Monthly Archives: May 2015

Weekend link dump for May 31

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In a few years, we should be able to settle once and for all the question of what happens when you raise the minimum wage to a level like $15. “Riots on the whole provoke a hostile right-wing response. They … Continue reading →

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Amended campus carry passes

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

All things considered, this could have been a lot worse. The Texas Senate took a final vote Saturday to approve legislation requiring the state’s public universities to allow handguns in dorms, classrooms and campus buildings. Under the latest version of … Continue reading →

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Mayoral candidate forum season gets underway

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gentlemen, start your oratorical engines for these upcoming Mayoral candidate forums. The events, which will focus on arts and culture, economic development, and labor and community concerns, kick off a months-long cycle in which the candidates will appear before various … Continue reading →

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From the “Who not to vote for” files, part 1

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The embedded image is a scan of a mailer we got about two weeks ago. Abel Davila is a former HCC Trustee; his wife Diana, whom I had originally heard was interested in running for District H, is a former … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick’s defeat

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer reviews how Dan Patrick’s Senate could ultimately take no firmer a stance against same sex marriage than to pass a resolution disapproving of it. In last night’s “debate” over the resolution, Lucio, a passionate pro-life Catholic, rose to … Continue reading →

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I-45 Coalition gives its feedback to TxDOT

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Jim Weston of the I-45 Coalition sent the following feedback to TxDOT regarding their plans for remaking I-45 in and around downtown. Through-out all Segments: 1.1 – All existing sound barrier walls must be replaced. Past agreements to install sound … Continue reading →

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And the red light camera ban dies again

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This time it should be permanent. A resurrected effort to ban red-light cameras in Texas died Friday after a House lawmaker called a point of order—a procedural tactic used to kill bills—on his own transportation legislation. Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El … Continue reading →

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How the East End got its rail line

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A great overview of how we got here with the Harrisburg and Southeast lines, the genesis of which go back a lot farther than the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum. The working- and middle-class Mexican-American residents of the East End lacked … Continue reading →

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Can you make a living as an Uber driver?

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not a very good one, it would seem. Last year, Uber claimed its full-time New York City UberX drivers were making a median wage of about $90,000 a year. Drivers responded by telling Business Insider’s Maya Kosoff that they were … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Still randoming

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Back to old-school, let-the-iPod-pick-’em randomness this week. 1. Heaven – Geoff Overmyer & Natasha Rusterholz 2. Flupandemic – Flying Fish Sailors 3. The One – The Stabilisers 4. Broken Arrow – Robbie Robertson 5. All At Once – Bonnie Raitt … Continue reading →

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Filibuster threat for open carry

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We could have some end of session drama this year again. State Sen. José Rodríguez said Thursday that if the opportunity arises, he plans to filibuster a bill allowing the open carry of handguns in Texas. Speaking at a Texas … Continue reading →

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Bill to kill red light cameras lives again

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It ain’t over till it’s over. Legislation that would gradually shut down red-light cameras in Dallas and other Texas cities – a measure that appeared to be dead earlier this week – was resurrected in the Senate on Wednesday night. … Continue reading →

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The Chron on how Metro and Culberson came to an accord

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Read all about it. Houston’s buses don’t run at 2 a.m., but that’s when Metro and U.S. Rep. John Culberson began to see real movement toward a deal to improve area transit service. “We got really intense one night and … Continue reading →

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Early returns on body cameras are positive

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So far so good. The majority of 100 Houston Police Department officers who have field tested body cameras over a recent two-month period called it a positive experience, though many expressed concern that the technology could endanger officer safety or … Continue reading →

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The fallout from the chubfest

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Cleaning up some loose ends…The campus carry bill that was the subject of much chubbing passed on final reading. The battle over “campus carry” is headed back to the Texas Senate after House lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to legislation … Continue reading →

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House chubfest kills several bad bills

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news, though as always at the end of a session, the outcome isn’t clean and the details are very murky. As the clock struck midnight, the failure of an anti-abortion initiative — dear to the hearts of the … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit panel declines to lift immigration executive order injunction

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. A federal appeals court in New Orleans has denied a request to lift an injunction blocking President Barack Obama’s executive action to protect millions of immigrants from deportation. In a split decision, two of three judges on the 5th … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 25

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance welcomes the unofficial beginning of summer as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Bell’s anti-same sex marriage license bill lives again

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

WTF? A Democratic state senator has dredged up anti-gay marriage legislation that advocates thought was dead this session, attaching the language to an uncontroversial county affairs bill under the noses of his fellow Democrats. While gay rights advocates decried the … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS to hear Texas “one person one vote” challenge

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gird your loins. When drawing voting districts, should lawmakers seek to make each district have roughly the same number of people, or the same number of people eligible to vote? The Supreme Court is going to answer that question, the … Continue reading →

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Now how much would you pay to drive on that toll road?

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

How about ten bucks each way at peak times, beginning on May 30? Toll rates on the I-10 lanes, also known as the Katy Managed Lanes, will increase as officials seek to ease congestion by reducing use of the lanes … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County tries to figure out what it wants

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Can they ever pass a road bond? Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal says he will hold community meetings to assess what direction the county should go to improve mobility after a $350 million road bond package was defeated by county … Continue reading →

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There’s still time for bad bills to be passed

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bad bill #1: After four hours of debate and more than a dozen failed amendments offered by Democrats, the Senate on Monday gave preliminary approval to far-reaching restrictions on minors seeking abortions in Texas without parental consent. On a 21-10 … Continue reading →

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Questioning the new Sheriff’s staff

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

That didn’t take long. Among Ron Hickman’s initial moves as sheriff was filling each of his first eight command posts with white males, a choice critics said shows a lack of vision in a jurisdiction as diverse as Harris County. … Continue reading →

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HCDE happenings

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron paints an unflattering portrait of the Harris County Department of Education. HCDE has operated in relative obscurity for decades, fighting off lawmakers’ occasional efforts to eliminate it by bankrolling lobbyists and political consultants. Advocates for the agency say … Continue reading →

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Still debating where to put the Houston high speed rail terminal

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

While people in the rural counties are trying to kill the proposed high speed rail line between Houston and Dallas, some other people here in Houston are thinking about where a station should be. [Lynn] Hardwin was among a few … Continue reading →

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Memorial Day video break: No Forgotten Man

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This great song by Solas seems appropriate for today: Have a happy and safe Memorial Day, everyone.

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New rail lines officially open

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At long last. Two new light rail lines might have been the ones debuting Saturday, but for many riders it was the East End, Third Ward and MacGregor Park neighborhoods themselves that were on display. After years of construction and … Continue reading →

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Once again, drowning doesn’t look like drowning

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Time again for this public service announcement: The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 24

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m a white guy, but even if you count the ones I was required to read in school I’ve only ever owned eleven of these 79 books. Many of them I have zero interest in reading, and some of them … Continue reading →

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Red light camera bill dies in House committee

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Better luck next time. A drive to outlaw red-light cameras in Dallas and other Texas cities has reached a red light of its own. The House Transportation Committee on Friday voted to reject a Senate bill that would’ve gradually phased … Continue reading →

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Bike plan meetings

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From CM Ed Gonzalez: Our city has made great strides in improving people’s ability to bike to more destinations. New trails are being built along our bayous, new protected bikeways have been installed, and more people are riding all over … Continue reading →

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Quidditch, Texas-style

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We are a hotbed of quality Quidditch in this state. As cars drove by the soccer fields at Texas State University on a gray Sunday afternoon this past February, they slowed down to take in a strange scene: a dozen … Continue reading →

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Ireland votes to approve same sex marriage

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As the old song goes, when Irish eyes are smiling, all the world seems bright and gay. Irish voters have resoundingly backed amending the constitution to legalize gay marriage, leaders on both sides of the Irish referendum declared Saturday after … Continue reading →

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