meadows. While much of the country was focused on the spreading coronavirus, Trump announced the surprise reshuffle by Friday night tweet, saying Mulvaney would become the U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland. “I have long known and worked with Mark, and the relationship is a very good one,” he wrote, thanking Mulvaney — who never shook his “acting” title — “for having served the Administration so well.”
The long-rumored move comes as Trump has been pulling together a team of loyalists and allies ahead of what is expected to be a bitter reelection fight. But the timing — as his administration was already facing criticism over its handling of the outbreak — threatened to exacerbate concerns about the government’s ability to protect the nation from a virus that has now infected more than 100,000 people worldwide. Meadows will be Trump’s fourth chief of staff in as many years. Mulvaney had been leading the administration’s interagency response to the virus until Trump designated Vice President Mike Pence to lead the whole-of-government effort more than a week ago. It was just one of a long series of downgrades for Mulvaney, whose relationship with Trump began to sour not long after he was named to the position in December 2018. Indeed, Trump had been eyeing the change for many months, according to people familiar with his thinking, but wanted to wait until after the impeachment saga was over to make his move… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Gates Foundation to offer coronavirus testing kits in Seattle area (The Hill)
he Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will reportedly offer thousands of home testing kits for Seattle-area residents who suspect they may have a novel form of coronavirus.
The Seattle Times reported that the kits will become available this week, with a lab funded by the foundation initially set to test hundreds of kits per day and the possibility of expanding that testing to thousands per day in the future.
“Although there’s a lot to be worked out, this has enormous potential to turn the tide of the epidemic," Scott Dowell, leader of the Foundation's virus response team told the Times.
“One of the most important things from our perspective, having watched and worked on this in other parts of the world, is the identification of people who are positive for the virus, so they can be safely isolated and cared for, and the identification of their contacts, who can then be quarantined,” he added.
Test kits will be sent to the lab, which will share positive results with local health officials. Those officials will then notify users of the need to self-quarantine… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Sen. Kamala Harris endorses Biden for president (Associated Press)
Kamala Harris endorsed Joe Biden on Sunday and said she would “do everything in my power” to help elect him, becoming the latest dropout from the Democratic race for president to line up behind the former vice president in his battle with Bernie Sanders for the nomination. The decision by the California senator who was one of three black candidates seeking to challenge President Donald Trump further solidifies the Democratic establishment’s move to close circles around Biden after his Super Tuesday success.
Her endorsements comes before the next round of primaries, with six states voting Tuesday, including Michigan. “There is no one better prepared than Joe to steer our nation through these turbulent times, and restore truth, honor, and decency to the Oval Office,“ Harris said in a statement. “He is kind and endlessly caring, and he truly listens to the American people.” Harris said the United States “is at an inflection point. And the decision voters make this November will shape the country and the world our children and grandchildren will grow up in. I believe in Joe Biden.” Among Biden’s former rivals, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke, Mike Bloomberg, Tim Ryan, Deval Patrick and John Delaney have endorsed him. Sanders has gotten the endorsement of Marianne Williamson and Bill de Blasio… (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.
PLEASE RESHARE and FOLLOW:
Twitter #binghamgp
Instagram #binghamgp