Category Archives: Local politics

This story about commercial property valuations rising is no surprise, but there’s a staggering piece of baloney in it that really needs a response. Commercial property values in Harris County increased an average of 34 percent this year amid a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Mayor White has a new plan to target chemical plants that have dragged their feet about reducing benzene emissions: Contesting their permit renewals with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ): The plan represents a shift in White’s focus from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Things got a mite testy at the Commissioners Court meeting yesterday. Commissioners Court blasted a report critical of Harris County’s lease-purchase deals on Tuesday before voting unanimously to accept its recommendations to more closely analyze all major real estate transactions … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Commissioners Court wants to make it easier for builders to be green. Companies that build environmentally friendly facilities in Harris County could get a sizable property tax break under a proposal to be considered by Commissioners Court today. The plan … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Good. State Sen. Rodney Ellis and other lawmakers today said they have asked the Texas attorney general to investigate the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s surveillance of two brothers who successfully sued the county and the Sheriff’s Office. Ellis, D-Houston, said … Continue reading → Continue reading →

KTRK’s Ted Oberg advances the ball on the Big Sheriff Is Watching You story. It’s no surprise that when Sheriff Thomas was sued, the county’s lawyers wanted to know who was suing. That’s pretty standard in any lawsuit. To do … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Unbelievable. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged Tuesday that deputies were assigned to watch two brothers who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the department over their arrest during a 2002 drug raid. Sheriff’s Capt. John Martin said one … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Mayor’s proposed budget for 2009 has something for everyone, which no doubt also means something for everyone to complain about. Mayor Bill White unveiled a record $4 billion budget proposal Tuesday, calling for a sharp increase in spending on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I suppose this is reasonable enough. On the heels of unprecedented scrutiny of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, interim District Attorney Ken Magidson won approval from Commissioners Court on Tuesday to create a public information office at a cost … Continue reading → Continue reading →

While it’s true that some officials may be shocked to see the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) come out in favor of the big polluters in their lawsuit against the city over its air quality ordinance, I don’t think … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The School Zone blog has a nice account of the marathon Harris County Department of Education meeting at which HCDE Trustee/bad boy Michael Wolfe was censured and asked to resign (the official letter of censure can be found here). This … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Time for another update on Michael Wolfe, Harris County’s wackiest Department of Education trustee. Previous installments are here and here. After months of talking about it, his fellow HCDE Trustees have made it official: They want him to resign. After … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s a lot less than what he asked for, but Lloyd Kelley will still get a lot of money out of the Ibarra case. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Harris County to pay more than $1.4 million in legal … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I like the sound of this. Houston builders will have to incorporate “green” design techniques such as heat-trapping vestibules and “cool roofs” that deflect sunlight under a proposed new energy code for commercial buildings. The City Council could pass the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This is cool. From a press release from the HGLBT Political Caucus. The Houston GLBT Political Caucus is pleased to announce the appointment of Jenifer Pool, President of the Caucus, to the City of Houston’s Building and Standards Commission. Jenifer … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If your neighborhood is lax about curbside recycling, it might lose that service. The city has compiled a naughty-and-nice list of neighborhoods that get curbside recycling pickup, and those with poor participation rates may get booted from the program, officials … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Last week, the Ibarra brothers sought a hearing to withdraw their settlement agreement with Harris County and take their case to trial, on the grounds that the county violated that agreement by paying the legal fees for two attorneys who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

When the news broke about the Ibarra brothers wanting to cancel the settlement agreement in their lawsuit against the Sheriff’s office, I wondered if it was because the county was paying for the appeal two lawyers who had been barred … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You know that settlement agreement in the lawsuit against the Sheriff’s office? It may not be so settled after all. The county paid Sean Carlos Ibarra and Erik Adam Ibarra the agreed settlement on April 1, but the brothers want … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The deal with Clear Channel to take down 831 billboards, which was presumably tagged by Council last week, has now been approved unanimously. The agreement with Clear Channel Outdoor would remove 831 small and medium-sized billboards — a two-thirds reduction … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The deal with Clear Channel to take down over 800 billboards has been delayed for a week by City Council. The council is expected to take up the agreement at next week’s meeting. It calls for the company to dismantle … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Good. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office policy of automatically deleting e-mails after 14 days violates state law, a judge has ruled. State district Judge David J. Bernal issued a permanent injunction on Monday, preventing the department from implementing the policy … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Back in December, a plan to get Clear Channel to take down 800+ billboards was proposed by Mayor White, but it ran into resistance and was ultimately put off till later because of concerns that it would allow existing billboards … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In the ongoing battle over revenue cap referenda, the city scored a victory in the courts yesterday. Anti-tax activist Bruce Hotze lost a legal battle with the city on Thursday, but said he will continue to fight for a cap … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Harris County has responded to Lloyd Kelly’s request for $4.4 million in fees for work relating to the Ibarra lawsuit against Sheriff Tommy Thomas. Their response, in brief: No effing way! “Lloyd Kelley’s request for attorneys’ fees is excessive,” said … Continue reading → Continue reading →

With all their setbacks in court, the local strip clubs are contemplating other options. Eric Langan says he may respond to the U.S. Supreme Court with pasties. Langan, 39, is the chief executive officer of Houston-based Rick’s Cabaret International Inc., … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Slap! A federal judge on Friday ordered former Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal to pay $18,900 in sanctions after finding him in contempt of court for deleting more than 2,500 e-mails that had been subpoenaed for a federal civil … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The collective bargaining agreement that was ratified by HOPE last week has now been officially accepted by City Council. Houston municipal workers celebrated Wednesday after the City Council approved a union contract that will give 13,200 employees an immediate 3 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The new contract that the city agreed on with HOPE has now been ratified by the union and will be taken up by the city next. The Houston City Council plans to consider the measure during its meeting next week. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Earlier this week, Commissioners Court voted to review all the real estate deals they made with a couple of guys who are now caught up in a federal bribery investigation. The Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to review all of Harris … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Ka-ching! The lawyer who asked a federal judge to pay his legal team $4.4 million this week for representing two brothers in a civil rights case settled this month wants $132,000 more for past and potential legal work on the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Woof! Lloyd Kelley, the Houston lawyer who won a $1.7 million civil rights settlement for two brothers who took photos of a 2002 drug raid, has asked a federal judge for $4.4 million in attorney’s fees. Harris County leaders voted … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The last appeal (in federal court, anyway) by the local sexually oriented businesses over the city’s ability to enforce the 1997 anti-SOB ordinance has come to an end for the clubs. The city’s long fight to regulate sexually oriented businesses … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Meet the new temporary District Attorney, Kenneth Magidson. “My main purpose in being here today is to address the people of Harris County and tell them that I expect, and this office expects us to uphold their trust and faith … Continue reading → Continue reading →