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Audit ATX speaks with Investigator Renee about an investigation regarding a Transportation and Public Works employee who used his City-issued credit card to make a personal purchase and then falsified the financial record related to the personal purchase
Oral Arguments for the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Virden v. City of Austin
Join us as we explore the transformative potential of AI in local governance with Prakhar Bajpai from the City of Austin. Discover how AI-powered solutions are driving efficiency, transparency, and citizen engagement in public service delivery. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: AIBox.aiJoin our ChatGPT Community: Facebook GroupFollow me on Twitter: Jaeden's Twitter
ChatGPT: OpenAI, Sam Altman, AI, Joe Rogan, Artificial Intelligence, Practical AI
Join us for an enlightening discussion with Prakhar Bajpai from the City of Austin, as we delve into the integration of AI into local government initiatives. Learn how AI technologies are driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and creating inclusive communities. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: AIBox.aiJoin our ChatGPT Community: Facebook GroupFollow me on Twitter: Jaeden's Twitter
Explore the future of urban governance with Prakhar Bajpai from the City of Austin, as we discuss the integration of AI into local government strategies. Discover how AI-driven innovations are reshaping policy-making, improving service delivery, and driving sustainable development. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: AIBox.aiJoin our ChatGPT Community: Facebook GroupFollow me on Twitter: Jaeden's Twitter
Explore the intersection of technology and governance with Prakhar Bajpai from the City of Austin, as we discuss the integration of AI into local government initiatives. Learn how AI-driven innovations are shaping the future of urban development, infrastructure, and citizen services. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: AIBox.aiJoin our ChatGPT Community: Facebook GroupFollow me on Twitter: Jaeden's Twitter
Explore how Prakhar Bajpai is empowering communities through AI integration efforts at the City of Austin. Learn about the positive changes and advancements in local governance driven by these initiatives. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: AIBox.aiJoin our ChatGPT Community: Facebook GroupFollow me on Twitter: Jaeden's Twitter
Discover the vision of Prakhar Bajpai as he spearheads AI integration efforts within the City of Austin's local government. Uncover how this initiative is reshaping governance and service delivery for the benefit of residents. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: AIBox.aiJoin our ChatGPT Community: Facebook GroupFollow me on Twitter: Jaeden's Twitter
Welcome to BG Podcast Episode 237! On this episode the Bingham Group CEO A.J. and Consultant Chris Stewart, former Austin Chief Information Officer (2020 to 2023), discuss Item 24 on the Austin City Council's February 15th agenda. The item calls for the City Council to, "Approve a resolution regarding transparent and ethical citywide artificial intelligence guidelines and procedures, accountability strategies, and workforce considerations." Among other directives to the City Manager, the resolution calls for the guidelines to include (but are not limited) to the following principles:
In this episode, we embark on the AI odyssey of the City of Austin, navigating the governance landscape with Prakhar Bajpai, exploring the innovative ways AI is being integrated into local government operations. Invest in AI Box: https://Republic.com/ai-box Get on the AI Box Waitlist: https://AIBox.ai/ AI Facebook Community Learn About ChatGPT Learn About AI at Tesla
Join the conversation as Prakhar Bajpai shares insights on the City of Austin's venture into AI adoption within local governance, discussing the transformative potential and practical applications in municipal operations. Invest in AI Box: https://Republic.com/ai-box Get on the AI Box Waitlist: https://AIBox.ai/ AI Facebook Community Learn more about AI in Video Learn more about Open AI
ChatGPT: News on Open AI, MidJourney, NVIDIA, Anthropic, Open Source LLMs, Machine Learning
Join us in this enlightening episode as we explore the seamless integration of AI within local government, featuring insights from Prakhar Bajpai of the City of Austin. Discover the transformative potential of AI in streamlining public services and enhancing civic engagement. Learn how innovative approaches are shaping the future of local governance in this compelling podcast discussion. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: https://AIBox.ai/Join our ChatGPT Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/739308654562189/Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaeden_ai
AI Chat: ChatGPT & AI News, Artificial Intelligence, OpenAI, Machine Learning
In this episode, we delve into the challenges and opportunities of incorporating artificial intelligence into local government operations, guided by the experiences of Prakhar Bajpai from the City of Austin. We explore real-world applications, ethical considerations, and the potential for AI to revolutionize public services. Investor Email: jaeden@aibox.ai Get on the AI Box Waitlist: https://AIBox.ai/ Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/739308654562189/ Discord Community: https://aibox.ai/discord Follow me on X: https://twitter.com/jaeden_ai
Data management and analysis tools can empower governments to manage, fix, and prevent issues within their community services. Discover the resources referenced in the episode:Clermont County, Ohio, VideoClermont County Open Data PortalTexas Department of Information Resources Success StoryTexas Open Data PortalAustin Launches Performance Site BlogAustin Open Data PortalIn this episode, Franklin Williams, Tyler's Data & Insights Division president, joins the pod to discuss the development and evolution of data programs, examples of jurisdictions harnessing the power of their data, and what future trends in data management governments should be ready for.
Similar issue. Similar results. To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://www.advertisecast.com/TheJeffWardShow
Similar issue. Similar results. To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://www.advertisecast.com/TheJeffWardShow
Welcome to Episode 206! Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham and Associate Hannah Garcia discuss the recently released, City of Austin FY 23-24 Budget. The discussion covers: City of Austin released FY23-24 Budget on July 16th → https://assets.austintexas.gov/budget/23-24/downloads/FY24_Proposed_Budget.pdf KEY DATES • July 26 → Work Session focused on General Fund with Public Comment being heard on Budget • August 1 → Work Session focused on Enterprise Fund with Public Hearing regarding maximum tax rate. • August 10 → Work Session focused on Budget Amendments and Budget IFCs • August 16 - 18 → Council will vote on Budget EPISODE 206 ABOUT THE BINGHAM GROUP, LLC Bingham Group works to advance the interests of businesses, nonprofits, and associations at the municipal and state level. Follow Bingham Group on LinkedIn at: bit.ly/3WIN4yT Connect with A.J. on LinkedIn at: bit.ly/3DlFiUK Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn at: bit.ly/3RberR3 Contact us at: info@binghamgp.com We are a HUB/MBE-certified Austin lobbying firm.
Hello friends! City of Austin Music and Entertainment Division Manager, Erica Shamaly is my guest for episode 1269! The ATX Music and Entertainment Division is the only one of it's kind in the world and Erica is here to tell us all about it. If you live in Austin, you've been reading about "The Live Music Event Fund Program" offering $5K-$10K grants to Austin professional musicians, bands, and independent promoters to fund awarded projects. The deadline is May 16th, so you'll want to start looking into it now. Go to atxmusic.org for more information on how to apply and to find out more about Austin's music and entertainment division. Erica and I have a great conversation about the educational components of "The Live Music Event Fund Program", the role of the music office in the city and the programs they offer, adapting the changing music industry and economy, Austin's unique music business infrastructure and much more. I learned a lot from Erica. I'm sure you will too. Let's get down! Rehearse at Space ATX! If you feel so inclined. Venmo: www.venmo.com/John-Goudie-1 Paypal: paypal.me/johnnygoudie
Chann McRae, former professional road cyclist, current cop for Austin PD, and now, new Director for Roxo Racing, Fort Worth's newest professional women's cycling team. McRae raced with powerhouse pro teams Mapei, Mercury-Viatel, and US Postal, where he raced alongside the sport's giants. His successes in the sport accompany a fascinating career. As director of new pro women's team, Roxo Racing, McRae sets his sights on podiums across the US, then the world. If you're a fan of cycling, sports, amazing athletes, or inspiring people, please check out this Fortitude episode. Chann McRae does not disappoint!
Oral Arguments for the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Reagan Natl Advtsng v. City of Austin
Episode #16 of The Teddy Brosevelt Show is a one hour discussion of the bombshell story we just dropped on the brand new website Austin Texas Times. “BOMBSHELL: Austin Wants to Hire Scandal-Ridden California Non-Profit Urban Alchemy to Manage ARCH Downtown Homeless Shelter”For people who listen to the show for national and global topics, this is a major national discussion about the notoriously corrupt Homeless-Industrial Complex that fleeces taxpayers for billions of dollars each year, while making the crisis way worse. Starting a homeless non-profit organization is a great move for grifters.The worse you suck at your job, the more money you make, fruitcake.(Say that last line in a Jerky Boys voice Paul). If the Homeless Industrial-Complex came up with a real solution to end homelessness by 2023, they'd all be out of a job within the next 18 months.Instead they encourage more homeless vagrants to relocate to their city by providing catered meals, free needles and the promise of ‘free permanent supportive housing'.I copied this article practically word-for-word directly from the Austin Texas Times.I don't care if it gets me in trouble. They work me to the bone, I never get any credit and the paycheck sucks. Have zero fear of getting fired, since all those a******s over there who work on that digital garbage dump realize one thing.If Teddy leaves, that whole thing collapses in less than two weeks.Tops.AUSTIN TEXAS TIMES BOMBSHELL:‘Austin Wants to Hire Scandal-Ridden California Non-Profit Urban Alchemy to Manage ARCH Downtown Homeless Shelter'Austin City Council will hold their next marathon meeting on Thursday July, 28 to vote on 193 agenda items.There are dozens of wasteful, corrupt-looking items on Thursday's agenda that should trigger serious anger among Austin citizens.However, here's an item buried near the very end of the agenda that stands out as the most outrageous ideas I've ever seen in nearly two years of keeping a close eye on these despicable snakes.ITEM #190:Authorize negotiation and execution of an agreement with Urban Alchemy to operate the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) shelter for a thirteen and a half month term, beginning August 15, 2022, in an amount not to exceed $4,143,350.Austin's NBC affiliate KXAN reported yesterday:"There will soon be new leadership at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) shelter.""Listed on next week's city council agenda is a vote on whether to authorize a new, more than $4 million contract with a California-based company called Urban Alchemy.""This comes after the city announced on Monday they'll be discontinuing their partnership with Front Steps, due to that group reorganizing internally."Out of all the grifters that make up America's corrupt Homeless-Industrial complex, I dare you to find a more scandal-ridden, sketchy and shady company than Urban Alchemy.First huge red flag:Urban Alchemy employs convicted felons to run their outreach programs.The Pacific Sun reports that most of Urban Alchemy's 1,100 employees “have served life sentences in prison”.What better people to mentor and manage Austin's homeless community than a bunch of convicted felons?From the Urban Alchemy website: Don't be alarmed when you see a naked vagrant on meth choking their chicken and screaming at the moon on Sixth Street. Most people just confuse feeling uncomfortable with feeling unsafe.[/caption]The Urban Alchemy website insists that their trustworthy, top-notch team of compassionate convicted felons did “serious self-work to get out" from their life sentences in prison.Skeptical Emoji questions whether convicted felons are the best outreach coordinators to supervise and mentor Austin's 3,100 Homeless people.[/caption]Urban Alchemy was awarded a six month contract for $463,620 from the Sausalito City Council to provide "around the clock site management services" for the Bay Area town's homeless camp from January 2022 to June 2022.Ten past and current homeless residents who were staying at a Sausalito, California homeless camp supervised by Urban Alchemy shared this list of shocking allegations with the Pacific Sun.[caption id="attachment_986" align="alignnone" width="630"] Pacific Sun screengrab on Urban Alchemy from June 1, 2022[/caption]Pacific Sun (June 1, 2022):Urban Alchemy staff members frequently did drugs on the job, including snorting meth and smoking concentrated marijuana oil out in the open with homeless residentsUrban Alchemy staff members sexually exploited homeless females.President of the Marin Homeless Union tells Pacific Sun: "“Once the city increased the contract, we got all these new Urban Alchemy people coming and going. They don't have name tags on, and some were pretty confrontational. There was a lot more anonymity and a lot more opportunity for exploitation. It turned dark.”[caption id="attachment_982" align="aligncenter" width="223"]Urban Alchemy logo[/caption]Four homeless people told the Pacific Sun that Urban Alchemy employees brought methamphetamine into the encampment for personal use or to share with campers.One of the Urban Alchemy employees (Josh) had several visible white supremacist symbol tattoosOne of the Sausalito staff members had to be transferred to another location after being caught on cell phone video calling a woman at the encampment a “b***h” and a “w***e.”Current encampment resident Sarah Gossage: "I did a line with an Urban Alchemy guy. He asked if I want to do a line and I said sure. He handed me a rolled up 20-dollar bill with crushed up crystal meth. After I was done, he let me keep the 20 dollars."Current encampment resident Phil Deschamps: “Steveo would drop off drugs to a woman at the camp and ask campers to find him drugs. A UA employee f--ked [a female camper] in the tent next to the tent I'm in."Keep in mind these are fresh allegations from June 2022.Now in July 2022 - in light of all this scandal - the Austin City Council wants to award them with a $4.3 million contract!Nice vetting process, huh?The City of Austin is begging for potential lawsuits by hiring a rogue, unlicensed bunch of convicted felons with a track record of supplying meth to homeless campers and sexually exploiting vulnerable homeless females to run the freaking ARCH homeless shelter (of all places!) in downtown Austin.Urban Alchemy's current legal situation in California:At least SIX lawsuits have been filed against Urban Alchemy since it's inception in 2018.Last year over 450 employees filed a potential class action suit against Urban Alchemy alleging labor violations.Three homeless individuals are suing the organization for civil rights violations by Urban Alchemy employees.Sounds like just what Austin needs right now!A corrupt, scandal-ridden bunch of California grifters with highly suspicious financials who loudly accuse you of racism if you dare question anything about their methods, operations, employee vetting process or dubious financial records.San Francisco taxpayers have awarded $41 million in highly suspicious no-bid contracts to Urban Alchemy just this year.The San Francisco Examiner reports:"Despite the fact that Urban Alchemy is receiving tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money from city coffers, the operation remains stubbornly mysterious and opaque."Urban Alchemy currently runs San Francisco's three safe sleeping villages, which are city-sanctioned and monitored encampments surrounded by a locking chain link fences and supervised by several unarmed 'street ambassadors'.Did I mention all of their 1,000+ 'street ambassadors' are convicted felons who spent several decades in prison?What could go wrong?Urban Alchemy Promotes Anarchy in California:An unarmed Urban Alchemy 'street ambassador' got shot in front of a homeless encampment while trying to stop two men from selling drugs near San Francisco City Hall on February 23, 2022.Unlike other shelters, people can stay at the San Francisco safe sleep sites as long as they want.Even better, they are free to smoke, snort and inject all the drugs they want.Homeless drug addicts don't need to worry about about overdosing, as Urban Alchemy's team of convicted felons has plenty of Narcan handy to assist junkies in fending off the Grim Reaper. This saves an average of one homeless overdose death per week at the three camps.Skeptical critics say Urban Alchemy is "another expensive Band-Aid" on San Francisco's fight to reduce the skyrocketing substance abuse and open air drug dealing on city streets.Urban Alchemy Exploits Loophole to Avoid Street Ambassador Security TrainingEven though Urban Alchemy is providing security service at these encampments, they are exploiting a loophole that would normally require all 'street ambassadors' to obtain licenses.Under California law:Charities that are “organized and maintained for the public good” are exempted from private patrol license requirements.The San Francisco Standard reports: "California requires an extensive licensing process for operators of a 'private patrol service', which means someone 'who furnishes a watchman, guard, patrolperson or other person to protect persons or property, or to prevent theft, unlawful taking, or loss.'""Licensure for security guards requires training as well as FBI background checks.""Urban Alchemy, in documents filed to qualify as a “public benefit corporation,” or charity, states that the organization “employs former long-term offenders as ‘Urban Alchemy Practitioners' to provide clean and safe public facilities in urban areas.”"City records reviewed by The Standard show that Urban Alchemy representatives and city officials have both acknowledged that the nonprofit's staff members are providing security services that fit the state's definition of activities that would normally be regulated."Urban Alchemy ain't dealing with all that extensive licensing, training and FBI background check b******t!This trustworthy team of 1,000+ convicted felons is composed of “practitioners” or “street ambassadors”.Never call them "security", "guard" or "patrol".Unless you want trouble.If you dare question anything about Urban Alchemy, just know that their motto is 'No Fuckery'. See the footer of their website.Urban Alchemy even applied for an official trademark for their very own 'No Fuckery' symbol. Urban Alchemy Trademark application[/caption]Urban Alchemy's Highly Suspicious Financial RecordsUrban Alchemy has ballooned to 1,000 workers since 2018Urban Alchemy's budget increased by more than 500% since 2019Urban Alchemy's page on Charity Navigator is missing all financial information.Just look at their shady-ass 2022 Fiscal Year budget.Operating revenue for FY 2022: $43.4 millionPersonnel expenditures for 1,000 convicted felons: $35 millionAdministrative expenses (a.k.a. executive salaries, offices and perks: $6 millionMoney left over for the Homeless after Urban Alchemy pays themselves: $2.2 million- SOURCEAre you freaking kidding me?So Urban Alchemy gets $43.4 million from the City of San Francisco...And less than 5% of that money actually goes to the homeless community? No wonder the city of San Francisco looks like the slums of Mumbai in 2022!Hardly any of the $43 million that Urban Alchemy has been awarded this year is going directly to San Francisco's Homeless population.The San Francisco Examiner discovered a city document that listed Urban Alchemy Founder and CEO Lena Miller's salary as $220,000.Reporters questioned whether her longtime relationship with San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her "relationships with City Hall power brokers" played a major part in Urban Alchemy's stunning revenue growth.[caption id="attachment_989" align="aligncenter" width="568"] Urban Alchemy Founder and CEO Lena Miller[/caption]Urban Alchemy Founder and CEO Lena Miller bristled back through her PR flack on allegations of cronyism:"I don't care if me and the mayor were best friends. She wouldn't keep me around half a second if we weren't getting results."“How is it helping society or the story to tell the whole world what I make? What is the purpose, so everyone can decide if it's enough or too much? It's just messy.”"It's frustrating to me when people try to kind of connect dots, are constantly looking for the trick. How have we cheated to get this big? Because, like, you can't cheat picking up needles."If you think that cronyism is bad, wait until you get a load of this:Last November, the first homelessness chief in the City of San Francisco (Jeff Kositsky) joined Urban Alchemy after years of working with the group as a city official!Urban Alchemy was only providing mobile outdoor bathrooms back in early 2018.That's when Kositsky first suggested to city colleagues that Urban Alchemy should be awarded an expanded (and highly lucrative) new role running San Francisco's homeless encampment and hotel services.After Kositsky helps Urban Alchemy land a no-bid contracts with the city (currently tallied at $68 million), he bolts from his role as San Francisco's Director of Homelessness and goes to work for... Urban Freaking Alchemy!Here's the LinkedIn profile for this corrupt snake:Wait, it gets even better.Jeff Kositsky (He/Him) claims that criticism of Urban Alchemy is due to...wait for it.....Racism!Whitest man in the world Jeff Kositsky clumsily kibbitzes:“I think when you have an organization that's being run by primarily Black men who have been in prison for 10 or more years, you're held up to a different level of scrutiny.""When I'm feeling dark about the world, that's what I think.”Here is a photo of Jeff Kostisky's big white head.Bet you've never seen a 60-year-old man wearing Harry Potter glasses during a non-Halloween occasion until right now.When his organization that is founded and ran by white people faces criticism, white man Jeff Kostisky cries "racism" and claims his organization faces a higher level of scrutiny because it's being run primarily by black men.Founder and CEO of Urban Alchemy is a white woman and the Director is a white man.Yet they are both screaming:"Back off racists!""You are only criticizing our company that's run by white people because black people are in charge here!"The San Francisco Examiner called for a full investigation into these slimeballs back four months ago."Let's not wait until someone dies before we start asking serious questions.""It's time for the Board of Supervisors to get more curious about the role of an organization that's receiving lucrative city contracts to carry out ambiguous and possibly illegal duties."San Francisco Examiner editorial:"The real issue for me is the management and operation of Urban Alchemy.""Leadership has not issued a detailed program plan; there are no deliverables, no measurables and no benchmarks.""There is no apparent record keeping that maintains accurate financial oversight."San Francisco Redditors don't have a very high opinion of Urban Alchemy: "Urban alchemy bringing meth into homeless camps?""Urban Alchemy is useless. I'm frequently in TL for work and they just stand on the corner and smoke blunts. What a joke of a non profit. Maybe they need to vet the felons they hire.""One of the things I've noticed is that some of the Urban Alchemy guys do use drugs on their own or with the denizens. I've frequently seen them smoking weed on the job, and also seen them smoking other drugs, and even one time apparently dealing crack or meth, then ducking inside a tent to lay down (on Polk at Turk) and relax.""I've seen Urban Alchemy guys catcall passerby women loudly and comment on their bodies for the whole block to hear, so that doesn't surprise me.""You have a crew that's staffed with formerly incarcerated criminals. Some are going to use the money we're giving them for doing basically nothing and take it and make themselves better, and others are going to use it to go back to their ways and continue to victimize."Want more exclusive details on Homeless Industrial complex grifters Urban Alchemy?Stream Episode #16 of the ‘The Teddy Brosevelt Show' now:SpotifyiHeartRadioApple PodcastsTuneIn RadioSubstack This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit teddybrosevelt.substack.com
Krieg DeVault Attorney, Matthew C. Branic, discusses how there is much more that goes into signage for your business based off of the recent Supreme Court Decision in City of Austin v. Reagan National.
City of Austin v Reagan National Advertising of Austin LLC, (2022), was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with the application of zoning restrictions on digital billboards in the city of Austin Texas. In a 6 to 3 ruling, the Court ruled that the Austin regulation against off-premise digital signs was content-neutral and thus should be reviewed as a facial challenge rather than a strict scrutiny following from the reasoning in Reed v Town of Gilbert. Background. Austin is one of 350 cities and towns in Texas that enacted bans related to digital billboards along the sides of highways, generally as a long-term effect of the Highway Beautification Act as well as to avoid distractions for drivers along these highways. Austin's city codes includes a Sign Code that distinguishes between signage that is located on-premises, including signs in shop windows and mounted street signs on the property, and those off-premises, like billboards. On-premises signs are generally unregulated and may be updated and improved without any limitations, including improvements to digital signage. Off-premises signage, however, are restricted from such improvements. In addition, the city has banned the installation of new billboards. Around 2017, two advertising companies that operated static billboards in Austin, Lamar Advantage Outdoor Company and Reagan National Advertising of Austin, sued the city as the city council denied over 80 applications to allow them to convert existing static billboards into digital billboards. The advertising companies contended that the city had allowed some digital signage such as that on the Austin Convention Center, and believed the ban was unconstitutional. They were joined by the Austin Police Association and supporters of local emergency services, believing that such digital billboards could be used to provide information such as Amber Alerts. The case was first filed in a state district court before the city moved it to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas in 2017. The district court selected to review the matter under intermediate scrutiny based on Metromedia Incorporated v San Diego, rather than the strict scrutiny content-based standard of Reed v Town of Gilbert, as the off-premise versus on-premise standard was content-neutral. Under this distinction, the District Court ruled for the city. Though the city amended the sign code in 2017 after litigation had started, the changes did not impact the case nor render it moot. The advertisers appealed to the Fifth Circuit. In October 2020, the Fifth Circuit reversed the District's ruling in favor of the advertisers. The Fifth Circuit used the strict scrutiny standard of Reed to evaluate the city codes, as it determined that because to determine whether a sign was on or off-premises, one had to consider the message it was conveying, and that meant that this was a content-based restriction. Given this assessment, the rationale the city had given to maintain the ban against digital signage – to assure the safety of drivers and maintain the beauty of the landscape – were not sufficient reasons to violate the First Amendment rights of the advertisers, and thus ruled the city's sign code unconstitutional
On November 10th, the Court heard arguments in City of Austin, Texas v. Reagan National Advertising, a case which concerned whether the Austin city code's distinction between on-premise signs, which may be digitized, and off-premise signs, which may not, is a facially unconstitutional content-based regulation under Reed v. Town of Gilbert. We are joined by Trevor Burrus, research fellow at the Cato Institute's Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, for this installment.
Austin Texas specially regulates signs that advertise things that are not located on the same premises as the sign and signs that direct people to offsite locations (off-premises signs). Its sign code prohibited the construction of new off-premises signs. Grandfathered off-premises signs could remain in their existing locations but could not be altered in ways that increased their nonconformity. On-premises signs were not similarly restricted. Advertisers, denied permits to digitize some billboards, argued that the prohibition against digitizing off-premises signs, but not on-premises signs, violated the First Amendment. The district court upheld the code. The Fifth Circuit reversed, finding the distinction "facially content-based" because an official had to read a sign's message to determine whether it was off-premises. The Supreme Court reversed, rejecting the view that any examination of speech or expression inherently triggers heightened First Amendment concern. Restrictions on speech may require some evaluation of the speech and nonetheless remain content-neutral. The on-/off-premises distinction is facially content-neutral; it does not single out any topic or subject matter for differential treatment. A sign's message matters only to the extent that it informs the relative location. The on-/off-premises distinction is more like ordinary time, place, or manner restrictions, which do not trigger strict scrutiny. Content-based regulations are those that discriminate based on the topic discussed or the idea or message expressed. The Court remanded, noting that evidence that an impermissible purpose or justification underpins a facially content-neutral restriction may mean that the restriction is nevertheless content-based and, to survive intermediate scrutiny, a restriction on speech or expression must be “narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest.” --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scotus-opinions/support
Today's episode (153) features Austin Council Member Mackenzie Kelly (District 6). https://www.austintexas.gov/department/district-6 She and Bingham Group CEO discuss her recently passed resolution "directing the City Manager to conduct a fact-finding study on the adoption, use, and holding of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies by the City of Austin." The resolution was one of two addressing cryptocurrency. The second, also passed that day and sponsored by Austin Mayor Steve Adler called for a broader review of the blockchain/Web3 space. Related Episodes: BG Podcast EP. 152: Discussing Municipal Crypto and Blockchain Policy https://soundcloud.com/the-bingham-group-llc/episode152 LINKS: Item 55 (Approve a resolution directing the City Manager to conduct a fact-finding study on the adoption, use, and holding of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies by the City of Austin.): https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=378563 Item 57 (Approve a resolution directing the City Manager to foster an environment in Austin that supports the creation and development of new innovations, such as blockchain and other Web3 related technologies, protocols, and applications.): https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=379159 ABOUT THE BINGHAM GROUP, LLC The Bingham Group, LLC is a full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on government affairs, public affairs, and procurement matters in the Austin Metro. CONTACT US at: info@binghamgp.com FOLLOW US: LinkedIn -> www.linkedin.com/company/binghamgp Facebook -> www.facebook.com/binghamgp Instagram -> www.instagram.com/binghamgroup Twitter -> twitter.com/binghamgp THE BG PODCAST IS PART OFTHE BG MEDIA NETWORK An Austin-based digital content network focused on emerging creators.From concept to execution, and on, we help you tell your story. Released by: BG Media Group for The Bingham Group, LLC (www.binghamgp.com)
QUESTION PRESENTED:Whether the Austin city code's distinction between on-premise signs, which may be digitized, and off-premise signs, which may not, is a facially unconstitutional content-based regulation under Reed v. Town of Gilbert.DateProceedings and OrdersJan 20 2021 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due March 1, 2021)Feb 08 2021 | Brief amici curiae of International Municipal Lawyers Association, et al. filed.Feb 25 2021 | Waiver of right of respondent Reagan National Advertising of Austin, Inc. to respond filed.Mar 01 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Chambers of Commerce, et al. filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/19/2021.Mar 12 2021 | Response Requested. (Due April 12, 2021)Mar 17 2021 | Motion to extend the time to file a response from April 12, 2021 to May 12, 2021, submitted to The Clerk.Mar 23 2021 | Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including May 12, 2021.May 12 2021 | Brief of respondents Reagan National Advertising of Austin, Incorporated, et al. in opposition filed.May 26 2021 | Reply of City of Austin not accepted for filing. (May 28, 2021) (Corrected version submitted)May 26 2021 | Reply of petitioner City of Austin filed.Jun 01 2021 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/17/2021.Jun 21 2021 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/24/2021.Jun 28 2021 | Petition GRANTED.Aug 03 2021 | Blanket Consent filed by Respondent, Reagan National Advertising of Austin, Inc.Aug 03 2021 | Motion for an extension of time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits filed.Aug 04 2021 | Letter requesting case caption correction filed by petitioner.Aug 09 2021 | Motion to extend the time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is granted and the time is extended to and including August 13, 2021.Aug 13 2021 | Brief of petitioner City of Austin filed.Aug 13 2021 | Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed)Aug 16 2021 | ARGUMENT SET FOR Wednesday, November 10, 2021.Aug 17 2021 | Motion for an extension of time to file respondents' brief on the merits filed.Aug 19 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of The American Planning Association in Support of Neither Party filed.Aug 20 2021 | Amicus brief of Chambers of Commerce, Business Leagues, Environmental Organizations, and On-Premise Sign Associations not accepted for filing. (August 20, 2021)Aug 20 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of United States filed.Aug 20 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and Professor Genevieve Lakier filed.Aug 20 2021 | Brief amici curiae of The National League of Cities; The U.S. Conference of Mayors; The International City/County Management Association; The International Municipal Lawyers Association filed.Aug 20 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of International Sign Association filed.Aug 20 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Land Developers, Chambers of Commerce, and Scenic Organizations filed.Aug 20 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Outfront Media Inc. filed.Aug 20 2021 | Brief amici curiae of State of Florida, et al., filed.Aug 20 2021 | Amicus brief of State of Florida, et al., not accepted for filing. (October 08, 2021--Duplicate submission)Aug 26 2021 | Motion of the Acting Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae, for divided argument, and for enlargement of time for oral argument filed.Aug 31 2021 | Motion to extend the time to file respondents brief on the merits granted and the time is extended to and including September 22, 2021.Sep 01 2021 | Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 5th Circuit.Sep 01 2021 | The record from the U.S.C.A. 5th Circuit is electronic and located on Pacer.Sep 21 2021 | CIRCULATEDSep 22 2021 | Letter pursuant to Rule 35.3 received.Sep 22 2021 | Brief of respondents Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC, et al. filed. (Distributed)Sep 27 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Americans for Prosperity Foundation filed. (Distributed)Sep 28 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Pacific Legal Foundation filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Washington Legal Foundation filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Alliance Defending Freedom, et al. filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Institute for Justice filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Out of Home Advertising Association of America, Inc., et al. filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Institute for Free Speech filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Cato Institute filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Protect the First Foundation filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Summus 2, LLC dba Summus Outdoor filed. (Distributed)Sep 29 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Liberty Justice Center filed. (Distributed)Oct 04 2021 | Motion of the Acting Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae, for divided argument, and for enlargement of time for oral argument GRANTED.Oct 18 2021 | The time for oral argument is allotted as follows: 20 minutes for petitioner, 15 minutes for the Acting Solicitor General, and 35 minutes for respondents.Oct 22 2021 | Reply of petitioner City of Austin filed. (Distributed)Nov 10 2021 | Argued. For petitioner: Michael R. Dreeben, Washington, D. C.; and Benjamin Snyder, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) For respondents: Kannon K. Shanmugam, Washington, D. C.★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
A case in which the Court held that the Austin city code's distinction between on-premise signs, which may be digitized, and off-premise signs, which may not, does not violate the First Amendment.
A case in which the Court will decide whether the Austin city code's distinction between on-premise signs, which may be digitized, and off-premise signs, which may not, is a facially unconstitutional content-based regulation.
Share Your Salary with Robin: Senior Environmental Health Officer for the city of Austin If you want to play Share Your Salary then text 'Salary' to 51993!
In this episode of Mixing Church and State God's Way, Dr. Scarborough exposes how madness has overtaken the Capitol City of Texas. He details how after defunding the police department to the tune of 100,000,000.00, they are now paying $10,000.00 per day to a group to teach the Policemen there how to rethink policing in light of the systemic racism built into white people according to Critical Race Theory.
On today's episode we speak with return guest Veronica Briseño, Chief Economic Recovery Officer for the City of Austin. Most recently serving as Director of the Economic Development Department (EDD), she was appointed Chief Recovery Officer in March 2020 to lead Austin's response for newly developed recovery programming and funding opportunities for those impacted by COVID-19 in Austin. Veronica and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss developments in Q1, including recent efforts by the city and Austin Council including the Economic Recovery and Resiliency Framework (https://bit.ly/3sbsJ6d), released last month. LINKS: City of Austin Economic Development Department -> https://bit.ly/3dbSejn City of Austin's ATXRecovers.com - A one-stop resource to help businesses and individuals recover from the financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. -> https://bit.ly/3abC2Nj CONTACT BINGHAM GROUP Interested in our services or have an episode suggestion? Email us at: info@binghamgp.com Follow us for weekly episode updates and more on: Facebook -> www.facebook.com/binghamgp ABOUT THE BINGHAM GROUP, LLC The Bingham Group, LLC is minority-owned full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on government affairs, public affairs, and procurement matters in the Austin metro and throughout Central Texas. Site -> www.binghamgp.com Instagram -> www.instagram.com/binghamgroup LinkedIn -> www.linkedin.com/company/binghamgp Twitter -> twitter.com/binghamgp PART OFTHE BG MEDIA NETWORK -> www.bgmediagp.com An Austin-based digital content network focused on emerging creators.From concept to execution, and on, we help you tell your story.
Cerramos el año con este capitulo en donde nos acompaño el alcalde de Austin, Mayor Steve Adler. Conversamos sobre la sustentabilidad y profundizamos un poco más acerca del apoyo a la economía local, en especial durante la pandemia. Austin es la capital de Texas y una ciudad mundialmente reconocida por su comercio local. En mi opinión, también es hogar de unas de las mejores cafeterías del mundo. Espero que lo disfrutes.
David Veal, chief investment officer for the City of Austin Employee’s Retirement System (COAERS), joined guest host Meredith Despins, Nareit senior vice president, investment affairs, for a special edition of the REIT Report to discuss how investing in a completion portfolio using REITs is delivering value to the pension system’s real estate investment portfolio. Pension funds have long recognized the important role real estate plays in diversified investment portfolios. However, over the past 20 years, the real estate economy has expanded beyond the property sectors institutional investors have traditionally invested in—like retail, office, residential, or industrial. Today’s REIT industry reflects that evolution and offers investors access to a diversity of property types, including the new economy property sectors like infrastructure, cell towers, data centers, and networked logistics properties that house the growing digital economy. This rise of 21st century real estate has prompted institutional investors—such as COAERS—to adopt a portfolio completion strategy. A portfolio completion strategy is a tool investors have to invest in property sectors, including new economy sectors, that complement the traditional real estate property types in order to achieve more robust diversification, boost portfolio investment returns, and dampen volatility.
On today's episode we speak with return guest Veronica Briseño, recently named Chief Economic Recovery Officer for the City of Austin. Most recently serving as Director of the Economic Development Department (EDD), her new role reflects the city's continued focus on economic recovery due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Veronica and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss recent efforts by the city and Austin Council including the Save Austin's Vital Economic Sectors (SAVES) resolution and fund, and a coming local economic development corporation. ABOUT GUEST: Veronica Briseño has served the City of Austin, TX in various roles since 1999. Currently, she serves as the Interim Homeless Strategy Officer (HSO) coordinating the City's homeless response activities with multiple departments. She transitioned transition into the top leadership role of the Economic Development Department effective in late June of 2019. LINKS: Leadership Changes at City of Austin Economic Development (BG Blog) -> https://www.binghamgp.com/blog/2020/9/18/new-economic-development-department-leadership City of Austin CARES Act Spending Framework -> https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=342068 City of Austin Relief Programs -> http://www.austintexas.gov/department/economic-development/programs City of Austin Business Expansion Program (Ch. 380 agreements)-> http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Chapter_380_Policy_2018.pdf RELATED EPISODES: Episode 97: Talking Relief and Recovery with Veronica Briseño, Director of Austin's Economic Development Department -> https://www.bgmediagp.com/bgpodcast/episode97 Episode 60: Opportunity Zones with Christine Maguire, Redevelopment Division Manager at City of Austin -> https://www.bgmediagp.com/bgpodcast/episode60-opportunity-zones Episode 23: David A. Colligan, Acting Assistant Director Economic Development Department, on Austin's economic incentives program -> https://www.bgmediagp.com/bgpodcast/2019/4/3/episode-23-david-a-colligan-acting-assistant-director-economic-development-department Episode 12: David A. Colligan, Acting Assistant Director Economic Development Department, on Economic Incentives for Real Estate Projects -> https://www.bgmediagp.com/bgpodcast/2019/4/2/episode-12-david-a-colligan-acting-assistant-director-economic-development-department ABOUT THE BINGHAM GROUP, LLC The Bingham Group, LLC is minority-owned full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on government affairs, public affairs, and procurement matters in the Austin metro and throughout Central Texas. -> https://www.binghamgp.com You can listen to this episode and previous ones on iTunes and Google Play at the links below. Please subscribe!
On today's special episode A.J. and Bingham Group Associate Intern discuss the proposed City of Austin FY2021 budget. They particularly dive into Josh's impressions going through his first budget season. Released on July 13 by City Manager Spencer Cronk, this year's proposed budget of $4.2 billion – the same size as last year's – adjusts to new fiscal constraints and community expectations, with focused investments in core programs and City infrastructure. Council will meet for the second of three public budget hearings this Thursday, July 30th. LINKS: Proposed Budget - Snapshot: assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/…_Snapshot.pdf Proposed Budget - Re-imagining Public Safety: assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/…ic_Safety.pdf Proposed Budget - Taxpayer Impact Assessment: assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/…er_Impact.pdf Proposed Budget - Full Document: assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/…ed_Budget.pdf Proposed Budget - City Manager's Message: assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/…r_Message.pdf For general budget questions, email us at: info@binghamgp.com ABOUT THE BINGHAM GROUP, LLC The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin (TX) based full service consulting firm representing and advising clients on government affairs, public affairs, and procurement matters throughout Texas. -> www.binghamgp.com You can listen to this episode and previous ones on all streaming platforms. We'd appreciate a review, comment and re-sharing. Subscribe today!
On my KAZI 88.7 FM show, Economic perspectives, I interviewed Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, deputy economic development director of the City of Austin.
On my KAZI 88.7 FM show, Economic perspectives, I interviewed Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, deputy economic development director of the City of Austin.
On today's special episode A.J. and Bingham Group Associate Julie discuss the proposed City of Austin FY2021 budget. Released last Monday by City Manager Spencer Cronk, this year's proposed budget of $4.2 billion – the same size as last year's – adjusts to new fiscal constraints and community expectations, with focused investments in core programs and City infrastructure. It is only the start of multi-week process, kicking off in earnest this Thursday (July 23rd) when Council reconvenes for public hearings. LINKS: Proposed Budget - Snapshot: https://assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/downloads/Proposed/2021_Proposed_Budget_Snapshot.pdf Proposed Budget - Re-imagining Public Safety: https://assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/downloads/Proposed/2021_Proposed_Re-Imagining_Public_Safety.pdf Proposed Budget - Taxpayer Impact Assessment: https://assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/downloads/Proposed/2021_Proposed_Taxpayer_Impact.pdf Proposed Budget - Full Document: https://assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/downloads/Proposed/2021_Proposed_Budget.pdf Proposed Budget - City Manager's Message: https://assets.austintexas.gov/budget/20-21/downloads/Proposed/2021_Proposed_City_Manager_Message.pdf For general budget questions, email us at: info@binghamgp.com ABOUT THE BINGHAM GROUP, LLC The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin (TX) based full service consulting firm representing and advising clients on government affairs, public affairs, and procurement matters throughout Texas. -> https://www.binghamgp.com You can listen to this episode and previous ones on all streaming platforms. We'd appreciate a review, comment and re-sharing. Subscribe today!
Episode 18 is an informative interview with Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, the acting Director of the City of Austin Economic Development Division. Sylnovia walks us through each of the resources and programs that are available through the City for businesses in Austin. She also talks about the City's recruitment efforts to bring more businesses and jobs to our great city. Fore more information please check out: www.austintexas.gov/department/economic-development Podcast music by www.bensound.com
“We often shunned these temporary pop-ups because a day or two days to us is a lot of effort for not a lot of return. But now it’s so different.” Active transport manager Laura Dierenfield (City of Austin) speaks with Geert Kloppenburg and Chris Bruntlett (Dutch Cycling Embassy) about the influence of covid-19 on transportation in Austin (Texas), the Healthy Streets Initiative, and the benefit of study tours. For more information on Healthy Streets: http://austintexas.gov/HealthyStreets This episode is a collaboration with the Dutch Cycling Embassy.
Oral Arguments for the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Donald Zimmerman v. City of Austin, Texas
In Episode 11, you'll hear from Mayor Steve Adler about why Austin is unique, why it's grown so much and other insights on what it's like to serve as mayor.Here's a note from Steve:Hi, I’m Steve Adler, and I am proud to be Austin’s 52nd Mayor and the first to serve under our new 10-ONE council system. Being selected mayor is the greatest honor I’ve ever received.Austin is magical place with a special spirit and soul. We value diversity, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, our natural environment, and a laid back attitude. In Austin, everyone is good enough and no one is too good. Here you’ll find friendly neighbors.It is my goal to move our city forward in a way that is inclusive, innovative and intentionally improvisational. Social innovation, social entrepreneurship, equity and access are becoming an ever greater part of our lives as we seek to manage the incredible growth that follows from being such a wonderful place to live.Austin’s future is bright and we need everyone to be actively involved as we move forward. Please let me hear from you and please let me and my office know if we can provide support or assistance. http://www.austintexas.gov/department/mayor See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode, Jonathan Paine talks to Mandy DeMayo, Community Development Administrator for the City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development, about Aldrich 51, which was awarded the Multifamily Excellence award at the 2019 NALHFA Annual Conference. Mandy shared how the project is the result of a citizen-driven effort to redevelopment the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport and is an example of an innovative partnership between Austin Housing Finance Corporation and DMA Development Company.
A large part of the City of Austin’s Net-Zero greenhouse gas emissions goals will be met by its municipally owned electric utility called Austin Energy. As a forward thinking utility, Austin Energy periodically updates its strategies to reach Net-Zero in the “Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan”. The last plan was published in 2017, and a new updated version will be out before the end of 2019. We discussed the goals, and plans with Austin Energy folks and community activists. Our guests were: Erika Bierschbach, Vice President, Energy Market Operations and Resource Planning, at Austin Energy. Al Braden, Resource Planning Working Group, appointed by the Electric Utility Commission of Austin. Phoebe Romero, Program Coordinator, Office of Sustainability, City of Austin.
The City of Austin, Texas Office of Sustainability has received a $2.5 million national climate change challenge award from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The award was in recognition of Austin’s aggressive environmental goals, which include making municipal operations carbon neutral by 2020. The award means Austin will be part of a two-year accelerator program that will provide the city with technical assistance and support valued at $2.5 million. We had Zach Baumer, Climate Program Manager with the Austin Office of Sustainability, and Amy Atchley, Senior Project Lead, Austin Energy Electric Vehicles and Emerging Technologies in the studio. We also discussed the City of Austin's recently approved 100 year water plan called "Water Forward". We had David Foster, the Executive Director of Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund in the KOOP studio with us.
Kristina welcomes Laura Trujillo and Ashlee Harris to talk about their work making the City of Austin's website content easier and more accessible for residents. They share their tried-and-true techniques for conducting user research, getting buy-in from stakeholders (hint: “funshops”), and creating empathy for their users.
Take Me Home - Pet Adoption and Animal Rescue - Pets & Animals on Pet Life Radio (PetLifeRadio.com)
PLUS: Meet Olympia, a Special Gal Looking for a New Home! Angela Marcus interviews Kasey Chayeb, Marketing Manager for Austin Pets Alive! and her colleague, Jamey Burgett, American Pets Alive!'s Senior Coordinator for Conference Marketing and Sponsor Acquisition. Kasey shares some of APA!’s secrets for turning Austin, TX into the country’s largest No-Kill community. Learn about APA!’s targeted programs for at-risk animals, educational internship opportunities and how their model can be replicated to help animals across the country. Tune in to hear more about the good work this organization is doing, as well as learn about their upcoming conference that will help more shelters follow in Austin’s footsteps. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - How Austin Pets Alive! Helped the City of Austin, TX Achieve their ‘No-Kill’ Status and Why you Need to Attend Their Upcoming Conference on PetLifeRadio.com
Mike Haggerty has spent almost 30 years helping to grow Thundercloud Subs into an iconic Austin sandwich shop chain that numbers 30 stores, along with co-founders John Meddaugh and Andy Cotton. He joins hosts Kyle Frazier and Tim Duffy to talk about the secrets to Thundercloud's success, their sustainability efforts including solar power and zero waste compliance, and how they give back to the community through the annual Turkey Trot race and “Give 5 to Mother Earth” campaign.
Bruce Elfant is your Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar. He was first elected to the position in 2012 after spending 20 years as the Travis County Precinct 5 Constable. The county tax office collects property taxes and Justice of the Peace and county court costs, fines and fees, processes motor vehicle titles and registration, and registers voters and trains Volunteer Deputy Registrars. We discussed a broad array of topics including: Why is voter turnout so low for run-off elections? Will we ever be able to register and vote on-line? Is voter fraud really a problem? And, what about the history of voter suppression in Texas?
Shades of Green hosted Environmental Forums for our City Council candidates to find out their positions on critical issues facing the City. Each candidate is asked to elaborate on their position on issues regarding climate change, transportation, water and other important environmental topics. Part 2 today includes candidates running for District 3. In the studio we had candidates: Susana Almanza Justin Jacobson Other candidates Jessica Cohen, Amit Motwani, James Valadez were invited but unable to attend In the studio we had candidates:
Environmental Forums for City of Austin Council Candidates 2018 Shades of Green hosted Environmental Forums for our City Council candidates to find out their positions on critical issues facing the City. Each candidate is asked to elaborate on their position on issues regarding climate change, transportation, water and other important environmental topics. Part 2 - includes candidates running for District 9. In the studio we had candidates: Linda O’Neal Danielle Skidmore (Other candidates Kathie Tovo and Isaiah Jones were invited but unable to attend)
On today's show covered nine ballot propositions that Austin residents will vote on in November!! In Part 1 we covered propositions A thru G and our quest was: Jovita Pardo, Finance Director of Austin Together (which supports Props A through G). Props A through G are the bond propositions. They include: • Proposition A: Affordable Housing, $250 million • Proposition B: Libraries, Museums and Cultural Arts Facilities, $128 million • Proposition C: Parks & Recreation, $149 million • Proposition D: Flood Mitigation, Open Space and Water Quality Protection, $184 million • Proposition E: Health & Human Services, $16 million • Proposition F: Public Safety, $38 million • Proposition G: Transportation Infrastructure, $160 million
In Part 2 – We focused on propositions J and K Our Guests were: Bay Scoggin - Director of the Texas Public Interest Research Group (speaking against Prop J) Prop J is the "CodeNEXT" proposition that if passed, would require a waiting period and a public vote before any other future comprehensive rewrite of our land development code is passed. Fred Lewis - speaking in favor of Prop J Michael Searle - treasurer of Yes PAC on Prop K Prop K - “Without using the existing internal City Auditor or existing independent external auditor, shall the City Code be amended to require an efficiency study of the City’s operational and fiscal performance performed by a third-party audit consultant, at an estimated cost of $1 million to $5 million?”
Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham and BG Advisor Andy Cates discuss recent changes to the City of Austin's Anti-Lobbying Ordinance. On June 18th the Austin City Council approved what supporters described as a temporary solution to an ongoing battle between Texas Disposal Systems and other waste contractors over city lobbying rules. The measure approved by Council makes a few small changes to the anti-lobbying ordinance, which is designed to prevent companies seeking contracts with the city from privately trying to influence city employees to choose their bids. Andy is a legal expert in Texas campaign finance and lobby laws, nonprofit management, and political fundraising & advertising law. He is available to present and discuss the City of Austin's current lobbying ordinance in particular to its impact on land use professionals (planners, engineers, architects, and designers, etc.). Contact him at: info@binghamgp.com
Bats and bees are a critical part of Austin’s environment. We discuss the history of the bat community in Austin, how the Austin Bat Refuge is protecting them, and how to view the bats. And, we learned how bees are a critical part of our environment and economy. Our guest on bats were: Dianne Odegard After 12-1/2 years as Education and Public Outreach Manager at Bat Conservation International by day, and bat rehabilitator by night, Dianne has now gone full-time with her true passion, as co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge. Dianne has been a wildlife rehabilitator since 1990, always working with animals that live in close proximity to urban areas and human structures, with the hope of educating people about ways to live harmoniously with wildlife. Lee Mackenzie As a carpenter, then a nationally acclaimed design build remodeler, he has been humanely dealing with a variety of small mammals in structures his whole career. A wildlife worker for over 20 years, and now co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge, he creatively combines rehabilitation and permaculture, providing the highest possible quality of life in our “bat gardens”, an Austin Bat Refuge original concept and the first of its kind. Bruce Sims is a Captain at Capital Cruises who has been leading bat watching excursions for seven seasons. He first saw the bats at age six with his kindergarten class. Georgia Swan is a Captain at Capital Cruises and has been leading bat watching excursions for four years. She is a member of Bat Conservation International and has an ever growing collection of bat memorabilia including a tattoo of the Congress Ave Bats taking flight. And, on Bees we had: Brandon Fehrenkamp , the owner and proprietor of Austin Bees. He has been keeping bees for around 14 years or so and he has been doing removals for at least 12 years. He builds beekeeping equipment, and sometimes give classes and lectures for both kids and adults. He is a member of the Texas Master Beekeeper program.
We talked about the City of Austin’s parks, the City’s park budget and the upcoming bond elections. Our guest was John Rooney, Program Coordinator with the Austin Parks Foundation, a non-profit that partners with the community to enhance people’s lives by making public parks, trails and green spaces better through volunteerism, innovative programming, advocacy and financial support. Our second guest was Roman Gonzalez founder of Gardenio, a new local company that sells urban gardening starter boxes so that you can grow your own food in your own backyard.
The Organic Recycling Ordinance (ORO) will go live on October 1, 2018 in Austin, Texas 3-22-2018 As part of its goal to reach 100 % Zero Waste by 2040, the City of Austin will be implementing the Organic Recycling Ordinance (ORO), which goes into effect on October 1, 2018. All businesses with a food service permit will be required to ensure they have a plan in place, and their employees have convenient access to organics diversion services. In order to help meet the City’s goals, food service businesses will need to learn about the program and how they will need to comply. Our guests helped unravel the details of the ORO program. Our guests for March 22nd on Shades on Green were: • Teresa Chapman, Senior Planner for Austin Resource Recovery’s Business Outreach Team • Stacy Savage of Zero Waste Strategies. Stacy is a communications contractor for ARR’s Business Outreach Team • Tyler Markham from Central Texas Food Bank
As we prepare for the close of the holiday season with a rare snowfall in South Texas, the Dudes n Beer podcast is pleased to welcome City of Austin Climate Program Manager Zach Baumer to the studio to discuss the ever growing issue of climate change. Exactly what is climate change and how do we as humanity contribute to the already recurring natural cycles that exist. How has the concept of climate change evolved over the years? What can we do to mitigate our impact on the World around us? What is the City of Austin's plan for sustainability and how can we contribute to the ongoing efforts toward a zero emission city? Join us for this special 8am drive time episode of Dudes n Beer with Zach Baumer of the City of Austin's Office of Sustainability, followed by a live replay at our usual 8pm time for anyone who missed this most important episode. Download the FREE Dudes n Beer Podcast app for Android and iDevices or visit our LISTEN LIVE page and join the conversation.
CodeNEXT is the first major rewrite of Austin’s Land Development Code in 30 years. The existing code lacks the tools our city needs to effectively shape and manage growth. As we look to the future, we need a Land Development Code that embodies the values set out in the City Council-adopted Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan. The new Land Development Code should give us the tools we need to make Austin a more livable city for all. Draft 2 was released by the City Council with some significant changes. Our guests discuss the new changes and how they may affect neighborhoods in Austin. We hear opinions from both sides of the issues. Our guests were: Greg Anderson - Director of Operations with Austin Habitat for Humanity, Planning Commission member Carmen Llanes Pulido - Executive Director of Go Austin/ Vamos Austin Jim Duncan - member of 'Community Not Commodity' Natasha Harper Madison - community activist
This episode in the Smart Communities series features Jim Dale, Assistant Director with the City of Austin, TX, USA Transportation Department, discussing smart communities efforts in the city of Austin.
This episode in the Smart Communities series features Jim Dale, Assistant Director with the City of Austin, TX, USA Transportation Department, discussing smart communities efforts in the city of Austin.
On this edition of HACKED: Into the minds of Cybersecurity leaders, host Ben Hotaling welcomes Kevin Williams, the first CISO for the city of Austin Texas. Kevin joins the podcast to discuss his experience developing the CISO role and what his group is working on. During Overrated/Underrated, we get his opinion on the importance of a technical background for the CISO role. Kevin is responsible for ensuring the security of all information and information systems for 15,000 City employees and almost 1 million residents in the 11th largest city in the US. Kevin has over 20 years of experience working within IT. He served in the United States Air Force for nine years as a computer programmer and enterprise architect, where he worked on IT projects at many notable locations including the Air Force Information Warfare Center, NORAD command center inside Cheyenne Mountain, and in the subterranean maintenance levels of a nuclear missile silo. Since his enlistment, Kevin has worked for Rackspace Hosting, Frost Bank, UTHSCSA, and the State of Texas DIR. Kevin holds a Master of Science degree in Information Systems & Security from the Center for Cyber-Security Policy at Our Lady of the Lake University, a NSA-certified Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Software Engineering. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP), Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP), and Certified CISO (CCISO).
Austin Texas is Leading the Way Toward Full-scale Autonomous Vehicle Development and Deployment. Austin is leading the way to autonomous vehicles with strong support from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). Shades of Green hosts were joined by Brandi Clark Burton and Jonathan Walker of Rocky Mountain Institute to discuss the exciting progress being made in Austin with testing autonomous vehicles. In addition to developing and testing the technology they are surveying drivers to capture their view on the future of human mobility. Participants in the Austin Earth Day on April 22, 2017 will be able to take a test ride an autonomous shuttle vehicle among many other impressive mobility solutions.
Austin Monitor freelancer Chad Swiatecki chats with guests Amy Lombardi and Rick Carney about the City of Austin's live music policies.
Audio from a panel hosted by Glasshouse Policy, KUT Austin, and the Austin Monitor. Guests feature Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, Austin Chronicle Reporter Mary Tuma, Austin American-Statesman reporter Lilly Rockwell, AFSCME's Carol Guthrie, and City of Austin Director of Human Resources Joya Hayes. Moderated by KUT's Audrey McGlinchy.
This is the full audio from the Monitor's April 2015 UT Dell Med School panel discussion. Guests for the evening were Med School dean Clay Johnston, Austin Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, Travis County Central Health President and CEO Trish Young Brown, and Civic Analytics' Brian Kelsey.
How do we think about urban planning with the mind of Christ?How do we care for God's creation in a Biblically informed way and manage transportation for a growing city?How do we housing for lower middle-class families and foster community in city planning?Kit Johnson is someone who works with these issues on a daily basis. He is the City Architect for Austin, TX. He's also someone who lives out his faith as he does his job.