NEW: One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit brought against the City of Austin over a 2021 police shooting that a federal judge recently ruled could advance to trial has settled. But a trial could still happen later this year. www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-04...

In rare decision, federal judge clears the way for City of Austin to face trial in civil lawsuit over 2021 fatal police shooting. The judge cites a "culture of impunity" at the Austin Police Department stemming from "deficient" misconduct investigations. www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-04...

Yesterday the Texas Senate approved a bill on a 24-6 vote that would allow the state to withhold sales tax revenue from cities for not cracking down on homeless encampments. capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...

My HEB has taken a stand against dog culture run amok.

TX lawmakers and police unions are pushing legislation that could conceal records around police and jailer misconduct across the state, with the goal of reversing police oversight reforms that Austin voters resoundingly approved in 2023 boltsmag.org/austin-appro...

The secret police misconduct file known as the G file could be coming to a town near you, whether you want it or not.

I am trying to get a sense of how The SAFE Alliance could be affected by the freeze. SAFE operates one of the three domestic violence shelters in Austin. Per a 2021 financial statement, SAFE received $7 million in federal grants, which was about 20% of their total program expense that year.

Local impact of the white house order freezing grants to nonprofits remains unclear. But it could devastate local orgs providing shelter and services to homeless Austinites. Particularly The Other Ones Foundation, which operates the Esperanza Community in SE Austin that houses 100+ people.

am i really gonna have to get down to dirty 6th at 2am to see what the scene is like with car traffic...

My partner works for a nonprofit serving formerly unhoused people and one of the hardest things is how significantly it's cut short the lifespan of the people they serve.

A new report on homelessness in Austin found that living on the street can cut your life short by 20 years. www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-01...

What’s the Austin version of “bitch I’m from the LAnd, don’t say you hate LA when you don’t travel past the 10”?

Over on X, Austin's police union president posted a video where he speaks directly to the camera, with dramatic music playing in the background, declaring that Travis County's District Attorney because of this case. In the video, the president calls on officers to stop responding to 911 calls.

Maurice DeSilva's death shows how ATX cops respond to mental health crises like violent crimes www.texasobserver.org/mauris-desil... and also how APD fails to stop killer cops — the same officer who killed DeSilva then killed Mike Ramos less than a year later www.texasobserver.org/mike-ramos-a...

Austin Police officer Christopher Taylor was sentenced to 2 years in prison yesterday for killing Mauris DeSilva in 2019. The reaction from law enforcement groups has been as expected — disappointment, outrage. An unfair process But these reactions skirt over major checks in the justice system.

Feels like this Dallas Morning News story is instructive for Austin journalists on how to incorporate G file materials into police coverage. It appears some of the records DMN reports on here would have been confidential in Austin if the G file was still in use. www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2...

This is a good piece on what public release of formerly secret police misconduct files looks like and why you haven't really seen any explosive stories about covered up misconduct at the Austin Police Department. One factor that warrants more exploration, however. www.statesman.com/story/news/l...

Journalists at Austin's daily have won a new labor contract following a bitter three year fight with Gannett that included two strikes and arbitration. Here's some of the benefits the Austin NewsGuild was able to secure in the contract.

NEW: the city clerk has rejected Llanes Pulido’s petition. Llanes Pulido and Watson’s campaign manager say it’s because the clerk’s read of Texas Election Code prohibits the kind of partial recount Llanes Pulido asked for.

And she did it. Llanes Pulido filed a partial recount request with the City of Austin just moments ago. She's asking for a recount of votes cast at Austin's 11 precincts located within Williamson County. The city has 48 hours to accept/deny the request.

Texas targets liberal enemies within UT as the university finds itself pushed to the right.

Here's a story that I'm proud to have reported. It's about the legal effort mounted by defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges to dismiss the bogus arrests of University of Texas students protesting against Israel's genocide in Palestine. www.austinchronicle.com/news/2024-05...

Austin mayoral race update: Kirk Watson is the winner, for now. But Carmen Llanes Pulido, the second place finisher, can still request a recount. Per Texas SoS deadlines, she has until tomorrow (Nov. 21) at 2pm to do that. The runoff date (Dec. 15) will not move even if a recount forces one.

The Caldwell/Hays Examiner, an advocacy news organization in Central Texas, won another court ruling in their case seeking to force Caldwell County to abide by the U.S. Constitution and ensure bail hearings remain open to the public. www.facebook.com/share/p/19TG...

Here are the 11 individuals who won the chance to serve on Austin's Community Police Review Commission. They'll start meeting next year and will review critical incidents like police shootings and write disciplinary recommendations to the Chief of Police.

still thinking about this bench on the floor of APD headquarters where the chief and assistant chiefs work.

I’m at Austin City Hall where staff with the city’s Office of Police Oversight are holding a lottery to select 11 volunteers to serve on the soon-to-be-resurrected Community Police Review Commission.

It's intersting how Community Not Commodity, Austin's premiere NIMBY group, has co-opted "reimagine" in their campaigns against land use reform. The word featured prominently in 2020-era police reforms (e.g. "reimagining public safety") and is now a dog whistle to local conservatives.

The Austin Police Department says will begin releasing "critical incident materials" for some police shootings in as little as 1-3 business days. Current policy gives them 10 budiness days, but they say the materials which can include body-cam footage and 911 calls may be produced more quickly.

The MLK nonviolence bench on the fifth floor of the Austin Police Department’s headquarters.

Austin mayoral race has been settled...maybe.

VINDICATION: Last year I broke a story about Austin's former interim city manager, a Kirk Watson ally, hiring two of his and Watson's buddies through questionable means. City Council did nothing. Now, outside investigators say the hires violated ethics rules. www.austinchronicle.com/news/2024-11...

Talked w/4 of the Austin City Council Members who'll be on the dais for Trump's second term/the GOP federal trifecta/a more right wing #txlege to see what they're concerned about. The two Eastsiders are deeply concerned about the city's undocumented community www.austinchronicle.com/news/2024-11...

Talked w/4 of the Austin City Council Members who'll be on the dais for Trump's second term/the GOP federal trifecta/a more right wing #txlege to see what they're concerned about. The two Eastsiders are deeply concerned about the city's undocumented community www.austinchronicle.com/news/2024-11...

Just got a 24k row spreadsheet with six months of Travis County arrest data. I think it could reveal some interesting insights into how Austin Police officers use their time when making arrests compared to other law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction in the county. But, man, that's a lotta data.

VINDICATION: Last year I broke a story about Austin's former interim city manager, a Kirk Watson ally, hiring two of his and Watson's buddies through questionable means. City Council did nothing. Now, outside investigators say the hires violated ethics rules. www.austinchronicle.com/news/2024-11...

Gus is good people and one of the best journalists in town. Really great news for Texas.

my only contribution to the progressive language debate is at the Chronicle we never really embraced latinx/e because very few of the people we talked to in those communities used that language. It would be weird if we quoted people as saying "latinos" but otherwise wrote latinx.

@etxgov.bsky.social has one here! go.bsky.app/GXYmerC

City of Austin mayoral race remains in run-off limbo. Incumbent Kirk Watson was 30 votes below 50% after Election Day, but there were still some 3k-4k provisional ballots to adjudicate and some mail ballots to count across Travis and Williamson counties. We may know if he wins outright tomorrow.

I have some ew followers here since the last time I posted and I am unsure how many people are familiar with my work, so... I'm City Hall reporter with @austinchronicle.bsky.social. Lately my reporting has focused on cops. Particularly, on police oversight. www.austinchronicle.com/news/2024-11...

As Council works to improve affordability with HOME, how will displacement factor in? Research shows small lots boost affordability though concerns linger.

One week before City Council votes on housing reforms intended to increase affordable housing, a national Pew survey shows support for similar proposals.

City Council just approved a rezoning application to turn the Genie Car Wash on burnet road into 300 apartments, 10% of which will be rented to people earning 60% of austin's median family income

Current speaker at City Council meeting compared housing reforms on next week's agenda (3 units per lot, smaller lot sizes for duplexes) to Israel's apartheid against Palestine.

Results of a national Pew survey published today found majority, bipartisan support for a number of housing reforms — some of which Austin's City Council will vote on at a special called-meeting next week. www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-...

do i go watch godzilla minus one at the AMC closest to me or drive all the way across town to watch it on one of their IMAX screens......

I think Paige Ellis' response to some concerns about bad actors potentially exploiting HOME was apt: "rich people are going to do rich people things," but the amendments will do more to help everyone else.

are people posting about austin politics on here yet or whats the deal

i'll be honest with you guys, i didn't know steely dan went that hard