Monthly Archives: May 2011

Hopefully, the “sanctuary cities” bill will be the end of the anti-immigrant crap

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman offers a little hope. The controversial “sanctuary cities” bill received final passage in the Texas House on Tuesday and was on its way to the Senate, but most other immigration measures introduced in the House this session appear … Continue reading →

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Bill to move back primary date advances in House

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the DMN: A Texas House committee on Friday unanimously passed a military voting bill that, among other things, would push the state’s political primaries into April from March. The legislation also would move primary runoffs into June and might … Continue reading →

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Let the candidate speculation season begin!

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t have Congressional districts yet but we do have potential Congressional candidates. Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos is considering seeking higher office. Villalobos told Action 4 News he is considering running for congress and has officially formed an … Continue reading →

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Senate redistricting hearing

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So the Senate Redistricting Committee hearing was today. See if you can spot a theme here. Sen. Kirk Watson expressed his dissatisfaction with the map that was introduced by Sen. Kel Seliger. At a morning hearing of the Senate Select … Continue reading →

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Prioritizing the target list

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So now that we’ve had a tour of the possible targets for the Democrats in 2012, how would I prioritize them? Let’s start with the districts I’d call the Must Haves, and the Really Nice To Haves: Dist Incumbent County … Continue reading →

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Senate map is out, controversy precedes it

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Before we had a State Senate map, we had a brawl brewing over one proposed district on it. Accusing the state Senate’s Republican leaders of a “shameful partisan attack,” Sen. Wendy Davis said Tuesday that a new redistricting map for … Continue reading →

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School finance issues holding up budget deal

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

News flash: School finance reform is hard. Especially when all it’s doing is taking money away from everyone. The clock is a-tickin’ for Texas lawmakers to cobble together a budget compromise that enacts deep cuts to public education. But with … Continue reading →

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Accidents down at former red light camera intersections

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I guess some arguments are never going to go away. In the five months after Houston voters forced city officials to turn off a camera surveillance system that fined motorists for running red lights, traffic accidents at those 50 intersections … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 9

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a good Mother’s Day as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Planned Parenthood roundup

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, it’s been a truly crappy year for women’s health, family planning, and Planned Parenthood. All over the country there has been a relentless assault on reproductive freedom, which has spilled over into health care and access to … Continue reading →

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RIP, Bill Gallo

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The great sports cartoonist Bill Gallo has passed away at the age of 88. Bill Gallo, treasured cartoonist and columnist for the New York Daily News, passed away Tuesday at the age of 88 due to complications from pneumonia. Gallo, … Continue reading →

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Are there any seats Dems could lose?

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you’ve heard someone express the view that if there’s a silver lining for the Democrats after the 2010 election, it’s that their decimated caucus offers no real targets for the Republicans to aim for. The Rs weren’t completely … Continue reading →

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“Sanctuary cities” ban passes the House

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose we should get used to the phrase “cutting off debate” because that seems to be the norm these days. After taking the unusual and controversial strategy of cutting off debate, the Texas House late Monday voted 99 to … Continue reading →

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The end of full day pre-K

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More ways in which the Lege is abdicating its responsibility to Texas. Although many experts say these full-day classes are beneficial to children, looming cuts to education funding have put many of these full-day pre-K programs on the chopping block … Continue reading →

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San Antonio’s budget situation

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just for comparison. “Our 2011 numbers still are not where they were in 2008,” [San Antonio] City Manager Sheryl Sculley told the council during a briefing session Wednesday. The projected shortfall in the general fund in the next budget has … Continue reading →

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Apparently we do have an opponent for the Mayor

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Deputy Fire Chief Fernando Herrera, who had previously said he was 95% sure he wasn’t running for Mayor, has now decided that he will in fact run for Mayor. Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief Fernando Herrera plans to formally announce … 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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New map, new opportunities: Harris County

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For our last stop on this tour we look at Harris County, which provided several pickup opportunities for Democrats last decade. How will they fare this time around? Republicans started the last decade with a 14-11 advantage – they intended … Continue reading →

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Another Sanchez profile

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Express News talks to possible Senate candidate Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. I won’t rehash all of the stuff we’re familiar with, so let me just focus on this: A decision is likely in the next few weeks. If he … Continue reading →

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I’d really like to buy a yacht in Texas, if only your tax policies would let me

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure which is more awesome, the idea that we’re even having a debate about giving yacht owners a tax break or that they yacht owners who would benefit from this are telling us it’s for our own good. … Continue reading →

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Lockout or no, it makes no difference to them

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Must be nice for them. An extended NFL lockout and the loss of a season for the Texans actually would result in a small financial gain for the governmental body that manages the Reliant Stadium complex, officials said Thursday. The … Continue reading →

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A Survey of Uses and Users of Online Sources of Political Information

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have been asked to pass along the following survey of uses and users of online sources of political information by researcher Tom Johnson, who tells me that “the vast majority of our survey respondents [so far] have been conservatives” … Continue reading →

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More on the city’s convention center spinoff proposal

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This press release from the Mayor’s office about the proposed spinoff of the city’s convention business hit my inbox this afternoon: Mayor Annise Parker today recommended consolidation of the city’s Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department (CEFD) into the Houston Convention … Continue reading →

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New map, new opportunities: The Metroplex

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Dallas and Tarrant Counties will each have eight districts drawn to elect Republicans in them. For this entry, I’m going to look at each of these districts. First up is Tarrant County, which gains a district (HD101) for a total … Continue reading →

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Some gambling advances in the House

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s probably too little too late, but you never know. A Texas House committee surprised the casino lobby Friday night when it voted out legislation that would allow video lottery terminals — slot machines — at state racetracks and Indian … Continue reading →

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Spinning off the convention business

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city is looking to get out of the convention and entertainment business and maybe make a few bucks in the process. The city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities department currently runs the George R. Brown Convention Center and other city-owned … Continue reading →

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Downtown living

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There are two things about this Chron story about the residential population of downtown that I find curious. Twenty-five years after the residential development of downtown Houston began in earnest, fewer than 4,500 people reside in the city’s central core, … Continue reading →

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“Windows on the World”

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Andrea White – author, wife of our former Mayor, and all-around nice person – asked me to share this with y’all. WINDOWS ON THE WORLD by Andrea White is science fiction set in a post-apocalyptic world in which an orphan girl, … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 8

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

M is for the many things she gives me… If Twitter had existed a hundred years ago, do you think Mata Hari would have used it? I don’t understand men who do crap like this. It’s bizarre and it’s wrong. … Continue reading →

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House approves Senate’s SBOE map

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

On to the Governor for final approval of the new SBOE redistricting map. The House voted 80-61 for the map, which contained changes made by the Senate and finishes the Legislature’s action on redrawing lines for the State Board of … Continue reading →

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ParentPAC speaks about public ed funding cuts

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The two-year budget passed by the Texas House is destructive, reducing public school budgets by $7.8 billion over the biennium. The budget passed by the Senate is better, but it cuts about $4 billion and leaves school funding woefully … Continue reading →

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Subsidies for jobs

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s be clear about what this is, shall we? When Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst crisscrossed the state last year touting his program to provide state subsidies to anyone who would hire unemployed workers, Texas employers lined up. To the state’s … Continue reading →

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San Antonio and New Braunfels

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The San Antonio metro area has grown again. New Braunfels, the second-largest city in South Central Texas, now is part of the newly expanded and renamed San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has grown from four to eight counties. … Continue reading →

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Another point of order delays Eissler’s school bill

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

HB400, the bill by Rep. Rob Eissler that among other things raises the 22:1 student:teacher limit in grades K-4, came up for debate last night after the “sanctuary cities” bill got sidetracked by a point of order. Here was the … Continue reading →

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