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Texas Republicans take on the NIMBYs

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Texas Republicans take on the NIMBYs


Every other conversation about housing affordability in Texas revolves around the need to build more housing stock. While there is agreement on this, zoning regulations and lot-size minimums in larger urban areas have put constraints on this goal.

Texas lawmakers recognize that there is no silver bullet to tackle affordability as rising housing costs are becoming prohibitive and the average age of first-time home buyers is on the rise. But the 89th Texas Legislature is taking a serious look at this issue with a slew of bills already in discussion. This is also a priority for both Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

The good news is that some of the proposed legislation has the potential, over time, to increase housing stock. These proposals focus on reducing barriers with free market solutions, but they also merit a larger debate as cities stand to lose some of their decision-making power.

Senate Bill 840, by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, would allow properties in commercially zoned areas in larger cities to be built or converted to residential areas without rezoning. It also allows cities to give incentives to developers if they add affordable housing. We’ve long advocated for turning low-value commercial space, especially aging strip centers, into residential lots or multifamily units.

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SB 15, by state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, would reduce lot-size minimums for single-family homes, allowing developers to build more housing on smaller lots. This idea is not new, but it is difficult for cities to achieve, with the not-in-my-backyard crowd ever ready to howl.

As it is written, the proposal wouldn’t apply to homes built in existing neighborhoods, where homeowners often oppose new housing. The bill’s provisions apply only to unmapped and non-platted land larger than five acres.

Much of the legislation mirrors elements of Houston, which lowered the minimum lot size for single-family homes in 1998, when minimums were reduced from 5,000 square feet to as low as 1,400. According to an analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank, over 25,000 homes were developed between 1999 and 2016, evidence that the reform allowed for denser housing.

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After years of discussion, in 2023, Austin reduced its minimum lot size from 5,750 to 2,500 square feet. Dallas — where minimum lots for single-family range from around 5,000 to 7,500 square feet — tried to open the conversation last year with little progress.

Bettencourt’s bill would prohibit municipalities with a population of 90,000 and located in a county larger than 300,000 people from requiring residential lots larger than 1,400 square feet.

If passed, both of these laws will take power from larger cities. The Legislature needs to be careful, as blanket solutions may not apply to everyone.

We have had reservations about preemptive regulation from the state. While these bills enjoy much support from builders and advocacy groups, the cities need to be part of the conversation. But given the depth of resistance to development in too many cities, the Legislature is right to consider solutions that will keep the dream of affordable home ownership or decent rental housing alive.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com

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Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users

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Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users


Netflix was sued Monday (May 11) by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused the streaming company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent, and designing its platform to be addictive. Ram Nabong reports.



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Texas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data

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Texas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data


The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday, accusing the company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent and designing the platform to be addictive.

Texas claims that Netflix has falsely represented to consumers that it didn’t collect or share user data while it actually tracked and sold viewers’ habits and preferences to commercial data brokers and advertising technology companies.

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The lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claims that “Netflix’s endgame is simple and lucrative: get children and families glued to the screen, harvest their data while they are stuck there, and then monetize the data for a handsome profit.”

The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday. (Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“When you watch Netflix, Netflix watched you,” Texas added in the lawsuit.

NETFLIX CO-FOUNDER REED HASTINGS TO STEP DOWN, DEPARTURE IS ‘SPOOKING INVESTORS’

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NFLX NETFLIX INC. 85.39 -2.10 -2.40%

The complaint quotes comments made by former CEO Reed Hastings who said in 2020, while he was still leading the streaming company, that “we don’t collect anything,” amid questions over Big Tech companies’ data collection practices.

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Netflix was also accused of quietly using “dark patterns” to keep users watching on its platform, such as an autoplay feature that starts a new show after a different show ends.

NETFLIX RAISES SUBSCRIPTION PRICES ACROSS ALL PLANS

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit. (Cheney Orr/Reuters)

Paxton said in a press release that Netflix “has built a surveillance program designed to illegally collect and profit from Texans’ personal data without their consent, and my office will do everything in our power to stop it.”

The attorney general said he’s charging Netflix under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act and seeks to require Netflix to stop the unlawful collection and disclosure of user data, require Netflix to disable autoplay by default on kid’s profiles, and to secure injunctive relief and civil penalties.

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FOX Business reached out to Netflix for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.



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6 people found dead inside a boxcar in Texas, officials say | CNN

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6 people found dead inside a boxcar in Texas, officials say | CNN


Six people were found dead inside a cargo train boxcar in a Texas city along the southern border on Sunday, officials said.

The bodies were found in a Union Pacific train at a rail yard in Laredo, around 160 miles south of San Antonio, just after 3:30 p.m. local time, said Jose Espinoza, a public information officer with the Laredo Police Department.

The circumstances of their deaths are unknown, said Laredo police spokesperson Joe Baeza, according to CNN affiliate KGNS, and an investigation is underway.

Union Pacific operates across the border and is the only railroad that services all access points into Mexico, according to the freight company’s website.

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Temperatures on Sunday afternoon in Laredo were in the low-mid 90s, though it’s unclear whether heat was a factor.

Union Pacific said it was saddened by the incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.

Laredo police said they received a call around 3 p.m. from an employee at the Union Pacific rail yard, KGNS reported. The bodies were discovered during a routine rail car inspection, police said. No survivors were found.

CNN has reached out to Laredo police for more information.

“It’s a very early phase of the investigation. There’s not a lot to reveal right now,” Baeza said, KGNS reported.

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The immigration status and ages of the deceased are not yet known, Espinoza said.

US Customs and Border Protection referred CNN to the Laredo Police Department, saying “The incident remains under investigation by Laredo Police Department and Homeland Security Investigation and Texas Rangers.”

CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, HSI and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“It’s a very unfortunate event,” Espinoza told CNN. “It was too many lives that were lost.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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