SAVE AUSTIN NOW: 13 (!) Charter Amendments Advance to Nov Ballot // APD Names Just Two (!) Finalists // Support APD! // Cleo to Represent SAN at CBS Public Safety Townhall
We will never to fighting to improve QUALITY OF LIFE for all Austin residents.
Good Monday afternoon -
This is a regular update email from Save Austin Now, the ONLY nonpartisan organization in Austin focused solely on IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE for all of the residents.
Our story: As you **may** know, Save Austin Now is the LARGEST grassroots organization in Austin history — 63,000+ email addresses, 75,000+ citizen petitions signed and collected, more than $5M raised and spent from 8,000+ unique contributors (~98% from City of Austin residents), and more than 1,000 volunteers.
Our most significant accomplishment: Passing Prop B (reinstatement of the homeless camping ban) in May 2021 by a margin of 58%-42%, earning more than 90,000 votes over the opposition of former Mayor Steve Adler and 9 out of 10 council members (only CM Mackenzie Kelly supported Prop B). More on Prop B below.
In this substack, we will periodically update you on important public safety, homeless, affordability, transportation and transparency matters in Austin — so you can be fully educated and so you can take action if you wish.
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Here are today’s updates:
AUSTIN POLICE CHIEF SEARCH DOWN TO 2 FINALISTS
Per KUT:
The two finalists in Austin’s police chief search are from Cincinnati and Milwaukee
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Lisa Davis, an assistant police chief for the Cincinnati Police Department, and Jeffrey B. Norman, police chief at the Milwaukee Police Department, are the two finalists in Austin’s search for its next police chief.
Tuesday’s announcement comes after weeks of sifting through applications since the city launched a national search for the role in May. Thirty-two candidates applied for the job, but interim Police Chief Robin Henderson was not one of them.
Henderson said she will help with the transition but ultimately decided to retire once the new chief settles in.
“My career has been amazing and the decision to not apply was not an easy one, as serving alongside the women and men of APD is truly an honor and a privilege,” she wrote in a June memo. “Please know it is time for me to take a step back, enjoy time with my family and see what the next chapter in life has in store for me.”
The city of Austin has been without a permanent police chief since last fall when Joseph Chacon retired. Henderson has been serving as interim since then.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax said filling this position is his top priority. Broadnax started his new role in May.
“I am confident we have identified the best candidates that will enable us to select an exemplary, experienced leader to guide the dedicated men and women of the Austin Police Department while continuing to collaborate and build trust with the community,” Broadnax said in a written statement.
The police chief will manage more than 1,800 officers and 500 professional staff members with a $478 million budget. The chief’s executive leadership team includes a chief of staff and five assistant chiefs of police, according to the job post.
What we know about the candidates
Lisa Davis has been an assistant police chief for the Cincinnati Police Department since February 2020. She joined the Cincinnati Police Department in 1992 and worked a beat downtown before rising through the ranks to become an assistant police chief, according to her resume and cover letter.
Contributed. Lisa Davis is an assistant police chief for the Cincinnati Police Department.
This is not the first time she has been considered for a police chief role. She was previously named a finalist in Toledo’s search for a police chief last year, and in 2022 was a finalist for the job in Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Police Department has 1,160 sworn officers and professional staff with a budget of $170 million.
Jeffrey B. Norman is the police chief for the Milwaukee Police Department, where he has worked since 1996. He served as a patrol officer before rising through the ranks to become police chief. He served as interim police chief in December 2020 before taking on the role permanently in November 2021, according to his resume.
As chief, he oversees approximately 2,200 sworn officers and civilian staff and manages a $330 million budget.
Meeting with the community
Both candidates will interview with community members, law enforcement personnel and city leaders. A community meet-and-greet is also scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, at the Palmer Events Center. The public will hear opening remarks before a moderated discussion. After that, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with candidates from 7:30 to 8 p.m.
Broadnax said he plans to name a sole finalist by July 30. City Council must approve the candidate before making it official.
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CITY COUNCIL APPROVES 13 (!) CHARTER AMENDMENDMENTS FOR NOVEMBER BALLOT
Per Austin Monitor:
Council OKs 13 proposed charter amendments for November ballot - Austin Monitor
Chad Swiatecki
Monday, July 22, 2024
Voters will decide on 13 potential amendments to the city charter in November, with two of the most significant potential changes affecting the number of signatures needed to recall a City Council member, and requiring elections for citizen-led ballot initiatives and charter amendments to take place in large even-numbered election years.
At Thursday’s meeting, Council considered 15 total possible charter amendments, with a high-profile measure that would have increased the number of signatures required to put a referendum on the ballot failing due to lack of a motion.
The amendments, which were named in a way to not have another Proposition A or B in front of voters again, would seek to do the following.
Prop C: Proposes changes to ensure that the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) operates independently from the City Council, has the authority to update district boundaries when needed, sets a clear start date for new district maps, increases the pool of potential appointees, provides clarity on filling vacancies and permits city staff to communicate with the ICRC outside of meetings as long as it follows transparency rules.
Prop D: Seeks to delete language requiring City Council to meet at least once each week.
Prop E: Would allow City Council to change its meeting rules by official vote following proper posting as an agenda item.
Prop F: Would change the charter to clearly define “election” and to update limits on campaign contributions and spending every Jan. 1, instead of when the budget is adopted, to match federal and state practices.
Prop G: Would ensure that elections for citizen initiatives and charter amendments are held on the next available November election date in even-numbered years, as long as there’s enough time to meet legal requirements.
Prop H: Would increase the number of signatures needed to recall a City Council member from 10 percent to 15 percent of voters in their district and requires the petition circulator to sign an affidavit instead of the person who signed the petition.
Prop I: Would allow City Council to appoint and remove the city attorney.
Prop J: Would change the deadline for municipal court judges to resign if they want to run for another office, making it the same as the deadline set by the Texas Constitution for other officials.
Prop K: Would align city financial practices with standard accounting rules, modernize budget procedures and contract practices, and raise the limit on how much the city manager can approve in contracts without needing City Council approval.
Prop L: Would remove appointees and employees of the office of the city auditor from the classified civil service.
Prop M: Would eliminate the need for submitting an affidavit to report claims of death, injury or property damage and instead follow the state law’s deadline for such notices.
Prop N: Would allow for fixing spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes, and allow removal or changing of outdated or unenforceable language due to state laws or court decisions.
Prop O: Would allow officeholders to ask for and accept political donations while still in office to cover unpaid campaign costs or repay personal money spent on their campaign.
During public comment, the failed ballot referendum change drew the most attention, with opponents saying it would cause those initiatives to be converted into citizen-led charter amendments, for which the signature requirements are covered by the state Constitution and thus are more difficult to alter.
“It’s gonna push people to do citizen-initiated measures through the charter process. It’s gonna push even more inappropriate legislation that citizens bring into the charter process if that (the 3.5 percent signature requirement) is maintained and put on the ballot,” activist Chris Harris said.
Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who led on revised language to give Council purview over the hiring of the city attorney, said she hopes the measure passes after failing in a close vote in a prior election.
“This is an opportunity for us to have a more robust conversation with our community,” she said, noting the Texas Municipal League found 73 percent of home rule cities authorize their city council to directly appoint the city attorney. “This really is ensuring that we’re aligning our structure alongside other big cities in Texas, as well as ensuring that we have that more accountability in place for our community.”
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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR APD
You can reserve a WE SUPPORT AUSTIN POLICE yard sign or bumper sticker here!
Save Austin Now has bulk ordered both Yard signs and bumper stickers for Austin-area residents to SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT!
Reserve yours here:
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$10 Get your Bumper Sticker Delivered
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Reserve here — https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/saniheartpolicesticker.
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STILL NO 3RD COURT OF APPEALS RULING ON PROP B.
Three weeks ago, we launched radio ads in Austin demanding that the derelict 3rd Court of Appeals end their delay and issue a ruling on a procedural motion after more than 340 days of delay.
Here is the ad:
Enough is enough.
ACTION ALERT
There are three ways you can help:
1. EMAIL THE 3rd COURT OF APPEALS: You can email the Clerk of the 3rd Court here. Please change the language to make it your own.
2. CALL THE 3RD COURT OF APPEALS: Please call the 3rd Court of Appeals (512-463-1733) and tell them “DO YOUR JOB” and issue a ruling on the Prop B lawsuit. They will ask for the case #: 03-23-00051-CV. Background here.
3. SUPPORT OUR RADIO AD CAMPAIGN: Help us keep the radio ad on the air by:
Securely contributing online here: https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/save-austin-now-pac-legal-fund-c4cfa533f8ab98c9da232.
Making a check to “Save Austin Now PAC” and mailing it to: Save Austin Now PAC, 807 Brazos Street, Suite 304, Austin, TX 78701
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CLEO WILL REPRESENT SAVE AUSTIN NOW AT A TOWN HALL ON PUBLIC SAFETY TAPING TUESDAY NIGHT!
Stay tuned for broadcast information. Learn more at CBSAustin.com.
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As we have said before, we have only begun to fight!
Thank you!
For Austin,
-Matt Mackowiak & Cleo Petricek
Co-founders, Save Austin Now PAC
> Questions? Email Cleo. Or Email Matt.
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Will you please support our efforts now?
You may donate to our efforts to hold Jose Garza accountable here: https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/c256eee684ec4a4d310ab.
You may donate to our legal effort here to force full enforcement of Prop B here: https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/save-austin-now-pac-legal-fund-c4cfa533f8ab98c9da232.
Pol. ad. paid for by Save Austin Now PAC. Leland Bickers, Treasurer. SaveAustinNowPAC.com.