Category Archives: Local politics

The HPD transparency portal

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is good. Traffic stops. Discipline. Use of force. Following widespread calls for police accountability, Houston residents now can use the city’s “Police Transparency Hub” to get far more detailed, accessible information about some of police’s most controversial topics than … Continue reading →

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

HCC Trustee accused of sexual harassment

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A Houston Community College instructor who accused a college board of trustees member of sexual harassment said HCC executives, including the college’s chancellor, were aware of the misconduct but did nothing to stop it. Documents obtained by the Houston … Continue reading →

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Harris County and Houston appeal to HUD for flood funds

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this helps. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday asked U.S. Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge to set a 30-day deadline for the Texas General Land Office to formally request $750 million in federal flood … Continue reading →

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Flood Control District director to resign

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Russ Poppe submitted a letter of resignation to Commissioners Court on Friday, saying he plans to step down July 2. Poppe, 45, said the demands of the job, which have grown significantly … Continue reading →

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Bring in an outside investigator

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the Chron editorial board’s advice for Constable Alan Rosen. Rosen’s office declined to comment to the editorial board Thursday, but in an earlier statement, he said that when he was made aware of the allegations, he “proactively” ordered an … Continue reading →

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City’s budget passes

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There was a little bit of drama, but nothing too big. Houston’s City Council voted Wednesday to approve a $5.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year that relies heavily on a massive infusion of federal aid to close a … Continue reading →

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Another deputy constable files suit

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More bad. When Precinct 1 Constable deputies accused their bosses of sexually exploiting them during undercover vice operations last week, their attorney vowed there would likely be more allegations in the near future. On Wednesday, Cordt Akers returned to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Here comes our boring budget

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Save the drama for the budget amendments. A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Sylvester Turner painted a dire picture of the city’s finances as he laid out his plan to balance last year’s $5 billion city budget. Like … Continue reading →

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Threat level down again

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Friday downgraded the county to the yellow COVID-19 threat level, citing improving metrics for the virus here coupled with increasing vaccinations. “This is an important and encouraging, but still fragile, milestone in our … Continue reading →

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State Reps to P Bush: Reconsider

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nearly all of the Harris County State Reps have written a letter to Land Commissioner George P Bush asking him to reconsider the ridiculous process that completely shut Houston and Harris County out of federal flooding funds. A bipartisan group … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Threat level down

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Been waiting for this for some time. Harris County finally will downgrade from its highest COVID-19 threat level, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Monday evening, after 47 weeks of urging residents to stay home. Hidalgo said the effectiveness of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Houston gets to have a boring budget

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, President Biden and all you voters in Georgia! Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to use an influx of federal cash to give firefighters a “raise the city can afford,” expand the Houston Police Department and replace lost revenue from the … Continue reading →

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A little incentive

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If it takes a reward of some kind to get a few more people to be vaccinated against COVID, I’m fine with that. To increase the rate of vaccinations, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved giving incentives to citizens. At … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court partially fills the flood bond funding gap

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Commissioners Court took initial steps this week to plug a $1.4 billion funding hole for its flood bond program by diverting revenue from the county’s toll roads system. Court members also laid out a “backstop” plan to … Continue reading →

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Sheriff Gonzalez nominated to lead ICE

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he will nominate Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, a vocal skeptic of cooperating with federal immigration authorities in certain circumstances, to serve as director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As head of … Continue reading →

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Harris County drops its vaccine waitlist

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sign up and get a shot if you haven’t already. Harris County Public Health has ended its waitlist for COVID-19 vaccinations, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday. The new portal at ReadyHarris.org allows residents to register, after which they can … Continue reading →

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Should Harris County lower its threat level?

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe? According to Harris County’s COVID-19 guidance, residents should avoid all unnecessary contact with others. They should not go to bars or barbecues or ballgames. They should work from home if possible and leave only for errands, such as groceries … Continue reading →

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Where are we with Houston police reform?

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It feels like it’s been on the back burner for awhile, but we’re about to get some action this month. Houston officials are developing a system for residents to report police misconduct online and will announce changes later this month … Continue reading →

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Here come the petitions for the latest charter amendment effort

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still skeptical of this, but we’ll see how it goes. A coalition pushing to give Houston City Council members more input at City Hall says it has gathered the required 20,000 signatures to place a charter amendment on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Get your shot at the airport

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I applaud the creative thinking, which we will continue to need. Parking lots at Bush and Hobby airports soon will be home to mass vaccination clinics for the Houston Health Department, as the supply of shots continues to ramp up. … Continue reading →

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Consent decree to fix sewers finalized

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All done. A federal judge on Wednesday signed off on a deal between Houston and federal regulators that will require the city to spend an estimated $2 billion over the next 15 years to upgrade its troubled sanitary sewer system. … Continue reading →

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Meet your new voting machines

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Long time coming. Harris County’s new voting machine, which county leaders showed off on Wednesday, incorporates old and new technology the county election administrator says will make voting easier and boost public confidence in elections. The Hart InterCivic Verity Duo, … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner selects the new HPD Chief

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Chief Finner. Houston’s next police chief will be Troy Finner, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Thursday afternoon. Finner is one of outgoing Chief Art Acevedo’s two top assistant chiefs. Turner’s decision comes just days after Acevedo abruptly announced that he … Continue reading →

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Flood funding shortfall

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Still trying to understand this. Harris County on Tuesday revealed a $1.4 billion shortfall in funding for flood control projects under the bond program voters approved in 2018, a massive miscalculation that threatens to cause construction delays and cost taxpayers … Continue reading →

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Who might succeed Acevedo?

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Names are floating about. With Police Chief Art Acevedo announcing his departure from Houston, law enforcement insiders say they believe Mayor Sylvester Turner is likely to select one of Acevedo’s two top assistants — Executive Assistant Chiefs Troy Finner and … Continue reading →

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HPD Chief Art Acevedo leaving

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Headed to Miami. Police Chief Art Acevedo is leaving Houston to take over the Miami Police Department, the chief told his officers in an email obtained by the Chronicle. Acevedo informed HPD troops in an email dated Monday, March 15, … Continue reading →

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What the American Rescue Plan means to Houston

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

First and foremost, no layoffs. Houston and Harris County are expected to receive more than $1.5 billion through the stimulus bill approved by Congress Wednesday, providing a massive cash injection that city officials say will help close a budget shortfall … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

LGBT certification for Houston city contractors

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. Houston on Thursday became the first city in Texas to add a certification for LGBT-owned businesses in city contracting. Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order adding the certification during an event with the National LGBT Chamber … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Harris County considers its ERCOT responses

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe ERCOT isn’t right for us. Harris County should consider leaving the state’s main power grid after it failed to prevent widespread blackouts for more than half of Houston-area residents last week, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said Monday. Garcia … Continue reading →

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Harris County approves its budget

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good priorities. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved a $3.3 billion general fund budget that includes new investments in pollution control, public health and attorneys for indigent criminal defendants. The $64 million in new spending represents a 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

On Judge Hidalgo’s principles and politics

Posted on February 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This op-ed about Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo looks at her background and her style as an elected official to explore her political future. The question remains, is Hidalgo so focused on being a benevolent wonk that she ignores the … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court approves funds for new voting machines

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Long awaited. Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved a $54 million deal to replace the current eSlate machines with ones featuring touch screens, a paper backup and features that make voting more accessible for seniors and residents with disabilities. The … Continue reading →

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That new Harris County vaccine signup page sure is popular

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If you didn’t get through on Day One, keep trying. More than 49,000 people have managed to get onto Harris County’s new COVID-19 vaccination wait list Tuesday despite technical issues that diminished access for some to the county’s website. Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Our petty Governor

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sheesh. Gov. Greg Abbott met with hospital executives in Houston on Tuesday to discuss the state’s coronavirus vaccine rollout, while appearing to snub city and county officials who are overseeing a bulk of the distribution. The Republican governor said the … Continue reading →

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