BG Reads | News You Need to Know (August 24, 2022)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin's 2022 Council Ballot Slate Set (Bingham Group)
As of 5PM yesterday the field was set for Austin’s November Council elections.
The following offices will be on the 2022 Ballot:
Mayor -> 7 candidates
District 1 -> 4 candidates
District 3 -> 6 candidates
District 5 -> 6 candidates
District 8 -> 4 candidates
District 9 -> 8 candidates
Virden positions herself as the 'common-sense' candidate for mayor (Austin Monitor)
Jennifer Virden is about as much of an Austinite as someone can be. Born and raised in Northwest Hills, she’s eager to tell potential constituents how she went to Doss Elementary, that she’s an Anderson Trojan, and that she holds a degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
She’s spent her entire adult life working in real estate. It wasn’t until 2019 that Virden started to kick around the idea of running for public office.
In 2019, Austin City Council voted to effectively repeal its laws on public camping, sitting and panhandling, making the issue of homelessness more visible than ever before. A year later, Council members cut tens of millions of dollars from the police department’s budget in response to mass protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
According to Virden, these are the two actions that pulled her into the world of local politics. In fall 2020, she decided to challenge District 10 City Council Member Alison Alter for her seat, campaigning on “refunding” the police department, cutting taxes and Land Development Code reform.
The race went to a runoff election in which Alter edged Virden out by a few percentage points, an outcome that didn’t deter Virden at all. In June of last year, just over six months after her District 10 loss, Jennifer Virden announced her run for mayor – months before her main competitors Kirk Watson and Celia Israel… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Travis County rolls out monkeypox vaccines, updates eligibility (Community Impact)
At an Aug. 23 Travis County Commissioners Court meeting, Austin Public Health reported the county had received 5,154 vials of the Jynneos vaccine and has transferred 1,820 of those to health care providers in the community. Travis County also has 100 bottles of TPOXX, an antiviral medication used to treat smallpox.
APH has distributed 926 vaccines, and almost 2,000 vaccines were administered at the Austin Pride Festival on Aug. 20 by CommUnity Care, said Pilar Sanchez, the county executive for health and human services.
There are 34 confirmed cases, 76 presumptive cases and 32 individuals awaiting testing results for monkeypox in Travis County, according to APH.
There are 585 people who were exposed through close contact to someone who was diagnosed with monkeypox, and 274 people who are currently being monitored by the APH nurse line.
Presumptive and confirmed cases should be treated equally, said Dr. Desmar Walkes, the city's medical director and health authority… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Tower planned for old Carmelo's site receives key endorsement for density bonus (Austin Business Journal)
Amid the seemingly constant change for the downtown Austin skyline, a new tower plan is moving forward that would incorporate a historic structure that has stood for generations.
Stonelake Capital Partners LLC wants to develop the 5th + Red River apartment high-rise at 506 E. Fifth St., while preserving what's known as the Old Depot Hotel next door at 504 E. 5th St. and restoring it for retail use. The building dates back to the late 19th century.
New glimpses of the tower — which could have 242 apartments and rise 37 floors, or just under 460 feet — came at the Aug. 22 Austin Design Commission. The commission recommended the project for a downtown density bonus, which provides for buildings to rise taller than what is typically allowed. City staffers will have final say on whether the bonus is granted.
The commission vote marked the latest step in plans Stonelake unveiled last summer for the site many know as the old home of Italian restaurant Carmelo's, which shuttered in 2017.
The tower would be roughly 271,069 square feet: 221,537 square feet of apartments, 44,649 square feet of common area space and 4,883 square feet of retail space, according to documents submitted to the city.
Stonelake declined to comment. But Travis Albrecht — a senior associate at architecture firm Gensler, which designed the tower — said the building’s ground level would feature public spaces such as restaurants or stores that connect with the historic buildings on the property… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin neighbor groups take on hospital giant (KXAN)
Some Central Texas neighbors are going head-to-head with hospital giant Ascension Seton.
According to documents filed with Austin’s Planning Commission, the company wants to expand their Austin medical center with a new cardiovascular wing along the West 38th Street frontage and a women’s and children’s tower along the West 34th Street frontage.
Seton is seeking a rezoning request for the additional 358,155 square feet, which would mean demolishing their existing parking garage to make space, and rebuilding the garage on the neighboring property to the west, which the company also owns.
A spokesperson from Austin’s Housing and Planning Department said two groups, the West 31st Street Creekside Neighborhood Association and the Bryker Woods Neighborhood Association, have asked the planning commission to postpone the case until their September 27th meeting.
“One of the challenges for us that we feel could be underestimated currently is how cut-through traffic may impact our neighborhood,” said Jason Thompkins, spokesperson for the West 31st Street Creekside Neighborhood Association… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas State University sets record for freshman enrollment this fall (KVUE)
Texas State University announced Tuesday that it has set a new record for freshman enrollment this fall.
More than 7,590 freshmen were enrolled for the 2022 fall semester, marking a 14% increase over last year, the university said. That amounts to 900 more students than the freshman class of 2021.
The university said the number is preliminary from the first day of class and that the numbers are final on the 12th day of the fall semester.
“We are excited so many freshmen have chosen to become Bobcats," Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse said in a media release. "This historic class is a testimony to Texas State’s commitment to student success and to providing a one-of-a-kind campus and educational experience that prepares our graduates for the workplace and the world.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Despite Texas' lack of a state income tax, most Texans pay more in taxes than Californians, data shows (San Antonio Express-News)
Those coming to Texas for a tax break may want to turn around if they are not in the top 1 percent of earners. A recent post on Reddit's main economic forum included a 2018 graphic that shows Texans pay more taxes than Californians unless they are in the top 1 percent. The post is one of the highest-rated in the last month on the social media platform. It is unclear why the post was shared now. The graphic is of data from the sixth edition of the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy's "Who Pays" series, which tracks tax data for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The last time the nonprofit released data was in 2018, but it is expected to release updated findings later this year.
Texans in the bottom 20 percent of income earners — those earning less than $20,900 — pay 13 percent of their income in state and local taxes, while those in the top 1 percent of income earners — those earning $617,900 or more — pay only 3.1 percent. In California, the bottom 20 percent of income earners — those earning less than $23,200 — pay 10.5 percent in state and local taxes, while the top 20 percent — those earning $714,400 or more — pay 12.4 percent. Texas was the second-most regressive tax state, behind only Washington. Low-income taxpayers bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden in those states, according to the nonprofit. California, meanwhile, is the most progressive tax state because people in higher tax brackets pay higher tax rates. "Every state has some regressive taxes on the books," said Carl Davis, a research director at the nonprofit. "Whether that be sales tax, motor fuel tax, tobacco tax, even property tax is somewhat regressive." However, unlike other states, Texas has no "progressive counterbalance," Davis said, because there is no state income tax. Robert Peroni, a tax professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, noted that the "Who Pays" series appears to base its results on real-world data and policy. Nothing substantial has changed in the state tax-wise since 2018, Peroni said. However, all think tanks have their own viewpoints, with the nonprofit leaning liberal, Peroni added. For its data, the nonprofit relied on IRS income tax data, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey, sales tax data and property tax data from sources like the Census Bureau, Davis said. Despite Texas' reputation as a "low-tax, low-government state," Peroni said most of its residents are high-taxed. States with income taxes do more to lower inequality, according to Peroni… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Abbott declares disaster in 23 counties for latest ‘1,000-year’ storm (Dallas Morning News)
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed a disaster declaration for 23 counties impacted by Monday’s severe flooding, including Dallas County, as the region recovers from what’s been called a “one-in-a-thousand-years” event that flooded roads, submerged cars and left at least one person dead.
But even while North Texas has been clobbered in recent years by extremes in heat, cold, rain, fire and tornadoes, the governor refused to mention the words “climate change,” even when specifically asked by a reporter, while declaring a weather disaster in the region — at least the seventh such declared in Texas this year.
“We have constant conversation about what we categorize as extreme weather,” Abbott said, while acknowledging that “we are dealing with more extreme weather patterns.” But the governor ignored requests from Spectrum News 1′s Brett Shipp to acknowledge climate change… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Abortion-rights groups sue Texas AG, prosecutors to protect ability to help pregnant Texans seek legal abortions in other states (Texas Tribune)
Reproductive rights groups on Tuesday filed a federal class-action lawsuit to head off possible prosecution from Texas officials for helping Texans gain access to legal abortions in other states.
The suit filed in Austin names Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as well as a class composed of the county and district attorneys who could enforce the state’s near-total abortion ban, which goes into effect on Thursday.
The law, known as House Bill 1280, was passed last year. It is “triggered” into taking effect on Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June on Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade’s constitutional protection for abortion access… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
$27 billion class-action lawsuit and more litigation planned over Uvalde mass shooting (San Antonio Express-News)
Families of victims and survivors of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde are preparing at least two high-dollar lawsuits that could keep numerous defendants tied up in court for years. Trial lawyers plan to go after a constellation of businesses, individuals, local governments and law enforcement agencies that their clients believe should be held responsible in the May 24 massacre. Attorney Charles Bonner, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is building a potential class-action lawsuit seeking $27 billion.
Its targets likely will include the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and its police chief, Pedro “Pete” Arredondo; Georgia-based Daniel Defense, which manufactured the assault-style rifle with which gunman Salvador Ramos killed 19 students and two teachers; and all police agencies that responded to the shooting, Bonner’s law office confirmed Monday. Other potential defendants: the city of Uvalde, Uvalde County and Outback Oasis, the Uvalde gun shop that transferred two rifles to Ramos, an 18-year-old high school dropout, after he bought them online from Daniel Defense. Ramos used one of the rifles to carry out the attack. The massacre was the second-worst school shooting in U.S. history and the deadliest of its kind in a decade. A July 17 report by a Texas House committee faulted officers on the scene for taking more than an hour to confront and kill the gunman, even as students trapped inside the classrooms with Ramos called 911 for help… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas comptroller accuses Harris County of defunding police, threatens to stymie 2023 budget (Houston Chronicle)
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar this week accused Harris County commissioners of defunding local constables and threatened to prevent the county from implementing its proposed 2023 budget if the county does not reverse course. In a letter sent late Monday, Hegar said the county’s move to do away with “rollover” budgeting led to more than $3 million dedicated to the constables last year being returned to the general fund. “If the county proceeds with the Constable budget as proposed without obtaining voter approval, the county may not adopt an ad valorem tax rate that exceeds the county’s no-new-revenue tax rate,” Hegar wrote. Harris County Administrator David Berry on Tuesday afternoon said Hegar's position would prevent the county from adopting a budget that increases funding to Harris County Constables’ and Sheriff’s offices by "millions of dollars."
"The Comptroller’s position would keep us from making these new investments," he said, "which is contrary to the intent of SB 23. ... I hope the Comptroller’s position does not prevent us from achieving our goal, and we look forward to working with the state to resolve this matter. Berry said that in the past, county departments could “roll over” their unspent budget from one year to the next "with no questions asked." "This practice was unique to Harris County and is not the practice of other local governments," he said. "Under the current policy, departments, including the Constable’s Offices, can request the use of unspent funds on vehicles, equipment, and other one-time expenses. The County has continued to support these investments." Paradoxically, by preventing Harris County from adopting the new tax rate, Hegar's actions would prevent the county from implementing $96.7 million in increases to the sheriff and constable offices, and a proposed $10 million increase to the District Attorney's Office. Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman -- one of the two constables who first raised the issue with Abbott -- said he was "thankful" to the governor and to Hegar for looking into the matter… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Former Edinburg mayor denies pressuring people to vote illegally (McAllen Monitor)
The former mayor here took the stand again in his own defense Tuesday morning and told jurors he never coerced, forced or bribed anyone to change their residency so that they could vote for him in the 2017 mayoral election. The testimony from Richard Molina comes on the sixth day of testimony in his trial on a charge of engaging in organized voter fraud and 11 counts of illegal voting. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and told jurors that if he had known changing people’s addresses to vote for him was illegal, he never would have done so.
Numerous witnesses have previously testified that Molina told them to change their addresses so that they could vote for him. However, while on the stand, Molina said it was his understanding that people were allowed to choose their residency and that he was clear with people that they could only vote in one election, not from multiple addresses. The former mayor also testified that the people he spoke with all had interests in Edinburg, whether they be family, business interests, were employed there or wanted to support him. According to the former public official, he became aware of the practice when he looked into running for city council in 2013 and found out others had changed their address to vote in prior elections. He reiterated that when he helped people do it in 2017, he believed it was OK because other people had done it. He said it only became a problem once he was elected mayor. Molina said he also based his belief on training he received from the county to be a deputy voter registrar and from information he researched on the Texas Secretary of State’s website… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[BG PODCAST]
Episode 162: Discussing Austin Entrepreneurship and the Black Leaders Collective with Terry P. Mitchell
Today's (162) episode features Austin community leader and serial entrepreneur, Terry P. Mitchell.
She and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss her path into the business world, and the founding of the Black Leaders Collective-> EPISODE LINK
Enjoyed this episode? Please like, share, and comment!
[HEARINGS AND MEETINGS]
Wednesday
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