Tag Archives: Houston

On to the runoff

Here we go. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is trying to do something no Houston mayor has done in 46 years: flip the result between a general election and a runoff. Jim McConn last achieved the feat in 1977, erasing a … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

And now for the H-GAC negotiations

Prop 2, the Fair For Houston ballot item, passed easily last week. The item charges the city of Houston to negotiate with H-GAC for a revised system of “proportional voting”. Those negotiations are next on the docket. Legal questions remain, … Continue reading

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HISD moves towards District of Innovation status

One more step to go, which ought to be a mere formality. The Houston ISD District Advisory Committee voted in favor of the “District of Innovation” plan Tuesday, putting the state’s largest school district one step closer to obtaining the … Continue reading

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Two more HISD stories

Houston ISD’s elected board currently has no power. People ran for the trustee posts anyway. Two incumbents, Dani Hernandez and Patricia Allen, maintained their seats Tuesday, both winning reelection easily against a sole challenger. Meanwhile, two incoming trustees, Savant Moore … Continue reading

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Another look at Cruise

While we wait to see what happens. Cruise employees worry that there is no easy way to fix the company’s problems, said five former and current employees and business partners, while its rivals fear Cruise’s issues could lead to tougher … Continue reading

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Connecting Uptown and Memorial Park

I approve of this. The overwhelming task of getting to Memorial Park from Uptown by bike or on foot is poised to vastly improve, provided a $22 million project for a bridge across Buffalo Bayou and underpass of Loop 610 … Continue reading

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My initial thoughts on the 2023 election

Suffice it to say I was off base on turnout. I thought we would be on track to top the turnout of the 2003 Mayor’s race, but in the end we fell short of 2015’s level. I’d have lost quite … Continue reading

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HISD reveals its “District of Innovation” plans

I’m more skeptical than I was before, mostly because of how things have gone so far in HISD. Houston ISD released a draft plan Monday evening to potentially exempt itself from 10 state laws, including teacher certification requirements, class size … Continue reading

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2023 election results: Houston and Harris County

I’m going to be brief, and will have a longer look at things tomorrow. A bit more than 20% of the E-Day votes had been tallied as of 10 PM, but for the most part I’d say we had a … Continue reading

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Today is Election Day 2023

From the inbox: The Harris County Clerk’s Office reminds citizens that [today] is Election Day. 701 vote centers will be open across Harris County from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and registered voters can cast their ballots at a location … Continue reading

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Time once again for reimagining the Astrodome

Knock yourselves out. Alfonso Hernandez recalled growing up in a little town in Venezuela with a population of about 500,000 people, but still knowing what the Astrodome was due to seeing so many monumental moments on TV — including Nolan … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

A few thoughts about Tuesday turnout

We now know how many early votes were cast in Harris County for the November 2023 election. I’m now going to run through a few scenarios to show what the range of possibility is for overall final turnout. None of … Continue reading

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November 2023 Final EV totals: Records successfully broken

We had a big last day in early voting on Friday, as you can see below: Year Mail Early Total =============================== 2015 29,859 164,104 193,963 2019 15,304 137,460 152,764 2023 14,925 224,400 239,325 The final EV totals from 2015 are … Continue reading

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The crazy District G race

Wowsers. Days after Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted in his impeachment trial in late September, his attorney, Tony Buzbee, rode the win on a campaign stage, while his opponent Mary Nan Huffman tried to convince conservative District G voters … Continue reading

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A brief primer on driverless cars

From the Trib: It’s 8 p.m. in downtown Austin, and the electric cars silently exit the parking lot one by one — but no one is behind the wheel of any of them. The Cruise depot is full of people … Continue reading

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Don’t trash your pumpkins

Here are some better ideas. Looking for a new home for your pumpkin now that Halloween is over? Well, Houston might have the solution. The city is collecting pumpkins — carved, guts or otherwise — now through next Wednesday as … Continue reading

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8 day 2023 campaign finance reports – Houston Mayor

Election Day is next Tuesday, and candidates have (mostly) now filed their eight day reports, which is the last look we’ll get at how they’re doing campaign finance-wise before the votes are counted. I don’t have the time or the … Continue reading

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November 2023 Day Eleven EV totals: About to break records

With one day to go in early voting, we are about to set a record. Year Mail Early Total =============================== 2015 27,952 128,611 156,563 2019 14,280 103,945 118,225 2023 14,034 171,673 185,707 The final EV totals from 2015 are here … Continue reading

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November 2023 Day Nine EV totals: Just the numbers

Yesterday was Halloween, I’m still a little strung out from handing out Trick or Treat loot, so here’s just the updated numbers: Year Mail Early Total =============================== 2015 24,768 89,599 114,367 2019 11,356 76,613 87,989 2023 10,274 123,609 133,883 The … Continue reading

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November 2023 Day Eight EV totals: You can’t out-nerd me

This Chron story about early voting through Sunday made me grind my teeth. One week in, early voting turnout has surpassed the levels seen in the last two Houston mayoral elections — but not overwhelmingly so — perhaps a surprise … Continue reading

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Who still wants to teach at HISD?

This is bad, right? Perelman is one of 137 teachers who left Houston ISD during the first month of school this year, all but five of them of their own volition, according to public records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. … Continue reading

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November 2023 Day Seven EV totals: My one crazy theory

We are officially one week into early voting for the November 2023 election. Here’s how it’s been going in Harris County so far: Year Mail Early Total =============================== 2015 21,141 61,008 82,149 2019 6,799 55,937 62,736 2023 9,284 91,676 100,960 … Continue reading

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Another HISD threefer

Once again, too much news and too little time… HISD special ed teachers say new instructional model under Miles is too rigid to support children. Brian Tucker started getting help for a speech impairment and learning disability in second grade … Continue reading

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Ismaili Center construction milestone

Cool. Houston’s new Ismaili Center is set to reach its tallest point in construction in the coming days, marking a milestone celebrated by dignitaries and local officials during a topping-off ceremony Monday at the cultural landmark’s site in the Montrose … Continue reading

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Saturday video break: CityNerd visits Houston

An urban planner who has mostly heard negative things about Houston visits our city for a couple of days, and finds quite a bit about it that he likes: Found via Evan Mintz. It’s about 20 minutes (there’s about two … Continue reading

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California DMV pulls Cruise permits

Some bumps in the road there. Citing public safety concerns about Cruise‘s robotaxi line operating in San Francisco, California DMV officials announced Tuesday that the agency had suspended permits for the driverless cars deployed by General Motors’ autonomous vehicle subsidiary. … Continue reading

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Here’s the latest new area code

Hello, 621. Houston, you’re getting a new area code. On Wednesday, the Public Utility Commission of Texas announced they’ve approved the addition of 621 for the Houston area to keep up with the population growth we are seeing here in … Continue reading

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November 2023 Day Three EV totals: All in person

We’re at the first Friday of early voting for the November 2023 election, and a pattern is beginning to emerge. This is the data through Day Three: Year Mail Early Total =============================== 2015 18,196 27,596 45,792 2019 6,050 26,206 32,256 … Continue reading

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Challenge filed to the law barring felons from running for office

I’ll be keeping an eye on this. Derrick Broze, barred from the upcoming mayoral election because of a two-decades-old felony conviction, sued the state of Texas, arguing its election law is unconstitutional. Broze, a 38-year-old independent journalist and activist, started … Continue reading

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Rep. Jarvis Johnson to run for SD15

The field grows. Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, announced Tuesday he will run for Texas Senate to fill the seat currently held by mayoral candidate John Whitmire. “I know the issues affecting our communities. We’ve been neglected by the state. They’ve … Continue reading

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The recording

I have three things to say about this. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, expressed regret Monday and said she is “not perfect” after a recording came out that appeared to show her berating staff with profanity. Jackson Lee is … Continue reading

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November 2023 Day One EV totals: You’ve got no mail

It’s that time you’ve been waiting for, so here’s what you want: Year Mail Early Total =============================== 2015 14,240 8,891 23,131 2019 5,407 7,973 13,380 2023 3,289 12,740 16,029 The final EV totals from 2015 are here and the final … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: For Huffman in G, eventually

You really have to read all the way through this endorsement to understand who exactly it is they’re endorsing. Stop too soon, and you’ll get the wrong idea. We have a confession to make. When super-lawyer Tony Buzbee announced his … Continue reading

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Interview with Conchita Reyes

I’m always a little hesitant to say I’m done with interviews for a given cycle because there’s almost always a candidate who comes forward after I say that. Usually, it’s because we missed a connection earlier and when that happens … Continue reading

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