Candidates vying for Greg Casar’s Council seat appealed to voters last Thursday at a forum hosted by the city’s Ethics Commission and the Austin chapter of League of Women Voters. Isa Boonto, Melinda Schiera, Jade Lovera, Jose “Chito” Vela, and Monica Guzmán had the chance to share their visions for District 4 before competing in […]
Elections
Posted inElections
Who’s running for the District 4 seat?
As of the Thursday afternoon deadline, seven candidates had filed valid ballot applications for the Jan. 25 election to fill the District 4 City Council seat being vacated by Council Member Greg Casar. Casar, who is running for Congress, released a statement endorsing José “Chito” Vela for the Council seat. Casar said, “I know that […]
Posted inElections
Why some residents won’t be able to vote in the District 4 special election
Some residents in the newly drawn City Council District 4 map will not be able to vote in the upcoming special election to fill Council Member Greg Casar’s seat. “This is a unique situation,” said Jannette Goodall, who retired as the city clerk in November. “This is the first time in the 21 years that I’ve […]
Posted inElections
Austin Council Member Greg Casar will run for Congress, vacating his Council seat midterm
Greg Casar, who has served on Austin City Council since 2015, will run for U.S. Congress, he announced Thursday. Casar last month teased a race for federal office, saying he was “considering” a run and had convened a committee of advisers. “I believe that working families from Bexar to Comal to Hays to Travis County […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Voters soundly reject Prop A throughout city
Austin voters resoundingly rejected Proposition A on Tuesday’s ballot, which became clear as soon as Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir released the early vote numbers. With more than 85,000 early votes cast, more than 67 percent of early voters said they were opposed to the proposition from Save Austin Now, and less than 33 percent […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Approval of Prop B allows for potential land swap between city, Oracle
Voters strongly approved a ballot proposal Tuesday that allows the city to begin the process of trading a small piece of parkland for a much larger parcel, along with receiving other significant financial commitments from technology company Oracle, which recently relocated its headquarters to Austin. As of late Tuesday night, Proposition B was winning with 87,152 […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Prop A would mandate 2 police officers per 1,000 residents. Where does that ratio come from?
What’s in a ratio? A lot, if voters are being asked to mandate one. Proposition A, one of two local measures on the Nov. 2 ballot, asks Austinites if they want to set a minimum staffing ratio for the Austin Police Department: 2 police officers per 1,000 residents. Save Austin Now, the group behind Prop A, […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Texans will decide on eight constitutional amendments this election. Here’s what they mean.
Lee esta historia en español. This Nov. 2 election, Texans have the chance to vote on eight amendments to the state constitution. What would each amendment actually do? Read our voter guide below to find out. Early voting began Monday and ends Oct. 29. State of Texas Proposition 1 What it says: “The constitutional amendment authorizing […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Attorney raises questions about wording of Prop B
No sooner had we explained the ins and outs of Proposition B on the Nov. 2 ballot when attorney Bill Aleshire came along and attempted to show that the ballot language is misleading and may not give the city the authority it needs to swap properties. In a lengthy email to the Austin Monitor, Aleshire […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Prop B would allow the city of Austin to ‘swap’ one piece of land for another. Here are three things to know.
The city of Austin wants a piece of land to make into a park. And it’s trying to put a sweet deal on the table to make that happen. That’s the crux of Proposition B. But man, is it confusing. Some background: Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department has its Central Maintenance Complex on a 9-acre […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
EMS union joins firefighters in opposing Prop A
The political action committee for the Austin EMS employees union has voted to join the Austin Firefighters Association PAC and AFSCME Local 1624, the civilian employees union, in opposing Proposition A on the November ballot. Save Austin Now, the PAC that gathered petitions to put the measure on the ballot, has estimated its yearly cost […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Prop B: City to vote on East Austin parkland swap
Austin voters will have a chance in the Nov. 2 election to authorize the city to trade nine acres of city-owned parkland for at least 48 acres of waterfront property that will complete the existing John Treviño Park. The nine-acre parcel, while legally dedicated parkland, has never been used as anything but the site of […]