Austin Votes For Prop B: May 1 Election Results

Austin TX

01 May, 2021

11:48 PM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — The city of Austin has voted for the city's proposed ordinance to criminally charge and penalize individuals who camp and or solicit money in the city limits, according to unofficial election 2021 results. Proposition B took center stage in Saturday's city election, giving residents the voice they did not have two years ago when the Austin City Council made it lawful to camp in most public spaces by canceling a 23-year-old ordinance that had prohibited it. The vote was 57.13 percent in favor and 42.87 percent against, according to the Travis County Clerk's office election data. With the ordinance approved, Proposition B could help eliminate the growing number of tent encampments in high-traffic areas by reinstating criminal penalties and forcing the unsheltered residents to find somewhere else to stay. Penalties with the ban could also be assessed for sitting or lying down on a public sidewalk or sleeping outdoors in or near the downtown Austin area or the area around the University of Texas campus. The ordinance would also prohibit solicitation of money or other things of value at specific hours and locations. The ban is expected to go into effect after results are canvassed, which would be within days of Saturday's election. Companion bills from Republicans in the House and the Senate are aiming to ban public camping statewide and penalize any jurisdiction that lets it happen. The bill HB 1925, from Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Keller, would make camping on public land a Class C misdemeanor, also prohibits a local government entity from adopting a policy of not enforcing the ban. Any entity found in violation would be penalized financially by not receiving state grant funds for the state fiscal year after the year in which a final judicial determination is made. The statewide camping ban, if signed into law on Monday, would go into effect Sept. 1. The ballot measure has been a popular topic for residents and made many expect the race to come down to the wire. As a result, the political action committees on both sides of the vote worked tirelessly over the past few months to encourage voters to vote in their favor. Save Austin Now — the nonprofit turned political action committee pushing for the reinstatement of the camping ban — had put up 29 billboards and raised $1.25 million through Wednesday, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The opposition group, Homes Not Handcuffs, had raised a fraction of that amount — $150,000 — and focused on support from younger Democrats who have gotten more engaged on political issues in recent years. Beto O'Rourke, the former congressman from El Paso who ignited that movement with his 2018 Senate campaign, sent out a tweet opposing Proposition B on April 23. On Saturday, the group held a "Homes Not Handcuffs" rally at the University of Texas campus to encourage students and area residents to go out and vote in the special election. MORE ON THAT STORY: Austin Activists Rally In Opposition Of Prop B On Election Day More than two dozen activists attended the rally including mayor Steve Adler, mayor pro-tem Natasha Harper-Madison and city council member Gregorio Casar. "As results roll in, I expect the results for Prop B will get closer. But I do not believe Austin is as divided as this election makes it seem," Casar said Saturday evening in a statement. "The overwhelming majority of Austinites share a common goal, no matter how folks voted on Prop B. We all want to get people out of tents and into homes. "Our community must come together after this election and house 3,000 more people, because we can only solve homelessness with homes, not handcuffs." Dewitt Peart, president and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance, said in a statement on Saturday that voters across Austin have spoken — voters expect more out of their city and community leadership. "With Prop B's passage, we must provide real solutions and not just enforcement strategies," Peart said. "We need to provide clarity for those experiencing homelessness on where they can go, allow for voluntary compliance before ticketing, and provide mental health services and ensuring adequate time to establish plans and alternatives to camping." Peart said the Downtown Austin Alliance's priority is to ensure downtown Austin is a safe, clean and welcoming place — more importantly, a place where "real solutions" are provided to the people most in need. With the ordinance on the table this week, the city and partnering organizations announced short-term and long-term plans it has initiated to increase the inventory of available shelter and housing options for people experiencing homelessness. For now, however, they do not have nearly enough to offer one to everyone in need. It is not clear if the city will have alternative plans to help the city's homeless now that the ordinance has passed by area residents.