AustinAdvocate

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

🚨💀Source confirms death at Austin's downtown 8th street shelter. Operated by Urban Alchemy at a cost of $20m. Body wasn't found for a day.

City officials hope public does not know.

Immediate investigation is warranted. They do not honor the homeless they claim to serve.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

It's a wrap, at the final Austin City Council meeting of 2025, a slush fund of handouts approved by council - all on consent.

• $278,000,000 approved for spending
• 85 items on consent calendar
• All unanimously approved
• All without any audit

Austin, that's your council spending your money and working for you.

Sign the audit petition to be certified in 2026!

https://t.co/kGHv78FK9O

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

We don’t just remember, we live with the consequences EVERY single day.

[Adam Loewy @LoewyLawFirm]

Oh we remember.

#txlege

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

If the same Austin voters that rejected Proposition Q knew the city council was approving $4,000,000 to give to Emancipet for animal sterilization, we are pretty sure the taxpayers would be furious.

Of course, Emancipet is more than an animal service organization, it's another mouthpiece for city council's tiresome and faltering social agenda.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

@AustinJustice Correct. The @DowntownATXInfo ruined this park with drag propaganda as well. The DAA also funded and promoted homeless programs using property owner tax funds.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

@SaveAustinNow Correct.

https://t.co/SSuXH0FCnn

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

If Austin aligned with employee headcount to similar sized city as Ft. Worth, at an average salary of $55k, Austin's budget would save $450 million per year.

Vote no on Tax Rate Increase!

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

@SaveAustinNow This is why we need an annual audit.

https://t.co/4C2h5fo0Ia

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

This is how local government grows and bloats into Austin's budget crisis.

Federal government is funding $2m grant to Austin Public Health for immigrant and refugee medical screening services. APH will fund SEVEN new positions in the department based on council direction today.

When funding disappears from federal government, the local government asks taxpayers to cover the deficit.

Local government continues to bloat both in dollars and staff. And the cycle never ends.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

This is how local government grows and bloats into Austin's budget crisis.

Federal government is funding $2m grant to Austin Public Health for immigrant and refugee medical screening services. APH will fund SEVEN new positions in the department based on council direction today.

When funding disappears from federal government, the local government asks taxpayers to cover the deficit.

Local government continues to bloat both in dollars and staff. And the cycle never ends.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

Today, Austin City Council votes to transfer another $1m to their pet project HOPE homeless fund to continue rejecting the voters referendum of rejecting wasteful homeless spending. This money will be for nothing but the homeless operating companies.

Under Texas House Bill 1136 in 2019, TPID funds from assessments (like Austin's 2% hotel room revenue levy) must be used exclusively for tourism-related purposes.
Direct transfers to general city funds or non-tourism uses (e.g., homelessness) are prohibited to prevent misuse of the special assessment.

Tourists visiting Austin often leave thinking the downtown district looks (and smells) terrible.

There's a reason why office vacancy is 30% and retail vacancy is 40%. Both historic highs.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

This is disturbing for all who advocate for justice in Austin.

[Kristina Byington @ByingtonK]

PLEASE SHARE:

The real story isn’t in this segment at all.

DA José Garza secretly dropped the murder charges, never notified our family, and hid behind a loophole that lets him disregard victims entirely. He did this after two courts rejected Causey’s claims, paving the way for a $2.5M payout intended only for people proven innocent—which he is not.

Garza didn’t “follow procedure.”
He exploited it, weaponizing the law to rewrite a murder case behind closed doors and silence the victim’s family.

We had to uncover everything ourselves. Garza never had the courage or integrity to tell us what he was doing, or why.

This wasn’t justice — it was a political favor done in the dark, at the expense of a murdered woman and the family he chose to ignore.

If any serious investigative journalist wants the real story —the documents, the rulings, the timeline, the secrecy—we’re ready.
This goes far deeper than anything reported so far.

Gov. Abbott and other state officials should intervene immediately to correct this injustice and hold Garza accountable. @GregAbbott_TX @DanPatrick @RepJMLozano @RyanGuillen @TXCrimeVictims @txcomptroller @tplohetski @KXAN_News @KVUE @cbsaustin @fox7austin @FoxNews @MeredithonFOX7 @MaryAnnreports @NancyGrace @TexasTribune @johnnyk20001 @AustinJustice @ATXVideos @Homicide_One @DouglasOConnell @LoewyLawFirm @MattMackowiak @SaveAustinNow @TravisCo_RISE @DATravisCounty @JosePGarza

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

This @parksandrec parody is directed at Austin City Council and @KirkPWatson . City budget's are pretty simple.

"Let's spend money on things that matter: police, fire, parks and schools." - Leslie Knope

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

Embarrassing: Why @atp_org does it take 13 years to build a ten mile train in Austin?

That doesn’t even connect to the airport?

The Empire State Building construction began March 17, 1930, and was completed May 1, 1931. 410 days.

You guys are wasting our time and tax dollars.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

Austin taxpayers voted for this by rejecting Prop Q:

• Restoring public safety, fire, EMS budgets
• Cutting bloated waste

This is a good start from @VanessaForATX. Get to work council, there's so much more to cut.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

Like you @elonmusk we also advocate for a greater Austin! It’s the core mission of our work.

Living in a growing city is better than a dying city. Which way will Austin go: growth or die?

Local policy and leadership has much impact.

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Move to Austin! It gets better very year.

So many cool, world-class people are moving to Austin from SF, LA, NY, London and many other parts of the world!

Austin++

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

Sad. Not surprising in this crime ridden area full of homeless shelters, drug dealing, assaults, vagrants wreaking havoc on local businesses and tourists.

But the city or APD won't admit Austin has a violent crime problem.

[Austin Police Department @Austin_Police]

APD Officers are responding to a homicide near 401 E 5th Street. Please avoid the area.
PIO 80 in route. Media briefing time and location TBD.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

@KirkPWatson Sir, your most vulnerable residents are citizens of Austin who are working, raising families and operating businesses under extreme pressure from the litany of failed and invasive policies and can no longer afford to live in Austin under your politburo.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

Yup. Just like we warned in the “nuclear option” warning from a council memo.

Thank you @AustinJustice for the work and terrific graph.

Don’t be misled by social contract cuts, council is siphoning $14 million (at least, more through upcoming budget amendments) from the Budget Stabilization Fund toward pet social service projects.

[Austin Justice @AustinJustice]

Austin is cutting millions from ambulance services, parks, and courts while allocating $20.5 million more to homelessness and social programs.

The paramedics union warns the cuts mean "fewer medics on the streets" and "slower ambulance response times."

Meanwhile, a single shelter receives $8 million.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

@wauktx Don’t be fooled. Another $14 million from the budget stabilization fund is siphoned into social contracts.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

🚩BREAKING: The amended budget is out and is not a reflection of the defeat of Prop Q last week.

City manager has proposed cuts to FIRE, EMS, PARKS while INCREASING funding to Homeless Service Office.

Other items to note:
1. No change to a bloated $25m animal services budget
2. There is another $30m in bloated social service contracts to eliminate
3. Increasing staff for Homeless service office

Here are the dates to be engaged:
• Friday, November 7th – City Manager releases an updated proposed budget.
• Thursday, November 13th – We will post for a budget work session.
• Tuesday, November 18th – We will have a budget briefing/work session as part of the already scheduled work session.
• Thursday, November 20th – We will post for potential adoption of the new budget.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

@data_atx They already knew Prop Q was failing and started working on accounting tricks a month ago.

[AustinAdvocate @_AustinAdvocate]

@MattMackowiak @SpeakerPelosi @KenPaxtonTX Austin council member @RyanAlter on his way. Always starts small with meals, travel and personal dues. Then grows into a financial monster.