Burnt Orange Report: - city council

Anti-coal demonstration at Austin City Council meeting Thursday

citizen.sarah — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:27:32 GMT

With the Day of the Dead just around the corner, it's the time of year to remember friends and family members who have died. That's why a demonstration is being held at City Hall on Thursday at noon to recognize those who have died from complications related to living around the City of Austin's coal plant.

Burning coal to create electricity has a high human cost. From childhood asthma to aggravated heart and respiratory problems, living downwind of a coal plant can take years off of your life. If you are a six year old or even a strapping adult with asthma and unlucky enough to live near a coal plant to boot, that is enough to send you to the emergency room on a regular basis. Individuals with heart conditions are in the same boat. And mercury emissions from the coal stacks that power our city find their way into waterways and are known to cause birth defects. A recently updated study by the Clean Air Task Force finds that our Fayette Coal Plant causes an average of fifty deaths each year.

City Council must take these considerations into account when planning our future energy mix. Why should others in the state of Texas die or live with crippling health problems when cleaner alternatives exist?

So come to City Hall at noon on Thursday to show City Council your support for a clean energy plan that would phase out the coal plant as quickly as possible. Wear black in some way, and meet at 11:50 in the lobby so that we can coordinate. Parking at city hall is free on council meeting days. Please RSVP or contact Ryan Rittenhouse at 512-477-1155 with any questions.

Please also spread the word to similarly concerned friends and invite them to the "Austin has a dirty secret" facebook group so that they can be in the loop for future events or demonstrations.

San Antonio Activists Fight Parade Ordinance

David Kobierowski — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:25:12 GMT

A group of San Antonio activists I interviewed yesterday, say their city council passed an ordinance that puts a price on free speech.

According to the website, www.esperanzacenter.org/freespeech; on Nov. 29th, 2007, the SA Mayor and City Council passed an ordinance requiring groups to pay the cost of traffic barriers, police officers, and clean-up for their city events, which can amount to $15K or more.

The website goes on to say

While the original goal of this ordinance was to streamline the permit and fee process for "Parades, Runs, Walks, and Related Events", concerns over limitations of our First Amendment rights have become a key point.
Although the ordinance passed says that the City will pay for the first $3000 of any "First Amendment Activities" on the streets, the remaining costs could still easily prevent free speech marches from occurring.

The group has sponsored bumper stickers saying "Our Streets Will Not Be Silenced", both in English and Spanish.

My Take: This ordinance is concerning and could likely be interpreted as a violation of citizens' rights to free speech and assemply. It clearly adds a heavy burden on any group looking to protest or march. Likely only corporate-backed groups will be able to afford these fees. It could destroy grassroots efforts.

What do you think? Is the SA City Council violating citizen's First Amendment rights?

Keep in mind, this ordinance might be coming to your city next. What if they did this in Austin? Or in your city? What side would you take?

Best,
David Kobierowski

Austin Chronicle Forgets Alternate Candidates in Its Hustle for Mayor

MeanRachel — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:08:13 GMT

cross-posted on MeanRachel.com.

What happens when the alternative becomes mainstream? As the city of Austin delves further into its live music and hipster vices, with $200 ACL-fest ticket and plethora of skinny jeans, suddenly grunge is luxe. In last night's Hustle for Mayor, hosted by the alternative weekly newspaper the Austin Chronicle, the two mainstream candidates Lee Leffingwell and Brewster McCracken sipped coolly on Lone Stars and Miller Lites while answering softballs in front of a youthful, sweaty crowd at The Mohawk.

Strangely absent from the stage -- but not the venue -- were lesser-known mayoral candidates David Buttross and Josiah Ingalls. Nevertheless, Buttross managed to distribute glossy push-cards to attendees and Ingalls, a janitor at the Downtown Hilton, stood awkwardly in a poorly fitting suit and tie at the back of the audience. He was, as one Chronicle staffer put it, "uninvited."

The Chronicle, representative of Austin perhaps now more than ever in its scenester popularity, seemed unapologetic for eschewing an alternative voice in its Austin mayoral debates. A questioning of senior staff writer Michael King resulted in him saying "I don't think he's a serious candidate - do you?"
Political workhorses, journalists, or even local activists, will make the argument that a candidate's viability -- and when they say this, beloveds, don't think for one second they aren't actually meaning the word "electability" -- can and should factor into these debates. Those who do not have a chance of being elected stand to be shut out for the sake of...what? Time? Public interest? For the sake of the desire to feature those more like "the others?"

Nevertheless, a quivering Josiah Ingalls took the stage, saying as he went up "I've got to go up there, they let me talk for two minutes." I asked him if he'd been invited to the forum and he said "No," smiling in a way that showed many years of covering sadness, "but I crashed the party."

As he spoke on stage, I saw not a hobby candidate or someone with nothing else to do but make a name for himself. He was not an unemployed transient looking for a new gig. He was an earnest, minimum-wage earning candidate, perhaps more like all of the youth at the forum there, trying to push his agenda of mental health services and poverty. He said that when he talked about affordability, he was "not talking about $1000 a month for rent." As he spoke, I realized that people were not simply cheering for him -- they were agreeing with him.

The same could be said about the once unknown voice of an alternative paper, not a "serious" newspaper, of course, but a quiet, uncomfortable reminder that the world does not only revolve around the mainstream. Hands wringing, under and unfunded, Josiah Ingalls stood at the back of the Mohawk, uninvited, but there nonetheless.

The ultimate viability of any entity is not in its corporate support, or its over-stocked qualifications, or even its electability, but its ability to be there, real and alive. Our variety of mayoral candidates are not much different from what was once our alternative weekly: a representative voice -- speaking for the lesser few, pushing the agenda of the oft forgotten, and changing the conversation to promote those who go unpromoted.

Roslyn Shorter to Challenge Sue Lovell for Houston City Council Seat

David Mauro — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:51:48 GMT

In a rematch of a race for a seat on the Democratic National Committee at last summer's State Democratic Convention, Roslyn "Roz" Shorter will challenge incumbent Houston City Council Member Sue Lovell for the City's At Large Position 2.

Isiah Carey's InSite blog has more.

You may remember Shorter as the local woman chosen by the Barack Obama camp to get the Houston audience hyped when then Seantor Obama made a campaign stop in the Bayou City. Shorter now says she's already to take on sitting Houston City Council Member Sue Lovell. Shorter says At-Large Position 2 is perfect for what she wants to do and she's willing to do serious battle with Lovell to take the spot. Shorter says she will make an official announcement in the weeks to come.

I have talked to a few folks more familiar with Houston city politics than I and they say this is a continuation of what was described as a "feud" between Lovell and Council Member Jolanda Jones.

Lovell was one of Jolanda's biggest supporters in her first run for council but since Jones was elected, things have changed. Jones was reportedly one of the people who urged Shorter to run against Lovell for DNC last summer.

Lovell narrowly won re-election in 2005 in a run off and while it remains to be seen whether Shorter can mount a serious challenge, this should be an interesting race to watch.

Austin Needs a Mayor not another Photo Op!

Featurewritr — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:41:42 GMT

As President of the Bluff Springs Neighborhood association, I want to share my neighborhood's personal experience with Brewster McCracken. When 40 Ton Gravel Trucks were speeding recklessly through our 35 MPH neighborhood, it was a disaster in the making. From the beginning, Brewster turned his back on us, even after repeated calls and emails. Half of our neighborhood is within the city limit, the other half the ETJ. Not enough votes at stake? No photo op? Whatever the case, Brewster did nada.

Even though he was on the CAMPO board, and this was clearly a CAMPO issue (it was once an arterial roadway), Brewster didn't have the courtesy to return one phone call or answer one email unlike everyone else involved. Even CAMPO's Executive Director responded, as did Jennifer Kim and Better Dunkerly, along with numerous county and city officials.

I even called his aid and asked if there was a reason he was ignoring this issue? I also wanted to confirm that he was still serving on the Campo Board. He was. I even went to Brewster's website. Mostly what I saw was one photo op after another. All that was missing was him holding and kissing a baby.

When the Austin American Statesman published the OP ED piece I wrote called Dangerous Trucks, the city and county sprung into action. They soon declared Bluff Springs Road a No Truck Zone.

Recently, when the doors sprung open at Austin Studios, there was Brewster, front row and center. I'll say one thing for him, he knows a photo op when he sees one. But I had also heard he really didn't do much for the bond, in the beginning when it was most vulnerable.

I will support Lee Leffingwell because what you see is what you get! All you need to do is compare the two websites. It's clear Lee has substance.

I recently found out that it was Lee who authored the bill to keep Town Lake Animal Center as a satellite adoption center when the shelter moves to the east side. Maybe a small issue compared to the larger ones at stake, but it is important to me. It also shows Lee is someone who understands compromise!

I hope Brewster is ready for his close up, because hopefully after this election, he won't be posing for too many more.

Marcia Zwilling

McCracken Campaign Projects Turnout of 60,000

David Mauro — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:00:00 GMT

(As I have previously disclosed, I am a supporter of Lee Leffingwell.)

At Brewster McCracken's campaign kickoff yesterday, senior field strategist Temo Figueroa, who served as President Obama's national field director, layed out the McCracken campaign's path to victory.

For those of you who missed the kickoff, don't worry. I was watching the Rockets in Houston but still was able to see part of Figueroa's presentation by watching the Austin Chronicle's City Hall Hustle.

Figueroa said they were expecting a turnout of 60,000. That, he said, would be 13 percent of Austin voters.

Obviously Temo Figueroa knows a lot about this kind of stuff, but that turnout estimate initially struck me as low.

Although there were only 35,858 ballots cast in last May's municipal election, there are recent precedents that point towards higher turnout in this year's election,

The last race for Mayor of Austin saw 62,016 ballots cast. In that election, Will Wynn coasted to an easy re-election by defeating Danny Thomas and the late Jennifer Gale.

In Wynn's first race for Mayor, though he easily beat Max Nofziger and Marc Katz without a runoff, 59,929 people voted, for a turnout of 15 percent.

Given that there are three fairly well-known candidates running well-financed campaigns this year, I would think the turnout would be higher in 2009 than it was in 2006 or 2003.

Back in November when Carole Strayhorn said her goal was to get 100,000 to vote, I dug up the turnout numbers for the last two truly competitive Mayoral races in Austin to try to get a better idea of what kind of turnout we could expect.

In 1997, political newcomer Kirk Watson faced off against Council Member Ronney Reynolds. There was 17 percent turnout in this election.

In 1994, Bruce Todd, Daryl Slusher and James Cooley were in a very close three-way race that was destined to go to a runoff (sound familiar?). Over 85,000 people voted, giving the election a turnout of 26 percent.

That was not an anomaly, either. When Bruce Todd and Robert Barnstone ran a close race in 1991, turnout was at 23 percent.

If Austin had a 26 percent turnout this year, a whopping 161,092 people would vote.

Of course, a lot has changed in the last fifteen years and I am not expecting a turnout that astronomically high. For one, city campaign finance laws have significantly affected the amount of money city campaigns spend.

Figueroa and others who have pegged turnout at 60,000 could be exactly right.

But given that McCracken, Leffingwell, and Strayhorn are all going to run hard campaigns (as are Chris Riley and Perla Cavazos in Place 1), there is a chance turnout could go beyond most expectations.

Leffingwell for Mayor Campaign Kickoff Tomorrow, 2/7

Amy Everhart — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:05:14 GMT

You're Invited!

Join Council Member Lee Leffingwell, supporters and friends, as he officially kicks off his campaign for Mayor of Austin!

Come on out tomorrow and help us celebrate with free barbecue, beer and music. You'll have a chance to chat with Lee, meet our talented and homegrown staff, and check out our very cool campaign headquarters.

Lee Leffingwell for Mayor Campaign Kickoff and Headquarters Grand Opening
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2-4pm
700 N. Lamar
(across from BookPeople - where Eclectic furniture was)
Free BBQ, music and fun!

Feel free to bring friends, family and folks interested in learning more. If parking is tight, you can park in the garage in the Bookpeople lot or in the empty lot at 8th and Lamar.

We hope to see you there!

Visit AustinLeadership.com to learn more about Lee, his positions or to join the email list. You can also join Lee's Facebook page or follow us on Twitter!

Perla for Austin Campaign Kickoff - "Not Just One More Vote with the Majority"

MeanRachel — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:38:42 GMT

Disclosure: Perla is a friend of mine. I gave her $25. Sometimes we eat BBQ together.
Crossposted at MeanRachel.com.

Last night the Perla Cavazos for Austin campaign got kicked off at Nuevo Leon, where Austinites packed into the East Austin establishment to get their hands on Perla Cavazos's pink & gold signs and hear her plan for the future of Austin's economy, affordability and healthcare issues.

Perla started off her speech by touching on the economic crisis, referencing the recent news that Starbucks was closing over 300 stores, the locations on South Congress and Stassney being two of them. Perla, who I first got to know when volunteering for Democratic candidate for Congress Larry Joe Doherty, admitted she was "not a Starbucks girl" (true: while blockwalking, we had a heated debate over Little City versus Progress) but that she "knows a lot of people who have jobs that pay even less than what baristas make, and their jobs don't come with health insurance."

Perla initially came to Austin to promote affordable housing, on a fellowship from the National Council of La Raza. She touched on Austin's affordability issues affecting not just coffee shop employees, but those recently laid off from tech companies or working in government jobs trying to pay the bills while saving money. Two of those Austinites happen to be her brother and sister, both in school and still working to get by.

The solution, according to Perla, is planning. She said that while serving on the Austin Planning Commission, her biggest frustration was that "we were constantly reacting." The concept of acting versus reacting, planning ahead rather than compensating later, is "what the city needs now...not just one more vote with the majority," Perla said.
Perla also discussed her "unconventional ideas," like the City of Austin partnering with schools, because while "some say schools aren't the city's role, producing an educated workforce is everyone's responsibility." She also intends to support the work of the Indigent Care Coalition in finding affordable small business health care solutions and exploring the idea of a medical school in Austin. This is an endeavor that state Sen. Eddie Lucio, for whom Perla was a policy analyst, was successful in fathering in the Rio Grande Valley, creating the Regional Academic Health Center and revitalizing the area with much-needed jobs and educational resources.

Pink is the apparently the new blue and "Perla" seems to be the new buzz-word in Austin, manifesting itself in a City Council candidate and the popular SoCo restaurant Mars orbiting into a new restaurant called Perla's (foreshadowing?). Judging by last night's turnout, the Cavazos campaign is gaining ground. Elgin activist and Perla supporter Rob Ryland texted me at the start of the evening, "This place is packed for Perla!"

To those still on the fence, Perla reminded the crowd that she is running to give the City some "advice of my own. Don't underestimate me just because I'm respectful, professional, polite and short." And she's right -- meeting Austin's needs is a tall order, but Perla Cavazos doesn't need a pair of pumps to stand up to the challenge.

If you can, stop by Perla's Campaign Headquarters Open House this Saturday, Feb. 7 from 1-4 PM.

Mike Martinez Re-Election Campaign Kickoff & Fundraiser - tonight at Nuevo Leon

nhudson35 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:52:54 GMT

Tonight Wednesday, January 14, 2009
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Nuevo Leon Restaurant
1501 East 6th Street
Austin, TX

From Mike's Facebook event:

Food will be provided and there will be a cash bar. It's going to be a great time so please come out. This will also be our first time back to Nuevo Leon since our wedding night party on November 8th. I couldn't think of a better and more appropriate location to launch my re-election bid to Place 2 on the City Council.

A Generational Renovation for Barton Springs Pool

Robin Cravey — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:19:26 GMT

Only about once in a generation can we make a great difference for a cherished city landmark. I got to participate in one such difference almost a generation ago when I worked with many others to pass the Save Our Springs ordinance. I've had the privilege to participate in another such difference recently helping to develop the Barton Springs Pool Master Plan. Now it's time for the city council to adopt the master plan.

Next Wednesday Councilmembers Sheryl Cole and Lee Leffingwell and friends of the pool will signal this advent with a press conference. Details will be forthcoming.

While the battle for the SOS ordinance was about indirect threats to Barton Springs happening over the aquifer, the master plan is about the deterioration of the pool and its facilities inside the fence that encloses this beautiful landmark. Indeed, over the past two decades, it has seemed that the pool itself was forgotten. This is not unusual. Grand battles are heroic and exciting. Maintenance and stewardship are not.

Besides all the other things it is, Barton Springs Pool is a city park facility. And Austin is chronically derelict in caring for its park facilities. Like Shoal Creek Trail and Deep Eddy Pool, Barton Springs Pool slowly decayed under the city's benign neglect for too long. But now, like those other two facilities, Barton Springs Pool is receiving some overdue attention.

The Barton Springs Pool Master Plan is a conceptual document that sets out some great improvements for the pool, grounds, and buildings. It envisions renovation of the bathhouse (including addition of a visitor center), landscaping and expansion of the pool grounds, and addition of an accessible trail and restrooms on the south side. It also examines possibilities for redesign of the dams, bypass tunnel, and other pool structures to make the pool more natural and self-cleaning.
The plan resulted from a grassroots effort to care for the pool that began in 2006. The city council authorized drafting the plan after scores of swimmer volunteers, under the banner of the Friends of Barton Springs Pool, worked with city staff to ramp up pool cleaning and identify needed improvements. It was drawn up by consultants after a long and exhaustive process that included dozens of meetings, workshops, public hearings, and board and commission reviews.

During the planning process, volunteers, staff, and the consultants identified a dozen and a half short term projects that could and should go forward immediately. The council appropriated over $6 million for those projects, and they are underway. They include repairs to the bypass tunnel, removal of the overhead wires from the pool area, new pool lighting, arbor care for the trees, repairs to the bath house, and research into designs to benefit the health of the springs, survival of the salamanders, and enjoyment of the swimmers.

City council adoption of the Barton Springs Pool Master Plan is the next big step in this generational renovation of the pool and its facilities. It is on the council agenda for approval January 15. Lovers of the pool should contact council members to let them know you support the plan. I'll have more news on this soon.

Robin Cravey
vice-president
Friends of Barton Springs Pool

To show your support for Barton Springs Pool and the Master Plan:
• Send an email to members of the city council.
• Join us at City Hall on January 15 for the council meeting.
• If you can come to City Hall, drop me a message and we'll coordinate.