News Roundup: Antis, State and Local

In this week’s News Roundup, Hillary Clinton is ready to run; Greg Casar isn’t happy with an appointee to Council’s Commission on Immigrant Affairs; Molly White prefers to preach to the choir; and more.

• Former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and First Lady Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for the presidency Sunday afternoon with a video declaration (“Getting Ready“) following various
Americans planning achievements: “I’m getting ready to do something, too. I’m running for president.” Clinton goes on to say “Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion. So I’m hitting the road to earn your vote — because it’s your time. And I hope you’ll join me on this journey.” The Clinton campaign said she would host a formal kickoff
sometime in May, and it has organized field teams in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. – Michael King

• A City Council fault line opened Friday, as District 4 Council Member Greg Casar asked his colleagues to rescind the appointment, by D6 CM Don Zimmerman, of Rebecca Forest to the Commission on Immigrant Affairs. On the Council message board, Casar posted a video of Forest at a June 2011 anti-immigrant Capitol rally, complaining that anti-immigrant legislation is blocked in Texas by too many Hispanic
legislators. “If you want to know why we can’t pass legislation in Texas,” said Forest, “it’s because we have 37, no 36, Hispanics in the Legislature. All of the states that have passed legislation have a handful, and I mean literally, some of them have no Hispanic legislators. Well, maybe 3 or 5 or something. So that’s … part of our problem and we need to change those numbers. We need to do something about that.” Casar noted, “She goes on to make disparaging remarks about the children of immigrants.” (At the time, Forest’s comments were denounced by some Republicans, and she has since attempted to retract her remarks.) Zimmerman said he would not withdraw the appointment (approved in a group of commission appointments at the April 2 Council meeting), as he believes Forest represents the
majority opinion of his district, but would abide by a Council vote. D7 CM Leslie Pool said she would support the motion to rescind, and said Council needs to create a better mechanism for vetting appointees
ahead of the Council vote.

The duties of the city’s Commission on Immigrant Affairs include to “maximize the benefits to local immigrants under existing laws and to minimize the adverse impacts to local immigrants under the laws; promote recognition of the
contributions of the foreign-born to the economic and cultural vitality of Austin; and promote the availability of, and promote accessibility to, local educational, economic, legal, and social resources for immigrants.” – M.K.

• Conservative state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, is making headlines again, this time for refusing to meet with LGBT activists. If the name rings a bell as mentally synonymous with bigoted Islamophobe, here’s why: White ignited widespread backlash in January when she demanded those visiting her office on Texas Muslim Capitol Day “renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws.” It appears her warm welcoming ways haven’t changed. White is the author of anti-gay legislation, including Indiana-style HB 2553, which permits private business owners to turn away patrons if they have “sincerely held religious or personal belief[s].” Fittingly, then, when Frank Carlson, an LGBT advocate affiliated with Equality Texas, sought to speak with White late last month at her office, he was told by staff there was no time to talk; after he tried to schedule a future appointment, White’s staff asked which group he and his fellow activists were representing, the Temple Daily Telegram reported Friday. Staff then responded abruptly, “Drop your literature off and leave,” and – according to Carlson – “’Molly White is against anything LGBT’ and not to waste our or their time talking about this.” White’s office confirmed his account: “I conveyed that the representative has stances on some issues and that she isn’t likely to change her mind on them,” chief of staff Hannah Bell said. “We try to be a transparent office and I told them that they needed to meet with individuals that shared their viewpoint.” – Mary Tuma

• Federal district Judge Lee Yeakel heard arguments Thursday, April 9, regarding a motion to remove Charles Kleinert‘s manslaughter trial from Travis County court to a federal forum. The hearing was the first time the public heard from the bank employees who interacted with Larry Jackson Jr., whose death the former detective is charged with causing. It was also the first time video was shown of the incident at the bank, which began with Jackson identifying himself to employee Shelia Bostick by the name of one of her customers, and – after Kleinert and Jackson talked briefly outside – ended with Jackson’s flight, and Kleinert’s pursuit of him. Kleinert did not take the stand, nor did the woman whose car he commandeered during the chase. In order to decide the motion for removal, Yeakel must determine whether Kleinert was acting as a federal officer at the time of the shooting. Look for more on the case in this week’s issue of the Chronicle. – Amy Kamp

This article appears in April 10 • 2015.