Monthly Archives: August 2013

Whitmire draws a primary opponent

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texpatriate notes that 2010 judicial candidate Damian LaCroix is mounting a challenge to Sen. John Whitmire in SD15. This directly concerns me, as I was redistricted into SD15 in 2011 after having been in SD06 since moving to the Heights. … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 5

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks that the Legislature is once, twice, three times a fiasco as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with CM Jack Christie

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

CM Jack Christie is serving his first term on Council in At Large #5, becoming one of only four people in the term limits era to defeat a sitting incumbent when he nipped former CM Jolanda Jones in a runoff. … Continue reading →

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Chron wants multiple multi-candidate debates

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t know if they’ll get what they want, but it can’t hurt to ask. For the main show, mayoral candidate Ben Hall has called for six one-on-one debates with Mayor Annise Parker, albeit with three debates after early voting begins. … Continue reading →

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Texas really needs Obamacare

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve always known that Texas would be a huge beneficiary of the Affordable Care Act because of our huge volume of uninsured people, but this quantifies it in a way that really brings it home. Texas is home to more … Continue reading →

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Changing the culture

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Nonsequiteuse looks at the big picture. Let’s talk about changing the culture of the Texas legislature. What needs to happen, who needs to do it, what are the consequences, and how do we move forward. The first suggestion that always … Continue reading →

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Yet another wacky poll about Latino voting in Texas

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in. Sen. Ted Cruz lost the Hispanic vote in Texas by about 20 percentage points, but out-performed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, according to post-2012 election polling shared with the … Continue reading →

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Davis narrows her choices

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Governor or re-election, no other options. State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, said Monday that she will either run for re-election or for Texas governor, and that she’s working hard to make her decision. Speaking at a National Press Club … Continue reading →

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And that’s a wrap on Special Session 3

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Hallelujah. The Texas Legislature adjourned its third special session since May on Monday night after passing a measure estimated to increase transportation funding by $1.2 billion annually if Texas voters approve it next year. “Let’s adjourn this mutha,” said state … Continue reading →

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On PACs in city elections

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Politics looks at something we haven’t seen much of in city elections – PACs that are candidate-specific instead of being centered on a referendum. Among the topics bandied about last week was why [Ben] Hall and District A candidate … Continue reading →

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Interview with CM Ed Gonzalez

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Ed Gonzalez is serving his second term in District H. He’s actually already four full years into his service, as he was the winner of the 2009 special election to succeed former CM and now Sheriff Adrian Garcia. … Continue reading →

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Yeah, they’re still working on a transportation funding bill

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The committee hearings will continue until morale improves. After consulting with members from both the House and Senate, state Rep. Joe Pickett decided to make some minor changes to his latest transportation funding proposal. On Thursday — the third day … Continue reading →

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Fighting for Obamacare

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it. Obamacare supporters are launching a new war room operation to stick up for the law, mobilizing liberal groups to talk up its benefits and pound Republicans for trying to cut off its funding. The new effort — to … Continue reading →

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State Bar seeks sanctions against Ken Anderson

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable to me. Arguing that a trial is no longer needed, the State Bar of Texas has asked a judge to summarily rule that former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson engaged in professional misconduct by hiding evidence in … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 4

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Soon, your car will need anti-virus software, if it doesn’t already. Same for your house, too. And your yacht, too. Is nothing sacred anymore? I’m sure the fine people at FreedomWorks will drop their own insurance coverage in solidarity with … Continue reading →

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County prevails in redistricting lawsuit

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This came out on Friday. Activists failed to prove that a Harris County redistricting plan illegally diluted Latino votes in the only Latino-opportunity commissioner precinct, a federal judge has ruled. In a long-anticipated decision filed late Thursday, U.S. District Judge … Continue reading →

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On sexism in the Legislature

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Just go read Olivia Messer’s story in The Observer about that great bastion of good-ol-boyism, the Texas Legislature. It’s appalling, but sadly not unexpected, nor unsurprising. I’ve heard way too many stories like it, from way too many women, in … Continue reading →

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Don’t count on that federal testing waiver

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen, but don’t expect your high-scoring kid to spend less time taking tests going forward. A plan to reduce testing for higher-performing elementary and middle school students was one of the feel-good bills of the 2013 legislative session. … Continue reading →

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LA goes big on iPads in schools

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like we’re still on the tip of the iceberg, but that a lot more of this is coming soon. Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District will receive 31,000 free iPads this school year under a new … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Piece Of My Heart

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Song #8 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Piece Of My Heart”, originally by Erma Franklin and covered by Big Brother and the Holding Company. Here’s the original: The late Erma Franklin is Aretha Franklin’s big sister. I … Continue reading →

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Debating about debates

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There will be some number of debates between Mayor Parker and Ben Hall between now and Election Day. How many debates, and how many participants there will be in those debates, is itself a matter of debate. In a letter … Continue reading →

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On closing Main Street to cars downtown

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Tomorrow runs a post by Kyle Nielsen that he originally published in May advocating for more of Main Street downtown to be like Main Street Square, that is, closed to automotive traffic. What if we were to close Main … Continue reading →

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The hogs keep winning

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Same old story. More than two decades into Texas’ ever escalating war against feral hogs, the wild swine continue gaining ground while Texas and the state’s native wildlife, plants and ecosystems lose it. Despite taking millions of casualties – an … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Forget it, I’m gonna be a punk rocker

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My inspiration for this week is this Buzzfeed list of 36 pop/punk albums I need to hear before I die. Clearly, I have my work cut out for me, because I have exactly none of those albums. In fact, I … Continue reading →

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July campaign finance reports, HISD and HCC

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ericka Mellon did me the favor of the heavy lifting for HISD Trustees. Campaign finance reports filed this week show at least two non-incumbents are entering races for the Houston school board this November, while contributions for most trustees generally … Continue reading →

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More on Rep. Poe and the University line

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on Rep. Ted Poe’s surprising-to-me support of building the University Line. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, whose district shifted earlier this year to include portions of the area where the planned University Line would run along Richmond … Continue reading →

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Show them the data

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A major donor to HISD’s key school reform effort is putting its remaining $3 million check on hold amid concerns that detailed research about the success of the program is lacking. The president of the Houston Endowment, Ann Stern, … Continue reading →

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Abbott and CPRIT

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Things Greg Abbott Should Have Been Doing Instead Of Filing All Those Lawsuits Against The Obama Administration, But Didn’t Do department. In the more than four years he served on the state cancer agency’s governing board, Texas Attorney … Continue reading →

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Obama pledges to keep fighting for the Voting Rights Act

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s hold him to that. President Barack Obama assured civil rights leaders Monday that he will aggressively protect minority voters in Texas and other states, a month after the Supreme Court ended decades of federal election scrutiny. “The Supreme Court … Continue reading →

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Maybe the same failed approach will work this time

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen, right? Transportation experts now estimate that the state needs $5billion a year to keep Texas moving. The proposal that fell apart in the House this week would add less than a billion annually. And after months of … Continue reading →

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Waco equality update

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Dallas Voice: Waco’s LGBT city employees may soon be protected from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. With four of six members present, the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee voted unanimously Thursday to recommend … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 29

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance applauds the entry of the Justice Department into the fight to continuing to subject the state to preclearance as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Rep. Poe supports rail on Richmond

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

He supports something, anyway, and that’s a step forward. After seeking input from Houstonians, Congressman Ted Poe has spoken out in favor of building “something” in the University transit corridor. A statement outlining his position was released on Facebook yesterday: … Continue reading →

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