* 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.
          [00:00:16]
          PARTISAN ORGANIZATION. 
          [Austin D9 Candidate Panel on September 29, 2026.]
WE DON'T SUPPORT OR POST CANDIDATES OR POLITICAL PARTIES, BUT WE DO HELP PEOPLE REGISTER TO VOTE, UNDERSTAND THE VOTING PROCESS, AND FIND RELIABLE INFORMATION ABOUT CANDIDATES AND BALLOT ISSUES. 
          OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDE VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES OUR FIRST VOTE PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, OUR PRINTED AND VOTER, AND ONLINE VOTERS, GUIDES AND FORUMS LIKE THIS ONE. 
          OUR PURPOSE TODAY IS TO HELP YOU MAKE YOUR OWN INFORMED CHOICE. 
          THANK YOU TO OUR CANDIDATES FOR PARTICIPATING, AND TO EVERYONE IN OUR AUDIENCE FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LEARN ABOUT THE PEOPLE SEEKING TO REPRESENT YOU. 
          BEFORE WE BEGIN, I'D LIKE TO REVIEW THE RULES AND THE, THE FORMAT AND THE TIMING. 
          FIRST AND FOREMOST, CANDIDATES ARE EXPECTED TO BE RESPECTFUL. 
          PERSONAL ATTACKS ON OPPONENTS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. 
          EACH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR THEIR OPENING STATEMENTS. 
          I WILL THEN ASK A SERIES OF QUESTIONS ON TOPICS LIKE HOUSING AND GROWTH, PUBLIC SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION, AND OTHER CONCERNS THAT AFFECT THOSE IN DISTRICT NINE. 
          EACH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE ONE MINUTE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, AND WE'LL ROTATE THE ORDER OF RESPONSES SO EVERYONE GETS A CHANCE TO, TO ANSWER FIRST. 
          DURING EACH ONE MINUTE RESPONSE, OUR TIMER WILL SIGNAL AT THE 15 SECOND MARK. 
          AND AGAIN, WHEN TIME IS UP, CANDIDATES WILL PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON THE TIMER AND, UH, STOP SPEAKING WHEN YOUR TIME ENDS. 
          UM, FOLLOWING THE QUESTION PERIOD, EACH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO DO THEIR, FOR THEIR CLOSING STATEMENTS. 
          UM, THIS IS THE FINAL OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO SHARE WHY THEY BELIEVE VOTERS SHOULD CHOOSE THEM TO SERVE ON THE CITY COUNCIL. 
          SO LET'S BEGIN WITH OUR TWO MINUTE INTRODUCTIONS. 
          OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. HAMAN. 
          MR. HAMAN, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. 
          THANKS, AND THANKS FOR EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT TONIGHT. 
          MY NAME'S RICH HAMAN, AND I'M RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE. 
          FOR 18 YEARS, I TAUGHT URBAN STUDIES AND GEOGRAPHY AT UT. 
          UM, AND IN, UH, THE SPRING OF 2024, I WAS FIRED FOR MY JOB BECAUSE WHEN GREG ABBOTT AND HIS LACKEYS IN THE ADMINISTRATION AT UT CALLED OUT THE STATE TROOPERS TO ARREST THE STUDENTS, I WENT OUT TO PROTEST THAT. 
          AND EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG, UH, I WAS ROUGHED UP BY ONE OF THE TROOPERS AND SUBSEQUENTLY ARRESTED, AND UT FIRED ME FOR THAT. 
          UM, WHILE I WAS, UH, TEACHING AT UT, I WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS ACROSS THE CITY ON A VARIETY OF ISSUES INCLUDING HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, UH, ANTI DISPLACEMENT, FOOD ACCESS, UH, EQUITY, UH, IN PARKS, UM, AND LOTS OF OTHER ISSUES, TENANTS RIGHTS. 
          UM, AND WHAT I FOUND IN DOING THAT WORK ACROSS THE CITY WAS THE CITY COUNCIL MORE AND MORE WAS PUTTING, UH, THEIR DONORS AND THE LOBBYISTS VOICES BEFORE THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN, AND THAT THE POLICIES THAT WE WERE PURSUING WERE DRIVING INEQUALITY IN OUR CITY. 
          UH, WE'VE HAD A SHRINKING MIDDLE CLASS FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS, A GROWING, UH, LOW INCOME, UH, WORKFORCE. 
          UH, AND OUR CITY POLICIES CONTINUE TO GIVE TAX BREAKS TO BILLIONAIRES AND SUITE SWEETHEART DEALS TO WEALTHY CORPORATIONS. 
          AND I THINK WE NEED TO REVERSE THAT. 
          WE NEED TO PUT PEOPLE FIRST, UH, AND MAKE SURE OUR POLICIES UPLIFT FOLKS FROM THE BOTTOM, UH, TO BUILD OUR MIDDLE CLASS BACK UP AS WE DID DURING THE GREAT, UH, DURING THE NEW DEAL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          HI, I'M KATIE CAM, AND I'M RUNNING FOR AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE. 
          THANK YOU TO ALL TUNING IN AND WATCHING THIS. 
          I HAVE LIVED IN AUSTIN SINCE 1983, AND I HAVE RAI, I GREW UP HERE, RAISED MY TWO KIDS HERE, AND I HAVE DEDICATED MY EDUCATION AND CAREER TO BEING OF SERVICE TO AUSTIN, AND I'VE WORN MANY HATS TO DO THAT. 
          SO I HAVE UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES IN BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY, AND I USE THOSE TO BE AN AUSTIN ISD SCIENCE TEACHER, AND TO BE A STARTUP FOUNDER OF A CULTURE OF MEAT COMPANY CALLED BIO BQ. 
          AND THEN I ALSO HAVE A MASTER'S IN COMMUNITY REGIONAL PLANNING FROM UT AUSTIN, AND I USE THAT TO BE AN URBAN PLANNER FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, IN THE LATE NINETIES, EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, WHERE I WORK CLOSELY WITH THE CODES NOR COMMITTEE AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE PUBLIC IN DEVELOPING CODE AMENDMENTS AND LOOKING AT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. 
          AND THEN, UH, MORE, THERE'S MORE DEGREES. 
          SO I HAVE A MASTER'S IN PHD IN CIVIL ENGINEERING FROM UT AUSTIN, AND I'VE USED THOSE, UH, TO BE A CIVIL ENGINEER HERE IN AUSTIN IN 
          [00:05:01]
PRACTICE AS WELL AS A RESEARCHER. 
          SO, UH, I BRING A VERY DIVERSE, UH, PERSPECTIVE AND HIGHLY RELEVANT EXPERIENCE TO, UH, AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. 
          AND, UH, WHEN I WANTED TO CHOOSE THE THREE WORDS FOR MY WEBSITE, I CHOSE EXPERIENCED FOR THE REASONS I JUST GAVE, UH, THOUGHTFUL AND VISIONARY. 
          I CHOSE THOUGHTFUL BECAUSE, UH, I, A I ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS, AND AS YOU CAN TELL FROM MY EDUCATION BACKGROUND, I'M A VERY CURIOUS PERSON. 
          AND THESE ARE THE TYPES, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF TRAITS THAT A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER NEEDS TO HAVE. 
          AND THEN, UH, LASTLY, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO TRYING TO OBTAIN SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC SAFETY, THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME. 
          AFFORDABILITY, UH, MAKING A CULTURALLY VIBRANT CITY, AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE CITY, AND, UH, STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS AND SCHOOLS. 
          WE NEED PRACTICAL VISIONARY IDEAS TO GET OUTTA THE RU THAT WE'RE IN. 
          THANK YOU CANDIDATE CADRY. 
          GREAT. 
          UH, WELL, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ZOE CERY. 
          I'M, I'M SO THANKFUL TO BE HERE TODAY, AND I'M, I'M THANKFUL FOR THE WORK OF, OF LEGAL WOMEN VOTERS FOR THROWING THIS TOGETHER. 
          UH, SO WHETHER YOU'RE HERE IN PERSON OR, OR JOINING VIRTUALLY, UM, WELCOME. 
          UH, MY NAME IS COUNCIL MEMBER ZORIE. 
          I'VE HAD THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE OF SERVING, UH, AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR, FOR DISTRICT NINE, UH, SINCE JANUARY OF 2023. 
          UM, I AM SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE. 
          UM, I LOVE THIS CITY. 
          I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY. 
          I MOVED HERE BACK IN 2009, UM, AS, AS A, AS A TEENAGER, UH, WIDE-EYED, UH, AND, AND HAVE NEVER STOPPED BELIEVING IN WHAT THE, IN THE POTENTIAL OF THIS CITY. 
          UH, BUT DURING MY TIME IN AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE GONE THROUGH, UH, IN AUSTIN THAT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY WORK FOR EVERYONE, WHETHER IT BE ON ISSUES LIKE AFFORDABILITY, ON EQUITABLE MOBILITY, UH, ON HOW OUR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY IS TREATED, UH, IT'S, IT'S BECOME A CITY AT TIMES OF HAVES AND HAVE NOTS. 
          UH, SO IT'S BEEN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WORK ON HOUSING AND PARKING REFORM TO LOWER THE COST OF LIVING, UH, THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE GOOD EQUITABLE TRANSIT TO TAKE CARE OF AUSTINITES TODAY, BUT ALSO TOMORROW. 
          UH, AND THEN ULTIMATELY, UH, YOU KNOW, I WANNA MAKE SURE, AND THIS IS SOME, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I DECIDED TO RUN IN THE FIRST PLACE, IS MAKING SURE THAT OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, WHICH, WHICH ARE OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS, AND THEY ARE OUR NEIGHBORS, ARE, ARE PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF, UH, TO HAVE WRAPAROUND SERVICES, TO HAVE HOUSING, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT POPULATION. 
          UH, JUST A, A LITTLE BIT OVER A YEAR AGO, I, I WELCOMED, UH, YOU KNOW, MY, MY FIRST CHILD AND MOVE AS, AS I'VE MOVED FORWARD IN, IN MY TIME IN OFFICE. 
          UH, I, I HAVE VIEWED THE CITY IN HIS EYES, AND, AND I REALLY DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS CITY ULTIMATELY WORKS FOR HIM AND HIS PEERS AND HIS KIDS. 
          AND, AND, AND THAT ONLY HAPPENS IF WE MAKE THE, THE, THE RIGHT INVESTMENTS TODAY. 
          UH, SO I, I, LIKE I SAID, I'M HONORED TO BE HERE TODAY, UM, HONORED AND, AND EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THAT STILL LIES AHEAD. 
          AND, UH, WAS THAT, THAT'S MY TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          WE'LL GO RIGHT INTO THE QUESTION PERIOD, AND WE'LL START WITH CANDIDATE CAM. 
          UH, OUR FIRST TOPIC TONIGHT IS PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          SO WE HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS IN THIS VEIN. 
          FIRST QUESTION, DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PRESENTS DISTINCTIVE PUBLIC SAFETY CHALLENGES WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF RESIDENTS, WORKERS, STUDENTS, AND VISITORS, AS WELL AS NIGHTLIFE, HOMELESSNESS, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONCERNS. 
          AND A PD CONTINUES REBUILDING ITS STAFFING. 
          WHAT SHOULD POLICING IN THE URBAN CORE LOOK LIKE AND WHICH PUBLIC SAFETY NEEDS SHOULD BE HANDLED BY POLICE VERSUS OTHER SERVICES? OKAY. 
          SO, UH, YES, I'M, UH, SUPPORTIVE OF MAKING SURE THE POLICE ARE FULLY STAFFED. 
          I DID A RIDE ALONG IN, UH, THE DOWNTOWN AREA A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND IT WAS, UH, A GREAT EXPERIENCE TO SEE THE VARIETY OF CALLS THAT ARE MADE. 
          UH, ONE OF THE CALLS WAS A MENTAL HEALTH CALL. 
          UH, SO THAT JUST REINFORCES THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE HAVE MENTAL HEALTH WORKING, UH, CLOSELY WITH THE POLICE. 
          AND, UH, JUST FROM MY EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN DOWNTOWN, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE ROLE THAT DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE SAFETY TEAM AND HAVING PATROL NEARBY, UH, HAS WITH, UH, MAKING A DOWNTOWN FEEL SAFER, KNOWING THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A QUICK RESPONSE IF THERE'S GONNA BE ANY INCIDENTS. 
          I LIKE THE IDEA OF COMMUNITY POLICING, OF MAKING SURE WE HAVE ENOUGH, UH, POLICE STAFFS THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES HERE. 
          AND, UH, ONE THING WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF BUILDINGS AND BUSINESSES THAT ARE HIRING PRIVATE SECURITY, WHICH IS A SIGN THAT WE STILL NEED TO PROVIDE PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, MORE IN DOWNTOWN. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          CANDIDATE CADRE. 
          UH, I APOLOGIZE. 
          COULD YOU, COULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? SURE. 
          IT'S A LONG QUESTION. 
          DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PRESENTS DISTINCT PUBLIC SAFETY CHALLENGES WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF RESIDENTS, WORKERS, STUDENTS, AND VISITORS, AS WELL AS NIGHTLIFE, HOMELESSNESS, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONCERNS. 
          AS A PD CONTINUES REBUILDING ITS STAFFING, WHAT SHOULD POLICING IN THE URBAN CORE LOOK LIKE 
          [00:10:01]
AND WHICH PUBLIC SAFETY NEEDS SHOULD BE HANDLED BY POLICE VERSUS OTHER CITY SERVICES? SURE. 
          I'LL START OFF KIND OF WITH THE, THE END OF THAT QUESTION. 
          UH, I, I THINK FOR, FOR FAR TOO LONG, WE'VE SEEN, UM, THESE VERY INHUMANE SWEEPS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE, UH, IN THE DOWNTOWN CORE, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WHERE OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS ARE HAVING THEIR POSSESSIONS THROWN AWAY AT TIMES. 
          THESE ARE THEIR ONLY FORMS OF ID AT TIMES. 
          THESE ARE THE ASHES OF THEIR LOVED ONES. 
          SO I, WHEN IT COMES TO, OR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY, I, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IS A, THAT SHOULD BE A RESPONSIBILITY, UH, THAT FALLS ON, ON A PD. 
          UH, I THINK I HAVE A LOT OF FAITH IN THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE AND INVESTMENTS THAT THEY'VE BEEN MAKING. 
          UH, WE'VE ALSO WORKED ON ITEMS AS A COUNCIL TO HAVE, UH, NAVIGATORS ON THE GROUND TO HELP OUR, OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS. 
          UH, SO, AND, AND THERE'S A NEW PROGRAM THAT THE CITY JUST STARTED CALLED NO WRONG DOOR, WHICH IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY, THE COUNTY, THE DA'S OFFICE, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, UH, HEALTHCARE AGENCIES, UH, AS WELL AS AS A PD, BUT MAKING SURE THAT THOSE TRAINED PROFESSIONALS ARE THERE. 
          ULTIMATELY, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE ARE IN A GOOD PLACE WITH EMS FIRE AND A PD, ONE OF THE REASONS I VOTED AGAINST THE, THE POLICE CONTRACT, UM, YEARS BACK IS BECAUSE I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE WE WERE GONNA BE A FULLY SAFE CITY IF, IF ONE DEPARTMENT HAS ALL THE MONEY AND THE OTHER DEPARTMENT'S LAG, THANK YOU, CANDIDATE HAMAN. 
          UM, SO I THINK THAT RIGHT NOW WE'RE OVERBURDENING OUR POLICE WITH, UM, TOO MANY TASKS THAT THEY'RE NOT SUITED FOR, AND THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY TRAINED FOR. 
          UM, AND SO WE NEED TO REALLOCATE OUR RESOURCES AND THINK PUBLIC SAFETY IN A BROADER CONTEXT, UM, HAVING DIFFERENT KINDS OF RESPONSES. 
          THE POLICE, WE MOSTLY WANT POLICE TO CATCH WRONGDOERS, UM, AND TO SOLVE CRIMES. 
          AND THEY, UH, AND SO THE, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS OUR POLICE ON. 
          OTHER KINDS OF ISSUES, UH, MIGHT BE BETTER HANDLED BY EMS, BY, UH, MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, UM, AND STRONG POLICE PRESENCES, UH, ON, ON OUR STREETS AT ALL TIMES DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE, UH, PEOPLE SAFER OR FEEL SAFER. 
          UM, WE NEED TO, UH, HAVE IN PLACE THOSE KINDS OF SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT ALLOW PEOPLE TO HAVE, UH, DIG TO BUILD THEIR OWN DIGNIFIED LIVES. 
          AND THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER PUBLIC SAFETY QUESTION, BEGINNING WITH CANDIDATE CADRE. 
          FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT HAS INCREASED IN AUSTIN SOMETIMES CREATING TENSION BETWEEN FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT PRIORITIES AND THE POLICIES AND PRIORITIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 
          WHAT ROLE SHOULD THE CITY PLAY IN RESPONDING TO FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES WHILE OPERATING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF ITS LEGAL AUTHORITY? YEAH, I MEAN, I, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THE HORRIFIC SHOOTING THAT TOOK PLACE, UH, THIS LAST WEEKEND, UM, WITH, WITH, WITH, WITH A, WITH AN AUSTINITE, UH, WILBUR, UH, WHO, WHO WAS, WHO WAS SHOT IN THE BACK, UH, DURING A DOORDASH DELIVERY, UH, WHO STILL HAS A BULLET IN HIS BACK. 
          AND, AND THE LAST I HEARD IS STILL A NICE, UH, DETENTION FACILITY. 
          UH, I HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST THIS MANY TIMES. 
          I DON'T BELIEVE A PD OR ANY CITY DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE ANY SORT OF COLLABORATION, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH WITH ICE. 
          UM, NOW I UNDERSTAND THERE'S BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, AT TIMES THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN, WELL, THE CITY IS LEGALLY ALLOWED, YOU KNOW, LEGALLY REQUIRED TO DO X, Y, Z AS IT RELATES TO, TO ICE. 
          I, I THINK W WE NEED TO KEEP THAT, YOU KNOW, TO, TO AN ABSOLUTE MINIMAL. 
          UM, AND OR WE NEED TO LOOK AT EVERY AVENUE THAT WE CAN TO, TO, TO NOT PARTNER WITH AN AGENCY THAT HAS BEEN HURTING AUSTINITES THAT HAS BEEN, UH, REMOVING AUSTINITES FROM THEIR, FROM THEIR HOME AND, AND, AND PUSHING FOLKS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY. 
          SO, UH, I, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN OUTSPOKEN AGAINST, UM, YOU KNOW, ICE AND AUSTIN, UH, AND I DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD BE ANY COLLABORATION BETWEEN ICE AND ANY, ANY CITY DEPARTMENT. 
          THANK YOU CANDIDATE HAMAN. 
          UM, THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ICE, UM, MAKES OUR CITIES LESS SAFE FOR ALL OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          IT'S EXTREMELY DISRUPTIVE TO OUR COMMUNITIES, MAKES EVERYONE LESS SAFE. 
          UM, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, I BELIEVE THAT SB FOUR IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND THE CITY NEEDS TO TAKE A STAND AND CHALLENGE THE STATE GOVERNMENT ON, ON THAT COUNT. 
          SB FOUR, UH, REQUIRES THE A PD TO DETAIN PEOPLE, EVEN THOUGH THEY DO NOT HAVE PROBABLE CAUSE THAT A CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED. 
          AND THAT IS CONTRARY TO THE FOURTH AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION. 
          SO THE CITY NEEDS TO STAND UP, UH, FOR WHAT'S RIGHT AND MAKE THE STATE GOVERNMENT SUE US FOR NOT, UH, COLLABORATING WITH THESE, UH, TERRORISTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CAM? YES. 
          SO, UH, THE QUESTION IS, WHAT'S THE ROLE OF THE CITY, UH, AND I GUESS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, IN RESPONDING TO WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH 
          [00:15:01]
ICE BEING IN THE COMMUNITY? AND I THINK ONE THING THAT WE SHOULD CONSISTENTLY DO IS ALWAYS, UM, JUST INSIST THAT THERE BE ACCOUNTABILITY AND INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIONS INTO EACH INCIDENT. 
          UH, THAT, UH, WE FOLLOW THE LAW AS IT IS, UH, AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS. 
          BUT, UH, WE SHOULD, UM, PARTICIPATE IN ANY CHALLENGES THAT MAKE SENSE, UH, BUT WE'LL, WE SHOULD JUST MINIMALLY FOLLOW IT. 
          AND, UH, THEN WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE CONSISTENT IMPLEMENTATION AND CLARITY HAPPENING WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE POLICIES AND THE LAWS ARE, SO THERE'S NOT INCONSISTENCY IN HOW THAT'S APPLIED WITHIN THE POLICE. 
          UM, AND THEN LASTLY, WE NEED TO JUST, UM, MAKE SURE, OKAY. 
          I'LL CONTINUE LATER. 
          . 
          THANK YOU. 
          HOLD ON. 
          OH, NO, IT'S, SORRY. 
          WE LOST TRACK OF WHO STARTED, UH, ONE LAST PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY QUESTION. 
          CANDIDATE HAMAN, UM, TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS CAN HELP POLICE INVESTIGATE CRIMES, BUT IT HAS ALSO RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVACY, DATA SHARING AND GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE. 
          WHAT PRINCIPLES SHOULD GUIDE'S USE OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY AND WHAT SAFEGUARDS SHOULD BE IN PLACE TO PROTECT RESIDENTS PRIVACY? UM, I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR, UH, UM, A LOT OF PRIVACY FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY. 
          I AM NOT A FAN OF, UH, SURVEILLANCE, UH, BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OR BY GOVERNMENT. 
          UH, A LOT OF STUDIES IN THE URBAN STUDIES LITERATURE SHOWS THAT SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS DO NOT MAKE, DO NOT REDUCE CRIME, UH, AND DO NOT MAKE PEOPLE SAFER OR NECESSARILY FEEL SAFER. 
          UM, SO THE RESEARCH DOES NOT SUPPORT THE USE OF THESE, UH, DEVICES. 
          AND, UH, AS REGARDS TO THE, UM, AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS AND THE AI SYSTEMS, THERE ARE QUESTIONS NOT ONLY, UM, ABOUT PRIVACY AND ABOUT SURVEILLANCE, BUT ALSO ABOUT, UH, RACIAL BIAS, UH, IN THE AI SYSTEMS THAT, UH, THESE, UM, UH, THAT ARE BEHIND THESE. 
          SO WE NEED TO, UH, DRAW THE LINE AT THESE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE OPEN TO WIDESPREAD ABUSE AND ARE UNFAIR TO OUR, UH, IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, AND ESPECIALLY TO, UH, OUR RESIDENTS OF COLOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM . 
          CANDIDATE CAM. 
          SO I JUST HAD A COMMUNITY WORKSHOP ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE WHERE I BROKE, UH, THOSE THAT ATTENDED, UH, INTO SMALL GROUPS. 
          AND TO KIND OF BE LIKE, IF WE DON'T HAVE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS, WHAT CAN WE USE FOR TECHNOLOGIES IN ORDER TO, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, RESPOND TO DIFFERENT INCIDENTS? THE STOLEN VEHICLE ACTIVE SHOOTER, AND THE CONVERSATIONS WERE VERY INTERESTING. 
          ALL THE GROUPS WENT TO, WELL, HOW CAN WE PREVENT THE INCIDENT IN THE FIRST PLACE? UH, BUT OF COURSE I SAID, NO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT. 
          YOU'VE GOTTA COME UP WITH SOME TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY. 
          SO I THINK WHAT WAS REALLY HELPFUL FROM THAT COMMUNITY WORKSHOP IS BREAKING DOWN ALL THE INCIDENTS THAT, UH, POLICE HAVE TO RESPOND TO, AND THEN DETERMINING FROM THERE WHAT TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE USED, UH, FOR EACH OF THOSE INCIDENTS. 
          AND SEEING IF, UH, ANY TYPE OF SURVEILLANCE IS EVEN NEEDED IN ORDER TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO THAT. 
          AND I WANNA GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WAY OF LOOKING AT IT. 
          UH, WE DISCUSSED AMBER ALERTS AS A WAY TO CROWDSOURCE THE NEED, UH, FOR LOOKING OUT FOR SOMETHING, AND THEN ALSO THE STOLEN VEHICLES JUST EQUIPPING PEOPLE'S CARS WITH, UH, GPS UNITS TO HELP WITH THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CADRY? NO. 
          SO, SO DURING, SORRY. 
          UM, UH, DUR, SORRY. 
          UM, DURING, DURING MY TIME IN COUNCIL, WE'VE HAD THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER ITEM, UH, SHIPPED POP UP SEVERAL TIMES. 
          EVERY TIME THAT IT'S, IT'S COME UP, I, I VOTED AGAINST IT. 
          UH, THE LAST TIME IT CAME UP, THE ITEM WAS POSTPONED INDEFINITELY. 
          I DON'T, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTIONS COME UP, WELL, WHAT IF WE WENT WITH A DIFFERENT COMPANY? WHAT IF WE DIDN'T GO WITH FLOCK? YOU KNOW, WHAT IF WE PUT UP CERTAIN GUARDRAILS? I DON'T BELIEVE WE COULD PUT UP ANY SORT OF GUARDRAILS THAT WOULD MAKE, UH, A LPRS AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS SAFE. 
          UH, I THINK THERE'S TOO MUCH OF A RISK OF THE HARM IT COULD DO TO FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          UH, WE'VE HEARD HOW APRS HAVE BEEN WEAPONIZED TO GO AFTER, UM, IMMIGRANTS OR UNDOCUMENTED FOLKS. 
          WE'VE SEEN A, WE'VE SEEN THE APRS BE WEAPONIZED, UH, TO GO AFTER INDIVIDUALS LEAVING THE STATE IN NEED FOR ABORTION ACCESS. 
          AND WE'VE EVEN SEEN THE APRS BEING USED BY, UM, YOU KNOW, POLICE DEPARTMENTS, UH, POLICE OFFICERS, I'M SORRY, UH, NOT HERE IN AUSTIN, BUT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. 
          THERE WAS AN INSTANCE SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY, I'M SORRY, THERE WAS AN INSTANCE WHERE AN OFFICER USED A LPR TECHNOLOGY, UH, TO GO, UH, FIND AN EX-GIRLFRIEND THAT HE HAD BEEN STALKING. 
          SO, I, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY AMOUNT OF GUARD RAILS THAT CAN BE PLACED, UH, TO MAKE A LPR IS 
          [00:20:01]
A, A GOOD FORM OF TECHNOLOGY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, LET'S MOVE ON TO FISCAL STEWARDSHIP. 
          ONE OF THE PRIMARY ROLES OF CITY COUNCIL, UH, CANDIDATE CAM, THIS QUESTION IS FOR YOU. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UH, AUSTIN RECENTLY ADOPTED A BUDGET THAT INCLUDED DIFFICULT TRADE-OFFS AND DEFERRED SOME CAPITAL PROJECTS TO A BOND PROPOSAL THAT VOTERS WILL CONSIDER. 
          THIS FALL BOND PROPOSITION A INCLUDES INVESTMENTS IN SEVERAL DISTRICT NINE FACILITIES, INCLUDING UPGRADES TO BIG STACEY NEIGHBORHOOD POOL, WRE SQUARE, AND OTHER GREENWAYS. 
          THE BOND WOULD ALSO INCREASE PROPERTY TAXES AS THE DEBT IS ISSUED. 
          DO YOU SUPPORT BOND PROPOSITION A AND HOW DO YOU WEIGH THESE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AGAINST CONCERNS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY? SO, UH, I HAVE EXPERIENCE WORKING INSIDE THE, THE CITY AS A CIVIL ENGINEER, MANAGING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, AND CAPITAL DELIVERY. 
          AND UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT I HAVE TO REPORT BACK IS THAT IS NOT A TIGHT SHIP, TIGHTLY RUN SHIP. 
          UH, I SAW FINANCIAL AND CONTRACT MISMANAGEMENT. 
          UH, I SAW OVERPAYMENT OF CONSULTANTS. 
          UH, I'M IN THE CAMP OF, WE HAVE GOT TO AUDIT THE DEPARTMENTS AND DETERMINE WHY A LOT OF BOND PROJECTS HAVE BEEN LINGERING FOR SO LONG, WHY THEY WENT ALL THE WAY TO 90% AND THEN WENT BACK TO STARTING ALL OVER. 
          UM, SO THOUGH I LOVE THESE LIBRARY AND PARKS PROJECTS, UH, I THINK WE NEED TO, UH, GET A BETTER HANDLE ON THE OPERATIONS HAPPENING INSIDE THE CITY FOR MANAGING THESE PROJECTS. 
          UH, SO I'M, I'M KIND OF SPLIT ON THIS ONE. 
          IT'S LIKE, YES, I WANT THE LIBRARY AND PARKS PROJECTS, BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, AND ESPECIALLY BEFORE WE EVER RAISE ANY PROPERTY TAX INCREASES, WE NEED TO HAVE AN AUDIT DONE AND EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS MADE IN CAPITAL DELIVERY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CADRE? YEAH. 
          UH, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF, OF PROP A. 
          UM, I'M ALSO SUPPORTIVE OF PROP B. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE, THE FISCAL SITUATION THAT THE CITY FINDS ITSELF IN, WE, WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE FOUND OURSELF IN THIS SITUATION. 
          UH, IN MY OPINION, A LARGE PART OF THAT IS THE POLICE CONTRACT THAT THE CITY PASSED, UM, A FEW YEARS BACK. 
          UH, POLICE, THE POLICE BUDGET CAN NEVER BE STATE LAW. 
          YOU CAN'T DECREASE IT. 
          SO EVERY YEAR WE'RE GONNA SEE THE POLICE BUDGET. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, BALLOON, BALLOON, BALLOON. 
          AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN THIS PAST BUDGET CYCLE WAS VITAL SOCIAL SERVICES ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, THE UNDERFUNDING IN, IN MY, IN, IN MY OPINION, OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, OF, OF THE HOME HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE. 
          UM, SO WE SHOULDN'T HAVE THAT ITEM SHOULDN'T HAVE PASSED. 
          I, I, I THINK IT'S, IT'S CAUSED A, A MESS FOR US AS A CITY, UH, THAT BEING SAID, OR CONSTITUENTS, YOU KNOW, RELY ON, ON THE CITY MAKING, UH, GOOD ON, ON, ON, ON HAVING A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ITS RESIDENTS. 
          UH, SO THAT'S WHY I'M SUPPORTIVE OF PROPS, PROPS SAYING B, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE, WE KEEP ON GOING AND DELIVERING. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, FOR FOLKS IN AUSTIN, THANK YOU, CANDIDATE HAMAN, UM, IN TERMS OF THE PROPOSITIONS THEMSELVES, I, I WILL BE VOTING FOR BOTH A AND B MYSELF, BUT THE BEAUTY OF THE WAY THAT BOND ELECTIONS WORK IS THE VOTERS GET TO DECIDE. 
          SO IT'S NOT REALLY A DECISION BY COUNCIL ABOUT WHETHER WE ARE GONNA RAISE OUR TAXES OR, UH, FUND THESE PARTICULAR PROJECTS. 
          IT'S UP TO THE CITIZENS. 
          AND SO I THINK THAT'S GREAT. 
          UM, UH, I'M A LITTLE BIT WORRIED BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN, IN LARGE PART, HAVE LOST FAITH IN THE CITY GOVERNMENT, AND THE EFFICIENCY AND THE EFFICACY OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AS KATIE WAS, WAS OUTLINING, BUT ALSO IN SOME OF THE JUDGMENTS OF OUR CITY COUNCIL IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          SO I'M REALLY WORRIED THAT THESE WON'T PASS AND WE WON'T GET, UM, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHEST QUALITY PARKS, AND WE WON'T GET, UM, INFUSIONS INTO OUR, UH, LIBRARY SYSTEM, WHICH WE NEED, WHICH I USE ALL THE TIME. 
          I GO TO THE LIBRARY QUITE OFTEN MYSELF. 
          UM, SO YEAH, I'M IN FAVOR OF THOSE, BUT THE CITIZENS WILL DECIDE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, WE'LL BEGIN WITH CANDIDATE CADRE ON THE NEXT ONE. 
          UM, AS ALLUDED, THERE IS ANOTHER PROPOSITION ON THE BALLOT THIS FALL, UM, PROPOSITION I, SO AUSTIN HAS BEGUN AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF CITY OPERATIONS WHILE PROPOSITION I, UH, WOULD REQUIRE RECURRING EFFICIENCY REVIEWS IN THE CITY CHARTER. 
          ARE YOU FOR OR AGAINST PROPOSITION I? AND REGARDLESS OF WHAT VOTERS DECIDE, WHERE DO YOU BELIEVE THE CITY COULD OPERATE MORE EFFICIENTLY WITHOUT COMPROMISING ESSENTIAL SERVICES? SURE. 
          THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. 
          UM, I'M AGAINST PROPOSITION. 
          I, UM, I AM FOR THE INDEPENDENT, YOU KNOW, AUDIT THAT THE, THE CITY'S BEEN BEEN WORKING ON. 
          UH, BUT AGAINST PROPOSITION, I, IT'S A PROPOSITION BEING BROUGHT FORWARD BY, UH, A GROUP THAT'S SENT A LOT OF DAMAGE, OR AT LEAST TRIED TO DO A LOT OF DAMAGE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          UM, BUT I, I, I DO THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE THE, THE INDEPENDENT AUDIT DONE, UH, AT THE, AT THE CITY LEVEL. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK ONE THING THAT'S BEEN HIGHLIGHTED DURING THE BUDGET CYCLE WAS LOOKING AT THE CONSULTING CONTRACTS, WHICH ARE, WHICH ARE WAY TOO HIGH. 
          UM, 
          [00:25:01]
WE SHOULD NEVER PUT SOCIAL SERVICE ON THE CHOP CHOPPING BLOCK. 
          AND THE FACT THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ON CHOPPING BLOCK THIS, THIS PAST BUDGET CYCLE REALLY BOTHERED MYSELF AND MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES. 
          AND WE, WE MADE SURE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, REPLENISH THE FUNDS THAT WERE, THAT, THAT WERE GONNA BE CUT. 
          UH, BUT YEAH, I'M, I, I'M AGAINST, UH, PROPOSITION. 
          I THANK YOU CANDIDATE HAMAN. 
          UM, I'M ALSO AGAINST PROP. 
          I, UM, BECAUSE AS IT'S WRITTEN, IT, UH, REQUIRES THE CITY TO HAVE A MAJOR AUDIT EVERY FIVE YEARS, UH, WHICH WILL CAPTURE LOW HANGING FRUIT AND SOME OF THE MOST EGREGIOUS, UM, WASTE, UH, IN THE FIRST ONE OR TWO, UH, ITERATIONS OF THE PROJECT. 
          BUT THEREAFTER, THERE'LL BE EXTREME, UH, DIMINISHING RETURN. 
          SO IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO MANDATE, UH, THESE KINDS OF MAJOR AUDITS EVERY FIVE YEARS, EVEN THOUGH PERIODICALLY AN AUDIT IS IN PLACE, BUT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ONE THAT HAS, UH, THAT IS QUITE AS EXTENSIVE AS THIS. 
          THE OTHER PROBLEM WITH THIS AUDIT IS THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE AUDITOR, UH, FIND MORE SAVINGS THAN THE COST OF THE CONTRACT. 
          SO THE CURRENT CONTRACT THAT THE CITY HAS OUT IS, I THINK, $5.4 MILLION FOR A THREE YEAR AUDIT THAT IS NOT AS EXTENSIVE AS THE ONE THAT PROP I WOULD REQUIRE. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE SOME WORK, YOU KNOW, EIGHT, UH, OR $10 MILLION. 
          UH, AND SO IT WILL FORCE THEM TO FIND THAT MUCH WHEN PERHAPS DOING SO WILL DECREASE THE, UH, EFFICACY OF THE CITY PROGRAMS THAT WE NEED FOR OUR CITIZENS. 
          THANK, THANK YOU CANDIDATE CAM? YES. 
          I'M FULLY IN SUPPORT OF PROPOSITION. 
          I, I AM THE ONLY CANDIDATE UP HERE WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING INSIDE TWO MUNICIPALITIES, BOTH AUSTIN AND PFLUGERVILLE. 
          I'VE WORKED IN AUSTIN OFF AND ON THE PAST OVER, OH MY GOSH, SINCE THE LATE NINETIES. 
          AND, UH, SOME PROCESSES HAVE NOT CHANGED SINCE THE LATE NINETIES, LIKE IN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW. 
          AND LIKE I MENTIONED, I SAW ISSUES, SEVERE ISSUES INSIDE CAPITAL DELIVERY. 
          SO THERE'S LOTS OF ROOM AND IMPROVEMENT. 
          UM, I THINK, UH, PROPOSITION I HAS BEEN MISCHARACTERIZED AS SOMETHING THAT'S DOGE OR CONSERVATIVE. 
          IT IS NONPARTISAN, BIPARTISAN, IT WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE FOR US TO DO A FIVE YEAR AUDIT. 
          UM, AND I THINK THAT WILL ALSO CHANGE THE CULTURE WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, SINCE THEY KNOW THEY'LL HAVE TO RUN A TIGHT SHIP IN ORDER TO, UM, UH, GET THROUGH AN AUDIT. 
          UM, WE, UH, NEED, UM, TO UNDERSTAND ALSO THAT THE SAVINGS THAT, UH, THE CONSULTANT IS SUBJECTED TO IS A GOAL, AND IT'S STILL A PUBLIC PROCESS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THOSE SAVINGS ALL ACTUALLY BE IMPLEMENTED IN A BUDGET. 
          THANK YOU. 
          LET'S MOVE ON TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. 
          UM, RESIDENTS HAVE OFTEN CLAIMED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MAKES MAJOR DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS WITHOUT PUBLIC INPUT OR ASKS FOR PUBLIC INPUT TOO LATE IN THE PROCESS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 
          HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT DISTRICT NINE RESIDENTS HAVE MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN DECISIONS BEFORE THEY ARE MADE CANDIDATE HAMAN? UM, I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE, UH, INVITED PANELS TO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS LIKE THEY HAVE AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE, UH, AND OTHER, UH, DELIBERATIVE BODIES WHERE, UH, WE GET BOTH SIDES OF, UH, THE STORY OR MULTIPLE SIDES OF THE STORY, UM, AT LENGTH RIGHT NOW, THE CITY COUNCIL ALLOWS DEVELOPERS WHO ARE BRINGING, UH, THESE PROJECTS TO THE CITY TO SPEAK AT LENGTH ON THEIR PROJECTS, TO RETURN TO THE, UH, PODIUM TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. 
          UH, BUT, UH, UH, RESIDENTS OF THE CITY, NEIGHBORHOOD NEIGHBORS WHO HAPPEN TO LIVE NEAR THESE PROJECTS ARE NOT, UH, GIVEN THE SAME KIND OF VOICE IN OUR PROCESS. 
          SO I THINK WE NEED TO CHANGE THE PROCESS BY WHICH, UH, RESIDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO SPEAK ON THESE ISSUES. 
          I ALSO BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE, UM, ACTUAL, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, AND NOT THE KIND OF CHECKING THE BOX, KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS THAT WE OFTEN SEE THE CITY DOING ON MANY ISSUES WHERE WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE, WHERE OUR INPUT IS GOING. 
          AND IT DOESN'T REALLY SEEM LIKE THAT IT'S ACTUALLY LISTENED TO, THAT THE DECISIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CAM? YEAH. 
          SO, UH, MY BACKGROUND IS IN PLANNING, AND I WORKED AT THE CITY IN THE LATE NINETIES AND EARLY TWO THOUSANDS WHEN NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING WAS A THING. 
          AND I WANNA BRING THAT BACK. 
          WE SWUNG OVER TO CITYWIDE TOP DOWN, AND WE NEED TO BRING NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING BACK. 
          THAT'S A COMMUNITY BUILDING EXERCISE. 
          SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT I'LL DO. 
          IT'LL CREATE MORE BUY-IN, AND IT'LL GIVE MORE LEVERAGE TO, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS TO BE BE PART OF A CO-CREATING PROCESS AND NOT JUST BE RUN OVER BY DEVELOPMENT. 
          UH, THE SECOND IS I'M GOING, I AM SO ENERGIZED WHEN I'M OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TALKING WITH PEOPLE, AND I WILL DEFINITELY HAVE OFFSITE OFFICE HOURS AND BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY TO TALK TO PEOPLE, UH, JUST AS THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, GOING TO SEE A THEATER OR, YOU KNOW, GO TO SEE FRIENDS OR JUST HAVE 
          [00:30:01]
ESTABLISHED COFFEE HOUR COFFEE SHOP HOURS. 
          UM, THE THIRD IS WE NEED TO SET STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. 
          I RECENTLY SAW A, A, A PROPOSED FOUR LANE ROAD GOING THROUGH PARKLAND, AND ONLY TWO PEOPLE SHOWED UP TO THE OPEN HOUSE. 
          AND I'M GONNA HAVE TO SAY THAT'S INSUFFICIENT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. 
          AND, UH, YOU'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND MAKE SURE YOU GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED BEFORE YOU MOVE THE PROJECT FORWARD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CADRE. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, SORRY. 
          DO, DO YOU MIND BEING THE LAST ONE? I, DO YOU MIND REPEATING THE, THE QUESTION? NO, ABSOLUTELY. 
          RESIDENTS HAVE OFTEN CLAIMED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MAKES MAJOR DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS WITHOUT PUBLIC INPUT OR ASKS FOR PUBLIC INPUT TOO LATE IN THE PROCESS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 
          HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT DISTRICT NINE RESIDENTS HAVE MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN DECISIONS BEFORE THEY ARE MADE? YEAH. 
          UH, SO ONE THING THAT OUR OFFICE HAS DONE SINCE, SINCE I GOT INTO OFFICE, IS WE HAVE OFFICE HOURS EVERY FRIDAY. 
          UH, THAT'S A SET DATE FOR OFFICE HOURS WHERE WE GO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND, AND FOLKS AT TIMES COME TO CITY HALL TO, TO MEET WITH US, TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES, SOMETIMES IN, IN, IN DEVELOPMENT ISSUES. 
          OTHER TIMES, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, PICK YOUR THING, PUBLIC SAFETY, HOMELESSNESS, UH, MAY MAYBE IT'S A, MAYBE IT'S A LABOR ISSUE. 
          UM, WE ALSO MEET WITH, UH, FOLKS IN, IN, IN, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          THERE'S, THERE'S NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS. 
          WE, WE, AT TIMES TO MEET WITH, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AT CITY HALL. 
          SO WE'LL HAVE LEADERSHIP COME TO, TO CITY HALL TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES RANGING FROM DEVELOPMENT TO, TO PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          UM, BUT, BUT I, I DO THINK ULTIMATELY AS A CITY COUNCIL, AS A CITY, WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB WHEN IT COMES TO NOTIFYING FOLKS OF WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          UH, I'VE SAID THAT ON ISSUES AROUND DEVELOPMENT. 
          I'VE SAID THAT AROUND ISSUES AROUND THIS CONVERSATION GOING AROUND, UM, THE CAESAR CHAVE STREET RENAMING. 
          UM, EVEN TONIGHT, I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT TURNOUT. 
          I'M SO HAPPY FOR EVERYONE WHO'S HERE, BUT I THOUGHT THIS PLACE WAS GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, STANDING ROOM ONLY. 
          UM, SO WE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THE PUBLIC IS AWARE. 
          AND WHEN IT COMES TO THESE LARGER DECISIONS, NORMALLY WHEN A COUNCIL A MEMBER PULLS AN ITEM, THEN THERE'S MORE TIME TO TALK ABOUT THAT, I THINK. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, CANDIDATE CAM, UM, I, EACH OF YOU HAS TOUCHED ON HOMELAND HOMELESSNESS A LITTLE BIT, BUT I HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC QUESTION ABOUT, UM, THIS POPULATION. 
          AUSTIN HAS INVESTED SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES IN SHELTER, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OUTREACH, AND OTHER RESPONSES TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          YET IT REMAINS ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST VISIBLE CHALLENGES. 
          WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE AUSTIN SHOULD DO DIFFERENTLY OR DO MORE OF TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS? SO, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I NOTICED WHEN I WENT THROUGH THE CITY'S HOMELESSNESS PLAN IS I DID NOT GET A GOOD SENSE OF THE SUBSET OF THE HOMELESS POPULATIONS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH. 
          AND THAT'S FROM FOSTER YOUTH, HOMELESS FAMILIES, PEOPLE RECENTLY EVICTED VETERANS. 
          UH, I THINK THE GOOD START IS TO MAKE SURE OUR PLAN IS, UH, IDENTIFYING ALL THOSE SUBSETS OF THE POPULATION, COMING UP WITH AN ESTIMATE AND A PROJECTION OF, IS THIS GONNA BE A RECURRING PROBLEM, OR ARE THERE PROGRAMS TAILORED TO THOSE SUBSETS OF THE POPULATION THAT WILL HELP GET IT DOWN TO A ZERO HOMELESSNESS? UH, WE MAY POTENTIALLY DO THAT WITH FOSTER YOUTH AND WITH EVICTIONS THROUGH STRONG EVICTION PREVENTION PROGRAM. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S A, A A A, A GOOD START FOR US TO GET A HANDLE ON THE SITUATION. 
          AND THEN SOME THINGS THAT I THINK WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO DO THAT HAVE BEEN BENEFICIAL TO NEIGHBORHOODS IS COMPASSIONATE CLEANUPS, WHERE WE CONNECT THOSE, UH, IN THE, IN THE CAMPS TO RESOURCES, AND THEN IDENTIFYING SITES WHERE THEY'RE AUTHORIZED TO CAMP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CADRY. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, AROUND HOMELESSNESS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CITY NUMBERS CAME OUT A WHILE BACK THAT THE CITY'S AT A FIVE YEAR LOW FOR, FOR AROUND HOUSED POPULATION. 
          UH, THAT BEING SAID, WHETHER YOU, THE NUMBERS STILL A LITTLE HOVERS AROUND FOUR TO 5,000 FOLKS, AND THAT'S STILL WAY TOO MUCH. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO INVEST. 
          AND I THINK THAT THE COMMENT THAT WAS MADE WAS, WELL, WE'VE INVESTED IN THE, THE RESULT, THE RESULTS AREN'T SHOWING. 
          I DON'T THINK WE'VE, WE'VE INVESTED AS MUCH, UH, AS WE CAN. 
          WE HAVE A STATE GOVERNMENT THAT OBVIOUSLY DOESN'T COLLABORATE WITH US ON ISSUES LIKE HOMELESSNESS. 
          WE WE'RE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY, UH, TO SET UP A MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION PILOT. 
          NOW IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A FREESTANDING PROGRAM, UH, MY FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE. 
          SO HAVING MORE COLLABORATION WITH FOLKS AT THE COUNTY, I THINK IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. 
          UH, WE, I, I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THERE NO WRONG DOOR PROGRAM THAT WAS RECENTLY STARTED. 
          I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD FIRST STEP. 
          UH, WE HAVE HOMELESS NAVIGATORS ON THE GROUND, I THINK. 
          I THINK THAT'S GREAT. 
          BUT I, BUT I DO THINK WE NEED TO HAVE MORE SHELTERS, MORE SHELTER BEDS, MORE WRAPAROUND SERVICES, UH, FOR, FOR OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE HAYMAN. 
          YEAH, I THINK THAT THE CITY HASN'T DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB IN, UH, MESSAGING AROUND THIS, THIS ISSUE. 
          SO WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, VOTED, UH, SOME, YOU KNOW, BONDS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO BUILD PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, BUILD MORE SHELTERS. 
          THOSE THINGS TAKE TIME. 
          THIS IS, THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM. 
          IT'S A 
          [00:35:01]
PROBLEM THAT GOES WAY BEYOND AUSTIN. 
          UM, AND IT DOES TAKE A WHILE TO ALLOCATE THOSE FUNDS TO BUILD NEW BUILDINGS. 
          SOME BUILD NEW SHELTERS, UH, GET PEOPLE INTO THEM. 
          SO WE NEED TO ALSO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS KNOW THAT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE SOLVED OVERNIGHT, UNFORTUNATELY. 
          BUT WE ALSO DO NEED TO, UH, INVEST MORE IN ANTI EVICTION, UH, IN EVICTION PREVENTION. 
          EVICTIONS ARE ON THE RISE, UH, IN AUSTIN. 
          THEY'RE AT HISTORIC HIGHS, AND THEY ARE HITTING PEOPLE OF COLOR AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES MUCH HARDER THAN, UH, OTHER PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          SO WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, AND THAT WILL HAVE TO BE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNTY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, LET'S MOVE ON TO, UH, DOWNTOWN VITALITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, CANDIDATE CADRE RISING PROPERTY VALUES AND RENTS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO CONCERNS ABOUT THE LOSS OF LONGTIME MUSIC VENUES, RESTAURANTS, AND LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES, PARTICULARLY IN CENTRAL AUSTIN. 
          WHAT ROLE, IF ANY, SHOULD THE CITY PLAY IN HELPING TO PRESERVE THE CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO AUSTIN'S IDENTITY? UM, SO RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN TOP OF MIND FOR MANY FOLKS. 
          IT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEEN IN THE NEWS. 
          WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CULTURAL DISTRICT ON MAKING AND DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN, AND LOOKING AT ALL THE OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE OF, OF SAVING A LOT OF THOSE SPACES. 
          UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S COME UP AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS QUESTION WAS ASKED AT A, AT A PREVIOUS FORUM, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN THE CITY DO? UH, AND I THINK NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLE. 
          ONE THING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE CULTURAL DISTRICT WAS, IS CREATING AN OVERLAY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, MY UNDERSTANDING IS ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, VENUES IS GONNA BE TURNED INTO A FRIED CHICKEN PLACE. 
          I'M NOT SAYING NOTHING AGAINST FRIED CHICKEN, UH, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE VENUE ITSELF IS, IS PROTECTED. 
          AND WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT TURNING, UH, OUR, THESE LIKE, HISTORIC MUSICAL VENUES INTO, YOU KNOW, FA YOU KNOW, FAST FOOD AND, AND, AND, AND, AND THE LIKE. 
          UM, SO THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR ME. 
          UH, IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT SIXTH STREET, WHICH WE'VE BEEN WORKING, UH, WITH, WITH, UH, WITH, WITH THE MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION WITH THAT, WE SEE A STRONGER SIXTH STREET THAN WE HAVE IN YEARS PAST. 
          UH, WHERE, WHERE THESE, WHERE, WHERE SIXTH STREET IS THRIVING, AND WE'RE SEEING ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE, UH, AT, AT ALL DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY. 
          UH, BEING ON SIXTH STREET. 
          THANK YOU CANDIDATE HAMAN. 
          YEAH. 
          WE NEED, UM, WE NEED A COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE APPROACH TO THIS QUESTION AS THEY HAVE IN SOME OTHER CITIES WHERE THERE ARE SPECIFIC CRITERIA THAT DIFFERENT, UM, UH, INSTITUTIONS HAVE TO MEET, WHETHER THEY'RE, UH, A MUSIC VENUE, A A ICONIC RESTAURANT, UH, OR WHATEVER IT HAPPENS TO BE. 
          SO WE NEED TO HAVE A SET OF CRITERIA. 
          WE NEED TO HAVE A, A, A COHERENT APPROACH ACROSS THE CITY. 
          WE CAN'T JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, PICK AND CHOOSE OUR FAVORITE, UH, UM, SPOTS LIKE, YOU KNOW, RED RIVER, UH, CULTURAL DISTRICT. 
          OF COURSE, THAT'S ONE THAT WE NEED. 
          BUT THERE ARE OTHER ONES IN DISTRICT NINE, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UH, ALONG THE WEST LINN CORRIDOR, UH, ALONG NORTH LOOP, UH, ALONG MAINOR ROAD. 
          THOSE ARE ALL PLACES. 
          SO WE NEED A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH, UH, A NEW PROGRAM THAT ADDRESSES THIS IN, IN A SYSTEMATIC WAY, AND NOT JUST IN A KIND OF ONE-OFF KIND OF WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING RECENTLY. 
          THANK YOU CANDIDATE CAM. 
          WE NEED TO STOP THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER PROJECT, AND IT'S NOT TOO LATE. 
          WE CAN, UH, SELL OFF THREE OF THE DOWNTOWN BLOCKS, PUT THOSE BACK ON THE PROPERTY TAX ROLLS. 
          'CAUSE RIGHT NOW, SIX DOWNTOWN BLOCKS ARE OFF THE PROPERTY TAX ROLLS. 
          GET THOSE TO, YOU KNOW, SELL 'EM TO A DEVELOPER. 
          THE OTHER THREE BLOCKS CAN BE USED FOR A CULTURAL VENUE AND THEN OPEN UP THE OVER A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX REVENUE EVERY YEAR TO SUPPORT OUR ARTISTS, MUSICIANS AND CULTURAL VENUES. 
          AUSTIN IS THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL WORLD. 
          INVESTING IN A CONVENTION CENTER IS LIKE THE WORST IDEA, AND IT COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE 600 VENUES THAT CAN HANDLE SMALL, MEDIUM, AND LARGE SIZE CONVENTIONS WITH A CAPACITY OF 600,000 CONVENTION ATTENDEES SIMULTANEOUSLY. 
          THE REPORT FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER SAID IT EXPECTS ABOUT MAYBE 400 TO 500,000 CONVENTION ATTENDEES OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN TO COME IN. 
          SO IT'S A HUGE WASTE OF MONEY AND BUILDING SPACE. 
          AND WE ARE COMPLETELY, UH, LETTING DOWN ALL THE CREATIVES THAT MAKE AUSTIN SUCH A STANDOUT PLACE TO, TO VISIT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, ANOTHER QUESTION RELATED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, CANDIDATE HAMAN, THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT IS EXPECTED TO UNDERGO MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT IN THE COMING YEARS. 
          WHAT PUBLIC BENEFITS SUCH AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PARKS, TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS, OR OTHER COMMUNITY AMENITIES DO YOU THINK THE CITY SHOULD SEEK AS THAT DEVELOPMENT OCCURS? UM, I MEAN, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT SIZE, IT ALL DEPENDS UPON THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT KINDS 
          [00:40:01]
OF, WHAT, LET ME BACK UP A SECOND. 
          WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING TOO MUCH OF IN AUSTIN IS SPENDING TAXPAYERS MONEY TO UNDERWRITE THESE MASSIVE PROJECTS THAT GIVE TOO LITTLE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF WHETHER IT'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, PUBLIC SPACES, UM, AND THE PUBLIC SPACES THAT WE OFTEN END UP GETTING ARE ACTUALLY PRIVATELY OWNED SPACES THAT HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC. 
          SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE IN PLACE, UM, SAFEGUARDS. 
          WE NEED TO STOP UNDERWRITING THESE MASSIVE PROJECTS FOR, UH, THE FOLKS WHO ARE DEVELOPING THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, WHICH ARE BILLIONAIRES FROM NEW YORK CITY, THAT HAVE MASSIVE CONNECTIONS TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN THE COUNTRY, TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, UH, IN, UM, UH, IN TEXAS AS WELL. 
          WHY? I DON'T SEE WHY WE'RE GIVING THOSE PEOPLE, UH, SUBSIDIES AT ALL. 
          THANK YOU CANDIDATE CAM. 
          SO, LADY BIRD LAKE, UH, I CONSIDER IT KIND OF LIKE THE LIVING ROOM FOR AUSTIN. 
          AND SO TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, WE JUST NEED TO TURN TO THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN AND BE LIKE, THIS IS WHERE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HANG OUT EVERY DAY, MORNING, INTO THE EVENING. 
          WHAT DO, WHAT AMENITIES WOULD THEY LIKE TO SEE HERE? AND WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO HAVE A SAY AND HOW, UM, THE WATERFRONT IS DEVELOPED AND NOT JUST BE A VISION OF SOMEBODY, UM, WHO'S DISCONNECTED FROM THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO, UH, AND THIS IS KIND OF A PART OF A BIGGER PICTURE OF WE NEED TO BE, UH, INCLUDING THE CITIZENS IN CO-CREATING THE CITY, AND SO THAT WE CAN ALL LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE WATERFRONT AND BE LIKE WE WERE ALL PART OF HAVING A SAY IN WHAT'S HAPPENING. 
          SO, AND OF COURSE, SPECIFIC AMENITIES I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS MAKING SURE WE'RE PROTECTING OUR WATERFRONT AND MAKING SURE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PUBLIC AREA AND PEOPLE ARE WELCOME TO BE THERE. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO I WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S, UH, WE ARE THE CITY OF GREEN BUILDING. 
          WE ESTABLISHED A MUNICIPAL GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM, AND IT NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THAT AS WELL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CADRE. 
          YEAH, SO WAY TOO OFTEN, I THINK IN AUSTIN, I THINK ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICT NINE, YOU LOOK AT PLACES LIKE DOWNTOWN SOUTH CONGRESS, RAINY STREET, UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN SOME NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN INCOME, YOU KNOW, TO, TO LIVE IN. 
          AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT INCOME, THEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE IN ANOTHER PART OF AUSTIN, AND MAYBE IF YOU'RE IN THAT OTHER PART OF AUSTIN, YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT. 
          NOW YOU'RE, YOU'RE PUSHED OUT OF AUSTIN. 
          I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO EXPERIENCE AUSTIN, TO EXPERIENCE CENTRAL AUSTIN. 
          UM, SO WHEN IT COMES TO, TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT PROJECT, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THAT MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S THE TYPE OF HOUSING, UH, YOU KNOW, WE NEED, I I, I OFTEN REFERENCE PROJECTS LIKE KATIE LOFTS AND THE HANCOCK NEIGHBORHOOD, OR ROWAN VALE IN THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FOLKS WHO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, UH, THAT GIVE THEIR BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS INTO THE CITY ARE ABLE TO LIVE HERE. 
          AND THAT'S THE TYPE OF HOUSING I'D LIKE TO SEE. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK SEEING CHILDCARE ON, ON, ON PREMISES IS, IS GREAT. 
          MAKING SURE THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT, UH, PROJECT CONNECT IN A LOT OF OUR OTHER MOBILITY GOALS THAT SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT IS, THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL, UH, WATERFRONT. 
          UH, AND THEN ALSO SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN MENTIONED IS MAKING SURE THE GREEN SPACE IS THERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, CANDIDATE HAYMAN, UM, AUSTIN'S HOME INITIATIVE WAS INTENDED TO IN, DID WE GET OUT, DID WE GET OUTTA ORDER CAM? OH, SORRY, TAKE YEAH, SHE DID. 
          SHE DID. 
          YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE FIRST, BUT SHE'S THE NEXT ONE. 
          I SAID YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE HER FIRST. 
          OH, CADRE ANSWERED. 
          I JUST WENT FIRST. 
          OKAY. 
          SORRY, CAM, SORRY. 
          . 
          OUR, OUR SYSTEM IS NOT, UH, PERFECT. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          AUSTIN'S HOME INITIATIVE WAS INTENDED TO INCREASE HOUSING CHOICES AND HELP ADDRESS AFFORDABILITY BY ALLOWING MORE HOMES ON SMALLER LOTS. 
          DO YOU BELIEVE THE POLICY IS WORKING AS INTENDED? AND WHAT CHANGES, IF ANY, WOULD YOU MAKE? SO NO, HOME IS NOT WORKING AS INTENDED. 
          AND GOING BACK TO WHAT I SAID IN AN EARLIER QUESTION, UH, THE BEST WAY TO ADDRESS HOUSING ISSUES IS TO DO IT ON A NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD BASIS WHEN YOU GET BACK TO NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING. 
          'CAUSE EACH NEIGHBORHOOD IS UNIQUE AND THE DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES AND WHAT THE HOUSING IS OFFERED THERE. 
          NOW, WHAT HOUSING IS NEEDED IN THAT PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          AND SO YOU'RE SEEING IN EAST AUSTIN, JUST THE WIPING OUT OF NATURALLY AFFORDABLE MARKET RATE HOMES, UH, FOR, YOU KNOW, MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE. 
          AND YOU'RE SEEING DISPLACEMENT OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND THEN IN, YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE FEELING THE PRESSURE AND FEARING THE LOSS OF HISTORIC, UH, FABRIC AND CHARACTER, AND ALL THESE THINGS MATTER. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, OTHER ISSUES THAT COME UP WITH A HOME, WHICH IS LIKE THE LOSS OF TREE CANOPY AND ALL THAT, ALL THAT IS BETTER ADDRESSED AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING LEVEL WHERE YOU WORK WITH A RESIDENTS TO IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THE BEST PLACES TO ADD HOUSING, WHAT ARE THE BEST TOOLS. 
          THAT'S HOW WE USED TO DO IT IN THE, IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, IS WE HAD THE NEIGHBORHOOD A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. 
          [00:45:02]
THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CADRY. 
          YEAH. 
          SO HOME, SORRY. 
          SO, SO HOME AND THERE, THERE WAS, THERE WAS TWO PARTS OF HOME. 
          THERE WAS HOME PART ONE AND HAR PART TWO. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT HAD TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, SMALLER HOMES ON SMALLER LOT SIZES. 
          UH, WE, WE, A COMPONENT OF IT WAS, IT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER TO BUILD THINGS LIKE A DU. 
          SO FOCUSING EITHER AGE IN PLACE, MAYBE IT'S THEIR CHILD THAT'S NOW LIVING IN THE A DU, MAYBE THEY'RE USING THAT AS A FORM OF INCOME, YOU KNOW, BY MANY METRICS. 
          I THINK HOME HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL. 
          UM, BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER LANE HAD BROUGHT FORWARD AN ITEM AROUND, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS CALLED A HOME IMPROVEMENT ITEM TO FIX SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING WITH HOME. 
          SO I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR IT. 
          UH, IT'S ONLY BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE THE, THE ITEM PASSED, BUT I THINK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY IN GENERAL, I THINK HOME IS A PUZZLE PIECE. 
          IT'S NOT THE WHOLE PUZZLE. 
          UH, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE TO BUILD ON THINGS LIKE, LIKE E TODD, UH, LIKE, LIKE THE PARKING REFORM ITEMS, SINGLE STAIR, UM, MISSING MIDDLE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER WORK THAT CAN BE DONE, AND I, AND I THINK HOME CAN BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION OF THIS, OF THE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS THAT WE'RE IN. 
          BUT LIKE I SAID, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A PUZZLE PIECE. 
          IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THE WHOLE PUZZLE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE HAMAN. 
          I THINK HOME IS AN EXAMPLE OF A PROJECT THAT'S WORKING EXACTLY AS INTENDED, BUT IS WORKING EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF THE WAY IT WAS SOLD. 
          IT, WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS GONNA BRING AFFORDABILITY AND IT WAS GONNA BRING DOWN DEMOLITIONS IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT. 
          AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS IT HAS DONE NO SUCH THING. 
          WHAT IT DID WAS IT WAS INTENDED TO BENEFIT THE DEVELOPERS WHO HELPED WRITE THE CODE, UH, BUT WE WERE SOLD THE BILL OF GOODS. 
          THAT IS NOT WHAT WE'RE SEEING AT ALL. 
          THE DATA SHOWS THAT, UH, DEMOLITIONS ARE MORE COMMON IN INFILL PROJECTS TODAY THAN THEY WERE BEFORE HOME WAS PUT IN PLACE THAT MOST OF THE, UH, PERMITS THAT HAVE BEEN PULLED UNDER HOME ARE IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT. 
          MOST OF THEM ARE BY, UH, DEVELOPERS, NOT BY HOMEOWNERS. 
          SO, WHILE, UH, SOME PEOPLE HAVE THESE FANTASIES THAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, UH, UH, AGING IN PLACE, IT'S NOT, IT'S ABOUT TEARING DOWN SOMETHING THAT'S AFFORDABLE AND PUTTING UP EXTREMELY UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING LIKE WE SEE RIGHT IN CHERRYWOOD. 
          WE HAVE A TERRIBLE EXAMPLE OF THIS. 
          UH, IT IS NOT WORKING AS WE WERE TOLD, BUT IT IS WORKING AS INTENDED BY THE DEVELOPERS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, CANDIDATE CADRE IN AUGUST, THE CITY COUNCIL BEGAN TAKING STEPS TO DEVELOP NEW RULES FOR LARGE SCALE DATA CENTERS BECAUSE OF CONCERNS ABOUT POTENTIAL DEMANDS ON ELECTRICITY, WATER, AND OTHER CITY RESOURCES. 
          WHAT PRINCIPLES SHOULD GUIDE THE CITY'S DECISION ABOUT WHETHER AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS THESE FACILITIES SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN AUSTIN? SORRY. 
          UM, SO YEAH, I, I WORKED ON THAT ITEM, UH, THAT, THAT CAME FORWARD TO PUT MORE GUARDRAILS AS IT RELATES TO THE DATA CENTER CONVERSATION. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, DATA CENTER, AUSTIN HAS HAD A, A, A WATER ISSUE SINCE I, I MOVED HERE 17 YEARS AGO. 
          UM, AND, AND, AND AS, AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT ISSUE'S JUST GETTING WORSE. 
          UM, SO I, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT, UH, WE SHOULD BUILD ANY NEW LARGE SCALE DATA CENTERS. 
          UH, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN POINTED OUT, THERE'S ABOUT 10 DATA CENTERS CURRENTLY IN AUSTIN, MAJORITY OF THEM BEING IN DISTRICT TWO, THEY'RE THE SMALL DATA CENTERS THAT CHARGE THAT KEEP YOUR, YOUR PHONE ON. 
          UH, BUT IN TERMS OF THESE LIKE LARGE SCALE DATA CENTERS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS FOR AT, AT THE STATE LEVEL, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I, I DON'T BELIEVE AUSTIN SHOULD HAVE ANY OF THESE, UH, THESE DATA CENTERS BEING BUILT. 
          I'VE, I'VE SPOKEN AT IT AT LENGTH. 
          I, UH, WAS WITH, UM, THE, THE CURRENT DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR DID A, DID A PRESSER ON IT. 
          UH, I SP I SPOKE ON, ON, ON THE ISSUE. 
          UM, SO, SO THAT'S WHERE I'M AT. 
          THANK YOU CANDIDATE HAMAN. 
          SO THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED, UH, THE, UM, DOG HEAD AGREEMENT, WHICH WILL, UH, UH, WHICH ALLOWS IN PERPETUITY DATA CENTERS, UH, GALORE, RIGHT? THEY COULD HAVE DATA CENTERS THAT COVERED AN AREA FROM HERE ALL THE WAY TO HYDE PARK FROM I 35 TO MOPAC. 
          AND THERE'S NOTHING THE COUNCIL CAN DO TO STOP IT BECAUSE THEY ALREADY SIGNED AWAY ALL OUR RIGHTS. 
          UH, THEY GAVE THE DEVELOPERS, UH, A FREE PASS ON ANY FUTURE REGULATIONS THAT ARE PUT IN PLACE. 
          UM, AND, UH, THAT WAS IN THE, UM, AGREEMENT THAT, UM, MY, UH, OPPONENT HA, UM, VOTED FOR. 
          AND, UH, THAT IS, UH, UM, A FACT. 
          SO WE SHOULDN'T HAVE DATA CENTERS, THESE LARGE DATA CENTERS. 
          THERE'S NO REASON THEY SHOULD BE IN OUR AREA, ESPECIALLY GIVEN OUR WATER, UH, SCARCITY IN AUSTIN. 
          UM, UH, AND, BUT WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA END UP HAVING THEM BECAUSE COUNCIL RAN THAT, UH, AGREEMENT THROUGH THANK YOU CANDIDATE. 
          CAM. 
          ONE THING I KEEP IN MIND WITH, UH, NEW TECHNOLOGY LIKE THIS IS, UH, ARE WE JUST KIND OF IN THE HYPE CYCLE OF, UH, THIS IS THE FIRST GENERATION, OH MY GOSH, WE HAVE TO BUILD, BUILD, BUILD AND 
          [00:50:01]
THEN ULTIMATELY IT'S ACTUALLY NOT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE NEED. 
          AND WE'RE KIND OF, UH, RESPONDING IN A WAY THAT'S, UM, KIND OF NOT CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT WE'RE, UH, DOING WITH, UH, THE SCARCE LAND THAT WE HAVE AND, UH, THE CITY. 
          SO I SUPPORT A MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTERS AND JUST KIND OF WAITING THIS OUT. 
          UM, I, I PREDICT THAT THERE WILL BE, UH, LESS OF A NEED FOR THESE LARGE, UH, DATA CENTERS AS WE GET A, A, A HANDLE ON THE ROLE OF AI IN SOCIETY IN GENERAL. 
          SO THIS IS A BIGGER ISSUE THAN JUST A LAND DEVELOPMENT QUESTION. 
          UM, AND OF COURSE, IF THERE'S ANY, UH, DATA CENTERS THAT HA ALREADY EXIST AND ARE, UH, CAUSING PROBLEMS FOR NEARBY OWNERS, I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THAT. 
          BUT FOR NOW, A MOR TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THIS WILL BE OUR LAST QUESTION BEFORE CLOSING STATEMENTS. 
          CANDIDATE HAMAN, IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL DURING YOUR FIRST TERM, WHAT IS ONE MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT YOU HOPE DISTRICT NINE RESIDENTS WOULD SEE FOUR YEARS FROM NOW? UM, I WOULD HOPE TO THAT DISTRICT NINE RESIDENTS AND ALL RESIDENTS, UH, OF THE CITY WOULD HAVE MORE, UH, FAITH IN OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 
          UM, THAT THEY WOULD BE MORE ENGAGED IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THAT THEY WOULD PARTICIPATE MORE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND THAT I WOULD HELP TO CHANGE THE CULTURE OF THE WAY THAT WE DO BUSINESS IN CITY HALL. 
          UM, TO PUT THE PEOPLE FIRST INSTEAD OF PUTTING, UH, DEEP POCKETED INTERESTS, UH, IN FRONT OF THE WORKING PEOPLE OF THE CITY. 
          THANK YOU CANDIDATE CAM. 
          THE FIRST WORD THAT COMES TO MIND TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION IS I WANT THE RESIDENTS TO FEEL SAFE. 
          AND THAT'S AN UMBRELLA FOR MULTIPLE AREAS OF LIFE. 
          SO THEY FEEL SAFE WITH PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          UH, THEY FEEL SAFE FROM A TRANSPORTATION STANDPOINT. 
          THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET INJURED OR IN A CRASH. 
          UM, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE APPROACHED, YOU KNOW, BY SOMEONE THAT MIGHT ASSAULT THEM. 
          THEY'RE GONNA FEEL SAFE WITH THEIR INVESTMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE STRESSED ABOUT, HEY, I BOUGHT THIS HOUSE AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          UM, AND THEN JUST THE OVERALL FEELING OF SAFETY OF I CAN AFFORD WHERE I'M AT, I FEEL SAFE. 
          YOU KNOW, AND I THINK HAVING RESIDENTS FEEL SAFE ACROSS THAT SPECTRUM OF, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION SAFETY, UM, SAFETY AND INVESTMENT, JUST OVERALL, UH, SAFETY AND AFFORDABILITY AND KNOWING THAT THEY CAN MAKE A LIVING HERE AND, AND THRIVE AND HAVE A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE. 
          THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR DISTRICT NINE IN THE CITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CANDIDATE CADRY. 
          YEAH. 
          ULTIMATELY, I, I WANT FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO SEE THEMSELVES IN THIS CITY. 
          UH, AND I WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO SEE THEMSELVES A PART OF AUSTIN AND, AND IN, AND IN BEING IN AUSTIN, THAT, THAT TRULY DOES WORK FOR THEM. 
          UH, WAY BEFORE I EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT RUNNING FOR OFFICE, THERE WAS A STAT THAT ALWAYS STOOD OUT TO ME THAT AUSTIN WAS THE LARGEST MAJOR CITY IN THE COUNTRY THAT WAS LOSING ITS BLACK POPULATION. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN, I REMEMBER FIRST MOVING HERE, IT FELT LIKE RAINBOWS AND BUTTERFLIES, YOU KNOW, GONNA SCHOOL AT UT. 
          AND THEN I TOOK A, YOU KNOW, TAKING A STEP BACK, YOU REALIZE AUSTIN REALLY DOESN'T WORK, UH, THE SAME WAY FOR EVERYONE. 
          SO ULTIMATELY I WANT, I, I WANT AN AUSTIN THAT DOES WORK FOR FOLKS WHERE FOLKS DO SEE THEMSELVES IN THE CITY. 
          THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY FEEL SEEN. 
          'CAUSE WE HAVE A STATE GOVERNMENT, AND AT TIMES A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT VERY MUCH DOESN'T MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SEEN. 
          THEY, THEY FEEL SAFE. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, ONE CONVERSATION THAT THAT STICKS TO MY MIND IS THE FIRST TIME I RAN AND KNOCKED ON A DOOR, UH, SOMEONE LIVING IN THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD, AND THEY, THEY, THEY HAD A CHILD WHO WAS TRANS AND THEY WERE TERRIFIED OF WHAT, UM, LIFE WOULD BE LIKE FOR, FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR KID GROWING UP IN, IN TEXAS. 
          I, I WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE, UH, AND THAT, AND THAT ULTIMATELY THAT FOLKS ARE ABLE TO, TO LIVE HERE AND THEY'RE NOT BEING PUSHED OUT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          WE'LL MOVE ON TO YOUR TWO MINUTE CLOSING STATEMENT. 
          UM, CANDIDATE CAM, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. 
          OKAY. 
          I, UH, HAVE BEEN OF SERVICE TO AUSTIN, UH, FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, AS A CIVIL ENGINEER, URBAN PLANNER, A TEACHER, A STARTUP FOUNDER, AND A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND A CIVIL ENGINEER. 
          AND, UH, EXPERIENCE MATTERS WHEN IT COMES TO THIS POSITION, BUT WHAT ALSO MATTERS IS ATTITUDE. 
          AND, UH, I AM VERY MUCH INTO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. 
          I'M ENERGIZED BY TALKING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE AND MAKING SURE, YOU KNOW, I FEEL A PART OF AUSTIN BECAUSE I GREW UP HERE AND I RAISE MY KIDS HERE. 
          AND I WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE A PART OF AUSTIN AND THAT WE AREN'T LOSING, UM, UH, OUR ABILITY TO BE A PART OF CREATING THE FUTURE OF AUSTIN. 
          AND TO ME, THE FUTURE OF AUSTIN IS MAINTAINING WHAT, UH, PUT AUSTIN ON THE MAP AND HAS MADE AUSTIN AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE FOR PEOPLE. 
          AND IT'S BEING 
          [00:55:01]
A SAFE, AFFORDABLE, ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE, CULTURALLY VIBRANT CITY WITH STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS AND SCHOOLS AND, UH, AND AN ENGAGED CITIZENRY THAT'S ACTIVE NOT JUST IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND LOCAL AFFAIRS, BUT ALSO JUST IN, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE DISTRACTING THINGS THAT GO ON IN AUSTIN, UH, AND YOU KNOW, FROM THE ARTS, MUSIC AND CULTURE TO THE EXERCISING. 
          AND WE HAVE TO KEEP ALL THAT IN MIND WHEN WE ARE MAKING DECISIONS ON AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. 
          AND MY, THE REASON I'M RUNNING IS BECAUSE I FELT LIKE THIS CURRENT AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL HAS MADE DECISIONS THAT HAD NOT BEEN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT WE, UH, WHAT AUSTIN IS ABOUT. 
          SO FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER TO NATURAL GAS PEAKERS TO TOP DOWN CITYWIDE HOUSING POLICIES THAT DISREGARD THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT AUSTIN IS ABOUT. 
          SO A VOTE FOR ME IS A VOTE FOR, UH, GETTING AUSTIN BACK ON TRACK TO CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF AUSTIN. 
          AND MY LAST NAME IS CAM, AND IT'S KEEP AUSTIN MAGICAL. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CANDIDATE CADRE YOUR TWO MINUTES. 
          WELL, I WANNA THANK THE LEGAL WOMEN VOTERS, UH, ONCE AGAIN FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THIS EVENT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LIVE IN, WE LIVE IN DIFFICULT TIMES. 
          UM, WE, WE'VE SEEN THE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, YOU KNOW, RUN RAMPANT WITH, WITH ICE ON THE GROUND. 
          UH, COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR HUMANITY. 
          WE'VE SEEN A STATE GOVERNMENT THAT LEGISLATIVE SESSION AFTER LEGISLATIVE SESSION, UH, CHOOSES TO GO FOR THE POLITICAL POINTS AND, AND, AND WEAPONIZES FEAR AND HATE AGAINST OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. 
          UH, SO IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN, IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO ME FOR OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO STAND UP AND, AND, AND TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT. 
          AND, AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW I'VE, DURING MY TIME IN OFFICE, UM, SERVED. 
          UH, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I CONTINUE TO STAND UP FOR FOLKS WHO DON'T HAVE A VOICE, THAT I CONTINUE TO STAND UP FOR WORKERS IN THE CITY. 
          UH, LIKE I SAID, THE FOLKS WHO KEEP THIS, YOU KNOW, KEEP THIS CITY RUNNING. 
          UH, I'M, I'M THE ONLY CANDIDATE IN THE RACE SUPPORTED BY LABOR. 
          UH, IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME THAT THE FOLKS WHO GIVE THEIR BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS TO THE CITY ARE ABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE IN THIS CITY. 
          UH, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN TO, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN THINGS THAT ARE SO AUSTIN AREN'T DOING RIGHT BY AUSTIN, THAT WE HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE. 
          MY FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST THERE, THERE'S A, THERE WAS A CONVERSATION BETWEEN, UH, THE UNION AND, AND SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST HAD AN, UH, UPDATED THEIR, THEIR, THEIR FEE PAYMENT FOR ARTISTS IN, IN OVER A DECADE. 
          YOU KNOW, WE PUSHED BACK AGAINST THAT. 
          WE'VE PUSHED BACK AGAINST EVERYONE FROM VIA 3 1 3 TO, UH, STARBUCKS WORKERS UNITED. 
          IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE, WE CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FOLKS WHO, LIKE I SAID, DO SO MUCH ARE, ARE ABLE, ARE PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF. 
          IT. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE, TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN FIRST, YOU KNOW, FIRST FREE SPEECH IS UNDER ATTACK, UH, AS IT HAS BEEN OFTEN AT, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, UH, THAT, THAT WE PUSH BACK AND WE STAND UP FOR, FOR, FOR STUDENTS AND WE STAND UP FOR, FOR THOSE THAT ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY. 
          I WAS THE ONLY COUNCIL MEMBER WHO SPOKE UP DURING THE UT PROTEST, UH, WHEN THE GOVERNOR, YOU KNOW, MADE UT A, A POLITICAL BATTLEGROUND. 
          UH, SO I, I JUST WANNA KEEP ON FIGHTING. 
          I WANNA KEEP ON SERVING. 
          I WANNA KEEP ON GIVING BACK TO A COMMUNITY THAT I, THAT I LOVE, UH, SO DEEPLY. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CANDIDATE HAMAN, YOUR TWO MINUTES. 
          UM, MY WIFE AND I MOVED HERE 20 YEARS AGO TO BOTH TAKE JOBS TEACHING AT UT AND WE MOVED INTO A HOUSE IN CHERRYWOOD WHERE WE'VE BEEN EVER, EVER SINCE. 
          WE'VE RAISED OUR DAUGHTER THERE. 
          UH, WE ARE ON OUR THIRD, UH, RESCUE DOG, UH, AS WELL THAT WE ARE ARE RAISING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          BUT OVER THOSE 20 YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE SEEN, UH, PROPERTY VALUES SKYROCKET IN THE CITY. 
          AND THAT IS NOT, AND, AND MANY PEOPLE BEING PRICE OUTTA THE CITY. 
          AND THAT IS NOT A BUG OF THE SYSTEM. 
          THAT'S A FEATURE OF THE SYSTEM AS IT CURRENTLY EXISTS. 
          WE'RE NOT GONNA GET A CITY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY BY TWEAKING AROUND THE EDGES. 
          WE NEED A WHOLE NEW APPROACH TO THE WAY THAT WE DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WE DO, UH, BUSINESS AT CITY HALL. 
          WE NEED TO STOP GIVING TAX BREAKS TO BILLIONAIRES, INCLUDING SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. 
          UH, WE NEED TO HAVE POLICIES THAT LIFT PEOPLE FROM THE BOTTOM UP, WHICH IS HOW THE NEW DEAL WORKED. 
          WE NEED, UH, POLICIES THAT PUT MONEY INTO THE POCKETS OF WORKING PEOPLE. 
          SO POLICIES SUCH AS HAVING INCENTIVES NOT FOR GIANT CORPORATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY WEALTHY, BUT FOR LOCAL, UH, BUSINESSES TO PAY THEIR WORKERS BETTER, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE GIVING THEM, UM, FAIR, UH, SCHEDULING SO THAT THEY CAN GO TO SCHOOL SO THEY COULD HAVE ANOTHER JOB, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GIVING THEM SOME BENEFITS. 
          THAT IS THE WAY THAT YOU BUILD A MIDDLE CLASS, NOT BY THESE OUTDATED TRICKLE DOWN THEORIES, UH, THAT, UM, THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN PURSUING. 
          AND I HAVE OVER THE YEARS, RESEARCHED THESE AS, UH, AS I WAS TEACHING AND MY CLASSES WERE ENGAGED IN DIFFERENT PROJECTS ALL ACROSS THE CITY. 
          TIME AND TIME AGAIN, WE SAW PROJECTS SUCH AS THE SEA HOME PLANT THAT REQUIRED THE BUSINESSES 
          [01:00:01]
IN THE SEA HOME PLANT TO BE QUOTE UNQUOTE UPSCALE IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT PROPERTY VALUES ROSE TO MEET THE TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT. 
          AGREE. 
          SO WE NEED TO TOTALLY CHANGE THE WHOLE WAY WE DO BUSINESS HERE, AND WE'RE NOT GONNA GET THERE BY TWEAKING IT. 
          AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AN AUSTIN THAT ACTUALLY WORKS FOR EVERYONE AND NOT JUST GIVE LIP SERVICE TO THE IDEA. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ALL OF YOU CANDIDATES FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL RESPONSES TO OUR QUESTIONS. 
          WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SEEK OFFICE, UH, AND SERVE YOUR FELLOW AUSTINITES. 
          DEMOCRACY WORKS BEST WHEN CITIZENS TAKE PART, NOT ONLY BY CASTING A BALLOT, BUT BY TAKING TIME TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES, LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES, AND MAKE INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT WHO WILL REPRESENT THEM BY BEING HERE TONIGHT. 
          YOU'VE TAKEN AN IMPORTANT PART IN THAT PROCESS. 
          YOU KNOW, IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO COULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT, THE RECORDINGS WILL BE POSTED AFTERWARD ON THE A TXN YOUTUBE CHANNEL. 
          YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ON ALL THE RACES AND MEASURES ON YOUR BALLOT AT VOTE 4 1 1 ORG. 
          THAT IS THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS NATIONAL SYSTEM. 
          AND YOU CAN JUST PUT YOUR ADDRESS IN AND YOUR BALLOT WILL COME UP, AND YOU CAN SELECT YOUR CANDIDATES AND PRINT, PRINT THOSE OUT AND, AND BRING IT TO THE POLLS. 
          UM, AS A REMINDER, THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS MONDAY, OCTOBER 5TH. 
          IF YOU HAVE A, UH, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN YOUR HOUSE OR SOMEONE WHO JUST MOVED HERE, PLEASE UH, ENSURE THAT THEY REGISTERED TO VOTE BY MONDAY. 
          UM, THE LAST DAY TO APPLY FOR A BALLOT BY MAIL IS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23RD, BUT WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND THAT PEOPLE APPLY FOR THOSE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. 
          DO IT NOW. 
          UH, EARLY VOTING IS FROM OCTOBER 19TH TO OCTOBER 30TH, AND ELECTION DAY, OF COURSE IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD. 
          ON BEHALF OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE AUSTIN AREA, THANK YOU FOR BEING AN ENGAGED VOTER AND PLEASE MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD IN THIS ELECTION.
* 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.