For your convenience: Statewide Democratic results Looks good for Paul Sadler. Going to be a long night in CDs 23 and 33. Statewide Republican results Ted Cruz has a modest early lead. Wackjob John Devine is leading Supreme Court Justice David Medina. Steve Stockman is leading in CD36, and Donna Campbell is crushing Jeff Wentworth. [...]
Posts from ‘July, 2012’
Runoff Day
At long last, the 2012 primary season is about to be over in Texas, other than perhaps the HCDE race. To say the least, it’s been a long, strange trip, one that I hope goes down in the books as a bizarre aberration, never to be repeated or approximated. If you have not voted yet [...]
The murder rate is the same as it was last year
There’s no evidence to suggest otherwise at this time. Though Houston is not in any danger of reclaiming the unenviable title of “murder capital of the United States,” murders in the city jumped 17 percent during the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. There were 105 murders from [...]
HCDE runoff will be held
So ruled a judge yesterday in the ongoing lawsuit filed by the HCDE to void the Democratic primary in Precinct 1 Position 6. The Harris County Department of Education told a federal judge Monday it wants to proceed with the lawsuit as a growing number of parties sought to dismiss the case. Sarah Langlois, general [...]
Keep Moving Houston Forward PAC poll on Metro and GMP
Yesterday I wrote about a poll commissioned by Houstonians for Responsible Growth on Metro and the General Mobility Program. That poll suggested that any changes to the GMP would be difficult for Metro to get, especially in the face of a negative campaign against it. Later in the day, I received the following in my [...]
HRG poll data on Metro and the GMP
I mentioned on Friday that there had been a poll commissioned to measure voter attitudes towards Metro and the General Mobility Program. That poll was commissioned by Houstonians for Responsible Growth, and Joshua Sanders was kind enough to send me the polling data later in the day, which you can see here. On the key [...]
Land Board throws the Lege a curveball on school finance
Oops. In the waning days of the 82nd Legislature, state lawmakers came up with a plan to help cushion the blow of $5.4 billion in cuts to public education. State Rep. Rob Orr, R-Burleson, proposed a constitutional amendment that he said could bring an additional $300 million to public schools. It unanimously cleared both the [...]
Privatizing psych hospitals makes as much sense as privatizing prisons
Especially when it’s the same outfit doing the privatizing in each case. Sixteen months after the Montgomery County Mental Health Treatment Facility opened in Conroe, the state’s first publicly funded, privately run psychiatric hospital is facing at least $53,000 in state fines for serious shortcomings in patient care. The private operator, Geo Care, is a [...]
Weekend link dump for July 29
Homo sapiens were once close to extinction. If that ever happens again, it’ll be for very different reasons. Who knew “Three’s Company” had lawyers? The cows would want you to support marriage equality, Chick-Fil-A. Your statement about treating every person “with honor, dignity and respect — regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or [...]
No settlement deal for HCDE election screwup
Just as well, because this wasn’t a good deal. A proposed settlement hashed out Thursday evening would have seen the Republican race – a blowout victory – stand, and the Democratic race – for which a runoff is under way – voided. In that race, the November ballot would list all three Democrats and the [...]
Spending a little to save a lot
Remember HPD’s Chronic Consumer Stabilization Program, in which the police department attempted to deal with some of the people who interact with them the most often in a better, more humane, and more cost-effective way? Well, it’s been working. Since the program began, run-ins between police and the top 30 chronic consumers have declined by [...]
Beer is a job creator
Microbreweries are, anyway. Craft brewing in Texas could add 52,000 jobs and mushroom into a $5.6 billion industry by 2020 if state lawmakers next year ease restrictions on breweries and restaurants that make beer on-site, a study prepared by the brewers claims. That compares with the estimated $608 million economic impact that smaller, independently owned [...]
Southwest prepares for expansion
Coming soon. Southwest Airlines will begin construction next year on Hobby Airport international flight facilities, which the city approved in May over vehement opposition from United Airlines. “I’m extremely pleased and thrilled that the Houston City Council cleared the way for Southwest to build a new five-gate international terminal at Hobby Airport,” Bob Jordan, Southwest [...]
Saturday video break: “Love Hurts”
Song #58 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Love Hurts” by the Everly Brothers, and covered by Nazareth. Here’s the original: I love the Everly Brothers and they can make anything sound good, but that’s not the song you’re used to hearing, is it? This is: Boy, when the right song finds the [...]
As Helena Brown turns
The soap opera continues. Houston City Councilwoman Helena Brown tried to coerce a staffer to go on medical leave because of her pregnancy, according to a memo the employee filed with the council’s administrative office. Sandra Kim, Brown’s constituent liaison, wrote an April 23 memorandum quoting Brown as saying in front of several staff members [...]
Congressional runoff stories
A couple of Chron stories about area Congressional primary runoffs for your perusal. CD14: Sometimes [CD14 GOP candidate Randy Weber] mentions that he was designated the most conservative member of the Texas House during his two terms in Austin. “We don’t knock on a lot of moderate doors, because my message doesn’t really resonate with [...]
On the NCAA hammering Penn State
I’ve been thinking about the punishment the NCAA meted out to Penn State earlier this week. The NCAA has hit Penn State with a $60 million sanction, a four-year football postseason ban and a vacation of all wins dating to 1998, the organization said Monday morning. The career record of Joe Paterno will reflect these [...]
Friday random ten: Let the games begin!
It’s the Summer Olympic Games! Pomp! Circumstance! Tradition! Overwrought personal stories! Athletic orgies! Ten songs about games! 1. Fool’s Game – Bonnie Raitt 2. The Name of The Game – from “Mamma Mia!” 3. Play The Game – Queen 4. Wicked Game – The Model 5. Cat’s Game – Greg Camp 6. Crazy Game – [...]
Trudi Smith: What’s going on with Buffalo Bayou
The following is from a series of guest posts that I have been presenting over the past few weeks. Transformation of Buffalo Bayou Park, one of Houston’s most iconic green spaces, is well underway. With an historic $30 million catalyst gift from the Kinder Foundation, a strong public-private partnership has been created to include Buffalo [...]
Here come the GMP proposals
At Metro’s board meeting yesterday, trustees presented their proposed ballot referenda for the General Mobility Program. “I’m anxious to see the outcome just like everybody else,” said Chairman Gilbert Garcia, before anyone offered their specifics. As it turned out, city-appointee Garcia was one of only two trustees calling for a vote on capping the GMP [...]
More than four, please
Not good enough. A majority of House Democrats have signed a brief to the Supreme Court opposing the Defense of Marriage Act (widely known as DOMA) — but not a majority of Texas Democrats. Only four of the state’s nine Democratic House members joined the “friends of the court” brief. They were Sheila Jackson Lee [...]
Early runoff voting in perspective
Here are four numbers for your consideration: Year Total votes =================== 2006 13,726 2008 9,670 2010 15,225 2012 14,778 The first three numbers are the complete final turnout figures for the last three Democratic primary runoffs in Harris County. The fourth number is the turnout for early voting through four days for this year’s Democratic [...]
How do you say “J’accuse!” in Korean?
Here we go again with the Korea kerfuffle. City Councilwoman Helena Brown on Tuesday accused Mayor Annise Parker of sabotaging her recent taxpayer-funded trip to Asia to promote direct air service between Seoul and Houston. Brown joined Houston Airport Director Mario Diaz in visits to Beijing and Taipei early this month but did not meet [...]
The working poor are pretty much screwed in Texas
These are the people that Rick Perry doesn’t care about. Jose Gallegos’ company eliminated employee health insurance to save money, so when his gut started hurting and his skin took on a yellow tinge, he resisted seeing a doctor. When he finally went to the emergency room, physicians diagnosed stomach cancer. Gallegos made too much [...]
County wants to keep its share of the GMP
No surprise. Harris County Commissioners Court made it official Tuesday, passing a resolution calling on Metro to keep a quarter of its 1 percent sales tax flowing to road projects. The 5-0 vote leaves only Mayor Annise Parker backing Metro Chairman Gilbert Garcia’s proposal to cap the so-called “general mobility” payments so the transit agency [...]
Texas blog roundup for the week of July 23
The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds everyone that this is the only week of early voting for the July 31 primary runoffs as it brings you this week’s roundup.
Rick Perry must love federal intervention
He sure does his dangedest to invite it. Perry, a Republican, has vowed not to expand Medicaid and not to create an insurance exchange. Consumer advocates in Texas say the Perry administration has also been dragging its feet when it comes to insurance rate review. To make insurance more affordable, the federal law requires every state to conduct [...]
Medicaid expansion isn’t just about hospitals
Grits has an insight. At [last] Monday’s House County Affairs hearing, Chairman Garnet Coleman noted the irony in response to testimony by witnesses regarding the effectiveness of Veterans Courts, which are essentially mental-health courts aimed at current and former military members. Citing the example of a mentally ill veteran coming back from Afghanistan who, as a [...]
Precinct 1 Constable runoff overview
Here’s the Chron overview of the Democratic runoff for Constable in Precinct 1 between Alan Rosen and Cindy Vara-Leija. Rosen is an investor and a reserve major with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, who has been a certified peace officer for 21 years. He spent six years with Precinct 1 in the 1990s as a [...]
July campaign finance reports for Harris County candidates
You know the drill by now. Office Candidate Raised Spent Cash Loans ============================================================ Sheriff A Garcia 47,025 41,900 357,818 0 Sheriff L Guthrie 70,176 75,646 33,075 157,000 Sheriff C Pittman 11,309 11,566 5,217 24,000 DA M Anderson 73,888 60,980 33,371 0 DA L Oliver 0 150 0 0 County Atty V Ryan 56,571 33,047 145,606 [...]
Precinct 2 Constable runoff overview
The Chron does an overview on one of the two Democratic Constable runoffs. The Democratic runoff for Harris County Precinct 2 constable asks voters to decide which type of experience they value more: law enforcement chops or time as a public administrator. The 10 Democrats who sought the open Precinct 2 seat, created when incumbent [...]
Runoff turnout
Who knows what to expect? Texans are voting in July for the first time in decades, the result of a lengthy federal court battle over new political districts that delayed the primary from March 6 to May 29. The unusual timing of the runoff in the middle of the summer — when many people are [...]