On May 4th, voters in Travis County will get to vote for 3 seats on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. It's a super confusing election, but as always, we're here to explain it all for ya! This episode features interviews with nearly all of the candidates, including Don Zimmerman, Jett Hanna, Shenghao "Daniel" Wang, Jonathan P…

Our podcast mini-series on homelessness continues with a focus on emergency shelter, which is meant to provide people with a safe place to sleep (temporarily), while they work to get connected to more permanent housing. But in Austin, we don't have enough emergency shelter beds, which can mean long wait lists, just to find a place to sleep that isn…

This episode of the The Austin Common Radio Hour kicks off a mini-series on homelessness in Austin. In this first episode, we focus on some of the first steps a person experiencing homelessness might take on their path toward receiving services and eventually gaining access to housing.... visiting the Sunrise Hub (a homelessness services day center…

On December 7th, Austin City Council will vote on the HOME Initiative, a proposal to allow up to three housing units to be built on single-family lots. The idea is to increase the city's supply of "missing middle" housing, but like so many debates related to housing and land use, the issue is complicated. In this episode of The Austin Common Radio …

The are 14 proposed state constitutional amendments on the ballot this year. In this episode we take a deep into several of them, including Prop 4 (property taxes), Prop 6 (water), Prop 8 (broadband internet). Our guests include state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, Jennifer Walker (National Wildlife Federation), and Kelty Garbee (Texas Rural Funders).…

The are 14 proposed state constitutional amendments on the ballot this year. One of them, Prop 14, would create a $1 billion centennial parks conservation fund to grow our state parks system. To tell us all about it, host Amy Stansbury sat down with Luke Metzger (Executive Director of Environment Texas).…

If you live in Travis County, you have two very important propositions on your ballot this year - Prop A (which is all about roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks) and Prop (which is about parks). To help you understand exactly what you'll be voting on, host Amy Stansbury interviewed Jennifer Bristol, who served on the Travis County Citizens Bond Adviso…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury interviews Austin City Council Member Alison Alter about HB 1526, a new law passed by the Texas Legislature that will dramatically change the way Austin funds and acquires new parkland.Kirjoittanut The Austin Common Radio Hour

Earlier this summer, a route was chosen for Austin's first-ever light rail system. It will start at 38th Street, run down Guadalupe Street, cross Lady Bird Lake at Trinity Street and then split, running south along South Congress (ending at Oltorf) and running east along Riverside Drive (ending at Yellow Jacket Lane). But why was this route chosen?…

Austin City Council has taken a lot of votes lately, aimed at changing our city's land development code. The idea? To allow more housing to be built in Austin... and at a quicker pace. To explain exactly what City Council is working on, host Amy Stansbury sat down with two Austin City Council members - Ryan Alter & José “Chito” Vela.…

The regular Texas legislative session officially ended on May 29th... but that's not the end of the story. One "special session" has already been called (and more are expected to come) as a debate stretches on over property taxes and public schools. To fill us in on the latest, host Amy Stansbury sat down with Rep. James Talarico, who represents pa…

How many people in Austin are experiencing homelessness? In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, we dive a bit deeper into the numbers. To guide us through it, host Amy Stansbury interviews Akram Al-Turk, Research & Evaluation Director of ECHO, who shares data from the latest Point In Time Count.…

Concerned about climate change? Hear from people who are taking action... right here at the local level.In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with several of the city's Community Climate Ambassadors -Dylan Kazanova, Kecia Prince, Sahabel Porto, & Andres Pedraza. Show Notes:You can RSVP for the city's coop hou…

On, March 21st, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted to take the first steps toward creating a mental health diversion center right here in Travis County. And what is a mental health diversion center? We discuss it all with Travis County Judge Andy Brown.Kirjoittanut The Austin Common Radio Hour

There's been a lot of news lately over Austin's police contract. In this episode, we break it all down for you & explain what police contracts even are, the ways they impact accountability and staffing, and how an upcoming election could impact the future of public safety in Austin. Our guests include Chris Harris (Equity Action) & Austin City Coun…

By now, you've probably heard that there are plans to expand I-35 through downtown Austin... but what does that mean exactly? And what will the impact be for our community? And the climate? We cover it all in this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour. Guests include Brad Wheelis (spokesperson for TxDOT), Adam Greenfield (executive director of Re…

The 88th Texas Legislative session officially began on January 10th... So what does that mean for all of us here in Austin?In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with two Austin area representatives to find out! Guests include state Senator Sarah Eckhardt & state Representative Vikki Goodwin. Not sure who repr…

In 2022, Austin City Council approved several changes that will increase what we all pay for electricity... in 2023 and beyond. But what exactly were all those changes again? And why did Council vote the way they did? In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury breaks it all down for ya! Guests include Austin City Council Me…

In November, the City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department released a draft of the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan. The plan has received mixed reviews, with community orgs coming out both for and against the plan. But what's actually in the plan? In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury breaks it all down for ya!…

Several local races are headed to a runoff! To make it easier for you to do your ballot research, we're re-publishing some of our election episodes to feature only the candidates who made it to the runoff.In this episode, you'll hear interviews with District 5 City Council runoff candidates Ryan Alter & Stephanie Bazan, as well as District 9 City C…

Several local races are headed to a runoff! To make it easier for you to do your ballot research, we're re-publishing some of our election episodes to feature only the candidates who made it to the runoff. In this episode, you'll hear interviews with mayoral runoff candidates Celia Israel and Kirk Watson, as well as District 3 City Council runoff c…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with the candidates running for City Council in District 1 (east Austin).You'll hear interviews with Misael D. Ramos, Clinton Rarey, Melonie House-Dixon, and Natasha Harper-Madison.Kirjoittanut The Austin Common Radio Hour

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with the candidates running for City Council in District 8 (southwest Austin).You'll hear interviews with Paige Ellis, Antonio D. Ross, and Kimberly P. Hawkins. (Richard Smith did not respond to our interview request.)Kirjoittanut The Austin Common Radio Hour

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with the candidates running for City Council in District 9 (downtown/central Austin).You'll hear interviews with Zena Mitchell, Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, Greg Smith, Joah Spearman, Ben Leffler, Linda Guerrero, Tom Wald. (Kym Olson did not respond to our interview request.)…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with the candidates running to be the next mayor of Austin. You'll hear interviews with Celia Israel, Kirk Watson, Jennifer Virden, and Phil Campero Brual.Kirjoittanut The Austin Common Radio Hour

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with the candidates running for City Council in District 3 (south/east Austin). You'll hear interviews with José M.A. Velásquez, Daniela Silva, Gavino Fernandez Jr, José Noé Elías, and Esala Wueschner. (Yvonne Weldon did not respond to our interview request.)…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with the candidates running for City Council in District 5 (south Austin). You'll hear interviews with Ryan Alter, Bill Welch, Ken Craig, Stephanie Bazan, Aaron Velazquez Webman, and Brian Anderson II.Kirjoittanut The Austin Common Radio Hour

Our multi-part series on local climate action continues with an episode dedicated to energy & energy democracy. Guests include Luke Metzger (Environment Texas), Hanna Mitchell and Yesenia Rivera (Solar United Neighbors).Links mentioned in this episode include:**Shining Cities 2022 -https://environmentamericacenter.org/sites/environment/files/Shinin…

Our multi-part series on local climate action continues with an episode dedicated to climate equity & food justice. Guests include Larry Franklin (The Austin Common's first-ever Food Justice Fellow), Tane Ward (equity consultant who worked on Austin's Climate Equity Plan), and Celine Rendon (former community engagement specialist for the City of Au…

Our multi-part series on local climate action continues with an episode dedicated to one of our country's major sources of greenhouse gas emissions - electricity. In particular, we discuss the decades of work by local activists to get Austin's publicly-owned electric utility on a path to zero emissions. There's just one problem... the Fayette Power…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, we kick off our multi-part series on local climate action. Guests include Laura Jay (C40 Cities), Shane Johnson (Sierra Club), and Luis Miranda (Ground Game Texas and Sunrise El Paso). Want to learn more about what we discussed in this episode? Check out our list of links below:* Austin Climate Equit…

We're back with another election episode! In this week's episode, Austin Common Radio Hour host Amy Stansbury talks with Julie Oliver (of Ground Game Texas) about Prop A, which if passed, would effectively decriminalize marijuana in Austin and ban no-knock warrants by police. Don't forget to vote! Election Day is May 7th and early voting lasts from…

Our series on the March 2022 Texas primaries continues with an episode focused on several Texas Legislature races impacting the Central Texas community. In particular, this episode features candidates running in Texas House District 51 Democratic primary, including Claire Campos-O’Neal, Cody Arn, Maria Luisa “Lulu” Flores, Matt Worthington, and Cyn…

Early voting for the Texas primaries starts on February 14th & Election Day is March 1st. The ballot is pretty long, but if you care about climate change, health care, and criminal justice reform, there are two really important local races on your ballot - the Travis County Commissioners Democratic primary(Precincts 2 & 4).To explain it all, Austin…

On January 25th, Austinites living in District 4 (north/east Austin)will have the chance to elect a new City Council member. (Greg Casar, the current District 4 Council member, is leaving his seat early to run for Congress.)Austin Common Radio Hour host Amy Stansbury sat down with 5 of the candidates running to replace Greg - Isa Boonto, Monica Guz…

Earlier this month, global leaders met in Scotland for the COP26 summit to discuss the biggest problem facing our planet - climate change. The two-week long event just wrapped up, but before it ended, Austin Common Radio Hour host Amy Stansbury sat down with two Austinites who made the trip to participate in this historic event.Topics of discussion…

On November 2nd, Austinites will have to vote on two very important ballot initiatives - Prop A & B. Prop A is about the size of Austin's police force & Prop B is about a potential park swap. Both of them could have a profound impact on the future of our city (and are also kind of confusing). Host Amy Stansbury breaks it all down in our latest epis…

Austin is in a bit of a housing affordability crisis. But, it's a crisis that's impacting parts of the city in very different ways. In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury continues with our multi-part series on housing affordability by taking a look back in time at Austin's long history of housing discrimination. Guests…

In the first six months of 2021, the median home sale price in Austin rose by $100,000. So what's behind the crazy increase? And what is being done to try and make housing in Austin more affordable? In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury kicks off a multi-part series on housing affordability in Austin by focusing on the…

Austin has 10 City Council members who are elected to represent you. But who are these people? What do they do all day? In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury gets to know one of them, City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes from District 2. Topics of discussion include health inequities in southeast Austin, the city's budg…

Did you know? Up until last year, Austin was the largest jurisdiction in the country without a Public Defender's Office. In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury gets to know Travis County's first-ever Chief Public Defender, Adeola Ogunkeyede. Topics of discussion include criminal justice reform & what it's like to provid…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury dives deep into Austin's homelessness policies. Topics of discussion include life after the passage of Prop B, designated campsites, & the city's new Summit Plan. Guests include Bill Brice of the Downtown Austin Alliance and João Paulo Connolly of the Austin Justice Coalition.…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury dives deep into the upcoming City of Austin elections, sharing everything you need to know about Propositions F, G, and H. Topics include the possibility of switching to a strong mayor system of government, adding an additional Council district, and starting a Democracy Dollars pro…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansburydives deep into the upcoming City of Austin elections, sharing everything you need to know about Propositions C, D, and E. Topics include police oversight, Austin's mayoral elections, and ranked choice voting. Guests include Nathan Ryan & Liz Coufal of Good Politics, Council Member …

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury dives deep into the upcoming City of Austin elections, sharing everything you need to know about Propositions A & B. Topics include the Austin Firefighters Association & the city's homelessness ordinances. Guests include Matthew Mollica of ECHO, Cleo Petricek of Save Austin Now, an…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury looks into the ways that the Austin Police Department responds to mental health emergencies and speaks with local activists and experts who are working to develop a non-police response for Austinites experiencing mental health crises. Guests include Marisa Aguilar of Integral Care …

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with state Representative Vikki Goodwin to discuss what the Texas Legislature is doing in the wake of the recent winter storm & how you can get involved in the process.Kirjoittanut The Austin Common Radio Hour

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury sits down with producer John Hoffner to answer all your questions about ERCOT, the winter storm in Texas, and what the heck happened to our electric grid. John Hoffner has worked in the energy industry for his entire career (specializing in renewables), including 14 years at Austin…

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury continues our series on policing with a look at local crime data & statistics. Guests include UT Professor (and former Austin City Council Member Bill Spelman), as well as Chris Harris of Texas Appleseed.Kirjoittanut The Austin Common Radio Hour

In this episode of The Austin Common Radio Hour, host Amy Stansbury continues our series on policing with a look back at the history of policing and police reforms in Austin, Texas. Guests include Chris Harris of Texas Appleseed, former Austin City Council Member Bill Spelman, Chas Moore of the Austin Justice Coalition, and Kathy Mitchell of Just L…