Monthly Archives: December 2020

Precinct analysis: Commissioners Court and JP/Constable precincts

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts We now zoom in for a look at various county districts, which are also called “precincts”. I don’t know why we have County Commissioner precincts and JP/Constable precincts to go along with regular voting … Continue reading →

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We still have to talk about Paxton’s ridiculous and anti-democratic lawsuit

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

At least for one more day. President Donald Trump on Wednesday latched on to a longshot Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn a presidential election that handed the White House to Joe Biden. Legal experts say Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s … Continue reading →

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Rodeo makes plans for May

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I hope they’ll be able to follow through. RodeoHouston is making big changes for 2021. Next year’s competitions, concerts, entertainment and carnival are moving to May 4-23, pending the COVID-19 situation, to provide “a better opportunity to host the events.” … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of December 7

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has installed an “Inauguration Day Countdown Clock” app on all its devices as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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TDP will review what happened in the 2020 election

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I support this. The head of the Texas Democratic Party has appointed a committee to take a “deep dive” on what went wrong in the November election after a group of executive committee members wrote to him demanding answers, reforms … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: State Rep districts

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts We move now to State Rep districts, which is my usual currency since they provide complete coverage of the county with no partial pieces. You can also get a much more nuanced view of how things have … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton sues other states to overturn their election results

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s as stupid and pernicious as it sounds. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing four battleground states — Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — whose election results handed the White House to President-elect Joe Biden. In the suit, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Schools are doing a good job not spreading COVID

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of great interest to me, as my kids have now returned to in person school. As COVID-19 cases have risen dramatically in Texas and across the country, there is one place where the coronavirus seems to spread less than others: … Continue reading →

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

Precinct analysis: Congressional districts

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction All right, let’s get this party started. In the past I’ve generally done the top races by themselves, but any race involving Trump provides challenges, because his level of support just varies in comparison to other Republicans depending on … Continue reading →

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More about how the Lege will operate

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Still a lot of questions to be answered. As the latest discussions over how the Texas Legislature should operate during a pandemic continue to surface, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told members of the Texas Senate this week that people wishing … Continue reading →

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The next phase of the I-45 fight is about to begin

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Where it goes from here is still up in the air. The opening of this story was at a rally on Sunday that opposed the current I-45 plan. The rally, part of a flurry of events from concerts to block-walking … Continue reading →

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2020 precinct analysis: Introduction and overview

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So I finally got a full canvass of the 2020 election in a nice and convenient spreadsheet form. I spent a fair amount of the Thanksgiving week doing what I usually do with it, to generate totals for all of … Continue reading →

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Will we get redistricting hearings?

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Please? Voting groups in Texas want lawmakers to open up the state’s redistricting process to the public before they redraw political boundaries next year. Public hearings are aimed at giving communities input in the process. But since the pandemic, those … Continue reading →

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Eating on the street

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This makes a lot of sense. Main Street bar owners are expected to take to the streets now that the city has given them the OK. City Council on Wednesday approved, after some delay, plans for the More Space Main … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Weekend link dump for December 6

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

“In its 244-year history, the United States has never prosecuted a president (that is, outside the specialized judicial theater of impeachment). Not that some didn’t deserve it. The reticence is understandable. Locking up a former commander in chief would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 7 Comments

Can we please not screw the schools right now?

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Really, we don’t have to do this. Across the Houston region and Texas, school districts that lost enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic are facing a drop in state funds starting in January if the Texas Education Agency or state lawmakers … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Why can’t we get our jail population down?

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I found this story from Thanksgiving weekend frustrating. Harris County’s efforts to reduce its jail population have flatlined, despite more than $7.5 million aimed at alleviating systemic burdens so that the county could attempt to reduce its inmates by a … Continue reading →

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The bar conundrum

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Halloween this year in downtown Austin was a raucous affair. Nightclubs advertised dancing and drink specials. Thousands of people crowded 6th Street, partying shoulder to shoulder, some with masks and some without. All of this happened as bars in … Continue reading →

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Is this what all the hyperloop hype was about?

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m underwhelmed. Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop has completed the world’s first passenger ride on a high-speed levitating pod system, a key safety test for technology it hopes will transform human and cargo transportation. The Virgin Hyperloop executives, Josh Giegel, its … Continue reading →

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

What happens when there’s no room for the sick people?

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s already happening in some parts of Texas, mostly out west. Presidio and Brewster counties, home to Marfa and Big Bend, along with nearby Culberson County, lead the state in cases per 1,000 residents in the last two weeks, according … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Of course Nate Paul’s attorney donated to Ken Paxton

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, duh. Several weeks after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the unusual move of intervening in a civil lawsuit involving his friend and campaign donor Nate Paul, Paxton received a $25,000 donation from the law firm hired by … Continue reading →

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So whatever happened to Astroworld II?

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still out there, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for it. For more than four years, Mayor Sylvester Turner has trumpeted Houston’s need for a destination theme park that would boost the region’s tourism industry and provide an outlet … Continue reading →

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Counties of interest, part seven: West Texas

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Part 1 – Counties around Harris Part 2 – Counties around Dallas/Tarrant Part 3 – Counties around Travis Part 4 – Counties around Bexar Part 5 – East Texas Part 6 – Central Texas Last entry in this series, and … Continue reading →

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How is the Lege going to operate?

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to be an interesting session. In the most detailed public glimpse yet at how the 2021 legislative session might play out during a pandemic, the chair of the committee that handles administrative operations in the Texas House told … Continue reading →

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More 2022 speculation

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Campos: I was watching “What’s Your Point” yesterday and the 2022 election was brought up. Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo would face an opponent in the Democratic Primary. My friend Bill King … Continue reading →

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Birds of a feather

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sweet. A pro-Trump group that promised to challenge the Nov. 3 election results and expose fraud was sued by a North Carolina money manager who donated $2.5 million to the cause but says he didn’t get his money’s worth. Fred … Continue reading →

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Counties of interest, part six: Central Texas

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Part 1 – Counties around Harris Part 2 – Counties around Dallas/Tarrant Part 3 – Counties around Travis Part 4 – Counties around Bexar Part 5 – East Texas We move on now to counties in Central Texas, which for … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court rejects Paxton allegation about Elections Administrator

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Straight to the point. The Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday rejected an opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in which he said they illegally created an independent elections office and hired an administrator. The move invites … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

State budget situation not quite as awful as feared

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Still bad, but could be worse. Despite “historic declines,” state lawmakers will have more money to work with in the upcoming legislative session than Comptroller Glenn Hegar expected over the summer, he said Monday. But Hegar did not outline specifics … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 30

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has enjoyed all the headlines about Trump losing again (and again and again and again) as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Counties of interest, part five: East Texas

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Part 1 – Counties around Harris Part 2 – Counties around Dallas/Tarrant Part 3 – Counties around Travis Part 4 – Counties around Bexar The next three entries in this series will look at regions, and counties of interest within … Continue reading →

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Even the White House thinks Texas sucks at COVID response

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean… The White House Coronavirus Task Force says Texas is in the swing of a “full resurgence” of COVID-19 and the state’s mitigation efforts “must intensify,” while Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders decline to take some of the … Continue reading →

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Keith Nielsen resigns

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never, I guess. Harris County Republican Party Chairman Keith Nielsen resigned Monday, the party’s secretary confirmed, ending a brief tenure dogged by his social media post that displayed a Martin Luther King Jr. quote next to a … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Isabel Longoria

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Following on to my interview with Chris Hollins, today I have for you a conversation with our brand new and first-ever Election Administrator in Harris County, Isabel Longoria. Longoria is a former legislative staffer who ran for City Council in … Continue reading →

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