City News Roundup

Dallas City Council holds action-packed night meeting and more city news

Methodist got what it wanted.

Methodist

It was a busy week for the Dallas City Council, which held its first off-site meeting on February 13 at Park in the Woods Recreation Center, to increase accessibility.

A solid crowd turned out for the meeting which covered the Confederate statue and juvenile curfew controversies. Meanwhile, one council member is under investigation for possible involvement in a hit-and-run scooter accident.

This is what happened in Dallas this week:

Mozart mornings
Since 1978, Dallas City Council meetings have aired live every other Wednesday on 101.1 WRR-FM, the city-owned classical music station.

But ratings show that listenership drops during that time by 80 percent, with a resulting loss in advertising revenues of about $80,000 per year.

Scott Griggs proposed moving council meetings to a new HD channel that would allow most residents to listen in while giving while allowing WRR to maximize its revenue. Mark Clayton suggested ponying up and paying the $80,000 for the airtime it uses.

But council members representing the Southern sector insisted on the continued broadcasts because Internet and cell service is unreliable and not available for some residents to listen or watch meetings online.

"As we talk about 5G or 1G or whatever, some of us in the Southern sector are what we call OG," Carolyn King Arnold said of sketchy cell service.

The council ultimately took no action, and meetings will continue to be broadcasted on WRR.

Confederate monument update
The Dallas City Council voted to begin the process of taking down five statues of Confederate generals and soldiers. The Confederate Monument has stood in Pioneer Cemetery since 1961, when it was relocated from Old City Park. In 2002, city council made Pioneer Cemetery a historic district, which restricts any changes to the area.

Last week, city staff presented three options for the future of the monument, including re-envisioning the monument and letting it stand.

The matter is now with the Landmark Commission, which approves any changes in historic districts or designated city landmarks. The commission is expected to meet in March but could delay while the council is in recess.

Curfew delayed
Teenagers won a temporary victory as the Dallas City Council delayed discussion and reinstating of the juvenile curfew, which expired on January 15.

Public comments poured in from the people most affected by the curfew, with teen after teen stepping to the microphone during a public hearing on the issue at the February 13 council meeting.

An impassioned Omar Narvaez grilled Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall before moving to delay all discussions on the curfew for 30 days, which passed 8-7.

"Our chief is telling us we don't have all the answers," Narvaez said. "We don't have it worked out. We are rushing for the sake of rushing."

Hall and City Manager T.C. Broadnax are working on a curfew proposal to bring back to the council.

Scooter run-in
Dallas City Council member Kevin Felder is being investigated for crashing into a man driving a scooter and fleeing the scene on his way to the city council meeting on February 13.

The accident took place in Felder's district in the 2500 block of Malcolm X Blvd. According to witnesses, he was seen exchanging words with the young man before driving away.

Police investigators towed his vehicle away from its first-row spot at the Park in the Woods Recreation Center during the city council meeting.

Damage could be seen on the front bumper and headlights. His city and personal cell phones were also confiscated by police.

During the meeting, Felder was seen stepping several times talking to City Manager T.C. Broadnax. He has not commented publicly on the incident.

Methodist fitness center
Methodist Dallas Hospital came before the Dallas City Council seeking approval to construct a two-story Folsom Fitness Center on the northern edge its Oak Cliff campus on Greenbriar Lane.

Nearby Kessler Park residents all spoke against the proposal to build the fitness center across the street from their homes, noting that it was going into what had been a buffer zone between the hospital and the neighborhood, and requesting that the center be built on the opposite side of the hospital where property is already zoned to allow new building.

But a former City Plan Commission member threw a wrench into the works by disputing a notarized statement his wife signed opposing the fitness center. He stated that her status as "a native of Mainland China" led to her misunderstanding of what she signed.

The council debated for more than an hour over whether they should bend the rules and accept his dispute, even going into private session to consider the legal ramifications.

Scott Griggs, in whose district the center would be built, filed a motion to reject the hospital's proposal, but it lost by 10-5. Methodist can now proceed with construction of the Folsom Fitness Center.

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Animal News

Advocates find false info being fed to Texas legislators on pet store law

Puppy mill dogs do not have a great life.

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A national pet store chain has been implicated in a dishonest campaign to try and influence Texas lawmakers on an upcoming bill making its way through the legislature.

The pet store chain is Petland, and they're engaged in a battle against The Ethical Pet Sale Bill (SB 1652 / HB 3458), which would encourage pet stores to stop selling at-risk animals from puppy mills and support shelters and rescue groups instead.

The Ethical Pet Sale bill has support from rescue and animal groups across Texas, who are all grappling with a glut of animals on the streets and in overcrowded shelters. That pet overpopulation problem gets even worse when pet stores import more animals from puppy mills in states like Missouri and Ohio.

If Texas passes the bill, it will join a growing number of states and cities who've already passed similar laws including Dallas, Austin, Bryan, College Station, El Paso, Euless, Fort Worth, Houston, New Braunfels, Pasadena, San Antonio, The Colony, Sherman, and Waco.

Most reputable pet store chains such as PetSmart and PetCo do not sell cats and dogs. Petland does. The company operates 84 stores in the U.S., and fights bills like this by hiring lobbyists to discourage legislators from supporting these bills.

Phony list
In this case, a two-page summary was distributed to some Texas state senators listing reasons why they should oppose SB ("The evidence from other states, especially California, demonstrates that these types of bans do more harm than good"), plus a list of organizations that are opposed.

Most of the organizations opposed to the bill profit directly from animals, such as Petland and Puppy Dreams, a North Texas chain that also sells animals.

But the list also had surprising names including PetSmart, PetCo, and Pet Supplies Plus — the three largest pet store chains who all have a history of supporting adoption of shelter animals.

Their presence on the list caught the eye of animal advocacy groups such as Texas Humane Legislation Network and Humane World For Animals, who've worked with the big three in the past.

"We became aware of Petland Inc.’s lobbyist apparently sharing the attached document with legislators, claiming the listed pet and pet product industry leaders are opposing this legislation," said a spokesperson from Humane World of Animals (HWA). "We checked in with contacts at Petco, Petsmart, and the American Pet Products Association, and all of them deny opposing this legislation or giving Petland permission to list them on this opposition letter. It’s very possible others listed in this letter also did not give their permission to be included — we only connected with the those listed above at this stage."

CultureMap also contacted the three major pet store chains and received similar responses that they had not been consulted nor did they issue a rejection of the bill, although none wanted to be quoted.

The misrepresentation is concerning because it muddies the water with false information at a time when the bill is still under consideration:

HB 3458 — the version going through the Texas House — passed a House Committee with a 10-1 vote and has been moved up the chain towards passage.

SB 1652 — the version going through the Senate — still needs to get through the Senate Committee, Calendars, and a floor vote.

"By creating a false narrative about the position of the above industry leaders, this letter has the potential to sway lawmakers at a critical juncture in the legislation’s journey," the HWA spokesperson says.

Two Petland stores in the Dallas area — in Frisco and Tyler — have been the subject of undercover investigations. Petland Webster recently settled a lawsuit with several families that the store allegedly sold sick puppies to, and several lawsuits have been filed against Petland Woodlands in Texas, claiming the store sold sick puppies. One pet owner told the House Committee that he'd spent $20,000 on medical care of a puppy he bought at a pet store.

"Banning the retail sale of puppies and kittens is a common-sense solution to protect both animals and Texas consumers," said Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, who filed the bill. "My SB 1652 would help reduce pet overpopulation, promote responsible breeding practices and prevent families from unknowingly purchasing sick animals. With varying local ordinances in place and further action at the city level now restricted, it is important for the state to provide a clear and consistent approach that prioritizes both animal welfare and consumer protection."

politics animals

City News Roundup

Dallas City Council holds action-packed night meeting and more city news

Animal News

Advocates find false info being fed to Texas legislators on pet store law

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