The Texas Department of State Health Services is hitting the road the first week of August to promote the lifesaving Covid-19 vaccine. With the Delta variant spreading rapidly and hospitalizations rising, DSHS is determined to reach as many Texans as possible with a series of 18 pop-up events at Walmart stores, which are offering free Covid-19 vaccines at all pharmacy locations, no appointment needed. The events are particularly focused on the importance of vaccination for young people. As Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner, pointed out in a news release, “While fewer young people get very sick, they can get and spread the virus, and we are still learning about the long-term effects. Tens of millions of people have been vaccinated with no ill effects. We know these vaccines are not only safe but also very effective. Achieving higher vaccination rates is essential to eliminating the threat of Covid from our communities.” Each summer pop-up will last for four hours and will feature games for kids and free frozen treats. Contact the Walmart store near you for info.

Blues on the Green is lots of fun for everyone except the folks who get stuck in its murderous traffic. The annual free summer musical festival is returning to Zilker Park in person this week and again in two weeks. The Transportation Department is alerting motorists to the fact that “Multiple streets on and around Barton Springs Road will be closed for Blues on the Green on Tuesday, July 27, and Wednesday, July 28. If you’re in the area, detour to Cesar Chavez or Fifth Street.” Find more information on street closures and alternative routes here and a handy parking map here. Want a better idea? Leave the car at home and take public transportation.

If you are passionate about a sustainable lifestyle and you recycle, compost or reuse more than you throw away, Austin Resource Recovery has an opportunity for you: Join the Zero Waste Block Leader Program and help the city achieve its goal of reaching zero waste by 2040. According to ARR, “Block Leaders are a resource in their communities, helping guide their neighbors and friends in how to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost materials so they stay out of our landfill.” The next online orientation is Thursday, July 29, from 7-8 p.m. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the virtual meeting.

Parks and Recreation staffers and project team members have been holding a series of pop-up events this month to share information about the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan and solicit feedback from community members. All pop-ups feature the same information in an effort to give as many people as possible a chance to learn about the park plan and provide input. The last two pop-ups are:

• District 8: Southwest Family Y, 6219 Oakclaire Drive, Monday, July 26, 7-10 a.m. 
• District 10: Ramsey Neighborhood Park, 4301 Rosedale Ave., Saturday, July 31, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

For more information on how to get involved, visit the Zilker project page.

Austin’s Office of Civil Rights is holding a virtual workshop series aimed at educating Austinites about their rights under the city’s Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance and other civil rights protections. Last year, the OCR looked into 97 employment and 34 housing complaints. As Civil Rights Officer Carol Johnson explained, “Protecting civil rights is an essential piece of our democracy and implementing that protection is something the city’s Civil Rights Office is dedicated to. Through education and community outreach, we are working together to ensure racial and social equity for all Austinites.” The goal of the workshops is “to empower participants with information to increase economic opportunity, prevent and reduce discrimination, and protect the health and safety of Austin residents.” All workshops are held from 1-2:30 p.m. and are free of charge. Register on Eventbrite.

• Fair Chance Hiring for Employers, Aug. 26
• Employment Discrimination Education, Sept. 22
• Housing Discrimination Education, Oct. 20

City Council Member Kathie Tovo and Downtown Austin Alliance President Dewitt Peart are hosting a virtual public forum focused on “efforts to ensure safety in downtown Austin, including current systems and procedures, interagency communication and coordination, tools and resources.” Leslie Rhode will moderate a panel composed of interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon, Travis County District Attorney José Garza and Travis County Attorney Delia Garza. Monday, July 26, 9-10 a.m. RSVP here. The event will take place on Zoom.

City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend two city employees to join the Austin Convention Enterprises Board of Directors. Attorney Lee Crawford serves as general counsel division chief in the city attorney’s office, and Kimberly Olivares is the city’s deputy chief financial officer. Council Member Leslie Pool, who nominated the pair, said Olivares and Crawford would be “really brilliant additions” to oversee the important work that board does. The nominations will now go to City Council for its approval.

With Covid cases and hospitalizations on the upswing, Austin Public Health is reopening two neighborhood testing sites to provide free testing, no questions asked or insurance required. As APH interim Director Adrienne Sturrup explained, “Community-based sites help protect those most at risk. APH staff have been incredibly dedicated to doing everything they can to lessen the impact of the virus. With the presence of the Delta variant, access to free testing will be an important tool to catch disease early.” The test site at George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center at 5801 Ainez Drive opens today, with services available Tuesday-Friday, 1-7 p.m., and on Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The St. Johns testing site at 7211 N. I-35 opens July 29, with services Tuesday-Friday 1-7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. “Patients may arrive by foot, on a bicycle or motorcycle, or in a vehicle. All individuals are required to wear a face covering when arriving for testing.” No appointment is necessary, although scheduling a test in advance may save time.

Members of Central Texas Interfaith are asking the city to spend the funds City Council set aside a few weeks ago to alleviate homelessness in Austin – now. At a virtual news conference Tuesday, members of the group also urged Travis County to come up with $100 million to match what the city might provide. Austin intends to spend at least $84 million on solving homelessness, mostly from its federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, to help with the effort. However, the city’s commitment is conditional on major investments from the county and private foundations. County staffers have recommended spending only $325,000 on homelessness in next year’s budget. Speaking for the group, Rev. Michael Floyd said, “We’re tired of waiting and we believe that most Austin citizens are too. Austin citizens of every political persuasion share our desire for the city of Austin to act immediately to implement a comprehensive plan to end homelessness. That’s what we’re advocating today because the city’s efforts to assist those without housing have again been put on hold.” Council has set those funds aside and Mayor Steve Adler told the Austin Monitor that the city would know in four to six weeks how much funding to expect from private foundations. Asked why that time frame was too long, Carlota Garcia of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church said, “Four to six weeks is a timeline that we’ve heard over and over again over the past few years that homelessness has been such an issue. We welcome the identification of partners in this collaboration in putting up some hard money to construct shelters and we hope that the timeline can move more quickly. Summer is here now. The people’s needs exist now and so that’s why we’re calling on our city and county officials to start mobilizing that money now.” In response to a question about the recently announced plan to build shelters on two city properties, the group responded, “City Council is sitting on an $84 million contingency fund for homelessness that they should be spending right now to build emergency and permanent housing. While we haven’t looked at those campsite locations yet, we think the city should spend the money it has now to find those experiencing homelessness a dignified place to live.”

The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission invites community members to attend two in-person public meetings about the work being done to redraw the new City Council district maps. According to the news release from the ICRC, “Along with census data, publicly submitted comments will be used to assist the commission when it begins drawing district boundaries between March 2021 through November 2021. The focus of public testimony is to receive information about the unique characteristics of communities of interest from those most familiar with their neighborhoods to help the commission determine areas that should remain intact and/or be grouped together in districts. The goal is to have a new district map approved for the November 2022 election.” The first forum, focusing on District 10, will take place from 6-8 p.m., Thursday, July 22, at Dell Jewish Community Center, 7300 Hart Lane. Another public comment forum focused on District 7 is scheduled for Saturday, July 24, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive.

In a campaign filing last week, Travis County Precinct 4 Commissioner Margaret Gómez reported raising more than $26,000 this year in her quest for reelection in November 2022. Her Democratic opponent, Susanna Woody, raised $7,292 and had $6,611 left in her campaign account, according to Woody’s campaign finance report. The Gómez campaign put out a press release touting the longtime commissioner’s support, as evidenced by her fundraising. Gómez will hold her first fundraising event on July 30. Woody, who serves on the board of the Del Valle Independent School District, has the support of Austin City Council members Natasha Harper-Madison and Vanessa Fuentes and Austin Community College Trustee Julie Nitsch. Gómez, who has served as commissioner since 1995, has support from former Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, Sen. Judith Zaffirini, state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, and constables George Morales III and Stacy Suits. Precinct 2 Commissioner Brigid Shea has no announced opponent in the Democratic primary or the general election next year. Shea’s campaign reported last week that she had raised more than $122,000 so far this year and after expenses maintained about $111,000. Travis County Judge Andy Brown, a Democrat with no announced opponent so far in the Democratic primary or the general election next year, collected nearly $297,000 between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to his campaign finance report. Brown still had more than $370,000 in the bank as of July 15 and has no outstanding loans.

Editor’s Note: Andy Brown is on the board of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, the parent nonprofit of the Austin Monitor.

Photo courtesy of the Austin Transportation Department

A former truck parking lot at the intersection of East Fifth Street, Cesar Chavez Street and Shady Lane has been transformed into a multimodal transportation hub. According to the Transportation Department, the new Richard Moya Bus Plaza in East Austin “links four Capital Metro routes with nine Capital Area Rural Transportation System routes, provides access to Capital Metro’s bike-sharing service MetroBike, offers paratransit services and connects riders with Capital Metro’s on-demand service called Pickup.” The bus plaza is named for Richard Moya, the first Mexican American elected to public office in Travis County. Moya served as county commissioner from 1970-1986 and was the founder of CARTS as well as its first board chair. The new bus plaza features native landscaping, rain gardens and a “new indoor facility for transit riders to enjoy while waiting.”