Also the idea that Californians moving are responsible for pushing Austin in a more liberal direction I find untrue and a bit at odds with reality both from data presented on metro-to-metro movements [1, 2] and also with my own anecdotal experience here. I find many of the people I know who moved here from California think they’re getting away from what they consider an overtly liberal area by doing so, and in part move specifically because they believe Austin (by being in Texas) will be more conservative. From my experience having lived in Austin and in Texas (over twice as long as I’ve lived in California, which I first moved to from Austin), it is and has been more progressive than even most of the Bay Area has seemed to me (excluding Santa Cruz and Berkeley which I find comparable).
As far as what might be making it more liberal, it was a large part of the 60s and 70s counter-culture movement (Whole Foods and Wheatsville, Janis Joplin and the 13th Floor Elevators, Mother’s Cafe, etc.) the founders and artists of which were not from California, and in the case of Whole Foods and Janis actually were Austin exports to California. And also being widely more known for being a college town with large music festivals and a huge DIY scene. Austin feels more like San Jose to me these days, but it’s politics, especially when discussed with those I’ve known who were born and raised here, feel more akin to what I see and hear being discussed in places like Portland and Berkeley than what I saw and heard from those I knew in Palo Alto and Mountain View.
This is not due to Californians moving in, as even to this day the majority of Austinites are either born and raised or migrated from other parts of Texas. Even the initiative against keeping public homelessness from being criminalized was widely supported in council and by the mayor (of which I’m not aware of a single party being from California, Greg Casar who is pushing for a lot of the more progressive policies is actually from Houston and Adler went to UT and is from Washington DC).
Basically just trying to say, I disagree with the “liberal by Austin standards” idea, I think if anything you’re just seeing the city as it always was but with more political clout due to recent changes in how city council works and with a very energized mayor. The transplants from California if anything, in my anecdotal experience at least, are fairly conservative by Austin standards. But our experiences are our own.
[1] https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2018/demo/geographic-mobi... [2] https://austonia.com/austin-growth
Most of Texas has been dealing with CA transplants since last housing crisis, or before, so 12+ years now. Austin area in particular is where the liberals usually land. And they tend to be very liberal even by traditional Austin standards and especially by Texas standards in general. Some of the recent things in Austin, particularly around tolerance of homeless, are not popular with Texans. We are generous people but not to the level of letting homeless sleep in our suburban yards. We're told we're not compassionate. But we feel these people are mostly, homeless by choice. If you take the time to watch them, it's a lifestyle for a high percentage and yes there are some who did not chose it due to drugs, PTSD, etc, and we'd support getting those people help, housing, food, etc. But not putting up tents and port-a-potties for them at the underpass. [1]
I just came back from Austin. I haven't lived there since 2007/8. Homeless there has always been a problem. As it is in almost any liberal US city. The last few years, it's gotten so much worse and letting it bleed into the suburbs makes no sense IMO. The local leaders are enabling thus inviting more homeless, etc. as happens in almost any liberal US city.
[1] As an example of something no Texan understands. My aunt told me, a lady on her Nextdoor ostracized the neighborhood for giving the homeless things they didn't need. Like food when they had food. Or food they did not like. So, she met with and created an Amazon Wish List for each person living under/near a nearby bridge freeway intersection. When my aunt clicked on it out of curiosity, it was mostly gift cards, phone minutes, electronics, etc. In my mind, things that are easily converted to cash.