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Austin City Council approves putting initiative potentially decriminalize marijuana on the May ballot. (Pexels)
Austin voters will officially be able to vote on decriminalizing marijuana after City Council approved an initiative for the May ballot on Tuesday.
The proposal comes from a petition by Austin organization Ground Game Texas that included 33,000 signatures, 23,000 of which were registered voters. Council then had the choice to enact the ordinance without voter approval; instead, it decided with a 7-3 vote to pass it on to the May ballot after a closed-door executive session, with many members saying they want to hear what Austin voters think about the reform.
If enacted, the ballot measure will ban ticketing or arresting people for possessing small amounts of marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia unless it is related to a bigger charge. While the Austin Police Department ended most arrests and ticketing for personal marijuana possession in July 2020, the initiative would make it official. The reform also includes a more controversial ban on "no knock" warrants.
The news follows action taken by state and national politicians to ease restrictions on marijuana policies. On Monday, Jan. 10, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at an Edinburg campaign presser that he wasn't interested in imprisoning Texans on minor pot charges.
"Prison and jail is a place for dangerous criminals who may harm others, and small possession of marijuana is not the type of violation that we want to stockpile jails with," Abbott said.
If passed, Austin will join 27 states and other major cities, like Atlanta, in decriminalizing weed. Voters will have a chance to decide on the bill at the local election in May, two months after Texas' primary election for governor. Abbott, a favorite for the Republican seat, is predicted to face off against Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke, a staunch supporter for legalizing marijuana, in the state's November election.
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Interim Austin police chief Joe Chacon was/was not passed as Austin's next police chief on Thursday.
With a 9-2 vote, former assistant chief Joseph Chacon was confirmed as the new Austin police chief after a lengthy city council meeting on Thursday.
Chacon was named chief by Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk Wednesday morning but was awaiting official approval from a divided City Council after six months as interim chief.
"I'm confident Interim chief Joseph Chacon is the right person to lead our City's police department to achieve results, build trust and transparency, and accomplish equitable public safety outcomes for all Austin residents and visitors," Cronk said on Wednesday.
While he'd already secured the vote of Mayor Steve Adler among others, some city council members and community organizations weren't convinced that an insider was the best fit for a police force that has been accused of racism and poorly handling of sexual assault investigations.
Chacon replaces former chief Brian Manley, who retired in the spring after nearly a year of reform following the summer's Black Lives Matter protests.
Those skeptical of Chacon, including council member Greg Casar, asked the chief at Thursday's meeting about his commitments to police reform, his solutions for crime reduction and the department's handling of sexual assault cases.
NEW: Here are the questions I will ask Interim Chief Chacon during today's #ATXCouncil meeting.
Before deciding on a permanent Chief, we need a public conversation on these topics of safety & justice. #ATX https://t.co/aeX6CD5XrK pic.twitter.com/rrN2Y6n8gx
— Gregorio Casar (@GregCasar) September 30, 2021
Chacon said that the sex crimes department now has 20 detectives, more than any other unit. Chacon also said that gun crime is driving the city's spiking homicide rate and has created a new gun crime prevention program for the department.
Chacon has been in law enforcement for 28 years and was appointed assistant chief in Austin in 2016. Despite being part of the police force before its budget cuts, fund reallocation and police cadet raining overhaul, Chacon said he's been receptive to changing the status quo.
As interim chief, he was part of the shift in APD's training curriculm from a "paramilitary nature to one that is based in an adult learning environment" and has reduced police body cam footage public release from 60 days after an incident to just 10.
Chacon also said at the meeting that he doesn't support Save Austin Now's Prop A, which hopes to increase police staffing to 2 officers per 1,000 residents to combat crime, because the theory is "based on older methodologies" before they improved their data technology. Austinites will vote on the Save Austin Now initiative that will add police officers along with other measures to the APD in November.
After nearly four hours, Chacon was given a "yes" vote by all but members Mackenzie Kelly and Alison Alter, both of whom were unsure of the force's growth with an insider as leader.
Chacon defeated finalists Emada Tingirides, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief, and Dallas Police Department Assistant Chief Avery Moore for the position.
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The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission approved a draft district map Sept. 15 that looks much the same as the current map. (The Austin Bulldog)
A member of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) contacted council members asking for their home addresses despite a charter provision prohibiting the ICRC from considering such information in its mapping process, according to emails obtained by the Bulldog through a public information request.
Four council members or their staffers replied providing home addresses: Alison Alter, Paige Ellis, Mackenzie Kelly, and Leslie Pool, according to the emails dated August 9th to Aug. 17.
