Council Member José Velásquez

10/26/2026

Need a ride to the polls? Lime has partnered with Headcount to provide riders with two FREE 30-minute rides. 🛴

Starting today through Election Day, you can use code VOTE26 to access.

10/21/2026

At this week's Austin City Council meeting, I'm proud to be supporting the following resolutions, including Item 45 that contains motions I brought forward at our most recent Public Health Committee meeting that aims to strengthen our No Wrong Door initiative.

🤝 Item 45: Seeks to establish a reporting and tracking process, address concerns from community organizations, and establish a community advisory group related to the program’s implementation.

🌳 Item 42: Seeks to give Ecology Action the right to encroach on a piece of City-owned land at Circle Acres Nature Preserve to allow them to build a walkway that would be open to the public.

🏗️ Item 40: Affirms Council’s commitment to support workers and directs the City Manager to develop and incentivize a qualified, local workforce in certain Convention Center contracts.

💻 Watch the council meeting live tomorrow on ATXN at 10 a.m. on austintexas.gov/watch-atxn-live

🗣️ Read the entire agenda and sign up to speak on an item: austintexas.gov/council/meetings

10/20/2026

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A time to honor survivors, remember the lives we’ve lost, and reflect and recommit ourselves to ending domestic violence.

As someone who grew up witnessing it in my home and community, this is personal.

One survivor without support is one too many. One family living in fear is one too many. And one life lost to domestic violence is one too many. It’s on all of us to speak up, challenge the silence, and to believe survivors. 💜

• • • • • •

1-3: Lighting City Hall purple in solidarity along with our community partners.

4: Proclaiming October 2026 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Austin.

10/14/2026

Heads up Austin renters! 🏠

The Rental Fee Transparency Ordinance approved by council in May is now in effect as of October 1st.

This new law requires landlords to provide a written list of fees before quoting rent or accepting applications, including:
• Mandatory fees (rent, trash, amenities, etc.)
• Optional fees (services offered by provider) and
• Variable fees (estimation of fees based on use or factors not controlled by landlord, including utilities)

🗣️ Learn more at: austintexas.gov/equity-inclusion/rental-fee-transparency-ordinance

09/30/2026

🚨 POSTPONED 🚨

Out of an abundance of caution due to potential weather impacts, the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, October 1st has been postponed until further notice.

We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to see you at a future date. Thank you for understanding and stay safe!
• • • • • •
Como medida de precaución debido a posibles impactos climáticos, la celebración del Mes de la Herencia Hispana programada para mañana, jueves 1 de octubre ha sido pospuesta hasta nuevo aviso.

Lamentamos las molestias y esperamos verlo en el futuro. ¡Gracias por su comprensión y cuídense!

09/29/2026

PROCLAMATIONS ALL MONTH! 👏

It’s always an honor getting to recognize and celebrate our diverse communities.

1: Hispanic Heritage Month 2026 💃

2: Recognizing Felix Gonzalez for his achievements as a young soccer player in Austin. Thank you to Council Member Ryan Alter for presenting on my behalf. ⚽

3: National Police Woman Day👮‍♀️

4: Leeann Atherton brings Texas blues, soul, and gospel music to City Hall Sessions. 🎵

09/23/2026

The Austin City Council Latino Caucus is proud to invite you to a special celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month!

Please join us for food, drinks, music, and more as we celebrate our community. All are welcome to attend and we look forward to seeing you there.

🗓️ Thursday, October 1
🕕 5:30–7:30 p.m.
📍 ESB MACC, 600 River St.
🅿️ Parking is limited; please use public transportation, rideshare, or carpool if able.

RSVP: forms.gle/kU9chFhE7ttiqT8m6
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¡Con mucho orgullo, el Caucus Latino del Concejo Municipal de Austin te invita a una celebración especial en honor al Mes de la Herencia Hispana!

Acompáñenos para disfrutar de comida, bebidas, música y más mientras celebramos a nuestra comunidad. Todos son bienvenidos; esperamos verlos allí.

🗓️ Jueves, 1 de octubre
🕕 5:30–7:30 p.m.
📍 ESB MACC, 600 River St.
🅿️ El estacionamiento es limitado; por favor, utilice transporte público, servicios de transporte compartido o comparta el auto si es posible.

Confirme su asistencia: forms.gle/kU9chFhE7ttiqT8m6

09/20/2026

Statement from Mayor Pro Tem José "Chito" Vela, Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes, and Council Member José Velásquez on today's ICE shooting in Austin:

“Another person has been shot by ICE. Today, it happened in Austin.

We are disgusted by the continued recklessness and disregard for human life by this administration. ICE has never made our communities safer, and today is a tragic reminder of this fact.

ICE must leave Austin now.

We have no confidence in an internal investigation from DHS or DOJ. We urge APD to immediately open an independent investigation, with a review of the evidence by the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, as is the protocol in other police shootings. The people of Austin deserve answers, and we demand full transparency and accountability.

No federal agency is above scrutiny when the safety and rights of our community are at stake. ICE must stop terrorizing our communities.“

09/14/2026

Heads up D3! 🚨

Tomorrow on Tuesday, September 15th, Austin Water will be testing the floodgate warning sirens at Longhorn Dam.

No emergency is occurring and no action is required from the public.

During this test:
🚶🏽‍♂️ Pedestrian traffic will not be permitted on the Longhorn Dam section of the sidewalk along Pleasant Valley Rd.
🚗 There will be no impact to vehicle traffic or to the hike and bike trails or park land.
💧 The position or status of the floodgates will not change.

The siren test is part of Austin Water’s ongoing emergency preparedness program.

SIREN TEST 🚨 Austin Water will test the Longhorn Dam floodgate warning sirens next Tuesday, September 15, at 10 a.m. The siren will sound continuously for 5 minutes. No emergency is occurring and no action is required.

To learn more, visit: https://www.austintexas.gov/water/news/test-longhorn-dam-floodgate-warning-sirens-scheduled-september-15

09/10/2026

There’s no age limit to civic engagement. The decisions made by our government affect us all, especially our youth, whose voices remain vastly underrepresented.

Our youth are passionate about their community, and it’s our job to ensure they have a seat at the table.

1-3: Sat down with two 5th grade students from St. Elmo Elementary to discuss an issue that was affecting their friends and neighbors. They reached out to our office as part of a letter writing campaign, and in a few weeks we chatted with them about it. I left feeling inspired and hopeful.

4-7: Met with the St. Edward's University “Civics Lab” class for a conversation about council, policy, and community engagement.