Monthly Archives: August 2018

Blake Farenthold is still a toad

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. A former Texas congressman had tried steering a federal contract to the owner of a business who gave him a $160,000-a-year job after the congressman resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, according to a newspaper investigation … Continue reading →

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Today is the last day for early voting for the flood bond

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “Don’t put off until Election Day what you can do now,” said Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, as he reminded voters that Tuesday, August 21, is the last day to vote early in the Harris County Flood … Continue reading →

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July 2018 campaign finance reports: HISD

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Every level of government requires finance reports in January and June, whether or not there is an active election cycle in that year. That includes HISD and HCC, which are the last two groups I’ll be examining. I didn’t get … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds dismissal of campus carry lawsuit

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld Texas’ campus carry law, delivering another clear victory to the state in a longshot, long-running lawsuit brought by University of Texas at Austin professors opposed to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The firefighter pay parity referendum won’t be decided by the voters

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

it will be decided by the courts. Here’s a story out of Austin to illustrate. Former Travis County judge Bill Aleshire has sued the city of Austin in the Texas Supreme Court, challenging the ballot language of a proposition up … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 19

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The cast and crew of The Good Place are all mensches. “While promises of anonymity once made sperm and egg donations appealing to many, those promises are becoming impossible to keep. Aside from the practical and shockingly easy ways donor-conceived … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

Woodfill and Hotze take their next shot at same sex employee benefits

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Anti-LGBTQ activists are again asking a Harris County judge to halt benefits for the same-sex spouses of Houston city employees, according to a recently filed motion. The motion for summary judgment in Pidgeon v. Turner, a … Continue reading →

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Beto’s ad strategy

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing wrong with a little low-tech outreach. Over the last year, U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has drawn national fanfare as a thoroughly modern, digital-first campaign. He regularly draws an audience of thousands to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

High schools need to do a better job of making voter registration available to students

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As the Texas Civil Rights Project notes, it is the law. In a report published today by the Texas Civil Rights Project, new data from October 2016 to February 2018 shows that just 34 percent of high schools in Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Partial halt to bail lawsuit order

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here comes the Fifth Circuit again. A majority opinion by Circuit Judge Jerry E. Smith halted part of an order by Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal which compelled certain defendants to be released immediately on no-cost bail in … Continue reading →

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CD32 poll: Sessions 47, Allred 45

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Another internal poll, another close race. Texas Rep. Pete Sessions’ re-election race is looking increasingly competitive, with Democrat Colin Allred polling close to the longtime Republican lawmaker, according to a new internal Democratic survey. The Dallas-area 32nd District is traditionally … Continue reading →

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The autonomous cars/mass transit debate

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Seems to me this should be a “both-and” rather than an “either-or”, but you know how I get. Autonomous vehicles that will outperform buses, cost less than Uber and travel faster than cars stuck in traffic today are two years … Continue reading →

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It depends what the meaning of “intent” is

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Give me a break. It has been about three weeks since state Sen. Sylvia Garcia submitted a letter declaring her “intent to resign,” but whether it qualifies as an actual resignation has fallen into dispute — and has threatened to … Continue reading →

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ReBuild re-vote approved

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Add another item to the ballot. City Council on Wednesday unanimously agreed to put the controversial street and drainage program known as ReBuild Houston before voters again in November, but not before tweaking the ballot language in hopes of avoiding … Continue reading →

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This will be your last year to vote a straight party ticket

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Whether you like it or not. The linked story looks at how this upcoming change, to go into effect in 2020, may affect judicial elections. Texas elects its judges, leaving the nearly anonymous people in charge of the third branch … Continue reading →

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HISD avoids sanctions for this year

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Big sigh of relief. Houston ISD will avoid major state sanctions for at least one year after four of its longest-struggling schools met state academic standards this year, according to preliminary results released Wednesday. The announcement ensures the Texas Education … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dallas County Republicans still trying to knock all the Dems off the ballot

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here comes the appeal. Dallas County Republicans will appeal a ruling that blocked efforts to remove scores of Democrats from the November election ballot. A formal intent to appeal was filed Monday on behalf of Missy Shorey, the chairwoman of … Continue reading →

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What if we held a debate and only one candidate showed up?

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not a rhetorical question. The Fox News affiliate in Houston has offered to host a debate between Dan Patrick and his Democratic opponent, but it’s unlikely the lieutenant governor will accept. “We understand that currently there are no plans for … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 13

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance promises that this week’s roundup is completely asbestos-free.

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July 2018 finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Every level of government requires finance reports in January and June, whether or not there is an active election cycle in that year. That includes the city of Houston, whose january report data we inspected here. Our next election is … Continue reading →

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Trump’s Texas beneficiaries

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Six Texas Republican in Congress received a show of financial support from their party’s leader this week. President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign announced Thursday that it was donating the maximum contribution possible to around 100 House and Senate Republican … Continue reading →

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Day Seven flood bond EV totals

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The word of the week is “slow”. Fewer than 46,000 ballots have been cast in the first week of early voting on Harris County’s $2.5 billion flood bond referendum, but county officials on Monday said they expect many more voters … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chron goes on a road trip with Beto

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This covers a lot of ground we’ve been over before, along with some anecdotes of interaction with various voters. It also has a nice, concise summary of the nature of the Beto O’Rourke go-everywhere strategy. O’Rourke’s visit came during a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

SD19 runoff date set

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has picked Sept. 18 as the date of the special election runoff to replace convicted former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio. Early voting will run Sept. 10-14. The runoff pits Republican Pete … Continue reading →

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Ted and Trump

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Two lousy tastes that taste worse together. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has asked President Donald Trump to come to Texas to campaign for him. During a campaign stop in Seguin [last] Monday, Cruz said he has reached out to his … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Lina Hidalgo

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I do have one more interview to bring you for the flood bond referendum, for which we are already in the early voting period, and that interview is with Lina Hidalgo, the Democratic candidate for Harris County Judge. Had this … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The end of the voter ID fight

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I guess that’s it. After seven long years of litigation, opponents of Texas’ voter ID law say the case is over. In a court filing on Wednesday, opponents of the law requiring Texas voters to present photo identification to vote … Continue reading →

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The long range plan for municipal waste

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Something you probably missed (I know I did) from recent City Council action. Last week Houston City Council voted to hire a company that will help local officials create and adopt a long-range waste and recycling plan. This wasn’t all … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 12

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

“The Ultimate Playlist Of Banned Wedding Songs“, some of which are more deserving than others. Are you ready for the ALF reboot you didn’t know you needed? “Behold, the rise of the feel-good feel-bad story.” This was the year that … Continue reading →

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The meta-campaign for Senate

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s talk about what we talk about when we talk about the Senate campaign. It’s the most backhanded of compliments. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s campaign for U.S. Senate has caught so much fire throughout the state that the new favorite … Continue reading →

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We really need to replace our crappy old voting machines

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is embarrassing. Local election administrators in Texas are eager to replace voting machines purchased more than a decade ago in time for the 2020 presidential election. Increasingly susceptible to malfunctions, upkeep for the aging machines can exceed $300,000 annually … Continue reading →

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CD06 poll: Wright 48, Sanchez 39

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Via Patrick Svitek on Twitter, I learned of a recent PPP poll in CD06. Here’s the polling memo, and here’s the information you’re most interested in: Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of President Donald Trump’s job performance? 48% Approve … Continue reading →

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State GOP sues to toss Gallego off SD19 runoff ballot

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good grief. The Republican Party of Texas filed a lawsuit Friday aiming to kick Democrat Pete Gallego off the ballot in the special election runoff to replace convicted former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio. Gallego is heading to … Continue reading →

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Rape kit lawsuit dismissal will be appealed

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

To be expected. Two women who on Friday lost a lawsuit against the City of Houston and a variety of officials over a rape kit backlog will file an appeal, an attorney for the women announced in a news release … Continue reading →

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