Your May 7, 2022, Election Guide

While we didn't get a whole lot of input this year, there are nevertheless some very important contests on this year's Texas Constitutional Amendment and Local Election ballot.

You might be wondering why we have a constitutional amendment on this year's ballot -- we normally have them each odd-numbered year after a legislative session. These two propositions were placed on the ballot to close a loophole and help catch up with inflation, so they could not wait. 

Savvy voters may also be wondering why not all school boards and cities appear. Some may be included on the November general election (e.g. gubernatorial, or midterm) ballot, while others are still on the May local election ballot. Pros and cons there.

Here they are. Voting ends 7 p.m. Saturday, May 7. And don't forget to turn back around and vote again in the May 24 Primary Runoff! More info on that coming soon.

'Purely for survival:' Musk to donate Gigafactory site for use as Travis GOP field office

Travis County Republicans may have worked out of a spacious suite on the west side of Austin during the last election cycle, but 2022 is shaping up to be the year of a bold East Austin strategy in a much bigger space.

We're talking way bigger.

This is thanks to billionaire Elon Musk's spurious offer for the county GOP to rent the interior of the new Tesla Gigafactory as 2022 elections field office -- yep, all 3.3 square miles of it, including Cybertruck truck beds after hours if meetings or county conventions go long. All for $1 a month through the election: the cost of about a third of a breakfast taco downtown.

The Gigafactory, to be temporarily rebranded as the Travis GOP Tera-Office, will be located off Toll 130 in what may as well be Bastrop if it wasn't for the taxes and regulatory hurdles. I mean, if you hit the toll road for 20 minutes you're practically in Belton. Head a little south and you're in for some serious barbecue. But it's still technically in Travis County and the Austin metro area.

How did Austin Republicans vote on issues compared to the rest of Texas?

You know those 10 questions at the end of the Republican ballot? Assuming you were one of the 6% of voters who turned out for the GOP primary here in Travis County, you would have seen 10 questions at the end of the ballot (by comparison, Democrats had a 7% turnout statewide).

While they aren't proposed laws or new planks for consideration in the party platform, they are non-binding opinion polls that show where Republican voters are on numerous issues central to party priorities.

The State Republican Executive Committee comes up with the referenda -- one of which (No. 7) was put forth by member Olga Lasher, who represents Senate District 14. She put together a handy chart to show the difference between statewide and Travis County totals. It may be that Travis County Republicans are slightly more liberal than their statewide peers. And it could be that the lower margins reflect a trend of crossover voting (e.g. liberal voters voting in the GOP primary for one reason or another). Either way, Travis County Republicans are still giving landslide approval to these critical issues, from abortion to elections reform.

'Which is it?' ask Candlewood critics: elderly facility, domestic violence shelter, or something else entirely ...

Mayor Adler: he's no Monty Hall

Perhaps the City of Austin is telling skeptical taxpayers "Let's Make a Deal" when it comes to contradictory announcements on how to use an embattled hotel property it purchased last year.

Somewhat like the famed television game show, the Austin City Council has suggested, at various times over the past year, three ways to use the former Candlewood Suites on Pecan Park Boulevard in Northwest Austin. And which one is the real plan (if any) is anyone's guess. Here they are:

• Behind Door No. 1: a general permanent supportive housing project similar to others being implemented across the city, as discussed before the purchase.
  
  
• Behind Door No. 2: a women's shelter for domestic violence victims, as announced when the property was purchased by the Austin City Council over the summer.
  
  
• And Behind Door No. 3: a shelter for the elderly, as a Feb. 3 vote to partner with non-profit Family Eldercare would suggest. 

Project Connect claims first victim: century-old campus diner Dirty Martin's

UPDATE: The restaurant is circulating a petition here.

It may have been only a matter of time in Austin's ever-changing economic climate. But the passage of a recent light rail expansion bond may have greatly accelerated the demise of one of the places that claims to be "Austin's oldest restaurant." 

Dirty Martin's Place, open since 1926 and originally known as Martin's KumBak (earning its nickname due to its earlier lack of flooring) is apparently in the way of the Orange Line of Project Connect. It has remained a hot spot for adjacent University of Texas students for the entire time, and maintains an outdoor garden area popular in the evenings.

Manager Daniel Young, via a forum dedicated to Austin's many past-and-present greasy spoons, confirmed rumors the establishment had received notice of potential eminent domain proceedings from the city:

Beto holds candlelight vigil, croons 'Lean On Me' over 1 winter storm death per Texas county

"We all have pain ..."

During the Austin leg of Beto O'Rourke's Keeping the Lights On tour, the Texas gubernatorial hopeful whipped out the latest run in the Democratic playbook:

A candlelight vigil over a small amount of deaths.

A la U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's infamous candle-lit "prayer service" marking the one-year anniversary of the 2021 Capitol break-in, O'Rourke held a memorial for the 246 estimated deaths in last year's icy blast across the Lone Star State's 254 counties.

Both conservatives and liberals question choice of state monitor for 'out of control' Round Rock ISD

The Texas Education Agency announced the appointment of former longtime Carroll Independent School District Superintendent David Faltys to monitor the "out of control" Round Rock ISD in Central Texas.

After three years of complaints, Faltys was tapped to observe the embattled district for one year, according to the TEA letter. Faltys resigned as Carroll ISD superintendent in January after 15 years with the district.

This has raised eyebrows on the left side of aisle, as Southlake Carroll High School has been in the crosshairs of liberal-progressive interest groups after voters threw out critical race theory proponents. Left-leaning podcasts and documentaries have recently begun to paint the North Texas school and the district the poster-child for racism in predominately caucasian suburbs. NBC News dedicated a series of stories titled "Southlake," portraying the uprising of parents and taxpayers in a negative light.

But the selection of Faltys has been questioned by a wider coaliton of parents, pro-taxpayer activists, and public ed watchdogs. According to a joint press release issued by the Round Rock Parent Coalition, True Texas Project of Williamson County, Wilco We Thee People, Moms for Liberty of Williamson County, and the Travis County Taxpayers Union, Faltys has conflicts of interest that should disqualify him from placement. 

In the Spring of 2021, Faltys's consulting company was instrumental in the locating and hiring of Dr. Hafedh Azaiez as Round Rock ISD Superintendent. RRISD paid the company $32,000 for their services, with the caveat that the company would perform another search free of charge if Azaiez is terminated or quits within the first two years.

“David Faltys appears to have a clear conflict of interest in this matter, having a financial incentive to ensure Azaiez retains his employment with RRISD for at least two years.” said True Texas Project spokesman Jeremy Story. “It is very concerning that TEA would assign a monitor to oversee and advise a district who apparently has a personal financial incentive to maintain the status quo in that district.”

Dustin Clark of the Round Rock Parent Coalition called on the TEA to "immediately remove David Faltys and assign a monitor who can perform their duties impartially, with no conflicts of interest."

Clark and Story were arrested and later jailed by Round Rock ISD police at a September tax rate meeting for the district. Clark and Story defied RRISD police officers to take their seats in the same room as board trustees, although in-person access was limited under the guise of COVID-19 prevention.

If any of this is sounding familiar, it should. The accusations of corruption, open meetings law violations, and legal problems plaguing RRISD have garnered national media coverage over the past several months. From allegations of sexual impropriety by the new superintendent to attempts at censoring two conservative trustees, not to mention the arrests, Round Rock ISD may very well qualify for a documentary of its own. Below is a brief update.

Conservative Trustees take national stage, appeal for support

Trustees Danielle Weston and Mary Bone have made several high-profile appeals on national cable news shows and podcasts for peace on the elected school district board. The duo are raising funds for legal defense. 

Weston told The Travis Tracker they have attained pro bono legal representation going forward.

Censure efforts continue

Weston told The Tracker that although there is legal intervention currently taking place, her peers on the RRISD board voted 5-2 to "begin the censure process on me [and Bone] regarding three emails I sent to the Attorney General of Texas , the [Williamson County] Judge, a State Board of Education member, and some members of the public in August" regarding mask mandates in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott's orders. 

There was no evidence presented of any statutory violation, Weston added: "The real objective is to use me as an example to deter others from sharing their values or stepping forward and joining me on the board."

Zimmerman calls on Trustee Harrison to resign

Former Austin City Council member Don Zimmerman called on RRISD Trustee Tiffanie Harrison to immediately resign due to her connection to groups that appear to condone violent radicalism.

His organization, the Travis County Taxpayers Union, had previously labeled the board members pursuing censuring Weston and Bone "the Bad Faith Five" for hampering public participation in the setting of new district tax rates. 

We will continue to "monitor" the situation in Round Rock.

'It alarms me:' Austin residents given 6-minute notice on 1-year COVID extension

Extending the city of Austin's COVID-19 emergency orders for another year was placed on the agenda Friday, giving Austin residents until noon Monday to sign up to speak for a Tuesday morning meeting.

Then that already tight timetable was greatly reduced.

At 8:54 a.m. this morning, the orders were apparently amended, giving Austin residents six minutes to analyze the document prior to the first meeting of the day -- that's "zero time to respond or sign up to speak" according to the sole Republican member of the Council.

Austin community activist, businesswoman Rupal Chaudhari files for Travis County Judge

Image from press release.

Rupal Chaudhari, who for the better part of this year received a crash course in Austin/Travis County's lack of communication and responsiveness, announced her candidacy for the county's top spot at the Travis County GOP Executive Committee meeting Tuesday night.

"Travis County can do much better. And if we want to keep the Austin area from descending into the madness we see in Portland and Seattle, then we must do better," said the Republican candidate for Travis County Judge.

Wait, a Republican? Running countywide in our little blueberry in the tomato soup? Chaudhari admits it will be a tough battle taking on incumbent Andy Brown or whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being.

Move over, Napoleon Dynamite! Austin's anti-racists to dance their way to defeat Prop A

"Heads up, Austin, we gotta talk ..."

Move over, Napoleon Dynamite!

Vote today: Your 2021 Texas Constitutional Amendment Recommendations are here

Early voting begins 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 18, in the 2021 Texas Constitutional Amendment and Local Election. While there is plenty to be concerned with (notably Austin's Prop. A to restore police funding and reform law enforcement), the eight propositions to amend the Texas Constitution should not be overlooked. Most are issues of consistency with existing state law, while a few should raise eyebrows. 

Below are the Tracker's recommendations. As always, let us know in the comments if you have any additional info or different opinions. 

Your November 2021 Travis County voting guide

While Proposition A in Austin (to undo the damage done by an ill-advised and disastrous Defund the Police movement) is in the spotlight, there are many more items appearing on your ballot this October and November -- maybe even a few other Proposition As. 

Don't be caught off-guard! The Tracker has the entire list of Travis County ballot items below and which voting precincts they will appear in. We will roll out voting recommendations gradually, so check back in frequently. And if you have any recommendations of your own feel free to leave a comment below.

APD foils serial burglaries in NW Austin (Fund the police already!)

Security footage screenshot of burglary suspects (Courtesy photo)

Ed. note: For whatever reason this story was completely missed by Austin-area media. (Oh wait: that's us, too!) See below for our write-up, as told by the folks with Stop Candlewood, and be sure to support Austin Proposition A this November to restore full funding to the Austin Police Department.

AUSTIN — Even after a long Labor Day weekend and with limited resources due to budget cuts, Austin Police Department officers successfully stopped an outbreak of burglaries in Northwest Austin.

Over the past two weeks, several hotels between The Domain and the Williamson County portion of the city had reported incidents of burglaries, break-ins, and substance abuse in parking lots. Evidence would suggest the incidents were linked.

Hotel owner Sanjay Chaudhari reviewed security camera footage after a safe containing $1,000 was stolen on morning of Saturday, Aug. 28 . A couple who seem to have been the thief and the "lookout" were presumed to be part of an isolated incident — Mr. Chaudhari resolved to be more careful about locking doors and securing items, even in broad daylight.

School district mask mandates face tough road ahead

Parents and taxpayers are taking to the streets in protest as blowback against local school district mask mandates continue to spread throughout the Central Texas region.

As school districts gradually opened their doors for the 2021-22 semester, mask mandates were immediately ordered by the usual suspects, such as the Austin and Round Rock ISDs. Other Austin-area ISDs such as Leander, Pflugerville, and Lago Vista were reticient at first, with generally more conservative boards of trustees.

On Monday, Pflugerville joined the ranks of dissident local governments, followed by Leander ISD on Tuesday.

Census: Austin population did not grow as quickly as estimated

 

The long-awaited Census data report came in today, and now Texas legislators can get to work on drawing jurisdictional maps for the decade ahead (assuming the runaway Democrats show up for work).

One surprise was quickly noticed when it comes to the boomtown of Austin: the population did not grow as much as expected. The Census estimate -- based on the 2019 American Community Survey -- overshot by roughly 17,000 people. 

The earlier estimate was 978,908 within the Austin city limits, as opposed to the formal 2020 count of 961,855. 

By contrast, the 2010 census count for Austin was 790,390.

We've seen a few signs of this coming: from flight to the suburbs and exurbs to Austin ISD closing schools to make up for decreased enrollment. But this doesn't mean Austin is shrinking. Quite the contrary: Austin grew by almost 22% over the past 10 years, and the five-county region jumped by a third to 2.2. million souls.

HOWEVER ... if the estimate was accurate, could Austin's draconian COVID-19 business closure orders, a gutting of the city's public safety budget, a sharp rise in crime, and the homeless camping situation over the past couple of years have contributed to the diminished final count since the 2019 snapshot? It couldn't have helped.

Gift Cards Used By City To Pay People To Attend Police 'Reimaging,' 'Anti-Racism' Functions

Check the small print: certain conditions may apply.

Ever wonder how the Left is seemingly and constantly able to draw out so many more "community participants" than conservatives for rallies, protests, government hearings, and various indoctrination efforts?

An open records request shared on Twitter sheds some light on how that may happen in many cases. In this case, a proposal of using untraceable gift cards to use taxpayer funds to pay participants to attend "anti-racism," Critical Race Theory-driven trainings is clearly laid out in a series of obtained emails.

According to the records, doling out gift cards as compensation for attendance and feedback may have happened at least once before -- during "Reimagining Public Safety" community gatherings.

According to the open records relayed by Twitter account @JohnnyK2001 (see screenshots below), the city of Austin's Farah Muscadin, director of the city's Police Oversight office, requested $55,000 in gift cards from the city's purchasing office (check that: she called it a "need").

VIDEO: ANTIFA harasses Austin City Manager at home for not being leftist enough

Smile! You're on comrade camera!

Mum's the word after the radical Left appears to have paid the city manager of Austin an unfriendly home visit, recently.

It appears one of Austin's ANTIFA chapters is not satisfied with Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk, even though he presided over the Austin City Council's cutting of the local police department budget by one-third, a lifting of homeless camping and panhandling policies, and numerous efforts at Leftist social engineering in the city. They came to what may very well be Cronk's doorstep, gave several public policy "demands," harrangued the city's chief executive for his salary, and acted like, well, fascists.

According to Texas Scorecard's Adam Cahn and avid Twitter poster "Teddy Broosevelt:"

Police Assn: 'Investigate immediately' allegations of DA's evidence tampering, denial of Due Process

Travis County D.A. Jose Garza on the far-left of a stage at a campaign event (source: Facebook)

Criticism continues to mount regarding how Travis County District Attorney José Garza is running his office and prosecuting cases.

Garza, a hard-left Democrat elected during the 2020 presidential cycle during which liberal-progressive voters were out in full force, is facing allegations of denying defendants their constitutional due process according to Austin's police union.  

In a press statement from Austin Police Association (APA), "Brady notices" were filed by an assistant district attorney in two cases -- "one involving a child victim of an aggravated sexual assault and the other a homicide," according to APA President Ken Cassaday.

First, a little background on what a "Brady notice" means. Not to be confused with the anti-gun Brady Act, the required disclosure is named for the U.S. Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland (1963). In Brady, the majority ruled that suppression, by the prosecution of evidence which may be favorable to a defendant who as requested to see it, is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's protection of due process.

SAFE Austin Now Reboots With Goal Of 50K Petition Signatures

Save Austin Now and its related PAC were wildly successful in attracting a bipartisan majority of Austin voters to reverse the city's disastrous homeless camping policy.

Now as they attempt to wrestle the City of Austin into enforcing the restored camping ban, another project begins as the group shifts gears. Police reform is now the focus as Save Austin Now begins its Safe Austin Now initiative, starting with a goal of reaching 50,000 petition signatures by mid-summer. See press conference video for specifics.

The petition aims to place on the November 2021 ballot a sweeping package of proposals that, according to a press release distributed at the event:

ANALYSIS: 2021 Local Elections Yields Mixed results for Travis County conservatives

The passage of Austin's Proposition B -- the homeless camping policy reversal -- took the spotlight of the May 2021 local elections in Travis County and was a victorious moment for conservative activists and a much wider coalition firmly behind it. 

Democrats, Republicans, and independents came together (an estimated 55% of those who voted were Democrats), but it was a conservative solution that reached across the aisle to turn back a dangerous policy, though ultimately the Travis County GOP was supportive (with Chairman Matt Mackowiak as a co-founder of a supportive PAC) and the established leadership of the Travis County Democratic Party were in firm opposition.

The increased bipartisan turnout may have sunk some conservative aspirants across the county, however -- though it's difficult to determine exactly what factors led to some surprising defeats of conservative-friendly and Republican candidates and positions around the Austin metro area.

We take a look at how conservative candidates and positions performed on election night over the weekend, starting with one that was just determined today in the Pflugerville ISD. Candidates and positions endorsed by The Travis Tracker are followed with an asterisk.

✅ = Overall conservative victory
❌ = Overall conservative defeat
⛖ = Mixed results

✅ PFLUGERVILLE ISD

Separated by a mere two votes on election night, the PfISD Place 1 race was the squeaker race election night, with mail-in and provisional ballots yet to be counted. Travis and Williamson County ballot boards met today. At the time of writing, and according to observers, David Aguirre* gained additional votes in the final unofficial count, putting him 3 votes ahead of Marc Garcia and is therefore the projected winner. (The count is not official until canvassing, however.)

In Place 2, incumbent Tony Hanson* was unopposed.