Tag Archives: Greg Casar
Hemp Snafu Offers Texas Cities a Way to Decriminalize Marijuana
Austin leaders will consider a proposal to effectively end enforcement of misdemeanor pot possession.
Last year, police groups killed marijuana reform in Texas, which both political parties now support, with a Reefer Madness-style misinformation campaign. But a ...Read More
Texas Republicans’ War on Workers Roars Back to Life in the House
One of the GOP’s top priorities — banning local labor protections like mandatory paid sick leave — stalled for much of the session. Now, Republicans are putting their foot on the gas.
The Texas GOP has finally returned its attention to its perpetual war on workers. After unexpected delays and with less than a month left in session, Republican...Read More
Progressives Scramble to Fight Back Against Texas Republicans’ Attacks on Local Control
From capping property taxes to banning paid sick leave ordinances, GOP lawmakers want to stomp out liberal policies in cities across the state. A progressive network is going on the offensive.
There hasn’t been a steady stream of protests at the Capitol and no lawmakers have called ICE on activists (yet) this session. In fact, the Legislature is on ...Read More
Texas Attorney General Joins Legal Fight Against Paid Sick Days
The move throws state resources behind an attack on a policy that’s set to take effect in Austin in October and that could spread to Dallas and San Antonio.
On Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a coalition of business lobbyists and temp agencies in the legal battle to rip guaranteed paid sick days awa...Read More
Could Austin’s Paid Sick Leave Victory Be the Start of a Progressive Labor Movement in Texas?
Progressive activists can take a lesson from Austin’s paid sick leave campaign, which succeeded in part because it reached people typically excluded from politics.
In my nearly three years covering city government in Austin, I’ve seen a lot of big crowds show up at City Hall. But the hundreds who showed up last Thursday ...Read More
Austin Passes First Paid Sick Leave Policy in the South
After five raucous hours, the Austin City Council passed a policy providing paid sick leave to at least 87,000 Austinites. Council members say they hope other Texas cities will soon follow.
At nearly 1 a.m. on Thursday night, the Austin City Council passed a citywide, mandatory paid sick leave policy that will provide sick days to around 87,000 wor...Read More
Congressman Demands Answers from ICE on ‘Deceptive’ Immigration Raids in Austin
After an Observer report, Austin Democrat Lloyd Doggett is demanding a host of new details from ICE about last February's raids.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett is calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release a raft of new information about immigration raids conducted last Fe...Read More
Activists: Greg Abbott’s SB 4 Pitch to Univision Viewers is ‘Nothing But Lies’
“I don’t know why he is telling people something so blatantly untrue,” Austin City Council member Greg Casar said.
On Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott assured Univision viewers via Facebook Live that only “serious” criminals need to worry about Senate Bill 4 — the anti-...Read More
In Austin, Workers Score a Big Win
Austin City Council passed a resolution making Austin the first city to add comprehensive protections for workers into its corporate-incentive program....Read More
