Crowdsourcing Site Designed To Overcome Travis County Funds Shortfall Tops $100,000 [UPDATES]

UPDATE: A crowdsourcing site created by a Texas lawmaker to benefit Travis County community programs after the governor blocked grants money topped $100,000 on Tuesday.

The fund was launched by Eddie Rodriguez, a Democrat from Austin, on Friday. It's intended to make up for a $1.5 million shortfall that resulted when Gov. Greg Abbott rescinded grant money from reaching county coffers as a result of his disagreement with Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez over local immigration enforcement.

By Wednesday afternoon, 1,563 donations had been received from members of the public totaling $100,644 to help bolster the emptied county coffers. Read previous story below for the machinations that led to the fundraiser.

From Feb. 5:

AUSTIN, TX — A crowdsourcing site launched by State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez on Friday designed to recoup lost funds cut off by the governor in retaliation for her stance on local immigration enforcement has raised more than $85,000 in two days.

Dubbed Travis County #StrongerTogether, the fundraiser was created to allow members of the public to donate directly to county coffers to make up for a $1.5 million shortfall for community programs now jeopardized as a result of Gov. Greg Abbott blocking those funds last Wednesday, prompting Rodriguez, a Democrat from Austin, to launch the funds drive on Friday.

According to the fundraising portal, $85.660 total has been collected so far from among more than 1,300 members of the public. More than $65,000 was raised just in the first day of the sites launch among 750 residents, organizers said.

"In just 24 short hours, we have raised over $50,000 to protect several victim services, criminal diversion and rehabilitation programs that are threatened by an abrupt lack of funding, including the Travis County Veterans Court," fundraising organizers wrote. " 'When the country and the state asked them, they stood up, the court’s presiding judge, Mike Denton, said. 'We needed them. Now they need us.' "

The governor and Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez differ on best practices as it relates to enforcing immigration laws at the local level, the former calling for deportations of non-citizens regardless of criminal record while the latter opts for a more nuanced approach targeting hardened criminals for deportation.

The governor has made across-the-board deportations a major part of his agenda, labeling the elimination of so-called "sanctuary cities" as an "emergency item," as he said during his recent "State of the State" address to the Legislature. He also went on the nationally broadcast "Fox & Friends" program, a forum friendly to conservative politicians, to disclose he would explore ways of removing Hernandez from office given her approach to law enforcement.

Hernandez was duly elected to the sheriff's post in November, beating a Republican challenger with about 60 percent of the vote. She ran on a pledge to reverse the aggressive policy of her predecessor, Greg Hamilton, that had the effect of tearing immigrant families apart and leading to community mistrust of police, she has said.

In response, Abbott cut off $1.5 million in grant funds on which the county annually relies even to programs unrelated to law enforcement. Among these programs now dealing with funding cuts is a specialized court for veterans in legal skirmishes with accompanying guidance designed for them to avoid further transgressions. Other county programs cut off from the funds include those intended to assist women and children.

In a previous letter from Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt to the governor in which she pleaded for the governor to re-think his stance, she outlined various county programs that would be in jeopardy should he follow through with his threat to cut off funding over the sheriff's policy. Among these programs:

• Travis County Veterans Court focusing on defendants suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury and other mental health disorders that resulted from combat-related experience. The court links veterans with misdemeanors and felonies who are defendants to services, monitoring their progress and diverting them from further criminal sanctions.
• Parenting in Recovery (PIR) Travis County Family Drug Treatment Court (FDTC), a civil courts program providing a continuum of court and community-based supports for parents and their children involved in the Child Protective Services docket. "PIR/ FDTC helps children stay with their loving families rather than entering the foster care system by helping their parents become sober, responsible caregivers, ensuring the safety and well-being of the children they love," Eckhardt wrote.
• Family Violence Accelerated Prosecution Program and Victims Outreach. "The County Attorney's program enhances victim services and speeds op the prosecution of criminal family violence cases," Eckhardt wrote. "With the additional staff funded in part by your office, victims receive rapid outreach and intervention increasing the likelihood of their meaningful participation in the prosecution." Over the past three years, Eckhard noted, the time to file a case has dropped 37 percent and the time from filing to disposition has dropped 62 percent, Eckhardt wrote.
• The Phoenix Court (prostitute prevention), a grant program created pursuant to Senate Bill 484 that requires counties with populations of more than 200,000 to implement a prostitute prevention program. The county created the Phoenix Court in response as a pilot program during Fiscal Year 2015, with full implementation in FY 2016. "The program provides case management and other services to assist these women who are both defendants and victims in untangling themselves from the commercial sex trade," Eckhardt wrote.
• Trauma Specific Treatment for Juveniles. The Travis County Juvenile Probation Department provides an evidence-based education advanced therapy program, TARGET, for children who have experienced trauma. The program increases the child's opportunities for success, recovery and an adulthood free of criminal involvement.
• Travis County Adult Probation DWI Court, a proven effective program reducing repeat DWI offenses through treatment, supervision and judicial involvement.
• Drug Diversion Court, a proven effective program reducing repeat drug offenders through case management and treatment services.

As of 10 p.m. on Feb. 4, the fundraising campaign Rodriguez launched as a result of Abbott's actions had raised $66,473 — an amount raised in just the first 24 hours since the drive was launched. A handful of other campaigns have sprouted up amid the controversy, independently set up by residents to help make up for the governor-created shortfall. One GoFundMe drive created by Kevin Darryl has raised just under $7,000.

More than 200 residents have contributed donations in the GoFundMe campaign, among the biggest coming from Cristiana Gutierrez Flores ($250), Alfredo Ledesma and Todd Alley (each donating $200). David Nicastro, Lidia Carvajal, Nestor Malpica, Juana Rodriguez, Hannah Marti, Lehua Gray, Tomas Rios, and Isabel Arreola each donated $100. Donations at the site range in volume, with several minimum $5 contributions adding to the grand total.

"All funds will be turned over to Judge Sarah Eckhardt to be dispersed to the departments that receive funding from the Grant money that Gov. Greg Abbott pulled from Travis County Sheriff's Office," the crowdsourcing organizer wrote. "These funds also were taken from several other departments in the county. Hopefully we will be able to make a difference in supporting Travis County which is under attack by Gov. Abbott."

Patch has kept up with the Governor-Sheriff kerfuffle. Below are among some previous stories related to the ongoing controversy, beginning with the most recent coverage:

Anatomy Of A Feud: Texas Governor, Travis County Sheriff At Odds Amid Growing Immigration Fight

Texas Rep. Eddie Rodriguez Launches Crowdsourcing Site To Make Up For County Funding Loss

Travis County Judge Reacts To Cutoff Of Grant Funds Amid Dust-Up With Governor Over Local Immigration Enforcement

Texas Governor Makes Good On Grants Cut-Off Threat To County Amid Immigration Feud With Sheriff

Texas Governor Declares 'Emergency Ban' On Sanctuary Cities Amid Feud With Travis County Sheriff

Impasse Deepens Between Texas Governor, Travis County Sheriff Over Immigration Enforcement Policy

Travis County Sheriff Doubles Down On Preferred Law Enforcement Tactics Despite Governor's Threats

County Judge Pleads With Governor To Rethink Threat Of Cutting Off Funds

Texas Governor Threatens To Remove From Office Sheriffs Not Fully Cooperating With Immigration Officials

This saga continues to develop, garnering national coverage, with a growing list of characters. This is a story with various moving parts, and Patch will endeavor to update as developments warrant in keeping the public apprised. Still pending: The governor is exploring ways of removing elected sheriffs throughout Texas who do not comply with his preferred tactics at enforcing immigration policy.

>>> Images above: Official photo of Gov. Greg Abbott via State of Texas; official photo of Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez via Travis County Sheriff's Office website; photo of State. Rep. Eddie Rodriguez via Texas State House of Representatives website; photo of Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt via website.