2024 Austin City Council Midterm Progress Report

Welcome to the 2024 Austin City Council Midterm Report Card. I’m looking back on the first six months (or so) of the year and assigning each member of the dais a letter grade based on my evaluation of their policy priorities, decisions on key votes, communications strategy, and performance of day-to-day duties. Keep in mind that these are midterm grades and subject to change in the final report card write-up at the end of the year.

What Doug Greco Thinks Austin Needs In Its Mayor

Mayoral candidate and LGBTQ advocate Doug Greco came to Austin in the 1990s looking for a place to finally be himself. Born and raised in a small town in Eastern Pennsylvania, he didn’t exactly have a ton of exposure to the LGBTQ community growing up. Although it was more liberal than his hometown, things didn’t get much easier when he attended Brown University

“Brown is one of the most progressive schools in the country, but I was still in the closet,” he told me during a sit down last week. “It’s tough when you can keep armor on. I had armor. [In high school], I was captain of the football team. I was class president. It hit me hard when I went to college.”

Greco played football at Brown for just a year, but the financial aid lasted all four years and paved the way for him to earn his Bachelor’s degree in economics in 1994. While he was there, he also discovered a passion for theater and acted in 12 productions. It became an outlet of self-expression, which was good – because he still wasn’t out as gay yet. “It wasn’t until I came to Austin,” he said. After a couple of years teaching in Austin, Greco finally felt comfortable enough to come out.

Even then, it still took some time for his personal and professional lives to coalesce. Greco started teaching at Johnston High School in 1997, but he struggled in his first year. And it wasn’t an uncommon experience at Johnston at the time, which was in dire straits, under performing in standardized testing results and attendance, and suffering from principal and teacher turnover. Although it shut down permanently in 2008, the school sparked Greco’s career in public service.

Kirk Watson's City Hall Course Correct Betrayed The Austin Values He Vowed to Defend

Several months ago, as Republicans financed a primary challenge to Travis County District Attorney  José Garza, I called my homie Kathy Mitchell for a bit of insight. At one point in the conversation, I wondered aloud if that meant Jeremy Sylestine could be considered a “fake” Democrat. That’s when Kathy reminded me that Austin’s politics have historically been run by a subset of conservative Democrats that collaborate with the right wing when it suits them.

“I call them Vichy Democrats,” she said, explaining to me a bit of World War II history that I’d never heard before. To be honest, I didn’t fully grasp the concept while we were on the phone – because hearing even a word of the French language makes me tune out. But something about Kathy’s explanation piqued my interest, so after we got off the phone I googled the term to try and understand her analogy a bit better.

Why Is the Austin Animal Center Always In Crisis?

The Austin Animal Center is nearly always operating at or over capacity. Off and on for years, the shelter has kept medium- and large-sized dogs in makeshift kennel space in offices or other parts of the facility not intended for housing animals. It’s routine to hear local news reports and see social media blasts urging the community to step up and provide emergency shelter to animals in need.

What is the problem at Austin’s animal shelter? Why isn’t it fixed already? And what is the city doing now to turn the problem around? Alright, homie, let’s break it down.

Transcript of Former APD Officer’s Interview with AJC, Pt. 2

A few weeks ago, I was able to attend Community Briefing: The Crisis of Austin Policing hosted by the Austin Justice Coalition. One of the highlights was catching this conversation between AJC’s Chris Harris and former Austin Police officer Samantha Liedtke. You might’ve seen the Austin American-Statesman’s writeup about her pending gender discrimination lawsuit against the city. If you’d like to hear more about her story in-depth, I’ve transcribed a (lightly edited for space and clarity) version for the homies. It still ended up being so long I needed to publish it in three pieces. You can read Part 1 here. — neenz

Transcript of Former APD Officer’s Interview with AJC, Pt. 1

A few weeks ago, I was able to attend Community Briefing: The Crisis of Austin Policing hosted by the Austin Justice Coalition. One of the highlights was catching this conversation between AJC’s Chris Harris and former Austin Police officer Samantha Liedtke. You might’ve seen the Austin American-Statesman’s writeup about her pending gender discrimination lawsuit against the city. If you’d like to hear more about her story in-depth, I’ve transcribed a (lightly edited for space and clarity) version for the homies. Here’s Part 1.

Why Krista Laine is Running for Austin City Council

Krista Laine moved to Austin in 2000 and lived in several areas of the city before settling in Northwest Austin with her family a decade ago. She is a former real estate appraiser and a stay-at-home mom to two children who attend Round Rock ISD schools. When we sat down for an interview last week, she said her challenge to incumbent council member Mackenzie Kelly started with RRISD schools.

“I had been organizing a lot of STEM enrichment stuff,” she said. “It’s something that a lot of people like around here. My kids were into it. I had become acquainted with a lot of parents who cared about that.”

When she started, STEM didn’t have the support from the district it has today. “So it required actual organizing. I didn’t realize that’s what we were doing. But that’s what it took,” she said.

Acevedo Episode Just Another Example of Watson’s (and Austin’s) Ongoing Incompetence

The Austin return of Art Acevedo turned out to be short-lived. Y’all are so fucking wild. Every time I’ve completely given up on this town getting anything right, y’all surprise me by giving a shit at the most random times. Granted, it did take half of the city screaming their heads off about it and Austin City Council members unexpectedly remembering their agency as public officials. I wish it didn’t take white women throwing a fit to get this sorted, but, I guess, in this case, too little didn’t turn out to be too late.

I don’t want to get into the play-by-play of Acevedo’s brutal career collapse in this rant. It’s been written about too much already. You can read the highlights in this Houston Watch newsletter, which one of my homies sent me two days before the announcement. Kudos to them for a truly stunning (and accurate) headline. You can also read more about the sexual harassment lawsuit from Acevedo’s California Highway Patrol days in this rant I wrote in the fall. And my homie Austin Sanders of The Austin Chronicle has the details of how his latest venture fell apart in a matter of days. The debacle is enough to make Scaramucci blush.

2023 Austin City Council Final Report Card

It’s that time. When I turned in the midterm report card in July, I told y’all that I would be returning at the end of the year with a round of final grades for Austin City Council. In an effort to provide context, this time around I’ve added a brief legend to explain each grade below.

I took a bit of heat last time around for issuing a couple of As. And, honestly, after reflecting on the macro dynamics of this council, I understand why. Truly, none of these members is doing work that could be considered A worthy. First of all, the metaphorical “teacher” in this case, former City Manager Spencer Cronk, got canned early in the year. The substitute they got to replace him is an even bigger nightmare. Of course, that impacted these guys’ ability to do work.

Public Grief & Private Policing

As I sat down to start this rant, the city was in the middle of the funeral procession of Austin Police Officer Jorge Pastore, who was shot and killed last weekend during a SWAT operation in South Austin.

One of the things I noticed from the coverage is that Pastore is just the fourth APD officer killed on duty since 1978 and the first in more than a decade. Because I cover officer-involved shootings, that stat made me wonder how many civilians had been killed by APD officers in that same time frame. Of course, that statistic isn’t as readily available.

Grow the F*ck Up, Bill Bunch

It’s time to grow the fuck up, Bill Bunch.

Yesterday’s Austin City Council held a joint session with its Planning Commission to go over a bundle of zoning reforms that will make it a little bit – not a lot – easier to build housing in the city. You can agree (I do) or disagree with council’s actions, which was the point of the hours-long session in which citizens on both sides of issue offered comment.

But I take issue with how Bill acted yesterday. And honestly, it was just another in a long list of examples of Bill’s boorish and, frankly, childish behavior in public. By now, we all know that Bill not getting his way in policy terms means we can all brace for a temper tantrum of epic proportions.

I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t remember giving birth to Bill. So I’m at a loss as to why I have to keep witnessing this embarrassing behavior from a 50+ year old man.

The Cost of Being Underprivileged at

The Austin Chronicle

I’ve had some time to process the Louis Black allegations, and I’d like to take some time to check in with y’all about it. I just want to be upfront that I don’t have all of the details yet, and I haven’t completed my reporting work on the subject. As such, I can’t speak with the specificity that I would like with regard to the lawsuit. Y’all will be the first to know when that changes.

I’d also like to be transparent and acknowledge that ethically and personally this is a difficult subject for me to broach. I worked at The Austin Chronicle, which is named in the suit and which was co-founded by Black, off and on for around six years. I started my career there, and I know Black and his co-founder Nick Barbaro. I had a public break with the Chronicle in 2019, after which I was blackballed, and since then I’ve fiercely criticized not just its ongoing editorial decisions, but the structure of the organization and its management.

A Disappointing End to The Zilker Vision Plan

Earlier today, I was sitting at my desk when I got a text from one of the homies. “Zo, Paige and R. Alter just issued a joint statement against the Zilker Park Vision Plan,” the text read.

A few minutes later the press release hit my inbox.

“We know that the Zilker Park Vision Plan proposes many improvements that have community consensus, such as additional green space, shade trees, erosion control, and bathrooms,” it reads. “Other elements, however, seem to be flash points of irreconcilable differences. We know the challenges Zilker Park is facing will not go away on their own, but we do not see a path forward for the Zilker Vision Plan and therefore cannot support it.”

The feeling in the pit of my stomach is familiar. I always get queasy when politicians show their craven asses this blatantly. No matter how many times I’ve seen it happen, it’s always a huge disappointment for me. Seeing an elected official selfishly turn away from the public interest will never not make me ill. I guess it’s just residual naïveté from when I identified as a liberal.

A History of Austin's Alternative Media: The Legend of Tejas & El Gallo

I know my homie Jorge Renaud through his work in the justice reform movement. He’s an organizer, poet, author, and advocate for the formerly incarcerated, particularly the Latinx community. And he’s also a former journalist. Renaud was the first Latino copy editor at The Austin American-Statesman.

Until recently, I didn’t know about another stop in Renaud’s journey. And that’s his stint as an editor and columnist for the Tejas newspaper at the University of Texas in 1989-90.

2023 Austin City Council 6-Month Progress Report

We’re nearly to Austin City Council’s annual July recess. As such, I thought it would be appropriate to deliver to the homies a midterm report card for Mayor Kirk Watson, each City Council member, and Interim City Manager Jesús Garza. Keep in mind this is just a progress report. There’s plenty more time for grades to go lower or for those who are currently failing to pull those grades up before the end of the year. Although, based on the first half I won’t be getting my hopes up.

Austin’s Parks Board Inundated With Tsunami of White Grievance and Zilker Vision Plan Misinformation

So many times over the past week I’ve said I’ve had it with this Zilker Park shit. “These people are making me crazy,” I’ve said. “I need a break. My sponsors need to team up and finance me a trip to Disney World. I’m not writing another word until I get my Mickey ears, damnit.”

I’m not going to lie. There were points when I genuinely meant that shit. Like, I was really considering taking a break from this shit and going back to one of my other fun beats, like policing. That’s how stressful I find this parks shit. I would rather cover the unaccountable paramilitary organization patrolling our streets.

Why I’m So Worried About the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

I don’t know if my ongoing coverage of matters related to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is on your radar. It’s not exactly my most intriguing beat as a reporter, but there is a monthly Airport Advisory Commission meeting. And, as you undoubtedly know, I’m always looking for regular city fodder to convert into freelance opportunities.

So that means I’ve been reporting on the airport semi-regularly for the past few months. That’s why I covered when, in February, the airport commission learned that a water and mud mixture used in construction sites had leaked into a wetland near where the airport is building a new jet-fuel storage facility. At the time, I noted how the commission's then-chair, Eugene Sepulveda, questioned why the commission was just hearing about when the leak had occurred in September.

APD, DPS Defend Racial Profiling Tactics In Dystopian City Council Work Session

It’s not been a secret that Austin’s recent partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety to increase traffic enforcement seriously pissed me and a lot of other people off. From the moment it was announced, my mind was reeling with the possibilities of what it would look like for DPS officers to invade our communities.

Kirk Watson’s Backroom Deal with Dan Patrick Is As Shameful As It Is Stupid

Yesterday, I was with the homies at the Texas State Capitol fighting Republican efforts to ban health care for trans kids. While I was there, I got a buzz in my pocket with a notification alerting me to an Austin City Hall press conference in which Mayor Kirk Watson, flanked by cops, announced an agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety to have its deputies patrolling city streets alongside the Austin Police Department.

It was like being on the playground fighting a bully, and then another one comes up from behind and sucker punches you.

How South by Southwest Exploits Musicians And Why Media Enables It

Well, it’s that time of year again. South by Southwest returns to Austin for its most crowded showing since the start of the pandemic three years ago. If you’re a local that’s not involved in the music or service industries, you might not notice much other than that pretty much the entire downtown area has become one big traffic jam.

But for the city’s intertwined service industry and creative communities, this is primetime. It’s wild for all the guff Austin gets for its growth – we’re still a big time seasonal town. A lot of people here – business owners, servers, bartenders, pedicab drivers, musicians, artists, and journalists like myself – make a ton of bread and connections that have to last a calendar year.

Was Zilker Park
Intended to Preserve
Barton Springs?

Last night I caught up on the saga of the Parks and Recreation Board and the vision plan for the future of Zilker Park. You read my first rant explaining the plan, right? Unlike the goofy Save Our Springs Alliance-sponsored “rewilding” plan, this vision plan would accomplish much-needed ecological uplift, improve pedestrian access and transit, and restore the rapidly degraded slope of Barton Creek.

But honestly what would the plan really do, big picture? The plan would make Zilker Park an easier place to get to, where more people from around the city could visit and enjoy amenities, and where the next generation can interact with nature in a way that’s both convenient and not going to destroy it. In other words, it’ll be a true metropolitan park that finally belongs to the entire city. As it should.

A lot of speakers at this week’s parks board meeting don’t agree with me on that. Many of them say out loud they don’t want more people in the area. That’s why ideas like adding an appropriate amount of parking disturb them so much. How dare people who don’t live in 78704 or 78745 drive into my neighborhood to visit my park and my Barton Springs Pool?

Lawrence Wright’s New Yorker Article About Austin Is Everything Wrong With My Hometown

Last week, I was sitting in a therapy session when the subject of the recent New Yorker article came up. You know, the one bemoaning Austin’s “transformation” from hippie hollow to yuppie playpen. (Or something; I’m still not sure what the fucking article is about, tbh.)

If you're unfamiliar, Lawrence Wright is an extremely famous writer who lives in Austin's Tarrytown neighborhood. As such, the New Yorker piece is told through the lens of a rich person who only knows other rich people.

A Little Bit of Venus, Daria, and Snow White in My Life

This week I was at the gym with my homie and I mentioned my ex’s cat. I have to be honest – and I’m sorry if any of you also have a cat that I know – this is my favorite cat of all time. In fact, last year I donated to a GoFundMe to save this fucking cat’s life because she needed an operation and I was like fuck, if this bitch dies and I didn’t donate I’ll never fucking forgive myself. That is how much I love that cat.

“What was she like?” my homie asked.

“The cat?” This is how much I love that cat.

"he didn't have a chance":
raj moonesinghe shooting exposes the sickness inside the Austin Police Department

Late one night in November, 33-year-old Raj Moonesinghe thought there was a break in at his South Austin home. A security guard working at a nearby residence saw him circling the perimeter of his house carrying a rifle and flicking the lights on and off. The neighbor called 911 and asked for police and a possible mental health response. He told the dispatcher that the owner of the house across the street appeared in distress.