#NEWS // BG Reads | May 2, 2023
[WEEK AHEAD]
Tuesday (5/2)
Thursday (5/4)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Homeowners sue city of Austin over development plans near Lady Bird Lake (Austin American-Statesman)
A group of Austin property tax payers is suing city leaders over a plan that would divert an estimated $354 million of future tax revenue to pay for additional amenities in a development zone near downtown.??
The lawsuit, filed April 24, alleges that the city illegally established a tax increment financing zone, violating state law, and aims to stop the city from "illegally spending" these diverted property taxes.?The suit names Mayor Kirk Watson and all 10 council members in their official capacity, as well as interim City Manager Jesús Garza.
The plaintiffs include the nonprofit Save Our Springs Alliance, former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and former Austin City Council Member Ora Houston…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Public Safety Commission, City of Austin to hold special meeting to discuss license plate readers (FOX 7)
The Public Safety Commission for the City of Austin will have a special called meeting this month to discuss license plate readers, as well as the 3-1-1 system and 9-1-1 call centers.
Both were originally on the Monday, May 1 agenda, but the meeting took a different route when APD Chief Joseph Chacon addressed commissioners.
"I’m just going to be very direct and let you all know that I did not come prepared today to talk about LPRs or anything else that’s on the agenda," said Chief Chacon. "I wanted to be here today to kind of explain where I think that the relationship between APD and this commission has broken down and how some of the conversations that have happened in here have not just been contentious, but inappropriate toward either police employees, toward police staff,?and at times even some of the vendors that are working with the police department…and quite honestly if it continues to happen in the future I will remove my staff from the meeting."…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Housing and Planning Committee weighs in on light rail design plans, preparing for challenging decisionS (Austin Monitor)
With the June deadline for a final proposal fast approaching, Austin’s long-awaited light rail system is beginning to take shape.
Austin Transit Partnership, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and city staff all joined City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee last week to discuss the?five designs?for the first phase of the multibillion-dollar infrastructure project, each prioritizing different service areas north and southeast of downtown.?
“We’re essentially retrofitting major transit infrastructure for the 11th largest city in the nation, and that is not an easy task,” said Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, who chairs the committee…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Pflugerville build-to-rent neighborhood breaks ground (Austin business Journal)
Yet another build-to-rent neighborhood is rising in the metro.?
Los Angeles-based Banyan Residential’s broke ground on its Banyan Everton rental neighborhood in Pflugerville — first?announced?in January 2022 — according to an April 28 announcement. Banyan purchased the property in 2021 through a partnership with Bridge Investment Group, and previously expected to begin construction last fall.?
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The groundbreaking is the latest example of a build-to-rent community sprouting in the Austin metro, where a decades-long bull run in the housing market has necessitated greater variety for residents.
The 234-home rental neighborhood — the likes of which are becoming increasingly common throughout the metro?— is Banyan’s second single-family rental project in Texas, following Houston’s 97-home Banyan Kingsland Heights, which is leasing now…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
The Texas Legislature has a month to decide on bills that will limit how cities, counties govern (D Magazine)
The Texas Legislature will wrap its 88th session in May, and cities and counties statewide are warily watching legislation they say seeks to wrest control away from local governments. Some of the bills that would impact the way local government operates have received a lot of attention. That’s headlined by Senate Bill 990, which would eliminate countywide polling places. That bill passed the Texas Senate this week and has been referred to the House Elections Committee. The so-called “Death Star” Bill, House Bill 2127, would prevent cities and counties from passing new ordinances on a variety of issues or enforcing ones that already exist. If passed, the legislation would limit a city or county’s ability to regulate how a broad swath of businesses operate. For instance, should the bill pass, Dallas’ ordinance requiring water breaks for construction crews would be illegal to enforce…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred preparing to challenge Ted Cruz in 2024, sources say (Texas Tribune)
U.S. Rep.?Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is set to challenge U.S. Sen.?Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for reelection in 2024 and could announce his campaign within days, according to two sources familiar with his plans.
Allred, a former NFL player and civil rights lawyer who was first elected to Congress in 2018, has been considering for months whether to take on Cruz. Speculation ramped up last week after it was?noted?that Allred’s campaign website appeared to be undergoing changes.
Politico?first reported Monday?that Allred could launch a bid against Cruz as soon as this week. The two sources who spoke to The Texas Tribune were not authorized to publicly discuss Allred’s plans, and aides to the representative did not respond to requests for comment…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
White House preparations for end of border expulsion policy draw mixed reviews (Texas Public Radio)
Texas advocacy groups are giving the Biden administration mixed reviews after the White House announced new immigration policies Thursday to prepare for the end of a controversial border health rule that rapidly expels migrants from the U.S. Title 42, a policy initiated in March 2020 by the Trump administration, comes to an end May 11 as migrant crossings into Texas continue to trend upward. In preparation, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday it will open new processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala, with more added later in other countries, to “reduce irregular migration” and facilitate legal pathways for travel. Applicants can make appointments there for processing and possible approval of legal pathways to enter the U.S., Canada or Spain. The administration also announced it will expand family reunification programs for migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia. It will also improve a current process for migrants from Cuba and Haiti…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Treasury’s Yellen says US could default on its debt as soon as June 1 (AP News)
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress on Monday that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1, if legislators do not raise or suspend the?nation’s borrowing authority?before then and avert what could potentially become a global financial crisis.
In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Yellen urged congressional leaders “to protect the full faith and credit of the United States by acting as soon as possible” to address the $31.4 trillion limit on its legal borrowing authority. She added that it is impossible to predict with certainty the exact date of when the U.S. will run out of cash…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Writers Guild of America goes on strike (NPR)
Television and film writers have gone on strike against major Hollywood studios: Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony. The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, failed to come up with a new three-year contract in advance of the old deal expiring at midnight Monday. Representatives of the WGA voted to call a strike, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
"The companies' behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing," the WGA said in a statement Monday night. "From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a 'day rate' in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession."…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
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