Tag Archives: James Rodriguez

Payday lending ordinance passes

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, it wasn’t close. The Houston City Council overwhelmingly passed restrictions on payday and auto title lenders Wednesday, avoiding rumored parliamentary maneuvers to delay the vote and calling on the state Legislature to follow suit. The vote was … Continue reading →

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It’s still Gene Green’s world

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this story about Rep. Gene Green. The affable, low-key former printer’s apprentice is a legend across his gritty, blue-collar domain along the 54-mile Houston Ship Channel, where he represents the most heavily Hispanic … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District I

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron covers the District I race. The contrasts in this eastside, heavily-Latino council district are dramatic: from the gleaming George R. Brown Convention Center in the heart of downtown, to older neighborhoods lacking modern street drainage where vacant lots … Continue reading →

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July finance reports for Harris County officeholders and challengers

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Odd-numbered years are primarily about city elections, but primaries are just around the corner, and some hopefuls for county and state offices are already out there lining up support and raising money. Here’s a peek at some of the Harris … Continue reading →

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What to do with that extra money?

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some unexpected good financial news for the city, but what to do about it is the tricky part. Just months after hiking health premiums, shifting costs to employees and plugging a projected multimillion-dollar deficit in its health benefits fund, the … Continue reading →

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July finance reports for non-candidates

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not everyone who files a finance report with the city is running for something this November. Term-limited incumbents, and former candidates who still have money in their campaign treasuries are required to file reports as well. Here’s a look a … Continue reading →

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January finance reports for Harris County offices

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For the most part, it’s way too early to start thinking about the 2014 Harris County elections – we have a legislative session and a city election cycle to get through first – but since January 15 is a reporting … Continue reading →

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Two for I

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, we’re still two weeks out from the start of early voting for 2012. But that hasn’t stopped two people from announcing their candidacies for City Council District I next year. Graciana ”Graci” Garces, chief of staff for District I … Continue reading →

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The discussion is closed

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about this. The mayor and city attorney are floating the idea of shutting the public out of some City Council discussions. Houston is unusual, perhaps even unique, among Texas cities in requiring that its council always meet … Continue reading →

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Homeless feeding ordinance, take three

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker does a third revision of the controversial proposed ordinance about feeding the homeless. Parker has whittled an original proposal that would have set rules on preparation, storage and server training down to a plan that mandates only that … Continue reading →

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Feeding the homeless

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this. Mayor Annise Parker is asking the council to adopt rules that would require organizations and people who feed the homeless to register with the city, take a food safety class, prepare … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Brown v Rodriguez

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been wondering how new Council Member Helena Brown’s style will play at Council meetings. I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Councilwoman Helena Brown and Councilman James Rodriguez squared off publicly Wednesday in the kind of bare-knuckled … Continue reading →

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“Houston History” Fall 2011 Launch Reception

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Join Council Members Ed Gonzalez, Melissa Noriega, and James Rodriguez, and State Representatives Carol Alvarado and Jessica Farrar for the launch of Houston History Magazine  Fall 2011 Issue Tuesday, December 6  5:30-7:00PM Sombreros (formerly Velia’s) 2910 Navigation … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Rodriguez in I

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron votes for experience in District I. District I is the cradle of Hispanic municipal political power in Houston, initially represented by Ben Reyes and since then by a string of Latino successors. It encompasses most of downtown as … Continue reading →

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Interview with CM James Rodriguez

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

CM James Rodriguez is running for his third term in District I. He was Chief of Staff for his predecessor, Rep. Carol Alvarado, so he has actually been serving the district a lot longer than that. Rodriguez has been in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Lawsuit filed against Harris County redistricting

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Hot off the presses, here’s a release from CM Ed Gonzalez: Today, Council Member Ed Gonzalez joined as a plaintiff in a lawsuit versus Harris County over the proposed Commissioners Court redistricting map. “The proposed map cracks communities of interests … Continue reading →

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City asks Metro for Harrisburg underpass

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Houston Mayor and METRO Seek Common Ground on East End Line Resolution of Harrisburg/Hughes Streets Over/Under Question Becomes a Milestone The city of Houston has concluded there is “strong sentiment” within the East End community for an … Continue reading →

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East End community meeting to consider Harrisburg grade separation

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: East End community meeting to consider Harrisburg grade separation Wednesday, June 15 Union Pacific’s East Belt rail subdivision is one of the busiest in the city, carrying more than 30 freight trains a day through Houston’s East … Continue reading →

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Council approves deal to spin off Convention Center

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Houston First, which merges the city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department and the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation, which runs the Hilton Americas. The corporation will not have to come to the council to get expenses approved. The unionized … Continue reading →

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Council officially approves new redistricting map

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let the filings begin! The Houston City Council approved a new political map for the city on Wednesday that expands the council by two seats and gives Houston’s burgeoning Latino population what community leaders see as its best opportunity to … Continue reading →

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Mayor presents revised Council map

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the release. There was a press conference today at 10 to roll it out. Mayor Annise Parker today revealed a second version of the staff redistricting map that incorporates recommendations from members of various Houston communities. The new plan … Continue reading →

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More on the new Council map

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the proposed new Council map. Reactions were about what you’d expect for the most part. “There’s two Latino council members and you have, currently, nine districts,” [District I Council Member James Rodriguez] said. “We’re moving … Continue reading →

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Dynamo Stadium lease deal reached

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We didn’t get the World Cup, but soccer fans here had something to celebrate this week. The Dynamo have agreed to pay $76 million to build a professional soccer stadium in downtown Houston and then lease it from the city … Continue reading →

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No World Cup for you!

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. In a mild upset, tiny but oil-rich Qatar was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup only a few minutes after Russia was awarded the 2018 bid in a process that was decided by a vote of FIFA’s 22-member executive … Continue reading →

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Dynamo Stadium deal tagged

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

While City Council was able to complete the Lakewood Church sale, they were not able to vote on the other major real estate deal on their agenda this week, as Council Member Jarvis Johnson put a tag on the Dynamo … Continue reading →

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Interview with Council Member James Rodriguez

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next we have Council Member James Rodriguez, who is serving his first term in District I. He’s been busy on a number of fronts, including the construction of the Harrisburg light rail line and the pending Dynamo Stadium deal, as … Continue reading →

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Counting on the Census

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I wasn’t really paying attention to this sort of thing ten years ago, so I don’t know how much effort was made at the time to get an accurate count of Texas’ residents for the 2000 Census. I can say … Continue reading →

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Who should represent District H?

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the question, isn’t it? It took only a few minutes at the District H candidate forum Thursday morning for discussion to turn to the elephant in the room. “District H is supposed to be a Hispanic district,” said Edgar … Continue reading →

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More on the City Council redistricting lawsuit dismissal

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the dismissal of the lawsuit, brought by Vidal Martinez and Carroll Robinson. The lawsuit argued the city was violating its own charter by refusing to redistrict and add two council districts when its population passed … Continue reading →

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The Census and City Council redistricting

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Mayor White has an interesting ally in the city council redistricting debate. Frumencio Reyes, the dean of Houston-area redistricting litigation, said he believes the mayor made the right decision in putting off redistricting. […] Reyes, who has taken … Continue reading →

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Over/under

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some East End residents are still unhappy about the way the Harrisburg light rail line is shaping up. East End residents overwhelmingly supported the rail line in a 2003 referendum, thinking it would boost the redevelopment already taking place. Back … Continue reading →

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Here we go again with City Council redistricting

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Or at least, here we go again with arguing about when we should be redrawing City Council lines. Mayor Bill White’s decision to delay redrawing the boundaries of City Council districts has angered numerous community activists, who say his stance … Continue reading →

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