BG Reads | News You Need to Know (November 6, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
***NEW*** Firm Update: Bingham Group CEO A.J. Selected for 2021 Frank McBee Fellowship Class
BG Blog: By the Numbers: Austin and Travis County 2020 Election Results
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin’s seeing its highest Covid cases since August. Most of those cases are among younger people. (Austin Monitor)
Active Covid-19 cases in Austin have hit their highest levels since August, a rise Austin Public Health officials have largely pinned on 20- to 39-year-olds.
In an announcement Thursday morning, health officials said more than half of positive tests in the five-county Austin area were among folks within that age range and urged people who may have gone to parties over the Halloween weekend to get tested.
APH said as of Wednesday there were 1,034 active Covid cases in the Austin area, the most since Aug. 15.
“These numbers indicate that those who recently participated in a gathering have had a higher risk of encountering someone infected with the virus,” the announcement said. “We encourage everyone who was involved in gatherings outside of their household this weekend … to get tested for Covid-19 this week.”
Those who are symptomatic or who believe they may have been exposed to the coronavirus can schedule tests at APH’s website.
The callout comes ahead of expected gatherings around the holiday season, a prospect that has been a concern of APH’s top doctor, Mark Escott.
Last week, UT Austin’s Covid projections for the Austin area suggested a spike this month could be longer – and more deadly – than surges in June and July.
“It took us a long time to recover from the first surge. And we can expect that this one, particularly if it’s worse than the first one, may take even longer,” Escott said last week.
But just a day later, UT’s modeling suggested a leveling off that could indicate a lower risk of a winter surge.
Escott and other health officials are urging Austinites to continue social distancing and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.
APH’s announcement comes as cases of Covid-19 are surging across the state and nationally. On Wednesday, the United States surpassed its single-day record for new coronavirus cases. Johns Hopkins University’s Covid-19 tracker showed more than 102,000 cases were confirmed nationwide, breaking the previous record of single-day cases that was set Oct. 30.
Every major city in Texas has grappled with rising cases in recent weeks, though El Paso has seen the most drastic surge. The city saw 3,100 new cases Wednesday, tripling its single-day record. All told, there are nearly 22,000 active cases in the area… (LINK TO STORY)
Downtown Austin’s First ‘Supertall’ Tower Plan Arrives at Waller Creek Site (Towers)
After 20 years of unrealized development plans for the approximately 3.3-acre property at the southwest corner of Cesar Chavez and Red River Streets near the Rainey Street District of downtown Austin, the latest contender for a tower at the site would be the first in the city to qualify as a “supertall” skyscraper — the tallest in Austin by a country mile, but possibly also the tallest building in Texas. Don’t freak out yet, but here’s everything we’ve learned about the project called Waller Creek… (LINK TO STORY)
Ann Howard getting ready for new job (Austin Monitor)
Ann Howard, Travis County Commissioner-elect for Precinct 3, was getting to work Thursday, learning more about the job she will officially begin in January. Howard said commissioners will canvass the vote from Tuesday’s election in the next week to 10 days, making her election official. However, she will not take a seat on the court until January.
Howard, a Democrat who defeated Republican Becky Bray with nearly 57 percent of the vote, will take over the seat currently held by Republican Gerald Daugherty. The Precinct 3 seat was the very last one held by a Republican in Travis County. Daugherty was elected in 2002 and 2004, lost the seat in 2008 and made a comeback in 2012. He was reelected in 2016, but evidently he saw the blue wave coming and decided to retire.
When she spoke with the Austin Monitor, Howard said she was going to be meeting with county staff to get the lay of the land for her new job. She was anticipating talking to Daugherty about his projects and problems he was hearing about from constituents.
Howard said some of those constituents had already contacted her with their concerns. She received a letter from Precinct 3 constituents who were concerned about the widening of a road and the impact it might have on the environment and the neighborhood. She also received some complaints about clearing of the land from concerned neighbors.
In addition, Howard said some constituents had asked her to take action on the West Travis County Public Utility Agency, which has changed some environmental regulations, much to the consternation of nearby neighbors. It is not clear what authority commissioners might have to intervene in the agency’s business.
Howard said she wants to gather information before taking any action, adding, “I’m so excited to represent the people. That’s what I like to do.” Before running for the Commissioners Court, Howard was executive director of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition. The election she just won was her first for public office… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin, Texas, just voted to spend $7 billion on a transportation revolution (Fast Company)
Austin, Texas, where drivers spend an average of 104 hours stuck in traffic each year, is a city built around the car. But after passing two new propositions, the city now plans to invest more than $7 billion in a new transit system, and another $460 million in new infrastructure centered on walking and biking.
“There were three main arguments that were made,” says Austin mayor Steve Adler. “One was congestion. One was climate change. One was mobility equity in our city.”
The city’s new transit plan, called Project Connect, will build a new rail system with 31 stations, four new rapid bus routes, new on-demand shuttles to take people to transit stations, and new park-and-ride stations. The plan, funded by an increase in property taxes, also includes $300 million to help make sure that as transportation improves in some neighborhoods and housing values rise, residents aren’t displaced from their homes due to gentrification. They’ll do this by offering rent subsidies, building more affordable housing, and giving financial assistance to home buyers. A second measure will invest millions in new bike lanes, sidewalks, urban trails, intersections that are redesigned for safety, and other infrastructure, including a new pedestrian bridge.
The city had failed to pass two plans for new rail lines in the past. Adler says it succeeded now in part because it was the right plan. “It had gone through several years of real intense public engagement and scrutiny,” he says. “So we went through a campaign where the opposition never really attacked the plan itself. And that was considerably different than the plan in 2014. It was also large enough so that people actually thought it would meaningfully impact traffic and climate change issues.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Deposition reveals new links between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and developer Nate Paul (Dallas Morning News)
The real estate developer linked to claims of corruption against Ken Paxton hired a woman who allegedly had an extramarital affair with the attorney general, The Dallas Morning News has learned. Nate Paul, an Austin-based businessman and campaign donor, said he believed Paxton recommended the woman for a job at his firm, according to a deposition The News obtained Wednesday. Paul acknowledged knowing Paxton for several years, and he said they spoke as recently as last week, when Paul expressed condolences over the death of Paxton’s mother. The deposition — taken Monday in a financial dispute between Paul and an Austin-based charity — sheds new light on the depth of the men’s ties.
Their relationship is under scrutiny after seven top staffers in the attorney general’s office reported Paxton to law enforcement and accused him of serious crimes — bribery, abuse of office and improper influence. They said Paul has repeatedly tried to use the state agency for personal gain, and that Paxton let him. Paxton accused the employees of impeding a criminal investigation and fired three of them. He called their allegations false and said he wouldn’t step down. Paxton said he was doing his job to defend the constitutional rights of Texas citizens.
“My own staff attacked me publicly,” he told the online Southeast Texas Record last month in his only interview about the accusations. “All I ever asked them to do was find the truth.” Hours after the deposition began, First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster ordered Paul to stop answering certain questions, according to Paul’s lawyer. Paul then declined to speak about his communications with Paxton. Spokesmen for the agency and Paxton’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Paul’s attorney, Michael Wynne, did not answer questions about when the woman was hired or why Paxton might have recommended her. He told The News Paul’s company has hundreds of employees, including the woman, and “in accordance with state and federal laws does not invade their privacy, including to inquire about their personal lives.” The News is not identifying the woman because she is not a public figure. She could not be reached Thursday for comment… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Julián Castro warned months ago of a 'potential slide of Latino support for Democrats' (San Antonio Express-News)
The Democratic political establishment was shocked by the gains Donald Trump made with Latino voters on Election Day. Perhaps they should have listened to Julián Castro, who warned months ago of a "potential slide of Latino support for Democrats." The San Antonio native and former presidential candidate was interviewed by Axios on HBO for an episode that aired on Aug. 17.
Castro noted that the Latino community, the largest non-white population and voting group in the nation, "too often times is invisible" to both the Democratic party and the rest of American society. "I believe that Joe Biden is going to win the presidency and that’s he’s going to easily win the Latino vote," Castro said. "But it concerns me because I think that we could win the battle and lose the war. We could win in November but you see a potential slide of Latino support for Democrats."
He said it was incumbent on the Biden campaign to do everything they could to bring a community with low voting rates into the fold. "Not only for the purpose of winning important states like Florida — and even close margin states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania in November — but maybe more importantly, ensuring that the Latino community is a robust part of this coalition going forward," Castro said. "Or else you're going to see a slide that will benefit the Republicans in the years to come."… (LINK TO STORY)
In Texas, Biden’s urban wins couldn’t offset Trump’s millions of votes in rural, red counties (Texas Tribune)
Democrats entered Election Day hopeful that Texas had changed enough politically and demographically in recent years for Joe Biden to win the state’s 38 electoral votes and disrupt the national political landscape.
It didn’t turn out that way.
President Donald Trump won Texas by a little more than 800,000 votes in 2016. In order to turn the tide in 2020, Biden needed to take advantage of population growth in the state’s biggest cities and political shifts in the suburbs to erase Trump’s massive advantages in rural areas of the state. Biden did improve his numbers in the cities and suburbs, but not by nearly enough.
To help explain what happened, The Texas Tribune broke up the state’s 254 counties into four groups based on their voting habits. These are the same groups we used to look at increases in registered voters ahead of the election… (LINK TO STORY)
A controversial rule limiting housing options for homeless Texans with criminal records was softened, but it still worries advocates (Texas Tribune)
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is slightly backing off a controversial plan that would make it harder for homeless Texans with particular criminal histories to live in tax-subsidized housing units meant to help them secure permanent homes. At a meeting Thursday, agency officials said they would drop a proposal blocking people with convictions for nonviolent felonies and class A misdemeanors from living in new developments financed with what are called Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
But the agency still plans to ban prospective tenants who have committed some violent felonies and some drug-related offenses for three to seven years after their convictions. That remaining planned prohibition has some homeless organizations saying the proposed rule will still make it hard to get homeless people into "supportive housing" developments.
Supportive housing projects are funded through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, which give developers tax benefits in exchange for building homes that are leased at below-market rates. Once they're built, developers and local providers coordinate to connect tenants that were previously homeless with support services like mental health or substance use programs. Either the developer or external agencies provide these services in order to help tenants get back on their feet… (LINK TO STORY)
Texans have filed nearly 3.8 million unemployment claims during coronavirus pandemic (Texas Tribune)
The week ending Oct. 31, a total of 36,200 Texans filed initial applications for unemployment relief.
Nearly 3.8 million people have filed for unemployment relief since the beginning of the pandemic, and the state’s unemployment rate remains more than double what it was at the start of the year. Texas’ sales tax revenues — the largest source of funding for the state budget — have created a shortfall that officials will have to fill.
The state’s outdated and understaffed unemployment insurance office has left countless Texans confused and without unemployment benefits. An extra $600 weekly unemployment payment that was part of a federal relief bill expired in July. In August, the state received federal funding to provide an extra $300 every week for people who have lost their jobs. However, nearly 350,000 unemployed Texans didn't qualify for the extra benefit, and the payments ended in September.
When eviction moratoriums were lifted in July, unemployed renters faced a system that housing attorneys — and some eviction judges — say is already stacked against tenants. In September, the federal government announced a nationwide eviction moratorium that could protect millions of Texans from being evicted.
Economists say weakened oil prices, high unemployment and the ongoing public health crisis will slow Texas’ economic recovery… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Wall Street bet on a 'Blue Wave,' but divided government suits it just fine too (NPR)
Wall Street seemed to love the prospect of a "blue wave" just a few days ago. Now that Democrats appear less likely to get the landslide they hoped for, investors are happy about that as well.
Stock prices began climbing early in the week, when polls showed that Democrats could capture both the Senate and the White House, giving them complete control of Washington.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished 1.6% higher on Monday and then rose more than 2% before polls closed on Election Day.
Though Wall Street is usually wary of Democratic control of government, investors saw it as the best chance to pass the kind of economic relief bill that markets have been clamoring for during the coronavirus pandemic.
The election outcome still remains uncertain. But former Vice President Joe Biden is leading President Trump, while hopes for a Democratic-led Senate have faded.
A Biden win and a Republican-led upper chamber would mean a divided government for at least the next two years.
Yet stocks continued to climb. The Dow finished up by another 542 points Thursday, an increase of nearly 2%. The S&P 500 also ended up nearly 2%.
"I am calling it the 'Tails I win, Heads I Win' market," tweeted David Rosenberg, chief economist at Rosenberg Research… (LINK TO STORY)
Fight for Senate majority boils down to Georgia (The Hill)
Control of the Senate is boiling down to Georgia, likely dragging the fight for the majority out until early January.
Democrats are pinning their hopes on being able to force a 50-50 Senate on a narrow, uphill path that requires them to win both seats in the typically red state. If Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins the White House, a 50-50 margin would hand them the majority because Vice President Kamala Harris could break a tie.
Democrats know they will have a chance to win one race in a runoff on Jan. 5, when GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler will face Democratic nominee Raphael Warnock.
Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) on Thursday also fell below 50 percent of the vote in his contest against Democrat Jon Ossoff, the amount needed to win outright under Georgia’s election law. Officials on both sides expect a second run-off election for that seat that will keep Democrats’ Senate dreams alive.
“It’s about the maximum chaos,” said Miles Coleman, an associate editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball. “We didn’t expect the stakes to be this high. ...There’s going to be enormous pressure on the Georgia Democratic Party to flip those seats.”
A Democratic strategist working on the Senate races warned that the next two months will be a “crazy ride.”
"All eyes are on Georgia,” the strategist added. “They're just going to barn burners. There's a ton at stake and it's a highly competitive state.”
The dual runoffs, with the Senate majority on the line, would set the stage for a nail-biting finish to an already chaotic, historic election year, with millions already set to pour into the state.
In a sign of the knife sharpening to come, campaigns for Perdue and Ossoff are trading blows ahead of an expected two-months slog that will turn the traditionally red state into the frontlines over the Senate majority battle… (LINK TO STORY)