Chito Vela is about to complete his first term as District 4’s City Council member. Vela was re-elected in November for a second term, running on the issues of housing, transit and public safety. While reflecting on his first term, the first item on Vela’s mind was HOME Phase I and II. The “Home Options for […]
José “Chito” Vela
Posted inPolice
Updated: Travis County disputes APD statement about initial price tag of magistration agreement
City Council is expected to consider an interlocal agreement with Travis County next week to provide magistration services, including screening of those arrested for a variety of crimes. The reported price tag on that agreement is $9.9 million, although the city had not posted the Council agenda as of Thursday afternoon. A spokesperson for the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Vela: Austin may have country’s most progressive housing policy
Chito Vela has had no sophomore slump in 2023. In his second year, the District 4 City Council member has ushered in a new regimen of land use policies tackling Austin’s housing crisis at breakneck speed. “We were in a real bind for decades, and I think there was universal acknowledgment that our code was […]
Posted inBudget
Equity Action slams budget proposal as ‘throwback to the ’90s’
Some community advocates are decrying interim City Manager Jesús Garza’s budget proposal as a “throwback to the ’90s.” Garza released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 in July. The $5.5 billion budget represents what Garza calls a “Back to Basics” approach to city government that focuses on core city services and reorganizes the city’s […]
Posted inCity Council
Vela ready to take action to create more housing in 2023
City Council Member José “Chito” Vela has been hard at work since he was sworn in to the District 4 seat in February following his election in January. He’s been holding down two jobs, serving as a Council member and finishing up his work as an attorney. In mid-December, he had six cases to complete […]
Posted inDevelopment
Residents helping to shape final details of Home Depot redevelopment
With the city still working to finalize a master development agreement for the redevelopment of the former Home Depot property in the St. Johns neighborhood, residents will have more opportunities beginning this week to weigh in on the final plans for the tract. A series of community discussions are on tap for those interested in […]
Posted inPlanning
Vela seeks new solutions for housing the homeless
Council Member Chito Vela has proposed that the city request the cash equivalent of on-site affordable housing upon approval of the Statesman planned unit development on Lady Bird Lake. Under his proposal, the money would go toward temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness. “Getting our neighbors off the street today would do far more good […]
Posted inElections
Vela easily wins District 4 race
A look at the election results Tuesday night showed that José “Chito” Vela would handily defeat his six opponents in the special election to replace outgoing Council Member Greg Casar. Vela won 2,137 votes for 59.23 percent. His closest rival, Monica Guzmán, received just 495 votes for 13.72 percent of the vote. Coming in third […]