Monthly Archives: May 2019

How to rig the Census

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is how you would do it. The Trump administration’s controversial effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census was drawn up by the Republican Party’s gerrymandering mastermind, who wrote that it “would clearly be a disadvantage to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

We won’t get rid of Dan Patrick that easily

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll have to do it ourselves. He won’t do it for us. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has no plans to leave Texas, he said on the day before lawmakers finish up what he called the “most successful session in modern … Continue reading →

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Saint Arnold’s silver anniversary

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A very happy anniversary to them. There is nothing particularly unique about the start-up story behind Saint Arnold. [Founder Brock] Wagner, 54, had been working as an investment banker when he decided to chuck the suit and tie and try … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will the next SOS be any better than David Whitley?

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Anything is possible, but don’t count on it. Voting rights advocates are celebrating Whitley’s forced departure, but said they have no illusions that his successor will be any more committed to upholding voting rights for all Texans. “There is certainly … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston’s up-and-down population growth

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It was up and now it’s down. San Antonio gained 24,208 residents between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, annual population estimates just released by the federal agency show. That amounts to an average of 66 people per day, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fee collecting time

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Worthwhile effort, but keep expectations modest. Harris County has an $80 million backlog of uncollected civil court fees dating back to the 1980s, new District Clerk Marilyn Burgess said, prompting her office to launch an aggressive collection effort. Burgess said … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 27

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks pardoning war criminals is a lousy way to celebrate Memorial Day as it brings you this week’s roundup. Off the Kuff analyzed the odd bill to improve ballot access to third parties and the possible … Continue reading →

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The view to the next session

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This legislative session was relatively free of drama (you can decide for yourself how substantive it was in other ways), but the forthcoming election season will be anything but, with control of the Legislature and all that means at stake. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another big flood would be bad

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Breaking news, but this is worth paying attention to. Housing sales would drop, gasoline prices would increase and Texas would lose hundreds of billions of dollars in economic output if a major storm struck an unprotected coastline, according to a … Continue reading →

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Orlando Sanchez’s water-pourer lawsuit dismissed

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when former Treasurer Orlando Sanchez filed a million dollar lawsuit against the doofus who poured a glass of water over his head at the press conference where Sanchez was begging the state to take over HISD? Well, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adios, David Whitley

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sine die and see ya. The ill-fated tenure of Texas Secretary of State David Whitley has come to an end. The Texas Senate gaveled out Monday without confirming the state’s top election official, who served for less than half a … Continue reading →

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Still working on the light rail options for MetroNEXT

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The most interesting part of this discussion of where a proposed extension of the Green and/or Purple lines to Hobby Airport may go is unfortunately not on the drawing board at this time. Speaking before the METRO board, District I … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sea levels rise, property values drop

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Cool, cool, cool. Sea level rise has cost Texas homeowners $76.4 million in potential property value, with Galveston hit the hardest, a new study released Tuesday found. First Street Foundation and Columbia University analysts examined about 3 million coastal properties … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Pickle ’em if you got ’em

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A victory for home foodies. In a victory for home cooks across Texas, the Legislature has expanded the state’s definition of the word “pickle,” allowing for pickled beets, carrots and other produce to be easily sold at farmers’ markets alongside … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How secure is the future of ridesharing?

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just a couple of recent stories that got me thinking. Item One: Uber’s business model isn’t all there: While there’s optimism about elements of the core business, the company lost more than $3 billion on operations in 2018, revenue growth slowed … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 26

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

“[N]one of the people who submit grievances to the form will have their accounts restored or content promoted. They won’t get explanations for why social media isn’t working the way they think it should, and they almost certainly won’t get … Continue reading →

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Who needs disaster recovery funds?

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not this guy. A bipartisan group of Texas members of Congress will have to wait until early next month to see passage on a long-sought measure that will release more than $4 billion dollars in aid to parts of Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Appeals court affirms pension bond lawsuit

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this is now over. The Texas 1st Court of Appeals has struck down an appeal from a Houston businessman who contested the city’s 2017 pension bond referendum, appearing to end the legal challenge that began almost a year and … Continue reading →

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Our measles risk

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Do I spend too much time worrying about stuff like this, or do I not spend enough time on it? Harris County is one of the nation’s most vulnerable counties to a measles outbreak, according to a new study based … Continue reading →

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More info on the school finance bill

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what we know. Before final negotiations, the House’s version of HB 3 cost $9.4 billion, and the Senate’s cost a whopping $14.8 billion, according to Texas Education Agency calculations. The final cost is around $11.6 billion, according to lawmakers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One simple thing the Republicans could do to maybe get David Whitley confirmed

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is a long story about how Democratic Senators are being very careful to either be in attendance at all times or get a commitment that there won’t be a vote on Secretary of State David Whitley in the event … Continue reading →

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The Lege versus scam callers

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the effort, but it’s highly unlikely to make any difference. The Texas House gave an initial stamp of approval Wednesday to a bill that aims to prohibit telemarketers or businesses from falsifying their phone numbers. The measure, House … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Deal apparently reached on school finance

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We await the details. Texas’ top three political leaders declared Thursday that the Legislature had reached agreements on its three main 2019 priorities: A two-year state budget, a comprehensive reform of school finance and legislation designed to slow the growth … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The state of the city 2019

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are still things to do that don’t have to do with the endless fight over Prop B. Mayor Sylvester Turner used his fourth annual State of the City address Monday to announce a plan aimed at drawing private investment … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

We may actually get beer to go this session

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? The Texas Senate restored a measure Wednesday allowing breweries to sell beer to go from their taprooms to a bill allowing the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to continue operating. It also approved a measure that … Continue reading →

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We’re going to vote on making an income tax double secret illegal

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s definitely time for sine die. Texas voters will decide in November if they want to bar the imposition of an income tax, following approval of the constitutional amendment by the state Senate on Monday. The Texas House had approved … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

No arbitration

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re on to the next phase of the firefighter pay battle. The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association on Tuesday asked Mayor Sylvester Turner to enter arbitration to settle its ongoing labor dispute with the city, a request the mayor … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Senate approves one medical marijuana bill

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A pleasant surprise. Marijuana advocates were handed an unlikely victory Wednesday after the Texas Senate advanced a bill greatly expanding the list of debilitating medical conditions that can legally be treated by cannabis oil in the state. Although the upper … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of May 20

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has the sine die countdown clock going as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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A strange way to improve ballot access

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hard not to see partisan motives in this. A bill on track to reach Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk appears designed to make it easier for Green Party candidates and harder for Libertarian candidates to get on the Texas ballot in … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kinder Houston Area Survey 2019

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s one of the best things about Houston, year after year. As Houston recovered from last week’s punishing rains, Rice University researchers reported Monday that public concern about flooding has diminished, while residents are ambivalent about certain policies aimed at … Continue reading →

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Daylight Saving Time lives

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, thank goodness. A House-approved plan to stop Texans from having to change clocks twice a year and let them pick either daylight saving or standard time year-round is dead. On Monday, author Rep. Lyle Larson said he was “very … Continue reading →

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Undead “religious liberty” bill passes House

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is why people caution that no bill is truly dead at the Lege until sine die. Over the tearful opposition of the Legislature’s first-ever LGBTQ Caucus and several failed attempts at a procedural block, the Texas House passed a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sometimes, bad bills do die

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The calendar giveth, and the calendar taketh away. One of the the biggest priorities for Texas Republicans this session appears to be on the verge of legislative death. A series of bills that would broadly prohibit local governments from regulating … Continue reading →

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