BG Reads | News You Need to Know (April 8, 2021)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
BG Podcast EP. 137: Q1 2021 Review: Austin Transit Partnership with Sam Sargent, Director, Program Strategy
This BG Podcast Episode (137) features a Q1 2021 review with Sam Sargent, Director, Program Strategy, at the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP).
Formed following the passage of Project Connect in November 2020 (an historic $7.1 billion comprehensive overhaul of Austin's transit system) ATP was established as an independent organization to guide the Project Connect investment with transparency and accountability throughout the program.
You can listen to all episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. New content every Wednesday. Please like, link, comment and subscribe!
[MEETING/HEARINGS]
[THE 87TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE]
LINK TO FILED HOUSE BILLS (5,484)
LINK TO FILED SENATE BILLS (2,514)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
City seeks input on post-Covid economic recovery plan (Austin Monitor)
The city is taking feedback from residents on a wide-reaching plan to restructure how many departments operate, and how economic development is handled in the post-pandemic world.
The Economic Recovery and Resiliency Framework is a list of 45 ways the city can create new or transform existing programs to better serve residents and small businesses. The framework was created through a series of public forums and discussions with local chambers of commerce and other groups involved in the city’s overall economic health.
Split up into seven subject areas – city innovation, communication enhancement, employee and business assistance, financial support, government service procurement, health and mental wellness, and public infrastructure – the framework is heavily focused on equity and specifies which steps will require additional funding, changes to city policy or third-party partner organizations.
Veronica Briseño, the city’s chief economic recovery officer, said the city wanted to take an aggressive approach to reorganizing its operations with the possibility of several million dollars of federal stimulus money available to help recover from the pandemic.
“If we’re looking at a new norm and what’s next for Austin, why not be creative and try things differently?” she said. “One of the things the pandemic did was shed light on lots of the inequities that are present in our community, and we spent a lot of time on having that represented while building in safeguards on other disasters that will happen. This framework is our starting point.”
With public comments open until April 23, city staff will then give an update to City Council including what steps can be implemented right away without the need for additional funds or other resources.
While some of the items including job training and providing resources to business owners will take time to acquire funding and get spun up, Briseño said plans to improve communication and preparedness will be easier to implement. She said the idea to create a “reverse 911” phone tree to provide information and assistance to business owners during times of crises like the February blackouts is a small but obvious move that will provide large benefits quickly.
With staff expected to update Council next week on possible uses for incoming money from the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion stimulus, Briseño said the experience gained from starting almost a dozen relief programs over the past year will help make it easier to launch other new programs… (LINK TO STORY)
As time runs short to weigh in on a $4.9B I-35 project, Austin community members say they hope TxDOT is listening (Community Impact)
It will be nearly four years before shovels hit the dirt on what will be the first major reconstruction project of I-35 through downtown Austin since its upper decks were put up in the 1970s. But long before construction actually begins, the Texas Department of Transportation must go through a yearslong, federally mandated environmental review process that includes gathering feedback from the community before the department makes final decisions as to how the project is designed.
One window for the public to comment opened in the fall. The second is open now and closes April 9. Comments can be submitted at this link.
There will be more working group meetings, including one set for April 15 that is open to all community members, and other opportunities for public engagement before TxDOT chooses its design around fall 2022. However, after April 9, there will be no further opportunities for those comments to be part of the official public record.
During its first virtual public scoping meeting, TxDOT received more than 2,300 comments. Staffers said they have made changes between the fall and now based on that feedback. These include adding the possibility for locally funded, bus-only lanes from the highway connecting to cross-streets, such as Riverside Drive or Dean Keeton Street, as well as evaluating the highway design for its ability to accommodate public parks or boulevards on top of tunneled lanes, which is called a "cap-and-stitch" project.
However, many transportation advocates, city leaders and community members have said that the project as it currently exists will not get Austin to where it needs to be… (LINK TO STORY)
City of Austin to shut down 4 homeless camps, move people living there into shelter and housing (KXAN)
The City of Austin’s homeless strategy officer admitted there is “pressure” to solve the city’s homelessness crisis during a discussion with reporters Wednesday morning.
Dianna Grey, who has been in the position for three months, addressed homelessness issues including the potential reinstatement of the city’s camping ban.
Proposition B is on the May election ballot for voters to decide if the ban will come back, with recent fires in homeless encampments heightening focus on the debate.
City leaders agree that more must be done to address the issue of homelessness in Austin. They just don’t agree on how it should be done yet.
“There is no shortage of pressure to address this crisis,” Grey said. “And that pressure has existed long before the ballot initiative was even on the horizon.”.
“That pressure is about the number of people that are living on the streets and desperately need housing,” she said.
Part of the city’s response to the crisis is to identify and shut down four homeless camps across Austin due to health and safety concerns.
Grey said the specific sites will not be made public to protect the privacy of those who live there, but said they are located in the northwest, east Austin, downtown and south-central areas of the city.
Roughly 100 people will be relocated when the action is taken, but there is no precise start date at this stage, she said.
People living at those camps won’t just be kicked out, Grey explained… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin Police Association concerned about growing number of officer resignations (CBS Austin)
The Austin Police Department confirms that 62 sworn employees have left the force since New Year's Day.
Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday says it's because of budget cuts to the police department and a shift in how officer-involved shootings are handled. “Contrary to what some city councilmembers say, people are leaving because they don't feel supported by the city council and certain segments of the City of Austin,” he said. “People are leaving and going to other places.”
But the number of retirements and resignations shows no sign of slowing. “I suspect by the end of the year we will have had over 100 people retire, resign to go other places,” said Casaday, who hopes a new cadet class will begin in June… (LINK TO STORY)
Low-cost airline spreads its wings with $75 million investment in Austin (CultureMap Austin)
Low-cost airline Allegiant is ramping up its presence at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in a move that could lead to new routes and more frequent flights on existing routes.
The Las Vegas-based airline says it’s investing $75 million to establish a base of operations at the Austin airport. With the expansion, Allegiant will create at least 89 jobs at the airport and house three Airbus A320 aircraft here. The airline plans to launch the new base on November 18.
“Austin has been a really exciting location for Allegiant. Not only do leisure travelers appreciate having convenient access to the incredible music scene, cultural and historic attractions the community has to offer, but local residents have also flocked to our affordable, nonstop flights for their travel needs,” Drew Wells, Allegiant’s senior vice president of revenue, says in an April 6 news release. “It makes perfect sense to establish a permanent base in Austin, further establishing Allegiant as a hometown airline in a city we love and where we plan to grow.”… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Texas storm is windfall for some Wall Street firms (Wall Street Journal)
A handful of Wall Street firms that bet big on the power sector in recent years made millions in paper profits when the winter storm in Texas boosted demand for the electricity generated by plants they own. SoftBank Group Corp.’s Fortress Investment Group LLC and Kennedy Lewis Investment Management LLC, a $3 billion credit hedge fund in New York, were two of the biggest winners in the trade. Other significant investors include Avenue Capital Group, Guggenheim Partners LLC, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s asset-management arm and Pacific Investment Management Co. In February, when subfreezing temperatures forced the state’s grid operator to call for widespread blackouts, some natural-gas plants in Texas were still able to sell electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes, often at higher than usual prices. Collectively, two companies—Temple Generation I and TexGen Power—that own many of the plants made more than an estimated $200 million over the storm’s course, according to investors in the power-generation companies.
Owning more than 90% of Temple and TexGen are overlapping sets of investment firms. In the wake of the Texas storm, there have been state hearings and public outrage at energy price increases that were pushed onto retailers. Some of the state’s largest power-generation companies lost hundreds of millions of dollars each as they grappled with outages and gas supply issues. The plants largely owned by Wall Street firms took steps in the days before the storm to increase the chances they would remain operational. In the end, they were among the few to actually make money.
Fortress, Kennedy Lewis, Avenue, Guggenheim, JPMorgan’s asset-management arm and Pimco declined to disclose the return on their investment or speak publicly about any profits. “We are proud of the plant staff’s performance and sacrifices they made to keep the lights on for Texans during this difficult time,” said Temple Chief Executive Dan Hudson in a statement. Some of the plants benefited from having been built in recent years to withstand extremely cold weather. Temple and TexGen also took steps to manage risk. Management teams were focused on the storm and its potential severity as early as two weeks before it hit, investors said. They increased staffing levels, rented additional equipment and had crews of workers sleeping at the plants to take turns covering shifts. “We knew we were going to have a week of hell,” said one executive. Temple and TexGen Power also had secured multiple sources of natural gas when they emerged from bankruptcy in 2018, a decision that lessened the impact of gas shortages that hit systemwide. Additionally, they made strategic market decisions… (LINK TO STORY)
By the numbers: How vaccine skepticism in Texas' Trump country threatens herd immunity (Houston Chronicle)
Low vaccination rates in counties that are whiter and more conservative could be impairing Texas' ability to quickly reach herd immunity for COVID-19. Texas counties that are poorer, whiter, less-educated and where former President Donald Trump won a larger than average share of the vote have vaccinated a smaller share of their population than the state average, a Houston Chronicle analysis found. In the 144 Texas counties that meet these criteria, about 28.7 percent of people aged 16 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Statewide, the average is 32.2 percent. In Liberty County, fewer than 20 percent of residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, one of the lowest rates in the state. What’s more, as Harris County residents have begun flocking to rural counties for easier access to vaccines, state data shows that providers in Liberty County — a rural patch between Houston and Beaumont — have put 27 percent more shots in the arms of Harris County residents than they have in residents of their own county Meanwhile, in the 22 counties where Joe Biden won a majority of the vote — places that tend to be both more diverse and educated — an average of about 44 percent of eligible Texanshave received at least one dose of the vaccine… (LINK TO STORY)
Following state Senate, fight to outlaw or severely limit abortion shifts to Texas House (Austin American-Statesman)
A week after the Texas Senate approved a slate of bills to ban or restrict abortion, the fight shifted Wednesday to the House, where a committee began work on similar bills in a public hearing that drew keen interest from both sides. State Rep. Stephanie Klick, a Fort Worth Republican who leads the Pubic Health Committee, announced that she planned to end the hearing at midnight, directing witnesses who get shut out of testifying to submit written opinions on the House public comment portal. Comment on the bills will be accepted until Friday at 5 p.m., she said. With six bills on the committee's agenda, the hearing began with legislation that would ban abortion from the moment of conception if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down its 1973 ruling that established a right to abortion.
House Bill 1280, known as a trigger bill, also would allow Texas to ban abortion to the extent allowed if the Supreme Court didn't completely overturn its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, said his bill would take effect 30 days after the court rules, adding that the early preparation would save time, particularly because the court's new conservative majority could deliver such a decision while the Legislature is out of session. "I am pretty optimistic, given what the Supreme Court makeup is, in large part thanks to the previous administration," he said. "The bill will save tens of thousands of lives." Under questioning from Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, Capriglione defended his bill's lack of exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, saying: "There is no justice in executing the child for the terrible violent crime of anyone else." Capriglione also said his bill would not allow abortion if pregnancy put a woman's health at risk, drawing several skeptical questions from Zwiener until a Republican committee member reminded him that such an exception was written into the bill. In reality, HB 1280 allows abortions for a "life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy." Capriglione added that he did not consider abortion to be health care, saying: "It is also my job as a legislator to take care of unborn children."… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Biden broadband agenda takes aim at Big Telecom (Axios)
The White House wants to lower broadband prices and make the industry more competitive — a sign that President Biden's approach to the telecom sector will be much tougher than his predecessors'.
Why it matters: Tech giants and internet platforms have been in the brightest spotlight of regulatory scrutiny, but the new administration looks ready to cast a much wider net.
The big picture: The pandemic has made it clear that access to high-speed internet is now a necessity — even, some argue, a human right — and too many families were left disconnected when school and work suddenly went virtual.
While Congress and the FCC have made some headway in providing temporary subsidies to help cover the cost of broadband, the administration's go-big-or-go-home infrastructure plan would shift the industry's competitive dynamics to favor alternatives to the biggest internet service providers.
Catch up quick: The White House infrastructure package included $100 billion for broadband deployment, with plans to channel funding to government-owned, non-profit or cooperative networks and a push to reduce prices.
"A very positive signal that was sent — that should send chills up the spines of the incumbents — was recognizing that the market is not competitive and Americans generally are paying too much for broadband," Harold Feld, senior vice president of Public Knowledge, told Axios… (LINK TO STORY)
Biden to announce executive action on ghost guns, red flag laws (The Hill)
President Biden will announce on Thursday six executive actions geared towards preventing all forms of gun violence, including mass shootings, community violence, domestic violence and suicide.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will issue a series of proposed rules aimed at restricting the proliferation of so-called ghost guns, encouraging states to adopt red flag laws and tightening loopholes around certain modified pistols.
The department is also expected to issue a comprehensive report on firearm trafficking for the first time since 2000, and Biden will make official his intent to nominate David Chipman, a gun control advocate, to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
None of the actions will single-handedly reclassify firearms or restrict access to guns. But a senior administration official made clear the president viewed the announcement as a first step in tackling the issue of gun violence in the wake of mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colo.
“The president will not wait for Congress to act before the administration takes our own steps,” the official said in a call with reporters.
The DOJ within 30 days will issue a proposed rule to help stop the proliferation of ghost guns. Ghost guns are untraceable when they turn up at crime scenes because they don’t have serial numbers… (LINK TO STORY)