BG Reads | News You Need to Know (January 10, 2022)
Mt. Bonnell overlook
[BINGHAM GROUP]
We are proud to announce Bingham Group CEO A.J. has joined the Austin Habitat for Humanity Board! Unanimously approved last month, A.J. will serve a three year term.
[MEETING/HEARINGS]
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
District 4 candidates face off before special election (Austin Monitor)
Candidates vying for Greg Casar’s Council seat appealed to voters last Thursday at a forum hosted by the city’s Ethics Commission and the Austin chapter of League of Women Voters. Isa Boonto, Melinda Schiera, Jade Lovera, Jose “Chito” Vela, and Monica Guzmán had the chance to share their visions for District 4 before competing in the special election. Early voting begins this week.
The candidates spent the evening discussing hot-button issues in the historically underserved area of Northeast Austin (candidates Amanda Rios and Ramesses II Setepenre, while on the ballot, were not in attendance). While mostly in agreement on long-term goals, the five competitors diverged on details, differing in their priorities and approaches to tackling the city’s problems.
With District 4 ranking highest in crime for the fifth year in a row, public safety was a prominent topic of discussion. “Our community has been totally ignored, and our local convenience stores are often robbed at gunpoint,” said community organizer Melinda Schiera, who said she would continue partnering with APD to more adequately serve the district.
Lifelong neighborhood resident Jade Lovera said an increased investment in community policing would be her approach, noting as central priorities the modification of APD’s contract and rebuilding trust between the police force and the community.
Community organizer Monica Guzmán said she would prioritize the city’s Reimagining Public Safety initiative, which she helped develop as a member of its task force. Guzmán said such advocacy was desperately needed at District 4’s Georgian Drive and Powell Lane, where high rates of prostitution and drug use affect the surrounding Georgian Acres community.
Also high on the docket was the issue of housing, which former Planning Commission member and attorney Chito Vela identified as his top priority. “We need more of both public and private housing to address the housing crisis we are facing now,” he said. “My goal is to make Austin a more welcoming place for working-class people.” To achieve this goal, Vela pledged to advocate for more housing along the light rail line slated for construction along North Lamar Boulevard as part of Project Connect, saying, “These investments could finally turn North Lamar into a vibrant, multi-use boulevard.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Internal memo reveals TxDOT’s latest changes to I-35 expansion plans (KUT)
Lowering I-35 under more cross streets including Holly Street and Woodland Avenue, increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and reconfiguring downtown frontage roads are among the changes to TxDOT's I-35 widening project that are outlined in a new internal memo to the mayor and City Council.
Speed limits would be reduced on the frontage roads in Central Austin from 40-50 miles per hour to 35-40 miles per hour, similar to major corridors like Burnet Road or Lamar Boulevard.
Frontage roads in the downtown area could be shifted entirely to the west side of I-35, which would free up the east side to allow for more parkland that could transition into widened bridges or decks covering the interstate known as "caps and stitches."... (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Meta leases up all office space in Austin's tallest tower in historic deal (Austin Business Journal)
Months of speculation have come to an end as California-based Meta Platforms Inc. — the parent company of Facebook — recently leased the entire commercial half of Sixth and Guadalupe, the 66-story high-rise under construction that will be Austin's tallest building when finished.
Meta confirmed to Austin Business Journal that it leased 589,000 square feet of office space across 33 floors at Sixth and Guadalupe, located downtown at 400 W. Sixth St. The lease was signed Dec. 31.
“We first came to Austin over 10 years ago with just seven employees, now over 2,000 of us are proud to call Austin home. We’re committed to Austin and look forward to growing here together,” Katherine Shappley, head of Meta's Austin office and vice president for commerce customer success, said in a statement.
California-based Meta also announced it is looking to hire 400 more people in Austin. As of last summer, the company had about 2,000 local employees, which ranked No. 25 among the largest private-sector employers in the region. Given the new lease and other Meta offices in Austin, the company could grow significantly beyond that mark in coming years.
The 589,000 square feet of office space in Sixth and Guadalupe is larger than the entire Frost Bank Tower. Only one building has more available office space in the Central Business District: Indeed Tower with 720,000 square feet.
In addition to the office space, Sixth and Guadalupe will have 349 residential units on floors 34 to 66… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin pizza chain Via 313 employees protest to demand sick pay, COVID-19 safety protocols (Austin American-Statesman)
More than 30 employees and their supporters gathered Saturday outside of the Via 313 Pizzeria restaurant on Guadalupe Street to protest the company's COVID-19 policies.
One worker told the American-Stateman on Saturday he was among a group of workers suspended Thursday, a day after they presented a petition to management asking for COVID-19 safety protocols for workers and restaurant guests; paid sick leave and hazard pay for employees; and notices and updates to staff about co-workers who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Some Via 313 employees told Statesman they feel unsafe working because the restaurant's COVID-19 safety protocols are not uniformly enforced and differ from one location to the next.
Although company officials did not immediately respond to the Statesman's requests Friday for an interview, public relations firm Giant Noise shared a statement on their behalf: "We at Via 313 Pizzeria care deeply about our employees. Their health and safety is top priority. Like everyone, this is our first time facing a global pandemic, and with that comes a learning curve. Since March of 2020 we have followed CDC guidelines, along with federal and state regulations, mandates, and protocols to protect the health of our team and guests."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Abbott officially launches reelection campaign in McAllen (McAllen Monitor)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott officially announced his reelection campaign before a crowd of about 200 people here on Saturday afternoon. The announcement came during the Hispanic Leadership Summit and kicked off the first of some 60 campaign stops Abbott has planned around the state in the lead up to the March 1 Republican Primary. Abbott, who, by his own admission, has made more trips to the Rio Grande Valley than any governor before him, chose to make his announcement in McAllen for a reason — because of how the region so neatly dovetails with many of his campaign priorities. Between its booming economy, its rapid pace of residential and commercial development, its attractiveness to big tech firms like SpaceX, and its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border, the Valley has become a microcosm for Texas politics writ large.
And it was something Abbott focused on as he laid out his campaign platform while speaking at the McAllen Convention Center. That platform prioritizes economic growth, individual liberties, border security and support for law enforcement, and — perhaps most importantly — keeping Texas from making a “left turn” toward “the woke radical agenda.” “We cannot let big government liberals redesign our state with the progressive agenda that is destroying some parts of America,” Abbott said to a fired up crowd where few wore face masks. “We need a proven winner who will fight to secure the future of Texas. That is why today I am in the Rio Grande Valley to officially announce my reelection to run as your governor of the great state of Texas,” Abbott said to a round of raucous applause. The governor began his campaign speech by hitting upon several traditional Republican political talking points, including promises to lower property and franchise taxes, and continuing to foster a business-friendly environment. But beyond that, Abbott soon began to winnow in on some more salient conservative priorities — supporting law enforcement, securing the border and safeguarding individual liberties when it comes to decisions over health, education and the Second Amendment… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Gov. Greg Abbott’s primary showing will settle whether he’s ‘undisputed leader’ of Texas GOP (Houston Chronicle)
Winning isn’t going to be enough for Gov. Greg Abbott. With voting in the Republican Primary starting Jan. 15, experts say the two-term governor has to win big to convince fellow Republicans that he is the true leader of the GOP in Texas. A big enough victory over former Texas Republican Party chairman Allen West and former state Sen. Don Huffines would reverberate throughout the state party and in national politics Jones, said Mark P. Jones, a professor in the Department of Political Science at Rice University. If he’s going to follow past governors George W. Bush and Rick Perry onto the national stage, Abbott needs a solid victory. Winning less than 60 percent of the primary vote would raise eyebrows across Texas, Jones said. “What his role with the national Republican Party will be rests heavily on him being the undisputed leader of the Texas Republican Party,” Jones said.
But Abbott’s political team brushes off that notion, saying as they crank up a breakneck pace of campaigning over the next seven weeks, they are focused on using the primary as a full-throttle dress rehearsal for November, when they are likely to face El Paso Democrat Beto O’Rourke in the general election. Abbott held a campaign kickoff event in McAllen on Saturday and will launch his first television commercial starting Monday. His campaign then expects to do 60 events over the 7 weeks left until election day. They hope to activate a base of support in the primary that will translate into votes in November. “The more voters vote in the primary, the more voters will vote for you in the general election,” said Dave Carney, a top political adviser for Abbott. What that busy schedule doesn’t include are forums or debates with West, Huffines or the other five Republicans on the March 1 primary ballot. Abbott hasn’t agreed to any debates or candidate forums with his primary opponents to date. Yet, West and Huffines have already been to a half-dozen campaign forums or debates, with two more set for Monday night in The Woodlands and later in Conroe. Abbott isn’t scheduled to attend either. West, a former one-term Florida Congressman who now lives in Garland, isn’t surprised by Abbott avoiding him on a debate stage. Often, heavily favored incumbents avoid debating lesser-known opponents and challengers… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
CDC updates are straining already-pressed public health departments (NBC News)
Dr. Michael Kilkenny did not expect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention news release he received on Dec. 27. Four days earlier, the CDC had cut the isolation time for health care workers with Covid to seven days, if they were asymptomatic and had a negative test. The new announcement said that people with Covid could isolate for just five days after symptoms developed, instead of 10. “When we got a press release on the 27th that seemed to contradict guidance we got on the 23rd — that was quite a bombshell for us,” said Kilkenny, chief executive officer and health officer of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, which serves Huntington, West Virginia, and the surrounding county. Around the country, schools and health organizations scrambled to interpret the news release and adjust their policies — only to change course again when the CDC filled out details and its rationale in full guidance published about a week later.
“That gap left us guessing what we should actually do,” Kilkenny said. “That’s not good management and good communication. It leads to misunderstanding. It leads to distrust.” The CDC decision to cut isolation times in half for many people who have caught Covid-19 took local public health agencies by surprise and left some struggling to explain to their communities exactly what the changes meant and why federal officials had made them. Gaps in communication between federal, state and local officials have left some public health leaders fearing that they’ve lost trust with those they serve amid public confusion. In interviews, three local public health leaders, one state leader and two leaders of medical associations offered a mixture of reactions to the CDC’s recent shifts: frustration over lack of communication but also understanding that every public health officer faces challenges in making timely changes and offering clear guidance. None took issue with the guidance itself. “We were hearing from the hospitals, in particular, great concern for how we were going to be able to keep operations going,” said Dr. Philip Huang, the director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services department in Texas, who said his agency was looking at changes to local quarantine and isolation protocols before the CDC made its recommendations. “Was it ideal? No. I think though, these are extraordinary times with lots of variables and things happening.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Omicron explosion spurs nationwide breakdown of services (Associated Press)
Ambulances in Kansas speed toward hospitals then suddenly change direction because hospitals are full. Employee shortages in New York City cause delays in trash and subway services and diminish the ranks of firefighters and emergency workers. Airport officials shut down security checkpoints at the biggest terminal in Phoenix and schools across the nation struggle to find teachers for their classrooms.
The current explosion of omicron-fueled coronavirus infections in the U.S. is causing a breakdown in basic functions and services — the latest illustration of how COVID-19 keeps upending life more than two years into the pandemic.
“This really does, I think, remind everyone of when COVID-19 first appeared and there were such major disruptions across every part of our normal life,” said Tom Cotter, director of emergency response and preparedness at the global health nonprofit Project HOPE. “And the unfortunate reality is, there’s no way of predicting what will happen next until we get our vaccination numbers — globally — up.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)