Tag Archives: Lina Hidalgo

Greg Abbott has no interest in fighting COVID

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is at this point. On June 26, Texas was reporting 5,102 people had been hospitalized due to the coronavirus, breaking a new record for the state. The positivity rate — the portion of tests that come … Continue reading →

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Harris County reaches bike trail deal with CenterPoint

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Biking between bayous in Harris County is closer to reality, now that local leaders and the monopoly that manages local power lines have inked a deal. Harris County officials Tuesday approved an agreement between the county and CenterPoint Energy … Continue reading →

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The state of the county 2020

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly, COVID is bad and we’re not getting much help, and we’re also not allowed to do the things we know we need to do. Other than that… The worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, which this week became the first … Continue reading →

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Looking ahead to 2022

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing with the brain dumps, which are my post-election tradition. This is a collection of thoughts about the next big election, in 2022. As I said earlier, I take no position on the question of what effect the disparity in … Continue reading →

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Harris County approves early childhood development funds

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a $10 million fund to invest in early childhood development programs proposed by County Judge Lina Hidalgo, her chief policy goal for 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the county government to … Continue reading →

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Meet your new Election Administrator

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Solid choice. The Harris County Elections Commission on Friday appointed Isabel Longoria as the county’s first election administrator, who will assume the voter registration and election management duties that currently fall to the county clerk and tax assessor-collector. Longoria, a … Continue reading →

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SCOTX rejects challenges to drive-through voting

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Halle-fricking-lujah. Voters in the state’s most populous county can continue casting their ballots for the fall election at 10 drive-thru polling places after the Texas Supreme Court Thursday rejected a last-minute challenge by the Texas and Harris County Republican parties, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How hard it is to vote is a policy choice

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County tried to make it easier. The state GOP, various other Republican contingents, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, and others fought that choice every step of the way. Much of the Democrats’ dream of turning Texas blue is pinned on … Continue reading →

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We need a better word than “controversial”

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: Meet Al Hartman, the controversial Houston CEO who is suing Hidalgo, Abbott over COVID orders. Al Hartman is not shy about his beliefs. As a guest on a Christian radio show, he spoke about a faith so … Continue reading →

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Abbott to allow bars to reopen

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. It’s kind of the most Abbott thing ever. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that bars in Texas can reopen for in-person service next week — as long as their county governments choose to allow it. Effective Oct. 14, … Continue reading →

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Abbott moves to stop mail ballot dropoff locations

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but this reeks of fear to me. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday declared that counties can designate only one location to collect completed mail ballots from voters, forcing Harris County to abandon 11 sites set … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Still code red

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll turn it down a notch when the data says we should. The counts of coronavirus patients in local hospitals have been falling for two months. Restaurant patios are packed. Houston’s symphony and pro soccer teams are resuming at limited … Continue reading →

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Flooding affects toll roads, too.

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This makes sense to me. Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to create a local government corporation to manage Harris County’s toll road system in a move expected to provide a windfall to county coffers and allow surplus toll collections to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Houston to allow some limited events

Posted on September 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. I get the impulse, but I don’t think I’m ready. Houston will allow certain events in what the mayor calls “controlled environments” to resume in the city, marking his most significant move toward reopening as the spread … Continue reading →

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County’s plan to make in person voting safer is having an effect

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So says this poll. Voters with the highest risk of suffering COVID-19’s worst effects say they’re more likely to vote early this November, according to a Rice University study. A poll of nearly 6,000 Harris County voters found roughly 80% … Continue reading →

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A new COVID testing strategy

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds promising. Harris County wants to implement a program that would look at how and where active COVID infection exists, hoping to better understand how the virus spreads within the region in real time, and use those findings to help … Continue reading →

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Scrambling to finish the Census

Posted on September 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a hell of a job, and it’s so important. With a deadline looming for local governments to complete a population count for the 2020 Census, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is warning that the city could miss out on billions … Continue reading →

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State appeals court rules (mostly) against Libertarians in filing fee lawsuit

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story. It gets into the legal weeds, and I’m going to try my best to clear them out. A state appellate court this week upheld a 2019 law that extended a requirement that candidates pay a filing fee … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Back to school

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How’d it go for you and your kids? On a normal first day of school, Texas children would wake up early to cram into school buses, eager to huddle and chat with their friends in the hallways before streaming toward … Continue reading →

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They just don’t want you to vote by mail

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s okay if you’re a Republican, of course. As states across the country scramble to make voting safer in a pandemic, Texas is in the small minority of those requiring voters who want to cast their ballots by mail to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Politico profile of Lina Hidalgo

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. In late April, Lina Hidalgo stood at a microphone in the Harris County emergency operations center in Houston and pushed up the teal fabric face mask that had slipped off her nose. Her voice was slightly muffled as … Continue reading →

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

From the “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it” department

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Who’s ready to re-reopen Texas? Gov. Greg Abbott signaled he may be preparing to roll back some emergency restrictions put in place this summer at the height of the state’s coronavirus surge. Responding to concerns from the battered restaurant industry, … Continue reading →

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

Harris County goes all in on voting access

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Harris County voters this November will have more time and more than a hundred additional places to cast ballots in the presidential election, including drive-through locations and one day of 24-hour voting, under an expansive plan approved by Commissioners … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

We are finally making progress in getting COVID-19 under control

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good news is always welcome, but be aware of the context. Houston-area hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients dropped below 900 Sunday, the lowest amount since the summer surge peaked in mid-July. Some 893 people confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 were … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Coronavirus and hurricane shelters

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Two things we have to be thinking about today. Houston officials and public health experts are expressing concern that Tropical Storm Laura could amplify the spread of COVID-19 by displacing residents to public shelters or residences outside the area, increasing … Continue reading →

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The state of the Democratic bench

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s deeper now, and it could keep getting deeper after this year. The speaking turns may have been brief and the spotlight not as bright, but Texas Democrats got a glimpse at their national convention this week of their emerging … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Here comes Laura

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Be prepared. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo urged residents to prepare for a hurricane as the track and intensity of Tropical Storm Laura remains uncertain. She said the greatest threat posed by Laura likely would be high winds and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Some superintendents disagree about school opening delays

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It takes all kinds. Superintendents leading 10 Houston-area school districts penned a letter this week opposing Harris County’s recommendations for reopening campuses, arguing that face-to-face instruction should resume earlier than health officials suggest. In their two-page letter, the superintendents say … Continue reading →

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Time for another COVID roundup

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with some good news, which comes wrapped in a warning. The number of coronavirus patients crowding hospital wards in the Houston area is now in its sixth week of steady decline, a welcome reversal of the virus’ alarming … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Harris County issues guidance for opening schools

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t issue mandates, so this will have to do. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Wednesday unveiled the county’s guidance for school reopenings, recommending based on a handful of COVID-19 metrics that schools offer only virtual instruction in the … Continue reading →

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

An analysis of that Paxton opinion about schools and county health authorities

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Short version: That’s just, like, his opinion, man. The law should mean what it says. Rule §97.6(h) of the Texas Administrative Code says: “The health authority is empowered to close any public or private child-care facility, school or other place … Continue reading →

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Enforcing the mask order

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Those of you who haven’t been wearing your mask when out in public, shame on you. And also, there may now be consequences for your dumb refusal to do the right thing. Houston law enforcement officials will begin issuing fines … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

SCOTX rejects multiple Hotze petitions

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. The Texas Supreme Court has refused to hear several challenges by a Houston conservative power broker to emergency orders on coronavirus issued by Gov. Greg Abbott and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Without comment, the nine Republican … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Abbott finally speaks about schools

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of course, he mostly says weasel words. Gov. Greg Abbott clarified Friday that Texas schools will be required to provide in-person instruction this fall, but that some districts may be eligible for extended waivers on a “case-by-case basis.” In a … Continue reading →

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