Monthly Archives: September 2019

What can we really do about I-45?

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Urban planner Jeff Speck is once again warning us about the negative effects of widening I-45. TxDOT cites three principal motivations for advancing the I-45 project: reducing traffic congestion, improving driver safety, and improving air quality. These laudable goals are … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Carrin Patman

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve talked a lot about the METRO Next referendum on the 2019 ballot. The referendum, the first time METRO has gone to the voters to ask for bonding authority since 2003, is intended to fund a significant expansion of transit … Continue reading →

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Lucio’s challengers

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Will definitely want to keep an eye on this. This cycle, [Sen. Eddie] Lucio’s record will be dissected as two opponents—one a trial lawyer and daughter of a former Cameron County Democratic chair, and another a current State Board of … Continue reading →

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Will Lone Star Rail get resurrected?

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe! A coalition of San Antonio and Austin state representatives has asked the House Transportation Committee chair to study the possibility of passenger rail between the two cities ahead of the 2021 legislative session. Congestion between the two cities will … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for September 8

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t put non-recyclables in the recycling bin. It does more harm than good. “Stephens fell victim to the Megyn Kelly Syndrome, the pattern whereby those who were groomed by the peculiar insular culture of right-wing media find it hard to … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

Try, try again

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of women ran for office as Democrats in 2018. A lot of them won, and a lot of them who didn’t win are trying again. [Gina Ortiz Jones isn’t] the only woman who’s back for a second round. … Continue reading →

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Campaigning for the Metro bond

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Our campaign finance laws can be a bit weird. Transit officials spent the past 18 months developing a plan to add $7.5 billion in new bus lines, rebuilt transit centers and rail expansion. They have nine weeks to sell it … Continue reading →

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Good luck avoiding mosquitoes

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them. Living in an area with so many mosquitoes means local officials can’t just ignore them, right? Harris County tries to lower the number of bugs both by spraying and … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick says he’s for slightly expanded background checks

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he’s “willing to take an arrow” and defy the National Rifle Association by pressing Texas to close one loophole in gun-purchaser background checks. On Friday, Patrick said it’s “common sense” to tighten … Continue reading →

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One more step towards the bail lawsuit settlement

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’re almost there. I know it feels like we’ve been there for awhile and are just waiting for it all to become official, but there were still a few checkpoints to get through first, and this is one of them. … Continue reading →

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The disappearing Pecos cantaloupe

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A very Texas story. Beto Mandujano jabbed his kitchen knife through the rough, yellow rind of the Pecos cantaloupe he had scooped from the ground. The melon’s dense flesh glistened with juice, its color a deep orange. Many Texans swear … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The special election lineups are set

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: Democrats in HD-28 have coalesced around Elizabeth “Eliz” Markowitz, who was the only Democrat to file. Markowitz, a Katy teacher, unsuccessfully ran last year for State Board of Education District 7, which overlaps with HD-28. Six Republicans, … Continue reading →

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The TEA delivers its terms to HISD

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The Texas Education Commissioner has put the state’s largest school district on official notice that it could lose its locally-elected school board because of failing grades at one Houston high school. The commissioner, Mike Morath, notified Houston’s interim … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“No confidence”

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The latest from the firefighters. Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña will face a “no confidence” vote by members of the city’s fire union over what nearly 100 district chiefs say has been a lack of leadership and a failure to … Continue reading →

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

We talk once again about straight ticket voting

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We have a new study, so we have a new reason. The state’s decision to kill straight-ticket voting could cut turnout in down-ballot races in the 2020 elections — even if more voters show up to the polls. Sure, those … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott is not going to take action on gun violence

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Why would he? It’s not who he is. When Gov. Greg Abbott first convened the new Texas Safety Commission last month after the El Paso shooting, he brought with him a stack of papers and wasted little time directing the … Continue reading →

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Five for fleeing

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There goes another one. U.S. Rep. Bill Flores announced Wednesday morning that he would not run for reelection in 2020 — making him the fifth Texas Republican to announce his retirement from Congress. “Serving my country as the Representative of … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 2

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes everyone a happy Labor Day as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Checking in on the Mayor’s race

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Mayor’s race? Yeah, that. “The candidates have been running for months but were focused on fundraising and defining their message,” said Nancy Sims, a Houston political analyst. “Labor Day is when people tune into the election.” The stretch-run … Continue reading →

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Boosting student turnout at UT

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Cool story. Between 2013 and 2016, Texas eliminated more than 400 polling locations, the largest drop in any state during that time. In 2013, after years of litigation, it implemented a strict voter ID law. The law, which lists seven … Continue reading →

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McCaul’s hustle

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out, running for re-election is hard work. Rep. Michael McCaul does not have to be here, at Carl’s BBQ on the side of a highway, in a wood-paneled backroom, seated at a bare table in front of a stuffed, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Eliz Markowitz

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the city, HISD, and HCC races, the November ballot includes two special legislative elections in the greater Houston area. The first one that came about is in HD28, where outgoing Rep. John Zerwas stepped down to pursue … Continue reading →

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More ways to improve access to voting

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In Harris County: Inmates of the Harris County Jail may soon be able to vote. Harris County leaders have approved a study on setting up a polling location at the jail as early as this November. The County Clerk’s and … Continue reading →

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Beer to go is here

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! The highly anticipated beer-to-go legislation officially [went] into effect Sunday, and local breweries [celebrated] the occasion by offering up cans, growlers and crowlers of beer for visitors to bring home — a simple act that has been illegal in … Continue reading →

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The HD148 field keeps growing

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the current list of people who have filed CTAs for HD148, not including Rep. Jessica Farrar and her 2018 opponent Ryan McConnico: 83999 COH Isaacson, Terah C. 08/20/2019 State Representative Dist 148 65547 COH Yarbrough Camarena, Kendra J. 08/21/2019 … Continue reading →

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The Lege will not take any action on guns

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

By all means, keep calling for a special session to address the issue. Just do keep in mind who holds all the cards. At least 17 Texas state lawmakers are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Weekend link dump for September 1

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

How to reshape the federal judiciary for the better. What the ginormous coconut crabs may have to do with Amelia Earhart. “Trump’s haphazard style of governance forces journalists, lawyers, and government officials to expend innumerable hours on doomed initiatives and … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

A reminder about the local legislative races

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s review the facts together. State Rep. Jon Rosenthal wasn’t supposed to win his Texas House seat last year. He was too much of a Democrat for the swath of northwest Harris County that had long elected Republicans. But in … Continue reading →

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The felony judges who abused the bail system

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Shame on them all. Three sitting judges and eight former district judges in Harris County were publicly admonished by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct in response to complaints that for years they violated state law and judicial cannons by … Continue reading →

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Cricket in Fort Bend

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The sport keeps spreading. When Malay Vyas played cricket as a child, there were no fields near his home in western India. So he and his friends took to playing in the streets. He remembers getting grounded after hitting a … Continue reading →

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