Monthly Archives: September 2019

Quorum question

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew? A quirk in Texas law could allow the two Republicans on Harris County Commissioners Court, despite being in the minority, to prevent the three Democrats from enacting a proposed property tax increase. Typically, three court members constitute a quorum, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Texas Central signs a manufacturing deal

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

For your information. The bullet train planned between Houston and Dallas has a builder. Texas Central, the private company developing the Texas Bullet Train, announced Friday morning it signed a deal with Salini Impregilo, the Italian construction giant, and its … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bell officially begins his Senate campaign

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, I know, I also thought that this had already happened. Just a reminder that these things occur in stages. Democrat Chris Bell, the former Houston congressman and gubernatorial nominee, is formally announcing his U.S. Senate campaign. Bell, who has … Continue reading →

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Our slowing population growth

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Texas remains one of the fastest growing states in the U.S., but a report published by the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank showed a significant reduction in the number of people moving to Texas since 2015. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Beto v Briscoe

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this, with some small reservations. Presidential contender Beto O’Rourke is helping a fellow Democrat raise money to unseat the Texas Rep. Briscoe Cain, after the Republican lawmaker tweeted last week that his AR-15 is “ready” for O’Rourke. … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 16

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thanks Briscoe Cain for clearly demonstrating why no civilian should own a weapon of mass murder as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Janaeya Carmouche

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Houston is a Democratic city, where the Democratic Presidential candidate has drawn 60% or more of the vote in each of the past three races. Yet we stand today with three of the five At Large Council seats being held … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Appealing the Crystal Mason illegal voting conviction

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This continues to be an appalling travesty. When Crystal Mason got out of federal prison, she said, she “got out running.” By Nov. 8, 2016, when she’d been out for months but was still on supervised release, she was working … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan fighting is the sweetest sound you will ever hear

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Inject this directly into my veins. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan, a hardline conservative activist long aligned with the head of the Texas Senate, publicly accused each other of “destroying” the Republican Party on Tuesday — seeming … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Where to find the HD148 candidates

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One of the things I observed as I was frantically updating lists of who had filed to run in the HD148 special election was that some of the candidates were easier to find online than others, and that some had … Continue reading →

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No, crime is not up in Houston

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Facts are stubborn things. Like the rest of the country, crime in Houston has plummeted over the last 30 years, as has residents’ fear of crime being the city’s most pressing problem. FBI data show that most categories of crime … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Rep. Cesar Blanco to run for Sen. Jose Rodriguez’s seat

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like this has been settled quickly. State Rep. César Blanco, D-El Paso, is running for the seat being vacated by state Sen. José Rodríguez. In a video published Monday, Blanco alluded to the deadly mass shooting last month in … Continue reading →

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Interview with Raj Salhotra

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This week I will have interviews from two of the At Large races that feature challenges to sitting incumbents. First up is At Large #1, where candidate Raj Salhotra is among the four challengers to first-term incumbent Mike Knox. Salhotra … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s gun suggestions

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Weak leader makes timid proposals. Film at 11. Gov. Greg Abbott called for the Texas Legislature to consider laws that would make it easier for private gun sellers to perform voluntary background checks on buyers — declining to go as … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court gets more aggressive on environmental enforcement

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to hire 61 employees across three departments in a bid to significantly boost Harris County’s ability to respond to environmental emergencies after finding numerous shortcomings in its efforts to manage three chemical fires near … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for September 15

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

“In 2009, Conservatives Shouted Down Efforts to Confront Right-Wing Threats. We’re Still Dealing With the Consequences.” “Though it can’t change everything, Walmart’s act is likely to change something. The employees’ response shares the logic of a previous people’s fight, against … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Voting centers everywhere

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In Dallas: Starting in November, problems like Mr. Voter’s, at least in Dallas County, will be a thing of the past. Tuesday afternoon, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office officially gave the county permission to participate in the countywide voting … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Galveston ordered to provide counsel at bail hearings

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sure seems like the proper thing to do. Add Galveston to the list of Texas counties that have been court ordered to change their bail practices. A federal district judge on Wednesday issued a temporary injunction in a 2018 lawsuit … Continue reading →

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The San Antonio Chick-fil-A lawsuit

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good Lord. In a lawsuit citing a controversial new state law, five area residents are suing the city of San Antonio over its decision to prevent Chick-fil-A — a franchise known for opposing same-sex marriage — from opening a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The TDP 2020 plan

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. The Texas Democratic Party is pulling back the curtain on its 2020 strategy ahead of the Houston presidential debate, releasing a plan to flip the state that targets 2.6 million potential Democratic voters who are not registered … Continue reading →

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State Sen. Jose Rodriguez to retire

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sad to see him go. State Sen. José Rodríguez, an El Paso Democrat, announced Friday that he will not seek reelection to the upper chamber in 2020. Rodriguez informed El Paso colleagues of his decision in a text late Thursday … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor lion hunters

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gag me. Houston was once the nation’s top destination for African lions killed by U.S. trophy hunters, but public backlash and new federal restrictions have all but ended the sport, according to a group of big game hunters that has … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

As the Bonnen turns

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Drip, drip, drip… In the hours after hardline conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan exploded his political bombshell in late July — alleging House Speaker Dennis Bonnen wanted to target some of his own GOP members in 2020 — the lower … Continue reading →

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Life after the Voting Rights Act

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A good long read from the Trib about where we are with redistricting and what may lie ahead. Since Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Texas has been barred by law from discriminating against voters of color. Yet … Continue reading →

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What’s going on with the Astrodome?

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on the back burner for now. A $105 million county-approved plan to renovate and build parking at Houston’s most famous relic has been put on pause since the plan’s most prominent advocate, Republican Ed Emmett, lost his seat last … Continue reading →

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

Quinnipiac: Lots of Texans don’t intend to vote for Trump

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

More nice polling news. President Trump’s job approval rating remains marginally underwater in Texas, with 45 percent of registered voters saying that they approve and 50 percent saying that they disapprove. Thinking ahead to 2020, 48 percent of Texas voters … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why would you run for HISD Board of Trustees this year?

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good question. As she campaigns door-to-door to become the newest member of Houston ISD’s school board, Reagan Flowers is encountering many confused voters. They ask whether school board elections matter this year, given the growing likelihood that state officials will … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Red flag

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This seems like maybe it’s a problem. A report out Wednesday by the San Antonio Express-News found that a gun owner in Texas had sent more than 100 pages of racist and violent letters to the Texas Attorney General’s office … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of September 9

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has written this week’s roundup entirely in Sharpie.

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Univision News poll: Trump 42, Dem 47

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a fun poll. Days away from the third Democratic debate in Houston and over a year from the 2020 presidential election, an exclusive poll by Univision News found that 40% of registered voters in the state say they will … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s not really a campaign until there are attack ads

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Mayor Sylvester Turner launched a television ad Monday attacking Tony Buzbee for donating to President Donald Trump’s inauguration committee, marking the mayor’s first major attempt to link his political opponent to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Endorsement watch: Warren sticks her neck out

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is wading into one of Texas’ highest-profile intraparty fights, endorsing Jessica Cisneros, the primary challenger to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo. “The people of Texas’ 28th district are ready for systematic change and … Continue reading →

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The Harris County GOP thinks it can come back in 2020

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They’re so adorable. Once a rock of Republican politics in Texas, Harris County has become nothing short of a nightmare for the GOP over the last four years as Hillary Clinton and Beto O’Rourke carried the county and Democrats dominated … Continue reading →

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Big John may get a primary challenger

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Drama! Maybe. State Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, announced Monday evening he is exploring a primary challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, potentially giving the state’s senior senator his most prominent intraparty opponent yet. Fallon, a former state representative elected to … Continue reading →

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