Poll: Majority supports full funding for Austin PD; indicates unrest with City Council

A poll commissioned by the Greater Austin Crime Commission helps confirm that there is growing dissatisfaction with the direction the Austin City Council and the Travis County Commissioners Court has taken the city.

Some takeaways from the poll:

• 53% responded they oppose slashing funding for the Austin Police Department
• 40% responded they support reducing funding for APD
• 47% responded city is on "wrong track"
• 34% responded city is going in "right direction"
• 84% responded they are dissatisfied with the city's homelessness policy
• 74% responded they are dissatisfied with how traffic is being addressed
• 92% responded they feel safe at home and in their neighborhoods
• 56% responded they feel safe downtown
• 80+% responded they are satisfied with Austin Fire and county EMS

3 reasons why Democrats outvoted Republicans 6:1 in mid-year election (and why that's no prediction of November)

Democrats are crowing about high turnout across Texas for Tuesday's (July 14, 2020) primary runoff and special election, hoping the performance will translate into victory in November 2020. 

The turnout for Democrats was around 6 percent statewide. That's actually high for Democrats. They haven't seen those kinds of crowds in a runoff since 1994, back when they were the majority party in Texas. 

Slightly under a million Texans voted in this round. In Travis County, there was roughly a 6:1 ratio between Democratic voters (123,596 ballots cast) and Republican voters (19,199). That's a big difference, especially considering countywide Republican candidates can often crack 40% with a well-funded and volunteer-filled campaign (that's about how statewide Democrats perform, by the way). 

Austin school closure order threatens private, religious schools

Eye-opening press release from the Travis County Republican Party this morning.

Contact Austin ISD Board
Contact Austin City Council

Outrageous New City of Austin Order Delaying School Reopening is Unconstitutional, Unjustified Power Grab

Order Threatens Religious and Private School, Predicts Death Rate of 1000x Current Rate

AUSTIN – Not only is the new order prohibiting in-person classes in schools within Austin rife with potential legal hurdles and probable constitutional rights violations, it also goes against the rights of parents and elected school boards, the chairman of the Travis County Republican Party said this morning.

According to a mandate issued by Dr. Mark Escott, interim health authority for the City of Austin, all schools within the city limits that offer any classroom instruction from pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade are prohibited from gathering in person until Sept. 8.

This order includes religious and private schools, not just public schools. Extracurricular activities including summer football practice, band rehearsals, and any number of other activities are also presumed to be prohibited.