Mid-January campaign finance reports offer an early look at Austin's 2026 City Council races, as candidates for five seats raised almost $140,000 and had nearly $800,000 on hand heading into the new year.

The details: The local November ballot will feature elections for half of Austin's geographic council districts, including districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9. The District 1 seat will be open for the first time in eight years due to council member Natasha Harper-Madison reaching her term limit, while the other four races are expected to include incumbent council candidates facing any challengers.

This month's semiannual campaign reports cover financial activity from the second half of 2025, and two incumbents—District 3's José Velásquez and District 9's Zo Qadri—led fundraising through that period with each drawing more than $27,000. Qadri was also the top political spender to end last year. And he, District 5 council member Ryan Alter, District 5 challenger David Weinberg and District 8 council member Paige Ellis were the only candidates with more than $100,000 available heading into 2026.

The Southwest Austin area has gained a handful of new businesses and restaurants in recent months and is looking to welcome some more coming soon. This list is not comprehensive.

DeSano Pizzeria Napoletana
The Neapolitan pizza eatery has launched its third Austin-area location on Slaughter Lane. Customers can find a variety of pizzas, appetizers, salads, calzones and dessert pizza.

• Opened Nov. 24
• 5701 W. Slaughter Lane, Unit E-110, Austin
• www.desanopizza.com

• Opening fall of 2026
• 5601 Brodie Lane, Ste. 1400, Sunset Valley
• www.kurasushi.com

• Opening Spring 2026
• 9901 Brodie Lane, Ste. 120, Austin
• www.phoebesdiner.com

Austin ISD will regain ownership of Mendez Middle School in South Austin next school year.

The big picture: Charter school and nonprofit partners have operated the AISD campus for more than a decade to help improve low academic performance. On Jan. 16, the district announced it will retake the school this fall after the campus earned a B accountability rating in 2025.

The details: Senate Bill 1882 incentivizes districts to partner with open-enrollment charter schools, higher education institutions, nonprofits and government entities with the goal of raising academic outcomes for students, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Charter school network Third Future Schools took ownership of Mendez in 2022—during which the campus received a B accountability rating followed by C ratings in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, Mendez received a B rating of 89 out of 100.

What’s next: In August, AISD will take over “Mendez’s academics, operations, staffing, and campus leadership with the goal of sustaining and accelerating the progress Mendez has made,” an AISD spokesperson said.

Amid enrollment growth across a majority of its programs, Austin Community College is reporting significant growth across workforce and health care programs. 

What you need to know: The community college district shared an update on enrollment Jan. 20, the start of the spring 2026 semester. 

Data updated as of Jan. 16 shows enrollment is up 7% year over year. More students are also choosing to remain with ACC semester to semester, the report shows, with returning students up 9% compared to 2025, and 23% compared to 2024. 

An electric vehicle sales center and a new residential building are among the newest projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the TDLR in the Austin metro this week.

1. Gunter Street residential building: A five-story, multifamily building with a five-story parking garage is planned near the East Seventh Street H-E-B.

• Location: 1135 Gunter St., Austin
• Estimated timeline: May 1, 2026-Aug. 1, 2028
• Estimated cost: $80 million

• Location: Kelly Lane, from Moorlynch Avenue to Weiss Lane, Pflugerville
• Estimated timeline: Oct. 1, 2026-March 31, 2030
• Estimated cost: $40 million

“Stock” Catro-Mendoza, Tanya Lloyd and Wayne Raasch are seeking votes in the Democratic primary election. The winner of the Democratic primary will face off with the winner of the Republican primary to determine who will be the federal representative of District 27.

Early voting starts on Feb. 17, and election day is March 3. For more information on voting procedures, visit your county's website.

Michael Cloud and Chris Hatley are seeking votes in the Republican primary election. The winner of the Republican primary will face off with the winner of the Democratic primary to determine who will be the federal representative of District 27.

Early voting starts on Feb. 17, and election day is March 3. For more information on voting procedures, visit your county's website.