* 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. [00:00:02] TWO. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. [Proclamation – Segovia Produce Day – To be presented by Council Member José Velásquez] I AM COUNCIL MEMBER JOSE VELAZQUEZ, AND I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, UH, FOR JOINING US TO HONOR SEGOVIA PRODUCE A LONG TIME EAST AUSTIN BUSINESS THAT STARTED FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS WITH A MISSION TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY HEALTHY FOOD TO OUR COMMUNITIES, STAYING TRUE TO THEIR ROOTS AND MISSION. SEGOVIA PRODUCE HAS BLESSED OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 50 YEARS BY DELIVERING REMARKABLE ONE OF A KIND CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PROVIDING QUALITY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND AT REASONABLE PRICES AS A FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS. EVERYTHING THEY DO, THEY DO WITH PRIDE. PRIDE IN THEIR PRODUCT, PRIDE IN THEIR SERVICE, PRIDE IN THEIR EMPLOYEES, AND PRIDE IN THEIR HISTORY. AS ONE OF THE LONGEST LOCALLY OWNED PRODUCE DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS TODAY, WE CELEBRATE THESE AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS. AND IT IS AN HONOR FOR ME BEING A BORN AND RAISED EAST AUSTINITES TO BE TO, UH, BORN AND RAISED EAST AUSTINITE, TO BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THE SEGOVIA FAMILY AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE DONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS FOR OVER 52 YEARS, SEGOVIA PRODUCE HAS BEEN A FA A FAMILY ON A MISSION TO PROVIDE THE BEST QUALITY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND SURROUNDING AREAS AT REASONABLE PRICES WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE SO THAT FAMILIES CAN HAVE THE BEST NUTRITION POSSIBLE. AND WHEREAS SEGOVIA PRODUCE STARTED IN 1972 WITH ONE TRUCK AND ONE MAN WHO THEN LEASED A WAREHOUSE ACROSS FROM MILAGRO ON SIXTH STREET. AND IN 1950, IN 1995 PURCHASED A WAREHOUSE THAT TRIPLED THE SIZE OF THEIR BUSINESS TO A, TO A 14,500 SQUARE FOOT WAREHOUSE DEEP IN EAST AUSTIN. THAT, AND THAT REMAINS TO THIS DAY, FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED. AND WHEREAS SIX OUT OF SEVEN OWNERS OF SEGOVIA PRODUCE ARE WOMEN, SIX OUT OF SEVEN OWNERS ARE HISPANIC. AND THE BUSINESS PROVIDES JOBS FOR OVER 45 EMPLOYEES, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE LATIN AMERICAN. AND WHEREAS SEGOVIA PRODUCE HAS MADE A COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT, SUPPORT LOCAL CHURCHES AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH ANNUAL DONATIONS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY AND PARTICIPATE IN THE HEALTHY CORNER STORE PROGRAM THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH TO PROVIDE FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES TO LOWER ECONOMIC PARTS OF AUSTIN AT AFFORDABLE PRICES FOR THEM. NOW, I THEREFORE, NOW I, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JOSE VELAZQUEZ ON BEHALF OF MAYOR KIRK WATSON IN THE, IN THE ENTIRE CITY OF COUNCIL, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM NOVEMBER 7TH, 2024 AS SEGOVIA PRODUCE DAY IN AUSTIN. THANK YOU. AND THIS IS YOUR, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS, I DO WANNA SAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S SUCH AN HONOR TO, UM, BE HERE AND AN HONOR TO BE RECOGNIZED. UM, WE, WE DO WANT TO REMAIN FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED, AND WE DO STRIVE, UM, WHOLEHEARTEDLY TO, UM, PROVIDE FOR THE COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO HELP THE LOWER INCOME FAMILIES IN EAST AUSTIN AND ALL AROUND TOWN. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. IT'S VERY MUCH AN HONOR, HONOR. IT'S AN HONOR. YOU WANNA TAKE A PHOTO IN FRONT? THAT'D BE GREAT IF EVERYBODY IN FRONT OF THE PODIUM RIGHT HERE. GOOD [Proclamation – Claudia Chapa Day – To be presented by Council Member Vanessa Fuentes] MORNING EVERYONE. I'M VANESSA FUENTES, AUSTIN CITY COUNCILMAN, REPRESENTING DISTRICT TWO AND PROUD TO SAY THE NEW HOME OF THE AUSTIN OPERA. I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TO CELEBRATE AND RECOGNIZE CLAUDIA CHOPPA, THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION AND CURATOR FOR HISPANIC AND LATINX PROGRAMMING FOR THE AUSTIN OPERA. TO KICK US OFF, I WILL PASS IT OVER TO DR. CLAUDIA ZAPATA, ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF LATINO ART AND THE AT THE BLA MUSEUM OF ART TO GIVE SOME OPENING REMARKS. AND I MUST SAY THE BLANTON IS AN INCREDIBLE RESOURCE FOR US HERE IN AUSTIN. I WAS REALLY PROUD TO BE PART OF THE BLANTON STUDENT GUILD WHEN I WAS AN UNDERGRAD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AND SO I'M PROUD TO WELCOME GLADIA TO GIVE SOME OPENING REMARKS. GREAT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, VANESSA FUENTES AND HER STAFF FOR MAKING TODAY POSSIBLE. WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE CLAUDIA CHAPPA FOR HER CONTRIBUTION TO THE ARTS AS AN OPERA PERFORMER, ARTS ADMINISTRATOR, AND THE INAUGURAL CURATOR OF HISPANIC AND LATINX PROGRAMMING AT AUSTIN OPERA. SHE'S A POLYVALENT ASSET TO HER FIELD, GRACING THE STAGE OF THE FAMED CARNEGIE HALL TO LEADING THE CHARGE FOR LATINA REPRESENTATION IN OPERA. CHAPA IS A CHANGE MAKER WHO HAS OVERCOME EVERY CONCEIVABLE BARRIER TO HER SUCCESS AND [00:05:01] CONTINUES TO HAVE A RESOUNDING IMPACT AMONG HER PEERS. A CHILD OF MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS FROM LADO, TEXAS. CHOPPAS PROFESSIONAL EFFORTS ARE A TESTAMENT TO UNWAVERING DEDICATION AND PERSEVERANCE TO EXCEL ARTISTICALLY. THIS CIVIC GESTURE REPRESENTS A HUMBLE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CHOPPAS ONGOING EFFORTS FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN THE FIELD OF PERFORMING ARTS. BEING A LEADER, INNOVATOR, AND VISIONARY CAN BE A SOLITARY EXPERIENCE WHERE THE WEIGHT OF COMMUNAL RESPONSIBILITY BEARS DOWN. HOWEVER, TODAY WE ARE LETTING YOU KNOW, CLAVIA, THAT YOU ARE UPLIFTED BY THE VERY COMMUNITY YOU TIRELESSLY REPRESENT. WE SUPPORT YOU AND AT THIS MOMENT, CELEBRATE YOU NOW MARKED IN THE ANNALS OF AUSTIN HISTORY. WE ALL HAVE AN ENDURING COMMITMENT TO RECOGNIZE YOU ON YOUR RESPECTIVE DAY, AND WE WILL SIMPLY SAY THANK YOU ALWAYS AND FOREVER. NOW, GLAD THE CHAPEL WILL SAY A FEW WORDS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, DR. . UM, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF WORDS ASIDE FROM SAYING THANK YOU FOR THIS HONOR AND THAT I AM LIVING PROOF THAT MENTORSHIP IS VERY IMPORTANT IN ORDER TO SUCCEED, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES FROM YOUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU. MM-HMM, , THANK YOU. OKAY, NOW I GET TO DO THE HONORS OF READING THE PROCLAMATION. SO BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS CLAUDIA CHAPA HAS ENRICHED AUSTIN'S CULTURAL LAND LANDSCAPE THROUGH HER INNOVATIVE AND MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LATINO OPERA AS THE INAUGURAL CUR CURATOR FOR HISPANIC AND LATINX PROGRAMMING, AND AS THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION FOR THE AUSTIN OPERA. AND WHEREAS CLAUDIA CHAPPA HAS ELEVATED THE PRESENCE OF LATIN ARTISTS IN THE OPERA WORLD, PRODUCING WORLD-CLASS MUSIC PRODUCTIONS THAT FEATURE BOTH EMERGING LOCAL TALENT AND, AND INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED LATIN ARTISTS, BRINGING DIVERSE VOICES TO AUSTIN'S VIBRANT ARTS AND MUSIC SCENE. AND WHEREAS CLAUDIA CHAP'S WORK HAS GARNERED RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT FROM PRESTIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE OLGA FERRARI FERRARI FOUNDATION, FURTHER AMPLIFYING HER IMPACT IN THE WORLD OF OPERA AND THE BROADER ARTS COMMUNITY. NOW, THEREFORE, I VANESSA FUENTES, AUSTIN CITY COUNCILMAN ON BEHALF OF THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM NOVEMBER 11TH, 2024 AS CLAUDIA CHAPPA DAY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. . WONDERFUL. WE'LL JUST DO A LITTLE QUICK LITTLE PHOTO. AWESOME. CAN WE ALL OF Y'ALL IN FRONT? YEAH, LET'S DO ONE IN FRONT. SHOULD WE DO IT? YEAH. . [Proclamation – BookSpring Day – To be presented by Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool] GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. I AM LESLIE POOLE. I'M THE COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT SEVEN AND THE CITY'S MAYOR PRO TEM. AND I'M HERE TODAY TO PRESENT A PROCLAMATION TO BOOK SPRINGING A REALLY IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR OUR STUDENTS, UH, IN MAKING, UH, IN LEARNING, COMMUNICATION, LEARNING TO READ, GROWING IN THEIR EDUCATION, AND MAKING ALL THE NECESSARY CONNECTIONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL LIFE. I'VE GOT FOLKS HERE FROM BOOK SPRINGING REPRESENTING Y'ALL WANNA SCOOCH IN A LITTLE BIT CLOSER AND MAKE SURE WE CAN ALL SEE YOU ON THE CAMERA. I WILL READ THE PROCLAMATION TO YOU, AND HERE IT IS. WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO HOLD THE PROP? I WILL. GREAT. THANK YOU. HI. ALL RIGHT, HERE WE GO. BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS BOOK SPRINGING HAS BEEN A BEACON OF LITERACY IN CENTRAL TEXAS SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1974, AS FRIENDS OF READING IS FUNDAMENTAL OF AUSTIN, PROVIDING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITH THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO UNLOCK A LIFETIME OF LEARNING AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGH THE POWER OF BOOKS. AND WHEREAS WHAT BEGAN AS A DREAM NURTURED BY VOLUNTEER DOCTORS AND LIBRARIANS HAS GROWN INTO A PIVOTAL ORGANIZATION THAT HAS DISTRIBUTED MILLIONS OF BOOKS AND EMPOWERING GENERATIONS OF CHILDREN WITH THE JOY OF READING AND HELPING FAMILIES ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS BRIDGE THE LITERACY GAP. AND WHEREAS BOOK SPRINGS JOURNEY IS ONE OF DEDICATION, EVOLUTION, AND INNOVATION FROM MERGING WITH CAPITAL AREA, REACH OUT AND READ, WHICH WAS C-A-R-O-R IN 2008, TO BECOMING A LEADER IN BOOK DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS LIKE BOOKS FOR ME, AND READ WELL AND LAUNCHING INITIATIVES LIKE THE PARENT BOOK CLUB AND BOOKS BEGINNING AT BIRTH, ALL WITH A SINGULAR GOAL, ENSURING EVERY CHILD HAS THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO SUCCEED. AND WHEREAS OVER THE PAST FIVE DECADES, BOOKS SPRINGING HAS NOT ONLY DISTRIBUTED MILLIONS OF BOOKS, BUT HAS ALSO [00:10:01] PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN SHAPING THE CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL FABRIC OF CENTRAL TEXAS, PARTNERING WITH CLINICS, SCHOOLS, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO REACH FAMILIES IN NEED AND PROMOTE EQUITY IN EDUCATION, ALL WHILE BEING GUIDED BY VISIONARY LEADERS, A DEDICATED BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND A COMMITTED STAFF AND VOLUNTEER FORCE. AND WHEREAS IN RECOGNITION OF ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY BOOKS, SPRINGING HAS MARKED MANY ACHIEVEMENTS, INCLUDING INCREASING THE NUMBER OF DIVERSE BOOKS IN CHILDREN'S HOMES, EXPANDING BEYOND AUSTIN TO SERVE MORE FAMILIES ACROSS TEXAS, ACQUIRING A PERMANENT HEADQUARTERS, AND RECEIVING NATIONAL RECOGNITION SUCH AS THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS BEST PRACTICES IN LITERACY AWARD. AND WHEREAS THE IMPACT OF BOOK SPRINGS WORK HAS BEEN FELT FAR AND WIDE WITH STUDIES CONFIRMING THAT THEIR PROGRAMS LEAD TO IMPROVED READING SCORES AND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IN CHILDREN HELPING TO BUILD A RESILIENT, LITERATE COMMUNITY AND LEAVING AN INDELIBLE MARK ON THE FUTURE OF CENTRAL TEXAS. NOW, THEREFORE, IS LESLIE POOL MAYOR PRO TEM OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON BEHALF OF MAYOR WATSON AND THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL DO HEREBY PROCLAIM NOVEMBER 19TH, 2024 AS BOOK SPRING DAY IN AUSTIN. WOO. YAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU'RE SO WELCOME. AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. DO YOU WANNA SAY A FEW WORDS? YOU DON'T HAVE TO, DO YOU WANNA, DO YOU WANNA READ SOMETHING TO US ? UM, I, I WILL JUST SAY A FEW WORDS. GREAT. PLEASE DO. ON BEHALF OF BOOK SPRINGING, WE ARE SO HONORED TO ACCEPT THIS AMAZING AWARD FOR OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY. AND PLEASE COME ON DOWN AND BE A PART OF BOOKS SPRINGING VOLUNTEER, WE'RE OF THIS COMMUNITY, AND WE CAN BUILD IT THROUGH BOOKS AND READING TOGETHER. THANK YOU HERE. AND WE'LL STAND HERE WITH THAT. * 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.