8 November 14 - 20, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents According to the study, Dallas, as well as just about every other major American city, does not “offer truly affordable rentals to a single minimum-wage worker — even those willing to downsize to a studio.” Only three cities offer one-bedroom rentals that require less than half of the area’s minimum wage income (Buffalo, New York., St. Louis and Hartford, Connecticut). In Dallas, 4.26 full-time minimum wage in- comes are needed to meet the 30% affordabil- ity standard for a one-bedroom apartment; 4.38 are needed in Austin and 3.39 in Houston. Dallas sits high on a list of cities where rent on a typical one-bedroom unit costs more than an entire monthly income, ac- cording to the report. Average rents in Dal- las, Austin and Houston require at least 102% of a minimum wage earner’s monthly pay. For families, the picture is even darker. The average monthly rate for a four-bed- room apartment in Dallas, according to Apartments.com. is $4,357, and four-bed- room rental houses average $3,845 per month. For a four-bedroom rental in Dallas, 8.02 full-time minimum age wage incomes are needed to afford monthly rent payments. Of course, that’s just for housing. Reports on estimates for the average monthly cost for groceries for a family of four range from $750 to $1,000. The alarming nature of the report is summed up in a short, but impactful sen- tence: “For true affordability,” the report states,“workers need both a high local mini- mum wage and low-cost housing, a rela- tively rare combination.” ▼ LGBTQIA+ SOUTHWEST MEDICAL ‘SCOFFLAW’ PAXTON SUES ANOTHER DALLAS DOCTOR FOR PROVIDING “TRANSITION” CARE. BY KELLY DEARMORE F or the second time in less than a month, Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton has sued a Dallas doctor for allegedly pro- viding gender-affirming care to minors. On Nov. 8, Paxton announced the suit, saying in a statement that the doctor has prescribed “gender-transition” drugs to more than a dozen children, a violation of Senate Bill 14, the new state law that prohib- its doctors from prescribing such medica- tion to minors. According to the filing, Dr. M. Brett Coo- per, on staff at UT Southwestern and Chil- dren’s Medical of Dallas, “is harming the health and safety of Texas children by pro- viding cross-sex hormones to children for the purpose of transitioning their biological sex or affirming their belief that their gen- der identity or sex is inconsistent with their biological sex.” As was the case when Paxton filed a similar suit against Dr. May C. Lau on Oct. 17, Cooper is referred to as a “scofflaw” in the filing. “Texas has prohibited doctors from pre- scribing these damaging and unfounded ‘gender transition’ drugs to children,” said Paxton in the statement. “These medical professionals cannot willfully ignore the law and endanger the health of young people.” Paxton also alleges that Cooper falsified “medical records, prescriptions, and billing records to intentionally conceal the unlaw- ful conduct.” Gender-affirming care has been en- dorsed as safe by almost every major Amer- ican medical organization. In 2021, the American Medical Association wrote a let- ter to National Governors Association ad- vising against legislation that would prohibit “medically necessary gender tran- sition-related care for minor patients,” stat- ing that such laws would represent “a dangerous intrusion into the practice of medicine.” SB 14 became law on Sept. 21, 2023. In the past few weeks, Paxton has also filed suit against a doctor in El Paso for allegedly provid- ing “gender transition” treatments to minors. Brad Pritchett, the interim CEO of Equality Texas, views Paxton’s claims as part of a larger effort against the LGBTQ community. “The campaign against healthcare for trans youth has led to bomb threats against hospi- tals, release of private medical data, and now several lawsuits against Texas doctors,” he wrote in an email. “Paxton’s obsession with the trans community continues to put people at risk. Ken Paxton is not a doctor, he shouldn’t be dictating medical care for anyone.” ▼ CANNABIS SLOW YOUR ROLL DALLAS MEASURE TO DECRIMINALIZE WEED COULD FACE CHALLENGE. BY EMMA RUBY F ew things are as divisive as last week’s election proved to be, but there was one ballot measure that seemed to unify Dallas voters with resounding success. Sixty-seven percent of Dallas voters ap- proved Proposition R, a city charter amend- ment that will prohibit Dallas police from arresting or citing individuals suspected of possessing up to four ounces of marijuana. The new law will also bar police from citing the smell of marijuana as probable cause for search and seizure. Proposition R, also known as the Dallas Freedom Act, made its way onto the ballot after months of grassroots petitioning by the advocacy group Ground Game Texas, and was endorsed by country star Willie Nelson (who has a certain, er, expertise on the topic). Dallas was the latest target for Ground Game Texas; the group has worked to pass similar marijuana measures in Aus- tin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin, Denton and Harker Heights. On Election Day this year, Lockhart and Bastrop joined the list alongside Dal- las, and Big D became the largest Texas city to decriminalize small amounts of pot. Some marijuana decriminalization efforts have failed, too. During a May election, Lubbock voters overwhelmingly struck down an ordinance that would have been similar to Dallas’, outlawing arrests for marijuana possession up to four ounces. The proposition was not overseen by Ground Game. Dallas’ new amendment will go into ef- fect as soon as the city certifies the results of the election, but before you celebrate with a puff, there’s a few things to know. It’s Not Easy Decriminalizing Green For each city that has given weed the thumbs up, Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Pax- ton has attempted to interfere. In January, Paxton sued Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton for their lackadaisical marijuana policies, stating he would not “stand idly by” as “pro-crime extremists” promoted the use of “illicit drugs.” Catina Voellinger, executive director of Ground Game Texas, believes that it is “defi- nitely a possibility” that Paxton will eventu- ally target Dallas’ charter amendment — but, she added, the group has learned from his past targeting. “It’s hard to predict what happens on the state level, but one can infer that that might happen,” Voellinger told the Observer. “Something that we’re adding in our policy, and this was in reaction to Ken Paxton, [are precautions] where it says if at any time this policy is not legal, then the city has to default to deprioritization.” The deprioritization fallback would help Dallas stay compliant in the event a judge sided with Paxton’s decriminalization chal- lenge, while still allowing the city to place a lower emphasis on marijuana related cita- tions or arrests. All that said, a judge would first have to side with Paxton. Over the summer, judges in Travis and Hays counties both dismissed Paxton’s cases against Austin and San Marcos, re- spectively. The Travis County judge dis- missed the case with prejudice, meaning Paxton will be unable to refile his com- plaint, although Ground Game officials said at the time they expect the ruling to be appealed. To Voellinger, the dismissals signal “the law is on [Ground Game Texas’] side.” And there may be signs Paxton is soften- ing his stance. Two weeks ago in Killeen, 70 miles north of Austin, lawyers from the Of- fice of the Attorney General agreed to tem- porarily halt the state’s lawsuit. Bell County Commissioner Louie Minor told the Killeen Daily Herald the decision was a “victory” for the town. “I can’t think of a bigger waste of tax- payer resources than for the attorney gener- al’s office to sue the city over a voter-approved ordinance,” Minor said. “Multiple judges in other jurisdictions have dismissed Paxton’s other cases, stating that no harm has been done to the state.” How Much is 4 Ounces, Really? Paxton isn’t the only official who might get a bit touchy over Dallas’ proposition. Voel- linger says experience has shown that the group must ensure that cities actually com- ply with the decriminalization policies once they are passed. Since 2022, the group has been maneu- vering the legal system in Harker Heights, a town of around 34,000 just east of Killeen. Despite a nearly two-thirds vote in favor of marijuana decriminalization by Harker Heights voters in 2022, the City Council re- fused to reform the weed enforcement and said that creating such an ordinance would interfere with state law. In response, resi- dents voted again to approved the measure, and Ground Game Texas filed a lawsuit against the town, which has since been withdrawn. To Voellinger, it’s evidence that vigilance is needed to make progress on the decrimi- nalization front. She says larger cities have generally been more receptive to the voter approved measures, but there is one critique of Prop R she believes “lacks merit,” al- though its herald has since moved on to greener pastures. Over the summer, former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia warned the Dallas City Council that he thought four ounces of mar- ijuana was too much to legalize. Holding up plastic bags displaying the difference be- tween two and four ounces of weed, Garcia told the council that he believes four ounces of pot was “not small or for personal use” and that Prop R would be advantageous to drug dealers. “When we go to a grocery store, do we just buy one roll of toilet paper? Like, that’s insane,” Voellinger said. “If some- one is using personal amounts of mari- juana, if it’s daily for an illness, are we asking them to buy every single day? It’s just not practical.” Unfair Park from p6 Shristopher Durbin Two-thirds of Dallas voters perceive no extraordinary danger in this photo.
