Scott Calvillo – The Other Side Dallas

September 11, 2020September 16, 2020

Mayor Eric Johnson’s Plans to Defund Dallas Bloated Bureaucracy

Defund Dallas may be the new cry against Defund DPD. Mayor Eric Johnson has recently stirred up controversy for trying to cut government salaries. It all started on September 1st when the mayor posted a tweet highlighting the discrepancy of salaries of Dallas among other government salaries.

Defund Dallas: Mayor Eric Johnson's chart showing government salaries

Apparently the Dallas City Manager, T.C Broadnax, makes more than the President of the United States. Which is certainly odd, considering the wide gap in responsibility between the two jobs. As well as the fact that even the top 10% of City Managers earn significantly less than what T.C Broadnax is currently earning (according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)

Should this be the case? Is the wage worth the work? Mayor Eric Johnson doesn’t think so. In fact, the mayor himself wrote an opinion piece on The Dallas Morning News defending his budget amendment.

In it he states his proposal to decrease the salary of some Dallas government officials amidst the pandemic to make room for more services and lower taxes.

Mayor Eric Johnson’s Defund Dallas Program

The budget amendment in a nutshell cuts 10% off the salary of anyone who makes more than $60,000 annually (including the mayor himself who makes $80,000). This does not include anyone working for emergency services.

Cuts made from the salaries are to help fund more services such as better infrastructure (better roads and streetlights), better policing/ public safety, and lower property taxes.

Unfortunately there is no specifics as to what he means by better policing. Nor if the lower property taxes will be a main focus point or simply an extra treat in case there is left over funds. More details will be unveiled once he formally proposes the budget amendment on the 23rd.

Public Perception

When the straw vote was conducted not a single council member voted on even discussing a cut to salaries. Some people agreed with the mayor and where disappointed by the council. Some said the mayor should have also proposed to cut salaries from the Dallas police, and other cuts in general. Others made fun of the mayor for leaving after the straw vote. And a handful questioned the validity of his bloated bureaucracy claim.

As is with government in general, ineffectiveness and useless spending often persevere. Seeing as how the Dallas council has voted in the past its unlikely that the budget amendment will go through despite the COVID-19 struggle and mayor Eric Johnson’s attempts.

“If this is not the time … to trim the top 10% of salaries at the city of Dallas … then there will never be a time,” -Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson

August 18, 2020August 18, 2020

How the Dallas Police Department is ‘Moving Forward’

In many ways the Dallas Police Department reflects departments across the country. The public has already expressed criticism on how police departments across the US handled the George Floyd protests. Now, the Dallas Public Safety Committee will review Dallas Police Department’s actions during the mass hysteria. DPD’s Official After Action report can be found here.

The 85 page After Action report details the other side of the protest. It includes topics such as how the police planned for the protest, a logistics view on equipment use, a detailed timeline of when the police responded to incidents and finally a way they can improve and “Move Forward”.

Unfortunately the Dallas Police Department still maintains their lie about what truly happened at Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Which is expected, no one, especially Police Chief Reneé Hall, wants to admit they were wrong. At least not verbally.

Dallas Police Department mistakes

Here are some things the Dallas Police Department admits they can improve on.

Knowing when and when not to take action should be something to clarify with officers. Apparently that never happened. According to page 22 of the report “Operational Plans for May 29 and 30 did not list the rules of engagement.”

Communications was also an issue. One sergeant stated, “The communication was terrible. During detail, officers were given clear communication about what was expected. When the protesters moved and went on the bridge, the communication went out the window.” As a result, DPD plans to upgrade to 800MHz radio communications in order to more effectively inform every officer on the rules of engagement (which should have been told before hand).

Additionally General Orders will be modified to only allow the use of less lethal tools (Stingers, OC spray, C.S. gas, etc.) when there is an immediate danger of injury to person or damage to property, and only if approved by the Chief of Police.

Of course, if a specific individual is seen to be violating the zero tolerance rule, officers are still allowed to fire without approval. At least now less lethal tools are not allowed to be used on peaceful crowds anymore (like they were used on the bridge).

Lastly the Dallas Police Department hopes to buy 500 new body worn cameras in order to better review situations in future After Action Reports.

Despite this mostly being about the mistakes of the DPD, there is one thing to credit them on. The addition of a Duty to Intervene. Althought they claim it was always there, now it is specifically stated in the oath, and encouraged, to intervene if another officer abuses their power. Its not the solution to the Blue Wall of Silence, but its a start.

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020

Hensley Field Redevelopment

Hensley Field is located in the Southwestern part of Dallas, adjacent to Mountain Creek Lake and Grand Prairie. It used to be a US Navy Air Station. Now, it mostly serves as a storage unit for the city’s unwanted police vehicles and confederate statues. In the future, the Dallas Economic Development Committee, hopes the field can be transformed into something more useful.

The Field is said to be redeveloped into a “authentic, climate-smart, diverse, mixed-income and walkable community with a mix of jobs, housing, services and amenities.”

Which means its going to be your typical progressive mini-paradise. The council plans to have things such as solar panels, bike lanes, water-based green spaces along Mountain Creek Lake, and more. The goal is to hopefully turn Hensley Filed into a ‘diverse and carbon-neutral community’ that relies more on walking and public transit than driving.

The Designing of a New Hensley Field

Muller, Austin, Texas serves as the model for what Dallas will try and replicate in Hensley Field. In fact, McCann Adams Studio Team, who oversaw the redevelopment of Muller, is listed as the preferred vendor for the redevelopment of Hensley Field.

A draft of what Hensley Filed might look like is shown below.

COVID19 budget concerns for the local economy mean everything is subject to change. The current budget is $2,000,000. This project is in its begging stages and still has 18 months to before any City Action can be taken. For any updates be sure to check out Other Side Dallas.

July 24, 2020July 24, 2020

New 2020-2021 Dallas ISD Calendar Revealed

The new Dallas ISD Calendar is here. As a follow up to the previous story on Wednesday. The Board of Trustees has finally spoken on its propositions. The Dallas ISD calendar does have a late June finish, among other things.

Michael Hinojosa withoutDiscussing Dallas ISD Calendar

Dallas ISD Calendar Explained

The Board of Trustees spent hours discussing this new calendar. With an emphasis to keep the same effective learning time, the new school year starts on September 8 and ends on June 18.

Although not explicitly stated, it’s suggested that the first few weeks of school will be online. As explained by the speaker, the main purpose expressed for the late start is to refine and polish online education.

“So its not about health, its not about safety, its not about getting the schools ready for a more safe environment, its about perfecting virtual instruction.” noted Trustee, Dustin Marshall.

The board also discussed eliminating breaks in order to finish the Dallas ISD calendar as usual. However, the board opted to extend to a June 18 finish rather than to shorten breaks. The only break that was cut was Fair days, due to the State Fair being cancelled.

On the contrary one new holiday was added, November 3, also known as election day. Schools act as a place to vote on that day. And in order to keep students and teachers away from potentially infected voters, election day will now be a holiday.

Others things to note:

Administrators will get 14 hours of professional development for virtual learning
Teachers will get 15-18 hours of training for virtual learning
Up to 8 of the first few weeks might be online learning only
Grading periods last 9 weeks instead of 6
5 professional development days for will be replaced for instructional time.

July 18, 2020July 17, 2020

Obstacles Exist to Flip Texas Blue

A recent Dallas Morning News released a poll showing that Joe Biden had a 5-point lead over Donald Trump in Texas. Soon after #TurnTexasBlue began to trend on Twitter again and many people began cheering on the idea Biden could flip Texas blue. Austin Democrats are fundraising off the idea Biden will Flip Texas Blue.

Texas voting numbers have trended blue and increasingly since Donald Trump’s election. At the same time, President Trump’s national approval rating has declined since April 2020 – due in part to his COVID19 response and the large numbers of newly infected patients occurring both nationally and locally.

For starters, Joe Biden may not even win in Texas. If 2016 taught anything, it’s to not take polls for granted. That’s something even Joe himself admits.

Bias exists in all polls. Whether it be that the polls in 2016 couldn’t reach Trumps non-college educated base, or simply that people don’t always vote how they say they will or may deliberately mislead pollsters. Its possible these sources of error are still present in the 1,887 person DMN/UT-Tyler poll.

Secondly, Joe Biden’s potential plan for expanding into Texas is risky. The Biden campaign told Politico that they were actively trying to expand into traditionally red states like Texas and Georgia.

As Dallas Represenative Colin Allred said, a move in Texas is a “chance to go on the offensive”. The idea is that if Biden spends resources campaigning in Texas, then Trump will have to spend money on keeping Texas. This could then distract Trump from campaigning in swing states. However, as Republicans, and even some Democrats point out, if Biden tries to attack in Texas, he himself loses resources in those swing states.

“That was the problem with the Clinton campaign, their eyes got big,” says Democratic strategist Pete Giangreco. “I don’t want to hear about expansion plans or this other bullshit. Eyes like a laser beam. What they need to focus on is 270 [electoral votes].”

Lastly, even if Biden tried to take Texas, campaigning in the big cities might not even get him the win. In the last election, Trump won Texas by 807,179 votes.

Flip Texas Blue 2016 votes — Texas 2016 votes

Flip Texas Blue Is Harder Mathmatically Than It Sounds

Suppose Texas votes the same as they did in 2016. Now suppose Dallas and Travis (Austin) county voters who voted for Trump previously, vote for Biden in 2020 instead. Biden would still need to make up another 417,025 votes.

If Biden were then to flip all of Bexar County (San Antonio) to no red votes – all blue. He would still need 176,692 votes. Joe could try and get these votes from Harris County (Houston), but he would have to convince 32.36% of the people who previously voted for Trump, to now vote for him. He could also try Tarrant County (Fort Worth), but he would need to convince 51.07% of Trump supporters to now vote for him.

Winning over enough urban votes to counter the rural and sub-urbans votes is a hard task. Its definitely possible, but perhaps not probable this year.

If Biden hopes to seriously snatch Texas, he may also consider going after the hearts and minds of suburban Texan voters.

Rural voters would be extremely more difficult to get than the urban Texan vote.

“Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47…” didn’t work for Beto O’Rourke. Its possible, that despite being more moderate, Biden’s views will not resonate well with these rural voters.

People Moving May Flip Texas Blue

Another factor beyond 2020 though is the census. It is clear people are working to leave California and many other states. Texas continues to attract large employers out of California, Michigan, and New York.

July 12, 2020July 12, 2020

Texas Education Agency COVID19 Back To School Planning

The Texas Education Agency released Guidelines for districts reopening schools on Tuesday. The guidelines detail various teaching, administrative, and hygiene practices. They are to limit the COVID-19 spread with numbers rising rapidly.

The guidelines include attendance, prevention, and mitigation guidance.

ATTENDANCE

It’s what everyone already expected. Students are still required to attend 90% of the course days to receive credit. Parents can choose if they want their child to attend online or on-campus learning. If a student is unable to attend online, the school must provide daily on-campus learning. A student wanting to attend online is allowed to enroll in another school if the original school can not provide an online option.

Schools may limit access to on-campus instruction to those who are able to learn online. This is on a temporary basis, but is sure to impact the Dallas ISD Calendar.

Texas Education Agency Schools ReOpening Plan

PREVENTION

Schools are required to screen any adult that enters their building. Screening per the Texas Education Agency means checking temperature and asking a “Yes or No” question for COVID-19 symptoms at a minimum.

The school may also screen students if they want. If someone has a temperature of above 100F or shows COVID-19 symptoms, that individual is presumed to have COVID-19. They will be immediately isolated.

In order to return to back on campus the individual must remain at home for 10 days minimum and 3 days after their fever has passed (without the use of medication), they must also have had an improvement in COVID symptoms. Alternatively they may also show a medical professional’s note clearing the individual, or two separate confirmations (at least 24 hours apart) that they are free of COVID. Locations for these confirmation tests are found at https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/.

If someone tested positive for COVID-19 they must notify the Dallas ISD school. The school must close off and disinfect areas heavily used by the individual.

MITIGATION

According to the Texas Education Agency, hand sanitizer should be everywhere. Every entrance, every classroom, and every bus should have it. People are encouraged to use it at least two times a day.

Schools should also increase airflow by opening windows. The should be allowing outside air to circulate the building and buses.

Texas Education Agency also requires schools to comply with Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order regarding mask usage. Everyone will have to wear some sort of mask (TEA accepts the use of non-medical masks or mere cloth) to cover their mouth and nose at all times (excluding athletic activities and eating).

Whenever possible people should be 6 feet apart. Campuses must plan for entry, exit, and transition procedures that reduce large groups. Teacher, staff, and student meetings should be banned or less frequent. Extracurricular activities are allowed to continue at district’s discretion.

Following the Texas Education Agency guidelines the Dallas ISD Superintendent appeared on MSNBC to explain what might happen. “I’m starting to have second thoughts about can we actually pull this off by August 17th” says Superintendent, Michael Hinojosa.

According to Hinojosa the problem isn’t so much the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) as much as it is the implementations of the procedures that the Texas Education Agency recommends. “If you have a mask on can you be closer than 6 feet? Initially we thought “yes”, but now we are hearing “no”. So there are a lot of complexities about how we keep students and employees safe in this process”.

Further details about how Dallas ISD would reopen, will be addressed in a board meeting on July 23rd. Until then, nothing is set in stone for the Dallas ISD Calendar.

Texas Education Agency

The guidelines released by TEA can be found here. It is expected that these standards may go through multiple evolutions between now and the start of the school year.