BG Reads | News You Need to Know (August 2, 2023)
[BG PODCAST]
EPISODE 209 // Welcome to Episode 209! Bingham Group Associate Hannah Garcia CEO A.J. Bingham review the week (ending 7.28) in Austin politics and more.
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[AUSTIN METRO]
Garza says reorganization ‘will in no way diminish’ offices of Civil Rights, EquitY (Austin monitor)
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza has clarified his plans for reorganizing a handful of city offices, including the Equity and Civil Rights offices, which will be located in different buildings despite being part of the newly created Community and Business Equity Department.
In a memo released Monday, Garza said those two offices, as well as the office of Small and Minority Business Resources, would serve as distinct units in the new department, which is being created as part of the process for finalizing the city’s next budget.
The memo said the leaders of those offices will retain their current level of authority, adding that “this new department, devoted to all things equity-related, along with civil rights, will in no way diminish the existing offices.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Advocates call on Austin City Council to add more community investments to proposed budget (FOX 7)
Multiple advocacy groups are calling on Austin City Council to take more action on the proposed budget to address homelessness and overdose issues.
Advocates say that despite Mayor Kirk Watson’s recent announcement of Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) funds for temporary shelter, there needs to be more funding for permanent supportive housing, eviction prevention, and harm reduction services.
"Short term emergency strategies and Band-Aids can save lives. They are important, but they are not enough. And we should never settle for that," Joao Paulo Connolly, organizing director for Austin Justice Coalition said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Proposed budget includes small changes at Austin Energy, Austin Resource Recovery (Austin monitor)
Citing Austin Energy’s critically low levels of cash reserves, the utility’s financial planners are proposing that it raise base rates by 2 percent, which will cost the typical residential customer about $1.04 per month, Budget Officer Kerri Lang told City Council at Tuesday’s budget meeting.
Lang said the utility is seeking a $20 million increase in transfers to its reserve fund, which has fallen to a level that worries city officials.
The utility’s typical residential customer currently pays $108.71 per month. The proposed rates for Fiscal Year 2024 would increase that bill to $109.75, Lang said, pointing out that Austin residential customers have some of the lowest rates in the state… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Williamson County to consider calling $900M bond election (Community Impact)
The Williamson County Commissioners Court voted to move forward with calling an almost $900 million bond election, approving an $825 million road projects bond and a $59 million parks bond at an Aug. 1 meeting.
The court’s decision has directed county officials to begin drafting documentation and ballot language for two bond propositions that could be placed before voters in November, said Connie Odom, Williamson County director of communications and media relations.
Proposition A: $825 million road bond
Proposition B: $59 million parks bond
At its next Aug. 8 meeting, the court will vote on whether to call the election with a finalized list of road and parks projects, Odom said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Eagle Pass to review decision to make a public park 'private' so migrants can be arresteD (Corpus ChristI Caller-times)
The city council of the border town of Eagle Pass will meet behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss whether to uphold or rescind the order signed by the mayor to declare a public park private so that migrants crossing from Texas could be charged with criminal trespass. Mayor Rolando Salinas, acting without a vote of the council, signed an affidavit in June at the request of the Texas Department of Public Safety to declare that the city's Shelby Park was private property under his authority. The declaration has led to more than 400 criminal trespass charges being filed against migrants who have been apprehended on the bucolic 47-acre tract south of downtown Eagle Pass and alongside an international bridge. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is defending many of the arrested migrants, saying "there is no basis" in law that allows trespassing charges against people who access a public park. The park and its public boat ramp has been largely off limits to Eagle Pass residents while uniformed National Guard soldiers along with DPS troopers with military style vehicles and watercraft conduct patrols watching for unlawful crossings.
The Eagle Pass Border Coalition said Monday it plans to hold an event on the steps of the town's city hall to speak against the affidavit one hour before the council meeting. "The move has touched a nerve with Eagle Pass residents because they are now excluded from use and access to their own park and public boat ramp by Operation Lone Star officers and Texas National Guard soldiers," the organization said in a news advisory. Jessie Fuentes, whose canoe and kayaking company has essentially been shuttered because of limited or no access to the Rio Grande, has filed suit against the state of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott over the placement of river-crossing buoys in the river near Eagle Pass and other initiatives taken without the consent of federal authorities. “No one speaks for the Rio Grande concerning these controversial measures being undertaken, so I have chosen to speak and represent the river as its advocate to protect it for current and future generations of people, wildlife, and fauna who depend on it," Fuentes said. Salinas earlier this month in an interview that his city has become the eye of the immigration storm in South Texas because of publicity generated by the buoys' installation and by the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit against Texas and Abbott. He said Eagle Pass "is caught in the middle" of the long-running feud between the Republican Abbott and Democratic President Joe Biden. He said he supports efforts to stem the tide of unlawful immigration into his city of 28,000 residents about 145 miles west of San Antonio, but has concerns about reports of migrants being injured by the state-placed razor wire and recent reports of migrants drowning while attempting to cross the river… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Nearly half of Texas counties lack access to maternity care services, report shows. (Houston Chronicle)
Almost 47 percent of Texas counties are considered "maternity care deserts" compared to 32.6 percent in the U.S., according to a new report from the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center.
Maternity care deserts are defined by the data center as areas without access to birthing facilities or maternity care providers. The report dives into the factors that contribute to maternity care: access, distance to birthing hospitals, availability of family planning services, prenatal care usage, as well as the effect of chronic health conditions across the state… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas child welfare agency fails vulnerable teens when they turn 18, whistleblower says (texas Tribune)
An investigation by The Imprint published in February revealed that the state stands out for its poor performance providing youth ages 18-20 the housing and basic-needs services they are owed under the federal extended foster care program. Despite having one of the nation’s largest child welfare systems, Texas has far fewer young adults in foster care than states with comparably sized populations, including Illinois, Florida, Ohio and New York. Even states with smaller foster care populations enroll many more young adults in extended care.
One key shortcoming is access to supervised independent living placements, a preferred option among older foster youth because it allows them independence with minimal caseworker oversight. A state-run work group is exploring ways to improve access to the program, which continues to have unfilled beds because of what youth advocates describe as burdensome entrance requirements. The advisory group, which includes state agency staff, judges and legal advocates, has met about once a month since April… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Trump indicted on Jan. 6 chargeS (THE HILL)
Former President Trump was indicted Tuesday by a Washington grand jury on charges stemming from his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election.
The 45-page indictment from special counsel Jack Smith puts Trump at the center of a lawless campaign to block the transfer of power, charging him with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and other crimes.
At its core, the Justice Department contends Trump embarked on a campaign of “dishonesty, fraud and conceit” to obstruct a “bedrock function” of a democracy — the counting of votes — generating charges for conspiracy to defraud the U.S… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
The new CDC director outlines 3 steps to rebuild trust with the public (NPR)
The pandemic was a chance for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to do what it does best.
Instead, that public health crisis left the CDC marred by political interference and criticism of confusing messaging — and the agency lost trust among Americans.
Trust is clearly one issue on the mind of the agency's new director, Dr. Mandy Cohen. She mentioned the word more than 50 times at a commencement speech she delivered earlier this year.
"Trust is a critical foundation for a healthy society," she said. "Trust in institutions, such as government, or media, or business, has been eroding in recent years. This lack of trust has led to polarization, to division."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
PG&E Scraps Tree-Trimming Program Once Seen as Key to Fire Prevention (Wall street Journal)
The California utility company PG&E PCG -1.48%decrease; red down pointing triangle spent about $2.5 billion on a yearslong effort aimed at reducing wildfire risk by cutting or clearing more than a million trees growing alongside power lines.
It now says that work was largely ineffective and is eliminating the program, according to an internal analysis reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and interviews with utility executives.
The strategy shift marks a calculated risk by the utility that new power-line settings will be more effective than the tree-trimming program that was put in place after a series of devastating wildfires. The program, which the company called “enhanced vegetation management,” was meant to supplement routine tree-trimming work required by regulators.
The pivot was the subject of considerable debate among the company’s board of directors, according to people familiar with the matter, and has invited scrutiny from California regulators… (LINK TO FULL STORY)