Category Archives: Local politics

White v. Vasquez

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Tax Assessor Leo Vasquez says Look at me!” Mayor Bill White and Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Leo Vasquez traded barbs Tuesday over two contracts that have led relations between the city and county to what Mayor Bill White … Continue reading →

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Tax cuts have consequences

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’re all familiar with the financial constraints that the city of Houston is operating under. Harris County is experiencing similar problems. “As best we can tell appraisals are going to be flat, if not down a little, so that means … Continue reading →

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More back and forth on the latest jail proposal

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits argues that the latest proposal to build a new processing center for the jail would result in a tax increase because of the need to hire more staff, which is not accounted for in the bonds. The Chron wonders … Continue reading →

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Sheriff to try again for new jail facility

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Sheriff Adrian Garcia wants to take another crack at building a new jail facility. As was the case in 2007, when a referendum to float bonds for a new jail was voted down, this too would be voted on by … Continue reading →

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Solar power for Houston hits a snag

Posted on November 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in September, I noted a deal that the City of Houston was working on with a firm called NRG to build a solar plant that would supply some of the city’s power needs. This deal has apparently hit a … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court wants a lapdog, not a watchdog

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in June, we learned that County Attorney Vince Ryan was going after polluters that had been ignoring court orders to clean up their acts. You would think this would be a good thing to do – you know, enforcing … Continue reading →

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The Sports Authority responds

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

J. Kent Friedman, the chairman of the board of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, contributes this op-ed to counter the idea that taxpayers may be on the hook for some of its obligations. • • Up to $4 million per year … Continue reading →

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County puts off vote on helping the city deny vehicle registration to red light camera scofflaws

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. For the second time in a month, Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday postponed a vote on an agreement with the city to block vehicle registrations for red-light camera violators who do not pay their fines. Court members … Continue reading →

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The hole the Sports Authority is in

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Sure is a great time for stuff like this to happen, isn’t it? Harris County taxpayers may have to inject up to $7 million a year into the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority for the next two years due to a … Continue reading →

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County doesn’t want to help city collect red light camera fines

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last year, City Council passed an ordinance that would put a hold on vehicle registrations for which there are outstanding red light camera fines. The city’s ability to do this is contingent on cooperation from the county, as it is … Continue reading →

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Term limits review on the horizon

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Without much fanfare, the Houston City Council agreed to the creation of a committee to study the often talked about issue of term limits. Currently, the Mayor, Controller, and City Council are elected for two years terms a maximum … Continue reading →

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City of Houston social media

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The City of Houston is doing it in the Facebook with the Twittering, plus some bonus YouTube action as well. Follow BARC, various Community Affairs offices, the George R. Brown Convention Center, and more, some of which update more often … Continue reading →

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Solar power for Houston

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston will go solar for some of its energy needs. Under a 25-year proposed agreement being announced today, the city of Houston will buy power for its buildings from the plant, which will be the largest solar … Continue reading →

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Where some money for new spending will come from

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now that we’ve all been warned about the dangers of new spending in Houston’s government, it should be noted that there is some money available for various projects, thanks to the stimulus package. Via City Controller Annise Parker’s September newsletter: … Continue reading →

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District H townhall meetings

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston City Councilman Ed Gonzalez is sponsoring two town hall meetings in District H. Heights town hall meeting, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 at Reagan High School, 413 E. 13th St. Washington Avenue Corridor town hall meeting, … Continue reading →

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The jounalists are coming! Eek!

Posted on September 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill has a panic attack. The chairman of the Harris County Republican Party sharply criticized Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia Thursday for granting jail access to a reporter and videographer from Al Jazeera English, an … Continue reading →

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Saavedra’s exit interview

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now-former HISD Superintendent Abe Saavedra grades his performance. His answers are sadly too short to most of the questions. I’d really have liked to have heard more on this: Q: If you could wave a magic wand and unilaterally change … Continue reading →

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The city’s current budget situation

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

With the way the economy has been over the past year, we shouldn’t be surprised that the city of Houston is facing a revenue shortfall – the same thing is happening at the state level as well. The question is … Continue reading →

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More on the city-county TIRZ deal

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron does a kind of big picture overview story of the city-county TIRZ deal that we heard about earlier this week. If successful, the months-long negotiations between the city and Harris County could provide a solution for problems that … Continue reading →

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Terry and Abe

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another get-to-know-Terry Grier story, focusing on his time in San Diego. The most interesting bit to me is right here: Abelardo Saavedra, the man Grier is in line to replace in Houston, endured more than his share of criticism … Continue reading →

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Parents get their vote on HISD school construction projects

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The battle between a parents group and some HISD trustees had been waging with HISD Board President Larry Marshall over getting a vote for some school construction projects that the parents said had been promised during the 2007 bond referendum … Continue reading →

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The Sheriff and the deputies

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I had mentioned before that there was some discontent from the Sheriff’s deputies bubbling up, mostly in the form of emails sent to Carl Whitmarsh’s listserv. Earlier today, the following was sent out: SHERIFF GARCIA, KEEP YOUR PROMISES A Labor … Continue reading →

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No vote from HISD on several school upgrades

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I noted that a parents group and some HISD trustees were complaining about there not being a vote on three school construction projects that were promised as part of the 2007 bond referendum. Even though we now have … Continue reading →

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A city-county threefer?

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering why there didn’t seem to be any progress in making a Dynamo Stadium deal, it appears the reason for that is there will be much more to it than just a stadium deal. The city … Continue reading →

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Q&A with Terry Grier

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Learn more about our new HISD Superintendent here and here. One thing to highlight, from the first link: Q: What are your priorities for HISD? A: Houston is a good urban district. It has the potential to be the best … Continue reading →

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Meet the new HISD boss

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s more on Terry Grier, the new HISD Superintendent-to-be. Grier, 59, has been at the helm of the 135,000-student San Diego Unified School District since March 2008. He’s won support for his efforts to boost student achievement and curb dropouts, … Continue reading →

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Parents call on HISD to keep promises Saavedra made

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

With the revelation that HISD may have chosen its new superintendent, this Chron story from yesterday about how parent groups who were promised certain specific actions from outgoing Superintendent Abe Saavedra relating to the bond referendum, and the Board of … Continue reading →

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Has HISD chosen its new superintendent?

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron says Yes. The man in charge of the San Diego, Calif. public schools has emerged as the frontrunner to take over the Houston Independent School District, the Houston Chronicle has learned. Terry Grier, superintendent of the San Diego … Continue reading →

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When county officials cooperate

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I was sent a copy of this story as a PDF a few days ago, and I’m glad to see (via Hair Balls) that it’s available online. It’s about the level of cooperation between Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos … Continue reading →

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Lone Star Project on Bohac

Posted on August 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, the Lone Star Project took a look at how now-reassigned Associate Voter Registrar Ed Johnson got his hands on drivers license data, which he and his business partner State Rep. Dwayne Bohac then used to sell campaign data … Continue reading →

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Eight candidates for HISD Superintendent

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t know who the candidates are for HISD Superintendent, but at least we know how many of them there are. There’s a Heisenberg joke in there somewhere, I’m just not certain how to find it. The Houston school board … Continue reading →

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Jones and Caynon, take two

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you thought that the fight between Council Member Jolanda Jones and Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association president Jeff Caynon was over, think again. Earlier this week, City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones sent out a letter with nearly 70 names collected … Continue reading →

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Mickey Leland, 20 years later

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Twenty years ago today, US Representative Mickey Leland died in a plane crash while on a humanitarian trip to Ethiopia. His widow Alison Leland and State Sen. Rodney Ellis remember his legacy in today’s Chron. Twenty years ago our city, … Continue reading →

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Hammerlein, too

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron confirms the Lone Star Project report about Ed Johnson being reassigned in the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office, and adds on to it. Two Harris County officials at the center of an ongoing dispute over what the Texas … Continue reading →

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