The camping ban set back years of progress local emergency services made in serving people experiencing homelessness, making it harder and more expensive to respond to an increase in emergency calls, according to a top emergency services official. The ban forced more people out of easily accessible areas, increasing the likelihood of injuries and making […]
May 2021 election
Posted inCourts
Save Austin Now sues city, saying it isn’t fully enforcing ban on camping in public
The political action committee Save Austin Now and four business owners have filed a lawsuit against the city of Austin alleging it hasn’t been fully enforcing the ban on camping in public. Voters passed Proposition B in May. The petition-led initiative, organized by Save Austin Now, reinstated old rules surrounding homelessness, including a ban on camping in […]
Posted inAustin
Austin police officers clear homeless encampments around City Hall
Austin police officers on Monday cleared encampments around City Hall that were erected by people experiencing homelessness. The city said in a statement that officers were moving people from the corner of Guadalupe and Cesar Chavez streets for construction work. The city said officers met with people staying in tents in the morning and told them […]
Posted inPolice
Austin police can start ticketing people for panhandling and camping or sitting in public
The Austin Police Department will begin enforcing a city ban on camping in public that was reinstated by Austin voters last month. Proposition B, the citizen-led effort to reinstate the rules, officially went into effect May 11, but the city adopted a staggered approach to enforcing the ban, along with prohibitions on panhandling and sitting or lying down in […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City leaders, Austin police say arrests will be a ‘last resort’ as enforcement of homelessness ordinances resumes
It’s illegal – once again – for people experiencing homelessness to set up encampments throughout most of the city. Sitting or lying down in some stretches of Austin and panhandling at night are also against the law after voters this month approved a proposition to reinstate criminal penalties for those activities. While those laws are officially […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Austin won’t make arrests during first phase of reinstating rules related to homelessness
After voters passed Proposition B on May 1, Austin is reinstating rules that ban homeless encampments on public land, prohibit sitting or lying down in parts of the city, and place a nighttime curfew on panhandling. While those rules go into effect Tuesday, the city said enforcement would be phased in. In an announcement Monday, the city […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Strong-mayor proposition fails spectacularly
In the May 1 election, voters strongly rejected Proposition F, which proposed a radical change to Austin city governance from the Council-manager form of government to a strong mayor with veto powers over actions taken by City Council. Eighty-six percent of those casting ballots on the issue voted no. The proposition brought by Austinites for […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Austin voters approve reinstating bans on camping, resting and panhandling
Lee esta historia en español. Austin has voted to reinstate criminal penalties for behavior related to homelessness. With its passage, Proposition B will restore the city’s previous ban on public encampments, prohibition of resting in certain areas and limitations on panhandling. The citizen-led measure passed handily by a 15-point margin. The measure fueled an unusually […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Prop E approval OKs ranked-choice voting, with legal questions ahead
Austin voters came out in favor of a new system for conducting local contested elections beginning in 2022, though how or if that change will be made appears unclear. Proposition E was approved 87,516 to 63,510 on Saturday, with nearly 60 percent of voters showing support for a switch to ranked-choice voting for City Council […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
With Prop C passage, Council can decide how to oversee police oversight office
Austin voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition C Saturday, paving the way for City Council to change who the director of police oversight reports to – an independent body or Council itself. According to the unofficial results, 62.9 percent (96,888 people) voted for the measure and 37.1 percent (57,271) voted against it. The Office of Police Oversight […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Groups report endorsing, rejecting propositions
The Travis County Democratic Party has endorsed Proposition A on the May 1 ballot, which would give Austin firefighters the authority to require the city to participate in binding arbitration. The party has also urged its members to reject Prop B, the public camping ban. Two of the larger Democratic clubs in Travis County also […]
Posted inMission Note
Our journey ahead
Everyone who has ever found themselves fighting the good fight for a nonprofit has a personal story about how they got there. I love hearing these stories, and while the details are always unique, they all follow the same humanizing arc: The storyteller cared about something so much that they had to get involved. My […]