Monthly Archives: October 2018

Harris County to follow suit on robot brothels

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

If it’s good for Houston, or not good for Houston, I suppose… Harris County commissioners are prepared to ban so-called robot brothels, just as Houston did last week. Harris County already bans live sex acts at any place of business. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Final voter registration numbers

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Busy last week. Harris County added more than 11,000 voters to its rolls in the final week before the registration deadline, the last wave in a surge of half a million new Texas voters since the March primaries. Democrats are … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Olson, Kulkarni, Schexnayder

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This has got to be the easiest call the Chron will make. The race for commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture seems straightforward enough. The incumbent, Sid Miller, is a career politician who used his first term as commissioner … Continue reading →

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O’Rourke raises $38 million in Q3

Posted on October 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a lot. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, raised $38.1 million for his U.S. Senate campaign in the third quarter, a new record for the largest fundraising quarter ever in a U.S. Senate race, according to his campaign. The … Continue reading →

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Change Research (Land Commissioner): Bush 41, Suazo 36

Posted on October 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Miguel Suazo, the Democratic nominee for Texas Land Commissioner, is within 5 points of incumbent George P. Bush. The poll was conducted shortly after Suazo was endorsed by former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a Republican. The poll … Continue reading →

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Saavedra 2.0

Posted on October 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected. In a raucous school board meeting filled with shouting and accusations lobbed by trustees against each other, the Houston Independent School District’s board of trustees late Thursday replaced interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan with former HISD Superintendent Abelardo … Continue reading →

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

Endorsement watch: Three for four

Posted on October 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Four endorsements for the State House, and this time the Dems collect three recommendations from the Chron. All are challengers to incumbents, and all are in districts that have been trending blue. HD132: Gina Calanni Gina Calanni has written several … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Adrian Garcia

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We finish our tour of Harris County candidates with one of the most successful Democrats in county politics, Adrian Garcia. You know his story, from HPD to Houston City Council to being the top votegetter in the county in the … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac (LV): Cruz 54, O’Rourke 45

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Everyone take a deep breath about the latest Quinnipiac result. Fifty-four percent of Texans backed Cruz, while 45 percent backed O’Rourke in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. As for each candidate’s images, 52 percent of Texans surveyed had a favorable … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: One out of three will have to do

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They endorsed Ed Emmett, which comes as a surprise to no one. It is with a twinge of regret that we endorse Ed Emmett for re-election as county judge. We’d rather be endorsing the pragmatic Republican for governor. A man … Continue reading →

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What the hell is going on in Waller County?

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From Josh Marshall at TPM: Here’s a troubling story out of Texas. Democrat Mike Siegel is running against Rep. Michael T. McCaul (R) in Texas’s 10th district. This evening I saw a tweet from Siegel which said: “Just learned that … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Sandra Peake

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. I am running these responses in the … Continue reading →

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College students and evangelical women

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Will they really vote for Beto? After church on a recent Sunday, Emily Mooney smiled as she told her girlfriends about her public act of rebellion. She had slapped a “Beto for Senate’’ sticker on her S.U.V. and driven it … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Criminal court judges

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a new slate of endorsements from the Chron up, all for Criminal District Court races. More Republicans, mostly incumbents, were endorsed than Dems, but in many cases it was close. Of interest to me was the first appearance of … Continue reading →

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Interview with Lina Hidalgo

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The office of Harris County Judge has always been held by a Republican, for all intents and purposes. Before Ed Emmett was Robert Eckels, before Robert Eckels was Jon Lindsay, and before Jon Lindsay I was in second grade, as … Continue reading →

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CBS-YouGov: Cruz 50, O’Rourke 44 (LV)

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I expect we’ll see a bunch more polls in the next few days. The battle for Senate control finds Democrats trying to mount upset challenges in a string of typically Republican states, and this round of Battleground Tracker polls shows … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another Schwertner update

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The investigation is happening. The University of Texas on Monday acknowledged it has received a complaint about state Sen. Charles Schwertner from a student, and that it has collected evidence as part of an investigation into him, marking the first … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Beau Miller

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. I am running these responses in the … Continue reading →

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Today is the last day to register to vote

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Take action as needed. As Texas’ Tuesday voting registration deadline approaches, Nasser and a number of other deputy voter registrars, volunteers allowed to register voters on the spot, were out in force Saturday evening. While many states allow voters to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Let no horrific tragedy go unexploited

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Barf. Security companies spent years pushing schools to buy more products — from “ballistic attack-resistant” doors to smoke cannons that spew haze from ceilings to confuse a shooter. But sales were slow, and industry’s campaign to free up taxpayer money … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Interview with Justin Nelson

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

So yeah, the Attorney General’s race. You know about Ken Paxton, I know about Ken Paxton, the real question is how many people who are going to vote know about Ken Paxton. Justin Nelson is doing what he can to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The updated scenarios for a SD06 special election

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s complicated. The resolution to the special election stalemate between state Sen. Sylvia Garcia and Gov. Greg Abbott likely will come after the November general election and could yield a special election after the Legislature convenes in January. The likely … Continue reading →

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Apparently, that pay parity debate did happen

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I missed the last twist in this saga, but in the end it did happen. After months of trading barbs from a distance, Mayor Sylvester Turner and the head of Houston’s firefighters’ union met in a vigorous but civil debate … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Of course it’s Lizzie

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Lizzie Fletcher over Rep. John Culberson, which may be the biggest non-surprise so far of the election season. More than longtime Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. John Culberson, or even her opponents from the heated Democratic primary, Fletcher … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Weekend link dump for October 7

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

“The surest way to become a monster is to imagine you’re a hero”. RIP, Elfquest, the long-running indie fantasy comic. “Just as you would never give out personal information if asked to do so via email, never give out any … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

The timeline for the Astrodome

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Work will get started after the Rodeo. According to Ryan Walsh, executive director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation and NRG Park, the final phase of asbestos abatement is scheduled to get underway at the Dome next week … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rural counties and AirBnB

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s working well for them. Texans running Airbnb rentals in rural counties earned $20.6 million in supplemental income in the last 12 months with 169,000 guests, according to a new report from the hospitality company. These results represent a growth … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Saturday video break: Vote ‘Em Out

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Listen to Willie Nelson, y’all. Link via the Current. The deadline to register to vote is this Tuesday, October 9. Early voting begins on Monday, October 22. You know what to do.

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Investigating Schwertner

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Another update. Lawyers for state Sen. Charles Schwertner, a Georgetown Republican alleged to have sent lewd messages to a graduate student, said Wednesday that the University of Texas at Austin has hired former federal prosecutor Johnny Sutton to help investigate … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Star system

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has made a change in how it presents its endorsements. The quality of candidates on the ballot varies widely from race to race. At times, both candidates are good choices. At times, there are no good choices to … Continue reading →

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Interview with Andrea Duhon

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We had a couple of contested primaries for HCDE Trustee, which gave me the chance to talk about what HCDE does as I published interviews with those candidates. I figure lots of us don’t know all that much about this … Continue reading →

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The pay parity proposal debate that wasn’t

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s not get ready to rumble! Houston’s firefighters union has withdrawn from a Saturday debate with Mayor Sylvester Turner on their proposal to seek pay “parity” with police officers, saying the event’s host, the Harris County Democratic Party, had given … Continue reading →

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

Why FiveThirtyEight really believes Beto has a chance

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nate Silver explains the reasoning behind the numbers. When building a statistical model, you ideally want to find yourself surprised by the data some of the time — just not too often. If you never come up with a result that … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Kelley Andrews

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. I am running these responses in the … Continue reading →

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