Monthly Archives: January 2018

Interview with Jeff Stauber

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the not-so-powerful office of County Treasurer we move on to County Commissioner, easily the most powerful county office anywhere in Texas. Commissioners get a lot of control over their budgets, and at least in Harris County tend to operate … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Shampa Mukerji

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

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

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From the “Nothin’ but good times ahead” department

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Given the good economic conditions in Texas right now, you’d think the budget outlook would be better than it is. The Texas economy is growing healthily, but that doesn’t mean state budget writers will have more money at their disposal … Continue reading →

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One more judge for bail reform

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, credit where credit is due. A long-serving Harris County Republican judge has broken with 14 Republican colleagues, withdrawing from the county’s appeal in a landmark federal lawsuit challenging its bail system for discriminating against poor, low-level offenders. Criminal … Continue reading →

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Interview with Nile Copeland

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have one more interview for County Treasurer. There are three candidates, but Cosme Garcia did not return my email asking to schedule something, so two is all I have. As before, if Garcia gets back to me now I … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Michael Galligan

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

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

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“Fetal remains” law blocked in court

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s deja vu all over again. Texas’ second attempt to require health providers to bury or cremate fetal remains has been temporarily thwarted by a federal judge and another court battle is imminent. In his Monday afternoon ruling, U.S. District … Continue reading →

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Public meetings for Texas Central draft EIS

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You got something you want to say about the proposed high speed rail line and its possible routes, here’s your chance. Houston residents are being asked to weigh in on a plan to build a $12 billion high-speed train between … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Dylan Osborne

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We move on now to Harris County races. There are races for county courts and Justice of the Peace, which I am covering via the judicial Q&As. Lina Hidalgo is unopposed in the primary for Harris County Judge. In the … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Natalia Oakes

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

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

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The XFL will be back

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And this time the gimmick is there will be no gimmicks. WWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon announced Thursday he is giving a professional football league another go. It will be called the XFL, the same name of the league … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Harris County could use a bit of cybersecurity training

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Oopsie. On Sept. 21, not three weeks after Houston was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, the Harris County auditor’s office received an email from someone named Fiona Chambers who presented herself as an accountant with D&W Contractors, Inc. The contractor was … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Weekend link dump for January 28

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a good case to be made that collusion is happening again in Major League Baseball. When life hands you lemons, form an organized crime syndicate. Or something like that. From the you can check out any time you like, … Continue reading →

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Congressional maps from an alternate universe

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

FiveThirtyEight goes a little nuts. Drawing clever political districts is one way politicians in Texas and elsewhere avoid accountability — by protecting themselves from voters who disagree with them. They do this by stuffing weirdly shaped geographic districts with voters … Continue reading →

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Project Orange

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good thing. This past Friday, January 12th, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez held a press conference along with Houston Justice representative Charnelle Thompson and Harris County Tax Office Communication and Media Relations Director Tracy Baskin, to announce … Continue reading →

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Darian Ward resigns

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Adios. Mayor Sylvester Turner’s press secretary resigned Friday afternoon, three weeks after news broke that she had been suspended for routinely conducting personal business on city time and failing to release public records. Ward sent or received roughly 5,000 pages … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

PPP poll: Cruz 45, O’Rourke 37

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Our second poll in the Senate race, this one more favorable than the last one. Democrat Beto O’Rourke trails Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz by single digits — 45-37 percent — according to new internal polling released by a Democratic … Continue reading →

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Mayor proposes new floodplain development rules

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good idea. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday proposed tightening development rules to strengthen Houston’s defenses against flooding, the city’s first concrete step to change building practices since Hurricane Harvey inundated hundreds of thousands of homes last August. Turner’s proposed changes … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Microbreweries organize again

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Craft brewers are asking beer fans to put their money where their thirst is. Six weeks before state primary elections, the Texas Craft Brewers Guild on Monday launched a political action committee to raise money and awareness to … Continue reading →

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Texas Central picks its midway stop

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, Roans Prairie. A proposed high-speed train between Houston and Dallas on Thursday announced its midpoint, even as common ground with opponents near the proposed Roans Prairie stop remains elusive. Texas Central, the company proposing the Texas Bullet Train, said … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Friday random nine – Come, come now, part 3

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Finishing this topic up, with some gerund usage at the end. A nice gerund, not an obscene gerund. 1. Come To My Party – Black Joe Lewis 2. Come To Poppa – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band 3. … Continue reading →

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Interview with HP Parvizian

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I start scheduling interviews well in advance of when I start publishing them, for a variety of reasons. These things take time, people have schedules that need to be accommodated, myself included, and stuff happens that you can’t foresee. Sometimes … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Jim Peacock

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

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

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HISD working on a bond issue

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to be quite the year for HISD. Voters living in Houston ISD could be asked to approve a new school bond totaling at least $1.2 billion as early as November, according to a recently unveiled district financial plan. … Continue reading →

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Hall calls for four more

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Congrats to all. Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, it was announced Wednesday. Jones and Thome were both elected in their first year of eligibility. This is the fourth … Continue reading →

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Interview with Dayna Steele

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Though I often find the task I set for myself of interviewing candidates every year daunting, I do enjoy it. I’ve met a lot of good and interesting people this way, and I always find it energizing to hear their … Continue reading →

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HISD’s plan to avoid state takeover

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how this works. As we know, the stakes are quite high. Houston ISD administrators have proposed dramatic changes to 15 low-performing schools that, if approved, could temporarily prevent the state from taking over the district’s Board of Trustees … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Two more benches

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Bench One: Judge, 313th Judicial District: Natalia Oakes Natalia Oakes, 66, earns our support in this primary contest against a qualified opponent, John Stephen Liles. Although Liles has spent nearly twice as long as a member of the bar, Oakes … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 22

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is now fully aware of what the phrase “freeze your keester off” means as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Allison Lami Sawyer

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve done probably a couple hundred interviews since I first got the idea to talk to candidates as a way of doing this blog. Many of them have been for primaries and odd year races, where I may or may … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Linda Dunson

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

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

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Dallas County GOP sues to knock basically all Dallas Democrats off the ballot

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Well, that escalated quickly. Dallas County Republicans have filed a lawsuit to have 128 Democrats kicked off the March 6 primary ballot. The lawsuit, filed in Dallas County late Friday, contends that Dallas County Democratic Party Chairman Carol Donovan didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Endorsement watch: 14th Court of Appeals

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

More judicial races. We have a long way to go with these. Justice, 14th Court of Appeals District, Place 3: Jerry Zimmerer This primary race presents voters with a choice between two candidates who each offer different strengths. Jerry Zimmerer, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rita Lucido

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One reason why I’m combining multiple races into individual weeks – aside from the too-many-contested-races, not-enough-weeks issue – is that unlike the Congressional free-for-alls, most of the other contested races have a more normal-sized field of two or three. There … Continue reading →

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