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Austin renters are forced into premature contracts and poor conditions due to a lack of clear, accessible, and honest information. It's time our city steps up and holds landlords accountable, mandating transparency and protecting residents.

It's necessary to create a Landlord Transparency Portal, a digital resource that will consolidate existing public data. This includes pulling information from Citizen Connect and other databases to provide a more user-friendly history of code violations, failed inspections, and repeat offenders. As part of the portal, every multifamily rental property will receive a city-compliance "performance score" based on the data from the last 6 months, 1, 5, and 10 years.

In addition, it's a bare minimum to require all multi-family residential complexes to clearly and permanently display 311 reporting information in common areas, leasing offices, webpages, and resident portals. Ensuring every tenant is aware of and provided with the necessary information to report health and safety issues within their building.

Currently, renters are being pressured into lease renewals and agreements months in advance. Large complexes create artificial deadlines that rush life-altering decisions, using early bird deals and manipulative promotions. We must restrict the marketing of lease contracts before renters are prepared to sign.

A safe city is a well-planned city. To ensure an Austin that works for locals and welcomes tourists, we need to integrate focused lighting in heavy foot traffic areas, complete pedestrian infrastructure, and a proactive police presence, as they are the most effective tools for protecting personal freedoms and delivering a safe and walkable city.

We need to make sure the city grows with its people and accommodates all of our needs. Proper growth means fixing our old mistakes and preventing new ones. This includes protecting our watersheds and focusing on an expanded drainage system to counteract the flooding caused by impervious cover.

Additionally, the increase in impervious cover due to negligent development has led to Austin becoming an Urban Heat Island (UHI), as native vegetation is destroyed and 30-40% of the city is covered in asphalt and concrete, which absorbs heat and contributes to triple-digit temperatures. To combat this, we need to invest in protecting and expanding our green spaces. This would also allow us to create an abundance of third spaces that foster culture, recreation, and community.

Furthermore, we must expand on the CapMetro bikeshare and bus system and promote the growth of the upcoming metro. This means more bikeshare docks across Austin, a completed bikelane network, as well as integration with most public roads.

We need to ensure abundant, accessible, and affordable housing (AAAH) for all within Austin. This means prioritizing families over corporations. While the H.O.M.E Initiative is a good start, we need to amend it to make sure that affordable housing is occupied and owned by families, working-class citizens, and students.

Austin is in need of a complete budget overhall, priorities within the city council have been misplaced. This has led to irresponsible city spending and cuts to vital support programs across the board.

City Council needs to take a stronger stance on its goal to expand the University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO). The program will improve pedestrian infrastructure and increase the amount of SMART units, creating a more student-friendly West Campus.

An AAAH Austin is one that prevents homelessness at the source through deliberate action and expansion of existing programs (Vouchers, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), Right to Return and Stay).