BG Reads | News You Need to Know (August 26, 2021)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Save Austin Now sues city, saying it isn't fully enforcing ban on camping in public (KUT)
The political action committee Save Austin Now and four business owners have filed a lawsuit against the City of Austin alleging it hasn't been fully enforcing the ban on camping in public.
Voters passed Proposition B in May. The petition-led initiative, organized by Save Austin Now, reinstated old rules surrounding homelessness, including a camping ban.
Travis County GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak, who leads the political action committee, says supporters of Prop B have been patient as the city took a phased-in approach to enforcing the measure. But he says the city is falling short of the directive issued by voters in May.
“I really did hope, and actually expect, that they would fully enforce Prop B,” he said at a press conference Wednesday morning. “They have not taken this seriously from the very beginning.”
After Prop B passed, the Austin Police Department phased in enforcing the public camping ban, at first emphasizing outreach and education over ticketing. APD moved to its final phase of enforcement on Aug. 8, saying it would arrest those who are given a citation and don't voluntarily leave. Violating the ban is a class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday morning in Travis County District Court seeking that the city be required to enforce the public camping ban. Mackowiak says it was not his goal to sue the city, but nearly four months removed from May’s election, he feels the city is not following through with what voters asked for.
“It’s now time for our mayor and our city council and city manager to respect the will of the voters and fully enforce Prop B," he said.
Laura North, owner of Headspace Salon & Co-op in Southwest Austin, is one of the business owners joining the suit. She said the current situation leaves her concerned for her employees and her customers.
“It just feels exhausting, and I feel like the city isn’t supporting us,” she said.
Stuart Dupuy, owner of Balance Dance Studio, is also joining the suit against the city. He said the camping situation near his business hasn't gotten better since May's vote. If anything, he said, he feels it's accelerated.
"I'm just really hopeful that the city is going to step up. We want to make sure that we take care of the homeless, get them somewhere to go," he said. "We also need to look out for children, people who are trying to run businesses, trying to keep ourselves safe."
The city said it rejected the lawsuit's entire premise.
"Since May, APD officers have visited hundreds of people experiencing homelessness at encampments and other areas across Austin, connecting many with social support services. During that time officers have issued hundreds of written warnings and multiple citations," a spokesperson said by email. "APD and City partners will continue to take a responsible and humane approach to enforcing this law and working with the people who are impacted.”… {LINK TO FULL STORY)
Council questions proposed arts funding change that emphasizes equity (Austin Monitor)
City Council has asked Cultural Arts staff to look at revising or delaying its plan to significantly redistribute its limited pool of contracts toward groups that meet an increased focus on equity.
At a Tuesday work session presentation, the proposed new funding structure was seen as too severe toward longtime recipients, especially legacy arts groups that have received significant city funding for 10 years or more.
The shift toward equity has been in the works for more than two years and would prioritize scoring for cultural contract applicants to heavily favor groups led by racial minorities or other historically marginalized groups.
Council’s objections were brought on in large part because the Covid-19 pandemic severely reduced Hotel Occupancy Tax funds that have traditionally supplied money for Cultural Arts contracts, leaving far less money to award even under the traditional methods. Staffers told Council that with only $3 million available for the next budget year, funding the existing pool of several hundred contractors would equate to awards of only $6,000 each or $20,000 each for only legacy groups.
Instead, staff proposed spinning up two awards pools, one of which would provide 100 contracts of $5,000 to smaller groups and another that would provide $30,000 to $80,000 to up to 35 recipients. Cultural Arts staff said the discussion is ongoing about how to use some of the city’s federal American Rescue Plan money as an additional funding source for groups that would receive reduced or no funding under the new system.
Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who requested the presentation, said there is concern in the arts community that the drastic change using a smaller pool of funds puts many arts groups at risk of closure.
“The concerns coming from the community are that we are about to implement new guidelines that are not based on data that is transparent and that the public has been able to read and process to provide feedback on,” she said. “My concern is not with moving forward with an equitable model. I think that is great and needed … but the question is, is this the appropriate time for us to be moving toward a model that will leave out organizations that are dependent on this funding? We need to ensure that we are not leaving behind individuals who have history in Austin that are part of the fabric.”
Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, interim director of the Economic Development Department, said the city is still taking feedback on the proposed changes, but said, “it was inevitable that we needed to shift the model.”
In breaking down the historic inequities in how the city has funded arts groups, staff noted that of the 144 legacy groups active, fewer than 25 percent are led by minority executives or boards.
Council Member Ann Kitchen said she wants Council to have a clear transition plan for using ARP money to help groups whose contract amounts would drop significantly or disappear altogether.
“We really need to understand the impact as we transition, and I’m not seeing this data,” she said. “I need to understand the impact on our legacy organizations, many of which are led by women and are part of the historic fabric of our community. I don’t think our plan is complete if we don’t have a transition part … we’re talking about a pretty substantial change here at a very bad time for the community.”
Council Member Leslie Pool said part of the difficulty faced by staff and arts groups comes from a move in recent years to increase the total number of contract recipients. That caused outcry at the time because the historically large pool of hotel tax dollars was being spread to more groups, with funding levels for many legacy organizations being cut as a result… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
ACL Fest offers free single-day tickets for 1,000 people who sign up for vaccination drive (Austin American-Statesman)
Want a free one-day pass to this fall's Austin City Limits Music Festival? If you're not yet vaccinated, you'll have a chance on Friday at Austin's Q2 Stadium for a shot with an ACL Fest chaser.
"Ready to get vaccinated? We are partnering with VaxTogetherAustin, Austin FC and Walgreens to donate ACL Festival 1-Day Tickets for Weekend One to the first 1,000 people who pre-register and get vaccinated THIS Friday, 8/27 at Q2 Stadium in Austin," the festival posted to its social media accounts on Wednesday.
Full details and registration can be found at signupgenius.com/go/takeyourshot8-27vaxtogether. Signing up is required to be eligible for a ticket. Registrants can choose Friday, Saturday or Sunday of the fest's first weekend, Oct. 1-3… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Unemployment rate falls in Austin to lowest point since March 2020 (Community Impact)
After a small statewide uptick in June, the unemployment rate reached a new pandemic low through July in Texas and the Austin metro area.
In March-April 2020, unemployment skyrocketed from 5.1% to 12.7% statewide and 3.8% to 11.8% metrowide. According to Texas Workforce Commission data updated Aug. 20, the unadjusted unemployment rate fell from 4.8% to 4.2% in the Austin metro area, which includes Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties, meaning the number of unemployed persons fell from 61,239 to 54,605.
The unadjusted unemployment rate does not account for jobs gained or lost in just part of the year, such as summer or holiday jobs. The seasonally adjusted rate does include these jobs… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
UT-Austin working with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, conservative donors to create “limited government” think tank (Texas Tribune)
Over the past eight months, leaders at the University of Texas at Austin have been working with private donors and Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to launch a new think tank on campus that would be “dedicated to the study and teaching of individual liberty, limited government, private enterprise and free markets.”
Legislators already approved initial funding for the Liberty Institute, slipping $6 million into the 2022-23 state budget without giving details of the project’s aim. University officials have also committed $6 million. All involved have been vague or silent about their plans so far when asked by faculty and student groups. And they have repeatedly denied interview requests from The Texas Tribune about the project’s intent, its budget and who is involved.
But emails and documents obtained by the Tribune via open records request show that UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell and others at the university have been working in earnest with Patrick, UT-Austin donors and UT System Board Chair Kevin Eltife, a former Republican state senator, to launch the Liberty Institute as a way to bring “intellectual diversity” to campus. At least two well-known UT-Austin alumni and conservative donors, oil tycoon Bud Brigham and billionaire businessman Bob Rowling, also have been involved in the project… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues ban on vaccine mandates, wants Legislature to make it law (Dallas Morning News)
Gov. Greg Abbott is continuing to prohibit local governments, state universities and public hospitals from requiring anyone to get a COVID-19 shot, despite this week’s approval by the Food and Drug Administration of Pfizer’s vaccine. On Wednesday, Abbott, who is still isolating after testing positive for the virus early last week, issued an executive order that continues to bar vaccine mandates by state agencies and political subdivisions. His earlier edict had just applied to COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use authorization. Abbott also added the topic to the agenda of the current special session of the Legislature, which has to end by Sept. 5. In his proclamation, the Republican governor noted that lawmakers earlier this year approved a ban on “vaccine passports” by businesses. Abbott said he acted to preserve “uniformity” and freedom of choice by individuals.
“Given the Legislature’s prior actions, maintaining the status quo of prohibiting vaccine mandates and ensuring uniformity pending the Legislature’s consideration means extending the voluntariness of COVID-19 vaccinations to all COVID-19 vaccinations, regardless of regulatory status,” he said in the executive order. Abbott’s move, which appeared to foil plans by Parkland Memorial Hospital and other institutions to require vaccinations as soon as the shots won final FDA approval, angered Democrats. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Carrollton, noted Abbott has had “a battle royale” with school districts and local governments over requirements that Texans wear masks. “Now he’s *recklessly* banned #VaccineMandates,” she tweeted. “How about you pick on #COVID19 instead, Governor?” Cases are surging, hospitals are filling up and Texas is second only to Florida in daily average of infections, noted Austin Democratic Rep. Donna Howard, a former critical care nurse. “His original order on COVID-19 vaccines listed the fact that they were not yet FDA-approved as a part of the justification for refusing to require them,” she said in a written statement released by the House Democratic caucus. “Now, the Pfizer vaccine is FDA-approved, and he’s moving the goalposts. … Again and again, Gov. Abbott squanders every opportunity to protect the health and safety of Texans.” Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee, a Democrat, tweeted that “bans on vaccine mandates were never about the fact the vaccines had not yet been approved by the FDA. We always knew that argument was disingenuous, but now it’s indisputable.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Afghans face security screenings before heading to Texas (Houston Chronicle)
Thousands of Afghans en route to U.S. cities like Houston will face “robust security processing” in locations in Europe and Asia before they are brought to Fort Bliss in El Paso, or one of the other designated U.S. military bases for Afghans, according to a senior Biden administration official. Afghans with pending visas related to their work with the U.S. military, or Special Immigrant Visas, and other Afghans without visas in hand will be subject to biometric and biographic security screenings by intelligence personnel, the senior official said. The official called it an “adapted process,” adding that only Afghans who pass the screening will then be transported to U.S. military bases to undergo full medical screenings and access health care services. All evacuees, including U.S. citizens, are subject to COVID-19 testing when they arrive in the country.
The official would not specify how many people are currently at Fort Bliss. “It will be a constantly evolving number across any one site,” the senior official said. They added that accommodations could be made for approximately 25,000 people at four bases: Fort Bliss; Fort Dix, N.J.; Fort Lee, Va.; and Fort McCoy, Wisc. On Monday, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat, tweeted that as of Aug. 21, more than 650 Afghans had arrived at Fort Bliss. Maj. Gen. Hank Williams, the Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, told reporters there are now about 1,200 Afghans at the four military installations. Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of more than 58,000 people. An estimated 18,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and thousands more of their immediate family members are in the process of securing visas that would allow them to live in the United States. Many are among the crowds of Afghans at the Kabul airport, desperate to board an evacuation flight for fear of the Taliban… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
California can't stop talking about Florida (Politico)
Florida is living rent-free in California's head. Gov. Gavin Newsom can't stop talking about the Sunshine State as he campaigns to save his job. He's using Florida as the ultimate threat of what California could become if the complex recall process leads to Republican leadership in the deep blue state next month. Meanwhile, Republican hopefuls have repeatedly evoked the East Coast alternative as something to aspire to, fighting to replace Newsom and his public health orders with someone more like mask-averse conservative Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The latest state-on-state tensions show just how much power governors have amassed during the Covid-19 pandemic as they've set policies on masks, closures, schools and vaccines. DeSantis and Newsom have become party figureheads in their own right, the former a stand-in for open rules, the latter for strong mandates. The latest polling suggests California is closer to having a DeSantis-like governor than anyone thought. And those Florida comparisons — with anti-recall proponents begging voters not to “DeSantis my California” — are escalating as the Delta variant surges and the Sept. 14 election looms. Ballots have already been mailed to California voters. “Your daily reminder that on September 14th the Republican party is trying to drive CA off the same cliff as Florida and Texas,” Newsom said in a recent tweet, urging people to vote. “They want to pretend COVID doesn't exist. Reverse the progress we've made on vaccines. Ban masking. And put partisan games over people's lives.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
One of the men charged in the Mich. Governor kidnap plot gets 6 years in prison (NPR)
A Michigan man charged in federal court with plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced to six years and three months in prison, according to court records.
Ty Garbin, 25, is the only member of the six men facing federal charges in the kidnapping plot to plead guilty for his role. He also received three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Last year, Garbin struck a plea deal with prosecutors and agreed to cooperate in the investigation. He turned government witness and disclosed crucial details about the alleged plan to kidnap Whitmer… (LINK TO FULL STORY)