March 7, 2024
Travis County district attorney Democratic primary race heats up
Supporters for both José Garza and Jeremy Sylestine were out on Monday trying to sway voters.
AUSTIN, Texas —
In Texas, many of the general election races are not competitive, meaning the primary elections on Tuesday take on extra importance. Often, the candidate who wins in March wins in November.
One of the contests that could be decided on Super Tuesday is the Travis County District Attorney‘s race.
Supporters for both incumbents Jose Garza and challenger Jeremy Sylestine were out trying to sway voters on Monday.
Garza and campaign volunteers pointed out disruptions from this weekend’s “get out the vote” event. They said a group of armed bikers followed and harassed volunteers as they were trying to talk to voters.
Campaign volunteers Iris Suddaby and Eli Melendez described what happened.
“My partner and I were followed by seven people [who] were trying to disrupt these conversations. “Our concern wasn’t just us – it was also the householder, so we knew we kind of had to lose them,” Suddaby said.
“Many had guns. Many have knives. And, you know, they were obviously trying to intimidate us. We were just out there trying to talk to voters, spread information. And, obviously, they have very different tactics,” Melendez said.
Forty-five minutes later, at a separate press conference, a group of crime victims and victims’ loved ones came out against Garza. Ppolitical action committee Save Austin Now gathered the group.
The group talked about their experiences with the district attorney, saying Garza did not pursue tougher penalties in their cases.
Nick Cantor lost his brother in the mass shooting on Sixth Street in 2021.
“I can’t tell you as a victim how revictimized that made me and my family feel like we had the false bill of goods sold to us, that
Page is holding pandemic aid ‘hostage’ in St. Louis County
CLAYTON — St. Louis County Executive Sam Page won’t release federal pandemic relief money promised to nonprofits until the County Council agrees to reverse most of the budget cuts it made last year, a staffer for Page’s office said Tuesday.
Eight nonprofits have been waiting for more than a year for more than $8 million in total, money that would build an economic hub in North County, providing fresh vegetables to poor families and offering free legal aid to victims of domestic abuse, among other services.
Councilmembers on Tuesday accused Page’s administration of holding the money hostage.
“This is an embarrassment,” said Republican Councilman Mark Harder of Ballwin at a special committee meeting. “Cut the check and let’s move on.”
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But Page doesn’t want to start paying for new programming until basic county needs are met, said Deputy Chief of Operations Kyle Klemp. The county will be responsible for monitoring the nonprofits’ expenditures, and it doesn’t have the staffing to do so. If it makes a mistake, the county will have to pay the money back to the federal government.
“We don’t want to introduce new services until the services that county residents expect are funded appropriately,” Klemp said.
Councilman Dennis Hancock, a Republican from Fenton, saw it differently.
“Put a different way, you’re going to continue to hold these folks hostage until we come up with some money,” Hancock said.
The county has been working on the pandemic aid since July 2021, when it landed a $193 million grant under the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Much of that went to paying for urgent public health expenses, filling a budget hole and demolishing the crumbling Jamestown Mall, among other projects. The council considered proposals from several nonprofits, and selected the finalists in fall 2022.
Nonprofits