Monthly Archives: July 2015

Montgomery County “voter fraud” case update

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear this. The whole case is ridiculous. A self-described “egghead,” Jim Jenkins accomplished his dream by founding his own microsystems company. He also takes satisfaction in being a Christian conservative who is unabashedly proud of his 11 grandchildren. … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 13

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance does not put peas in guacamole as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Lone Star Veterans Association benefit event

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: To celebrate the upcoming football season, and to benefit the Lone Star Veterans Association (LSVA), the Houston Texans Grille at CITY CENTRE will host a “Pay What You Want” Day on Monday, July 20th. All of the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Karla Cisneros

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with candidates in District H, where incumbent Council Member Ed Gonzalez is term limited. Today’s interview is with another Heights neighbor of mine, Karla Cisneros. Cisneros is a longtime educator and education activist, having served six years on … Continue reading →

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Rusk County Clerk sets an example

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I respect this. The Rusk County Commissioners Court on Monday formally accepted the resignation of County Clerk Joyce Lewis-Kugle, apparently the first Texas elected official to quit office rather than abide by the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. … Continue reading →

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Campaign finance reports may be a bit more interesting this cycle

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And by “interesting”, I mean in the Chinese curse sense. From the city’s campaign finance reports page: In April 2015, the Texas Ethics Commission released a new Electronic Filing Application. The changes made have to do with the separation of … Continue reading →

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Hempstead landfill update

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: After several postponements, the Contested Case Hearing on the proposed Pintail Landfill permit has been set for November 2, 2015, in Austin. Assuming no further delays, the case will be heard by two Administrative Law Judges with … Continue reading →

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Our forthcoming early voting problems

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is the view in front of the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center, also known as the busiest early voting location in Houston. 8,390 people voted early here in the 2013 election. There was a water main break there, which … Continue reading →

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Parker wants a vote on lifting the revenue cap

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So do I. Mayor Annise Parker plans to press City Council this month to reconsider loosening a decade-old revenue cap for public safety spending as talk of a looming budget deficit and possible service cuts grows more ominous around the … Continue reading →

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L’affaire Paxton gets larger

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, yeah. When Attorney General Ken Paxton publicly admitted that he violated a state securities law last year, the State Securities Board was obligated by law to gather evidence against him and immediately refer it to prosecutors who could seek … Continue reading →

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More on Houston’s transit deserts

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

James Llamas writes a guest post at the Kinder Institute blog about their earlier article on transit deserts in Houston. As a planner at Traffic Engineers, Inc. I had the privilege of working with METRO staff and industry experts on … Continue reading →

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Interview with Roland Chavez

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And so we begin another campaign candidate interview season. I will be talking to candidates in various contested races on the ballot here this fall and presenting those interviews to you over the next three months. (Yes, it takes that … Continue reading →

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Yes, the new rail lines are off to a slower-than-hoped start

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s not panic. Our own history shows that early rail ridership numbers are often highly variable. Slightly more than a month after the Metropolitan Transit Authority christened two new rail lines – built at a cost of $1.4 billion and … Continue reading →

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HBU appeals contraceptive case to SCOTUS

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Houston Baptist University on Wednesday turned to the U.S. Supreme Court in its battle to avoid providing employees with forms of contraception it finds morally objectionable. The appeal of a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling … Continue reading →

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Where are the ladies?

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not in Congress, where only three of the 36 members Texas sends to the House are of the female persuasion. Week after week at the U.S. Capitol, the Republican congressional delegation from Texas gathers for a ritual Thursday lunch. And … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 12

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

“The most ridiculous no-hitter in history is 25 years old. It’s time to celebrate, marvel and recoil in horror at this game. It’s everything baseball is supposed to be. Just, you know, not all at once.” “In contrast to the … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit hears immigration ruling appeal

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see, but as always with this court it is better to expect the worst and hope to be pleasantly surprised. Noise from hundreds of chanting immigration activists outside a federal appeals court building competed at times Friday with lawyers … Continue reading →

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There will be more lawsuits

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The lawsuit filed in Hood County to force County Clerk Katie Lang to issue a marriage license to a same sex couple won’t be the last one like it. “We hope and expect that county clerks across Texas and the … Continue reading →

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Sheriff asks for more funds for body cameras

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good move. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office recently applied for a grant from the Department of Justice to purchase 750 wearable body cameras, a new technology aimed at improving government transparency and accountability after a year of high-profile police-involved shootings … Continue reading →

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Driverless car testing in Austin

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Be on the lookout. After years of experimenting with its groundbreaking autonomous vehicle technology almost exclusively in California, Google confirmed Monday that it has begun testing one of its self-driving vehicles in Austin. A white Lexus RX 450h SUV outfitted … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Hand In Hand

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of underrated songs by iconic 80s acts. First up, Dire Straits: Man, Making Movies is an awesome album. Not a bad song on it, and it starts out with three classics, then keeps it going with this tune. … Continue reading →

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Dave Wilson will never go away

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What’s that definition of insanity again? Opponents of Houston’s equal rights ordinance have once again submitted petitions calling for a voter referendum to put a gender identity issue on the ballot in November, but the mayor says it’s not going … Continue reading →

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Paxton grand juror names accidentally released

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. A list of Collin County grand jurors was mistakenly released by an employee with the Collin County District Clerk’s Office. The release violates a June 25 order by District Judge Chris Oldner that deemed the names and personal information … Continue reading →

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Reps. Otto and Marquez join the retirement list

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Another committee chair bows out. After a decade in the Texas House and fresh off his first session as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, announced Tuesday that he is not planning to seek re-election. … Continue reading →

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Downtown post office has a buyer

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Redevelopment, here we come. Lovett Commercial, a Houston-based developer of neighborhood shopping centers and urban redevelopments, is under contract to buy the downtown post office property and potentially turn it into an urban complex of shops, offices, housing and perhaps … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Revisiting the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs list, part 3

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s their list. You know the drill. 1. Pink Houses – John Cougar Mellencamp (#447) 2. Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley (#444) 3. New Year’s Day – U2 (#435) 4. Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple (#434) 5. … Continue reading →

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Your daily Paxton update

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This guy. I can’t even. Despite promising last year to “wind down” his involvement in dozens of real estate and business ventures, Attorney General Ken Paxton continued to expand his holdings in 2014, according to personal financial documents. Paxton pledged … Continue reading →

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Texas sues the EPA again (and again, and again, and…)

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday filed a lawsuit over the agency’s rejection of parts of a Texas clean air program, launching the state’s second battle against EPA regulations in less than … Continue reading →

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Legislators ask for a task force to review Capitol monuments to the Confederacy

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me. On the same day that the South Carolina Legislature voted to remove the Confederate flag from its Capitol grounds, five Democratic lawmakers asked Gov. Greg Abbott to consider the appropriateness of the Confederate monuments at their own … Continue reading →

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Deja vu all over again in San Antonio

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Are you ready for some more municipal wrangling over Uber and Lyft? Of course you are. A post-election push to craft city policies to allow ride-hailing firms Uber and Lyft to operate in San Antonio has also prompted the taxi … Continue reading →

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Paxton involved in another scam

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

When it rains, it pours. The name of Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing potential indictment by special prosecutors in Collin County for first-degree felony securities fraud, has surfaced in a federal probe of a company in which he is an … Continue reading →

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Prepare for your time in the spotlight, Irion County

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s coming. No same-sex couples have sought a marriage license in Irion County, but if or when they do the county clerk is willing to fight it in court. County Clerk Molly Criner has vowed to stand for “natural marriage” … Continue reading →

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Initial Mayoral fundraising totals

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Lotta money being raised out there, though not quite as much as the topline totals say. Former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia was first out of the gate with his figures, announcing Tuesday that he raised $1.5 million since announcing … Continue reading →

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Teaxs blog roundup for the week of July 6

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance congratulates the USWNT on its awesome FIFA Women’s World Cup win as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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