March for Our Lives, a national grassroots organization committed to ending gun violence, will be marching once again. According to a news release, Central Texas teenagers are coordinating March for Our Lives Austin, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday on the south steps of the Texas Capitol building. The group is working in partnership with the Austin Justice Coalition, Community Justice Action Fund, and Texas Gun Sense. Participants will call on policymakers as well as communities and individuals to work for tangible solutions to prevent gun deaths. March for Our Lives started in Parkland, Florida, following the February 2018 massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The Austin rally is just one of dozens expected across the country, including at the U.S. Capitol building.

Ironically perhaps, June is Gun Violence Awareness Month. Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter is inviting the press to City Hall at 5:30 p.m. today as she makes a proclamation regarding gun violence. Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon, along with representatives from Moms Demand Action, Texas Gun Sense, Austin’s Office of Violence Prevention, APD’s Victim Services, Community Justice Action Fund, Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, Lock Arms for Life, and others are expected to attend.

Two Austin environmental organizations have filed suit against the Federal Aviation Administration seeking to overturn its decision allowing new fuel tanks to be installed at the Austin airport. The groups are the new Southeast Austin Residents and Neighbors Organized for Environmental Justice, or SANAR, and the well-established People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources, or PODER. Austin attorneys Marisa Perales and Lauren Ice are representing the two organizations. The suit, which was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in May, challenges the FAA’s finding on April 8, 2020, that the new fuel tanks will have no significant impact. Construction has begun on the tanks. Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who represents the area, attempted to convince her colleagues to seek a new location for the fuel tanks, but fell one vote short. Airport officials warned that delaying the new tanks would be detrimental to airport operations and potentially raise costs for passengers.

Download (PDF, 8.52MB)

In collaboration with BookPeople, Austin Public Library is responding to the rash of book-banning across Texas with a summerlong series of events called Banned Camp. A press release explains that the calendar of author events, storytimes and book clubs is a way for community members to “engage with books that have been banned or challenged, and be part of the conversation around the freedom to read.” As Austin Public Library Director Roosevelt Weeks said, “Libraries exist to give people access to all kinds of information, stories, and ideas, and unfortunately, that is increasingly under threat.” Banned Camp, he said, will highlight the library’s efforts “against censorship and book banning.” Launching the series is a conversation with George M. Johnson, author of All Boys Aren’t Blue, on June 16 at 6 p.m. at the Carver Branch Library. Find the full schedule of Banned Camp events here.

Central Health is holding several community conversations this month to inform residents about its recently adopted Healthcare Equity Plan. Attendees will learn how Central Health is “already addressing gaps identified in this plan while working toward developing a comprehensive health care system for Travis County residents with low income.” Choose one of the following events to attend:

• Thursday, June 9, 5:30 p.m., Navarro Early College High School (for patients and community members)
• Thursday, June 16, 11 a.m., Central Health Cesar Chavez office and Facebook Live (for partners and stakeholders)
• Thursday, June 23, 11 a.m., Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center (for patients and community members)

Who doesn’t have a favorite tree – or several – around the city? Now you can nominate your best-loved trees for Austin’s retooled Tree of the Year Awards. The original Tree of the Year observance was launched in 2007 and ran until 2013. Nearly a decade later, the awards are back and better than ever, thanks to TreeFolks, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, and their partners and supporters. Community members may submit their nominations in a variety of categories: Small, Large, Schoolyard Tree, Story Tree, and Unique Tree. It shouldn’t be difficult to find suitable trees in every category. Nominate your tree!

Linda Guerrero, 67, who has served on numerous city commissions and boards, has announced her candidacy for the District 9 City Council seat, joining a growing list of candidates for the job. Council Member Kathie Tovo, who currently represents District 9 and has served on Council since 2011, announced earlier this year that she would run for mayor; however, it is unclear whether she still intends to run. Tovo, Council Member Leslie Pool, Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea, former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and former Council Member Ora Houston have all endorsed Guerrero. In her news release, Guerrero said, “My goal has always been to bring people together to find sensible, practical solutions that equitably serve the whole city. Our growth is explosive. In some ways, of course that’s good, but it’s creating huge problems, in affordability, transportation, public health, rising property taxes, and our quality of life. Dealing with those problems is the central task of the City Council in the years ahead.” Other District 9 candidates include four men with urbanist views: Tom Wald, Joah Spearman, Zo Qadri, and Ben Leffler.

Over in the race for mayor there are some new candidates too. In addition to Kirk Watson, Celia Israel, Jennifer Virden and fitness trainer Erica Nix, Anthony Bradshaw and Phil Brual have filed appointments of campaign treasurer in recent weeks. Brual, 21, is a government student at the University of Texas. Bradshaw does not have a Facebook page or website. He told the Austin Monitor, “I’m not really into answering questions right now.”

The Project Connect team is preparing for a community engagement meeting to update residents on proposed changes to the Drag that will be needed to accommodate the light rail Orange Line. At design workshops held in December 2021 and February 2022, the team depicted ways the Drag might be transformed. “Design options presented included a transit mall with light rail and bus lanes with no vehicular traffic, as well as light rail with lanes for vehicle traffic and/or buses.” This next meeting “will present updated Orange Line design concepts and corresponding vehicular traffic planning strategies around the Drag.” Register to attend: Tuesday, June 14, 5:30 p.m.

Starting this week, Barton Springs Pool will reopen Wednesdays, returning the wildly popular swimming pool to full operational hours. The pool is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with lifeguards, and 5-8 a.m without lifeguards. The exception is Thursdays, when the pool closes from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for its regularly scheduled weekly cleaning. Speaking of lifeguards … the city’s Aquatic Division continues to seek lifeguards to staff and operate the city’s summertime pools. Pay ranges from $16-$19/hour and includes signing bonuses, paid sick leave, free bus passes and flexible scheduling. Find more details and apply at LifeguardAustin.com.

With record heat in May, brutal temperatures on the horizon and predictions of a dry, hot summer thanks to La Niña, it should come as no surprise that Austin has enacted watering restrictions. Austin Water implemented Stage 1 watering restrictions yesterday. Stage 1 reduces the hours that automatic irrigation systems can operate.

“Our community has embraced water conservation year-round and I’m confident they will step up to this additional restriction,” interim Austin Water Director Robert Goode said in a press release. The only change between Conservation Stage and Stage 1 is the reduction of automatic irrigation watering hours. “Watering only in the early morning or late evening hours, when temperatures are coolest, will help reduce unnecessary water loss through evaporation and that continues to support Austin’s water conservation efforts.” The restrictions were triggered by dropping lake levels; lakes Travis and Buchanan currently have a combined storage level of 1.409 million acre-feet of water, and that is expected to drop to 1.4 million acre-feet in the next few days.

Parents desperate to get their hands on baby formula can look forward to some support from the city, which is partnering with a coalition of groups “to provide information about the baby formula shortage, where families can get resources, information on available programs and how individuals can donate and support these efforts.” Nakeenya Wilson, interim executive director of Giving Austin Labor Support, one of the organizations in the coalition, said in a press release, “Families are being faced with the very stark reality that they don’t know where their baby’s next feeding will come from. Shelves are barren and driving across town to several stores is a choice that many vulnerable families do not have due to limited financial resources and transportation access. It’s a scary position for any parent to be in, and desperation is prompting some to resort to watering down formula and using substitutes that lack the proper nutrition babies need to stay healthy.” Find more details about the effort at Community Resilience Trust.

You’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard that Covid-19 cases are once again on the rise. Not only that, but cases are “increasing locally as two new omicron subvariants have been detected in Travis County,” according to Austin Public Health. As Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, warns, “These rising numbers and new subvariants are very concerning, especially at a time when many will be traveling and gathering with loved ones. We need everyone to get vaccinated and boosted, especially children who are now eligible for boosters. Masks also provide an extra layer of protection for yourself and others.” If you’re not up to date with your vaccines or booster shots, there’s no time like the present. If you’ve been at a gathering with other people or just returned from traveling, get yourself tested; a third round of free Covid tests is available from Covid.gov. Testing and vaccinations are available at APH clinics, no appointment necessary. And APH’s mobile vaccination clinic will come to your business, church or other facility at request. There’s no time like the present.

Mayoral candidate and state Rep. Celia Israel released her plan to make housing more affordable at a press conference Thursday, saying, “This election is about who can afford to live in Austin, and who gets to decide.” Israel, who throughout her speech referred to rising housing costs as a “crisis,” has six overarching goals: expedite permitting and review for two- to 12-unit buildings; build more affordable housing on city-owned land; increase density and reduce parking requirements along transit lines and major streets; make accessory dwelling units easier to build and encourage preservation of existing homes so seniors can age in place; provide relief for renters with rental assistance, tenant protections and more housing supply; and overhaul the permitting process. “The spirit of Austin is defined in many different ways, by many different people, but the spirit of Austin is fading,” Israel said. “And it will fade completely if we don’t move forward with urgency on more kinds of housing for more kinds of people.” Other declared candidates in the mayor’s race include former Mayor Kirk Watson and Jennifer Virden.