BG Reads | News You Need to Know (March 30, 2021)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
BG Podcast EP. 135: Discussing Austin's Apology for Systemic Racism with Mayor Pro-Tem Natasha Harper-Madison
Out Wednesday, Episode 136: A 2020 and Q1 2021 review with Austin Board of REALTORS® CEO Emily Chenevert.
You can listen to all episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. New content every Wednesday.
Please like, link, comment and subscribe!
[MEETING/HEARINGS]
Special Called Meeting of the Austin City Council (4/1 @10AM) - AGENDA
Regular Meeting of the Austin City Council (4/8 @10AM) - AGENDA
[THE 87TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE]
LINK TO FILED HOUSE BILLS (5,339)
LINK TO FILED SENATE BILLS (2,462)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
It’s been more than a year since Austin started training new police. It could restart this summer. (Austin Monitor)
City Council members voted Thursday to make changes to how Austin police are trained, with the eventual goal of restarting cadet classes by June 7 at the latest.
The police academy has not welcomed a group of new trainees since February 2020.
The vote was split 8-1-2, with Council Member Greg Casar voting against, and Council members Vanessa Fuentes and Natasha Harper-Madison abstaining.
“I believe there should be no further delay or no further restrictions on our cadet class,” said Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who ran a campaign for the Northwest Austin seat last year on a platform of resuming classes. “I hope that the time is now to bring forward the police academy.”
The 144th class of the Austin Police Academy, which was set to start last June, will be run differently and be under more scrutiny than past classes, the city says.
City staff say among the changes they will make are incorporating more adult learning strategies and reviewing all teaching materials to make sure diversity and inclusion are priorities. The state dictates what police need to learn, though, which limits how extensive changes to the curriculum can be.
If the city follows through with these changes, Council members say they will approve the $2.2 million needed to fund the next cadet class. It’ll be run as a pilot, meaning an independent evaluator will review how the training is going and recommend any changes for future classes.
While a vote on funding is still required to officially resume cadet classes, some Council members said they felt the city was moving too quickly.
“I still don’t feel fully comfortable that we have taken the time necessary to get this baked in time for it starting,” Casar said.
Last year, City Manager Spencer Cronk created a Reimagining Public Safety Task Force made up of city staff and community members.
In a letter to Council earlier this month, members of the task force said they objected to resuming cadet classes until certain issues are addressed, such as the rate at which police stop and arrest Black drivers compared to white drivers… (LINK TO STORY)
Prop G’s extra Council seat could mean gridlock if strong-mayor proposal fails (Austin Monitor)
As voters ponder the eight ballot proposals they will see at the ballot box in May, City Council’s move to split the question of installing a strong mayor from the addition of a Council seat appears to have opened up a big can of “What if?”
The biggest question is what Council meetings will look like if Proposition F – which seeks to remake the mayor’s office into a non-voting top city executive – is defeated, but Proposition G – which would add a City Council district – passes. That turn of events would result in 11 Council members plus a voting mayor sitting on the dais.
The potential for tied votes, longer meetings and gridlock sits opposed to what proponents of Prop G see as the benefit of more representation for residents in a fast-growing city.
Council Member Greg Casar said he supports Prop G because of the need for more representation, but what was initially intended as a hedge against five-to-five votes in a possible strong-mayor system could lead to six-to-six votes with the mayor as a regular voting member.
The potential for ties is greatest, Casar said, in consideration of amendments and other procedural steps during Council meetings that can often come down to one-vote decisions.
“Oftentimes while a final proposal may not pass by a single vote, amendments and a majority of important votes often are decided by just one or two votes,” he said.
“So having an even number of Council members makes it harder for the dais to pass proposals, when in my view we need to be doing more in city government and not less. We should avoid having an even number of Council districts, but there is no way for voters to say they want an odd number.”
Casar said tie votes are in effect a “no” vote, creating a filibuster-like scenario for controversial or high-stakes Council initiatives and potentially making Council meetings longer than normal.
“I don’t think anyone who watches an Austin City Council meeting says, ‘Hey, I want that to be a little more grueling and challenging for things to be decided,’” he said. “There’s a reason why deliberative bodies tend to have odd numbers or paths to breaking ties because that’s really important to do. I’m not a fan of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate and I don’t think we should have to have more than a majority to pass when it’s a routine item on a Council agenda.”
In February, when deciding the slate of ballot proposals, Council discussed including a Proposition I that would have explicitly amended the city charter to have an odd number of voting Council members, no matter what. That proposal was left off, creating the possibility that in 2023, voters will see a proposal to create a 12th Council district, which would bring about the third drawing of Council districts since the passage of the 10-1 Council format in 2014.
The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is responsible for drawing Council districts based on the latest census data, is in the beginning stages of its process to make a new district map by November, with the 2022 Council election as the first using the new boundaries for the 10 or possibly 11 districts.
While that commission will decide the exact shape of Council seats, political forecasters see the potential for an 11th seat that would encompass the sections of North Austin that are home to much of the area’s fast-growing population of Asian Americans.
Census data analyzed last year show that Asian Americans now outnumber Black residents, with both communities representing about 9 percent of the city’s population… (LINK TO STORY)
New Keller Williams President Marc King reflects on career, influences (Austin Business Journal)
Austin is gaining another resident, but he isn't a transplant from California or New York or one of the larger Texas metros. Marc King and his family are relocating here from Missouri and he’s looking forward to becoming a full-time Austinite as he takes on his new role as president of Austin-based Keller Williams Realty Inc.
"This has been my second home for 20 years, and I love coming here," King said. "Austin is an awesome city. The people of Austin are so kind. They’re loving."
King joined Keller Williams in 2000 and became an investor one year later. By 2002, he had his real estate license and started climbing the ladder at Keller Williams — first as a team leader at a Missouri-based KW franchise and eventually rising to the No. 1 rank in his region for closed sales in 2008.
By 2013, King led the Keller Williams Mega Achievement Productivity Systems, or MAPS, a leadership program. Four years later, King was inducted into the Keller Williams Team Leader Hall of Fame.
As his work with Keller Williams grew, so did the amount of time King spent in Austin. Austin became his second home, although he was living out of hotels. His elevation to president, however, necessitated a full-time move. King became president in February, replacing Josh Team. The role makes King the top executive at the world's largest real estate franchise by agent count. He works under Carl Liebert, CEO of parent company KWx, and Gary Keller, co-founder and former CEO of Keller Williams and now executive chairman of KWx… (LINK TO STORY)
Black lawmakers, NAACP and students push back on UT-Austin’s “The Eyes of Texas” report, urge school to lose the song (Texas Tribune)
Members of Texas’ Legislative Black Caucus have joined the fight to rid the University of Texas at Austin of its alma mater song, “The Eyes of Texas” — with several members bringing their case directly to President Jay Hartzell on the issue, a state lawmaker said Monday.
State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, was joined at the Texas Capitol by religious leaders, state and local NAACP chapter presidents, and UT-Austin students for a press conference to condemn the university for its decision to keep the song. The group took issue with a recent university commissioned report that found the song was likely performed in blackface when it premiered in 1903, but ultimately concluded that the song was not “overtly racist.”
“According to the committee report, they believe they can redefine what the song stands for by acknowledging its history,” said Anthony Collier, student body president at the University of Texas School of Law. “You can’t redefine racism. Acknowledging racism is fine, but it’s far from sufficient. It’s not enough to acknowledge racism. We must abolish racism.”
The song has become a dividing line between the UT-Austin community since last summer, when students and a group of athletes released a list of demands in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Among the demands was a call for UT-Austin to discontinue singing the song because it premiered at a university minstrel show where students likely wore blackface and performed skits that perpetuated racist stereotypes of Black people.
Reynolds said the Black caucus is “unequivocal” about its opposition to the song and has urged Hartzell to continue to meet with students who have made other demands to improve racial equality on campus… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Houston Chronicle Editorial: Texans shouldn't have to take AG Ken Paxton's word for anything (Houston Chronicle)
Most historians remember the 1970s as a dark decade of disillusionment, when one tawdry revelation after another rocked Americans’ faith in the basic honesty of government at every level, from Vietnam to Watergate to Texas’ own Sharpstown scandal emanating out of Houston in 1971-72. In 2021, we seem to be coming full circle, with another disgraceful saga that threatens Texans’ faith in public leadership once more. We speak, of course, of the flagrant and enduring perfidy of Texas’ twice-elected and long-indicted attorney general, Ken Paxton, the state’s most powerful law enforcement officer who can’t seem to be bothered to mind the law himself. Paxton is a stain on Texas integrity, what remains of it, and should have faced trial on his pending felony charges years ago or at least been shunned by Gov. Greg Abbott and other party leaders when his own top staff accused him last year of abuse of office, bribery, improper influence and other possible criminal acts.
If he had an ounce of shame, he would follow President Nixon’s example from 1974, and the perpetual advice from this editorial board, and resign. Instead, Paxton last week gave Texas another reminder of how ill-suited he is to play the dual role of suspected criminal and Texas attorney general. Reporters from Houston, Dallas and throughout Texas have been asking his office to share — as the law requires — his texts, emails and other messages from on and around Jan. 6, the day of infamy in the U.S. Capitol. Paxton had flown to Washington to speak at the rallies leading up to the armed insurrection — although at whose request and on whose dime, he won’t say. His office claims there are no records to share — none that wouldn’t be protected by attorney-client privilege, anyway, stressing his role as one of the chief litigators of the deeply absurd and wildly unsuccessful legal case against the 2020 presidential election that the U.S. Supreme Court saw fit to dismiss quicker than you can say ‘sedition.’… (LINK TO STORY)
Sweeping legislation to overhaul state’s electricity market in response to winter storm heads to Texas House after Senate's unanimous approval (Texas Tribune)
The Texas Senate on Monday unanimously approved a sweeping bill that would overhaul the state’s electricity industry and infrastructure, including mandating that power plants prepare for extreme weather and outlawing risky indexed retail electric plans.
Senate Bill 3, filed by Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, now heads to the Texas House where its prospects are uncertain. Members in the lower chamber will take up a series of related, standalone bills on Tuesday.
“There were a multitude of failures,” Schwertner said from the Senate floor Monday, referring to the massive power outages during the deadly winter storm. “And we’re fixing the problems.”
SB 3 would require all power generators, transmission lines, natural gas facilities and pipelines to make upgrades for extreme weather — a process known as weatherization. Most power generators and gas facilities were not equipped to handle temperatures that dipped into single digits last month.
Natural gas regulators and industry groups have claimed that the majority of the problems that caused a shortage of natural gas during the storm — which worsened the problems for power plants — was caused by power outages, and suggested that winterization of the natural gas supply system was unnecessary. The Senate bill reflects that concern, leaving it to the Texas Railroad Commission, the regulatory body that oversees the state’s oil and natural gas industry, to decide what upgrades natural gas fuel facilities would have to make.
The bill does not address funding to pay for the mandated upgrades. However, other pieces of legislation in the Texas House have been proposed with various funding mechanisms. Experts say the process of retrofitting the state’s power plants for winter could be difficult and costly, but not impossible, depending on the types of upgrades eventually mandated by regulators.
The bill would also ban indexed retail electric plans, whose rates fluctuate based on the cost of wholesale electricity. Customers in Texas who purchased indexed electric plans, like Griddy — which has since declared bankruptcy — saw astronomically high bills in the weeks following the storm due to a massive spike in wholesale electricity prices… (LINK TO STORY)
Vonlane restarting luxury bus routes to Texas cities to meet spring surge in travel demand (Dallas Morning News)
Dallas-based Vonlane was on a growth tear just before lockdown restrictions meant to stem the spread of the pandemic halted travel in Texas. Founder and CEO Alex Danza was prepared to add interstate routes to the luxury bus service he’s commonly referred to as a “private jet on wheels” — an alternative for those who want more legroom and amenities than modern air travel provides. But the company had to cease operations from mid-May through July 2020. When it reopened, Vonlane saw steady demand growth on its routes through the summer but was forced to halt business again when COVID-19 cases spiked in the winter.
In January, as cases started trending downward, the company saw more leisure travel and a “smattering of business travelers,” Danza said. Now, Vonlane is hoping to have all seven of its Texas routes up and running again by May. Vonlane will resume service between Fort Worth and Houston on April 1, and service between Fort Worth and Austin as well as between Houston and San Antonio on May 2. “Part of this is lots of requests from customers to bring these routes back,” Danza said. The luxury transportation company implemented safety standards across its fleet last summer, including face mask requirements and enhanced cleaning of buses. It also limited capacity to 14 people per bus and pulled back to three core routes — Dallas to Houston, Austin to Houston and Dallas to Austin — focusing mostly on leisure travel… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Derek Chauvin jury hears opening arguments and witnesses to George Floyd deat (NPR)
The first day in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of killing George Floyd in May, featured an intense series of opening arguments, numerous photographs and videos of the killing, and testimony from three witnesses.
The trial is starting in earnest 10 months after George Floyd's killing triggered outrage and protests against racial inequality across the United States. And the first day ended with a "major technical glitch" interrupted the video feed being carried by news networks and watched by Floyd's family members in a neighboring court room.
Chauvin, who is white, is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd, a Black man. Video recordings show that Floyd was handcuffed and held facedown on the asphalt and that Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine and a half minutes… (LINK TO STORY)
NCAA faces showdown over player compensation—and future of college sports (The Wall Street Journal)
For 115 years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has been tightening its grip on what became the multibillion-dollar college-sports industry, with the lucrative annual men’s basketball tournament as its flagship.
In the next few months, however, the NCAA stands to lose control of its empire’s future over an issue its member schools long hoped to avoid: athlete compensation.
College athletes have historically been classified as “amateurs,” even as they helped generate billions for their colleges and universities and made millionaires of their coaches. NCAA rules have long capped athletes’ compensation at little more than tuition, room and board.
But public sentiment that once supported the existing model has reversed, and long-silent athletes have become loud critics of the system. Numerous players marked the start of this year’s NCAA tournament by tweeting “#NotNCAAProperty.”
The tension has created a scramble to define the future of college athletics. State and federal politicians in both parties have proposed dozens of bills that would let college athletes earn money from their name, image and likeness—a step that is forbidden under current NCAA policy. A handful of state laws have already passed, including one in Florida that takes effect July 1. The NCAA itself has called for federal legislation to override a chaotic patchwork of state oversight.
Now the NCAA faces a week like no other. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case related to college-athlete compensation on Wednesday, three days before basketball’s men’s Final Four begins. A ruling is expected by the end of June.
“I genuinely believe that this year will be the most pivotal year in college sports history since its founding,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said.
The landscape could soon look much different, with college athletes winning economic rights that would further blur the line between them and paid professionals. As soon as this summer, college athletes might be able to accept money to endorse a product on Instagram, teach sports lessons or video-record a greeting for a fan.
Salaries for athletes are off the table for now, but some proposals take a big step in that direction, requiring schools to share some athletic revenues with them. That would radically change college athletics’ century-old notion of amateurism.
Athletes and their advocates argue that they risk injury to help generate huge sums for their universities, all while under stricter limits than other college students.
Critics fear that even a modest change, such as allowing athletes to endorse products, could set off bidding wars for recruits, further divide the wealthiest and poorest athletic departments and siphon revenue that would otherwise help support the dozen or so other teams that a typical athletic department funds outside of football and men’s basketball. They also argue that college sports help give many athletes a chance at an education they might not otherwise have… (LINK TO STORY)