Monthly Archives: October 2015

McNair rescinds anti-HERO contribution

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? Earlier this month, billionaire Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans NFL team, donated $10,000 to the Campaign for Houston, a coalition working to defeat the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO). That campaign has repeatedly … Continue reading →

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Yet another Obamacare lawsuit

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some things never get old. n Texas’ latest salvo against Obamacare, Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit over a fee states must help cover to pay for the sweeping federal health reform law. Texas joins Louisiana and Kansas in … Continue reading →

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The economy takes its toll on state revenue

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Nothin’ but good times ahead, though, right? Transportation funding could take a hit under new revenue projections by State Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who on Tuesday lowered his forecast of state tax collections by $4.6 billion in the face of a … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Revisiting the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs list, part 17

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s their list. 1. California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and The Papas (#89) 2. My Girl – The Temptations (#88) 3. Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen (#86) 4. Crazy – Patsy Cline (#85) 5. Every Breath You Take – The … Continue reading →

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State goes fishing against Planned Parenthood

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Days after Texas health officials announced they want to kick Planned Parenthood out of the state Medicaid program, state investigators on Thursday visited Planned Parenthood facilities in San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Investigators with the Texas Health … Continue reading →

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Paxton recuses himself from lots of regular AG activity

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Other people in the AG’s office are doing parts of Ken Paxton’s job because right now he can’t. The AG’s office has followed agency policy, state rules and laws to screen Paxton from participating in matters where he may have … Continue reading →

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Please rethink this, UIL

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bad idea. The governing body for Texas high school sports decided Monday to ask superintendents to determine whether to formalize a policy that uses student-athletes’ birth certificates to determine their gender. Such a policy already is informally used by the … Continue reading →

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Uber returns to San Antonio

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They’re back. The ink had barely dried on the signed operating agreement when ride-hailing firm Uber restarted operations in San Antonio Tuesday, ahead of competitor Lyft, which agreed to a deal in August but has yet to implement services here. … Continue reading →

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Day 4 EV 2015 totals

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be lazy for one more day. Year Early Mail Total Mailed ====================================== 2015 36,321 19,789 56,110 42,520 2013 21,193 13,322 34,515 30,096 The running 2015 totals are here, the full 2013 totals are here, and for completeness the full … Continue reading →

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Thanks but no thanks, Ken

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County will continue to pursue its own lawsuit against VW. Harris County has responded to Ken Paxton’s request to drop its lawsuit against scandal-plagued Volkswagen. Its answer? A polite no. […] In a reply to Paxton dated Oct. 15, … Continue reading →

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The parks part of the county bond package

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The plans are more specific for the part of the bond package that’s easier to sell. Commissioner Jack Morman thinks of the East Aldine residents waiting outside Crowley Park before dawn for workers to unlock the gates. Commissioner Steve Radack … Continue reading →

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Metro once again considers advertising

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And I once again say go for it. Thursday, Metropolitan Transit Authority board members will consider researching options for putting ads inside buses and trains, as well as text-based ads for those who use the system’s next-bus texting service. Metro … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 19

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready to vote as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Day 3 EV 2015 totals

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

No fanfare today Year Early Mail Total Mailed ====================================== 2015 27,596 18,196 45,752 41,994 2013 15,595 12,033 27,628 29,538 The running 2015 totals are here, the full 2013 totals are here, and for completeness the full 2009 totals are here. … Continue reading →

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Day 2 EV 2015 totals: Why I’m using 2013 as my basis for comparison and not 2009

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

But first, here’s yesterday’s Chron story about Day One turnout: Turnout as of the first day of early voting in Harris County more than tripled from 2009, when Houston last elected a new mayor, though it is too soon to … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick buys airtime for anti-HERO ads

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he does. With the start of early voting Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick began lending his voice and his pocketbook to radio and TV ads urging Houston voters to reject the city’s embattled equal rights ordinance. At a … Continue reading →

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Paxton will get his hands on grand jury info

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for Team Paxton. A district judge ruled Friday to grant information related to the selection of Collin County grand juries to Attorney General Ken Paxton’s defense team. The ruling by District Judge George Galllagher came over objections by … Continue reading →

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Droughts will always be with us

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Remember how wet and rainy it was earlier this year? It ain’t like that now, though we do have some rain coming later this week. After an uncharacteristically wet early-summer across Texas, the Lone Star state’s weather has turned dry … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jew Don Boney

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And we come to my final interview of the 2015 cycle. I would have published an interview with Jew Don Boney earlier, but schedule conflicts happen, so here we are now. A longtime community activist, Boney served as an aide … Continue reading →

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Time to get out the vote

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A look at the strategies for turning out the vote for various Mayoral campaigns. In the days before Monday’s start to early voting, Houston’s top mayoral campaigns moved to mobilize their volunteer forces, aiming to ensure their supporters make it … Continue reading →

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Texas vs Planned Parenthood, part one million

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This was going to happen sooner or later. Texas health officials say they are kicking Planned Parenthood out of the state Medicaid program entirely over what they called “acts of misconduct” revealed in undercover videos filmed earlier this year. Republican … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of HCC Trustee races

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As always, HCC Trustee races don’t get as much attention as they deserve. Since the 2013 election put four new trustees – Zeph Capo, Robert Glaser, Dave Wilson and Adriana Tamez – on the board, one trustee, Carroll Robinson, has … Continue reading →

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Day One EV 2015 totals

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are, fresh from the inbox: Year Early Mail Total Mailed ====================================== 2015 8,889 14,240 23,129 40,626 2013 5,028 8,560 13,588 28,620 The 2015 Day One file is here, and the final 2013 file is here. A few observations: … Continue reading →

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Interview with Adrian Garcia

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of my Mayoral interviews, and almost the end of all my interviews for this cycle. Adrian Garcia was the last major candidate to officially join the race, though he was unofficially in it for months … Continue reading →

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My sense of where things stand right now

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an aggregation of the polls we’ve seen so far: Candidate HAR HRBC KHOU KPRC Avg ======================================== Turner 19 24 19 20 20.50 Garcia 19 14 9 13 13.75 King 10 18 9 14 12.75 Bell 10 11 6 12 … Continue reading →

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Are we ever going to get a redistricting ruling?

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Texas Election Law Blog: As Rick Hasen has reported, [Wednesday] the plaintiffs in the 2011 redistricting lawsuit asked the three-judge panel for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division to enjoin the State of Texas from using … Continue reading →

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The economic impact of the high speed rail line

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It could be a lot, if one study is to be believed. An analysis of a planned high-speed line between Houston and Dallas shows the $10 billion-plus project will have an economic impact roughly three times its expected price tag, … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 18

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

“Mom says she’s busy and that you should just tell me where the thing is, because I promised not to get it.” Yes, I have had these conversations with my children. Also, too, the Lamentations of the Father are still … Continue reading →

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Early voting starts tomorrow

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Harris County Clerk: Early Voting for the upcoming November 3, 2015 Election starts Monday, Oct. 19 and runs through Friday, Oct. 30. There are 41 Harris County Early Voting locations, some of which have changed. The Houston Community … Continue reading →

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A new Uber competitor enters the scene

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Get Me. Less than two years after Uber disrupted Houston’s taxi market – with most of that time spent largely competition-free – the company now finds itself the established player facing upstart competition. Get Me, a Dallas-based company that … Continue reading →

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What is coercion, anyway?

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It could be the defining legacy of Rick Perry’s career, depending on how things go in the courts. The coercion law has been used only sparingly in Texas, according to records for the past five years, and some legal experts … Continue reading →

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Stoking the Clinton-Castro speculation

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all talk for now, but it’s nice talk to hear. Accepting Julián Castro’s endorsement Thursday, Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton addressed speculation he could serve as her running mate, saying she plans to “really look hard at him for … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: One Farias, two Farias

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There’s one state race on the ballot this year, where there’s a special election in HD118 to succeed the retiring Rep. Joe Farias. The San Antonio Express News has endorsed Gabe Farias in that race. Six candidates — three Democrats … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Hold On

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

How about a little Corey Hart for your Saturday afternoon? That was on the Beverly Hills Cop 2 soundtrack. I feel certain I saw that movie back in the day, but I have no memory of it. Moving on to … Continue reading →

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