What the fuck is wrong with you, Austin?

[PvilleStang 2,911]

I think he's more concerned with what's on the lunch menu than the homeless crisis or the APD contract.

[ztejas 43,457]

29 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/lady-bird-lake/

 

28 minutes ago, GhostRider said:

Lady Bird Lake is 18 feet deep at it's deepest point.

He was being facetious.

[texasdago 7,573]

35 minutes ago, royiv said:

Serious question, what do you think priorities 1-4 or 1-5 are because I can’t figure out what the heck Watson is doing?

This.  Are we sure that its not Adler holding up a carboard cutout of Watson because he has done nothing.

Edit: Great article on Watson working hard to resolve the homeless camps around town...

 

Edited April 2 by texasdago

[gsoda3 3,262]

28 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/lady-bird-lake/

 

27 minutes ago, GhostRider said:

Lady Bird Lake is 18 feet deep at it's deepest point.

go to settings and turn on your sarcasm font. 

 

i actually think divers might be more expensive than a CoA employee playing with his department's submersible.  last diver i hired charged $150 / hour and he wasn't doing manual labor while underwater.

[ztejas 43,457]

19 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

1. The housing code changes 
2. City manager
3. APD funding/contract
4. Various brick-a-brack/crises that comes with being a mayor

No no, you've got it all wrong.

1. Removing dead bodies and electric scooters from town lake 

[royiv 9,323]

4 minutes ago, ztejas said:

No no, you've got it all wrong.

1. Removing dead bodies and electric scooters from town lake 

And we have no idea how many dead bodies and scooters are in the lake so we can’t determine the effectiveness of these initiatives.

[ztejas 43,457]

Just now, royiv said:

And we have no idea how many dead bodies and scooters are in the lake so we can’t determine the effectiveness of these initiatives.

Ohhhhhh I know someone that's probably got a pretty good idea. 

@Nicole44

[Bozo_Casanova 26,472]

35 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

We rejected the strong mayor form of governing a year or two ago...  So Watson is about as powerful as Zo and Baby Alter.  The nutjobs run the asylum.  

Now if only we could reject the Strong President system.

[tbone_ 14,127]

Hand wringing over a solution to the homeless “problem” always cracks me up.

Houses get built when someone thinks they can profit from doing so. No one profits from building houses for people who can’t pay. So they don’t get built.

There are only two possible solutions: 1) steal money from your electorate (taxes) to pay builders enough so they can make a profit and will build, or 2) steal money from your electorate (taxes) and build it yourself. There is no other answer.

But people are people and like to fuck chickens and wring hands and grandstand to get votes and so on and so on. So here we are.

[BabaYaga 15,299]

56 minutes ago, GhostRider said:

Lady Bird Lake is 18 feet deep at it's deepest point.

I know, was being sarcastic about how shallow it is, it's one atmosphere and divers could easily take care of this vs bringing in some expensive submersible or even rednecks with magnets and a rope could just as easily accomplish.

 

[BabaYaga 15,299]

[Wally Pryor 5,261]

3 hours ago, Nicole44 said:

 

Seeing "Homeless Strategy Office" in print or anywhere else is the most comical thing. Guessing most of the strategic moves in March centered around working on a good tournament bracket. At only $150K / year to run the thing we should at least allow the person to prioritize the important things. 

Another machete party on Friday night, this time around Ben White and Manchaca. Near where the bums have set up nightly shop around that custom car wash. They need to up their game. Pre "camping ban" the area under the bridge near Dan's had two couches, a big screen, refrigerator and a (mini) pool table. Still got some work to do.  

[landman 559]

1 hour ago, tbone_ said:

Hand wringing over a solution to the homeless “problem” always cracks me up.

Houses get built when someone thinks they can profit from doing so. No one profits from building houses for people who can’t pay. So they don’t get built.

There are only two possible solutions: 1) steal money from your electorate (taxes) to pay builders enough so they can make a profit and will build, or 2) steal money from your electorate (taxes) and build it yourself. There is no other answer.

But people are people and like to fuck chickens and wring hands and grandstand to get votes and so on and so on. So here we are.

Or a city could buy a few hotels...

[jimmyjazz 45,963]

I don't know the actual number of scooters that have been tossed in the lake, but at some point they need to come out.  That shouldn't cost the city or taxpayers one dime.  Sure, if you can catch the random drunk who thought it funny to throw one in the lake, fine them the cost of retrieval (plus some), but beyond that, it's a stupid business model and the scooter companies need to take care of it.

[DaysOff 7,951]

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/removing-scooters-e-bikes-from-lady-bird-lake

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Fire Department is hoping to remove hundreds of electric scooters and bikes from Lady Bird Lake.

Recently, members of the AFD RED (Robotic Emergency Deployment) Team tested out a submersible remotely operated vehicle (ROV). While testing the equipment, they spotted an e-bike and a robotic arm attached to the ROV was able to grab a wheel and pull it out of the water.

We took a canal tour in Amsterdam over spring break, and the narrator said 16,000 bicycles end up in the canals every year. I thought of you people.

[BabaYaga 15,299]

23 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

I thought of you people.

[DaggerHorns 3,085]

2 hours ago, tbone_ said:

Hand wringing over a solution to the homeless “problem” always cracks me up.

Houses get built when someone thinks they can profit from doing so. No one profits from building houses for people who can’t pay. So they don’t get built.

There are only two possible solutions: 1) steal money from your electorate (taxes) to pay builders enough so they can make a profit and will build, or 2) steal money from your electorate (taxes) and build it yourself. There is no other answer.

But people are people and like to fuck chickens and wring hands and grandstand to get votes and so on and so on. So here we are.

Agreed. The housing here won’t be fixed. Ever. Waaay too much chicken fucking.

When we vote for things like Project Connect, we just make it more expensive but no one cares to understand that this increases both ownership and renting real estate. Pretty cool stuff to vote for. To make matters worse, they didn’t even have the accurate amount it would cost.
 

I can’t fathom putting together a package for a city of a million people and being a few billion off of the true number.

[Deej 76,800]

3 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

 

Good god, these statements. Austin should not be on the hook for any of this shit.

Didn't one of the big two scooter companies go bankrupt? Good luck getting them to pay for theirs. 

[YGIFS 19,450]

So we need a hotel for the homeless, a cemetery for Nicole’s victims, and a parking lot for the scooters.  All at the bottom of Town Lake?  Throw in a craft brewery and count me in as an investor 

[gofuckyourself 8,281]

I threw my scooters in the lake to create an artificial reef and/or an underwater playscape for the nutria.

Some of us care about the environment.

Edited April 2 by gofuckyourself

[Eskimohorn 5,635]

Agreed. The housing here won’t be fixed. Ever. Waaay too much chicken fucking.
When we vote for things like Project Connect, we just make it more expensive but no one cares to understand that this increases both ownership and renting real estate. Pretty cool stuff to vote for. To make matters worse, they didn’t even have the accurate amount it would cost.
 
I can’t fathom putting together a package for a city of a million people and being a few billion off of the true number.

Project Connect, taxes, and building costs have meant fuckall for Austin housing prices since we’re in a global real estate market. In fact, making it less profitable to own an extra home or build a new home has helped stabilize the market. Things like inflation and interest rates have worked together in complicated fashion along with global economy to shape our housing market.

The other issues that need to be understood is the depth and breadth of the homeless problem. The first is that what we see being the problem is the long-term homeless, who migrate to Austin and can fit in one or more of these categories: Mental illness, addicts, or career criminal. This is a regional and national problem. Austin has little ability to solve these issues in the longterm.

Where affordability really causes homelessness are people and families temporarily displaced. Thats your single mothers, abused children, termed foster kids, divorced dads. One or more Surly posters may find themselves living on friend sofas or motels. Guess what: you may be homeless.

[tbone_ 14,127]

I threw my scooters in the lake to create an artificial reef and/or an underwater playscape for the nutria.
Some of us care about the environment.

Username

[tbone_ 14,127]

But let’s be honest about the homeless “problem”. The problem isn’t that the don’t have a dwelling. No one really cares if they have houses. A “solution” to the problem, in everyone’s eyes just means that we don’t have to see these ugly people in places we want to be.

Call it what it is.

[royiv 9,323]

2 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

But let’s be honest about the homeless “problem”. The problem isn’t that the don’t have a dwelling. No one really cares if they have houses. A “solution” to the problem, in everyone’s eyes just means that we don’t have to see these ugly people in places we want to be.

Call it what it is.

A true solution requires a big investment in mental health and substance abuse treatment and we know that’s not going to happen. Instead, we use the justice system at a higher price.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

But let’s be honest about the homeless “problem”. The problem isn’t that the don’t have a dwelling. No one really cares if they have houses. A “solution” to the problem, in everyone’s eyes just means that we don’t have to see these ugly people in places we want to be.

Call it what it is.

You ain't tired of this BS argument yet? I see that shit from half of r/Austin and it is such disingenuous bullshit. 

"Hey, the homeless situation causes some serious financial, environmental, and societal costs. We have machete attacks, murders, fires, and tons of trash."
"Oh, you just don't like seeing poor people!"

GTFO.

[chainsaw 9,869]

1 minute ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

We have machete attacks, murders, fires, and tons of trash

This kind of stuff has always happened. If anything is disingenuous it's the idea that these things are new. They're not new. They're being selectively amplified by dark money interest groups to manufacture consent for throwing money at cops (the same cops who refuse to even pretend that they're interested in solving the crimes that do get reported).

[YGIFS 19,450]

23 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

I threw my scooters in the lake to create an artificial reef and/or an underwater playscape for the nutria.

Some of us care about the environment.

Centuries from now, there'll be reefs along the Highland Lakes created by Michael Hsu buildings, Nicole's victims, and Bird Scooters.  And scholar's will inquire "What are dead birds doing down there recreating a reef?  Oh, like Bird Scooters like Lime?  Right, right."  

[YGIFS 19,450]

12 minutes ago, royiv said:

A true solution requires a big investment in mental health and substance abuse treatment and we know that’s not going to happen. Instead, we use the justice system at a higher price.

Agreed.  I simply gave up fighting City Council on this when we'd review homelessness/affordable bonds for the better part of a decade.  Almost no money going to the three underlying causes-mental health, addiction, and veteran's services.  To be fair, that shouldn't all to the municipal level-much of it should be carried by the Feds and State of Texas.  But after reviewing one bullshit purchase after another without caring for the basic proactive care of it all...I've just fucking had it.  Yes, there are always going to be people who are ill, have exhausted services and kindness and just go out to live in the streets and wreak havoc in some cases.  But we are just going to Hampton Inn our way out of this issue.  Ever.  It's a quiet little grift that goes unnoticed while we talk about access road encampments.  Happy Easter everybody! 

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

This kind of stuff has always happened. If anything is disingenuous it's the idea that these things are new. They're not new. They're being selectively amplified by dark money interest groups to manufacture consent for throwing money at cops (the same cops who refuse to even pretend that they're interested in solving the crimes that do get reported).

Lol. Yeah, that's the ticket. 

[Orange&White 5,528]

1 hour ago, DaggerHorns said:

Agreed. The housing here won’t be fixed. Ever. Waaay too much chicken fucking.

When we vote for things like Project Connect, we just make it more expensive but no one cares to understand that this increases both ownership and renting real estate. Pretty cool stuff to vote for. To make matters worse, they didn’t even have the accurate amount it would cost.
 

I can’t fathom putting together a package for a city of a million people and being a few billion off of the true number.

It wasn't that they were off by that much. They knew that they were underbudgeting so that the number would look better on a ballot.

Once it was approved by the voters, there is no repercussion to saying "whoops! sorry. we missed it by a few billion".

[tbone_ 14,127]

You ain't tired of this BS argument yet? I see that shit from half of r/Austin and it is such disingenuous bullshit. 
"Hey, the homeless situation causes some serious financial, environmental, and societal costs. We have machete attacks, murders, fires, and tons of trash."
"Oh, you just don't like seeing poor people!"
GTFO.

I don’t follow your point.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Orange&White said:

It wasn't that they were off by that much. They knew that they were underbudgeting so that the number would look better on a ballot.

Once it was approved by the voters, there is no repercussion to saying "whoops! sorry. we missed it by a few billion".

And the map they put out was BS.

[PvilleStang 2,911]

 

[Bevo 13,577]

On 4/2/2024 at 1:53 PM, chainsaw said:

This kind of stuff has always happened. If anything is disingenuous it's the idea that these things are new. They're not new. They're being selectively amplified by dark money interest groups to manufacture consent for throwing money at cops (the same cops who refuse to even pretend that they're interested in solving the crimes that do get reported).

Until a lowbrow gaming shop wasn't renewed its lease, the whole neighborhood suffered. Syringes, shit, broken windows, broken cameras, clothes with shit on them, bricks through car windows, breaking and entering, burglary, and passed out addicts. The police did next to nothing and I'd call 911 and just report a person not responding but breathing. Luckily it was fairly rare that they passed out in front of the building to where it would cause an obvious material loss of business. Still, I would have to escort patients back to their cars if I was seeing them after 7:00. And every morning, I would have to get to the office an hour earlier to clean up before seeing patients. I've been in the same place for 15 years and it hasn't always happened and even after the gaming business left, I still have some stragglers who haven't gotten the hint.

[hayden_horn 11,362]

On 4/2/2024 at 9:26 AM, royiv said:

Serious question, what do you think priorities 1-4 or 1-5 are because I can’t figure out what the heck Watson is doing?

he's doing exactly what he was elected to be doing: be austin's old white father

[chainsaw 9,869]

5 minutes ago, Bevo said:

The police did next to nothing

This is why they need a pay cut. Or at least their compensation should be tied to performance.

[Bevo 13,577]

Just now, chainsaw said:

This is why they need a pay cut. Or at least their compensation should be tied to performance.

Yeah, fighting the homeless issue by defunding the police, that's a solution.

[chainsaw 9,869]

1 minute ago, Bevo said:

Yeah, fighting the homeless issue by defunding the police, that's a solution.

Overfunding and overpolicing never works.

[Bevo 13,577]

1 minute ago, chainsaw said:

Overfunding and overpolicing never works.

Not advocating for it, but overpolicing always works. If I spent money on security guards, the problem would have disappeared overnight for as long as the security guards were present.

[Modessit 5,603]

No no, you've got it all wrong.
1. Removing dead bodies and electric scooters from town lake 

[ChickenSandwich 9,839]

4 hours ago, chainsaw said:

Overfunding and overpolicing never works.

Not staffing 911, and having between a 700-400 officer shortage for a very large city never works. 

[chainsaw 9,869]

13 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Not staffing 911, and having between a 700-400 officer shortage for a very large city never works. 

I've seen no evidence of shortages that doesn't require me to take the union's word at its face value.

[Modessit 5,603]

I've seen no evidence of shortages that doesn't require me to take the union's word at its face value.

How about from a site that seems geared towards your desires? We have a little more than half the police as other cities of similar size. If you go by the oft-mentioned "225 officers per 100k people for cities with a population over 500k", then we should have 2218 officers. That's a little over 400 short, and over 1400 less than cities of comparable population per this website that wants less police.

Or maybe the police union is conspiring with them?

[DigglerontheHoof 21,202]

Nvrmd

Edited April 4 by DigglerontheHoof

[Guest]

Anyone seeing any sort of effect of Dell's surging stock price around town? Does anyone still work there? Stock price has just soared and it's got to be making some folks flush.

 

[Armybrat 40,850]

8 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Anyone seeing any sort of effect of Dell's surging stock price around town? Does anyone still work there? Stock price has just soared and it's got to be making some folks flush.

 

The parking lots at the Round Rock Dell campus are mostly empty whenever we drive by there weekdays. 
Or maybe everybody who doesn’t still work from home just Ubers in?

[chainsaw 9,869]

5 hours ago, Modessit said:

the oft-mentioned "225 officers per 100k people for cities with a population over 500k", then we should have 2218 officers

who mentions that? That's a weirdly specific ratio and it seems pretty arbitrary to me.

 

Look at this data:

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2018001/article/54912/tbl/tbl02-eng.htm

Ontario's rate is 183 and BC's is 186, and it's even lower if you exclude the mounties. I would image Austin's rate skyrockets if you include DPS, Rangers, and all the federal agencies. Is Canada plagued by crime due to a ratio lower than your preferred 225 per 100k?

 

 

23 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Anyone seeing any sort of effect of Dell's surging stock price around town? Does anyone still work there? Stock price has just soared and it's got to be making some folks flush.

 

They had a round of layoffs and investors love that

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

They had a round of layoffs and investors love that

Do more research.

[Mittens 8,284]

https://communityimpact.com/austin/south-central-austin/transportation/2024/04/01/austin-rolls-out-new-e-scooter-regulations-limits-operations

The total number of e-scooters allowed in the city has been curbed following the exit of Superpedestrian and its Link scooters last year. The fleet sizes of Bird and Lime, the two remaining operators, are being maintained.

Mendoza also said Austin will now be "holding the line" at just two operators and no longer licensing any additional companies .

Previously, nearly 9,000 total e-scooter devices were allowed to be in service across Austin. Now, the Transportation and Public Works Department is capping that total at just 6,700—leaving Lime with 3,700 and Bird with around 3,000. The average number of scooter devices on city streets had typically exceeded 6,700 devices since mid-2021.

Additionally, the transportation department is phasing out the use of dockless e-bikes citywide, leaving only the city and CapMetro's docked MetroBike program.

Other e-scooter rule changes now in effect include:

• Limiting the number of scooters allowed in Austin's "urban core" by 50%, leaving Bird and Lime with an allowance of 1,125 devices each around downtown and south of Lady Bird Lake
• Restricting scooter speed limits in nightlife districts by 5 miles per hour between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
• Requiring scooter operators to stage their devices in designated areas on a regular basis, rather than leaving them to be freely distributed across the city

While scooter staging areas will start off as marked spaces on the ground, Mendoza said they could eventually be "hardened" into more permanent corrals. The change stems from worries about community aesthetics, business storefront access and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility along streets and sidewalks.

Building off a previous pilot program, Mendoza said permanently blocking scooter access along Congress Avenue is another concept now under consideration as the city seeks to revamp many aspects of the key downtown corridor.

“We just need to reach a medium where all these modes of mobility can coexist harmoniously in the same space," he said of the updates.

[YGIFS 19,450]

It's weird to me sometimes that we banned ride-sharing platforms in this city and then shortly thereafter enabled thousands and thousands of e-scooters to fill up our streets and sidewalks.  I used to use the e-scooters when I worked downtown because it just beat walking in the heat in a suit more expedited.  And most folks that live here, use them responsibly.  It's the folks you can tell are from out of town, half-drunk, that drive them like fucking morons with zero nods to safety and norms.  

The thing that baffles me though, in an almost entertaining way, is where you see some one-off scooter just left in the strangest place.  Like, we've all made bad choices in our younger years.  But I've seen some abandoned scooters literally on highways.  The strangest one to this day was as I was driving on the MoPac access road at Barton Skyway.  It was a scooter in the grass, on its side.  With a crutch laid upon it.  Like an injury crutch you'd get from a hospital.  To this day, I don't know if it was a really elaborate prank or some kind of miracle.