BG Reads | News You Need to Know (September 4, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
*NEW* BG Podcast Episode 106: 2020 Summer Closeout with Associate Intern Josh (SHOW LINK)
Note: Shows also available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Sound Cloud, and Stitcher
*NEW* BG Blog: Bingham Group Announces Partnership With APC Collective (BLOG LINK)
[AUSTIN METRO]
The Office of Sustainability releases draft Climate Equity Plan (Austin Monitor)
The Sustainability Office released its new revised Climate Equity Plan for public comment Wednesday, with hopes to submit the plan to City Council in October.
The 97-page document, which is available through the city’s engagement portal, outlines the Sustainability Office’s plans to decrease the city’s impact on the climate. The original plan, which was called the Austin Community Climate Plan, was adopted in 2015 after City Council resolved to eliminate community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Council also created the Joint Sustainability Steering Committee, which drafted this new plan.
The new plan was updated to accelerate the city’s emission-reduction efforts, with a focus on ensuring racial equity. In a letter from the Joint Sustainability Steering Committee on page three of the plan, committee chairs Katie Coyne, Shane Johnson and Mayuri Raja point to the city’s segregated history and its impact on the economic and living disparities among communities of color as the reasoning behind the plan’s intense focus on racial equity.
“Currently, race predicts a person’s quality-of-life outcomes in our community, which means communities of color in Austin are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change,” the chairs wrote in the letter. “We live in a tale of two cities – while Austin is repeatedly listed in popular news articles and magazines as the ‘best city’ to live in, this city is one of the most economically and racially segregated cities in the U.S. because of the forces of white supremacy culture that have driven and maintained this dynamic.”
The committee created an Equity Tool to ensure their goals address community health, affordability, accessibility, ease of transition for low-income communities and communities of color, intersectional community improvement, cultural preservation and accountability. The hope is that the goals don’t unintentionally burden residents from marginalized communities. The committee also created a Community Climate Ambassador Program, where 12 community members gauged citizen concerns and provided feedback to the city. Those reports will be posted in the appendix of the plan at a later date.
In addition to placing priority on racial equity, the plan accelerates the already ambitious goals set out by the 2015 plan. The new plan sets complete net-carbon emissions reduction to 2040, a decade sooner than originally planned. To stay on track with this deadline, the steering committee outlined 18 smaller goals to meet by 2030 and 75 strategies to implement by 2025.
The draft plan outlines the strategies needed to meet the 2030 goals… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin’s funding application denied for violent crime prevention grant ‘Project Safe Neighborhoods’ (KXAN-NBC)
The City of Austin is in the process of reviewing more than three dozen funding grants for the Austin Police Department, making sure they’re in line with city council’s new “vision” for policing. Ahead of Thursday’s city council meeting, $128,019 in funding for the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative was taken off the agenda altogether, but not because of the grant review process.
Last week, Austin City Council was set to vote on the Project Safe Neighborhoods grant for the upcoming year, but several council members expressed hesitation with the way the proposal was written. The vote was delayed until this week’s council meeting, so city staff could make changes to the proposal for the use of the funds. However, before that vote could happen, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas informed the city their application was not approved. Project Safe Neighborhoods provides resources for federal, state and local law enforcement to investigate, prosecute and prevent organized crime and gun violence in cities nationwide. City of Austin Grant Manager Kyran Fitzgerald said the program had been operating in Austin for roughly a year, focusing on downtown Austin and the Riverside neighborhood. “I do think the community will see impacts without this project,” Fitzgerald said. “There’s definitely a need for the work.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Where to find Labor Day takeout specials in Austin (Austin Eater)
It’s already September and the unofficial end of summer is almost here with the approach of Labor Day weekend. Since social gatherings are still banned in the city, several Austin restaurants are offering takeout and delivery holiday specials and meals for those backyard picnics and socially distanced park visits, from Salt & Time’s butcher burgers to Dai Due’s venison hot dogs to Easy Tiger’s apple pies to Le Cowboy’s lasagnas.
Labor Day weekend takes place from Saturday, September 5 through Monday, September 7. When ordering, be sure to tip well and wear a mask when picking up or accepting delivery orders… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Gov. Greg Abbott considering legislation to put Austin police under state control after budget cut (Texas Tribune)
Gov. Greg Abbott is considering a legislative proposal that, if passed, would put the control of the Austin Police Department under state authority.
Texas’ governor tweeted Thursday that he was looking at a strategy that would stop city officials’ efforts to shift resources away from police departments and into other social services. Austin became the first Texas city to approve cutting its police budget last month as calls rise to “defund police” during a revived movement against police brutality and racial injustice.
“This proposal for the state to takeover the Austin Police Department is one strategy I'm looking at,” Abbott tweeted in response to an article from Reform Austin. “We can't let Austin's defunding & disrespect for law enforcement to endanger the public & invite chaos like in Portland and Seattle.”
The cities have experienced months of sometimes violent protests and controversial intervention of federal agents. In Portland, protesters and counter-protesters clashed after a President Donald Trump rally last month, and a member of a far-right political organization was fatally shot.
The potential legislation, sent last week to Abbott by former Texas House members and parliamentarians Terry Keel and Ron Wilson, would allow for a city with a population over 1 million and less than two police officers per 1,000 residents — a bucket Austin falls into — to have its police force consolidated with the Texas Department of Public Safety. The state’s law enforcement branch would take over the local police department and form a new entity if the governor decided there were “insufficient municipal resources being appropriated for public safety needs,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Texas Tribune.
The director of DPS would control operations of the new department, and the state’s Public Safety Commission, a five-member board that oversees DPS and is appointed by the governor, would decide its budget, said Keel, who is also a former Travis County sheriff. The money would then be taken from state sales revenue taxes usually sent to the city.
"That letter basically is a roadmap to how the Legislature can address the problem in Austin," Keel told the Tribune last week. "Because Austin opened the door to the Legislature doing that, by defunding the police and by creating a public safety crisis."…(LINK TO STORY)
Economists: State’s economic outlook hinges on virus fight (Austin American-Statesman)
As Gov. Greg Abbott potentially prepares to ease some restrictions aimed at curtailing spread of the coronavirus, the prognosis for the Texas economy is hanging in the balance.
That’s because there’s a direct line between the prevalence of coronavirus cases in the state and the pace of its business activity, according to a number of economists.
If Abbott manages to safely loosen some restrictions without triggering new outbreaks, they said, the result is likely to be rising levels of commerce as people gain confidence, leading to improvement for the state’s economy.
But a new wave of infections would result in the opposite outcome, they said.
“If there is flare-up and we have to turn back the clock and impose shutdowns — close businesses that have reopened — that would not only have an impact on (employment), but a lot of those small businesses might have to close permanently,” said Bernard Weinstein, a Southern Methodist University economist.
“Until there is an effective vaccine, I would err on the side of caution,” Weinstein said, adding that the opinion is his own and he doesn’t intend it as advice to Abbott or other policymakers.
Nearly two dozen economists from around the country who signed onto a letter circulated by the left-leaning U.S. Public Interest Research Group aren’t hesitant about offering Abbott advice, however. The organization’s Texas affiliate said it delivered the letter — urging public officials nationwide not to lift safety restrictions now because the virus isn’t under control — to Abbott on Thursday.
Abbott hinted in a tweet this week that he might be poised to ease some restrictions on activity, citing a decline in hospitalizations across the state.
“Since my last orders in July, Covid numbers have declined — most importantly hospitalizations,” Abbott, a Republican, said in the tweet. “I hope to provide updates next week about next steps.”
But the letter that the Texas Public Interest Research Group said it submitted to Abbott warns that the economy “will remain in crisis as long as the COVID-19 virus spreads unchecked” across the United States.
“By opening the economy and thus encouraging people to meet up at bars, gyms, restaurants, stores and other gatherings, we are prolonging the harm,” it says.
An Abbott spokesman couldn’t immediately say if the governor had received the letter or had a response to it.
Abbott is well aware that loosening coronavirus restrictions can backfire, however… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas A&M, Baylor Lead State Universities In COVID-19 Cases (Texas Standard)
COVID-19 cases at Texas’ public universities are spiking. University and local health officials anticipated that might happen, as colleges and universities try to return to some semblance of a normal fall semester.
Brittany Britto is a higher-education reporter for the Houston Chronicle who’s is tracking the uptick in cases. She told Texas Standard that Texas A&M and Baylor have some of the highest positive rates among Texas colleges and universities. Both schools have more than 700 COVID-19 cases each. At A&M, that translates to an 11% positivity rate. Other schools with significant numbers of cases include Prairie View A&M and Sam Houston State. The case counts aren’t all created equal, though, Britto said, because of the different ways and time frames during which schools report their cases. Britto said the schools she’s tracking have COVID-19 dashboards on their websites that display case counts.
As a consequence of the spike, colleges are working to change student behavior. That includes finding ways to encourage more social distancing and discourage students who may run afoul of other guidelines meant to stem the spread of COVID-19. Baylor, for example, had a surge of COVID-19 cases in one of its residence halls.
“There’s discipline and suspension and making sure students are socially distancing,” Britto said.
The Baylor students were forced to shelter in place while health officials tested them and conducted contract tracing.
“Most of the students that I’ve spoken to are taking it seriously,” Britto said. “I have spoken to a couple of students who say they’re really bored, and at least one student that says his immune system is built like a tank, so he’s been hanging out with his friends.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Planned Parenthood group endorses Sarah Davis, rebuffing activists' push to support her Dem opponent (Houston Chronicle)
Planned Parenthood’s Texas political arm on Thursday endorsed state Rep. Sarah Davis, rebuffing abortion rights activists who had lobbied the group to deny political support for the Houston Republican. The efforts to deny Davis the endorsement had revolved around a petition circulated by Sherry Merfish, a deeply connected Democratic donor and former Planned Parenthood board member. The petition concedes that Davis “may have met the minimum standards of what it means to be ‘pro-choice,’” but argues that “the rest of her record stands completely at odds with the cause of reproductive justice and the purported mission of Planned Parenthood.” It had gathered some 450 signatures by Wednesday afternoon, including numerous Planned Parenthood donors and two board members of the group’s Houston affiliate. One of the board members, Peggie Kohnert, had circulated her own petition.
The lobbying effort has revealed a fracture between key members of Houston’s abortion rights community and the leaders of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, a political action committee that defines itself as nonpartisan but has struggled to find Republicans like Davis to endorse. As the debate plays out, Texas Democrats — desperate to capture a House majority before next year’s critical redistricting battle — are making an all-out push to unseat Davis, whom they view as one of the most vulnerable Republican legislators in the state. Davis’ stances on abortion have angered members of her party but helped garner support from moderate voters.
In the last two cycles, she won re-election while her party’s standard-bearers, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, each failed to crack 40 percent in her district. Houston lawyer Ann Johnson, Davis’ Democratic opponent, argues the incumbent has worked against women’s reproductive issues by opposing the Affordable Care Act and declining to vote for the law’s optional expansion of Medicaid. Davis disagrees, saying she has voted against “every anti-choice bill” during her time in office. Some of Johnson’s supporters say groups such as Planned Parenthood Texas Votes have allowed Davis to carefully curate her moderate reputation while she aligns with her party on immigration and gun policies. Merfish said the group also would paint a misleading picture of Johnson by backing Davis… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Democratic mayors rip Trump funding threat: We're not 'political pawns' (The Hill)
Four Democratic mayors fired back at President Trump on Thursday after he threatened to cut off funding for certain cities grappling with what he called "lawless" protests.
New York City's Bill de Blasio, Portland's Ted Wheeler, Seattle's Jenny Durkan and Washington, D.C.'s Muriel Bowser released a joint statement responding to the president's threat, saying they will not be used as “political pawns.”
“Our cities, and the millions of Americans who we represent, are not President Trump’s political pawns. We are confronting unprecedented challenges—fighting back a pandemic and economic devastation without another stimulus. Now, instead of leadership from the White House, we are faced with new attacks that are unlawful, unconstitutional and will be undoubtedly defeated in court,” the mayors said.
“President Trump needs to wake up to the reality facing our cities—and our entire country—and realize he is not above the law.”
The fiery rebuke came a day after Trump signed a memo ordering federal agencies to provide the Office of Management and Budget with a report detailing all federal funds provided to the four cities within two weeks.
Each of the cities have seen protests against systemic racism and police brutality in recent months. Many of the demonstrations have been peaceful, though some have devolved into looting and clashes between protesters and law enforcement… (LINK TO STORY)
Trump hits back at Cuomo after Governor tells him he will need ‘Army’ to visit New York (Forbes)
President Trump blasted Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) for his response to the Covid-19 outbreak in a tweet Thursday after the New York governor assailed the president over his threat to cut funding to cities like New York and suggested he would need an “army” to visit Gotham, an escalation of a public feud that has dragged on for months amid the pandemic… (LINK TO STORY)
States Act to Limit COVID-Related Liability: Legislative Watch (GOVERNING)
While understanding of COVID has grown significantly, it’s still not known why some people become extremely ill and others don’t. Not everyone is willing to be patient until the remaining questions are answered, and a surprising number of citizens seem to believe that scientists and public health officials are working against them.
A recent survey by the Brookings Institution found that 11 percent of the Americans who don’t wear a mask in public are motivated by the belief that the pandemic is a conspiracy. Almost a third of Americans, and two-thirds of Republicans, believe that the death toll has been exaggerated.
A climate of divisiveness and finger pointing is fertile ground for lawsuits, and a number of states have acted to protect businesses, caregivers, schools and government itself from liability relating to injury and death resulting from COVID-19. Dozens of bills have been put forward in recent months, all creating a shield against civil liability in the absence of definitive proof that a specific act on the order of “gross negligence” can be connected to a specific injury… (LINK TO STORY)