#NEWS // BG Reads | January 3, 2023
[AUSTIN CITY HALL]
2023 Council Staff Picks
Council Member José Velásquez - District 3
Council Member Ryan Alter - District 5
[AUSTIN METRO]
Watson reflects on his mayoral campaign: ‘A new beginning’ (Austin Monitor)
As Mayor-elect Kirk Watson prepares to assume his third term, he’s chosen to stick to his campaign messaging: He wants to cut down on the red tape involved in the development process, work across the ideological spectrum and play the role of elder statesman for the city.
“I want to start this term governing from a position where we’re in this together,” he tells the Austin Monitor.
Watson’s focus is on the future. His campaign website (which previously listed his platform and endorsements) has been replaced with a single web page, his?Twitter username?has been changed to “Mayor Kirk Watson,” and the banner atop his?Facebook profile?relays a single message in all caps: “THANK YOU, AUSTIN.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin Mayor-elect Kirk Watson, 3 city council members to be sworn in Friday (KVUE)
By the end of this week, Austin will have a?new mayor?and three new?city council?members.
The Austin City Council will convene on Friday at 6 p.m. to hold an?inauguration?for Mayor-elect?Kirk Watson, District 3 Councilmember?José Velásquez, District 5 Councilmember?Ryan Alter?and District 9 Councilmember?Zohaib "Zo" Qadri.?
Re-elected councilmembers for Districts 1 and 8,?Natasha Harper-Madison?and?Paige Ellis, will also take the Oath of Office…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin's rental market less competitive due to high pace of construction, study finds (Austin Business Journal)
Even with a constant flood of out-of-staters, Austin is one of the nation’s least competitive rental markets with 12 prospective renters applying for each empty apartment in the area.
That’s according to RentCafe’s latest end of year report, which found that Austin ranked No. 6 among Texas markets and didn’t place at all in the list of 20 most competitive U.S. markets. RentCafe rated markets on a scale of zero to 130, and Austin scored just 39 points.
Markets that scored less than 45 are considered less competitive, while markets that scored 45-90 are considered competitive and markets that scored 90 and above are considered highly competitive…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sees no 'movement' on expanding gambling (Houston Chronicle)
Although casino giants and sports betting groups are making a big push in Texas, the head of the state Senate said he isn’t seeing much progress on the issue going into 2023. “I don’t see any movement on that right now,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in an interview with KXAN-TV in Austin. Patrick, a Houston Republican who has overseen the Texas Senate since 2015, said that doesn’t mean things can’t change during the legislative session that begins Jan. 10. He said there is “a lot of talk out there” about gambling but that he hasn’t seen any Republican in the Senate file a bill on the issue yet. Republicans hold a strong majority and control the Senate's agenda.
His comments come as gambling interests make a big splashy push to expand gambling options in Texas. Casino and sports betting groups have been doling out massive campaign donations and building an army of lobbyists in preparation for the legislative session. More than 300 lobbyists are now registered in Texas to work on gambling issues, according to state records, led by Las Vegas Sands, which now has 74 — the most lobbyists in Texas for any single group or business. The world’s largest casino company, the Sands created a political action committee in Texas to help fund candidates. Its biggest recipient since then has been Texans for Dan Patrick, which has received $225,000 from the group, including a $75,000 donation at the end of September, according to state campaign finance records. Patrick won re-election to a new four-year term in November. The push for expanded gaming found new momentum during the campaign season when Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he’d be willing to consider the idea…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Hidalgo says colleagues tried to 'cut me out,' then calls for unity at swearing-in ceremony (Houston Chronicle)
Winners of Harris County's November elections were sworn in Monday at NRG Center, marking the start of a new super-majority on Commissioners Court after Democrats took a fourth seat on the five-member body. With County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia and new Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones beginning their terms, the county appears poised to continue the progressive policies that have been advanced since the court majority flipped in 2018. The event was ceremonial, as officials already had been sworn in during earlier private ceremonies, including Hidalgo, Garcia and Briones, who ousted incumbent Republican Jack Cagle from the seat he had held since 2011.
While judges and other countywide officers took the oath of office administered by U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett, Hidalgo skipped the ceremony, arriving late and taking the microphone to deliver an unscheduled 10-minute speech after the Pride Chorus Houston had performed its closing song and many officials, including Garcia and Briones, had left the stage. "My fellow commissioners tried to cut me out of the program," Hidalgo told the audience. "They can't take two women in power. Today when Commissioner Briones is sworn in, we will have for the first time two women."…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
领英推荐
Dallas County swears in new officials with all-Democratic Commissioners Court (Dallas Morning News)
Dallas County’s new Democratic officeholders took the oath of office on Sunday, 48 floors above downtown Dallas in a luxurious and sprawling banquet room, and celebrated their election victories with other public and party officials. The swanky Tower Club atop a skyscraper hosted the Democrats’ swearing-in ceremony on a warm New Year’s Day to make official and celebrate their sweep of countywide races in November. For the first time in recent history, they control all but one county office. Steve Seider, a North Dallas justice of the peace, is the lone Republican elected official in the county. And the new Commissioners Court has Democrats in all five seats. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said he believes it’s the first time the court is fully represented by true progressives, noting that the Texas Democratic party of old that once controlled elections had a more conservative flavor…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
ERCOT’s independent monitor says Texas shouldn’t meddle with power market (Dallas Morning News)
The independent authority for Texas’ power grid operator ERCOT has a novel idea for how state officials should tackle restructuring Texas’ electricity market in the wake of 2021?s deadly winter storm: do nothing. Numerous proposals are before the Public Utility Commission to overhaul how electricity is bought and sold on Texas’ power grid. The commission, which regulates the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and is made up of board members appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, has proposed a unique market structure that would pay a premium for electricity produced by natural gas. That proposal has faced pushback for relying on an untested structure. But Republican state lawmakers appear united in providing some sort of incentives toward instantly available dispatchable energy, which in Texas is code for natural gas. At stake is the resiliency of the state’s electric grid, which was pushed to the brink of collapse in the February 2021 winter storm that led to widespread blackouts and killed more than 200 Texans…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
McCarthy heads to grueling speaker vote with fate in limbo (Politico)
As Kevin McCarthy begins the final descent of his turbulent bid for the speaker’s gavel, Republicans are bracing to see whether he lands the plane or crashes and burns.
After weeks of intense, down-to-the-wire negotiations, the California Republican is about out of time to lock down the needed 218 votes. With his yearslong effort to claim the speakership trapped in limbo, he’ll first meet with his party’s conference Tuesday morning behind closed doors, likely making his final case before members head to the House floor to vote…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[MEETINGS THIS WEEK]
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
FRIDAY
[BG PODCAST]
Bingham Group Associate Hannah Garcia and CEO A.J. catch-up on the short holiday week including:
Council staff picks; Official runoff election results (LINK TO FINAL RESULTS:?bit.ly/3FMlZEv); and this week’s winter storm advisory
Episode 178
The BG Podcast is also available on?Apple Podcasts,?Soundcloud, and?Spotify
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