BG Reads | News You Need to Know (January 27, 2021)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW // BG Episode 126: Building a Texas Political Community with Pink Granite
RECENT // BG Podcast Episode 124: Opposing Strong Mayor Reform with Austin for All People
RECENT // 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 (1,498)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Voters to decide on changes to how Austin’s government works (KUT)
Austin voters will be asked to decide on a slew of changes to how local politicians are elected and what power they have in governing after the city clerk validated a petition Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Austinites for Progressive Reform, a local political action committee, turned in a petition with more than 20,000 signatures, the amount required to put something like this to an election.
The group is asking that residents vote to make several changes to the city’s charter. Much like the Constitution, the charter dictates how Austin’s government functions. The changes are:
Moving mayoral elections to the same year as presidential elections. Currently, Austin elects a new mayor the same year as midterm elections.
Using ranked-choice voting for local elections. Instead of voting for one person, voters would rank candidates.
Changing from a "weak mayor" form of government to a "strong mayor" form of government. Currently, Austin has a city manager who oversees the executive branch of the city. This would put the mayor in that role and grant the mayor veto power over the council’s votes, an ability the city manager does not currently have. At the same time, the group is proposing to add an 11th council district.
Offering a $25 voucher to each voter to be used as contributions to local campaigns.
A spokesperson for the PAC said he believes these changes will be presented as four separate items on a ballot, meaning voters would vote on them individually and not as a package.
In a letter signed last month, a group of union leaders and criminal justice advocates raised concerns about the "strong mayor" provision of the petition, saying that it would consolidate too much power within the mayor’s office. This, they argue, would make it harder for council members representing underserved parts of the city to have their policy changes heard.
“We are unconvinced that a strong mayor, armed with newly gained powers over the Council, is somehow better positioned to be sensitive and responsive to the nuanced challenges faced by residents in individual districts than the current system affords …” the letter reads… (LINK TO STORY)
See also:
Cap Metro reviews details of first interlocal agreement with Austin Transit Partnership (Austin Monitor)
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors voted Monday to approve a resolution authorizing Randy Clarke, the president and CEO of Capital Metro, to finalize a three-year interlocal agreement with Austin Transit Partnership.
In addition to discussing some of the chief details of Capital Metro’s role in the agreement, the board focused its attention on the timeline of the allocation of funds.
The agreement will be required as ATP begins to ramp up its services, Chief Operating Officer Reinet Marneweck explained to the board members.
“Cap Metro will provide administrative support and aid to ATP as it gets off the ground, as well as those elements of the program that Capital Metro will be providing – the bus-related projects, the Red Line, and the pickup services,” Marneweck said.
The three-year term of the agreement, Marneweck explained, is merely preliminary, and intended to be extended for additional years of funding as ATP projects are implemented.
“This is ILA number one, and we should expect more ILAs to come in the future as the relationship evolves,” she said.
According to Marneweck, the relatively short duration of the agreements despite the lengthy timeline of the overall mission helps ensure that the program schedule is adhered to, and the implementation goals are met on time.
As part of the agreement, Capital Metro will implement some of the components of Project Connect, including improvements to the Red Line, MetroRapid and Neighborhood Circulators. This is in addition to providing project management for the Orange and Blue lines. The estimated cost to Capital Metro for its role in aiding Project Connect is $260 million over the course of the three-year agreement.
While Council Member Ann Kitchen expressed support for the resolution, she also requested that the board be briefed on the timeline for $300 million in funding that is part of the interlocal agreement.
“I would like to request that we receive more information in the future, in terms of the timeline for the allocation of the $300 million that is related to equity-focused housing,” Kitchen said, referring to the anti-displacement component of the ILA. “I’d like to have a briefing to our board of that timeline, so that’s one request. And I’d like to understand the timeline for the ILA between ATP and the city.”
CEO Clarke indicated that the $300 million would be spent over the course of 13 years…(LINK TO STORY)
Travis County votes to accept application for Silicon Silver development incentives agreement (Community Impact)
Travis County commissioners voted Jan. 26 to accept an application for the Silicon Silver Project, a development being considered in the county. The name of the company behind the project and the application will be published once the county has received it, along with a $150,000 application fee—an amount that suggests an agreement for a large project; electric carmaker Tesla also submitted an $150,000 fee last year for an incentives agreement pertaining to a 4 million-5 million-square-foot manufacturing plant.
To accept the application, commissioners paused a moratorium that had been placed on the Travis County Code Chapter 28 economic development incentives policy. That moratorium was first placed in July 2019 in order to revise the Chapter 28 policy to become more inclusive of smaller businesses, not just large corporations. The revision process is underway and is projected to be completed later this year. In the meantime, Travis County implemented a set of temporary adjustments to its policy based on the city of Austin's correlating policy, called Chapter 380, in regards to the Silicon Silver project.
These adjusted stipulations include a requirement that all jobs created by the Silicon Silver project pay a living wage, defined as at least $15 per hour in Travis County. This includes employees of the company and contract workers, including construction workers. At least 25% of the project’s hires and contract workers must be from Travis County or the surrounding counties of Bastrop, Hays, Caldwell, Williamson and Burnet. All construction activities and hires must also meet the standards of the Travis County Construction Compliance Program, which includes a commitment to invest in independent on-site monitoring. Additionally, the company is prohibited from taking any retaliatory actions toward workers involved in union organizing.
Representatives for the Silicon Silver Project were not present for the vote, but Travis County Judge Andy Brown said the applicant was aware that any deal with the county would include provisions to provide workforce protections.
“In my conversations with them, I’ve always been really up front that labor concerns are paramount to me, and I think they’re aware of that,” Brown said… (LINK TO STORY)
Dad trashed on Twitter after whining that Austin residents ‘are rude’ (New York Post)
Even Texas may not be big enough for this man and his haters.
California transplant Brett Alder penned an op-ed for Business Insider this month listing his complaints about Austin, Texas, where he relocated with his family for work in 2015.
The internet has since seized on his diatribe in a storm of viral tweets, slamming the sales executive and father of seven as the whiny embodiment of privilege — and a manifestation of the problems that come with gentrifiers.
Among other grievances, Alder wrote that “Austinites are rude,” their drivers are “reptilian brain terrible,” service at restaurants and rental car companies alike are “generally awful” and a bland “monoculture” prevails that “leaves you with the feeling that you traveled 15 years back in time.”
Even though “Austin is supposed to be outdoorsy,” Alder found that there are “very few places to go” due to the “limited number of public spaces serving such a large population.”
As for the famed heat, “it’s hard to describe how oppressive it is.”
Alder and his family have since moved back to California, which he cedes is similar to Austin in one key way. “The thing that California and Austin definitely have in common is that they’re both very expensive,” he wrote. But the Golden State, he maintains, is worth the price… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin stands out in race for potential $17B Samsung chipmaking plant, site selector says (Austin Business Journal)
Austin may be in the driver’s seat in the competition to land a potential multibillion-dollar chipmaking plant for Samsung Electronics Co.
Samsung is reportedly looking to make an investment of up to $17 billion in its next U.S. facility, with eyes on Austin, Phoenix and upstate New York as possible sites, according to national news reports.
A site selector whose firm works with major global companies on relocations and expansions said Central Texas stands out because of its local talent and Samsung’s long presence in the Austin area.
“Austin should be a much easier sell versus upstate New York or Phoenix,” said John Boyd Jr., principal at New Jersey-based site selection firm The Boyd Co. “Samsung has a long history in Austin, and it has a solid reputation as an employer of choice.”
Samsung established an Austin presence in 1996 and opened its first fabrication plant in 1997. It has expanded its campus over the years, and now has roughly 2.45 million square feet on 300 acres, where about 3,000 people work. The Korean technology giant has helped make Central Texas a hub for semiconductor production, along with other big companies such as NXP and Applied Materials.
Samsung Austin Semiconductor LLC also recently purchased 250 acres surrounding its current campus off East Parmer Lane, which company officials have said is for strategic planning purposes.
Tech companies, including manufacturers, have been pouring into Central Texas in recent months, many pointing to the city's flourishing local talent pool and relatively lower cost of living compared with Silicon Valley. Texas' business-friendly environment and lack of income tax are likely to play into Samsung’s choice, Boyd said, on top of incentives that may be offered by the state… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Gov. Greg Abbott pushes Legislature to protect businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits (Texas Tribune)
Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing state lawmakers to protect individuals and companies that opened businesses during the pandemic against coronavirus-related lawsuits, he said Tuesday. It's another in a long line of Abbott's attempts to support businesses despite the worsening public health crisis and ongoing economic turbulence in Texas.
While the governor did not provide specifics about what protections he wants businesses to have, he said his focus is on reducing lawsuits and creating more jobs. He told a table of business leaders Tuesday in San Antonio that businesses “have gone above and beyond" to remain open during the pandemic.
“And yet those same businesses, they face the threat of potential lawsuits for the fact that they opened up," he said… (LINK TO STORY)
The late Sheldon Adelson's gambling empire pushes forward with goal to bring casinos to Texas (Texas Tribune)
The gambling empire Las Vegas Sands is pressing forward with its ambitious drive to bring casinos to Texas after a series of recent developments, including the death of its CEO, Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson, have called into question how much momentum remains behind the cause.
The company made waves in Austin late last year as it built a high-powered lobby team and made clear it saw Texas as its next big expansion opportunity — "the biggest plum still waiting" in the industry. But since then, Comptroller Glenn Hegar released a fiscal forecast for the state that was much better than expected, quieting what had been mounting conversations about how gambling could be a new tax revenue source for the state. Then came the death of Adelson, the famous chairman, founder and CEO of Las Vegas Sands. And then the new state House speaker, Dade Phelan, delivered his first public assessment of the push, saying casinos needed to be treated as a "long-term commitment" and not a short-term panacea for the state's fiscal challenges.
The company has not pitched casinos as a silver bullet for Texas' budget problems, but few dispute that the company is operating in a different environment in Texas now than it was as recently as a month ago.
Andy Abboud, Las Vegas Sands' senior vice president of government affairs, indicated in a statement for this story that the company was undeterred.
"The possibilities for expanding Texas’ tourism offerings are exciting, and we look forward to working with lawmakers this session to present the potential opportunities that exist for robust, long-term economic development and jobs for the state," Abboud said.
Sure enough, Las Vegas Sands' Texas lobby team has kept growing at a brisk pace, ballooning to 51 members, according to registrations with the Texas Ethics Commission as of Tuesday. The company is spending anywhere from $2.3 million to $4.5 million on the lobby stable, according to the state records, which only provide pay ranges for individual lobbyists… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas AG Ken Paxton’s lawsuit blocks President Biden's order on deportation (Houston Chronicle)
President Joe Biden’s order to halt the deportation of most unauthorized immigrants for 100 days has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge, after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton challenged it in court. U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton’s nationwide order marks Paxton’s first win in what he’s predicted will be a string of suits against the Biden Administration.
The decision from Tipton, a Trump appointee in the Southern District of Texas in Corpus Christi, preserves federal law that set a 90-day timeline for a person’s deportation once a removal order has been filed in his or her case. However, the temporary restraining order Tipton granted will only last until he decides whether to grant a more permanent injunction that would stand until the case concludes.
The Department of Homeland Security policy, issued by the acting secretary on Biden’s first day, was part of a broader strategy by the agency to focus on its “highest enforcement priorities” of securing the southwest border and national security. Attorneys for the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but they had said in a hearing last week that if Tipton granted the restraining order, they planned to fight it. Paxton, who is under investigation by the FBI after seven whistleblowers in his office accused him of bribery and abuse of office for working on behalf of a campaign donor, has had a difficult start to the year. (He’s maintained his innocence in that case, as well as another in which he’s been accused of felony securities fraud.)
Earlier this year, a suit Paxton took to the U.S. Supreme Court attempting to reverse presidential election results in four battleground states was swiftly and forcefully rebuffed by the high court, even after then-President Donald Trump had hailed it as “the big one.”… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Most U.S. Mayors do not support reallocating police resources, survey finds (NPR)
The vast majority of mayors in American cities do not support sweeping changes to the funding of their police departments, and most say last year's racial justice protests were a force for good in their cities, according to a new survey of more than 100 mayors from across the U.S.
Eighty percent of the mayors who responded to the Menino Survey of Mayors say they believe their police budgets last year were "about right." Most mayors said they did not support reallocating many, or some of their police department's resources and responsibilities.
Conducted by Boston University's Initiative on Cities, the survey includes responses from 130 mayors nationwide who all lead cities with more than 75,000 residents.
The findings come in the early days of the Biden administration, as the president seeks to make good on campaign promises to rein in police abuse and dismantle systemic racism. The country's divisions over race, criminal justice and policing are some of the most significant domestic challenges facing Biden's administration.
The mayors were surveyed over the summer, as the country reckoned visibly, and painfully, with racism and police violence across all sectors of American life. An outcry that began after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis continued through the year, making Black Lives Matter a national rallying cry. There have also been demands in cities, including Minneapolis, to "defund the police," or to redirect police department funding to social services and other programs… (LINK TO STORY)
The rebellion against Silicon Valley (the place) (AXIOS)
Silicon Valley may be a "state of mind," but it's also very much a real enclave in Northern California. Now, a growing faction of the tech industry is boycotting it.
Why it matters: The Bay Area is facing for the first time the prospect of losing its crown as the top destination for tech workers and startups — which could have an economic impact on the region and force it to reckon with its local issues.
While the pandemic’s arrival sent tech workers to toil from home just as the Bay Area’s housing crisis and mounting quality of life problems bubbled over, some are taking the opportunity to move to cities that better suit their lifestyles.
As many as an estimated 89,000 households have left San Francisco.
"The majority of people I've spoken with ... are doing it not because of COVID-19 directly but because of the resulting degradation of public safety," says venture capitalist and former San Francisco mayor Mark Farrell.
City Hall’s tech relationship has also drastically changed. While then-mayor Ed Lee brokered a payroll tax break for Twitter and others in 2011 to keep their jobs in the city, today that move is deeply despised by officials who don’t believe the industry is paying its fair share.
Recently a small-but-vocal group of investors, workers, and entrepreneurs like Keith Rabois and Joe Lonsdale have been loudly advertising their exits from the Bay Area and other high-priced cities like New York, and encouraging others to follow suit.
Miami and Austin are being praised as the new tech hotspots. While it hasn't caused a bump in startup funding in those cities, according to Pitchbook data, investors from influential firms like Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz have set up shop there.
And those cities are not missing the opportunity. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has been waving his city’s flag on Twitter to court potential residents.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler touted his city’s growth and passage of a $7 billion package for transformational transportation during a recent conversation with Suarez and San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
Between the lines: Those who never wanted to live in San Francisco (or the greater Bay Area) are finally getting the permission not to.
The debate is equally (and perhaps even more) a referendum on the state of California… (LINK TO STORY)
Lime adds shared electric mopeds to the mix (Tech Crunch)
Lime is adding electric mopeds — painted in the company’s signature green — to its micromobility platform as the startup aims to own the spectrum of inner city travel from jaunts to the corner store to longer distance trips up to five miles.
Lime said Wednesday it plans to launch as many as 600 electric mopeds on its platform this spring in Washington D.C. The company is also working with officials to pilot the mopeds in Paris. Eventually, the mopeds will be offered in a “handful of cities” over the next several months.
The mopeds, supplied by manufacturer Niu, are designed for two people and outfitted with tech like infrared-cameras in the helmet compartment that can detect if they’re in use during a trip, an effort aimed at rooting out misuse and increasing safety. Repeat offenders of Lime’s policies, which includes wearing a helmet at all times, will be kicked off the platform. Customers will also be required to take a selfie wearing the helmet at the start of a ride.
The helmets will be supplied by Moon for U.S. customers and Nikko for the European deployments.
The mopeds will have a top speed of 28 miles an hour and be able to travel up to 87 miles on a single charge. Unlike Lime scooters, in which gig economy workers can earn money by collecting, charging and bringing back to city streets, the mopeds will have swappable batteries and be maintained by full-time employees.
While it’s unclear if mopeds have always been part of Lime’s long-term plans, the company’s head of new mobility told TechCrunch that they’ve been thinking about what the future of electrified urban transportation might include.
“As we’ve grown as a company, we understood that we just needed to follow what our riders were demanding which is further distances,” said Sean Arroyo, head of new mobility at Lime. “The ability to meet any trip, at anytime, anywhere, is something that’s at the foundation for us and so our riders really are the ones that pointed us in this direction.”
Lime CEO Wayne Ting first hinted late last year that a “third mode” of transport beyond scooters and bikes was in the works for the first quarter of 2021 as well as the addition of third-party companies to its platform. Last year, Lime also started to include on its app Wheels-branded electric bikes in certain cities. Ting said, at the time, that users should expect more partnerships like these… (LINK TO STORY)