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Quote of the Day
“We find that between 10 and 14 percent of reported cases have a nexus to a bar or nightclub… We are asking those bars to truly be guardians of their patrons.”
— Deanna Lichter, commander of APD’s Sex Crimes Unit, from Austin’s sexual assault response: small steps forward despite federal challenges.
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Elon Musk narrowly wins fight against neighbors over Austin-area home
From Lauren McGaughy, The Texas Newsroom:
On Wednesday evening, the West Lake Hills City Council voted to allow Elon Musk to keep most of the fencing and gates he has built at his home in the Austin area — as long as he makes changes to bring them into compliance with local rules.
The decision ends a long-simmering dispute between Musk and his neighbors on the quiet cul-de-sac. The tech mogul made the changes to the home, purchased for him through an LLC in early 2022, without the required city approvals. His neighbors said cars crowded the street waiting to get into the driveway gate Musk built and that side fencing, constructed using steel and chain link, disturbed the natural beauty of the area.
Austin’s sexual assault response: small steps forward despite federal challenges
From Mina Shekarchi:
Deanna Lichter, commander of APD’s Sex Crimes Unit, presented her data first. Calls to APD for sex crimes were 14 percent higher for early 2025 than they were last year.
“We do not believe there is an actual increase in sex crimes throughout the city at this time,” Lichter said. “Due to the known underreporting nationwide in sex crimes, we believe that an increase in call volume actually reflects an improvement in services from APD. More people are feeling comfortable to report these cases to the police.”
Lichter compared trends for adult sex crimes for 2024 and early 2025. She noted a sharp increase in cases beginning in September of 2024 when APD began implementing changes to its case coding system.
“What we see here is actually a reflection of improved data quality and management,” she said.
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Update on vote to oust Fire Chief
Austin firefighters began voting Wednesday on the question of whether to call for the firing of Fire Chief Joel Baker over the city’s slow response to torrential flooding in the Hill Country. As noted in our story, the question arose as a result of Austin not sending firefighters to help in search and rescue efforts as soon as Kerr County asked. There has been considerable disagreement about the timing of Austin’s response, which came long after other help arrived on the scene. Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks called for the vote and then faced sharp criticism from City Manager T.C. Broadnax and Mayor Kirk Watson.
Nicks said Thursday afternoon that more than 700 firefighters had already cast votes on the question of whether Baker should be ousted. He said voting will continue until about 4pm on Friday.
As of Thursday, 120 people had been found dead and 160 were still missing as a result of floods that hit the Hill Country and other counties, including Travis and Williamson.
— Jo Clifton
Student activist announces for County seat
A third candidate has announced his intention to run for Travis County Commissioner Pct. 2 in the March primary. Reese Armstrong, a high school student who describes himself as the former chair of the LASA (Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy) Young Democratic Socialists of America (2023-2025). Incumbent Commissioner Brigid Shea is running for reelection and her first announced challenger was Amanda Marzullo, an attorney whose website indicates her major concern is criminal justice.
Armstrong’s announcement included the names of eight people who have endorsed him. He said he was looking forward to working with them in order to make Travis County more affordable for the working class.
Shea, a former Austin City Council member and a co-founder of the Save Our Springs Alliance, has served as commissioner since 2015. She told the Austin Monitor that much of her work has focused on emergency preparedness. For example, Shea said when she joined county government, they were still contacting people with emergency notifications using land lines and could only reach about 7 percent of those needing emergency alerts. The county upgraded to cell phones and now can reach about 70 percent of those needing to receive the information. Shea noted that she worked with residents of the Steiner Ranch subdivision to find an acceptable evacuation route. Those residents were able to use that route for the first time during the 4th of July floods, she said.
— Jo Clifton
Affordability locked
City housing staff are recommending against creating a new tier within Austin’s Affordability Unlocked development bonus program, opting instead to focus on refining other density bonus tools aimed at supporting mixed-income housing development.
In a memo to City Council responding to a 2023 resolution, Housing Department interim director Mandy DeMayo said that legal challenges and the strong performance of other bonus programs make changes to Affordability Unlocked unnecessary at this time.
A recent city-commissioned study found the Affordability Unlocked program has been highly effective, with 10 of 14 completed projects using the bonus tool delivering 100 percent affordable units. The study by Clarion Associates and Economic & Planning Systems noted that significant modifications to AU could be legally difficult, especially in light of recent court rulings.
Instead of revising Affordability Unlocked, staff pointed to new land use reforms and recent streamlining efforts — including exemptions from water reuse requirements for qualifying affordable housing developments — as better paths toward the city’s goal of creating 60,000 affordable units.
— Chad Swiatecki
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ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
KUT reports that a program that monitors Austin’s air for biological threats will continue, despite federal funding uncertainty.
UT’s new medical campus won’t have to abide by Capitol View Corridor restrictions.
Though demolition of the Convention Center is currently underway, the Austin Chronicle reports that hasn’t deterred a petition drive to try and stop construction of a new one.
And, State Senator Angela Paxton has filed for divorce from Attorney General Ken Paxton “on biblical grounds.”
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