Gus Bova
In San Antonio, Police Reformers Square Off with the Cops’ Union
The Lege This Week: Who Cancels the Cancellers?
It just might be the Texas Legislature.
Welcome to the 87th Legislative Session. Since the last session came to a close in June 2019, Texas has been hit by an unrestrained pandemic and a crippling economic crisis—and now the fallout from deadly blackouts. Under unprecedented circumstances, lawmakers … Read More
‘Not Celebrating Yet’: South Texans Wait for Biden to Cancel Trump’s Wall
The president’s pause on wall construction leaves questions unanswered in Texas.
In an interview last August, Joe Biden made a pledge: “There will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration.” It was the first time the then-presidential candidate made such a clear promise. On January 20, hours after … Read More
COVID-19’s Deadly Toll on Texas Workers
As COVID-19 devastates workers unable to stay home, families are left struggling for justice.
Graveyard Shift As COVID-19 devastates workers unable to stay home, families are left struggling for justice. By Gus Bova January 18, 2021 From the January/February 2021 issue. Isabelle Papadimitriou was finally a grandma. The baby girl, Lua, was born in … Read More
In San Antonio, a Fight over Public Housing Heats Up
The fate of the Alamo City’s oldest and largest public housing development is fueling a conflict between San Antonians with different visions for the future of the city’s West Side.
Update: On January 21, the board of the San Antonio Housing Authority announced dramatic changes to its plans for the Alazán-Apache Courts, including that the agency has cancelled its proposed partnership with the private developer NRP Group. As it proceeds … Read More
The Year Newspaper Unions Roared Back to Life in Texas
At the beginning of 2020, there were zero union papers in the Lone Star State. Soon, it seems, there will be three.
In mid-February, a coterie of newspaper higher-ups from around the country gathered at the Omni hotel in downtown Fort Worth for an affair ostentatiously called the Key Executives Mega-Conference. During one presentation, a Chicago-based employment attorney, Michael Rybicki, warned of … Read More
Democrats Seek to Undo San Antonio Senate Slip-up
Or, Roland’s Revenge.
If elected to the Texas Senate, Roland Gutierrez promises not to end his tenure in federal prison. During a September phone call, the six-term state House rep assured me: “I’ve led my life as a responsible person; my parents raised … Read More
Erika Andiola Says Dreamers Know How to Push Biden
“All we can do is pick our opponent,” says Andiola, the chief advocacy officer for the San Antonio-based immigrant rights group RAICES Action.
Erika Andiola puts her faith in the movement, not politicians. The 33-year-old, originally from the Mexican state of Durango, has seen elected officials leave her community behind too many times before. Andiola, who lives in Phoenix, has been a leading … Read More
Austin and America’s Thirty-Year War on the Homeless
Cities have spent three decades criminalizing homelessness. Last year, Austin bucked the trend—and sparked a firestorm that still hasn’t gone out.
No Place to Be Cities have spent three decades criminalizing homelessness. Last year, Austin bucked the trend—and sparked a firestorm that still hasn’t gone out. By Gus Bova September 21, 2020 The years living on the street showed in … Read More
Why Does John Cornyn Tweet?
An analysis.
About midday on March 14, Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn sat down at a black laminate table, laced his fingers around the neck of a cold bottle of Corona Extra, poured half the beer into a lowball glass and thought: … Read More