Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, United States
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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Governor Greg Abbott is threatening to pull state funding from the city of San Marcos in retaliation for a largely symbolic Gaza ceasefire resolution placed on its city council's agenda: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-04-30/san-marcos-tx-city-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza-genocide-israel-governor-greg-abbott-funding-antisemitism...Meanwhile, Abbott and UT Austin Jay Hartzell have been sued by a group of UT students who contend that their First Amendment rights were violated in the crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests on UT's campus last August: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/students-sue-texas-university-governor-over-gaza-protest-arrests-2025-05-01/Smithville Republican State Rep. Stan Gerdes' anti-"furries" bill was ridiculed Democrats when it was heard earlier this week, but both Governor Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows have endorsed it: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/furries-bill-greg-abbott-20294538.phpMay Day rallies and protests are happening across Texas today - we remind you to keep things safe and legal. May Day Fort Worth: https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/775678/May Day San Antonio: https://deceleration.news/event/may-day-caravan-san-antonio/May Day Houston: https://www.mobilize.us/50501houston/event/782048/May Day Austin: https://www.mobilize.us/publiccitizeninitiative/event/777726/Don't forget to VOTE on Saturday May 3! See your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org.Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:SB-31, the abortion clarification bill, unanimously passes the Texas Senate: https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-ban-medical-exceptions-b54173653ce04a7ba434dae899624374...Meanwhile, SB-2880, a bill that will crack down on abortion medication and does not include language declaring neutrality on old abortion laws still on the books in Texas - the feared "Trojan Horse" - passes on party lines and is headed for the House: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/29/texas-senate-abortion-pill-bill/Trump U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Texas this week, where he continued to downplay and lie about the ongoing measles outbreak: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/29/texas-measles-robert-kennedy-autism/?_bhlid=311b7e593c5d168c91bc6b330fccaf85ca94026d...RFK claims the spread is slowing, but it is clearly not: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/29/texas-measles-cases...RFK also dodged a question about whether the Trump regime would enforce a Biden directive for cities to remove PFAS "forever chemicals" from their drinking water supplies: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/investigates/robert-f-kennedy-jr-raises-doubts-over-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-north-texas/287-84c87030-5cc4-47de-af2b-83141d2b8276Experts have strong doubts about data released about Texas hospital expenditures related to undocumented people, but that didn't stop Fox News from reporting it as fact: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/25/texas-hospitals-undocumented-immigrants-cost/May Day rallies and protests are happening across Texas on Thursday May 1 - we remind you to keep things safe and legal. May Day Fort Worth: https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/775678/May Day San Antonio: https://deceleration.news/event/may-day-caravan-san-antonio/May Day Houston: https://www.mobilize.us/50501houston/event/782048/May Day Austin: https://www.mobilize.us/publiccitizeninitiative/event/777726/Early voting ends - don't forget to VOTE on Saturday May 3! See your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org.Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
The "list of 50" Democrats dug in to oppose Republican legislation in response to the forcing through of private school vouchers fell apart yesterday, as at least 8 Dems voted in favor of GOP items: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/25/republicans-texas-house-calendar-democrats/The "Uvalde Strong Act" - passed by the House yesterday to establish uniform and coordinated school shooter response protocols for law enforcement and school districts - does nothing to address the continued proliferation of guns in Texas: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/uvalde-strong-act-passes-texas-house-requires-statewide-active-shooter-protocol/As May Day rallies and protests approach on Thursday, two arrests at a Dallas protest on Sunday remind us of the importance of keeping things safe and legal: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2025/04/28/2-arrested-in-connection-with-may-day-protest-on-sunday/May Day Fort Worth: https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/775678/May Day San Antonio: https://deceleration.news/event/may-day-caravan-san-antonio/May Day Houston: https://www.mobilize.us/50501houston/event/782048/May Day Austin: https://www.mobilize.us/publiccitizeninitiative/event/777726/TODAY is the last day of early voting in the May 3 election - see your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org.Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Aside from the daily drama at the Capitol, the race to succeed Ron Nirenberg as the next mayor of San Antonio is one of the top political stories in Texas, as the leadership of the Lone Star State's second-biggest city for next four years hangs in the balance.Attorney and San Antonio City Council Member Melissa Cabello Havrda has thrown her hat into the ring. Now in her third Council term, she has chaired San Antonio's Public Safety and Municipal Courts Advisory Committees and is the current Vice Chair of the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Cabello Havrda has been recognized for her socially progressive values, which in combination with pro-business and law enforcement stances, have contributed to her consistent re-election in the Alamo City's politically diverse District 6.Learn more about Melissa Cabello Havrda at https://melissaforsa.com/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how to help support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Watch for a deep dive on Donald Trump's attack on due process here later today, even as suspicions of the deportation of a young U.S. citizen arise: https://www.npr.org/2025/04/26/nx-s1-5378077/honduras-deported-girl-citizen...While a growing number of Texas law enforcement agencies sign force multiplier agreements with ICE: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-police-287g-ice-army/...While Texas GOP lawmakers are set to approve legislation limiting the prosecution of Texas police officers for using excessive force: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/28/texas-police-deadly-conduct-exempt/?_bhlid=55d8f14f79254434d538c240d49bed84ac77a9d5Beto O'Rourke makes news for simply stopping short of saying he won't run in the 2026 election cycle: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/will-beto-orourke-run-again-heres-what-he-said-at-town-hall-in-north-texas/287-1dee1fbd-4afb-4b05-95b5-6f3118e042d8Early voting is underway in the May 3 election - see your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org.Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Rising demand and dwindling supplies of water in Texas are placing major pressure on the business-friendly and environmentally-indifferent Texas GOP: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/the-impossibly-expensive-plan-to-save-texass-water-supply-texas-monthly/Trump crazy is beginning to wear on his MAGA faithful - will they be able to find common cause with progressives to fix the problem? https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/trump-uncertainty-texas-layoffs-20290420.phpAs he backs away from the DOGE chainsaw - with which he's destroyed his own reputation and that of Tesla - look for Elon Musk to spend more time in Texas on his still-rapidly-growing interests here: https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-photos-show-elon-musk-growing-texas-empire-spacex-tesla-2025-4The Texas Senate has passed a bill that will prevent juries considering injury claims related to truck crashes from hearing important information about the truck driver - a leg up for businesses looking to avoid paying for those claims: https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/critics-argue-texas-bill-could-reduce-trucking-accountability-and-road-safety-lawsuit-senate-big-rigs-truck-drivers-cdl...The Senate also has passed a bill that will require that Texas state government officially recognize the laughable change of name to the "Gulf Of America": https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/24/texas-gulf-of-america-name-change/Early voting is underway in the May 3 election - see your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org.Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:What appears to be a win for Texas Republicans in their push for unpopular private school vouchers appears likely to be a burden in the 2026 mid-term elections: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-04-25/the-vouchers-battle-is-decided-but-what-about-the-future-of-texas-politics/...Add to the draining of funds to subsize private school families, a likely dwindling of federal school funding in Trump's "DOGE" era: https://www.keranews.org/education/2025-04-24/department-of-education-closure-texas-schools-impact...Speaking of "DOGE", we now have our own version in Texas as Governor Abbott signs his first bill of the 89th Lege into law: https://www.kxii.com/2025/04/24/texas-governor-greg-abbott-signs-bill-creates-texas-doge/The Texas Senate passed a bill that would forbid local Texas cities from putting controlled substance decriminalization bills up for public vote - with the help of three Democrats: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/texas-senate-passes-bill-to-ban-cities-from-putting-marijuana-decriminalization-initiatives-on-local-ballots/Taking school library book bans to a frightening new level, new legislation seeks to police "obscene" content at retail bookstores as well: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-bookstores-obscene-books-20290932.phpProgress Texas Advocacy Manager Reagan Stone is moderating a panel this afternoon at the EarthX2025 conference in Dallas: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ENq1kXGmg/Early voting is underway in the May 3 election - see your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org.Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Austin State Rep. Gina Hinojosa from the intro: https://x.com/GinaForAustin/status/1913646263075062273?t=5d0u-Di48t87m0NE8l1aTA&s=03Will that reported threat by Texas House Democrats to undermine all of the Republican majority's constitutional amendments for the rest of the session for refusing to let the voters decide on private school vouchers materialize? House Speaker Dustin Burrows may have blinked yesterday: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/texas-speaker-pulls-constitutional-amendments-after-reported-democratic-threat/SB 31 - the abortion clarification bill - has passed out of a Senate committee after undergoing amendments to address concerns about its potential to revive harsh, ancient abortion laws and to criminalize people seeking abortions for themselves: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/22/texas-abortion-bill-clarification/Houston U.S. Congressman Al Green was the target of racist commentary on a Christian podcast this week by Tennessee Republican Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/diana-harshbarger-al-green-racism-b2737024.htmlElon Musk, weary of criticism for his assault on American governmental institutions, says he's stepping away from DOGE next month to refocus on Tesla - which has seen a 71%, $2 billion drop in revenue over the last year: https://www.axios.com/2025/04/22/elon-musk-doge-tesla-earnings-callEarly voting starts today in the May 3 election - see your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org.Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Early voting starts today in the May 3 election - see your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org....Two Republican bills on their way through the Legislature this week, similar to the federal SAVE Act, will make voter registration harder for lower-income Texans and those who have changed their names: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/01/texas-proof-of-citizenship-voting-senate-bill-16/Texas lawmakers are considering legislation that would exempt transactions on the new Texas Securities Exchange from taxes - great news for majority owner and notorious right-wing billionaire Kelcy Warren: https://www.dmagazine.com/business-economy/2025/04/kelcy-warren-revealed-as-majority-owner-of-texas-stock-exchange/Ken Paxton appears to have violated Texas ethics laws by including images of Collin County law enforcement officers in his first ads from his primary challenge to Senator John Cornyn: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/3384518/ken-paxton-texas-ethics-laws-senate-campaign-launch/Brady House Rep. Wes Virdell deletes a tweet - too slowly, however - in which he disparages his own consitutents as they complain about his votes on public schools last week: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-school-vouchers-virdell-20286629.phpOur condolences and best wishes to Denton County Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell, who was badly injured in a stabbing attack that her husband Fred did not survive on Monday morning: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/lewisville-stabbing-bobbie-mitchell-grandson-arrested/Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:A weekend SCOTUS ruling has stopped the Trump regime from deporting a group of ICE detainees being held north of Abilene to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-new-deportations-under-alien-enemies-act/Public skepticism, perhaps a bit too late, is growing in response to Governor Greg Abbott's ramming through of private school vouchers without a public vote: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/21/texas-school-vouchers-reactions/A right-wing protest, intended to inflame racial divisions by exploiting the April 2 stabbing incident in Frisco, was a complete and totally lame flop: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/frisco-protest-about-deadly-track-meet-stabbing-ends-with-two-arrests/3821017/...The father of the Frisco teen who lost his life in the April 2 stabbing, Jeff Metcalf, has condemned the use of his son's story and image in the production of racist disinformation: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2025/04/19/protect-white-americans-protest-frisco/Lubbock - which most of us consider a "small" city, but actually is the home of about a quarter-million people - has officially been designated as part of the measles outbreak zone: https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/local/2025/04/21/lubbock-health-officials-urge-mmr-vaccination-recommendation-amid-texas-measles-outbreak/83159130007/San Marcos has been stopped - again - from enforcing the marijuana decriminalization ordinance it voted for in 2022 by 81% by a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/hays-county/san-marcos-marijuana-decriminalization-ruling/269-4c4f022c-676b-417f-9be4-aa8ba435ad51Willie Nelson is calling on Texas farmers to organize against the Trump tariff war, and the slow-walking of emergency farm benefits, that are hurting their livelihoods: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/willie-nelsen-farmers-tariffs-20281319.phpProgress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - tickets are here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Governor Abbott relied on intimidation of wavering State House Republicans to keep his spineless minions from putting private school vouchers to a public vote: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/17/greg-abbott-school-vouchers-republicans-hardball/...Abbott also called in Donald Trump to keep the troops in line: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/education/2025/04/18/texas-house-approves-school-vouchers-secures-greg-abbott-priority-bill/83140873007/...The example of Arizona - a still-ballooning budget disaster due to its voucher program - will likely be surpassed by Texas, as our public schools are already in a dire state of neglect: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/advocates-from-other-school-choice-states-paint-grim-future-for-texasTexas Republican lawmakers, basking in the glow of their voucher scam win, had time to try to sully a memorial for Cecile Richards yesterday - but instead, confirmed her progressive legacy: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/17/texas-house-cecile-richards-republicans-planned-parenthood/Fired up? Blow off some of that frustration and make new friends at one of dozens of 50501 protests happening across Texas on Saturday 4/19: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BgrGQrT5F/Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:After a 30-year struggle, Governor Greg Abbott has all but accomplished the goal of his billionaire benefactors as Texas House Republicans pass Senate Bill 2, which allocates $1 billion (for starters) of your tax dollars to subsidize private school tuition: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/17/texas-house-school-vouchers-public-education-funding/...Will the Democratic minority follow through with their threat to tank state constitutional amendments? We're interested in seeing the declaration: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/15/texas-legislature-democrats-school-vouchers-constitutional-amendments/Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:After 30 years of trying, Texas Republicans are confident they can push private school vouchers on an unwilling Texas today: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/15/texas-house-vouchers-public-school-funding-vote/?_bhlid=787b18ce3a9535dfb634483e2ca01fd2c02ecc6e...But the Democratic minority has a plan to send that issue to the voters, where it's likely to die: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/15/texas-legislature-democrats-school-vouchers-constitutional-amendments/ The Texas Senate has passed SB 37, which would give Republican officeholders control over the curriculum taught about history, inequality and race at Texas colleges: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/texas-senate-approves-bill-that-could-reshape-how-history-race-are-taught-in-universitiesRepublicans are lining up to unseat Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar, who despite his lack of loyalty, Democrats desperately need to keep in place: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/mayra-flores-henry-cuellar-20277181.php...MAGA types are also lining up for a chance to out-Paxton Ken Paxton at Attorney General: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2025/04/16/ken-paxton-senate-texas-attorney-general-2026-election-race/83049997007/A Houston law firm is fighting back against a presidential executive order in a battle that could set precedent for the risks undertaken by attorneys in standing up to the Trump regime: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2025/04/14/518705/houston-based-law-firm-files-lawsuit-against-trump-administration-following-executive-order/Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:A stunning and surreal scene at the White House yesterday saw Donald Trump and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, in defiance of U.S. courts, refuse to return a wrongly-deported Maryland man - and muse on sending American citizens away next: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzgQT__Az4oReactions from Texas lawmakers including Austin Congressman Greg Casar: https://x.com/RepCasar/status/1911871636292202834?t=IfJmo_wHPrrvhoD3kFMWDw&s=03...El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar: https://x.com/RepEscobar/status/1911828673755488484?t=U3Ac1nkEx-ihBLL6cWVBrA&s=03...and Houston Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia: https://x.com/RepSylviaGarcia/status/1911922043081142496?t=8t-OJfw1dv_ISQukmLYO7w&s=03Could private school vouchers, after three decades of trying, finally be made reality by Texas Republicans? We'll likely find out this week: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/texas-house-taking-up-education-savings-account-bill-senate-school-vouchers-legislature/...The Texas Freedom Network requests your attendance at the Capitol on Wednesday morning: https://act.tfn.org/a/vouchervoteTexas Republicans, amidst ongoing outcry from gun safety advocates to raise age limits for gun ownership, are seeking to lower them instead: https://www.kut.org/2025-04-15/texas-statehouse-senate-loosen-firearm-restrictions...Uvalde moms testified against the lowering of handgun age restrictions from 21 to 18 yesterday: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/04/15/mothers-of-uvalde-victims-argue-against-texas-bill-that-would-allow-18-year-olds-to-carry-handguns/Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:A floor vote is likely in the Texas House on Governor Abbott's bought-and-paid-for private school voucher scam on Wednesday: https://x.com/TFN/status/1910800951121785287Of all the U.S. states, Texas stands to lose the most from the global economic disruption that Donald Trump's tariff playtime is causing: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/article/texas-free-trade-trump-tariffs-20265650.php...Don't look to our Senators to reel Trump in on tariffs - with Paxton declaring against Cornyn, everybody involved there's looking to kiss the ring: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/11/senate-republicans-trump-primary-challenger-fears-033256Democrats find themselves protecting the notoriously unreliable Henry Cuellar - "Trump's Favorite Democrat" - in their efforts to flip the U.S. House in 2026: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/texas-progressives-henry-cuellar-20271545.phpA divisive bill designed to provide clarity for doctors in Texas on when they can use abortion procedures in patient care will not help those carrying unviable fetuses: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/11/texas-abortion-law-lethal-fetal-anomalies/...Once that child is born in Texas, it's on its own: Texas is almost dead last in the U.S. for children's healthcare, beating out only Mississippi: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/texas-has-second-worth-healthcare-for-children-study-says-22078769Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The U.S. Supreme Court has backed a lower court order for the Trump administration to "facilitate and effectuate the return" of wrongly-deported Salvadoran immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia - but stopped short of actually ordering that return: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-deported-migrant.html...An Austin attorney who has represented Abrego Garcia in his efforts to remain in the U.S. weighs in: https://www.kxan.com/news/shocking-hear-from-the-austin-attorney-helping-represent-a-maryland-man-mistakenly-deported-to-el-salvador/The quiet and frequently unexplained revocations of the visas of international students have continued, now affecting several Texas universities: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2025-04-10/visas-texas-students-revoked-protests-deportationThe SAVE Act, led by Central Texas MAGA Congressman Chip Roy, has passed the U.S. House - it adds unnecessary and potentially troublesome obstacles to voter registration, especially if you've ever had your name changed: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/10/chip-roy-texas-us-house-save-act-voting-name-change/The Trump administration is using a 1944 water treaty with Mexico to pick new tariff and trade fights with them, accusing Mexico of "stealing water from Texas farmers": https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-threatens-sanctions-tariffs-mexico-over-water-treaty-dispute-2025-04-10/The Texas House, after a 13-hour debate session, passed the $337 billion state budget early this morning: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/11/texas-house-budget-approval/The Texas Progressive Caucus is providing a stream to partake in its first quarter meeting on Saturday 4/12 at noon - RSVP and more: https://www.texasprogressivecaucus.org/general_meeting_2025q1On Monday, a bill that would require some Texas law enforcement officers to act as immigration agents will be discussed, and your presence to oppose it would be helpful. See their remote action guide and testimony toolkit.Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:A Texas-based judge has blocked the Trump administration from continuing to deport migrants without hearing under the Alien Enemies Act, for now: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/federal-judges-limit-trump-alien-enemies-act-deportations-rcna200418Budget Day today at the Capitol is likely to extend overnight - the Texas Tribune has live coverage: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/10/texas-house-budget-day/Midlothian Republican Rep. and "stunt queen" Brian Harrison's move to unseat Speaker Dustin Burrows yesterday went poorly, much to the entertainment of the chamber (video): https://www.kvue.com/video/news/politics/texas-legislature/texas-house-rejects-speaker-dustin-burrows-removal/269-6da63357-07b8-4fbd-9325-15d496433931...One side effect, Burrows is now more free to cooperate with Lt. Governor Dan Patrick: https://quorumreport.com/quorum_report_daily_buzz_2025/embarrassing_antics_by_harrison_unite_the_texas_ho_buzziid32543.htmlThe Texas Senate is set to consider SB-37, which would allow lawmakers to interfere in the way courses on history, race and inequality will be taught at our state colleges: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/10/texas-senate-bill-37-governing-boards-faculty-senates/Narratives are shaping up around the just-launched Cornyn v Paxton showdown, one being "con man vs anti-Trump": https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/con-man-vs-anti-trump-years-republican-fighting-fuel-nasty-senate-prim-rcna200479...Another, a proxy war set in Texas for the GOP at large with the old business guard against the MAGA grassroots rabble: https://www.axios.com/2025/04/10/maga-texas-senate-primary-cornyn-paxton...Another, that Ken Paxton's road to this race was paved with his own failures: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/ken-paxton-challenging-senator-john-cornyn/A Hood County Republican is arrested for fraudulently filing to run for Granbury's City Council - in her red "Ban Democrat Chairs" t-shirt: https://www.latintimes.com/republican-woman-arrested-election-fraud-texas-while-wearing-ban-democrat-chairs-shirt-580319...Tulsi Gabbard may be in similar trouble: https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/politics/tulsi-gabbard-texas-hawaii-voting-residency-invs/index.htmlProgress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:A bloody and expensive primary battle between Ken Paxton and Senator John Cornyn could present an opportunity for Texas Democrats: https://apnews.com/article/ken-paxton-texas-senate-john-cornyn-60c34efe45143422c5f9ff84d27c1be1With Texas as the main staging ground for ICE deporatations, Donald Trump has been casually toying with the idea of also deporting American citizens: https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/trump-leavitt-deporting-us-citizens-el-salvador-sotomayor-rcna200299...Both Texas A&M and UT Austin report enrolled international students whose visas and legal statuses have been quietly revoked, possibly relating to their participation in pro-Palestinian protests: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/student-visas-texas-am-ut-austin-20264673.phpThe Texas House, in a rare unanimous vote, passes a law that undoes NDA agreements in cases of sexual abuse and trafficking - a bill that, supposedly, big city church leaders tried to undermine behind the scenes: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-house-unanimously-passes-bill-protecting-child-sexual-abuse-survivors-nondisclosure-agreements-nda/287-19779b55-034c-4249-a2c5-eaa371f2baf5With demand growing and Texas leading the nation in renewable energy, GOP lawmakers are filing bills designed to make new renewable development more difficult: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/08/renewable-energy-texas-new-regulations/Following his visit to Texas - and counter to data and projections from Texas health officials - RFK Jr. has been tweeting falsely that the measles outbreak curve is flattening (it's not): https://abcnews.go.com/Health/rfk-jr-claims-curve-flattening-texas-measles-outbreak/story?id=120554374Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Governor Abbott has called an election to replace Sylvester Turner in Houston's CD-18, but his delay will keep its 800,000 residents voiceless in D.C. for at least seven months: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/07/greg-abbott-special-election-sylvester-turner/A SCOTUS decision allows the Trump regime to continue deporting migrants under an 18th century law - but the nine justices unanimously say they must be given due process before they can be removed: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-backs-trump-deportations-under-1798-law-2025-04-07/Houston faith leaders have apparently been trying to kill a bill that would outlaw the use of NDA's to silence child victims of church sex abuse - it's being debated on the House floor today: https://quorumreport.com/quorum_report_daily_buzz_2025/some_texas_house_republicans_privately_concerned_f_buzziid32535.html...The law was named for Trey Carlock, a Highland Park man who died by suicide in 2019 after suffering a decade of abuse in silence: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/lone-star-politics/texas-bill-treys-law-ban-ndas-sexual-abuse-cases-advances-house/3796460/...Meanwhile, new reporting on Texas' Child Protective Services finds that the deaths of children under that agency's supervision are frequently hidden from public view: https://www.tpr.org/government-politics/2025-04-07/texas-keeps-child-abuse-and-neglect-deaths-out-of-sight-bringing-light-proves-complex-and-costlyThe Texas Department of Public Safety has called all of its remote workers back into the office - but they don't have enough parking, because they limited parking space at their new South Austin campus assuming that people would work remotely: https://www.kut.org/austin/2025-04-07/texas-department-of-transportation-austin-tx-return-to-office-policy-work-parking-spaces-garageProgress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Financial markets are bracing for a possible "Black Monday" today as Donald Trump doubles down on the massive tariffs he announced last week: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04/07/business/trump-tariffs-stock-market...While Greg Abbott and John Cornyn are mum on Trump's disaster, Ted Cruz warns that the GOP could be in for a "bloodbath" in the 2026 mid-terms: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/ted-cruz-midterm-trump-tariffs-recession...Very directly affecting the Texas economy, oil prices are at four-year lows, which could spell big trouble for the energy sector: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/business/energy-environment/oil-prices-trump-tariffs.html...Those mid-terms appear likely to feature an inter-party brawl between Cornyn and Ken Paxton, which would be very expensive for Republicans and result in a battered and bruised opponent for the eventual Democratic nominee: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/ted-cruz-midterm-trump-tariffs-recessionA second young child has died of measles in West Texas, prompting a visit from RFK Jr., who has finally stated publicly that "the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine": https://www.reuters.com/world/us/kennedy-travel-texas-after-second-measles-related-death-axios-reports-2025-04-06/Harris County chief elections officer Teneshia Hudspeth - herself placed in charge of Houston-area elections by Governor Abbott in 2023 - rejects the Governor's notion that her county is not prepared to hold a special election to replace the late Congressman Sylvester Turner: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/texas-politics/gov-abbott-harris-county-rep-turner-special-election-delay/3809166/Progress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Global economic shock is underway this morning as Donald Trump's foolish tariff plan becomes reality - and Texas will most certainly feel the impact: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/03/trump-tariffs-texas-revenue-growth/The Texas House Committee on Public Education advanced HB-3 yesterday, which would establish a new private school voucher program in Texas, on a 9-6 party line vote: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/education/texas-voucher-bill-clears-first-test-in-texas-house/287-0b3bdb58-c2f8-4800-b8e0-849cc4e729e3...A group of House Democrats have complained of yesterday's session's lack of a live stream, falling short of public transparency expectations: https://bsky.app/profile/anamariafortexas.com/post/3llx2xw3gok2oLieutenant Governor Dan Patrick notes that his "Steamroller Senate" is far outdoing the House on passing MAGA priority bills, and is applying pressure to House Speaker Dustin Burrows to pick up the pace: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/04/dan-patrick-urges-texas-house-to-start-passing-senate-priorities/82799939007/Ken Paxton learns that the Joe Biden Justice Department, in the closing days of the Biden term, decided not to prosecute Paxton for corruption: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/03/ken-paxton-corruption-clear-senate-campaign/...Paxton has announced an appeal of the court decision to block Texas A&M from banning drag shows on its campuses: https://www.kbtx.com/2025/04/04/texas-attorney-general-files-notice-appeal-federal-judges-decision-block-ams-drag-show-ban/Governor Abbott, addressing UT Law's Federalist Society yesterday, admitted outright that Elon Musk moved his companies to Texas on Abbott's promise to clear legal barriers out of his way: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/03/greg-abbott-texas-courts-ut-jim-davis/Governor Abbott has launched "a blitz of state agencies" against an Islamic community development near Dallas, apparently simply for being associated with Muslims: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/epic-city-greg-abbott-islamic-community-20255339.phpProgress Texas is proud to join several of our esteemed advocacy allies in supporting the Barbara Jordan Voting Rights Act: https://progresstexas.org/release-voting-rights-advocates-cheer-barbara-jordan-texas-voting-rights-actTomorrow's national Hands Off rally and action day features over 30 events right here in Texas - there's one within a short drive of wherever you are in the state: https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/?country=US&state=TXWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Reaction to Trump's wide-ranging tariff announcement falls largely along party lines, with Democrats warning of a potential national recession: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/04/03/texas-lawmakers-in-washington-split-over-trump-tariffs-expected-to-impact-state/...San Antonio, in particular, is vulnerable to the impacts of tariffs due to their heavy economic reliance on the aerospace, automotive and energy sectors: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/04/03/texas-leaders-weigh-the-impact-of-us-president-donald-trumps-newly-announced-tariffs/The Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus is speaking up against House Joint Resolution 4, which would ban taxes on securities market operators and transactions via a state constitutional amendment: https://legiscan.com/TX/text/HJR4/2025That cancelled review session of the latest revisions to the Republican plans for private school vouchers is set to happen today: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/school-choice-is-back-in-session-in-texas-house-committee-tomorrowU.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is threatening a lawsuit against Governor Abbott if he continues delaying a special election to replace the late Houston Congressman Sylvester Turner: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/hakeem-jeffries-threatens-lawsuit-delayed-texas-special-election-rcna199362This Saturday's Hands Off protest is likely to be the biggest such event since the beginning of Trump's second term: https://www.axios.com/2025/04/03/hands-off-protest-trump-musk-april-5...The view from Houston: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/houston-protest-hands-off-2025-20254521.php...The view from Austin: https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/community/civic-events/hands-off-mass-mobilization-3251311/We're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee is threatening to sue Governor Greg Abbott if he continues to delay the replacement of the late Sylvester Turner in the U.S. House seat representing CD-18: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/menefee-special-election-20246324.php...Abbott's delay is only one part of a broader undermining of Democratic representations being orchestrated by House Republicans: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/us/texas-house-seat.htmlThe House Public Education Committee is considering a $1 billion cap on any potential voucher program for private schools in Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/31/texas-school-voucher-funding/A lawyer representing the 2019 El Paso shooter says he felt compelled by comments from Donald Trump to commit that horrible mass murder: https://elpasomatters.org/2025/03/30/patrick-crusius-donald-trump-aug-3-2019-walmart-mass-shooting/Given the extensive, statewide, AI-driven surveillance apparatus that Texas DPS has assembled under the auspices of Operation Lone Star, it's pretty reasonable to assume that YOU are being watched: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-dps-surveillance-arsenal-artificial-intelligence-lege/We're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The Texas Democratic Party has a new leader, as Kendall Scudder was elected its new Chairman this weekend by the State Democratic Executive Committee: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/03/29/texas-democrats-elect-dallas-kendall-scudder-as-new-state-chair-after-2024-losses/Governor Greg Abbott is silent - and now missing important deadlines - on calling a special election to replace the late Sylvester Turner in the U.S. House: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/elections/2025/03/28/517153/clock-ticks-down-for-gov-abbott-to-call-special-election-for-late-sylvester-turners-congressional-seat/...This leaves 800,000 Texans, mostly people of color, without their constitutionally-guaranteed representation in Congress: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/26/greg-abbott-sylverster-turner-democrat-special-election/A Deer Park pastor has drawn scrutiny for condemning a Deer Park ISD superintendent candidate over her sexuality from his pulpit - video and a link to a resulting petition for a public apology in the link: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/2025/03/25/516870/deer-park-church-pastor-faces-backlash-after-attacking-sexuality-of-dpisd-superintendent-finalist/...For your convenience, IRS 13909 is needed to file complaints about churches violating their religious non-profit status by going political: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdfThe CDC, under the leadership of RFK Jr., has squelched an advisory that measles risk is higher nearby areas of low vaccination, such as the West Texas region where the current outbreak started: https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/health/cdc-measles-forecast-propublica/index.htmlWe're proud to welcome Mayor Ron Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Senator John Cornyn was a big cheerleader for Trump Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who now finds himself at the center of the Yemen group chat scandal: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5211309-cornyn-calls-war-plan-group-chat-a-huge-screw-up/...El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar calls Donald Trump's claim yesterday that he didn't know anything about the security breach "astounding ignorance and profound incompetence": https://x.com/RepEscobar/status/1904254728923398355A wave of anti-Elon Musk vandalism against Tesla cars, charging stations and dealerships now includes a live bomb threat at an Austin Tesla location: https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/crime/tesla-owners-on-edge-wave-threats-vandalism-across-us/500-8ea26273-ffc9-46ee-996e-3361b0364772...Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi are escalating rhetoric that they consider attacks against Tesla "domestic terrorism": https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/24/tesla-austin-bomb-squad...Bondi has demanded apologies and retractions from Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who has been vocal with her criticism of Elon Musk: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pam-bondi-jasmine-crockett-tesla-b2720908.html...A bill at the Texas Legislature would grant Musk's SpaceX the authority to close the public Boca Chica Beach for its launches: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/spacex-elon-musk-beach-control-20237154.phpThe "Life Of The Mother Act", ostensibly designed to grant more clarity and guidance for Texas doctors in treating pregnant women undergoing difficult pregancies, may also carry aims to entrench our ban on abortion: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/03/abortion-exceptions-republicans-kentucky-texas-fetal-personhood.htmlA federal judge has blocked the Texas A&M Board of Regents' ban on this year's Draggieland drag show: https://thebatt.com/news/federal-judge-blocks-drag-show-ban-allows-draggieland-to-proceed/...Get tickets for Draggieland, happening on Thursday: https://boxoffice.tamu.edu/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=8C3D300E-E6B8-4952-9B39-27A91F9CCDC1&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=A6B1EF1D-CE46-4EED-BAEB-9FFED77A5A87San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg celebrates his city's new friendship agreement with Quebec City: https://x.com/Ron_Nirenberg/status/1904262055944695984...And we're proud to welcome Mayor Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerOn March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-aboutThe merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at https://store.progresstexas.org/.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Aside from the daily drama at the Capitol, the race to succeed Ron Nirenberg as the next mayor of San Antonio is one of the top political stories in Texas, as the leadership of the Lone Star State's second-biggest city for next four years hangs in the balance.Candidate Gina Ortiz Jones is well-known to followers of progressive politics in Texas - she has distinguished herself via an impressive military career, and serving as Under Secretary of the Air Force from 2021 to 2023 under the Biden Administration.Learn more about Gina Ortiz Jones' run for mayor of San Antonio at https://ginaortizjones.com/.San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixerThanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
During his first meeting of the San Antonio City Council, newly sworn in Mayor Ron Nirenberg brought forth a resolution asking the city to join the International Charter for Compassion in 2017 as a way to focus on improving the lives of others. It passed unanimously and since that time the city has moved ahead on many Compassion initiatives including the inspiration for our UT Health San Antonio Compassion Course. Find out what's happening next in our compassionate city.
Artificial intelligence could change the results of the 2024 election. Thom and US Rep Don Beyers (VA) discuss Donald Trump's AI lie campaign and how forward thinking progressives are working on the regulation of artificial intelligence. Also Jane Kleeb, American political executive & activist, Ron Nirenberg, Honorable Mayor of San Antonio, TX, and Adam Hodge, former DNC Communication director share insights on the convention. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today's guests are Bonnie Prosser Elder and David Zammiello, the volunteer co-chairs of Mayor Ron Nirenberg's 15-member Charter Review Commission, formed last November to explore amendments to the city charter for voters to consider on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Why is affordable housing in San Antonio everyone's problem? This week's guest is Mark Carmona, the city of San Antonio's first Chief Housing Officer, a position created by City Council in 2018 when council members first approved Mayor Ron Nirenberg's housing initiative. Carmona overees the city's Strategic Housing Implementation Plan (SHIP), and previously served as CEO of Haven for Hope and Deputy CEO for the Center for Health Care Services. Listen as Carmona tackles some of the most challenging issues we face: poverty, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, and how San Antonio's projected growth makes these issues relevant to all current and future San Antonians.
Ann Helmke is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and serves as the faith liaison for the city of San Antonio, Texas. Prior to that she was the director of spiritual services at Haven for Hope, a program that serves homeless people. She has taught theology, has led workshops and retreats, co-founded the interfaith San Antonio Peace Center, and co-authored books. All of her work has focused on social justice through civic engagement. Consistent with that mission, she currently works with San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg on Compassionate USA, a campaign designed to promote compassion and community healing. We talked about her metaphor of getting out of the boat and walking on water -- the vital intersection of spirituality and compassionate action in the world. Meet Rev. Ann Helmke CompassionateUSA.org CharterforCompassion.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
BREAKING NEWS: Ben Bergquam delivers TERRIFYING interview with Iranian Illegal Alien at the Southern Border | San Antonio Police Under direction of Catholic Charities| Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, Prince Andrew and Donald Trump all named in Epstein Lawsuit Documents. Free Speech Podcast Episode 18 with Intelligence Analyst @Frankieusn1987 and Texas Entrepreneur @DanLicit_93 Want to support our efforts in Texas? Please donate here. https://givesendgo.com/BorderSecurity THANK YOU @hernandoarce for the incredible persistence and grind documenting the migrant crisis in Texas since Day 1 . True Patriot! We can't wait for you to come back on the podcast! @BasedTexas This Illegal Alien Distribution Camp directly results in the Mexican Cartels, Human traffickers and the people targeting the immigrants becoming much richer. All courtesy of @JoeBiden and @Ron_Nirenberg and their weak weirdo woke administrations. Weak men bring hard times.
San Antonio Express-News writers discuss Mayor Ron Nirenberg's future, city funding for Animal Care Services and the deepening border tensions in Eagle Pass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on Face the Nation, we'll take a look at new charges filed against former President Trump in the classified documents case. Margaret Brennan speaks with two of his Republican presidential primary opponents, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson. Also, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari discusses some optimistic signs when it comes to the economy. Plus, a new CBS News poll takes a look at Americans' views on climate change and San Antonio's mayor Ron Nirenberg weighs in on how extreme heat is impacting his city.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
San Antonio voting results: Prop A is defeated, Ron Nirenberg remains Mayor. This story and much more as Jack Riccardi takes on today's news with insightful commentary that includes interviews with local and national newsmakers. Our special guests include San Antonio Mayoral Candidate Chris Schurchardt who lost to SA Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Business Attorney Marc Whyte who won District 10 council race in San Antonio and Jack takes your calls on the days news and hot topics.
The Mayor of San Antonio, TX, Ron Nirenberg, joins the Mayor of Sports on the 1-year anniversary of Mike Taylor Live presented by Texas Cheer Liquor. This episode is brought to you by RNR Auto Glass and JM Pool and Spa. #thunderdome #loveyouhard #miketaylorlive --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/miketaylorlive/message
It's Friday, Sept. 23 and Jack Riccardi takes on today's news with insightful commentary that includes interviews with local and national newsmakers and Jack takes your calls on the days news and hot topics trending including...Mayor Ron Nirenberg to take some action about a confrontation between councilman Mario Bravo and Councilwoman Ana Sandoval and its finally Friday and another serving of "The Dish" is piping hot from the KTSA oven.
In this episode of the Level Up Leadership Development Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joost de Vries, CEO of DeLorean Motor Company Inc. Joost joined the team officially 6 months ago and he and his team have reinvented the 40-year-old brand into the first of many new EVs. Listen and learn the importance of getting a mentor throughout your leadership journey, and learn how the greater:SATX team including Sean Attwood, Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, Jim Perschbach with Port San Antonio, the office of Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and many others made a compelling case to move the headquarters of this game-changing company to San Antonio, Texas!Listen in to learn from the Delorean visionary and how they are reinventing the brand and identity of Delorean to what was seen and cherished by so many of us in #BackToTheFuture 40 years ago! Enjoy the podcast!
In the fourth episode, the Bexar Facts team sits down with San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg to unpack the implications of newly passed legislation. Christian Archer, Demonte Alexander, and Liza Barratachea discuss the SA Ready to Work Initiative, the VIA, police reform, and more. Mayor Nirenberg continues to demonstrate his faith in building San Antonio up, and voters were more than happy to support him and his ideas. About Ron Nirenberg: Mayor Ron Nirenberg was first elected to represent District 8 on the San Antonio City Council in 2013. He was re-elected to a second term as Mayor last year. Over the course of his two terms, he championed smart city and regional planning, inclusive economic development, environmental stewardship, fiscal responsibility and governmental accountability. About Bexar Facts: At Bexar Facts, we amplify the voice of the people to shape the future of our community. We gather and share fact-based data on the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the greater San Antonio area. With the Bexar Facts podcast we breathe life into our data. We aim to level the playing field by producing real conversations, with real people and bringing scientific data directly to your fingertips. Bexar Facts, your trusted local source for community data. Show Notes: (0:47) Introductions (6:25) Poll results about the Mayor (8:10) SA Ready to Work Plan (20:55) Mayor's role in VIA (36:40) Police Accountability & Reform (43:00) Mayor's thoughts on San Antonio If you could magically change one thing in San Antonio, what would it be? What do you love about this City? (49:00) Brief thoughts on Reimagined Alamo Plan (50:35) Conclusion Links: About Mayor Nirenberg: https://www.sanantonio.gov/mayor Bexar Facts: https://www.bexarfacts.org/about/ Bexar Facts Poll 4 Results: https://www.bexarfacts.org/category/poll-4-results/
This week my guest is super timely with the looming election and racial unrest in our country. Juany Torres is the proud oldest daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first generation American. She was born and raised in the south side of San Antonio, Texas and attended Stanford University on a full scholarship by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Juany worked at the White House as part of the Domestic Policy Council under President Obama before joining Google Inc. After her time in the bay area, Juany served as the Nevada Deputy Digital Director for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign before returning back to San Antonio and focusing on increasing civic engagement in her home state of Texas. Juany served as the Deputy Campaign Manager for Ron Nirenberg for Mayor and served in his office before helping her Stanford peer Lina Hidalgo run for Harris County Judge in Houston, Texas. In 2019 Juany began pursuing her Masters in Public Affairs at the University of Texas' LBJ School. Most recently, Juany was selected as the inaugural public policy fellow for WTS Heart of Texas Chapter and Mayor Adler's office. In her role, she is focused on increasing equity and opportunity through transportation policy. But Jauny is so much more than her impressive resume, she is a community leader not only in San Antonio but nationally and is a true inspiration who seek to lend their voice to their community. I know you are wondering what an amazing activist like Juany is doing on a podcast about imposter syndrome. Well, as I said before, no one can escape imposter syndrome – it's something that everyone faces.
Ron Nirenberg is committed to retraining and training San Antonio workers for higher paying jobs. To that end, in November, voters can vote on an initiative creating a fund of $150,000,000 to do just that. The campaign manager for this initiative joins us to discuss this campaign and what it can do for the city. Transcript: [music] Justin Hill: Hello and Bienvenido San Antonio. Welcome to The Alamo Hour, discussing the people, places, and passion that make our city. My name is Justin Hill, a local attorney, a proud San Antonian, a keeper of chickens, and bees. On The Alamo Hour, you'll get to hear from the people that make San Antonio great and unique and the best-kept secret in Texas. We're glad that you're here. [applause] All right. Welcome to The Alamo Hour. Today's guest is Jorge Urby of The Glider Group in San Antonio. Jorge and I have been friends for a while. We actually took a break on The Alamo Hour, so we're getting back on. We've got Jorge on to talk about a few things. He's been tapped by our mayor, Ron Nirenberg, to run a campaign that the Express-News call Build SA, but it's actually been now changed and named to SA: Ready to Work. He is one of the most sought after political consultants and political communications guys in towns of San Antonio. Express called you a heavy hitter. Did you know that Jorge? Jorge Urby: I heard that. Somebody told me that. Justin: [laughs] You've worked on Beto O'Rourke's campaign, Julian Castro's presidential campaigns. You're very involved in our city. Thank you for being here. Jorge: Thank you, Justin. Thank you for doing what you're doing. I think it's a great thing for the community and I just appreciate you having me on your show. Justin: Yes, it's a new medium and San Antonio is just far behind on things, sometimes technologically. I wanted to be in the front end of this, and I get to interview interesting people. I had the mayor on as well. Jorge: Nice. Nice. Justin: I would start and just get a little bit of color commentary on who you are. Just a few questions, background, your thoughts on San Antonio. When and why did you move to San Antonio? Jorge: Absolutely, man. I'm from Del Rio, Texas originally. My family goes back there many, many generations and loved it, man. I loved growing up in the small town and the small community feel, but as most people when you turn 18, you start to look into wanting to go to college and what that experience is going to be like. I went to school at Texas State and I was there for some years. I always had a kinship with San Antonio, man because I loved the Spurs. I grew up not too far away. We would come up for family vacations or gatherings or something like that. I always knew that I would end up here, but I did bounce around definitely, especially in my 20s and early 30s. I got involved through the Castro brothers and other people in the community, and I just fell in love with it and the people, so I just thought, "I want to make my life here." I really moved here, I guess it would be late '04, maybe early '05, something like that, and then I did a stint in the Dallas area, Fort Worth area. I lived in DC for a while, Austin and then I came back here. Justin: What was the DFW run for? Jorge: When I moved up there the first time, I was working for the mayor of Forth Worth actually. I worked at city hall there and really came to love that city as well, but then I got an opportunity to move to Washington to pursue my master's degree. I got a master's in public administration from American, then I worked at USDA and I worked at HHS. Justin: Okay. I didn't know that. Your big city was San Antonio. My growing up, big city was Fort Worth. I grew up two hours from Fort Worth. That's where we'd go if we wanted to go to the big malls or one of those things. Jorge: There's a lot of similarities actually between the...
Dr. Gary Slutkin has provided counsel and advice to elected leaders and health leaders across the United States regarding COVID-19. He has advised Mayor Ron Nirenberg and other Texas mayors. He has proven that epidemiological methods for disease reduction work and they work on things like violence. This was a fascinating discussion with a very interesting guest. Transcript: [music] Justin Hill: Hello, in Bienvenidos San Antonio. Welcome to the Alamo Hour discussing the people, places, and passion that make our city. My name is Justin Hill, a local attorney, a proud San Antonian, and keeper of chickens and bees. On the Alamo Hour, you'll get to hear from the people that make San Antonio great and unique and the best-kept secret in Texas. We're glad that you're here. All right. Welcome to today's episode of the Alamo Hour. My guest today is Dr. Slutkin. Dr. Slutkin is a medical doctor and epidemiologist. I'm stealing from your TED Talk bio a little bit. You're an innovator in violence reduction which we're going to talk about. Currently, founder and executive director of Cure Violence. Also, consigliere of sorts to some Metro health and mayors and city officials who are seeking your guidance on COVID. Dr. Slutkin previously served as a medical director for the San Francisco Health Department. He's worked for the World Health Organization. He's worked on epidemics all over Africa which we will discuss. Importantly, he is a well sought after epidemiologist on using data and science to cure issues and specifically, issues that people probably didn't think could be cured that way. Dr. Slutkin, thank you for being here. Dr. Slutkin: I'm happy to be with you, Justin. Justin: You're in Chicago, right? Dr. Slutkin: Yes. Justin: All right. You are my first non-San Antonio local or someone who's lived here for some amount of time but our show tries to have a real connection with San Antonio and Dr. Lesch, a previous guest and Mayor Nirenberg, also previously a guest have discussed COVID with you. I know you've provided some guidance and counsel. Talk to me about what you're doing right now in your role as providing some guidance to cities and leaders including our very own Mayor Ron Nirenberg. Dr. Slutkin: Well, I'm aware that the US has not really seen anything like this before, that's to say an epidemic of this nature that's so fast, so contagious, so lethal and many other parts of the world have. I had the opportunity to be helpful with World Health and some of the others. Although I myself have largely been working on reducing violence in this country and in other places recently, I had to quickly switch into a role of helping, supporting, guiding and training where there were needs, which is basically wherever you look and how to manage this because it's not clear. Besides the fact that it's new, a lot of behaviors need to be changed. People don't like to change behaviors, people don't want to change behaviors and there's so much misinformation as well. I've been talking with mayors and governors and the Mayor's Associations and the Governors Associations and trying to help understand what needs to be understood here. Which is that you can't tell who's infectious and who isn't, which is a really counter-intuitive thing that someone you know or someone who looks well, could be carrying it. That it's really that serious. That you can get it even just by talking and screaming or talking loud or it doesn't require coughing and that the results are really quite bad. For policymakers, they need to really make this so serious, and whenever we don't, we see the consequences and that has to do with the fact that the virus jumps when given a chance. Opening up, it means opening up for the virus and that's what everybody saw but not everybody knew it. Then also what the people themselves have to do. I've been guiding and training in this arena since late February, early March....
The Express-News Editorial Board interviewed Mayor Ron Nirenberg, City Manager Erik Walsh and Police Chief William McManus on policing issues and the city's police contract. This interview was recorded on June 12, 2020. Read more: Editorial: ‘Defunding' about better serving city, using police
Ron Nirenberg is serving his second term as San Antonio's mayor. During his second term, he is leading the city through the COVID-19 pandemic and related damage. Ron joins us to discuss the state of the city, moving forward, and some of the things he loves about San Antonio. He also discusses how he had a short affair with electronica music. Transcript: Justin Hill: Hello and bienvenidos, San Antonio. Welcome to The Alamo Hour, discussing the people, places, and passion that make our city. My name is Justin Hill, a local attorney, a proud San Antonian, and keeper of chickens and bees. On The Alamo Hour, you'll get to hear from the people that make San Antonio great and unique and the best-kept secret in Texas. We're glad that you're here. All right. Welcome to this episode of The Alamo Hour. Today's guest needs little introduction Mayor Nirenberg joins us. He was District 8 city councilman. He's been elected to two terms in office as our mayor. He's currently guiding our city through what has to be unprecedented strain economically and just generally for all the citizenry. I met Ron in 2015 when he was a city councilman, his mutual friend introduced us, I asked him to come on to the show whenever we started then the pandemic happened. I've pestered him for a while to come on so, Ron, thank you so much for coming on and doing this. Ron Nirenberg: Thanks for having me, Justin, I'm excited to be here. Justin: The goal of our show is to give a little bit of color to the people that are making decisions and doing fun things and have passions about our city. I don't think you can be much more passionate about the city than being serving as the mayor. Everybody has to go through a top 10 I'm going to go through that with you just some general questions about who you are, bounce around when and why did you end up moving to San Antonio? Ron: Yes, sure. Well, so thank you for having me, it's been a while since I saw you so- Justin: I know, Ron: -this will have to suffice for now. Now I grew up just north of here in Austin, Texas. I was actually born on the East Coast in Boston. We moved to Austin, Texas in 1980, my dad's job moved us down there. I loved Austin in the '80s growing up there a residential neighborhood-friendly type of community. I was about to go back to the East Coast for school and my dad convinced me to come down to San Antonio to check out some schools and I went down to Trinity and I fell in love with it. I decided to enroll at Trinity and after four years at Trinity, I fell in love with San Antonio. It was in the mid-90s. San Antonio was coming into its own at that point. I remember that Mayor Peak was in office towards the end, and he had a great vision for the city, embracing green spaces, building an urban environment, and embracing all the cultural assets of the city. That's the San Antonio that I grew up with, for lack of a better phrase and I went away for graduate school and met my wife and we decided we're going to plant our roots in San Antonio we've been here ever since. Justin: We're happy to have you. I'm happy to have you. Ron: Thanks. Justin: You're very prominent on social media so I follow everything you're doing and this is a tough time to have a light-hearted conversation, but I want to ask about some things you're not covering. In our house, we are trying to support a bunch of our local restaurants and do things that probably is not the most economical thing to do at this time, but we know our friends need it. Any places you're frequenting eating out are you trying to spread the love or ya'll cooking at home? What are y'all doing? Ron: All of the above. Erika, my wife bears the brunt of the burden. When it comes to my son during the days at school, he's at home in school, he's in sixth grade. We try to eat together. It's amazing this pandemic has brought us closer together in many ways, the community. Certainly, we have...
This week the most comprehensive study of San Antonio's housing needs produced a detailed proposal to address a severe and growing problem. The Housing Policy Task Force Calls for 10-Year, $3.9 Billion Plan One statistic is particularly powerful: Paying the median rent for an apartment requires a wage of $18 an hour, yet 60 percent of San Antonio workers make less than $15. Owning a house is even tougher: The median price of a home has soared 40 percent in the last six years, and the trend is likely to continue. Addressing the issue, the report says, will require considerable resources and a novel approach to affordable housing. A city's housing stock is part of its infrastructure, just like water, streets, drainage. and sewage. If the free market can't provide affordable housing, we need to address the problem collectively as a city – just as we do our other infrastructure needs. Lourdes Castro Ramírez, who chaired Mayor Ron Nirenberg's Housing Policy Task Force that produced the study, joins us to discuss its findings.
This week on Just This, Rick and I discuss the controversy surrounding Mayor Ron Nirenberg's, and ultimately City Council's, decision not to submit a bid for San Antonio to host the 2020 Republican National Convention. Rather than air the issue publicly in an open session of Council, Nirenberg chose to take it behind closed doors in "executive session," excluding the public and reporters. Texas has strong open meeting laws, although there are a few topics that officials legally can talk about in private including personnel matters, litigation, and the so-called "economic development exception." San Antonio City Attorney Andrew Segovia said Council members could discuss a potential bid behind closed doors under that exception, but could not talk about the politics of a bid. However, Rick cites a longtime media lawyer who says that unless there was a specific proposal or bid being negotiated, the discussions likely were not allowed under the law. We deconstruct the politics behind the mayor's choice as well as the other considerations in play. We also highlight the Rivard Report's Fiesta and Commemorative Week coverage. And Beth touches on a video interview published today between our arts and culture writer Nicholas Frank and San Antonio Spurs forward Pau Gasol, who recently joined the San Antonio Symphony's board of trustees.
This week in Just This, Rick and I discuss Mayor Ron Nirenberg's announcement that he and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff have formed a new nonprofit, ConnectSA, to help drum up public awareness of, and to advocate for, mass transit solutions in the San Antonio region. Rivard Report Managing Editor and City Hall reporter Iris Dimmick reported that former Mayor Henry Cisneros, outgoing VIA Board Chair Hope Andrade, and former City Attorney Jane Macon will serve as chairs for the ConnectSA board, which also will include 20 to 25 County, City, business, and community leaders. The nonprofit group will review and consider various mass transit options as the City seeks to plan for significant traffic growth and congestion over the next two decades. We talk about the process and politics behind developing voter buy-in for long-term mass transit projects when “smart” technology can make solutions outdated before they are built. And we look at two other stories worth your read.
This week in our Just This podcast, Rivard Report Editor-in-Chief Beth Frerking and former San Antonio news columnist Rick Casey discuss the latest skirmish in an ongoing war between City Hall and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association. This round, the union is working to place propositions on the ballot that would give voters the right to consider capping the city manager's tenure and salary; negotiate contracts through binding arbitration (if other avenues fail); and to make it easier to have citizen-led referendums that could impact City finances. City officials, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg, have drawn hard lines against the effort led by firefighters' union chief Chris Steele.
City Manager Sheryl Sculley and Mayor Ron Nirenberg discuss obtaining federal funding for local programs as business, community and government leaders, including City staff and council, prepare for the SA2DC trip.
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