Monthly Archives: November 2013

Mayor Parker announces same sex spousal benefits for city employees

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker had been talking recently about a more comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance for Houston and possibly revisiting the 2001 charter amendment that forbids the city from offering domestic partner benefits. I knew something would be coming, but I didn’t expect … Continue reading →

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Kim Ogg officially files for DA

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is the marquee matchup in Harris County in November, at least so far. Kim Ogg, the only Democratic yet to announce a bid for Harris County district attorney, said Monday that most voters do not identify with a particular … Continue reading →

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Ashby Highrise lawsuit gets underway

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Better settle in and get comfy, we’re going to be here awhile. The trial that began Tuesday over the Ashby high-rise planned for a neighborhood near Rice University is poised to be a battle of experts. A Harris County jury … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 18

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The thoughts and prayers of the Texas Progressive Alliance are with the people of the Phillippines as we bring you this week’s roundup.

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Precinct analysis: At Large 1, 4, and 5

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, we looked at the competitive At Large Council races. Now let’s look at the three At Large races that weren’t competitive. First up is At Large #1, where CM Stephen Costello won a third term. Dist Costello Griffin … Continue reading →

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The “illegal immigrant” hunt

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Who could have ever predicted that this would be a bad idea? A conservative student group at the University of Texas announced Monday that it plans to organize a mock immigration roundup on campus this week as a way to … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to reinstate the injunction against HB2

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday rejected a request by abortion providers to intervene in their lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of new abortion regulations in Texas that took effect in November. “Reasonable minds can perhaps disagree about whether the … Continue reading →

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San Antonio begins plastic bag ban consideration

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I very much look forward to seeing how this goes. San Antonio spends about $1.3 million annually cleaning up plastic bags, while an estimated $25 million is spent across the state, [District 7 Councilman Cris] Medina’s Council Consideration Request says. … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: City Controller

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s move on to the Controller’s race, where incumbent Ronald Green held on to win a third term against challenger Bill Frazer. Dist Frazer Green Frazer% Green% ===================================== A 6,609 4,102 61.70% 38.30% B 1,637 10,035 14.03% 85.97% C 14,185 … Continue reading →

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Ashby Highrise trial begins today

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This has been a long time coming. The case in state District Judge Randy Wilson’s court will begin Tuesday and is expected to last four weeks. A jury will hear from the parties involved and experts on both sides to … Continue reading →

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Are we going to require Algebra 2 or not?

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, despite what happened in the last Legislature, it’s still an open question. The State Board of Education has proposed toughening high school graduation requirements despite the Legislature’s clear intent last spring to provide more flexibility. The board’s draft plan … Continue reading →

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It’s about much more than abortion

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another reminder that even if the Legislature had taken no action on abortion since 2011, it still grievously damaged women’s access to healthcare. The closure of nine of 32 family planning clinics in the Rio Grande Valley — a … Continue reading →

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Wendy Davis needs to push back on Texas’ refusal to comply with the law on military same-sex benefits

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The sooner the better. This is a no-brainer, and a win all around. Texas Gov. Rick Perry stood his ground [last] Friday in a showdown with the Pentagon over processing benefits for same-sex couples at National Guard offices, possibly setting … Continue reading →

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Wage theft ordinance back before Council

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It should be up for discussion this week. “Wage theft is defined as a situation in which someone employs someone to perform a service, not intending to pay them wages. That’s an extreme offense,” [City Attorney David] Feldman said. “The … Continue reading →

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More riders, fewer routes

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Metro keeps moving towards its re-imagined bus service, which is aimed at increasing ridership. Currently, Metro operates on a philosophy that half its resources should go toward high-performing routes and half to making sure everyone has convenient access to a … Continue reading →

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Voter ID trial set for September

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: At [Friday] morning’s scheduling conference, Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos set trial in the consolidated Texas voter ID cases for September 2, 2014, adopting the date proposed by Congressman Marc Veasey over a proposed March 2015 trial date preferred by the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for November 17

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The original Addam’s Family set photographed in color. Not altogether ookie at all. Can we agree that a sports team shouldn’t be called The Arabs, please? The Willie Nelson corn maze. How is it we didn’t have one of these … Continue reading →

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Hoang to challenge Vo

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Soon-to-be-former CM Al Hoang is not sitting still in the wake of his unexpected electoral loss. Houston City Councilman Al Hoang, who narrowly lost his reelection bid in a surprise upset last week, has filed paperwork to challenge state Rep. … Continue reading →

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Tactics are nice, but turnout is key

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The main thing I learned in this story about Wendy Davis’ national connections is that at least one person in the state gets what she will really need to win. “I’m going back home to Texas and walking door to … Continue reading →

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More on the Fort Bend ISD iPad failure

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer presents a good overview of the disastrous iPad experiment at the Fort Bend Independent School District. An audit of Fort Bend ISD’s iAchieve program released last month, details the ways the effort was cursed. (You can read the … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: The updated elements song

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Surely you know Tom Lehrer’s song “The Elements”: But seeing that video, you can also see that there have in fact been many more that have since been discovered. So what we need now is an updated elements song that … Continue reading →

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The jail’s new non-discrimination policy

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure why I haven’t seen this story in the Chronicle. The sheriff of Houston’s Harris County has adopted a sweeping policy designed to protect and guarantee equal treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender inmates, including allowing transgender individuals … Continue reading →

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Magnet reprieve

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected. HISD Superintendent Terry Grier has reversed course and decided to give 20 struggling magnet programs another year before eliminating all their extra funding. The sudden switch from the plan he unveiled last month comes after some parents … Continue reading →

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Re-endorsement watch: Three Council repeats

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its endorsement in three Council races. David Robinson: In the run-off for At-large Council Position 2, there is an especially clear choice facing city voters. Architect David Robinson has the professional skills and lengthy experience as a … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: If you like your ten random songs, you can keep them

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

They still cost nothing, and they’re good for the whole week, guaranteed. 1. Let Them Talk – Spoek Mathambo 2. Beaujolais – The Alan Parsons Project 3. Crying In The Rain – The Everly Brothers 4. St. Louis Blues March … Continue reading →

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Two Dems file in SD10

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

May the best candidate win. After months of speculation, two Democratic candidates have emerged to campaign for the contested Senate District 10 seat that Sen. Wendy Davis has vacated to run for governor. Fort Worth community leader Libby Willis and … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit filed against the voter ID law

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer reports. Election Day last week brought plenty of complaints at the polls about Texas’ new voter ID law, but it also brought one major complaint in Corpus Christi federal court, where nine voters joined La Unión Del Pueblo Entero … Continue reading →

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The states that are making life harder for their National Guard members

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not just Texas. While a majority of states ban same-sex marriages, most are not fighting the new policy. But Pentagon officials say that in addition to Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia have balked. Each has cited … Continue reading →

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Re-endorsement watch: The same crew for HCC

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its support for the three HCC runoff candidates they had originally endorsed for November. Zeph Capo is the clear choice for voters in District 1, the northside district that has been extended to include the impoverished Gulfton … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: At Large 2 and 3

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of action, and lots of candidates in the At Large races this year. Let’s look at the two races that are going to the runoffs, At Large #2 and 3. First is AL2, in which first term CM Andrew … Continue reading →

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Lisa Falkenberg profiles Dave Wilson

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very glad to see some coverage of Dave Wilson that includes relevant information about who he is. Narrow-minded bigot. Homophobic hate-meister. Political mischief-maker. Given all the unkind labels Dave Wilson has incurred over the years, I wasn’t sure what … Continue reading →

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Van de Putte appears to be in for Lite Gov

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Hot damn! Sources close to state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, say she is poised to make an announcement on her political future on Friday. But the likely Democratic contender for lieutenant governor is expected to do what … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 11

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance honors the service of America’s veterans as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Reminder: I-45 public meeting tonight

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From The Highwayman: As officials take another step in the process of widening Interstate 45 from downtown north to the Sam Houston Tollway, one option to essentially make the teardrop-shaped inner loop created by I-45 and U.S. 59 an odd … Continue reading →

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