BG Reads | News You Need to Know (January 26, 2022)
Jan. 25. 2022 // District 4 Council Member-elect Chito Vela declaring victory last night.
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Vela easily wins District 4 race (Austin Monitor)
A look at the election results Tuesday night showed that José “Chito” Vela would handily defeat his six opponents in the special election to replace outgoing Council Member Greg Casar. Vela won 2,137 votes for 59.23 percent. His closest rival, Monica Guzmán, received just 495 votes for 13.72 percent of the vote. Coming in third was Jade Lovera, who received 402 votes for just over 11 percent of the vote.
Vela told the Monitor, “I’m very excited about the win, happy and humbled and very grateful. We really just hit the ground so hard during these last few weeks. I think we knocked on thousands of doors …. We had a great team, so many volunteers, and I’m deeply appreciative.”
When asked what topic he expected to tackle first as a Council member, Vela said housing. “We’ve got to build more housing. Rents are skyrocketing, home prices are skyrocketing … and the other is Project Connect.” He expects Project Connect “to create new opportunities in Austin, and I want to make sure the project is built on time.”
Vela, an attorney and former member of the Planning Commission, garnered the lion’s share of endorsements, including the Austin Firefighters Association, Austin EMS Association, Austin AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, Workers Defense Action Fund and at least three Democratic clubs. The Austin Chronicle co-endorsed Vela and Guzmán. In addition, Vela has the support of incumbent Council Member Casar, Mayor Steve Adler and Council members Pio Renteria, Vanessa Fuentes and Natasha Harper-Madison.
Casar, who is running for U.S. Congress in Texas’ District 35, told the Austin Monitor he believes Vela will do a good job on Council. “It’s really important to carry on putting forward the interests of working people and civil rights at City Hall,” he said, “even if that comes with criticism. I think he’s very ready to do that.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Consultants reviewing Austin Police Department cite issues, provide suggestions for future (KVUE)
Austin Police Department officials should work to better understand a spike in force encounters while arrests simultaneously decreased, modify certain use-of-force policies and enhance supervisor review of officer performance, according to an outside consultant hired by the city.
The 179-page report from Kroll Consulting came more than two years after city council members passed a resolution calling for the in-depth study following concerns about internal racism in the department that they feared spilled onto the street.
According to the report released Tuesday, the firm dove deeply into a snap-shot of use of force cases in 2019.
It said that although the overwhelming majority of cases were appropriate, an analysis of 112 incidents showed that some officers unnecessarily escalated several encounters and that they were too quick to handcuff citizens without explaining why they were being stopped… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Experiment in car-free housing pays off for East Austin project (Austin Monitor)
Can car-free housing work in Austin? If a proposed project in East Austin is any indication, the answer is yes.
Those willing to ditch their cars have lined up to buy a unit in the Ivory, a mostly income-restricted project at 1309 Chicon St. Though construction is not yet underway, all but five of the building’s 40 affordable units have buyers, and nearly 300 people are vying for the 13 market-rate units, according to the developer.
“We have everything from workers in a coffee shop that are buying units to single moms with two kids that want a two-bedroom unit and elderly people as well,” said Sean Garretson, board president of the Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation, in a presentation to the city’s Mobility Committee last Thursday. The community development organization is in charge of the project and has built dozens of affordable homes in the neighborhood.
With the Ivory, Garretson aims to make car-free housing work in a city that, by some measures, is the fifth most car-dependent in the country, according to the 2019 American Community Survey. “Most people thought I was pretty crazy,” Garretson said. “Perhaps I am to some degree.”
Garretson said that car-free living, in addition to being environmentally friendly, is attractive because it saves money. According to AAA, a new car costs nearly $10,000 per year on average with fuel, maintenance and other expenses factored in.
To make car-free living easier, the Ivory will include amenities including an e-bike from local outfit Mod Bikes for each unit, an e-bike charging room, a B-Cycle bike-share station, and a spruced-up bus stop adjacent to the building. It also includes a car-share program that residents can use to take longer trips.
A project without parking on this site is only possible because of Affordability Unlocked, a development incentive program approved by City Council in 2019. The program allows denser housing and waives or relaxes regulations like parking requirements if some units are set aside for income-restricted housing. Garretson called the program a “game changer” – without it, he would have only built 15 total units and six affordable units due to development restrictions and parking requirements… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Interim city manager names new leadership changes for San Marcos staff (Community Impact)
Interim City Manager Stephanie Reyes announced changes within the city of San Marcos leadership organization that will take effect following the retirement of the current city manager, Bert Lumbreras, on Jan. 31 according to a press release.
The current director of engineering and capital improvements, Laurie Moyer, will be appointed interim assistant city manager. The current assistant director of capital improvements, Shaun Condor, will replace Moyer in that role as the interim director of engineering and capital improvements.
The current assistant director of finance, Anna Miranda, will be appointed as the interim finance director for the city following the resignation of Finance Director Marie Kalka, who resigned Jan. 18.
All the changes are to take place Feb. 1.
“In looking at the transition, I considered continuity of operations, leadership development and succession planning. My goal is to ensure our city team is experienced, accessible and responsive to the organization, [City] Council and the community,” Reyes said in a statement. Reyes was named interim city manager by the council unanimously Dec. 7… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Gov. Greg Abbott taps into parent anger to fuel reelection campaign (Texas Tribune)
Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott made a promise to Texas parents.
In the midst of continuing Republican-led political fights over what is allowed to be taught in public schools — namely over race, gender and sex — Abbott has put parental rights at the center of his reelection platform. Last week, Abbott made a pitch that he wants to solidify parental rights as an amendment to the Texas Constitution.
“Parents will be restored to their rightful place as the preeminent decision-maker for their children,” Abbott assured those at his campaign event last week at a charter school in Lewisville.
Abbott’s announcement on Thursday has been a building up over the past two years as two things have placed public schools in the sightlines of conservatives: the move by public schools to include a more comprehensive approach when teaching American history — one that includes a frank discussion of racism and its impact — and parental stress over school closures caused by the pandemic.
So far, Abbott’s promise is light on details. But it’s not the details that are remarkable, but the gesture itself. Experts — and current law — say that parents already have rights — and the announcement can be seen by some as a way to score points with pandemic-weary Texas parents.
“‘Parental rights’ has become a proxy for the anger people feel about government, specifically towards public schools,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “This ‘bill of rights’ is mostly a repackaging of policies already in place, including current law and recently passed regulations, but the bright bow on the package is politically attractive.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Dallas County will test employees weekly, give vaccinated workers extra sick leave for COVID-19 (Dallas Morning News)
Dallas County commissioners on Tuesday approved a new COVID-19 testing and sick leave policy for the county’s roughly 6,500 employees. The new policy requires weekly PCR testing for all employees, although those who are fully vaccinated may opt out. The commissioners also approved a policy that would give fully vaccinated workers an additional 48 hours of sick leave if they test positive for the virus. Unvaccinated workers are not eligible for the extra sick leave. “If you choose that course of action and accept personal responsibility, you’ll have to deal with the consequences,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Tuesday. “We’re not taking sick days away for those who who didn’t get vaccinated, we’re only adding days for those who are vaccinated.”
The leave policy also does not apply to law enforcement workers, who already had a quarantine policy approved by the commissioners last summer. Commissioners first considered the new policy at a meeting earlier this month, but delayed a vote to add the testing requirement and different benefits for those who are fully vaccinated. The two proposals for testing and sick leave passed on a 4-1 vote. Commissioner J.J. Koch, the court’s sole Republican, voted against the policy, saying he’d rather see required testing and additional paid leave for all employees — regardless of vaccination status. Koch stressed that even those who are vaccinated and boosted can catch the omicron variant and spread it to others. He said that he is fully vaccinated but caught the virus earlier this month, and that those employees who are not should not be singled out. “We’ve got to approach this carefully,” Koch said. “It’s merely a punitive measure. That’s the stick rather than the carrot.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas' first new cohousing development aims to turn neighbors into 'extended family' in Houston’s East End (Houston Chronicle)
A long-anticipated cohousing development is finally coming to fruition as a group of Houstonians break ground on what’s being described as the first cohousing development in Texas. CoHousing Houston is starting construction Friday on a 33-unit residential community on a 1.5-acre property at 114 Delmar in the East End. Residents are expected to move in by 2023, according to the group’s website. The group is describing the project as the state’s first development designed around cohousing, a communal living arrangement involving a collection of private homes grouped together around shared spaces that are intentionally meant to foster community.
While various forms of shared housing and co-living arrangements already exist in the state, the group says its development will be differentiated by its intentional use of shared spaces - such as communal kitchens and community gardens - plus regular group meals and activities to bring neighbors together. A 4,200 square-foot gathering place, called the Common House, will act as a venue for hosting meals and other activities. Residents can share the cost of everyday living expenses such as transportation, groceries and internet usage. The community can also act as a form of extended family with members offering to provide one another childcare or give rides to one another. For the East End development, residents will have their own private homes, kitchens and living spaces in addition to the communal areas. The project has been five years in the making, said Kelli Soika of CoHousing Houston, but the coronavirus pandemic piqued interest in the development as some people struggled with the social isolation of quarantines and lockdowns… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Fort Worth seeks greater share in funds for underserved businesses (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
The city of Fort Worth begins a new initiative Wednesday designed to give people of color access to funding to invest in their small businesses or nonprofit organizations and for developers to build affordable housing projects. The program will help match borrowers with funding available through Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), or lending institutions designed to fund underserved communities. The city has committed $3 million to run CDFI Friendly Fort Worth, which will serve as a liaison between CDFIs and the city’s underserved borrowers. “No one lends money to someone else unless they believe in the borrower’s future. And in too many communities … no one’s believed in their future,” said CDFI Friendly America’s founding partner Mark Pinsky.
Community Development Financial Institutions were born in the 1980s out of a recognized need to erase the wrongs of redlining in America’s communities, where banks drew lines around communities not deemed safe to lend, most of which were communities of color. This resulted in a disparity between traditional financing flowing into rich and white communities and Black and brown communities across the country. A 2010 U.S. Department of Commerce report lists that minority-owned businesses are less likely to receive loans regardless of their size and if they do receive them they are more likely to pay higher interest rates. “Finance is inherently backward looking: every judgment is based on what did we do last time? And how do we assess risk based on what we did?” said Pinsky. “Finance was not succeeding at getting to people who were outside the mainstream in any way.” The Community Development Financial Institutions model allows for flexible and affordable lending. The institutions charge less for a traditional loan than a bank or a credit union might, and payment schedules can be delayed when challenging economic conditions such as pandemic shutdowns occur… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
The rise of crypto mayors (New York Times)
Scott Conger, the mayor of Jackson, Tenn., campaigned on a modest promise to improve local infrastructure. He planned to build sidewalks, open a senior center and repair the aging storm-water disposal system in his city of 68,000, about halfway between Nashville and Memphis. But as he begins his fourth year in office, Mr. Conger, 38, has adopted a new favorite cause: cryptocurrencies. He has pledged to give city employees the option of converting their paychecks into Bitcoin and has outlined plans to install a digital mining network in a deserted wing of City Hall. The aim, he said, is to make Jackson a Southeastern tech center. Like many Americans, Mr. Conger discovered crypto during the pandemic and soon fell down an internet rabbit hole. His plans have turned him into something of a celebrity in the crypto world, a strange distinction for the leader of a midsize industrial hub where Pringles potato chips are manufactured.
“Bitcoin is a great financial equalizer,” Mr. Conger declared this month in an interview at City Hall. “It’s a hedge against inflation. It can bridge that wealth gap.” The ballooning popularity of Bitcoin and other digital currencies has given rise to a strange new political breed: the crypto mayor. Eric Adams, New York’s new mayor, accepted his first paycheck in Bitcoin and another cryptocurrency, Ether. Francis Suarez, Miami’s mayor, headlines crypto conferences. Now even mayors of smaller towns are trying to incorporate crypto into municipal government, courting start-ups and experimenting with buzzy new technologies like nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, to raise money for public projects. Their growing ranks reflect the increasing mainstream acceptance of digital currencies, which are highly volatile and have fallen in value in recent days. The mayors’ embrace of crypto is also a recognition that its underlying blockchain technology — essentially a distributed ledger system — may create new revenue streams for cities and reshape some basic functions of local government. “Mayors rationally want to attract high-income citizens who pay their taxes and impose few costs on the municipality,” said Joseph Grundfest, a business professor at Stanford. “Crypto geeks fit this bill perfectly.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)