Monthly Archives: December 2018

The potential for more

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Beto O’Rourke came very close to beating Ted Cruz. How much closer can Dems get in 2020? As newly updated election results showed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s victory was even tighter than first realized, Democratic-led voter registration groups are saying … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How Dems took Hays County

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Three cheers for Texas State University. As the dust settles after last week’s election, the political identity of Hays County hangs in the balance: Is it red or blue? The rapidly growing Central Texas suburban county — Texas’ 22nd-largest by … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Are we ready for Texas Central?

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is more about the experience than anything else. Texas Central said it will break ground late next year on the first bullet train line in the United States, which will connect Dallas to Houston, and the train, technology and … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lina Hidalgo gets the national press treatment

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You need to get past the first couple of paragraphs, but overall a decent piece. Even in defeat, Beto O’Rourke did a big favor to fellow Democrats all over Texas. A couple hundred thousand young people who might otherwise have … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Lawsuit filed over Driver Responsibility Program

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. A national civil rights organization on Wednesday sued Gov. Greg Abbott and four top officials at the Texas Department of Public Safety, arguing that the state’s Driver Responsibility Program traps many of Texas’ most vulnerable … Continue reading →

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

City tries again with non-profit charter for HISD

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody seems to like this idea. The city of Houston’s education czar and three well-connected, civically engaged residents plan in the coming weeks to seek control of some long-struggling Houston ISD schools in a bid to improve academic outcomes and … Continue reading →

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

Precinct analysis: One final look at judicial races and undervoting

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This one is short and sweet, and really could have been the entry level way of looking at the question “who is more likely to lose voters down the ballot when straight ticket voting is gone, Dems or Republicans?” We … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

SD06 finance reports

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, there are two candidates who are running a real campaign, and two other candidates. State Reps. Carol Alvarado and Ana Hernandez have raised and spent far more money than the two other candidates seeking to replace Rep.-elect Sylvia … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Paxton prosecutors want another shot

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. The attorneys appointed to prosecute Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton indicated in a court filing this week that they aren’t giving up a long-running fight to take the state’s top lawyer to court — at least not yet. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of December 3

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You – yes, you – are Individual One in the hearts of the Texas Progressive Alliance and this week’s roundup.

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Precinct analysis: Undervoting in judicial races

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Last time, we looked at undervoting by State Rep district in the two city propositions, which were at the very end of the 2018 ballot. That showed a somewhat greater likelihood of people in Democratic districts to skip those races, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bonnen supports removing Confederate plaque

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. After a yearlong push to remove a controversial “Children of the Confederacy Creed” plaque from inside the Texas Capitol, momentum appears to be picking up steam. On Monday Gov. Greg Abbott announced a Jan. 11 meeting of the State … Continue reading →

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

Moving forward on Section 3

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still redistricting litigation action happening. Late Friday afternoon, the coalition of voting rights groups that have fought the state for fairer legislative districts since the last round of redistricting in 2010 filed a pair of new briefs with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The changing tides in Central Texas

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the Statesman: Six Democrats came within 5 points or fewer in six Texas races, including three districts in Central Texas where Republicans traditionally win easily. Democrats now hold 13 of 36 Texas congressional seats. “This is about persistence. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Use that mandate in Harris County

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Jay Aiyer pens an agenda for Harris County and its Democratic government. First and foremost, flood mitigation has to be at the top of any list. Harris County has taken good initial steps to improve flood control infrastructure, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Whatabout that styrofoam?

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Texas’ favorite fast food chain is being asked to make changes to how it serves its food. Activists are pressuring San Antonio-based Whataburger to end its use of foam cups and containers in favor of materials friendlier to the environment. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Precinct analysis: Undervotes in the city

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve previously discussed non-partisan initiatives at the end of the ballot and how often people have undervoted in them in the past. Now let’s take a closer look at the two ballot items from this year. Dist A Yes A … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Paxton sues San Antonio over “sanctuary cities” law

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is gonna be ugly. Texas is suing the city of San Antonio for an alleged violation of the state’s new anti-“sanctuary cities” law, in the state’s first enforcement action against a city under the controversial statue. The lawsuit, filed … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Who might be next to retire from Congress?

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We may see some more exits in the coming years, some voluntary and some not. Retirement talk is generally speculative until an incumbent makes an official announcement. But many Republican operatives bet that U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, the most senior … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for December 2

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

“How to Shop Online Like a Security Pro”. “And here, too, is a story of Christian outlaws springing into action to protect a human and that human’s rights from unjust thugs with no regard for that person’s humanity or rights”. … Continue reading →

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The next round of redistricting is going to be even more fun

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Close races do complicate things. Texas Republicans collected half of the votes statewide in congressional races this month. ­But even after Democrats flipped two districts, toppling GOP veterans in Dallas and Houston, Republicans will control 23 of the state’s 36 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

SD06 early voting update

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Slow so far, which is what you’d expect. More than 5,000 voters had cast ballots as of Friday in the special election to replace Sylvia Garcia in Senate District 6. The Harris County Clerk’s Office reported 1,580 in-person votes and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Look out for lionfish

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, it’s another destructive invasive species, aided and abetted by climate change. Scientists battling coral reef deaths caused by warming ocean waters 100 miles off the coast of Galveston might now have another climate change problem to fight in coming … Continue reading →

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RIP, George H.W. Bush

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The 41st President passed away on Friday evening. George Herbert Walker Bush, whose lone term as the 41st president of the United States ushered in the final days of the Cold War and perpetuated a family political dynasty that influenced … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why not both?

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

RG Ratcliffe argues that Beto doesn’t need to choose between running for President and running for Senate. Why doesn’t Beto run for both the presidency AND the U.S. Senate? Beto could do it under a provision known as the LBJ … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HPOU files first Prop B lawsuit

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And away we go. Courthouse officials were scrambling to find a judge Friday afternoon to hear a lawsuit by the Houston Police Officers Union against the city of Houston and the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, that seeks an immediate … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Uptown update

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The work is ending, the work continues. The end is near for construction that has clogged Post Oak and delayed drivers, but the buses at the center of the project will not start rolling for at least another year as … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment