* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [District 4 City Council Candidate Panels ] [00:00:04] WELCOME TO THE DISTRICT FOUR CANDIDATE FORUM, PUT ON AS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE AUSTIN AREA AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN ETHICS REVIEW COMMISSION. MY NAME IS CAROL ECKEL CAMP. I AM WITH THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS HERE IN THE AUSTIN AREA. OUR PURPOSE IS TO ASK QUESTIONS THAT ALLOW THE VOTER TO UNDERSTAND YOUR OPINIONS ON ISSUES THAT MATTER TO THEM. AS A LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, WE ARE A NON-PARTISAN POLITICAL ORGANIZATION FOUNDED OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. WE ARE MEN AND WOMEN, YOUNG AND NOT SO YOUNG, PROMOTING INFORMED AND ACTIVE CIVIC PARTICIPATION DESPITE THE DIVISIVENESS IN OUR COUNTRY. THESE DISTRICT FOUR CANDIDATES ARE EXAMPLES OF THE GOOD THINGS OF OUR DEMOCRACY. IF ELECTED, THEY WILL REPRESENT THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN AND WILL AFFECT CHANGE AT A LOCAL LEVEL. OUR QUESTIONS ARE CREATED WITH INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. CANDIDATES ARE NOT GIVEN THE QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE. THESE FORUMS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, A TXN NETWORK, ALONGSIDE ALL THE RECORDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND COMMISSION MEETINGS CANDIDATES. YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR YOUR OPENING STATEMENT AND THEN FOR YOUR CLOSING STATEMENTS ALSO. AND WE'LL HAVE ONE MINUTE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. WE DO HAVE TIMEKEEPERS UP HERE. IF YOU'LL JUST, UH, WATCH THE, UH, YELLOW WARNING CARD AT THE 32ND MARK, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A RED STOP. AND WE DO HAVE ONE REQUEST IS YOU DON'T HAVE A HARD STOP AT THE STOP. JUST WRAP UP YOUR THOUGHT IN WORDS, NOT PARAGRAPHS. AND, UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET TO LOTS OF QUESTIONS THAT YOUR CONSTITUENTS WANNA KNOW. WE DO ASK THAT, UH, ALL OF YOU IN THE AUDIENCE TO PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ANY LIVE AUDIENCE, VERBAL TYPE REACTIONS TO WHAT YOUR, THE CANDIDATES MAY SAY. AND WE JUST ASK THE CANDIDATES TO PLEASE NOT HAVE PERSONAL ATTACKS ON EACH OTHER AT THE TABLES. WE WILL BEGIN IN BALLOT ORDER, AND WE'RE GONNA ROTATE SO THAT EACH OF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER FIRST. SO WE'LL BE BEGIN OUR TWO MINUTE OPENING STATEMENTS WITH CANDIDATE HERON. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS LUCY HERON II. I HAVE BEEN LIVING IN AUSTIN NOW FOR, UH, 43 YEARS. I'VE BEEN LIVING IN THE DISTRICT, UH, FOR 33 YEARS. MY BACKGROUND IS I'M FROM GALVESTON, TEXAS. THAT'S WHERE I WAS BORN. I HAVE TWO SONS. UH, I AM A, UH, REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS. I HAVE A CIVIL ENGINEERING DEGREE. UH, MOST OF MY WORK, THOUGH IT'S BEEN IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING FOR THE LAST 40 SOMETHING YEARS. UM, THE REASON I'M RUNNING IS BECAUSE THE CITY NEEDS TO GET BACK TO BASICS. WE NEED TO GET TO HEALTH AND SAFETY. WE NEED TO GET, UM, WE JUST NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY THE CITY'S GOING. WE'RE SPENDING WAY TOO MUCH MONEY. WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW OUR MONEY'S BEING SPENT, AND WE NEED TO HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT'S GOING ON. IF I'M ELECTED, I'M GONNA BE PUSHING FOR AN AUDIT. I'M GONNA BE PUSHING FOR MORE, UH, COMMUNITY POLICING, AND I'M GOING TO BE TRYING TO COME UP WITH A BETTER IDEA FOR THE HOMELESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CANDIDATE GUZMAN. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. I AM MONICA GUZMAN. I AM NATIVE TO AUSTIN, BORN AND RAISED. BEEN HERE MORE THAN 50 YEARS, MOST OF, MOST OF MY LIFE IN THIS CITY. UM, I GRADUATED FROM LANIER HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH IS NOW KNOWN AS NAVARRO IN DISTRICT FOUR. I'VE LIVED IN THE DISTRICT BACK IN THE NINETIES WHEN IT WAS JUST ME AND MY SON. I, I HAVE MANY TIES OVER THE PAST THREE, FOUR DECADES, GOES BACK TO THE NORTHERN PART OF THE DISTRICT. UM, I WAS A PARENT AT A YOUNG AGE, 21, BOUNCING BETWEEN FAMILY HOUSES UNTIL I COULD AFFORD TO HAVE A PLACE OF OUR OWN. AND EVEN THEN, IT WAS LOOKING FOR THOSE MOVING SPECIALS, BOUNCING FROM ONE APARTMENT TO THE NEXT YEAR IN YEAR OUT. AND SO I HAD TO FIND SOME SORT OF STABILITY, WHICH I EVENTUALLY DID, BUT IT, IT TOOK MANY YEARS TO GET THAT TO HAPPEN. AND SO THAT IS WHAT DRIVES MY, MY PASSION, MY ADVOCACY, AND MY POLICY POSITIONS, ESPECIALLY ON HOUSING IS MY LIVED EXPERIENCE. THAT WAS OVER 30 YEARS AGO. BUT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL EXPERIENCING THAT RIGHT NOW IN THE 21ST CENTURY. SO NEIGHBORHOOD STABILITY IS A BIG ONE. UH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S HOUSING FOR EVERYBODY, NOT JUST THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD THE RENT. EVEN THOUGH IT'S COME DOWN, APPROXIMATELY 10% IS STILL AT THE HIGH END. LUXURY APARTMENTS. PEOPLE AT THE LOWER END WORKING CLASS, LOW INCOME ARE STILL STRUGGLING, CAN'T ALWAYS PAY THEIR RENT, SOMETIMES HAVE TO CARRY MORE THAN ONE JOB. WE NEED PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR THE HOMELESS, SOMETHING REAL WITH WRAPAROUND SERVICES. WE ALSO NEED COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS [00:05:01] IN OUR PARKS, OUR HEALTH, OUR LIBRARIES, AND WE ALSO HAVE TO DEAL WITH CLIMATE CHANGE. WE SHOULD BE PLANNING WITH THE CLIMATE IN MIND, A CLIMATE LENS AS WELL AS AN EQUITY LENS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CANDIDATE BELLA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU TO THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FOR HOSTING THE FORUM. AND, UH, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE, UH, WITH, UH, MS. GUSMAN AND, UH, MR. HERON. AND IT'S BEEN A, A DISTINCT PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOR TO SERVE AS YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR THE LAST ALMOST, UH, THREE YEARS NOW. UH, I AM, UH, AN ATTORNEY. I, UH, HAVE WORKED, UH, IN THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE FOR TWO YEARS IN THE OPEN RECORDS DIVISION. AND THEN I WORKED FOR, UH, FOUR YEARS AS A GENERAL COUNSEL TO A, UH, A TEXAS HOUSE MEMBER. UH, AND AFTER THAT, I WAS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE AS AN IMMIGRATION AND, UH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR ABOUT, UH, 12 YEARS. UH, LARGELY SERVING THE, UH, IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY OF AUSTIN AND CENTRAL TEXAS. UM, IN THIS CAPACITY, I, I REALLY GOT TO KNOW THE COMMUNITY EXTREMELY WELL IN, IN, IN MULTIPLE WAYS, NOT JUST AS AN ATTORNEY, BUT ALSO AS, UH, THE PTA PRESIDENT FOR, UH, BLANTON ELEMENTARY, WHICH IS A SCHOOL, UH, IN WINDSOR PARK WHERE MY KIDS, UH, HAVE GONE TO SCHOOL. AND AS THE, UH, BOARD DIRECTOR OF, UH, THE WORKERS' DEFENSE PROJECT, UH, WHERE AGAIN, WE'RE WORKING ON BEHALF OF MOSTLY, UH, UH, IMMIGRANT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS. UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO A, A, A SECOND TERM. I, UH, PRIORITIES WOULD BE PROJECT CONNECT AND MAKING SURE THAT AUSTIN HAS THE TRANSIT SYSTEM THAT IT NEEDS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL CITY TO TRY AND ADDRESS, UH, OUR, UH, TRAFFIC, UH, ISSUES. UH, CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON, UH, GETTING SIDEWALKS AND BIKE LANES AND HELPING PEOPLE MOVE AROUND THE CITY IN WAYS THAT ARE NOT JUST, UH, SOMEONE ALWAYS GETTING INTO THEIR CAR AND DRIVING AROUND. UH, ANOTHER IMPORTANT PRIORITY WOULD BE, UH, SHUTTING DOWN THE, UH, FAYETTE POWER PLANT, WHICH IS, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY'S, UH, COAL-FIRED PLANT THAT WE HAVE JUST, UH, OUTSIDE OF BASTROP. THERE'S BEEN LONG-TERM EFFORTS TO DO THAT, AND, UH, WE NEED TO GO AHEAD AND, AND PUSH FORWARD AND GET IT DONE. ALRIGHT, CANDIDATE GUZMAN, WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT LIVING IN DISTRICT FOUR? AND WHAT PROJECTS HAVE YOU WORKED ON TO IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNITY SINCE LIVING THERE? EXCUSE ME. I LOVE THE DIVERSITY. UH, THE FACT THAT THERE ARE OVER 50 LANGUAGES IN DIALECTS SPOKEN IN THE RUNDBERG AREA ALONE. UH, I ONLY HOPE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK ONE OTHER THAN I ALREADY DO, AND THAT'S MORE A PIE IN THE SKY. BUT I, I LOVE THE DIVERSITY. IT'S JUST MAKES IT SUCH A COLORFUL TAPESTRY. THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE, I DID SIX YEARS OF COMMUNITY WORK TO RESTORE BERG AND, UH, WORKED WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TO BRING IN MORE PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY TO DIVERSIFY PARTICIPATION AND IN HOPES OF GETTING IN THAT TRANSITION FOR COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY. UM, WE ALSO HELPED GET A POSITION CREATED THROUGH THE AUSTIN HEALTH DEPARTMENT, A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST DEDICATED TO THAT AREA. SPECIFICALLY, I'VE DONE OTHER WORK WITH DISTRICT FOUR RESIDENTS AS A POLICY, UH, DIRECTOR FOR A NONPROFIT. CAN EVE, SAME QUESTION. WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT LIVING IN DISTRICT FOUR AND WHAT PROJECTS HAVE YOU WORKED ON TO IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNITY SINCE MOVING THERE? THE PEOPLE OF DISTRICT FOUR ARE WHAT I LIKE BEST. IT'S A VERY, UH, PRACTICAL DISTRICT. IT'S A, A WORKING CLASS DISTRICT. UH, FOLKS ARE, UM, FRIENDLY, UH, APPROACHABLE. UH, THE DIVERSITY IS PHENOMENAL, WHICH ALSO BRINGS, UH, EXCELLENT FOOD THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, WHICH IS ANOTHER GREAT PLEASURE OF, UH, OF, OF LIVING HERE. UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT I HAVE WORKED ON OVER THE DISTRICT FOUR HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN, UH, NEGLECTED BY THE CITY. UH, IN THE SHIFT TO SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS. A FOCUS REALLY RETURNED TO NOT JUST KIND OF YOUR CORE CENTRAL CITY NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE, HAVE TRADITIONALLY NOT RECEIVED THE SAME AMOUNT OF CITY SERVICES? SO THE SIDEWALKS, UH, PARK IMPROVEMENTS. WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF NEW PARKS, A HIGHLAND, A NEIGHBORHOOD PARK JUST OPENED. BROWNIE PARK IS ABOUT TO OPEN POMELLO PARK, UH, JUST OPENED IN WINDSOR PARK. SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS THAT, UH, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON. AS YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER CANADA HERRON, WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT LIVING IN DISTRICT FOUR AND WHAT PROJECTS HAVE YOU WORKED ON TO IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNITY SINCE MOVING THERE? WHAT I LIKE, I'VE BEEN LIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR, LIKE I SAID, OVER 33 YEARS NOW. UH, [00:10:01] I LIKE MY NEIGHBORS. I, I LIKE THE, THE AREA THAT I LIVE IN. STUFF THAT I HAVE BEEN DOING OFF AND ON IS WE HAVE A LITTLE PARK IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WHICH THE CITY COMES OUT IN MOST TWICE A YEAR. BUT, UH, THERE, WE HAVE NEIGHBORS, I CAN'T SAY I'VE DONE THIS MANY TIMES, BUT WE HAVE NEIGHBORS THAT GO OUT THERE AND PICK UP, UH, LET'S SAY THINGS THAT YOU REALLY WOULDN'T WANT YOUR KIDS TO GO TO THE PARK FOR NEEDLES AND STUFF OF THAT NATURE. UH, AND I'VE BEEN, UH, AN ASSISTANT SCOUTMASTER AND I'VE BEEN, UH, WORKING FOR MANY DIFFERENT THINGS. IT'S NOT SO MUCH DISTRICT FOUR. I'VE BEEN WORKING ON DIFFERENT THINGS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UH, FROM BEING ON THE, UH, ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR, UH, JOHNSTON HIGH SCHOOL, WORKING AT LBJ, WHICH WERE NOT IN MY DISTRICT, BUT THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, IN HERE. SO I'VE DONE DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT A LOT OF THE STUFF I'VE DONE MORE IS ON STATE LEVEL THAN ON CITY LEVEL. THANK YOU. WE'LL BEGIN WITH CANDIDATE BELLA ON THIS ONE. THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS EXPERIENCED A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, SEVERAL LARGE SCALE DAMAGING WEATHER EVENTS, AND A VERY PUBLIC CONVERSATION OVER POLICING IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHAT LEADERSHIP SKILLS DO YOU HAVE THAT QUALIFY YOU TO LEAD US THROUGH A SIMILAR TYPE OF EVENT? I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN VERY, UH, DIFFICULT, UH, AND STRESSFUL SITUATIONS SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU DESCRIBED, UH, AUSTIN'S EXPERIENCE OVER, YOU KNOW, THE LAST, UH, FIVE OR SIX YEARS. I WAS A, A TRIAL LAWYER, UH, WITH, UH, HANDLED MULTIPLE ASYLUM CASES WHERE MY LIVES WERE ON THE LINE. UH, IF THEY WERE TO LOSE THEIR ASYLUM CASE, THEY WOULD, COULD POTENTIALLY BE, YOU KNOW, IMPRISONED, KILLED. UH, SO I'M USED TO WORKING UNDER, UH, VERY DIFFICULT SITUATIONS UNDER PRESSURE. UH, I'VE ALSO, UH, HAVE THE EXPERIENCE NOW OF BEING ON THE CITY COUNCIL. AND PRIOR TO THAT I WAS ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION. I WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER, GREG CASAR, UH, PLANNING COMMISSIONER. SO IT, IT TAKES A WHILE TO LEARN THE SKILLS, UH, TO BE ON CITY COUNCIL. IT'S A BIG CITY WITH LOTS OF DEPARTMENTS, AND YOU'VE GOT TO REALLY BE ABLE TO WEAVE YOUR WAY THROUGH THE BUREAUCRACY. UH, I'VE LEARNED HOW TO DO THAT AND I'VE BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE REALLY, I THINK EVERY MONTH AS I'VE BEEN A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. AND I'M READY TO PUT THAT TO WORK IN IN MY SECOND TERM. THANK YOU CANDIDATE HERON. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I WORK FOR THE STATE AND ONE OF MY JOBS IS AS HOMELAND SECURITY. AND, AND IT'S NOT SO MUCH LIKE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HOMELAND SECURITY, IT'S MORE NATURAL DISASTERS THAT I END UP WORKING WITH. SO I'VE WORKED WITH, IEI WORKED WITH, UH, HARVEY, AND I'VE WORKED WITH BASICALLY STORMS GOING BACK, BUT I'VE BEEN DOING HOMELAND SECURITY, UH, STUFF FROM STATES SINCE NINE 11. UH, SO, UH, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT, WORKING WITH GETTING PEOPLE BACK INTO SERVICE. AND IT'S NOT JUST HURRICANES SINCE ICE STORMS, IT'S FLOODS, STUFF LIKE THIS. SO I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THAT, GETTING, UH, TAKING CARE OF ISSUES FROM FINDING PEOPLE'S SUPPLIES, FINDING STUFF FOR THIS AND MAKING SURE THEY GET THE RIGHT KIND OF CONTACTS. UH, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT IT, MY FAMILY, UH, I HAVE A, MY, ONE OF MY, MY YOUNGEST SON IS A FIREFIGHTER FOR THE FORESTRY SERVICE. HE GOES OUT AND FACES FOREST FIRES. AND MY OTHER SON IS A VOLUNTEER FIREMAN. SO MY FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, IT GOT ME FOR A SECOND, UH, BEEN DOING NATURAL DISASTERS AND STUFF OF THAT. THANK YOU. CANADA GUZMAN, UH, FOR ME, IT'S A COMBINATION OF JUST MY PERSONAL OR COMMUNITY WORK AS WELL AS MY JOB FOR, UH, THE PANDEMIC. WHEN IT WAS OBVIOUS IT WAS GONNA HIT AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, MY WORKPLACE, IT WAS DECLARED, UH, I REMEMBER THE, THE DIRECTOR WAS LOOKING TO WATCH, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY WE'RE REMOTE GOING FORWARD, BUT WE ALSO KNEW WE HAD MANY RESIDENTS THAT WE WERE ENGAGED WITH THAT WHILE WE'RE NOT, UH, SERVICE PROVIDERS, IT'S A TRUST RELATIONSHIP. SO THEY TURNED TO US. SO WE CREATED A LIST OF RESOURCES THAT WE KEPT POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE, LINKS IN OUR AUTO SIGNATURES IN OUR EMAIL, UH, WHEN THE WINTER STORM URI HIT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A COMMUNITY THAT STEPPED OUT. WE HELPED COORDINATE AS WELL BETWEEN THE RESIDENTS WHO WERE LOOKING FOR HELP. WE COORDINATE WITH THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY OFFICE, NO EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER, EXCUSE ME. AND THEN WITH THE POLICE, I SERVED ON THE RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE. AND THERE'S MANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME THROUGH THERE THAT STILL NEED TO BE COMPLETED. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE HERE. THANK YOU. ON THE CONTINUUM FROM OVERPOLICED TO IGNORED, WHERE DO YOU PUT DISTRICT FOUR? IF YOU BELIEVE CHANGES ARE NEEDED? WHAT ARE THEY? [00:15:01] I THINK WE'RE UNDER POLICE. UH, DISTRICT FOUR HAS NOT HAD ONE OF THE BEST RECORDS, UH, IN THE CITY. AND, UH, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET A POLICE STATION, BUT NOW IT'S BEING BUILT INTO SOMETHING ELSE. UH, BUT I THINK WE'RE WAY UNDER, UH, STAFFED. I HAVE BEEN, FOR THE LAST, UH, 10 YEARS, I'VE BEEN PUSHING FOR COMMUNITY POLICING WHERE WE HAVE MORE CO UH, OFFICERS AND THEY'RE GETTING INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, NOT JUST DRIVING AROUND IN THE CAR. AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST, UH, PROBLEMS THAT THE CITY HAS. UH, WE WERE LA I MEAN, DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF COPS THEY'RE SAYING, UH, BUT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, OUR CRIME'S GOING DOWN. BUT I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO SAID, UH, SOMEBODY STOLE THIS FROM THEIR GARAGE OR STOLE THIS, AND THEY'RE NOT REPORTING NOW. SO I DON'T THINK OUR CRIME STATISTICS ARE THE WAY THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE. CANDIDATE GUZMAN, UH, OVERPOLICED, ESPECIALLY IN THE BERG AREA. UH, NOW GRANTED, I WORK FROM HOME, SO I'M NOT UPSET ALL THE TIME, BUT WHEN I AM NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT I DON'T SEE AT LEAST ONE OR TWO OFFICERS DRIVING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. MY CONCEPT AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO I KNOW WHO HAVE LIKE-MINDED COMMUNITY POLICING MEANS SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IT DOES TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. IT'S ABOUT THE COMMUNITY POLICING ITSELF AND WORKING WITH OFFICERS AS NEEDED. UH, YES, THEY HAVE A VACANCY, THEY ALSO HAVE MONEY. THEIR ISSUE IS NOT A FUNDING ISSUE, IT'S AN HR ISSUE. THEY NEED TO MAINTAIN THEIR BUDGET, FLAT ADDRESS THEIR INTERNAL ISSUES, AND USE THE MONEY TO INVEST IN SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BETTER TRAINED TO WORK WITH THE ENCAMPMENTS THAT NEED TO BE CLEARED OUT INSTEAD OF BRINGING IN THE POLICE AND AUSTIN RESOURCES RECOVERY TO TOSS OUT PEOPLE'S PROPERTY CANDIDATE VALE. SO THERE ARE HOT SPOTS WITHIN THE DISTRICT THAT DO NEED MORE ATTENTION, NOT JUST FROM THE POLICE, BUT REALLY FROM A, A BROADER A RANGE OF AGENCIES. I'M THINKING OF THE CORONER OF, UH, UH, MANNAR ANDRO, UH, THE CORNER OF GEORGIAN AND POWELL. UH, WHERE THERE ARE, HAVE LONG BEEN KIND OF CRIME AND, AND OTHER ISSUES HAVE, HAVE POPPED UP IN THOSE SPECIFIC AREAS. WE NEED TO ADDRESS THOSE. WE CAN'T JUST LET THAT, UH, GO ON AND, AND, AND IGNORE THE PROBLEM. BUT BROADLY SPEAKING, WE NEED TO, UH, INCREASE OUR LEVEL OF NON-POLICE PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES, PARTICULARLY MENTAL HEALTH. UH, 9 1 1. NOW YOU CAN ASK FOR POLICE FIRE, EMS OR MENTAL HEALTH. AND WE REALLY NEED TO RAMP UP OUR RESPONSE TO PEOPLE IN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS ARE NON-POLICE RESPONSE TO PEOPLE IN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. AND THAT WOULD ALSO, NOT ONLY DO YOU GET BETTER OUTCOMES, BUT YOU FREE UP THE POLICE TO RESPOND TO ACTUAL, UH, CRIMES AND, UH, TO, TO CONTINUE IN IN, IN THAT PATH. THANK YOU ALL. ALRIGHT, KEEPING ON THAT SAME TOPIC OF THE POLICE. A PD FACES ONGOING STAFFING SHORTAGES. CURRENTLY THERE ARE 326 VACANCIES ACCORDING TO DESTINY SILVA, THE A PD RECRUITING SERGEANT. COULD IT BE PAY NO POLICE CONTRACT, LOW MORALE? WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE TO SOLVE THIS AND, UH, CANDIDATE GUZMAN? WE'LL START WITH YOU, YOUR HONOR. AS I SAID, IT IS, IT'S NOT A FUNDING ISSUE. THEY HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY. THEY'VE HAD ENOUGH TO OFFER SIGNUP BONUSES. THEY NEED TO LOOK AT THE REPORT FROM THE RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE. THEY NEED TO LOOK AT THE ACADEMY. I KNOW THEY ANNOUNCED HOW MANY CADETS GRADUATED, BUT THEY DON'T ALWAYS TELL HOW MANY STARTED. THEY NEED TO LOOK AT WIRE CADETS DROPPING OUT. THE CHIEF HAS THE AUTHORITY TO MOVE OFFICERS AROUND. AND AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES THAT THE POLICE ARE SENT TO THAT THEY'RE NOT TRAINED FOR. AND IT SHOULD BE SOMEONE BETTER TRAINED THAT WAY. THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO RESPOND TO A REAL ISSUE AND ASSAULT A ROBBERY OR WORSE. SO IT'S, IT'S INTERNAL CLEANING HOUSE AND COMMUNITY INVESTMENT. THE COMBINATION IS NEEDED. THANK YOU CANDIDATE BELLA. THE PAY IS NOT THE CONCERN. WE JUST DID A WAGE STUDY FOR AUSTIN POLICE AND FOR OUR FIRST YEAR, SECOND YEAR, THIRD YEAR OFFICERS, WE PROBABLY SHOULD BUMP UP THE PAY TO BE A LITTLE MORE COMPETITIVE ON A STATEWIDE BASIS. BUT AFTER THAT, UH, WE ARE THE HIGHEST PAID POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE STATE, WHICH IS GOOD. WE SHOULD BE THE HIGHEST PAID POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE STATE BECAUSE WE DEMAND A HIGH LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY FROM OUR POLICE OFFICERS. AND THEY SHOULD BE PAID COMMENSURATE WITH, UH, THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE PROFESSIONALISM, UH, THAT WE DEMAND OF THEM. MORALE IS LOW. UH, I TALK TO THE OFFICERS, UH, THEY DON'T FEEL APPRECIATED BY THE COMMUNITY. UH, WE NEED TO [00:20:01] WORK ON THAT. ONE THING THAT WE HAVE DONE RECENTLY, WHICH SHOULD BE A BIG STEP, IS WE'VE JUST HIRED, UH, A NEW POLICE CHIEF. UH, AND ACTUALLY TODAY WE ARE ANNOUNCING THE, A NEW ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. UH, THOSE ARE IMPORTANT STEPS TO, AND, AND THAT LEADERSHIP SHOULD HELP US GET THINGS, UH, IMPROVE THINGS IN THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU CANDIDATE HERRON. WHAT I SEE TALKING TO, UH, POLICEMEN IS THAT THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY GET SUPPORT FROM CITY COUNCIL. IT SEEMS LIKE THE CITY COUNCIL IS, UH, CONSTANTLY CAUSING EVEN MORE TROUBLE THAN HELPING THEM OUT. UH, LIKE I SAID, UH, I THINK THE MORALE IS LOW. UH, THE WAY THE CITY COUNCILS, THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FACE OF THE CITY. IF THEY PUT ON A POSITIVE FACE, IT SHOULD BE A BETTER POSITIVE FACE. BUT CITY COUNCIL, IT'S TOTALLY AGAINST THE WAY I SEE IT IS AGAINST THE POLICE. AND I THINK, UH, WHEN I'VE TALKED TO OFFICERS, I THINK THEY FEEL THAT WAY TOO. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, CANDIDATE ILLA, WE'LL START WITH YOU ON THIS ONE. UM, LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOME OF THE CITY'S GOALS. THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S OWN CLIMATE GOALS HAVE BEEN MISSED AND NEW ONES ARE SUGGESTED BY DIFFERENT GROUPS FOR 20 30, 20 35 AND 2040. SOME WANTING A 75 TO A HUNDRED PERCENT REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS. WHERE WOULD YOU RANK THE IMPORTANCE OF CITY INITIATIVES THAT ADDRESS THIS CLIMATE CHANGE? THOSE ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT GOALS IN THE CITY. AND THERE'S TWO PROJECTS IN PARTICULAR THAT IF WE DO NOT MAKE THESE TWO PROJECTS HAPPEN, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO WAY WE CAN MEET OUR CLIMATE CHANGE GOALS. ONE IS PROJECT CONNECT. WE'VE GOT TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR VEHICLES AND INTO TRANSIT OR WALKING OR BIKING OR USING, UH, A TYPE OF TRANSPORTATION THAT DOES NOT CREATE EMISSIONS. TOO MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO JUST DRIVE EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME. WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO MAKE, MEET OUR CLIMATE GOALS IF THAT CONTINUES. THE SECOND MAJOR, UH, PROJECT IS THE FAYETTE POWER PLANT IN, UH, OUT IN, UH, FAYETTEVILLE. UH, THAT HAS TO, UH, BE SHUT DOWN. IT'S, UH, HURTING OUR AIR QUALITY. UH, IT'S THE SINGLE LARGEST SOURCE OF CARBON EMISSIONS IN THE CITY. AGAIN, WE ARE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO MEET OUR CLIMATE GOALS UNLESS WE SHUT THE FAYETTE POWER PLANT DOWN. UH, IT'S COMPLICATED BECAUSE WE DON'T OWN THE PLANT IN ITS ENTIRETY. WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH A LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY WHO DOESN'T WANT SHUT IT DOWN, BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PRESS THEM. CANDIDATE HERRON, THERE IS, UH, A LOT OF THINGS THE CITY CAN DO, BUT THE CITY IS ALSO HAMMERING IN THEMSELVES WITH THIS HOME INITIATIVE. THEY WANT PEOPLE TO GO IF THEY GET ELECTRIC CARS. IF WHEN YOU'RE NO LONGER HAVING DRIVEWAYS, YOU DON'T HAVE A PLUG THAT'S GONNA GO ALL THE WAY OUT TO YOUR, TO THE STREET TO PLUG IN YOUR CAR. UH, THE CITY, UH, IS ALSO GONNA BE, AS I DISAGREE WITH, THEY'RE SAYING YOU PUT THREE HOUSES ON A LOT AND UH, AND THEY'RE GONNA CUT TREES DOWN. THEY'RE GONNA CUT GRASS DOWN. AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT PICK UP OUR CARBON. AND JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, I DISAGREE WITH SHUTTING DOWN THE POWER PLANT BECAUSE WHAT IT NEEDS, IT'S 50 YEARS OLD, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE UPGRADED TO MEET CURRENT STANDARDS. THAT'S THE PROBLEM THE CITY IS LOOKING AT GOING ELECTRIC. I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THEIR, UH, SHUTTING DOWN TOO MANY OF THEIR POWER SOURCES. 'CAUSE WE GOT A GROUP THAT WANTS TO SHUT DOWN THE NUCLEAR PLANT. THEY GOT A PLANT, I MEAN THIS AND GO TO WIND AND SOLAR. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. LOOK WHAT HAPPENED IN GERMANY. LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED IN OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE GONE THAT WAY. SO, CANDIDATE GUZMAN, WHERE DO YOU, WHERE WOULD YOU RANK THE IMPORTANCE OF CITY INITIATIVES THAT ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE? UH, CLIMATE CHANGE IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY FOR DISTRICT FOUR, WHERE THE URBAN HEAT EFFECT IS CONCERNED. WE NEED TO INCREASE OUR URBAN CANOPY, PROTECT THE TREES THAT WE HAVE, UH, ADD MORE. WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS WHAT'S DESIRED. BUT THEY NEED SHELTERS. THEY NEED TO BE TREATED TO MAKE THEM A LITTLE LESS HOT, ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER. WE NEED TO SEE ABOUT USING NATURAL FLOOD MITIGATION. AND A BIG THING WITH THE, THE HOME INITIATIVE IS THE IMPERVIOUS COVER IS DEPENDING ON, UM, THE TYPE OF LOT, IF IT SITS AT HIGHER ELEVATION, THERE COULD BE LOT TO LOT IS, UH, FLOODING ISSUES. WHILE THAT'S NOT CLIMATE ENVIRONMENT NECESSARILY, IT'S STILL A FLOODING ISSUE VERSUS TORRENTIAL RAIN. UH, WE NEED TO DO, GET PEOPLE ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. BUT PROJECT CONNECT AND THE LIGHT RAIL DON'T ADDRESS EVERYBODY'S NEEDS. IT'S NOT GOING AS FAR AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED WHEN WE VOTED ON IT FOUR YEARS AGO. WE NEED MORE ELECTRIC BUSES AND WE NEED PEOPLE IN AREAS LIKE THE NORTH LAMAR, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD WHO HAVE NEIGHBOR WHO NEED [00:25:01] NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCULATORS. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE HERE. WHAT ARE THE HEALTHCARE NEEDS AND RESOURCES OF DISTRICT FOUR? I THINK THE, I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON THE HEALTHCARE TO BE HONEST WITH, BUT WHAT I SEE IS, UH, WE NEED, UH, MORE HEALTH TYPE SYSTEMS IN HERE, EMERGENCY CENTERS, PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH IN OUR DISTRICT. AND, UH, I REALLY CAN'T ANSWER THIS QUESTION BECAUSE I'LL BE HONEST, I AM NOT ON THE HEALTHCARE SIDE AND I DO KNOW THAT I CANNOT FIND A DOCTOR IN THIS DISTRICT. YEAH. SO I HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE. OKAY. I'M FINISHED. THANK YOU. KENNEDY. GUZMAN? UM, I AGREE. WE DO NEED MORE. I FOUND OUT SEVERAL YEARS AGO THAT THE, THE NORTHERN PART OF THE DISTRICT DOES NOT FALL ANYWHERE WITHIN WHAT'S CONSIDERED A, A HOSPITAL ZONE. SO LIKE, UM, WHAT IS IT NOW? ST. DAVID'S A OVER ON MOPAC NEAR PALMER LANE. WE'RE TOO FAR OUT OF THAT AREA. SO WE NEED MORE CLINICS. WE'VE GOT TWO COMMUNITY CARE CLINICS ON BREAKER AND RUNDBERG, BUT YEARS AGO, THEY WERE ALREADY IN THE HIGH NINETIES IN TERMS OF OF PATIENTS. SO WE NEED MORE. JUST EARLIER THIS YEAR, A NEW SENIORS HEALTH CLINIC OPENED UP ON EAST RUNDBERG SODA. AND I REALLY LIKE THEM. WHAT THEY DO, YOU KNOW, THEY WORK WITH THE RESIDENTS. IF A RESIDENT CAN'T MAKE IT INTO A PATIENT, A NURSE OR DOCTOR WILL GO OUT TO THEM OR THEY, THEY HAVE A SHUTTLE TO BRING THEM INTO THE CLINIC. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED MORE OF, ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE TRANSPORTATION, CAN'T ACCESS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. YOU KNOW, ARE THEY JUST, THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE. SO WE NEED SOMETHING THAT FITS A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYBODY. ALRIGHT. CANDIDATE BELLA. OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE TO OUR RESIDENTS. THE STATE OF TEXAS IS FAILING US BY REFUSING TO EXPAND MEDICAID. UH, IF WE COULD EXPAND MEDICAID, THAT WOULD BRING TENS OF MILLIONS, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN HEALTHCARE RESOURCES INTO THIS COMMUNITY. MEDICAID WOULD ESSENTIALLY PROVIDE HEALTHCARE COVERAGE TO EVERYONE BELOW. UH, ABOUT A HUNDRED PERCENT, I BELIEVE, OF THE MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME. SO WE WOULD IMMEDIATELY HAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD HAVE FULL HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE THAT WOULD HELP REDUCE TAXES. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE CENTRAL HEALTH, OUR HOSPITAL DISTRICT, WHICH IS TAKING OUR PROPERTY TAXES AND PROVIDING INDIGENT HEALTHCARE. BUT IF WE COULD GET THAT MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS AVAILABLE THAT THE STATE ABSOLUTELY REFUSES TO TAKE, WE COULD LOWER OUR LOCAL PROPERTY TAXES. WE COULD USE THE MEDICAID RESOURCES TO TREAT MENTAL HEALTH, TO TREAT SUBSTANCE ABUSE. BUT THE STATE OF TEXAS REFUSES TO EXPAND MEDICAID. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO. TEXAS NEEDS TO EXPAND MEDICAID. ALRIGHT. CANDIDATE GUZMAN, DISTRICT FOUR HAS A LARGE POPULATION OF CHILDREN LIVING IN POVERTY. CONSIDERING THE CITY MUST WORK WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF STATE FUNDING AND POLICIES AS WELL AS THE CITY'S BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, WHAT SOLUTIONS DO YOU PROPOSE TO MITIGATE THE RISKS FOR THESE CHILDREN? THAT CAN BE DONE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS. SO THERE'S OBVIOUSLY MULTIPLE NEEDS FOR, UH, THE LOW INCOME AND THOSE TRULY IMPOVERISHED, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS NOT A QUALITY OF LIFE. BUT FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE IN SCHOOL, WORK WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ACCESS TO FOOD, THEIR FAMILIES HAVE ACCESS TO FOOD. MAKE SURE THERE IS NURSES OR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO, TO THE CAMPUSES. OUR REC CENTERS. UM, WE ALSO NEED TO SEE ABOUT ADDRESSING HOUSING NEEDS. AND WHILE THERE IS NO RENT CONTROL IN TEXAS, NOT YET, UH, THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE HOUSING THAT IS DEEPLY AFFORDABLE. THAT CAN BE DONE THROUGH PUBLIC, NOT-FOR-PROFIT, UH, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS SUBSIDIES MORE BASICALLY PROPERTIES LIKE THE HOUSING AUTHORITY PROPERTIES. AND THERE CAN ALSO BE PUTTING IN AN EQUITY ANTI DISPLACEMENT OVERLAY TO MINIMIZE DISPLACEMENT. AND THEN STOP USING THE HUD MEDIUM FAMILY INCOME CHART. LOOK AT THE CENSUS TRACT INSTEAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CAN AVELA, I'M SORRY, COULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? YES. DISTRICT FOUR HAS A LARGE POPULATION OF CHILDREN LIVING IN POVERTY. CONSIDERING THE CITY MUST WORK WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF STATE FUNDING AND POLICIES AS WELL AS THE CITY'S BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, WHAT SOLUTIONS DO YOU PROPOSE TO MITIGATE THE RISKS FOR THESE CHILDREN? SO, UH, FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S A BALLOT INITIATIVE RIGHT NOW IN TRAVIS COUNTY TO, UH, PROVIDE CHILDCARE TO FUND A CHILDCARE ON A COUNTY-WIDE BASIS. THAT IS A CRITICAL ITEM. AND I FULLY SUPPORT THAT ITEM, WHICH WILL BE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. UH, THAT WILL GO A LONG WAY TO HELPING THE SYSTEM. UH, PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE CRITICAL TO IMPROVING, UH, CHILD WELFARE. THE CITY RIGHT NOW FUNDS, UH, PARENT SUPPORT SPECIALISTS, UH, FOR, UH, AUSTIN, [00:30:01] ISD. AND WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, DEEPER PARTNERSHIPS TO SEE WHERE WE CAN CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH A ISD AND HOPEFULLY SHIFT SOME OF THE COST FROM A ISD OVER TO THE CITY BECAUSE OF, AGAIN, TO GO BACK TO THE STATE OF TEXAS, THE BROKEN SCHOOL FINANCE SYSTEM. AT THIS POINT, RIGHT NOW, MORE THAN HALF OF EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE PAY IN SCHOOL TAXES LEAVES THE AUSTIN AREA AND GOES TO THE STATE. UH, WE, THE CITY AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT NEED TO PARTNER TO AND TRY AND, AND, UH, REDUCE THAT UNFAIR TAX BURDEN. OKAY. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO REPEAT THE QUESTION CANDIDATE HARRIS? NO, I THINK I CAN ANSWER IT. UM, THE, WE NEED MORE CHILDCARE THAT, THAT'S A GIVEN ALL THROUGH THE STATE, ALL THROUGH THE CITY. UH, AND THE CITY HAS TO WORK WITH PARTNERSHIPS. WE NEED BUSINESSES AND ALL THAT TO GO INTO THAT TYPE OF, UH, IN SERVICE. BUT WE NEED TO FIND PLACES TO DO IT. WE NEED TO FIND SAFE PLACES TO DO IT. WE CAN DO IT AT SCHOOLS, WE CAN DO IT AT SOME OF THE REC CENTERS, BUT DISTRICT FOUR REALLY DOESN'T HAVE THAT MANY REC CENTERS. UH, AND IT'S 30 SECONDS ARE UP ALREADY. UM, BUT, UH, BUT THE, WE NEED TO GO INTO PARTNERSHIPS AND I, AND I AGREE WITH THAT, BUT WE NEED, UH, TO HAVE A, A PLAN AND NOT JUST KIND OF DO WHAT A LOT OF THE THINGS CITIES DO AND DISCIP SPEND MONEY AND, UH, NOT REALLY HAVE A PLAN TO DO IT. BUT YEAH, I DO BELIEVE WE NEED MORE, UH, DAYCARE AND ADULT. WELL ACTUALLY WE NEED THINGS FROM, AND I GOTTA HIT STOP. UH, BUT BASICALLY WE NEED STUFF FROM ALL AGE GROUPS, FROM THE YOUNG KIDS, EVEN UP TO THE TEENAGE GROUPS TO GO PLAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, CANDIDATE BELLA, WE'RE GONNA MOVE, UH, A LITTLE BIT INTO CITY SERVICES. LET'S TALK CITY SERVICES HERE. WHAT GRADE A THROUGH F WOULD YOU GIVE AUSTIN WATER FOR ITS UPKEEP OF THE MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY, INCLUDING THE PURIFICATION SYSTEMS, THE SEWERS, AND THE DRAINAGE? AND WHAT, WHAT DO YOU BASE THIS GRADE ON? HMM. THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. UH, I WOULD GIVE AUSTIN WATER, UH, AN A MINUS. UH, OUR WATER QUALITY IS GOOD. UH, OUR WATER CONSUMPTION, WE HAVE, WE HAVE LOWERED OUR PER CAPITA WATER CONSUMPTION, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL GIVEN OUR SEMI ARID ENVIRONMENT THAT WE HAVE HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS. BUT IT'S, IT'S LEVELED OUT AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT AVERAGE WATER, UH, CONSUMPTION DOWN A BIT. UH, THEY, WE HAVE STARTED NEW PROGRAMS, UH, THIS PURPLE PIPE PROGRAM, WHICH ESSENTIALLY RECYCLES SOME WATER FOR, UH, MORE, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, LAWN USES OR FOR FLUSHING TOILETS, FOR, FOR, UH, SITUATIONS WHERE YOU DON'T NEED TO 100% PURIFY, UH, THE WATER. IT SAVES MONEY, IT SAVES ENERGY. AND THE WATER FORWARD PLAN THAT AUSTIN WATER HAS PUT TOGETHER IS EXTREMELY INNOVATIVE. ONE OF THE ITEMS IS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A CAVERN, UH, IN, UH, THE EASTERN AREAS OF THE CITY TO STORE WATER. WE LOSE A LOT OF WATER THROUGH EVAPORATION FROM OUR LAKES. AND THAT'S AN ONGOING PROBLEM. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE HERON. I GOTTA BE CAREFUL BECAUSE I WORK FOR THE AGENCY THAT REGULATES ALL THESE DEALS. AND UNDER THE RULES, I CANNOT TALK ABOUT CITY OF AUSTIN SERVICES, UH, BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF RESTRICTIONS. I WORK FOR A REGULATORY AGENCY. UH, BUT SOME THINGS I CAN TELL YOU IS I DID WRITE THE REUSE THE PURPLE PIPE AS HE WAS TALKING ABOUT. I WROTE THOSE RULES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME YEARS AGO, I APPLIED FOR THE JOB, UH, TO BE HEAD OF THE, UH, UH, PURPLE PIPE SYSTEM OR THE RECLAIM WATER SYSTEM. AND THE CITY TOLD ME, SINCE I WROTE THE RULES, REMEMBER THIS, I WROTE THE RULES. THE CITY SAYS I COULD INTERPRET THE RULES. AND YET ONCE THEY HIRED SOMEBODY, THEY CAME TO ME AND ASKED ME TO TRAIN THEM. SO THE CITY, I WOULD SAY, NEEDS TO LEARN WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. OTHERWISE, I CAN TELL YOU, I CAN GIVE YOU A GRADE, BUT I REGULATE THEM. I CAN'T DO IT. THANK YOU CANDIDATE GUZMAN. I WOULD PROBABLY GIVE IT A B MINUS LOWER. I MEAN, WE'VE GOT GREAT QUALITY OF WATER. WE'VE GOT THE, UH, PURPLE PIPES, THE GRAY PIPES, BUT THERE'S ALL THE OTHER ASPECTS SUCH AS THE PLAN. I REMEMBER A FEW COUNCIL MEETINGS BACK, THEY WERE TRYING TO PUSH SOMETHING THROUGH. IT WAS TOO EARLY. UH, NOT EVERYBODY UNDERSTOOD WHAT THEIR, UH, PLAN THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO PUT FORTH. I EVEN, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT. AND I'M A POLICY DIRECTOR AND I COULDN'T MAKE HEADS OR TAILS OF IT. UM, THERE'S ALSO CONSIDERATION FOR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, ESPECIALLY UNDERGROUND WITH THE INCREASED [00:35:01] UP ZONING, UH, MEDIUM TO HIGH DENSITY. WE NEED TO, UH, SHORE UP OUR UNDERGROUND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HOLD, UH, THE WATER THAT'S GONNA, THE INCREASED USAGE ONCE THOSE PROPERTIES START COMING INTO PLACE. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE HERON AGING ROADS AND BRIDGES, OUR CHALLENGES AS AUSTIN EXPERIENCED EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN THE LAST DECADE. DO YOU BELIEVE THE CITY HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF KEEPING UP WITH THE DEMANDS ON OUR AGING ROADS AND BRIDGES? WHY OR WHY NOT? AND ANY SPECIAL NEEDS IN YOUR DISTRICT? UH, AS A, THE CITY AND THE STATE AS A WHOLE, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN KEEPING UP. AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE SEEING, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT MORE PROBLEMS WITH, UH, UH, THE SYSTEM BECAUSE WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT ELECTRIC VEHICLES, START LOOKING AT ELECTRIC BUSES, THEY'RE GONNA BE TEARING UP OUR ROADS BECAUSE AN ELECTRIC BUS WEIGHS 38 TONS 'CAUSE OF THE BATTERIES. SO THEY'RE GONNA BE TEARING UP OUR ROADS. UH, BUT OVERALL, I DO NOT THINK THE CITY AS A WHOLE HAS BEEN KEEPING UP WITH THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE. I I'VE ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE CITY, WITH THEIR ASSET MANAGEMENT ON ANY OF THEIR STUFF. THEIR, THE CITY HAS A POOR ASSET MANAGEMENT, UM, SYSTEM SET UP. THEY NEED TO UPDATE THEIR ASSET MANAGEMENT. CAN I GOOSE MA, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO REPEAT? YES, PLEASE. AGING ROADS AND BRIDGES ARE CHALLENGES AS AUSTIN EXPERIENCED EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN THE LAST DECADE. DO YOU BELIEVE THE CITY HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF KEEPING UP WITH THE DEMANDS ON OUR AGING ROADS AND BRIDGES? WHY OR WHY NOT? AND ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL NEEDS IN YOUR DISTRICT? EXCUSE ME. NO, I DON'T BELIEVE THEY HAVE. I I ACTUALLY THINK IT DEPENDS ON WHAT PART OF TOWN YOU'RE IN. SOME ROADS ARE, ARE TAKEN CARE OF BETTER, YOU KNOW, UPDATED, FIXING POTHOLES, RUTS, THINGS LIKE THAT. WELL, OTHER PARTS OF TOWN, ESPECIALLY IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT AND SOME MORE, MORE LOWER CLASS, WORKING CLASS, THEY MAY NOT GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THEY NEED. AND THEN OF COURSE, IN AREAS LIKE NORTH PART OF THE DISTRICT WHERE YOU HAVE HIGH BUS TRAVEL CARS, THAT'S JUST GONNA TEAR UP THE ROADS IN GENERAL, AND THEY NEED TO MAINTAIN THOSE. UM, AS FAR AS SPECIAL NEEDS, I THINK THE SPECIAL NEEDS IS REALLY MORE, UH, ABOUT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY VERSUS THE ROAD ITSELF. UM, THERE ARE TIMES I'M TERRIFIED TO CROSS NORTH LAMAR EVEN WITH A CROSSWALK, UH, THERE BECAUSE IT JUST DOESN'T LAST LONG ENOUGH. SO FOR, FOR ME, IT'S MORE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY VERSUS THE STREET CANDIDATE. VELA. I THINK THE CITY DOES A GOOD JOB OF MAINTAINING ITS ROAD, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, ONE AREA THAT WE ARE TRYING TO CATCH UP ON WOULD BE, UH, SIDEWALKS. WE, FOR WHATEVER REASON FOR DECADES ALLOWED, UH, DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT REQUIRING SIDEWALKS TO BE PUT IN. AND NOW WE'RE HAVING TO GO BACK AND PUT IN SIDEWALKS TO MAKE UP FOR REALLY DECADES OF NEGLECT IN OUR PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, AND IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE. IT'S MORE DIFFICULT. UH, WE'RE DOING IT, BUT FAR TOO SLOWLY. UH, OUR ROAD CONDITIONS, I WOULD GENERALLY SAY ARE, ARE GOOD. WE HAVE, UH, HAD A LOT OF DIFFERENT ROAD TREATMENTS DESIGNED TO, UH, REDUCE, UH, DEATHS AND INJURIES ON THE ROAD, WHICH ARE A VERY, VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. UH, AND DISTRICT FOUR HAS SEEN SOME OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS. WE'LL SEE ADDITIONAL CAMERON AND DESSAU WILL BE GETTING A, A, A TREATMENT, UH, RELATIVELY SOON THAT THAT SHOULD HELP THAT ROAD QUITE A BIT. THANK YOU CANDIDATE. GUZMAN, I'M KIND OF GLAD I GOT THIS QUESTION BECAUSE, UM, I RECENTLY HAD MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH THE PERMITTING PROCESS ON A SMALL REMODEL. SO I'M ON FIRST NAME BASIS WITH A FEW PERMITTING, UH, PROFESSIONALS, BUT THIS IS FROM ONE OF OUR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE'VE GOT THIS QUESTION FROM. IT SAYS, A RECENT STUDY FOUND THAT AUSTIN HAS THE HIGHEST FEES AND THE MOST LENGTHY PERMITTING PROCESS OF ANY MAJOR TEXAS CITY. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WOULD SEEK TO FIX? AND IF SO, HOW? I GUESS I'VE HEARD ABOUT THAT TOO, FROM FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WERE TRYING TO WORK ON THEIR HOUSE. I KNOW IT IS, UH, LAGGING IS THE WORD I HEARD USED AND THAT THE STATE PUT IN, UH, SOME OF THEIR OWN REGULATIONS TO SPEED IT UP. UM, WHILE IT'S CERTAINLY AN INCONVENIENCE, I THINK TO THE, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUAL HOMEOWNERS, UM, I THINK PART OF THAT IS JUST CUSTOMER SERVICE IN GENERAL. THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING I'VE HEARD IS NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE THEY CALL A NUMBER, GET TOLD TO CALL ANOTHER NUMBER. THEY CALL THE OTHER NUMBER, THEY GET TOLD TO GO BACK TO THE NUMBER THEY [00:40:01] STARTED WITH. AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM RIGHT THERE IS BASICALLY GETTING THE RUNAROUND ON THE PHONES. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH STAFF IN THERE TO ADDRESS PEOPLE, WHETHER THEY'RE CALLING IN, EMAILING OR WALKING IN. UM, SO I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH THE PERMITTING PROCESS. I DO KNOW THERE'S A LOT THAT'S GOING ON THERE. SO FOR ME, CUSTOMER SERVICE IS PROBABLY WHAT WOULD MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE BENA PERMITTING IS ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE THE CITY IS NOT DOING A GOOD JOB. WE'VE IMPROVED FROM REALLY BAD LOWS IN TERMS OF PERMITTING, PROCESSING TIMES. THEY HAVE IMPROVED OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO. BUT WE HAVE SOME OF THE LONGEST TIMES TO ISSUE PERMITS, AND WE HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST FEES FOR PERMITS, UH, COMPARED TO OUR PEER CITIES, ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE, IN THE STATE OF, UH, OF TEXAS. WE SHOULD DEMAND HIGH QUALITY FROM OUR CONSTRUCTION. I, I COMPLETELY SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT YOU, WE SHOULD HAVE STRICT PERMITTING RULES AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S QUALITY CONSTRUCTION THAT, THAT, UH, UH, HAS SAFETY, UH, AND AT, AT ITS CORE. BUT THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN A QUICKER TIMEFRAME. AND THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES TO, UH, THE CURRENT PERMITTING SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE. AND THAT IS, UH, HAS BEEN A MAJOR INTEREST OF COUNSEL AND CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR INTEREST OF COUNSEL. AND THAT IS, UH, AN AREA THAT I WOULD BE LOOKING TO WORK ON IN IN THE SECOND TERM. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE HERRON. UH, THIS IS A SUBJECT THAT'S DEAR TO MY HEART. UH, JUST, UH, ONE OF MY JOBS IS REVIEW PLAN SPECS. UH, AND I TRAIN MY STAFF TO BE CONSISTENT. SO IF ONE GETS A PROBLEM OR ANOTHER, WE'VE BEEN DEALING, THIS HAS BEEN A QUESTION FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS, EVER SINCE WE WENT TO THE TEN ONE COUNCIL, THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THERE'S BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT. THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UH, THE COMPLAINTS I GET FROM DEVELOPERS IS THEY RATHER NOT EVEN DEAL WITH CITY OF AUSTIN. THEY WANNA GO TO THE SURROUNDING TOWNS, BUT THE, THE COMPLAINTS ARE THEY WILL COME TO AUSTIN, SOMEBODY WILL REVIEW IT, UH, THEY MAKE THE CHANGES AND SOMEBODY ELSE WILL REVIEW IT AND HAVE NEW CHANGES THAT THEY WANNA BE MADE. SOMETIMES THEY WANNA GO BACK TO THE WAY. THE OTHER THING, THERE'S NO CONSISTENCY IN THE CITY. IF ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD WORK ON IS TO HAVE, AND TRY TO GET THE CITY MANAGER TO HAVE A CONSISTENT TRAINING SCHEDULE SO WE CAN GET STUFF OUT. THEN THE OTHER THING IS THE FEES ARE RIDICULOUS THAT THE CI O OF THE PEOPLE HAVE TO PAY IN THIS TOWN. THANK YOU. SO, CARRYING ON WITH A SIMILAR THEME AND, UM, CANDIDATE VELA, I THINK WE START WITH YOU ON THIS ONE. IS THAT RIGHT? THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS PUSHING FOR HIGH DENSITY HOUSING BY RELAXING DEED RESTRICTIONS ON SINGLE FAMILY LOTS THROUGH THE HOMES INITIATIVE, ALLOWING HIGH DENSITY, HIGH RISE, MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ALONG SINGLE FAMILY HOMES USING THE DB 90. DOES THIS PLAN IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR AUSTIN, OR IS IT SACRIFICING THE QUIET CHARACTER OF SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS? MM-HMM, . SO WE NEED ADDITIONAL HOUSING IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UH, WE HAVE SEEN OUR HOUSING PRICES RISE VERY DRAMATICALLY IN THE LAST DECADE, REALLY GOING BACK TO THE LAST 25 YEARS. AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT WORKING CLASS PEOPLE ARE GETTING PUSHED OUT OF THE CITY, UH, AND THE CHARACTER OF THE CITY, NOT THE STYLE OF THE HOMES, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE AUSTIN SPECIAL ARE GETTING PUSHED OUT OF THE CITY. THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO FIX THAT IS BY ADDING HOUSING IN AUSTIN. AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT. THIS CITY COUNCIL HAS DONE THAT. DB 90 IS A GOOD PROGRAM THAT REQUIRES HIGH LEVELS OF AFFORDABILITY FROM THE PROJECTS THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. IT HAS, UH, PROTECTIONS BUILT INTO IT FOR, UH, NEIGHBORING, UH, HOMEOWNERS, UH, AS WELL. UH, AND IT HAS A COMMERCIAL REQUIREMENT, WHICH WILL GET, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT STORES AND, AND, AND COFFEE SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS, UH, CLOSER TO PEOPLE'S NEIGHBORHOODS. SO THEY'LL HAVE SOMEWHERE TO WALK TO WHEN, UH, WE GET ALL THOSE SIDEWALKS BUILT. THANK YOU CANDIDATE HERE. CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? I THINK I REMEMBER EVERYTHING, BUT I KINDA GOT SIDETRACKED. LISTEN, WHICH IT SAYS, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS PUSHING FOR HIGH DENSITY HOUSING BY RELAXING THE DEED RESTRICTIONS ON SINGLE FAMILY LOTS THROUGH THE HOMES INITIATIVE, ALLOWING FOR HIGHER DENSITY, UH, HIGH RISE, MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ALONG SINGLE SIDE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES USING THE DB 90. DOES THIS PLAN IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR AUSTIN, OR IS IT SACRIFICING THE QUIET CHARACTER OF SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS? UH, I THINK IT'S SACRIFICING BECAUSE, UH, SAY MY NEIGHBOR PASSES AWAY, [00:45:01] HIS FAMILY SELLS THE HOUSE, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY PUT THREE HOUSES ON THAT LOT. AND, UH, THERE'S NO DRIVEWAYS. NOW THESE PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE PARKING IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. UH, I'M NOT GONNA HAVE ACCESS TO THIS. UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE FLOODING BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE ALL THE, UH, UH, STUFF RUNNING OFF BECAUSE STUFF'S NOT GONNA BE SOAKING INTO THE GROUND LIKE IT HAS IN THE PAST. AND NOW WE HAVE THREE BUILDINGS NOW THAT GONNA BE A HEAT SINK. SO I THINK IT'S GONNA BE MORE OF A HINDRANCE THAN A HELP. WE ALSO HAVE A PROBLEM RIGHT NOW. IF YOU GO LOOK AT CITY APARTMENTS, UH, YOU GO LOOK AT SOME OF THE NEW APARTMENTS AND ALL THE PEOPLE ARE WHO THEY DON'T REQUIRE TO HAVE PARKING FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. AND NOW THEY'RE GOING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS PARKING, THEY'RE MESSING UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IF PEOPLE PARK IN FRONT OF YOUR HOUSE, HOW DO YOU CUT YOUR GRASS WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT STUFF? THERE'S A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THAT. AND I THINK IT WAS SHORTSIGHTED. I'M WORRYING ABOUT FLOODING, I'M WORRYING ABOUT HEAT. I'M WORRYING ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS THAT, UH, THEY SAID THEY TOOK CARE OF, BUT THEY DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF. NOT IN DISTRICT FOUR. THANK YOU CANDIDATE GUZMAN. AUSTIN IS NOT EXPERIENCING A HOUSING CRISIS FAR FROM IT. IN APRIL, 2023, UH, BLOOMBERG NEWS CAN REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE PUBLICATION. THEY REPORTED THAT JUST A FEW YEARS PRIOR, AUSTIN HAD, UH, ISSUED 26,000 MULTIFAMILY HOUSING PERMITS, THE HIGHEST NUMBER IN THE COUNTRY. THAT WAS JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. SO WE'RE NOT SHORT ON HOUSING, WE'RE SHORT ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO ARE LOW INCOME WORKING CLASS. AND DISTRICT FOUR IS A LOW INCOME DISTRICT, SO IT'S DESTROYING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, PUTTING AN EXTRA 90 FEET, YOU KNOW, AND ON A, A SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD STREET THAT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE INCREASED TRAFFIC THAT WILL DAMAGE THE ROAD. AND THEN THE REDUCTION, OR I SHOULD SAY THE REMOVING THE REQUIREMENT OF PARKING LOTS. NOW GRANTED, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY STILL PUT ONE, THEY MAY NOT. AND WHEN THERE ISN'T, THAT MEANS MORE STREETS ON THE ROAD. JUST AS CANDIDATE HERRON WAS SAYING, WE ALREADY HAVE THAT ISSUE IN THE BERG AREA. WE DON'T NEED IT. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE HERRON? YES, MA'AM. WHAT WILL THE BIGGEST ECONOMIC CHALLENGES BE FOR AUSTIN? AND IS AUSTIN IN A GOOD POSITION TO CONTINUE TO ATTRACT LARGE AND SMALL BUSINESSES? I AM WORRIED THAT AUSTIN IS GONNA BE, IS GONNA START PRICING OUT. YOU SEE THAT SPACEX AND ALL THAT WENT TO BASTROP DELL WHEN THEY WERE IN AUSTIN, THEY MOVED TO ROUND ROCK. YOU SEE, SAMSUNG WENT TO, THEY'RE MOVING TO THE SURROUNDING AREAS BECAUSE AUSTIN'S SUCH A HARD PLACE TO HAVE BUSINESSES, A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES GOING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS. IT'S COSTING 'EM A LOT OF MONEY. AUSTIN IS GOING TO BE THEIR OWN PROBLEM THE WAY THEY'RE DOING IT. WE ARE MOVING MORE LIKE CALIFORNIA AND I SEE US SCREWING UP WHAT WAS WHAT MOST PEOPLE MOVED HERE FOR. BUT QUALITY OF LIFE I SEE IS GOING DOWN. AND I WOULD PUSH FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE TO GO BACK UP AND TO MAKE AUSTIN A MORE LIVABLE FUND CITY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, ON GOING BACK TO, UH, HOUSING, IT COST AT LEAST A COUPLE YEARS AGO TO BUILD A HOUSE, IT COSTS OVER $200 A SQUARE FOOT. AND AT THAT PRICE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO AFFORD A LOT OF HOUSING IN THIS TOWN. AND IT'S DUE TO PERMITTING AND OTHER PROBLEMS. CANDIDATE GUZMAN, WOULD YOU MIND REPEATING THE QUESTION AGAIN, PLEASE? I'M SORRY. WHAT WILL THE BIGGEST ECONOMIC CHALLENGES BE FOR AUSTIN? AND IS AUSTIN IN A GOOD POSITION TO CONTINUE TO ATTRACT LARGE AND SMALL BUSINESSES? I, I THINK IT'S JUST GOING TO BE AN INCREASED HAS VERSUS HAVE NOTS. UH, THE LARGER BUSINESSES CERTAINLY THAT, YOU KNOW, CAN AFFORD TO BE HERE, THE HIGHER COST OF LAND, WHETHER YOU'RE BUYING IT OR LEASING IT, THEY'LL BE FINE. THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE STRUGGLING FROM ONE MONTH TO THE NEXT, BUT THEY'RE NOT SWIMMING IN MONEY EITHER. IT'S GOING TO BECOME TROUBLESOME, ESPECIALLY IN THE DISTRICT NORTH OF RESEARCH, THE NORTHERN PART, THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO CALL THE, THE MOM AND POP PLACES. THE SMALL RESTAURANTS, SMALL STORES LIKE ANA, NDA, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, PEACE BAKERY ON LAMAR AND BREAKER THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT MAKE IT SUCH A DIVERSE COMMUNITY. MY CONCERN IS THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE FORCED OUT, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE SEE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UH, DB NINETIES OR, YOU KNOW, MIXED USE ON THE CORRIDORS. I FEAR THAT LAMAR'S GONNA TURN INTO EAST SIXTH STREET OR SOUTH FIRST. THE BOUTIQUE SHOPS, NOT THE ONES THAT ARE THERE NOW, THANK YOU. OF CONGRESS CANDIDATE VILLA. THANK YOU. LABOR SUPPLY, YOU KNOW, UH, TRAINED WORKERS, PEOPLE THAT, UH, ARE, ARE READY AND WILLING TO, TO DO THE, TAKE THE JOBS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. I THINK IT'S GONNA BE THE NUMBER ONE CHALLENGE FOR AUSTIN'S ECONOMY [00:50:01] GOING FORWARD. WE HAVE ONE OF THE LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN THE COUNTRY, AND, UH, THE CITY RIGHT NOW HAS ABOUT AN 11% VACANCY RATE. UH, CERTAIN, UH, DEPARTMENTS. EMSI THINK IS AT ABOUT A 17%, 19% VACANCY RATE. UM, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A LOT OF MAJOR CORPORATIONS IN AUSTIN THAT ARE STRUGGLING TO FIND, UH, EMPLOYEES, QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES. LOOK AT OUR, OUR CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AS WELL, YOU KNOW, WITH, UH, A PROJECT CONNECT ON THE HORIZON, A $4 BILLION, UH, AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT ON THE HORIZON. UH, I 35 REBUILD ON THE HORIZON. WHERE ARE WE GONNA GET ALL OF THE, UH, SKILLED TRADE WORKERS, THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS THAT WE NEED TO, UH, MAKE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS THAT OUR CITY NEEDS? LABOR SUPPLY IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL MOVING FORWARD, IF AUSTIN WANTS TO KEEP A STRONG ECONOMY, WELL, WE HAVE ABOUT A HUNDRED MORE QUESTIONS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A HUNDRED MORE MINUTES. SO THAT WAS OUR LAST QUESTION, AND NOW YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA START WITH, UH, CANDIDATE GUZMAN AND YOUR CLOSING REMARKS. YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TELL THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM, AND BECAUSE OF A TXN AND THE REBROADCAST OF THIS AND THE MANY TIMES IT'S SHARED, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO TELL YOUR CONSTITUENTS IN, IN DISTRICT FOUR, AND THEN THOSE ACROSS THE CITY OF AUSTIN, YOU KNOW WHAT GOOD YOU'RE GONNA DO FOR THE CITY AND WHY THEY SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU. SO CANDIDATE GOSMAN, WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU TWO MINUTES TO SHARE WITH US. THANK YOU. UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. I'M GLAD IT'S BEING AIRED AND PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH IT LATER. SO THAT'S GREAT FOR ME. PEOPLE WERE ASKING ME ALMOST A YEAR AGO IF I WAS GONNA RUN AGAIN. THEY WERE UNHAPPY. THEY WERE UNHAPPY WITH THE FULL LEADERSHIP ON, ON THE DAAS. THEY SAID, WE NEED NEW LEADERS. WELL, NOT EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE UP FOR REELECTION OR AN OPEN SEAT. IT WAS A LONG, HARD THOUGHT PROCESS FOR ME, BUT I DECIDED TO DO IT BECAUSE WE NEED PEOPLE WHO KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE OF THE STRUGGLES THAT MANY IN THE DISTRICT OR RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS ARE EXPERIENCING. BUT PEOPLE ALSO NEED TO REALIZE IS YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO VOTE ON THIS RACE DISTRICT FOUR, BUT WHOEVER ENDS UP ON THE DIE IN JANUARY, THEY WILL STILL BE MAKING DECISIONS THAT ARE GOING TO AFFECT YOUR LIFE. SO YOU REALLY NEED TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO ALL THE RACES. SO FOR ME, IT'S ABOUT BEING IN THE COMMUNITY, WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, BEING FROM IT. AND AS I SAID THE OTHER NIGHT, YOU KNOW, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU KNOW, IN MY FIRST A HUNDRED DAYS, IT WOULD NOT BE SPENT IN MY OFFICE. IT WOULD BE SPENT OUT IN THE DISTRICT TALKING TO THE FOLKS, GETTING TO KNOW THEM BETTER, MEET PEOPLE I HADN'T INTERACTED WITH YET DURING CAMPAIGNING AND START WORKING ON PLANS. HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THE DISTRICT A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYBODY? AND THEN HOW CAN WE WORK WITH RESIDENTS IN THE OTHER DISTRICTS TO MAKE AUSTIN A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYBODY? SO AGAIN, MY PRIORITIES, NEIGHBORHOOD STABILITY, INVESTING IN CRITICAL COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS NEEDS CLIMATE CHANGE. I WAS ENDORSED BY AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRATS, COMMUNITY POWERED A TX AND BETTER AUSTIN TODAY. UH, PAC. YOU CAN FIND INFORMATION ABOUT ME ON MY WEBSITE, MONICA, FOR D FOUR.COM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE BAYLA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, HAVING US, UH, TONIGHT. AND, AND THANKS TO, UH, UH, UH, BOTH OF, UH, THE OTHER CANDIDATES HERE. MY SECOND TERM WOULD BE FOCUSED ON QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES, UH, WITHIN THE DISTRICT. WE'VE HAD TO TACKLE A LOT OF MAJOR CITYWIDE PROBLEMS IN, UH, MY FIRST TERM. UH, A LOT OF, UH, THE HOUSING AND PLANNING AND ZONING ISSUES. UH, THERE'S BEEN A REAL STRUGGLE WITH POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY AND, AND WORKING ON A, ON A POLICE CONTRACT. UH, THERE'VE BEEN A NUMBER OF VERY SERIOUS CHALLENGES WITH I THINK THIS COUNCIL HAS, UH, SUCCESSFULLY DEALT WITH, UH, MANY OF THEM. THE SECOND IS THE SECOND TERM. I REALLY WANT TO DIG DOWN INTO THOSE INDIVIDUAL, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES. UH, THE QUALITY OF THE PARKS, UH, THE QUALITY OF THE RECREATION CENTER, MAKING SURE THAT DISTRICT FOUR, WHICH HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY NEGLECTED IN TERMS OF, UH, INVESTMENT AND IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE CONTINUES TO, UM, UH, THAT THE CITY CONTINUES TO MAKE UP FOR ITS PAST DISINVESTMENT IN THE DISTRICT WE'RE DOING THAT WE'VE GOTTEN A DISPROPORTIONATE SHARE OF, OF, UH, PARKS INVESTMENT, OF SIDEWALKS, INVESTMENT. UH, BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WORKING CLASS FOLKS OF DISTRICT FOUR HAVE ACCESS TO ALL THE, THE CITY, UH, IMPROVEMENTS, THE AMENITIES, THE RECREATION CENTERS, THE PARKS, THE, UH, CULTURAL, UH, EVENTS THAT, UH, THAT MAKE AUSTIN GREAT. UM, AGAIN, IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE TO SERVE AS YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER IN THIS, UH, FIRST TERM. UH, [00:55:01] AND I LOOK FORWARD TO RETURNING WITH EVERYTHING I'VE LEARNED, WITH ALL THE EXPERIENCE I HAVE, UH, AND HAVE AN, AN EVEN STRONGER AND MORE EFFECTIVE SECOND TERM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CANDIDATE HERON. UH, YES, IF YOU JUST BE SO I DON'T FORGET, UH, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO THEN GO TO MY WEBSITE, IT'S LOUIS HERRIN, L-O-U-I-S-H-E-R-R-I N.COM. UH, AND THAT SITE IS BEING UPDATED RIGHT NOW. HOPEFULLY IT'S GONNA BE, THE CURRENT THING WILL BE LIVE PRETTY SOON. UH, BUT THE THING IS, IF YOU LIKE THE WAY THE CITY COUNCIL'S BEING RUN RIGHT NOW, VOTE FOR OUR, UH, OUR CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBER. BUT IF YOU'RE DIS, IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER CANDIDATES. UH, I WILL TELL YOU MY BACKGROUND IS CIVIL ENGINEER. MY JOB IS TO LOOK AT BRICK PROBLEMS AND BREAK 'EM DOWN AND TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS. I AM LISTED AS A PROBLEM SOLVER. PEOPLE FROM ALL THE, UH, CITIES ALL OVER COME CALL ME TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THEIR PROBLEMS. I AM AN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER. I DO DEAL WITH WATER WASTEWATER. THE OTHER THING THAT MY BACKGROUND IS, I DO HAVE A BACKGROUND IN RAILROADS. I DO KNOW WHEN, UH, FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT PRIVATE, UH, PROJECT CONNECT AND I HAVE ONE MINUTE, UH, PROJECT CONNECT. UH, THEY SAID THE THING WAS GONNA COST $7 MILLION. I LOOKED AT IT AND I WAS SAYING, IT'S GONNA COST US OVER $50 BILLION. AND NOW YOU SEE THAT THEY CUT IT IN HALF. NOW IT'S 11, BUT IT'S GONNA PROBABLY BE SOMEWHERE AROUND 20 FOR WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT. THE CITY ALWAYS LIES TO US, AND YOU HAVE TO AND LOOK AT THEIR BALLOT PREDICTIONS. BUT I AM A PERSON WHO, UH, IS GONNA BE STRAIGHTFORWARD. I'LL BE ARGUING FOR STRAIGHT, UH, BALLOT IN INFORMATION. BUT LIKE I SAID, I AM A CIVIL ENGINEER. I WORK TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. AND, UH, AND I'M, THE OTHER THING IS I'M A FISCAL CONSERVATIVE. I MAKE SURE WE SPEND OUR MONEY, WELL, NOT THAT WE DON'T SPEND MONEY, BUT WE SPEND THE MONEY AND GET THE BEST PROJECT FORWARD. AND AGAIN, UH, IF YOU LIKE THE WAY THE CITY COUNCIL'S BEING RUN RIGHT NOW, WHICH MOST PEOPLE I TALK TO DON'T, UH, VOTE FOR OUR CURRENT CANDIDATE, OTHERWISE, VOTE FOR ONE OF THE OTHER CANDIDATES AND HOPEFULLY ME. THANK YOU. LET'S GIVE THESE GUYS A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR COMING OUT. I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO TELL YOU GUYS SITTING IN THE ROOM, IF YOU HAVE A PARKING TICKET, YOU DON'T NEED IT BECAUSE THE GATES ARE GONNA BE OPEN FROM SIX TO NINE. OKAY? SO YOU CAN GET OUT OF THE GARAGE BY NINE O'CLOCK. OKAY? UM, BUT I DO WANNA THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SINCERITY IN ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS TONIGHT. UM, BUT I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS THE AUDIENCE THAT ARE HERE AND THAT ARE LISTENING AT HOME AND LISTEN TO THE RECORDINGS. IN MY INTRO TONIGHT, I TOLD YOU GUYS THAT THE, THAT THE CANDIDATES HERE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO AFFECT CHANGE. BUT TRULY IT'S THE PEOPLE AT HOME. IT'S THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO VOTE. IT'S THE VOTERS IN DISTRICT TWO AND ACROSS THE CITY WHO HOLD THE POWER OF OUR DEMOCRACY. WE ALL HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO ELECT A REPRESENTATIVE AND THE OBLIGATION TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE ONCE THEY'RE IN OFFICE TO AID IN MAKING DECISIONS THAT ARE GONNA HELP ELECT THESE CANDIDATES. UH, THE, THE LEAGUE HAS A VOTER'S GUIDE, AND IT WILL BE ONLINE SOON. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN PRINT ONLINE. IT IS AT WWW.LWVAUSTIN.ORG. THAT'S L WV AUSTIN.ORG. IT'S IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, VIETNAMESE, AND CHINESE ONLINE. AND WE DO A PRINTED GUIDE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. THERE ALSO, WE HAVE THE SITE THAT IS WWW.VOTEFOURONEONE.ORG THAT WILL GO LIVE SOON. AND IT CONTAINS YOUR COMPLETE BALLOT INFORMATION BASED ON YOUR ADDRESS. YOU CAN GO TO THE SITE, YOU CAN VIEW IT BEFORE GOING TO THE POLLS. YOU CAN EVEN PRINT IT OFF AND TAKE IT IN WITH YOU, ALONG WITH ANY OTHER VOTER'S GUIDE THAT YOU HAVE THAT'S IN PRINT. REMEMBER THAT OUR VOTER'S GUIDE IS IN MOST OF THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARIES, AND THAT DUE TO TEXAS LAW, YOU CANNOT TAKE DIGITAL DEVICES INTO A POLLING LOCATION. THERE ARE SOME DATES TO REMEMBER. WE WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY ABOUT THE EARLY VOTING STARTS MONDAY, AUGUST 21ST, AND THE EARLY VOTING ENDS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST. I MEAN OCTOBER. I SAID AUGUST. AH, I'M THINKING SUMMER. IT'S SO HOT. UH, OCTOBER 21ST. THANK YOU. UH, AND IT ENDS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST. OUR ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, AND THE POLLS OPEN FROM 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM ON ELECTION DAY. CURBSIDE VOTING IS AVAILABLE AT EVERY POLLING LOCATION, AND THERE ARE DIRECTIONAL SIGNS THAT ARE OUTSIDE IN THE PARKING AREAS. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION TONIGHT. WE APPRECIATE THE CANDIDATES BEING HERE WITH US. I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE, ARE REALLY HITTING THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL HARD, BUT WHEREVER YOU'RE LISTENING [01:00:01] AND WATCHING, PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN OUR DEMOCRACY AND GO AND VOTE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD EVENING. THE, THE LATE NIGHT FREAK SHOW, THE MORNING TO HEAR THIS ON PLAYING ON THE RADIO. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.