Category Archives: Local politics

Sounds good to me. About six months after Houston officials began filing their campaign contribution and spending reports in a searchable online database, Harris County’s top executive says he wants the county to follow suit. Faced with the rising profile … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Has it really been a full year since Orlando Sanchez was swept into the office of County Treasurer with a promise to actually do something with that otherwise useless office? Boy howdy, time does fly. Well, since I like to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This Chron overview of Chuck Rosenthal’s career promised “barbs and bouquets” for the soon-to-be-former DA, but it was mostly barbs. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Rosenthal’s performance in office predictably brought barbs and bouquets, with defense lawyers — those … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Could be. District attorney Chuck Rosenthal could face jail time and fines if a federal judge rules later this month that he is in contempt for deleting more than 2,000 e-mails that were subpoenaed in a federal civil rights case. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Congratulations to Mayor White, Annise Parker, and all our City Council members who were sworn in this very chilly morning. I’m glad I braved the cold to see some of my favorite public servants all on one stage together. After … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Outgoing City Council member Carol Alvarado joins Chris Bell in advocating an end to term limits in Houston. Think about it. The city is responsible for providing protection for the millions that work, live in and visit our city every … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Interesting. Under pressure from County Judge Ed Emmett, Mike Surface has resigned as chairman of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. Surface cited “personal and professional interests” as the reason why he was stepping down after serving nine years … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s the Chron story about Chuck Rosenthal’s apology statement. I’ll focus on what’s new here, some of which I had seen previously in the NYT and on Miya’s blog. Jared Woodfill, Harris County Republican Party Chairman, said he is meeting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The following is a press release from Harris County DA Chuck Rosenthal, which landed in my inbox a little while ago: Statement by Chuck Rosenthal Recently some Harris County District Attorney inner office emails have been released in the media. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The new billboard ordinance, which was put off till next year after pushback from beautification groups, has been delayed again so that the disagreements can be worked out. It had been scheduled to come up for council vote Jan. 9. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

For those of you who enjoy a good politics-and-sex story (and you know who you are), it would seem that Santa was very good to you, if a tad bit late. A federal judge this morning resealed dozens of e-mails … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The following was sent to me by Andy Neill: The civic group “Volunteers Organized to Exercise Responsibility” (V.O.T.E.R.) will be holding their annual Holiday Party and Fundraiser on Friday December 28th from 8:00 – 10:30 pm at Cadillac Bar – … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Looks like that proposed new billboard ordinance is a bit more controversial than it first appeared. The battle of the billboards, slated to erupt Wednesday at City Council, probably will be pushed off until early next year. A growing outcry … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Remember Michael Wolfe, the Harris County Department of Education trustee who was elected last year and caused a bit of a ruckus for his push to get the department’s headquarters named for his personal hero, Ronald Reagan? I didn’t blog … Continue reading →

I suppose I’m more amused than anything else by this article on how City Council has been taking action lately to impose some new rules on development in Houston. I don’t find anything frightening about the concept, nor am I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You may recall the kerfuffle between the City of Houston and HOPE over the latter’s radio ads concerning high school students answering 911 calls. The city had initially denied the claims made by HOPE and tried to quash the ads. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron continues its reporting on the campaign finance habits of Commissioners Court with a piece on how they spend all that loot they raise. In filings dating to January 2006, several commissioners, most notably Steve Radack and Jerry Eversole, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So early this morning I got a press release from HOPE about a radio ad they plan to run that highlights issues with the Houston Emergency Center (HEC). Houston public employees are calling on the city to fix long-standing problems … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I thought term limits were a bad idea when I first heard about them in the 1990s. It always seemed to me that everything you might reasonably hope to achieve with term limits you could get instead by some kind … Continue reading → Continue reading →

As we know, Mayor White has upped the rhetorial stakes in demanding action from local plants on cleaner air. The plants have for the most part claimed that they can’t meet his deadline. Turns out there’s more to the story … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Interesting overview of Mayor White’s upcoming final term in office. Fresh off his re-election this month, Mayor Bill White heads into his final term with the most ideologically aligned City Council since taking office in 2004. When newly elected members … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The poor, discombobulated Fort Bend GOP may be able to get out of limbo by the end of this month. The Fort Bend County Republican Party Executive Committee is planning a special meeting, possibly on Nov. 29, to take the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The poor Fort Bend GOP. I almost feel sorry for them in their current predicament. County GOP Chairman Gary Gillen stunned political officials and activists Thursday when he announced that he and party Treasurer Richard McCarter, Secretary Nancy Porter and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Have I mentioned lately that 2008 is going to be a very interesting year around here? Yes, I think I have. And it’s stuff like this that keeps fueling such statements. In a surprise announcement before an audience of elected … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Mayor White has turned his attention once again towards the big polluters in the Houston area with a message to shape up or else. Mayor Bill White on Monday gave industrial polluters six months to clean up their act. His … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Culminating their week of activities related to contract negotiations, the Houston Organization of Public Employees (HOPE) had a candlelight vigil at City Hall last night. Hundreds of Houston civilian employees gathered on the steps of City Hall on Thursday evening … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve mentioned before that Council Member Peter Brown has been living on $92.12 this week ($23.03 a day for four days), which is what the wages of city health department worker Belinda Rodriguez allows. He’s blogging about his experience here, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Houston Organization of Public Employees, a/k/a HOPE, has been making its case for better wages for the city’s public employees. The event was the latest public-relations move taken by the union, which also has sent dozens of members to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You may recall that passions got so enflamed during the debate over the token tax cut that County Judge Ed Emmett threatened to file a lawsuit against Charles Bacarisse for wantonly misrepresenting his position, or something like that. It would … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Woodlands non-annexation deal has been approved by City Council. Houston will not annex The Woodlands under a deal approved unanimously by City Council on Wednesday. Woodlands residents still have three propositions related to the agreement on the Nov. 6 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

On the Council agenda today: the deal to not annex the Woodlands. Woodlands residents have begun early voting on three ballot propositions related to the area’s future. Although unable to vote on the agreement themselves, the residents will decide whether … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Harris County Commissioners Court has approved the token tax cut that was proposed last week. Here’s all you need to know: The cut will save the average homeowner whose home is worth about $161,000 about $12 annually. Corporations with large … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s an update to the billboard ordinance lawsuit, from earlier this week. A federal judge on Tuesday clarified her recent order enjoining the city’s sign ordinance, allowing inspectors to again enforce most provisions in the code. U.S. District Judge Melinda … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve blogged quite a bit about CHIP, and I’ve blogged about the new public employees union in Houston. Here’s a video clip that combines the two: Please take a moment to visit Houston, We Have A Problem to learn more … Continue reading → Continue reading →