BG Reads | News You Need to Know (June 21, 2023)
[MEETINGS/HEARINGS]
[AUSTIN METRO]
Landmark commission pushes for ‘partnership’ on Sixth Street redevelopment (Austin Monitor)
Despite trepidation from developers, the Historic Landmark Commission has recommended a heftier review process for Sixth Street properties slated to be redeveloped under proposed regulations.
The code amendments, which were initiated by City Council in June 2022, could raise height limits to 140 feet for buildings on Sixth Street between Neches and Sabine streets. Council’s resolution also asked the city to create design standards “with specific guidelines for the preservation of facades on historic structures, to ensure any redevelopment is compatible with the character of the historic district.”
At their June 7 meeting, landmark commissioners unanimously endorsed the code amendments. They also added clarifying standards for preservation of historic building facades and tax breaks for existing establishments in an effort to dull gentrification.
The commission also spoke with representatives from Stream Realty Partners – the group that’s currently planning to redevelop two blocks of Austin’s “Dirty Sixth.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin weather: Excessive heat warning extended through Wednesday as 100°+ streak continues (AUstin-American Statesman)
Austinites slogging into work after a long weekend of heat warnings aren’t likely to get much relief this week.The National Weather Service in New Braunfels expects hot, humid weather to last through the week, continuing the brutally abrupt switch to summer after a mild spring.
The weather service on Monday extended to 9 p.m. Wednesday an excessive heat warning for a swath of Central and Southwest Texas, including the greater Austin area… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin nurses who strike won't be allowed to work for three additional days, hospital says (Austin American-Statesman)
Nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin who strike Tuesday won't be allowed to return to work for three additional days after the strike, the hospital's owner has announced.
Part of the hospital's contingency plan to care for patients during the nurses' planned one-day strike includes contracting with a staffing agency that specializes in work stoppage events to replace nurses who are not at their posts, according to a news release from Ascension, the health system that owns the hospital.
Ascension is contractually obligated to commit to four days of work for any nurses who temporarily replace permanent staff members. The health system said it is working to ensure there are no disruptions to patient care and services… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Texas senators include more property tax cuts for businesses in new pitch to break impasse with House (Texas tribune)
The Texas Senate advanced a new bill Tuesday to cut property taxes for all land-owning Texans — but because House members adjourned weeks ago, the future of the proposal is unclear.
The $12.7 billion proposal moved swiftly out of the Senate’s Finance Committee and the full chamber, clearing both steps with no opposition. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, flanked by Senate Republicans and Democrats during a press conference following the vote, called on the House to return to the Capitol in Austin in the remaining days of the special legislative session to rubber-stamp the proposal.
"The taxpayers are waiting for their tax cut and the clock is ticking," Patrick said Tuesday.
The new Senate proposal — pitched by state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston-area Republican and the Senate’s point person on property tax cuts — would provide targeted tax relief to Texas homeowners, send state dollars to school districts so they can cut their tax rates and give more businesses a break on their franchise tax bills. The proposal also puts tighter revenue caps on school districts, a bid to even further drive down tax rates… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas tightens PFC regulations, preserving controversial incentives for affordable housing (Austin business Journal)
A controversial Texas program that incentivizes the creation of affordable multifamily housing is set for major reforms after the legislative session.
House Bill 2071 was not vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott by a June 18 deadline, meaning it and other bills that were still awaiting action by the governor will automatically become law.
HB 2071 was passed overwhelmingly by the Texas Legislature, with enough votes to take effect immediately. It changes rules around public facility corporations, or PFCs, which are intended to incentivize workforce and affordable housing.
PFCs can be created by public entities such as housing authorities and municipal utility districts. Under the incentives program, PFCs could previously partner with businesses to remove an apartment community from the property tax rolls for 75 years or more in exchange, broadly, for designating 50% of the units as affordable for renters making 80% of the area median income.
The PFC program stoked vigorous debate during the legislative session, with some lawmakers calling it a money grab for developers. Proponents, meanwhile, have argued that putting too many restrictions on PFCs will further curb housing in a state that is trying to keep up with immense population growth… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Senate impeachment rules to determine if Ken Paxton will testify, allow wife as juror (Austin american-Statesman)
The Texas Senate on Tuesday will consider rules for Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial, an exercise that could shape the role the defendant’s wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, will have in the case and determine whether Paxton must testify and, if so, whether he’ll be granted immunity from criminal prosecution. Drafted by a committee of seven senators, the rules could also create a path for Paxton to delay the trial through a postponement that his lawyers say they'll pursue. As it stands, the trial must start no later than Aug. 28. Paxton, a three-term Republican, is suspended from office without pay after the Texas House voted May 27 in favor of 20 articles of impeachment. Many of the articles address his relationship with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, a political donor recently indicted in federal court on eight counts of mortgage fraud.
Serving as a blueprint for the Senate trial are rules from two past Senate impeachment trials — Gov. James Ferguson in 1917 and Judge O.P. Carrillo in 1975. In both trials, the proceedings were open to the public and lawyers could present evidence and cross-examine witnesses. The prosecution's burden of proof was “beyond a reasonable doubt” — the highest standard of guilt in Texas criminal courts. The House vote in May was only on probable cause — a lower standard used for a criminal indictment. Though the Ferguson and Carrillo trials provide a limited and dated sample, legal scholars and legislative insiders have analyzed them to get a sense for the rules in Paxton's trial. But Renée Cross, a University of Houston political science lecturer, warned, “This is so different.” “The power structures have changed so much, particularly with this Senate and this lieutenant governor,” she said. Cross said that because the case has received so much publicity she suspects public opinion will factor into the rules. “There’s likely a considerable number of Texans that feel (Paxton) was wronged by the House process, so I think there will be a lot of attention paid to how all this plays out,” she said. Tony Buzbee is one of two high-powered Houston attorneys who will defend Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial. Paxton’s lawyers say he is being targeted for political reasons and that the House vote was rushed and slanted against him. Based on the rules, they say they'll file a motion asking the Senate to dismiss the case before going to trial… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Houston mayoral candidate drops out of race, will run for Jackson Lee's congressional seat instead (Houston Chronicle)
Former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards announced Monday that she would withdraw from the mayoral race to instead vie for the congressional seat currently held by Sheila Jackson Lee, who previously announced her intention to run for mayor. Edwards, who previously ran for U.S. Senate, revealed her campaign pivot during a news conference in front of a mural in Fifth Ward. She shifted her sights toward the 18th Congressional District — a position Jackson Lee has held for nearly three decades and that covers areas including Acres Homes, Fifth Ward, East Houston, Highland Heights and George Bush Intercontinental Airport. “As Congresswoman Jackson Lee seeks to come home to serve as Houston’s next mayor, I seek to continue the strong legacy of servant leadership in the 18th Congressional District,” Edwards said. “From Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Congressman Mickey Leland, Congressman Craig Washington to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the people of the 18th Congressional District deserve the next leg of this relay to continue to be strong, bold, effective and focus on the people.”
Edwards first launched her campaign for mayor in March 2022 and pledged to focus on expanding business opportunities for women and minorities, improving flood control and tackling crime. Before her mayoral run, Edwards had served a single term as one of Houston's five at-large council members. She passed up a second term to pursue a Senate seat and placed fifth in the 2020 Democratic primary. Notably, one of Edwards’ early professional experiences after college was an internship with Jackson Lee. She said the experience allowed her to witness, up close at a young age, the work required to represent the 18th District. “It was a powerful and eye-opening experience that deepened my interest in public service and for which I will remain grateful,” she said. Edwards said she has raised $1.3 million for the mayoral election, but she will not be able to transfer the funds to her new campaign. She said she will communicate to her donors the option to get a refund for their prior donations or to put the dollars toward her new federal campaign war chest. The 18th District long has been under the control of Jackson Lee, since her initial election to the office in 1994. Throughout her tenure, Jackson Lee consistently has won primaries and general elections by wide margins, including securing 77 percent of the vote over six primary challengers in 2020… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
American Companies Are Hostage to the Whims of TikTok (Wall StreeT journal)
TikTok has become an unavoidable consideration for anyone running a consumer-facing business today. Owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, the social app has proved a force in marketing and media, and helped brands monitor consumer trends. According to CEO Shou Chew, five million businesses use the platform.
For all its mind-reading insights, the platform has also become a disruptive force in research and development, upending conventional wisdom about product cycles, testing, differentiation and manufacturing.
Companies scramble to mass-produce products, or fix existing ones, based on feedback that often has a very short shelf life. It’s a gamble—one that many executives say is necessary if they want to win over younger shoppers and keep up with the competition. Even though the app faces bans in the U.S., where the Biden administration has raised national-security concerns that the company says are misplaced, businesses are shaping their product decisions around it… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Hunter Biden reaches plea deal with feds to resolve tax issues, gun charge (Politico)
Hunter Biden has reached a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve a five-year federal investigation into his failure to pay about $1 million in federal taxes and his purchase of a handgun in 2018.
Under an agreement detailed Tuesday in a filing in federal court in Delaware, President Joe Biden’s son will plead guilty to a pair of misdemeanor tax charges. Prosecutors have also charged him with possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs — a felony — but have agreed to dismiss that charge if he completes a two-year period of probation…(LINK TO FULL STORY)