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>>> COMING TO FROM VICTORY PARK THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING. THE NEW HOME OF OUR PROGRAM AND
WE BEGIN WITH THE STATE OF
DALLAS COUNTY.
DALLAS COUNTY. THE UNSUSTAINABLE RISE IN
PROPERTY TAXES AND THE JUDGE
MAKING INTERESTING CUTS TO THE
BUDGET.
BUDGET.
BUDGET. THIS IS OUR FIRST GUEST IN THE
STUDIO.
STUDIO.
STUDIO. WELCOME TO OUR NEW HOME.
>> THEY DID A GREAT JOB.
>> A GREAT NEW DIG.
>> LET'S START WITH TEXAS.
YOU HAVE GOTTEN CREATIVE.
CLOSING A WING OF THE GEL,
TURNING OFF LIGHTS, HOW MUCH IS
IT SAVING AND HOW BIG OF A DEAL
AS IT?
AS IT?
AS IT? >>
AS IT? >> HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CLOSE
IT YET.
IT YET.
IT YET. WHEN I WAS ELECTED, WE HAD 4200
I'M SORRY, 7200 PEOPLE EVERY
NIGHT IN OUR JAIL.
WE ARE DOWN TO 4700.
WE NEED TO GET DOWN TO 4500 AND
WE CAN CLOSE A WING OF THE JAIL
AND THAT WILL SAVE US $20
MILLION A YEAR ANNUALLY.
AND MY HOPE, JASON IS THAT WE
CAN USE THAT TO CUT TAXES, SO
THAT PEOPLE, MY HOPE IS THAT
THEY WILL PAY THE SAME AMOUNT
OF COUNTY TAX THAT THEY PAID
LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR. I HAVE BEEN VISITING WITH THE
COMMISSIONERS BECAUSE THAT IS A
COMMISSIONER VOTE. TRYING TO
FIND A THIRD VOTE FOR
MEANINGFUL TAX CUTS.
>> YOU TRY THAT IN PREVIOUS
YEARS AND YOU ARE NOT AS
SUCCESSFUL.
SUCCESSFUL. SINCE 2014, YOU GAVE A STATE OF
THE COUNTY ADDRESS NOT LONG AGO
AND YOU SHOW THAT THE MARKET
VALUE OF PROPERTY IN DALLAS
COUNTY HAS INCREASED 44% 2014.
THAT IS UNSUSTAINABLE, ISN'T
IT?
IT?
IT? >>
IT? >> IT
IT? >> IT IS HUGE.
IT IS HUGE.
AND IT COMES FROM A GOOD PLACE.
WE ARE NUMBER ONE IN THE NATION
FOR JOB GROWTH FOR THE SECOND
YEAR IN A ROW.
WE ARE NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE
IN DALLAS COUNTY FOR AVERAGE,
WEEKLY WAGE.
WEEKLY WAGE. BUT THAT MEANS THAT THE MEDIAN
HOUSE HAS GONE UP $80,000 2014
AND EVEN THOUGH THE TAX RATE
HAS NOT GONE UP, THE AMOUNT
THAT PEOPLE PAY HAS GONE UP.
WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS CUT
THE RATE SO THAT THEY ARE
PAYING LESS ON THE COUNTY END.>>
CAN YOU DO THAT?
YOU HAVE TRIED THAT BEFORE AND
YOU WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.
YOU THINK YOU WILL GET ENOUGH
VOTES?
VOTES?
VOTES? >>
VOTES? >> I AM HOPEFUL.
I KNOW THAT I HAVE ONE SO I
ONLY NEED ONE MORE.
AND PEOPLE ARE HAVING LONG
DISCUSSIONS. THEY ARE OPEN TO
LISTENING.
LISTENING. THERE ARE LEGITIMATE NEEDS FOR
THE MONEY AND I RESPECT THE
POSITIONS ON THOSE THINGS BUT I
AM CONCERNED ABOUT MIDDLE-CLASS
FAMILIES THAT ARE WORKING AND
ARE UNABLE TO PAY FOR THIS.
EVEN WITH THE RISES AND WAGES,
WE DON'T HAVE THE RISES AND
WAGES SUFFICIENT TO COVER THIS
INCREASE.
INCREASE.
INCREASE. KEEP IN MIND, JASON, NEARLY 60%
OF THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF
DALLAS RENT.
DALLAS RENT. THE FACT THAT THE APARTMENT HAS
A HIGHER VALUE DOES NOT DO
ANYTHING FOR THEM AT ALL.
>> WE SAW THAT GROWTH IN DALLAS
COUNTY WAS STAGNANT IN THE 2000
AND WE SAID THAT WE ARE BACK ON
THE LIST OF THE FASTEST-GROWING
BUT ALSO WITH ALL OF THE
GENTRIFICATION, PEOPLE MOVING
INTO THE CITY, THE GAP BETWEEN
THE HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS IS
EXACERBATED.
EXACERBATED. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HELP POOR
PEOPLE AS THEY COPE WITH THE
RISE IN VALUES.
>> ONE THING THAT I AM EXCITED
ABOUT IS DALLAS COUNTY PROMISE.
WHAT DALLAS CAMAS -- DALLAS
COUNTY PROMISE MEANS THAT YOU
CAN GET COLLEGE DEBT FREE.
THAT IS FREE COLLEGE FOR EVERY
KID WHO GRADUATES.
FIRST THEY GO TO THE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE FOR FREE FOR TWO YEARS
AND THEN THEY CAN TRANSFER FOR
FREE FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.
WE ARE TRYING TO DO WHAT WE CAN
TO HAVE JOB FAIRS TO GO AFTER
LOW-WAGE WORKERS AND GET THEM
INTO HIGHER WAGES.
IT IS A TROUBLING STATISTIC,
BUT IF YOU ARE WHITE AND YOU
HAVE AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE, YOU
WILL MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS A
BLACK PERSON MAKING A BACHELORS
DEGREE, WITH TWO MORE YEARS OF
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. THAT IS THAT WAY ALL THE WAY
DOWN THE STRATA.
WHITE WITHOUT HIGH SCHOOL, A
BLACK HAS TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH
SCHOOL TO MAKE AS MUCH MONEY.
SO, IT IS UP TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE NEED BUSINESSES TO LOOK AT
EMPLOYEES AND IF YOU HAVE A
BLACK OR HISPANIC OR FOR THAT
MATTER A WOMAN WHO WAS NOT
BEING PAID AS MUCH AS A MAN,
RAISE THEM UP, BECAUSE OUR
STUDY SHOWS THAT BLACKS MAKE
54% OF WHITES DALLAS COUNTY.
HISPANICS, 58 AND WOMEN, $.80
ON THE DOLLAR.
>> YOU MENTIONED THAT WE HAD
GREAT SPELLING BEE FINALS THIS
YEAR FROM COLLIN COUNTY AND
DENTON COUNTY.
DENTON COUNTY. NONE FROM DALLAS COUNTY.
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO BRING THE
DALLAS COUNTY KIDS BACK?
>> I HAVE A MEETING WITH
CONGRESSIONAL PEOPLE THIS WEEK
BUT I NEED TO RUN THERETO
COLLIN COUNTY AND TALK THEM
INTO MOVING.
INTO MOVING. WE HAVE GREAT KIDS AND THE
METROPLEX AND THERE ARE GREAT
KIDS HERE IN DALLAS.
WE ARE DOING THINGS TO CLICK ON
ALL CYLINDERS.
ALL CYLINDERS. WE HAVE 3500 KIDS WHO ARE ON A
WAIT LIST FROM COLLIN COUNTY
AND PLACES LIKE THAT WHO WANT
TO MOVE HERE AND COME HERE AS
NINE COUNTY RESIDENTS.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT A
STATISTIC REGARDING CHILDREN.
THE POVERTY RATE FOR PEOPLE
UNDER 18, IT IS EMBARRASSING, I
THOUGHT.
THOUGHT.
THOUGHT. MORE THAN ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN
ARE IN POVERTY?
WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHY AREN'T
THEY THRIVING WHEN WE HAVE AN
ECONOMY WITH 3.8 PERCENT
UNEMPLOYMENT?
UNEMPLOYMENT? >> IT IS ABOUT A LIVING WAGE.
PEOPLE HAVE JOBS BUT THEY ARE
NOT SUFFICIENT TO PAY FOR THE
INCREASES IN RENT AND COSTS.
WE ARE PUSHING AT THESE JOB
FESTS AND THINGS WE ARE DOING
TO TRY TO GET PEOPLE INTO THOSE
LIVING WAGE JOBS.
WE HAVE ONE COMING UP IN A
COUPLE WEEKS, SOME LIKE IT HOT,
TO GET PEOPLE SUMMER JOBS FOR
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. OUTSIDE, AND THE BIG ONE IS IN
AUGUST WHERE WE HOPE TO GET
TONS OF PEOPLE JOBS AT $15 AND
ABOVE.
ABOVE.
ABOVE. >>
ABOVE. >> WHAT IS ON YOUR TO DO LIST?>>
KEEP THE ECONOMY GOING HERE AND
DO EVERYTHING THAT I CAN TO
ELECT DEMOCRATS, BECAUSE I
DON'T WANT TO SEE THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT REPEALED.
WE HAVE 110,000 DALLAS COUNTY
RESIDENTS WHO