Monthly Archives: October 2014

Endorsement watch: Why Orlando?

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has published its full list of endorsements for the 2014 election, but at the time they ran that they had not published all of the accompanying editorials. They began their catch-up on that on Wednesday with another expression … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Four EV totals

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here are your Day 4 EV totals and the full 2010 EV totals. Mail ballots continue to be strong, up a bit from Day Four in 2010, but in person totals continue to lag. Overall, 2014 now trails 2010 at … Continue reading →

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Interview index

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For your convenience, here is a list of all my interviews and judicial Q&As for the November election. This includes ones I did for the primary and runoff. Interviews US Senate – David Alameel Attorney General – Sam Houston Comptroller … Continue reading →

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On Greg Abbott and who gets to get married

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As you may have heard, Peggy Fikac got to ask Greg Abbott the obvious question about how exactly the state’s law against same-sex marriage, which Abbott is diligently defending in court, differs from the old laws that once banned interracial … Continue reading →

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Gary Elkins thumbs his nose at local payday lending ordinances

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Such a fine example he sets. As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Houston Republican Gary Elkins helps make laws. As a businessman, he is an owner of a chain of payday lending stores accused of breaking them. … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 20

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

“Voting freshens your breath, whitens your teeth, and improves your sex life.” — Molly Ivins The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds you that EARLY VOTING HAS BEGUN as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Downtown dedicated bike lane delayed a bit

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Aiming for the end of the year now. Conversion of a traffic lane on Lamar into Houston’s main bike route through downtown has been delayed as officials finalize plans and wait for in-demand humps known as “armadillos” to arrive. Department … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Three EV totals

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

But first, a little angst. I feel a bit uncomfortable after Day Two of Early Voting in Person. Here are a couple of concerning tweets from yesterday: Scott Braddock ‏@scottbraddock 2h2 hours ago Those Harris County early vote totals are … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Kathy Vossler

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

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More on the voter registration numbers

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Wayne Slater has a contrarian perspective on the voter registration numbers. Getting new voters begins with registering new people. When the secretary of state last week announced a record-high 14 million Texans are registered to vote, Battleground Texas trumpeted that … Continue reading →

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More lot protections

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. A stretch of Riverside Terrace, a rebound neighborhood known for its “large lots, mature trees and a view of the downtown skyline,” will be the first residential pocket in Houston where homeowners can use a new city code … Continue reading →

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The inadequacy of Prop 1

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Better than nothing, but not by much. The campaign to steer state reserve funds to road projects is not being waged with yard signs and televised debates but, rather, with chamber of commerce lunches and a smattering of direct mailings. … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Two EV totals

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Houston Politics with the nickel summary. The number of voters showing up at Harris County’s 41 early-vote locations was down by 25 percent for the second straight day on Tuesday, according to tallies released by the County Clerk. A … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Greg Glass

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

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KHOU: Abbott 47, Davis 32

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A new poll to open Early Voting. As early voters head to the polls for a landmark election in Texas, a new survey conducted for KHOU-TV and Houston Public Media shows Republican Greg Abbott with a commanding lead over Democrat … Continue reading →

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Time to comment on the proposed high speed rail routes

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Check ’em out, and tell ’em what you think. Observers have long known that only a few options were available for the route of the privately funded high-speed train line between Houston and Dallas. Now a firmer picture of where … Continue reading →

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RIP, J. Kent Adams

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

J. Kent Adams, one of Harris County’s Justices of the Peace, passed away over the weekend. Judge J. Kent Adams, who presided over one of the Houston area’s busiest justice of the peace courts for 13 years, died Saturday morning … Continue reading →

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2014 Day One EV totals

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are. For comparison, here are the full 2010 EV totals. The in-person totals are down from 2010, declining from 26,051 to 20,215, but as we have observed the absentee totals are way up, from 24,273 to 41,520. As … Continue reading →

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Interview with Navid Zanjani

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I do a lot of interviews with candidates, but I also like to take the opportunity to do interviews that aren’t focused on a specific individual’s campaign. Sometimes these are about referendums, sometimes they’re about a given issue, and sometimes … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Herb Ritchie

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

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Mayoral fundraising 2015

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, I know, another post about the 2015 election. I sure am doing a lousy job of not thinking about that just yet, but this raises an interesting point. Likely mayoral candidate Chris Bell is asking the city of Houston … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Three out of five ain’t bad

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The five major papers have made their endorsements in the Governor’s race now. We know about the DMN and their strange belief that it is possible to placate the extremists, so let’s look at the others, starting with the Houston … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 19

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

On dealing with horrible bosses, in Hollywood and elsewhere. We’re using less gasoline. This is a good thing. “I have a friend who is a police officer and he never watches police procedurals. Even in the years when the Law … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to intervene on voter ID

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate. The Supreme Court said Saturday that Texas can use its controversial new voter identification law for the November election. A majority of the justices rejected an emergency request from the Justice Department and civil rights groups to prohibit the … Continue reading →

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Voter registration numbers top 14 million

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sweet. More than 14 millions Texans have registered to vote in the November elections, the secretary of state’s office announced Thursday, calling the number a record high. The total marks an increase of 2.8 percent since the most recent presidential … Continue reading →

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From the “Simple answers to simple questions” department

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman asks “Would Dan Patrick’s tax plan lower your taxes?” Efforts to shift toward sales tax in lieu of property and income taxes have in recent years gained momentum in Republican-led states — even as economists warn that this … Continue reading →

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Classic hip-hop

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I got a good chuckle out of this. News 92 FM, which until last week was the home of veteran newscasters J.P. Pritchard and Lana Hughes, is now Boom 92.1 FM, home of Geto Boys, Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg and … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Desperado

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A live performance by the Eagles during one of their reunion tours. Can someone explain to me why music writers seem to all hate these guys? I don’t get it. Anyway, the country roots of this song are easy to … Continue reading →

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City files amended petitions

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: As follow up to a promise made earlier in the week, the City of Houston has revised its subpoenas in the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) repeal petition case. The disputed request has been narrowed to focus … Continue reading →

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DA race developments

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Couple of stories of interest relating to the District Attorney’s race. First, DA Devon Anderson announced the creation of a special court to handle prostitution cases. A new program Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson announced on Thursday targets prostitutes, … Continue reading →

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First steps in Montgomery County

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t win a race if you don’t have a candidate. Democrat Michael Hayles says Montgomery County’s poor have to balance some tough choices, and he extends his arms in a rocking motion to make the point. “Do I get … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: DMN drops the ball

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Morning News got off to a good start as it wrapped up its election endorsements by making the crystal-clear case for Leticia Van de Putte. There are a couple of ways to keep your house warm this winter. … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: V for Victory

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m never sure with these higher-scoring Scrabble letters if I can get ten artist or band names out of them, but V presented no problems. 1. Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love – Van Halen 2. And It Stoned Me – Van … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Tanner Garth

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

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