On a Thursday afternoon in mid-December, District 3 City Council Member Pio Renteria is packing up his office. Council had its last meeting for the year the week before and now he’s clearing out the space for his successor. “I have so many certificates and all the stuff that I’ve accumulated over the years,” Renteria […]
Pio Renteria
The Austin City Council member for District 3
Posted inParks
Council hears push for offices, senior space at Nash Hernandez building
City Council could help decide the future of the Nash Hernandez building in East Austin in the coming months, as debate continues over whether to convert the long-idle building into office space or a senior center. At Thursday’s meeting, Lori Cervenak-Renteria, a community activist and wife of Council Member Pio Renteria, spoke about the conflicting […]
Posted inCity Council
Pio Renteria: Seven years in office and 71 years in District 3
City Council Member Pio Renteria recalls the time when he was able to purchase his East Austin home for just over $20,000. Now he’s received an offer to sell it for nearly a million. As a lifelong resident of East Austin, Renteria has experienced the whirlwind of change undergone by District 3 firsthand. Though it […]
Posted inCity Council
Pio Renteria: ‘We are going to come out of this really strong’
Austin City Council was forced to overcome many setbacks during 2020, but Council Member Pio Renteria said he was encouraged that he and his colleagues made strides on their efforts to help the city’s most vulnerable populations. After shifting gears to address a variety of pandemic concerns, Renteria said he took particular pride in adding […]
Posted inCity Hall
Renteria opposes contract award to contractor who used racial slur
City Council Member Pio Renteria says he will oppose the awarding of a city road maintenance contract to a firm whose president used a racial slur at a Travis County-sponsored meeting last month. According to a memorandum Capital Contracting Officer Rolando Fernandez Jr. wrote on Monday, Aaron Concrete submitted the lowest bid to replace two […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Ornithology edition
Bird brains… After the Uber and Lyft fiasco of 2016 and the city’s crackdown against rogue bike-sharing companies in 2017, we have no idea why rent-a-scooter firm Bird figured it’d be a swell idea to try to elbow its way into town last week without the blessings of the Austin Transportation Department. Nonetheless, the day […]
Posted inCity Council
Renteria concentrates on affordable housing
For District 3 City Council Member Pio Renteria, 2017 saw the culmination of projects large and small, many of which he has been working on for years. Most of those projects are related to helping low-income people who continue to maintain their homes in his district. Renteria saw the groundbreaking this year for one of […]
Posted inCity Council
Renteria’s issues: affordability, protecting tenants
For District 3 City Council Member Pio Renteria, Council’s big accomplishments, and his own, revolve around housing affordability in 2016. That includes passage of a tenant relocation ordinance with provisions to protect mobile home park residents and funding of affordable housing through a homestead preservation district. In 2015, when Council started working on an ordinance […]
Posted inCity Council
Adler, Renteria in Mexico on trade, climate mission
Mayor Steve Adler and City Council Member Pio Renteria are on a two-pronged mission to Mexico this week – strengthening Austin’s economic ties with Mexico and championing efforts to combat climate change. In a prepared statement, Adler said, “Economic growth and environmental stewardship enhance one another in Austin. We thrive because we prioritize both.” Renteria […]
Posted inHousing
Council Member Renteria seeks amenities for mobile home parks
Mobile homes are often referred to as Austin’s most affordable housing. But mobile home parks don’t always offer amenities, such as green space, for residents. One City Council member is hoping to change that. When Council Member Pio Renteria visited some of his constituents at a mobile home park in Montopolis, he was shocked by […]
Posted inHousing
Council looking at help for displaced tenants
City Council will consider an ordinance today affecting tenants who are forced to move out of properties slated for demolition or redevelopment. Under the proposed ordinance, an owner of a multifamily complex with five or more units would have to notify tenants at least 120 days before they were required to move, and the owner […]
Posted inThe Code
Ethics complaint against CM Renteria delayed
Did City Council Member Pio Renteria violate city code by participating in recent revisions to the Short Term Rental Ordinance? That question will be left for another day, after a Wednesday night ruling that the complaint filed by Thomas Clark against Renteria needs some work. At its most recent meeting, the Ethics Review Commission was […]