BG Reads | News You Need to Know (October 13, 2021)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
EVENTS // Thursday, October 28 (6PM - 10PM0, A Night In Verde Presented by St. David’s Healthcare - benefiting the 4ATX Foundation (Austin FC’s non-profit arm).
Link-> https://seatgeek.com/a-night-in-verde-presented-by-st-davids-healthcare-tickets/mls/2021-10-28-7-pm/5497856?preview_token=5R39m8VbKk
***NEW*** BG Podcast Ep. 147: Redistricting, Austin's Mayoral Election, and a New Police Chief
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Austin moves down to Stage 3 of Covid-19 guidelines as local hospital admissions and cases slow (KUT)
Austin Public Health is moving down to Stage 3 of its Covid-19 guidance, as cases and hospitalizations continue to decline.
“We’ve had a decline in the number of cases, and we are seeing a gradual reduction in the numbers of people in hospital, in ICU and with ventilator use,” Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes told a joint meeting of Travis County commissioners and Austin City Council members Tuesday. “So we’re on the other side of the delta surge that we’ve been experiencing since the beginning of July.”
The move comes two weeks after APH lowered its Covid risk stage from the highest level down to Stage 4. It’s another sign that the third wave of the virus to hit the Austin area is slowing.
The drop to Stage 3 means vaccinated people are no longer advised to wear masks at outdoor private gatherings or when shopping. Low-risk vaccinated people also don’t need to wear masks when dining, but vaccinated people who are at high risk of severe illness should continue. All vaccinated people should wear masks at indoor gatherings and when traveling… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin leads nation in sublease decline (Austin Business Journal)
Austin has seen the biggest decline in sublease space in the country since the beginning of the year, according to data shared by CoStar Group Inc. It's good news for anyone worrying about a glut of office space.
Available sublease space for 2021 is at about 2.7 million square feet. That’s down from about 4 million square feet of available sublease space at the end of 2020.
San Francisco was a close second to Austin, also with a decline of about 1.3 million square feet of available sublease space through the first three quarters of 2021 — but it's a much larger market. The San Francisco area had about 9.5 million square feet of sublease space available, year-to-date for 2021, compared to about 10.8 million square feet available at the end of 2020.
The San Diego market was third, nationally, in terms of sublease space taken off the market this year. The Southern California city saw a decline of 600,000 square feet of sublease space through the first three quarters of 2021, compared to 2020.
Austin’s office market, overall, registered the first three-month stretch of positive net demand since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a just-released CBRE Group Inc. report focusing on the third quarter. Vacancy also dropped by 4%, quarter-over-quarter, to 20.1% through Sept. 30.
The Austin sublease market decreased by 280,000 square feet in the third quarter, compared to the second quarter, according to CBRE… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Tesla's HQ move to Austin isn't shocking, but it's game-changing, experts say (Austin Business Journal)
Elon Musk's companies keep plenty of details close to the vest, and as his startup empire has drawn a clear line from California to Texas over the last year and a half, there has been much speculation about his long-term plans for the region — including the idea that the Tesla Inc. HQ was bound to follow.
Musk recently showed his hand when he announced on Oct. 7 Tesla's plans to relocate its corporate operations to Austin, which cements the theories that Central Texas is a key element in the electric vehicle manufacturer's future. It's also added proof of Austin's allure for company relocations and expansions. Many economic experts said Tesla's HQ move, while it isn't shocking, will catapult the region's relocation wins to new heights.
“Based on the amount of attention and interest and activity that we see from corporations around the world, I think Austin is on the ascendancy," said Gary Farmer, chairman of Opportunity Austin, the economic development initiative of Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. "We’ve captured the imagination of people everywhere, but we’ve got work to do.”
Experts said much of that work revolves around keeping affordability and traffic in check, supplying a stout homegrown workforce to such a fast-growing business sector and ensuring that companies bring not just jobs — but the kinds of jobs that a well-balanced economy in a big city craves.
Musk's interest in Central Texas has been clear since summer 2020, when it was announced that Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) would build a $1.1 billion gigafactory in eastern Travis County. Since then, a business entity tied to Tesla has amassed over 2,500 acres off the State Highway 130 toll road, and Musk has proclaimed that Tesla will need 10,000 people at the factory by the end of next year… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
With an eye toward equity, Austin ISD maps schools with vulnerable students amid bond planning (Austin American-Statesman)
As the Austin school district explores a potential bond proposal for November 2022, district leaders are looking beyond facility conditions by identifying the schools serving the most vulnerable students and neighborhoods.
It’s one of many efforts by the district to work toward equity and regain community trust after the 2019 closure of four campuses, three of which were in East Austin, home to historically underserved communities.
Metz and Sims elementaries closed and were consolidated with other schools under renovations funded by 2017 bonds, leaving some parents and voters hesitant about another bond issue. Brooke and Pease elementaries also closed.
This time, however, district leaders say they are not looking at closing schools and are focused on listening to communities as they develop a long-range plan for the district and a potential bond package.
To begin conversations, they used district and federal data to identify 25 schools with the most need for support and facility improvements… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Businesses face tough choices after Gov. Greg Abbott bans vaccine mandates (Texas Tribune)
Companies doing business in Texas now face new and complicated challenges after Gov. Greg Abbott this week banned COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all entities in the state — including private businesses — for employees or customers.
The ramifications for businesses could begin as soon as Friday, when companies that enter into contract work with the federal government will be required to have all employees vaccinated under orders from the White House.
This conflicts with Abbott’s ban on vaccine mandates, putting the many Texas businesses that receive federal contracts in a tough position: Comply with federal law and violate Abbott’s ban, or comply with Abbott and turn down business from the federal government. (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Southwest, American airlines workers will have to get vaccinated, despite Texas order (Politico)
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, both based in Texas, said Tuesday that they will continue plans to require employees to get vaccinated, despite an edict issued by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that would ban vaccine mandates for private businesses in the state. "Federal action supersedes any state mandate or law, and we would be expected to comply with the President's Order to remain compliant as a federal contractor," Southwest said in a statement to POLITICO, referencing the Biden administration's requirement that government contractors be vaccinated by Dec. 8. "We will continue to follow all orders closely and keep our employees updated on any potential changes to existing policies," a spokesperson said, adding the airline is in the process of "reviewing all guidance issued on the vaccine."
Abbott on Monday signed a sweeping order effectively banning vaccine mandates for private businesses with 100 or more employees. Last month, the Biden administration said it will require that businesses with 100 employees or more must mandate vaccines or receive weekly Covid tests. American Airlines said it's also reviewing Abbott's order and that so far airline officials "believe the federal vaccine mandate supersedes any conflicting state laws, and this does not change anything for American."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the federal mandates' legal mandate "unquestionable," and said Abbott is just playing politics. "We've seen from economist after economist, and frankly, many business leaders who have already worked to implement mandates that implementing these mandates creates certainty and reduces the number of people who are out of work sick, and worse," Psaki said. "That is good ultimately for businesses, it's good for the economy," she said, adding it saves lives. "Bottom line is we're going to continue to implement the law, which the President of the United States has the ability, the authority — the legal authority to do, and we are going to continue to work to get more people vaccinated, to get out of this pandemic," Psaki said. "The President will use every lever at his disposal to do that."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Dallas Regional Chamber distances itself from Gov. Abbott’s ban on vaccine mandates (Dallas Morning News)
The Dallas Regional Chamber on Tuesday said it supports businesses’ right to choose between requiring vaccinations for workers and regular testing. “From a business perspective, a full economic recovery can only happen if more people get vaccinated so that our communities stay healthy, and businesses can stay open,” the Dallas Regional Chamber said in a statement. “Businesses have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of all employees in the workplace. The DRC supports the choice of each individual employer to do what is best for their company, whether that includes a vaccine mandate with reasonable exceptions, or giving the option of regular testing for those not vaccinated to ensure businesses can operate safely and effectively.”
The DRC spoke out less than 24 hours after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order mandating that Texas businesses cannot require employees or customers to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Two of the nation’s largest airlines -- American and Southwest, both headquartered in North Texas -- have already said they’ll defy Abbott’s order and follow President Biden’s vaccine mandate requirement for federal contractors. The business organization’s statement did not mention Abbott or Biden by name. Abbott’s order was seen as a rebuke of the Biden administration’s push for employers with more than 100 workers to mandate vaccination or provide for regular testing. Earlier this summer, the chamber led a COVID-19 vaccine awareness campaign in Dallas-Fort Worth in an effort to push the region over the threshold for herd immunity. Titled “Take Care of Business,” it used targeted advertising and a sweepstakes to encourage North Texans ages 16 and older to get vaccinated so businesses could resume pre-pandemic levels of activity… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Rising sea levels threaten Texas coastal cities, says new research (Houston Chronicle)
Texas cities along the Gulf Coast join about 50 major cities around the world that are under threat of being submerged in the future if temperatures continue to rise, according to new research by Climate Central scientists. The findings were published last week, but a collection of photos and graphics by Climate Central released Tuesday show how about 180 sites like the Santa Monica Pier in California and the Sydney Opera House in Australia may have a flooded future in the next century if humans and government organizations don’t cut carbon pollution soon. Rising sea levels are caused by the world getting hotter, the report says. Temperatures around the world are continuing to increase due to the large and increasing number of pollutants in the atmosphere, which is then causing more ice to melt from glaciers, and hotter oceans that are set to expand.
In August, the global surface temperature was at 0.90 degrees Celsius, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. The Climate Central report includes interactive visuals allowing readers to adjust the global warming temperature from 1.1 degrees Celsius to 4 degrees Celsius to see the sea level rise at each site. At about 3 degrees, millions of people would be displaced from their homes with their entire cities underwater, the study shows. The parking lots surrounding Space Center Houston would be engulfed in water at just 1.5 degrees Celsius thanks to existing and past carbon pollution. But if humans continue on the same carbon path, the water level will block entrances to the museum and flood the entire area, according to the visual. Visualizations of other Texas cities like Beaumont and La Porte are also listed in the study and are under threat in the future. Readers can adjust the arrows and global warming temperature to see just how each area is impacted. Today, the San Jacinto Museum of History is located on dry land, but in the future, it’s also projected to have some water on land near the building due to past pollutants at 1.1 degrees Celsius… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Timeline for $2 billion makeover at San Antonio International Airport hits the fast track (San Antonio Express-News)
San Antonio International Airport doesn’t make much of an impression on visitors. Terminal A — the largest of two arrival and departure facilities in the airport complex — is cramped and outdated. And little about it tells travelers they’ve arrived in the seventh-largest city in the country. San Antonio airport officials are striving to make a better first impression with a plan that includes building a Terminal C and new parking garage, creating a single security checkpoint — and replacing Terminal A. They also plan to imbue the airport with a San Antonio feel. The remaking of San Antonio International could happen fast. “Our goal is to have construction begin in the next 3-5 years and for the completion of Phase I to be finished in the next 6-8 years,” city Aviation Director Jesus Saenz Jr. said in an email to the Express-News. “We are planning for the future of the community and the future of the airport.”
Still, he said airport officials have to undertake “advanced programming and planning before we can confidently share a timeline.” City Council members and city staff so far appear to be on board with the plan, which could cost more than $2 billion. The cost would be covered by passenger fees on tickets, airline and concession rents, and federal grants. The proposal is set to be presented to the City Council on Nov. 10, with the council expected to vote on it by year’s end. Before that, plans for a new terminal will be released to the public Oct. 19 at an in-person meeting at the Jewish Community Center, followed by a virtual meeting Oct. 21. The Airport System Development Committee, its 21 members appointed by Mayor Ron Nirenberg, started work on the airport remake in 2018. The construction timeline Saenz sketched in his emailed statement is much more aggressive than originally envisioned. In the first phase of the planning effort, passenger growth projections put Terminal C in line for opening in 2038. It’s unclear why airport officials are looking to speed up the timeline. What’s more clear is the fact the pandemic threw a wrench into the airport’s projections. In 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19, more than 10 million travelers passed through San Antonio International. Last year, the passenger count collapsed as people largely stayed home and avoided air travel… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Once hailed as 'the best police chief in America,' Art Acevedo is suspended in Miami (NPR)
The city of Miami has suspended and intends to fire its police chief, Art Acevedo.
Miami's city manager Art Noriega sent Acevedo a memo Monday listing the reasons for his termination. Noriega said the police chief failed to follow department protocols, he had lost the confidence of his officers and had made improper comments that damaged community relations.
Acevedo came to Miami after gaining a national profile in Texas as a police chief in Houston and Austin. At a news conference announcing his hire in April, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez called him "the best chief in America."
On Tuesday, Suarez was more subdued, calling his suspension "the beginning of the end of an unfortunate episode." Suarez defended the hire, saying Acevedo had "the qualifications and experience to be an effective chief of police." But Suarez said it had become clear that the police chief's personality and leadership style didn't work in Miami. Suarez said, "The status quo where a top city administrator is in a war with the city's elected leadership is simply untenable and unsustainable."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)