BG Reads | News You Need to Know (January 25, 2021)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW // BG Podcast Episode 124: Opposing Strong Mayor Reform with Austin for All People
NEW // BG Podcast Episode 125: Shifting to a Strong Mayor System with Austinites for Progressive Reform
CITY OF AUSTIN
THE 87TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE
LINK TO FILED HOUSE BILLS (1,395)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Council proposes focus on four encampments in HEAL resolution (Austin Monitor)
The city will focus on four encampments as the first phase of a plan to reduce the growing homeless population by providing housing and support services.
The resolution, called the HEAL (Housing-Focused Homeless Encampment Assistance Link) Initiative and slated for the Feb. 4 City Council meeting, directs city staffers to develop a strategy for quickly moving people from the four camps into housing, with results expected within weeks of its passage. The resolution also directs the city manager to designate $3 million from the budget to fund the first phase, the results of which will be used to move forward with at least two subsequent phases in other areas.
While the resolution does not designate specific encampments, its wording gives general direction to staffers to target four known gatherings of homeless people located in South Central Austin, East Austin, the Central Business District and Northwest Austin.
Council Member Ann Kitchen, one of the sponsors of the resolution, said Council wants city staffers and homelessness services organizations to select the exact areas in the first phase. She did agree that the area underneath Ben White Boulevard near Menchaca Road has long been in need of immediate help to provide housing and services.
“We don’t think it’s appropriate to name the specific areas. We felt it was important for the homeless strategy officer (Dianna Gray) to be able to use this guidance for these places and then go forward with specific places,” she said. “It’s no secret that we’ve talked before about the median area under the overpass at Menchaca where people are right next to cars. And we’ve also had circumstances in the past where a person has stumbled into a lane of traffic … it’s intended to be an example and certainly would be appropriate for this.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Samsung considers $10 Billion Texas chipmaking plant, sources say (Bloomberg)
Samsung Electronics Co. is considering spending more than $10 billion building its most advanced logic chipmaking plant in the U.S., a major investment it hopes will win more American clients and help it catch up with industry leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
The world’s largest memory chip and smartphone maker is in discussions to locate a facility in Austin, Texas, capable of fabricating chips as advanced as 3 nanometers in the future, people familiar with the matter said. Plans are preliminary and subject to change but for now the aim is to kick off construction this year, install major equipment from 2022, then begin operations as early as 2023, they said. While the investment amount could fluctuate, Samsung’s plans would mean upwards of $10 billion to bankroll the project, one of the people said.
Samsung is taking advantage of a concerted U.S. government effort to counter China’s rising economic prowess and lure back home some of the advanced manufacturing that over the past decades has gravitated toward Asia. The hope is that such production bases in the U.S. will galvanize local businesses and support American industry and chip design. Intel Corp.’s troubles ramping up on technology and its potential reliance in the future on TSMC and Samsung for at least some of its chipmaking only underscored the extent to which Asian giants have forged ahead in recent years… (LINK TO STORY)
Tech flight: Why Silicon Valley is heading to Miami and Austin, Texas (NBC News)
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has been fielding numerous inquiries from top executives in the tech world who reached out in recent weeks — from Tesla CEO Elon Musk to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. He has also reportedly met with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and the chairman of Palantir, Peter Thiel, among others.
What is he offering that Silicon Valley cannot? The mayor is trying to convince them that Miami promises a more business-friendly environment.
“There’s no secret sauce other than my Twitter account,” Suarez said while shaving and preparing for another day of messages from inquiring tech executives. “There is absolutely no doubt that a big part of the reason why they are moving is that they feel that there is an inhospitable environment for regulation and taxation.”
On Tuesday, Miami will try to respond to these Silicon Valley businesses by naming its first chief technology officer. Suarez said the new CTO will “provide concierge services” like streamlining bureaucratic procedures for high-tech firms when they come to Miami.
“There is an attitude that has been expressed by some leaders that says, ‘We don't want you and we don’t need you,’” Suarez said, alluding to how business owners say they feel they are being treated in Silicon Valley. "It's the opposite of the 'How can I help?' attitude, 'How can I grow this ecosystem?'"… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin music icon James White, Broken Spoke's owner, dies at 81 (Austin American-Statesman)
James White, owner of South Austin's legendary Broken Spoke dance hall and a towering figure in Austin's live music scene, has died after a recent illness, his family confirmed Sunday. He was 81. White, who had been suffering from congestive heart failure, died at his South Austin home, according to his daughter, Ginny Peacock. "This is a huge loss to Austin," she said. White founded the Broken Spoke on South Lamar Boulevard in 1964 and spent more than 50 years turning it into one of the city's best-known venues. "He gave us a place to perform the music that we wanted to do in the atmosphere that we wanted — a Texas dance hall," said Ray Benson, who met White in 1973 when White booked his band at the Broken Spoke. "James was one of the most magnanimous and generally nice people — with a capital ‘N’ — in this world."
Peacock said her father, a fifth-generation Texan, wanted the broken Spoke to be "a place like no other, where people could come and listen to country music and have a good time." Other Texas musicians praised White on Sunday. One of his cousins, Monte Warden, said it wasn't until his band the Wagoneers headlined at the Broken Spoke in 1994 that his father finally stopped asking him when he was going to go to college. "Every major country star in the last half-century played at the Broken Spoke," Warden said. Those stars included Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Garth Brooks and the Dixie Chicks, Warden said. White was talkative, gregarious and "never knew a stranger," Warden said. "He always wore a cowboy hat, a western shirt, jeans and boots," he said. "He looked like a honky-tonk owner out of central casting. He knew a lot of people's only experience of a honky-tonk in Texas was going to be at the Broken Spoke.”… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Essential workers in Texas looking for a raise? Maybe Washington will step up (Dallas Morning News)
Many low-paid essential workers, from those in grocery stores to nursing homes, have been lauded for stepping up during the pandemic. But that hasn’t spared them some bad economic hits, including difficulty paying for food and rent. At least some are getting a raise, thanks to increases in the minimum wage. This month, the pay floor is rising in 20 states and 32 cities and counties, according to a report by the National Employment Law Project in New York. NELP, which advocates for policies to create good jobs and protect low-wage workers, said 23 more locales are scheduled for increases later this year, from cost-of-living adjustments to pay hikes from voter-approved ballot initiatives. Alas, Texas is not on the list.
The Lone Star State, which has more minimum-wage workers than anywhere in the U.S., remains among the 21 states using the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. The federal rate hasn’t moved since 2009, the longest period without an increase since the U.S. adopted a minimum hourly wage over 80 years ago. Yet the movement for a $15 minimum, launched in 2012, has been gaining momentum in local jurisdictions. This month, over two dozen U.S. cities and counties reached or surpassed the $15 threshold with more to come, the NELP report said. Perhaps most important for low-paid Texans, President Joe Biden has proposed a $15 federal minimum wage as part of a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan. Eventually, that could benefit over 3.5 million workers in Texas, including many in essential businesses. “Everybody’s all about [protecting] front-line essential workers now, but they need more than just applause,” said Tsedeye Gebreselassie, director of work quality at NELP. “Two weeks into a pandemic, we had literal breadlines and people getting kicked out of their homes. That’s not a strong middle class.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas gun, ammo sales skyrocket. People are shooting ‘faster than they can make it’ (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Gun sales are up. Again.
It tends to happen every election season, especially when a Democrat challenges and wins the presidency, according to shop owners and industry observers. The pandemic and nationwide protests in 2020 fueled people’s willingness to buy guns or stock up on ammunition, experts say.
“People are worried for their safety,” said Andi Turner, the legislative director for the Texas State Rifle Association.
Calls for defunding the police, the new president and the pandemic are making people rush to gun stores, Turner said.
At Intrepid Shooting Sports in Fort Worth, ammo shelves are wiped clean and some gun racks are empty.
“Pretty much every election season is like this,” said owner Chris Mayhall, who’s been in the gun industry for about six years.
Mayhall said his sales doubled in 2020 compared to 2019, and he has seen a lot of first-time buyers. By August, there were about 5 million new gun owners in 2020, according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation report.
The Black Lives Matter protests over the summer prompted many gun sales, he said.
“People that live 60 miles away from any kind of population center were buying AR-15s because they were really worried that there was going to be some mob headed down there,” he said.
This rise in sales has caused a nationwide shortage, he said. Guns aren’t plentiful, ammo is scarce and manufacturers have told him they have enough orders to fill in the next three years of production… (LINK TO STORY)
By repealing Trump’s census order on unauthorized immigrants, Biden just gave Texas GOP an extra House seat, or two (Dallas Morning News)
Hours after taking office, President Joe Biden handed Texas a huge gift that went mostly unnoticed, overshadowed by more controversial moves on climate, public health and the border wall. He reversed Donald Trump’s policy of excluding unauthorized immigrants from the census count used to carve up the country into congressional districts. Texas has almost 2 million such residents out of nearly 30 million — enough extra people to bring billions in federal largesse over the next decade, and add considerably to its clout in the U.S. House. “Don’t get me wrong, I support President Trump and I appreciate what he was trying to do, but this is good for Texas,” said state Rep. Phil King, a Weatherford Republican who chaired the redistricting committee the last two years. “It probably means the difference between getting one and three new congressional seats.”
Lloyd Potter, Texas’ state demographer, took it a step further. Biden’s new policy isn’t just a gift for Texas. It’s a gift especially for Texas Republicans, since they control the Legislature and Governor’s Mansion and wield the knife that cuts the growing pie. “Whatever party’s in power maximizes the number of seats for the party,” Potter said. Under Trump’s proposal, “we definitely wouldn’t have gotten three. Maybe as few as one. It would certainly have diluted our representation.” With all immigrants included, Texas is almost certain to end up with 39, maybe even 40 seats in the U.S. House starting with the 2022 election. That’s up from the 36 it’s had for the last decade, behind only California.
The Census Bureau plans to release the official 2020 population count March 6, somewhat later than usual because of pandemic-related delays. The latest estimate for Texas is about 29.5 million people. The Pew Research Center and others have pegged the number of unauthorized immigrants at around 1.7 million — nearly 6% of the state, a huge swing. It’s not just the raw number of seats Texas stands to gain under Biden’s policy. It’s where. The unauthorized immigrant populations are concentrated in Dallas and Houston, Potter said. So under Trump’s plan, those cities would have lost clout in Congress relative to other regions… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
House poised to transmit Article Of Impeachment against Trump to Senate (NPR)
At about 7 p.m. ET Monday, the House will deliver to the Senate an article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump, a move that will trigger preparations for a historic trial.
The formal step comes just over a year after the House last transmitted an impeachment measure against Trump to the upper chamber. The latest rebuke alleges that the former president incited the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
On Tuesday, U.S. senators, who act as jurors in an impeachment trial, will be sworn in.
The trial itself will begin on Feb. 9, giving the nine House impeachment managers and Trump's defense team two weeks to file briefs and finalize their legal preparations.
An aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the delay will ensure Trump has due process.
The two-week period also allows for other Senate business to continue, like the confirmation of President Biden's Cabinet nominees… (LINK TO STORY)
Tech digs in for long domestic terror fight (AXIOS)
With domestic extremist networks scrambling to regroup online, experts fear the next attack could come from a radicalized individual — much harder than coordinated mass events for law enforcement and platforms to detect or deter.
The big picture: Companies like Facebook and Twitter stepped up enforcement and their conversations with law enforcement ahead of Inauguration Day. But they'll be tested as the threat rises that impatient lone-wolf attackers will lash out.
Where it stands: "Without any apparent large scale event in the immediate future, there is always a risk that radicalized individuals may feel themselves compelled to act out," said Jared Holt, a visiting research fellow with the Atlantic Council.
What they're saying: Twitter says it's working closely with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to minimize potential risks, including those specifically relating to planned future demonstrations from white nationalists and other extremist groups across the country… (LINK TO STORY)