The Cost and Chaos of Prop I
On November 3, Austin voters will head to the polls for state, federal, and City Council races. Near the bottom of a very long ballot, though, is a petition organized by Save Austin Now proposing an amendment to Austin’s City Charter. Prop I would require Austin to hire outside consultants to conduct a citywide audit every five years.
How the Texas Lege Has Failed To Help Mental Health
The Texas Legislature has spent years acknowledging the link between mental health care and the criminal justice system. It has also spent years failing to act on it. In some cases, lawmakers have actively weakened the state's treatment infrastructure.
30 Years of Broken Promises: Texas Chooses Punishment Over Treatment
For more than thirty years, Texas lawmakers have known that addiction and the criminal legal system are deeply connected. And for more than thirty years, they've responded the same way: refuse to fund treatment, block harm-reduction tools, and expand criminal penalties.
The result: a system where incarceration is the default response, not because it is effective, but because it's what our legislators prefer.
Crime in Austin: What's True and What's Not
A wave of social media posts is distorting crime statistics to attack the District Attorney. Here's what the actual numbers say — and why the raw data tells a very different story.