Government
Dripping Springs election canceled
Garza secures party nomination for DA
Local races
Winner
66.86% José Garza 33.14% Jeremy Sylestine Travis County District Attorney, Democratic Party 56.68% Sherine Thomas 28.7% Susana Castillo 14.63% Madeleine Connor 353rd Judicial District judge, Democratic Party 86.09% Lloyd Doggett 7.88% Christopher “Chris” McNerney 6.04% Eduardo “Lalito” Romero U.S. House District 37, Democratic Party
The city of Dripping Springs will not be holding a City Council election this May. All three candidates whose terms were up for re-election are uncontested. The overview Mayor Bill Foulds, who has served as the city’s mayor since 2020, and council members Wade King and Travis Crow will each be sworn in for another two-year term on May 7. This spring’s change comes after the city’s May 2022 council contests were also canceled as three City Council member positions were uncontested at that time. These were held by council members Taline Manassian, Geoffrey Tahuahua and Sherrie Parks. What’s next Council members Manassian, Tahuahua and Parks are up for re-election in May 2025. Foulds, King and Crow’s terms are up in 2026. Austin revives affordable mixed-use program After an affordable development program was struck down in court last year, officials have rolled out a replacement allowing for taller residential buildings across the city. The overview An approved expansion of Austin’s vertical mixed-use development program—”VMU2”—was overturned by a judge in December. The program granted new buildings several additional stories if affordable housing was provided. With VMU2 voided, city officials laid out a replacement—”DB90”—in February which requires landowners to rezone their property before making a change. DB90 passed without protections to prevent tenants from being displacement in the buildings that may be redeveloped.
Incumbent José Garza won the Democratic nomination for Travis County district attorney in the higher-profile local race of the March 5 primary election. Garza received just over two-thirds of the vote in his race against opponent Jeremy Sylestine. The context Garza will face Republican Daniel Betts in the November general election. First elected in 2020, Garza said he’s focused on reducing gun violence and providing justice for sexual assault survivors. Sylestine, a defense attorney and former prosecutor in the DA’s office, ran a campaign that promised to restore trust in the DA’s office by resolving a backlog of unin- dicted cases and prosecuting domestic violence and child abuse cases. In other news Voters also weighed in on several state- and nationwide races. Sherine Thomas won the Democratic 353rd Judicial District race with over 56% of the vote. TravCo issues disaster declaration for eclipse Travis County officials declared a local disaster March 8 for the total solar eclipse April 8. What happened The declaration comes in anticipation of an influx of visitors and traffic in April, and potential strains on first responders the week of the eclipse. Austin’s 911 Emergency Communications Center will increase staffing from April 6-9 to address a potential for additional calls. Private property owners in unincorporated areas of Travis County are required to give officials notice if planning a gathering with more than 50 people. Residents are encouraged to view the eclipse from home, run errands before April 8 and plan ahead for traffic.
SOURCES: TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Casar ran unopposed and will face the winner of a Republican runoff to represent House District 35. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett won the Democratic primary in District 37 and will face Republican Jenny Garcia Sharon in the fall. Incumbent U.S. Senator Ted Cruz won his Republican primary and will face Democrat Colin Allred in November.
Building up Under DB90, developers:
can get up to 30 feet of extra height on a site’s base zoning allowance.
feature “pedestrian-oriented” commercial space on the ground floor.
must reserve 10% to 12% of total residential units as income-restricted.
aren’t required to consider displacement effects, or offer relocation benefits
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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