BG Reads | News You Need to Know (July 19, 2021)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Texas Comptroller records show Taylor ISD Chapter 313 agreement is for $17B Samsung Austin Semiconductor facility (Community Impact)
Records from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts show that a June 30 application for Chapter 313 tax limitation approved by Taylor ISD was for Samsung Austin Semiconductor.
The application, under the name “Project Colin,” was approved June 30 by the Taylor ISD Board of Trustees, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported.
At the time, TISD Public Information Officer Tim Crow declined to say how large of a limitation was approved, how long it would last or who it was from, as the project name does not belong to an existing business.
In records obtained from the Comptroller’s website by Community Impact, a property with an undisclosed location is the subject of an application for tax reimbursement on a $17 billion facility over the course of 5 years. The application does not make clear how much of a limitation is being considered. It has been accepted by the school district, but has not yet been approved by the Comptroller. The documents state that Samsung is also considering locations in Arizona, New York and South Korea for a new plant.
If approved, construction is expected to begin in January 2022, with the first year of the limitation to be 2024… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin announces stricter coronavirus protocols for unvaccinated residents as cases increase. But it can’t legally enforce them. (Texas Tribune)
Austin city and public health officials on Thursday raised the city’s coronavirus risk-based guidelines for the first time since the winter surge, urging unvaccinated people to avoid nonessential travel and take other precautions after seeing a dramatic increase in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent days.
Officials placed at least part of the blame on the dangerous and highly transmissible delta variant of the virus, which has contributed to similar spikes in more-populous areas across Texas recently.
“We cannot pretend that we are done with a virus that is not done with us,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said during a Thursday news conference… (LINK TO STORY)
Stonelake's 37-story tower at old Carmelo's site (Austin Business Journal)
Stonelake Capital Partners LLC has offered the first hint at its plans for the former Carmelo’s restaurant site, which it purchased at a December foreclosure auction.
The real estate-focused private equity firm on July 12 filed a site plan application with the city of Austin proposing a multifamily tower at the downtown Austin property, where the Italian restaurant shuttered in 2017.
Stonelake Managing Partner Kenneth Aboussie confirmed in a July 15 email that the company intends to construct a 37-story residential high-rise on the site with 250 units. Stonelake has tabbed Gensler's Austin office to design the building, while GarzaEMC is on board as the civil engineer. The working name for the project is Stonelake | 5RR.
"We are planning to thoughtfully preserve the buildings which are historic on the site and incorporate those buildings into the Stonelake | 5RR development," Aboussie wrote. "Just like our 415 Colorado development, Stonelake will be 100% of the equity and will develop 5RR with no outside partners."
The site plan did not specify whether the units would be condos or apartments for rent… (LINK TO STORY)
Proposed live music grants could fund hundreds of concerts (Austin Monitor)
The city is seeking feedback in the initial guidelines for the long-planned Live Music Fund, which would provide hundreds of grants of up to $10,000 for independent musicians and promoters to create new concerts and festivals throughout the city. Total proposed funding for the program stands at $2.5 million, with grant amounts ranging from $5,000-$10,000 each.
City staffers presented the suggested guidelines for the Live Music Fund Event Program at last week’s meeting of the Music Commission, explaining that the commission’s emphasis on equity and historically underserved communities will give priority in application scoring to racial minorities and those with gender- and disability-based considerations. Other prioritized groups will be independent promoters with a staff of three or fewer people, and professional musicians and bands based in Austin.
The initial guidelines designate that the awarded funds can be used for live and virtual events, special events and festivals based in specific City Council districts, and paid marketing plans that promote funded events as a tourist attraction to comply with the use of Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars being used to fund the program… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin was 'the biggest winner' of COVID tech migration. What happens to Silicon Valley? (San Francisco Chronicle)
Texas’s capital has long been a tech pioneer, starting in the 1960s with IBM and Texas Instruments. In 1984, a University of Texas at Austin student named Michael Dell launched his PC company, which would become one of the largest computer manufacturers. But the rise of social media and mobile phones was concentrated in Silicon Valley, cementing the West Coast as the world’s biggest tech hub.
Now, Austin is striving to win the next era of tech.
A year after the pandemic canceled its signature tech and arts conference, SXSW, the city has gone from a harbinger of the crisis to one of its biggest winners, according to local businesses and economic data.
Austin has regained 97% of its lost jobs from spring 2020, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Unemployment was a seasonally adjusted 4.6% in May, down from a pandemic peak of around 12% in April 2020. Company relocations added 12,421 new jobs last year, a record high. The housing market is one of the hottest in the country, with demand soaring from out-of-state arrivals. Studies show there wasn't a California exodus to Texas, but Austin has benefited from company expansions and tech migration… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Postponed weddings, stockpiled insulin and Covid: The bizarre life of Texas Democrats in exile (Politico)
Celia Israel was putting finishing touches on her wedding last week when she learned that, instead, she had to drop everything and leave. The Democratic state representative from Texas had driven with her partner of 26 years, Celinda, to see a family friend who was making her outfit. They were set to get married on the floor of the Texas state House early in the morning on Thursday. But before Israel’s partner got fitted last Sunday, her phone buzzed with a text from fellow state legislator Gina Hinojosa. “She said, ‘I need to talk to you.’ And I could just sense, like, ‘Oh no,’” Israel said. “So I called her and I said, ‘Are you in jail?’ She said, ‘No, I’m going to have some news. I hate to tell you this, but your wedding isn’t going happen on Thursday.’”
Israel is one of the over 50 state House Democrats who fled Texas on Monday to deny Republicans a quorum for a major new elections bill that has stirred backlash: axing pandemic-era practices to expand voting access adopted in a large Democratic-leaning county, further restricting mail voting in the state and making election workers liable for new potential civil or criminal penalties. Democrats are in the minority in Texas, but Republicans can’t pass the legislation without them there — so they left for Washington, D.C. In interviews with a dozen Texas lawmakers during their first week in Washington, they described a hectic, last-minute scramble to pack and get out of the state. Many found out on Sunday that the quorum break was a go, but they didn’t know how long they would be gone — or, until hours before they departed on Monday, where they were actually heading. “One thing I had to do early Monday morning was stock up on insulin,” said state Rep. James Talarico, who has Type 1 diabetes, “because I didn’t know where we were going to be and if I was going to have access to a pharmacy. It’s those little things you don’t think about.” State Rep. John Bucy piled into a car with his 27-weeks-pregnant wife and their 17-month-old daughter and drove 22 hours to join the rest of the caucus, after deciding not to fly. State Rep. Erin Zwiener brought her young daughter with her to D.C., keeping her entertained during meetings with members of Congress. Tearing up, state Rep. Ina Minjarez described leaving her husband at home as he grieves the recent death of a parent. “I don’t think the public understands what we leave behind is important to us. It’s important,” Minjarez said. “And for me, it was just trying to get my house in order.”… (LINK TO STORY)
El Paso Democrat Joe Moody stripped of leadership position in Texas House after leaving state with Democrats (Texas Tribune)
El Paso Democrat Joe Moody was stripped of his position as speaker pro tem of the Texas House on Thursday in the first major backlash for a Democrat who left the chamber to prevent a vote on a GOP priority elections bill.
House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, announced the removal of Moody as speaker pro tem in a memo Thursday morning before the House was set to return Thursday. He gave no statement but said the removal was effective immediately.
"The most important titles in my life will never change: Dad, Husband, El Pasoan," Moody said in a statement. "Nothing political has ever even cracked the top three, so nothing has changed about who I am or what my values are."
Moody has served as speaker pro tem for two sessions under two speakers. He is one Phelan’s top allies in the Democratic party, and the two have worked together to push bills aimed at making fixes to the state’s criminal justice system.
The speaker pro tem performs the duties of the speaker in their absence. Moody’s appointment to the position was seen as an olive branch by Republicans and raised the El Paso Democrat’s profile and stature in the chamber.
Rep. Chris Turner, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, blasted Phelan's decision in a statement on social media.
"The smartest decision Dade Phelan has made as speaker was to appoint Joe Moody Speaker Pro Tem," he said. "Joe works tirelessly to help lead the House and is respected by [Democrat] & [Republican] members. That's why the Speaker's decision to remove Joe is so short-sighted and so dumb."… (LINK TO STORY)
George P. Bush leads fundraising in attorney general race, but AG Ken Paxton has most campaign cash (Dallas Morning News)
Republican George P. Bush outraised the competition in the crowded race for Texas attorney general, but embattled incumbent Ken Paxton maintains the largest campaign war chest heading into the 2022 race. One of Paxton’s biggest financial supporters is the Republican Attorneys General Association, a sign the group will throw its resources behind him in the three-way GOP primary. Another big-dollar donor is Houston attorney Mark Lanier, who Paxton hired late last year to represent the state in a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Google. In all, campaign finance reports show that Paxton raised $1.8 million in the last 10 days of June, a far stronger showing than last year and a sign that his bid for re-election is viable after several scandals. Last fall, Paxton’s fundraising plummeted after several senior staffers accused him of abusing the office to help a campaign donor and the FBI began investigating. Paxton has denied wrongdoing and no charges have been filed.
In a statement, Paxton said he’s always won past campaigns, despite being outspent and out-raised. “What is clear from this report is that attacks on me from RINOs are solidifying my support and contributions from Texans who want to keep a conservative champion as their chief law enforcement officer,” Paxton said. The campaign finance reports filed Thursday offer the first glimpse at how quickly candidates can raise cash after a nearly six-month ban on fundraising lifted with the close of the regular legislative session. They also signal a tough race ahead for Paxton — who has not faced a primary opponent since being elected attorney general in 2014. In seeking a third term as the state’s top lawyer, Paxton faces serious Republican challengers in Bush and former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman. Two Democrats have also mounted campaigns, with more with more potentially on the way. The opponents jumped into the race amid Paxton’s mounting legal woes, which include an ongoing whistleblower lawsuit, the FBI investigation and a 6-year-old indictment on securities fraud that he is still fighting. Bush, who currently leads the Texas General Land Office, raised $2.3 million, according to his campaign finance report. About $1.5 million came from Texas donors, with some of the biggest six-figure checks from Dallas oilman Trevor Rees-Jones and Woodlands lawyer Arnulfo Eduardo Treviño Garza… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Biden’s Facebook attack followed months of frustration inside White House (Wall Street Journal)
President Biden’s attack on Facebook Inc. on Friday followed months of mounting private frustration inside his administration over the social-media giant’s handling of vaccine misinformation, according to U.S. officials, bringing into public view tensions that could complicate efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19.
The tough words between the White House and Silicon Valley escalated over the weekend, as Facebook issued a blunt statement accusing the Biden administration of distorting the facts. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows in Washington, countered that social-media companies weren’t doing enough to clamp down on false statements about Covid-19 vaccines.
“The reality is that misinformation is still spreading like wildfire in our country, aided and abetted by technology platforms,” Dr. Murthy said on Fox News Sunday. He granted that companies like Facebook had taken steps to address false vaccine information, but he added, “It is not enough.”
Facebook has rejected the Biden administration’s criticisms. On Saturday, the company posted an item on its blog saying it wasn’t responsible for Mr. Biden’s failure to achieve his publicly stated goal of 70% of American adults receiving at least one dose of the vaccine by July 4 and that 85% of its users in the U.S. have been or want to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Facebook also said it was doing its part to help get more Americans vaccinated, such as by operating pop-up vaccine clinics in low-income and underserved communities in California and other states… (LINK TO STORY)
Los Angeles imposes new mask mandate (Wall Street Journal)
Los Angeles County will again require the use of masks indoors, following a sharp rise in coronavirus infections since most Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in California a month earlier.
The new order will require everyone, regardless of whether they are vaccinated, to wear face coverings in most indoor public places. It takes effect at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday. Some exceptions will apply, similar to those in place for much of the past year, including for restaurants. No businesses are being ordered to reduce capacity or close.
The new restrictions follow what officials called alarming growth in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, as residents of the nation’s largest most populous county cast off their masks in coffee shops and movie theaters and life returned to something resembling a pre-pandemic normal.
Some 1,537 new cases were confirmed on Thursday, according to county health officials, an 83% increase over the previous week. Hospitalizations have more than tripled over the same period… (LINK TO STORY)
Controversy equals cash for Greene, Gaetz (The Hill)
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) are among the top-ranked fundraisers in the House, according to new Federal Election Commission filings, with each bringing in more than $1 million.
Greene, who was stripped of her committee assignments earlier this year after expressing support for violence against Democrats, raised more than $1.5 million. Greene has also come under criticism from Republicans for remarks about the Holocaust.
Gaetz has been mired in controversy as investigators examine whether he violated federal sex trafficking laws. But he took in $1.4 million despite having to refund 50 campaign donations… (LINK TO STORY)