Tag Archives: Carol Alvarado

Miles whines about criticism

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Oh good Lord. State-appointed Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles responded to recent criticism from several Democratic state lawmakers by sending a letter telling them to “lead, follow, or get out of the way.” The letter calls for lawmakers … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Miles whines about criticism

Asking the fox to audit the henhouse

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure if that’s the best metaphor, but it’s what I came up with when I read this. Houston Democrats asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Monday to investigate a charter school network founded by Houston ISD Superintendent Mike … Continue reading →

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

We’re stuck with CenterPoint’s useless generators

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

So what can we do about them? CenterPoint Energy executives said Thursday the company cannot terminate its lease for barely used generators that have already cost the utility $800 million, shocking regulators who are now turning on the investment after … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Former Mayor Parker “considering” a run for County Judge in 2026

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The next election is always closer than you think. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker has been talking to friends and supporters in recent months about making another run for elected office. Parker, a Democrat who led City Hall from 2010 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Endorsement watch: Hidalgo for SJL

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t usually pay much attention to “elected official endorses candidate” news, mostly because most of the time it makes little difference, but in this Mayor’s race I’m more interested than usual, so I will note this for the record. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Impeachment in the Senate

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Long Trib story about what to expect when the Senate finally takes up the impeachment trial of Ken Paxton. The Senate plans to consider impeachment rules on June 20 and to start the trial by Aug. 28. Yet there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Some dough for downtown

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It would be nice. With just days left in this year’s regular session of the Texas Legislature, Houston-area lawmakers are fighting for a measure that would likely provide several billion dollars to expand the George R. Brown Convention Center and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Some dough for downtown

Bills filed to stop the TEA takeover of HISD

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Feels too late to me, but it can’t hurt to try. State senators have filed the first bill to soften the law that triggers school district takeovers. State Sens. Carol Alvarado, Borris Miles and John Whitmire filed Senate Bill 1662 in response to the threat of … Continue reading →

Posted in School days, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Two out of three state leaders open to expanded gambling

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, two out of three ain’t bad, but it also ain’t enough. House Speaker Dade Phelan on Thursday left the door open to legalizing sports betting and casino gambling in Texas, the latest sign that opposition may be … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lege does its housekeeping

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

In the Senate, they drew their lots to see who would have to run again in 2024. It was the luck of the draw for Texas senators on Wednesday as they drew lots to decide which half of them would … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The only pre-session gambling expansion story you need

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Just re-run a version of this for the foreseeable future. Although casino giants and sports betting groups are making a big push in Texas, the head of the state Senate said he isn’t seeing much progress on the issue going … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The only pre-session gambling expansion story you need

Time once again for the biennial paean to the gambling lobby

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Such a weird tradition we observe. Even before Gov. Greg Abbott declared in October that he’s willing to consider expanded gaming options in Texas, that industry was trying to improve its odds in the state by doling out massive campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Time once again for the biennial paean to the gambling lobby

Alvarado’s filibuster ends

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was a strong effort, and she deserves credit for it. After 15 hours of speaking nearly nonstop against the GOP’s priority elections bill, State Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Houston Democrat, concluded her filibuster on Thursday morning. “Voter suppression anywhere … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Alvarado filibuster

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wear comfortable shoes, Senator. The GOP voting restrictions push that left the Texas House scrambling to round up absent Democrats also shut down work in the Texas Senate on Wednesday evening as state Sen. Carol Alvarado launched into a filibuster … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why the push for casinos failed

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a long story with a detailed answer to what is honestly a straightforward and easy to understand question. In its effort to bring casinos to Texas, Las Vegas Sands — the gaming empire started by the late Republican megadonor … Continue reading →

Posted in Jackpot!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why the push for casinos failed

The next voter registration project

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Necessary, but not sufficient. Texas Democrats’ takeaways from the 2020 election are clear: to take back our state from Texas Republicans, Democrats need to register more voters. With Republicans’ increasing extremism and relentless attacks on Texans this spring, the stakes … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Giving a hand to music venues

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good idea. Qualifying Texas music venues could get up to $100,000 each in tax rebates on alcohol sales under legislation that has passed the House and Senate and now is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

First major vote suppression bill passes

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing’s going to stop them. Senate Republicans on Thursday cleared the way for new, sweeping restrictions to voting in Texas that take particular aim at forbidding local efforts meant to widen access. In an overnight vote after more than seven … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Assault on abortion advances in Senate

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. The Texas Senate gave initial approval Monday to a half-dozen bills that would restrict access to abortion, including a priority measure that could ban abortions before many women know they are pregnant. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mayor Whitmire 2.0?

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Buried in this story about the recent departure of HPD Chief Art Acevedo for Miami is the following tidbit: Houston insiders knew that the 56-year-old Acevedo had been considering a mayoral run once Sylvester Turner reached his term limit in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bills to allow casinos filed

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t bet on them, that’s my advice. Two Texas lawmakers on Tuesday filed legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands that would legalize casino gambling in Texas. The legislation was filed by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, in the … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The legislative process has begun, and I feel like we’ve already lost the plot. For roughly the past year, Republicans and Democrats have picked apart the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — and particularly how Gov. Greg Abbott has … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

Bill Kelly: Voting Matters

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: The following is a guest post that was submitted to me. I occasionally solicit guest posts, and also occasionally accept them from people I trust.) The national headlines have highlighted the increased turnout among Harris County voters, and rightfully … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Carol and Borris

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is another easy call. When Carol Alvarado was elected to represent state Senate District 6 in a special election in 2018, she already had an impressive record under her belt. After serving on Houston City Council and as the … Continue reading →

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

Fallon fallout

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. After Sen. Pat Fallon’s impressive though not unexpected victory this weekend in the insider’s race to be the GOP nominee for Congressional District 4 – being vacated by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe – rumors are flying … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Who might run for Mayor in 2023?

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So Election 2019 is (modulo District B) safely in the books, and Sylvester Turner is in office for his second and final term. In years past at this time I’d be taking a look ahead at the next city election … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Filing period preview: SBOE, Senate, House

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: Congress, and Statewide. As before, I am using the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet as my primary reference. Buckle up, there’s a lot to talk about here. I’m going to limit my discussion of State House races to the greater Houston … Continue reading →

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

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 →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State Sen. Jose Rodriguez to retire

Initial reaction to the TEA action on HISD

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of wait and see so far. Houston-area political and community leaders offered muted response Thursday to a state recommendation issued this week to replace Houston ISD’s school board, reserving judgment until more details are known about a Texas Education … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Initial reaction to the TEA action on HISD

Today is Runoff Day in HD145

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, is Election Day for voters in Texas State Representative District 145. There will be 27 Voting Locations open from 7 am to 7 pm. Voters may visit the County Clerk’s election page, www.harrisvotes.com … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Today is Runoff Day in HD145

Final EV totals in HD145

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A bit less than Round One so far. Early voting in the House District 145 special election runoff ended Friday with a spike in turnout, though only a small fraction of registered voters have cast ballots so far in the … Continue reading →

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

HD145 runoff set for March 5

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We have a date. The special election runoff for House District 145 will take place March 5, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday. The contest will determine the successor to former state Rep. Carol Alvarado, who won a state Senate special … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HD145 runoff set for March 5

Morales and Noriega in runoff for HD145

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

No surprises here. Democrats Christina Morales and Melissa Noriega appeared headed for a runoff in the special election Tuesday to fill state Sen. Carol Alvarado’s seat in the Texas House. Early voting and absentee ballot totals showed Morales, a city … Continue reading →

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

Early voting ends in HD145

Posted on January 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Turnout ticked up considerably on Friday, which is an alternate headline for the one given to the Chron story. Early voting to fill state Sen. Carol Alvarado’s former seat in the Texas House ended Friday with just 1,528 ballots recorded, … Continue reading →

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