Monthly Archives: April 2017

Saturday video break: Pulling Mussels From A Shell

Posted on April 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Squeeze, circa 1980: Such an underrated band. I don’t think I heard any of their music on the radio back in the day – I’m not sure I’ve ever heard it on a “classic rock” station either, though I can’t … Continue reading →

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House passes school finance reform bill

Posted on April 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Well done. State Rep. Dan Huberty succeeded at a difficult task Wednesday: getting the Texas House of Representatives to vote for legislation overhauling the funding system for public education, without a court mandate. After a four-hour discussion of more than … Continue reading →

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Complete Communities

Posted on April 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Turner makes an announcement about a new program for revitalizing some core neighborhoods. Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to focus Houston’s community development efforts on five low-income neighborhoods as part of his Complete Communities initiative announced Monday. The program comes … Continue reading →

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Progressives in East Texas

Posted on April 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, they exist, and they are coming out of the woodwork these days. “It was remarkable,” says Lee Hancock, a Tyler resident of over 20 years who formerly covered East Texas for the Dallas Morning News. Hancock is now a … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Ladies’ night, part 42

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As easy as X – Y – (next week) Z 1. Keep On The Sunny Side – The Whites (Sharon White, Cheryl White) 2. Do You Hear What I Hear? – Whitney Houston 3. Born Blonde – Wild Moccasins (Zahira … Continue reading →

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Legislative maps found to have discriminatory intent

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Texas lawmakers intentionally diluted the political clout of minority voters in drawing the state’s House districts, a panel of federal judges ruled Thursday. In a long-awaited ruling, the San Antonio-based judges found that lawmakers in 2011 either violated the … Continue reading →

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Bathroom bill 2.0 gets its committee hearing

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the same old garbage in a new package. Amid concerns about rolling back local protections for vulnerable Texans and dire economic fallout, a panel of House lawmakers considered a measure into the early hours of Thursday morning that some … Continue reading →

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House passes statewide rideshare bill

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Made it farther than it did last session. After a lengthy debate among lawmakers over the best way to regulate services like Uber and Lyft, the Texas House backed a proposal that would override local regulations concerning ride-hailing companies. House … Continue reading →

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SBOE approves new evolution standard

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Shockingly, it doesn’t suck. The Texas State Board of Education tentatively voted to remove language in high school biology standards that would have required students to challenge evolutionary science. Currently, the curriculum requires students to “evaluate” scientific explanations for the … Continue reading →

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Texas Lyceum poll on Trump and 2018

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, the promised Day Two results: Statewide poll numbers released today by the Texas Lyceum, the state’s premier, non-partisan, nonprofit statewide leadership group, show U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Houston (Lyceum Class of 2004) isn’t guaranteed another … Continue reading →

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Attorney’s fees awarded to same sex marriage plaintiffs

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Justice. Texas is on the hook for more than $600,000 in fees associated with its unsuccessful fight to defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Affirming a lower court ruling on the fees, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals … Continue reading →

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Senate passes AirBnB bill

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I don’t care for this. A Senate bill that would limit local government control of short-term home rentals in Texas passed out of the upper chamber Tuesday in a 21-9 vote. Under Senate Bill 451 by state … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of April 17

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has nothing to hide in its tax returns as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Another study of bathrooms and business

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Short answer: Bathroom bills are bad. Legislation viewed by many as discriminatory toward LGBT Texans — including proposals to regulate which bathrooms transgender individuals may use — could cost the state $3.3 billion in annual tourism dollars and more than … Continue reading →

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Texas Lyceum poll on immigration

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Our state has more nuanced views than you might think. The pollsters found that 62 percent of Texans said immigration helps the United States more than it hurts the country. That’s an increase from 2016, when 54 percent of the … Continue reading →

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No new judge for Paxton

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Denied! State District Judge George Gallagher will remain on the securities fraud case against Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to a spokeswoman for the judge. It was originally believed Gallagher would have to rule on a request Paxton’s lawyers made … Continue reading →

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AirBnB tax collection deal

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable. [AirBnB] announced Wednesday it will begin collecting and remitting the 6 percent state hotel occupancy tax May 1. The decision followed more than a year of talks, said Laura Spanjian, Airbnb’s Texas public policy manager. Airbnb has similar … Continue reading →

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Re-interview with David Thompson

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Last year, I published an interview with attorney David Thompson, who has worked with HISD for a long time on legislative and financial matters, including on the endless litigation over school finance, to discuss the November referendum on recapture. He … Continue reading →

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More on the House bathroom bill

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Still a very bad idea. After largely avoiding discussions so far on proposals to regulate bathrooms, the Texas House will wade into the debate this week with a measure some are hoping will serve as an alternative to the Senate’s … Continue reading →

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The new panhandling ordinance

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This happened last week; I didn’t have a chance to really look at it before now. Residents who impede the use of a Houston roadway, or block a sidewalk or building entrance could be charged with a misdemeanor under an … Continue reading →

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Hog apocalypse update

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The poison plan for controlling feral hogs is set to be put on pause by the Legislature. A bill poised to pass the Texas House would amend the Texas Agriculture Code to prohibit the Department of Agriculture from registering, approving … Continue reading →

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Interview with Gloria Gallegos

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have one more interview for Pasadena Mayor to bring you. Gloria Gallegos is the Associate Superintendent of Special Programs for the Pasadena Independent School District, having worked her career in education beginning as an elementary school teacher. A native … Continue reading →

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The status of Section 3

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Lyle Denniston looks at a key aspect of the voting rights-related lawsuits in Texas. About four years after the Supreme Court took away the government’s strongest authority to protect minority voters’ rights, a backup power under the federal Voting Rights … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott wants to kill off cities

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the only way to describe it. As state lawmakers gather for their biennial session this spring, they’re weighing whether to rein in localities that ban plastic grocery bags, extend civil rights protections to LGBTQ residents, discourage cooperation with federal … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for April 16

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

“Unlike the Golden Globes, where film and TV stars mingle on the red carpet but compete in parallel categories, MTV is all but erasing the barrier between the two.” The number of pedestrians being killed by automobiles is way too … Continue reading →

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Paxton wants a new judge

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

He may not get his wish. The judge presiding over Attorney General Ken Paxton’s criminal trial plans to remain on the case, regardless of Paxton’s request for a new judge, his spokesman said. “He anticipates remaining the judge,” District Judge … Continue reading →

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“Sanctuary cities” bill passes House committee

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this is going to pass, it’s just a matter of what form it takes. A state House committee on Wednesday passed a “sanctuary cities” bill that is less harsh than the version passed by the Senate, but that … Continue reading →

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Bill to fix voting interpreters considered

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This needs to happen, and it really shouldn’t be a big deal. Almost three years after Mallika Das, a naturalized citizen who spoke Bengali, was unable to vote properly because she was not proficient in English, Texas lawmakers are considering … Continue reading →

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A little skepticism about hyperloops

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Streetsblog isn’t having the hyperloop hype. There are no functional, real-world examples of a Hyperloop, Tesla founder Elon Musk’s long-distance transport concept that involves shooting people through vacuum-sealed tubes in pods that travel at up to 760 mph. Anyone who believes … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Pressure Drop

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Toots and the Maytalls: I have a live acoustic version of this from the KCBO in-studio series. Any way they do it sounds good. Now here are The Specials: That’s from the soundtrack to the movie Grosse Point Blank, … Continue reading →

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Bathroom bill 2.0

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Beware. House lawmakers will debate a so-called “bathroom bill” next week that supporters hope will be less worrisome to business interests concerned the measure could hurt the Texas economy. The decision to debate the House bill, and to set aside a more severe version passed … Continue reading →

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State wants to appeal redistricting ruling

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The State of Texas filed a motion [Wednesday] afternoon with the three-judge panel in the Texas redistricting case, asking the panel to give the state permission to appeal the panel’s March 10 ruling on the state’s 2011 … Continue reading →

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Hate groups are getting busy on college campuses

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Anti-Defamation League, another reason to be worried, if you needed one. White supremacists, emboldened by the 2016 elections and the current political climate, are currently engaged in an unprecedented outreach effort to attract and recruit students on American … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Ladies’ night, part 41

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Down to the last three. 1. Where Do You Run To – Vivian Girls (Cassie Ramone, Katy Goodman, Ali Koehler) 2. Launderette – Vivien Goldman 3. Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses (Patty Donahue) 4. Do You Know The Way To … Continue reading →

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