Tag Archives: El Paso

Don’t expect the Harris County Clerk to be ready for the SCOTUS same sex marriage ruling

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Press follows up on a question that we have examined before. [Harris County Clerk Stan] Stanart isn’t planning on staying open later or doing anything to prepare to handle an influx of same-sex couples should the Supremes decide in … Continue reading →

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How many crimes does your police department solve?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Fewer than you think, unfortunately. Violent crime in America has been falling for two decades. That’s the good news. The bad news is, when crimes occur, they mostly go unpunished. In fact, for most major crimes, police don’t even make … Continue reading →

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San Antonio City Council passes vehicles for hire revision

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Unlike Dallas, it’s the cab companies that are happy about it. After nearly three hours of debate Thursday, the San Antonio City Council voted 7-2 to approve new rules for ride-share companies Uber and Lyft that provide service in the … Continue reading →

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Abbott and the Latino vote

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib drops a number on us. Along with his 20-point margin of victory, Gov.-elect Greg Abbott accomplished something on Election Day that many naysayers doubted the Republican could: He took 44 percent of the Hispanic vote. For Texas conservatives, … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Three EV totals

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

But first, a little angst. I feel a bit uncomfortable after Day Two of Early Voting in Person. Here are a couple of concerning tweets from yesterday: Scott Braddock ‏@scottbraddock 2h2 hours ago Those Harris County early vote totals are … Continue reading →

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Interview with John Cook

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The office of Land Commissioner is often overlooked, but it has a role to play in a whole lot of aspects of state government. From state parks to beaches to mineral rights, from the Alamo to veterans issues to the … Continue reading →

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Voter registration numbers are up

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news here. The number of Texans registered to vote in the state’s five largest counties increased by 2 percent since 2012, a reversal of the decline in total voter registrations that was seen before the last midterm election. … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott sure doesn’t like whistleblowers

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He sure does seem to have a lot of them, though. The office of Attorney General Greg Abbott — the Republican gubernatorial candidate — is appealing a whistleblower’s lawsuit and $1.2 million verdict, arguing that an El Paso jury was … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Mary Gonzalez

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’re one week out from the start of early voting, and barring anything unexpected the interviews I present this week will be the last ones I do for the primary cycle. I’ll have interviews with two of the Democratic candidates … Continue reading →

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Gallup’s poll of Latinos in Texas

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Texas Hispanics are decidedly Democratic in their political party preferences, 46% to 27%, but that 19-percentage-point Democratic advantage is much smaller in Texas than the average 30-point gap Democrats enjoy among the … Continue reading →

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What’s at stake in the Democratic primaries

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve had my fun poking holes in Mark Jones’ ridiculous argument that we should all just vote in the Republican primary, but now it’s time to talk about the Democratic primary and why these races matter. US Senate On Monday … Continue reading →

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How Greg Abbott enabled the payday lenders

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Lone Star Project kicks it off: Abbott’s Green Light to Predatory Lenders Key AG document provided payday lenders a loophole to bilk Texans Greg Abbott’s office issued the key document that has allowed payday lenders to operate outside of Texas usury … Continue reading →

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The fox has always guarded the henhouse

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Rick Perry appointee says something obnoxious and privileged about the people his company fleeces for his fortune. The official who oversees Texas’ consumer watchdog says payday-loan customers — not the lenders — are responsible when the loans trap … Continue reading →

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More primary thoughts

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I wonder if Big John Cornyn will come to rue this interview. BDS: At the kickoff for your reelection campaign in November, Governor Perry said that you are “the epitome of what I look for in a U.S. senator.” He … Continue reading →

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The cities versus the payday lenders

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer writes about representatives from Texas cities getting together to talk about how to fight the scourge of payday lenders. The conference panel on Thursday was an opportunity for city officials from around the state to share advice and … Continue reading →

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Texas cities embracing bicycles

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good thing. In Fort Worth, the mayor hosts occasional bicycle rides called “Rolling Town Halls.” The Dallas City Council could may soon require new businesses to set aside space for bicycle parking. Over in El Paso, officials are … Continue reading →

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We may have our first Democratic statewide candidate

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s John Cook, outgoing Mayor of El Paso. Former El Paso Mayor John Cook will seek the Democratic nomination for Texas land commissioner in 2014, he told the El Paso Times Wednesday night. “I think it’s an embarrassment to … Continue reading →

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Cities generally ignore Abbott’s domestic partnership opinion

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Attorney General Greg Abbott’s opinion [last] week, while not binding, is the latest of several challenges to same-sex benefits across the country that so far have had mixed results in the courts and prompted changes after officials … Continue reading →

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AusChron profiles Rep. Mary Gonzalez

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s fair to say that freshman State Rep. Mary Gonzalez from HD75 in El Paso is not your typical first-term legislator. The Austin Chronicle has a nice chat with her. Only the second openly gay rep to serve in the … Continue reading →

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City wants the Lege to deal with payday lending

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what came out of the presentation to Council on payday lending on Tuesday. Houston leaders say they will wait to see whether the Legislature acts during its current session before voting on their proposal. Mayor Annise Parker has said … Continue reading →

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Who gets the water?

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching. A simple idea has guided appropriations of Texas water for decades: First come, first served. Now, with drought conditions returning to almost the entire state, the principle is being put to the test by a … Continue reading →

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Did Ted Cruz do better in Latino areas than other Republicans?

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg drops the following tidbit in her post-election column on why the GOP in general and in Texas needs to figure out how to appeal to Latino voters. In Texas, the best data so far show a 70-30 split … Continue reading →

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Desalinization and power plants

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has another story about desalinization in Texas, and reading it brings up a point that I don’t think gets enough attention. Interest in desalination surged more than a decade ago, when the technology became more efficient and cost-competitive, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Silvestre Reyes

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As discussed last week, we now enter a period in which I will be publishing some number of interviews with Congressional candidates in contested Democratic primaries around Texas. There’s a lot of interesting and high-profile races and I’d love to … Continue reading →

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Two water stories

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The future of Texas’ water supply sure is a hot topic in the papers these days. I hope that continues after we start getting normal rainfall again. Story One is about desalinization: For El Paso and a growing number of … Continue reading →

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More on the domestic partner benefits fight in El Paso

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib covers the fight over domestic partner benefits in El Paso. Pastor Tom Brown wants homosexuals to repent and turn to Christ. He certainly does not want them to be given taxpayer-financed health benefits. Brown, the charismatic leader of … Continue reading →

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Keep an eye on El Paso

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

While we celebrate the advancement of civil rights in San Antonio, we must keep in mind that these fights are never truly over. The El Paso City Council voted to extend health insurance to domestic partnerships in 2009, but that … Continue reading →

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Not a drop to drink

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have two questions regarding this Trib story about the dire drought situation in Odessa. The city of Odessa, facing a dire drought situation, is looking to an unlikely example for help in finding water: the desert city of El … Continue reading →

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No grass, no problems

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas is in the midst of one its worst droughts ever, yet one of the more arid cities in the state is seeing no noticeable drop in its reservoirs. How is that possible? Simple: They got rid of lawns years … Continue reading →

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Gallego to run for CD23 and other updates

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Pete Gallego has decided to run for Congress in CD23. Gallego first won election to the Texas House in 1990 and has chaired various committees and also been part of the Democratic leadership, doing time as head of … Continue reading →

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“America’s largest city with no pro sports teams”

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This Houston Press lamentation about the city of Austin contained the following tidbit that caught my eye: Austin is America’s largest city with no pro sports teams (though some would debate the amateur status of the Texas Longhorns). Well, that … Continue reading →

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New map, new opportunities: Travis, Bexar, El Paso

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

On to the urban counties. I’m grouping these three together because there’s really only one opportunity in each, and none of them are truly “new”. But never mind that. Let’s look at some data. District: 47 Incumbent: Paul Workman (first … Continue reading →

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Abbott declines to offer transgender marriage opinion

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Remember this, from back in May? The El Paso County attorney wants the state’s top lawyer to tell her whether she can issue a marriage certificate to a woman and a biological male who had a sex change operation to … Continue reading →

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San Antonio smoking ban protests

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The proposal to strengthen the smoking ban in San Antonio has drawn protest from a previously silent constituency. LULAC, the San Antonio Mixed Beverage Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the San Antonio Restaurant Association … Continue reading →

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