Tag Archives: Gene Wu

A bill to ban no-knock warrants

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Probably won’t go anywhere, but well worth the effort. A bill pre-filed this week by state Rep. Gene Wu would ban no-knock warrants across Texas, marking the first major legislative response to last year’s botched drug raid that led to the deaths of … Continue reading →

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

Endorsement watch: Three more for the Lege

Posted on September 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In numerical order… Rep. Jon Rosenthal, HD135: As a political novice Jon E. Rosenthal pulled off one of the biggest upsets of 2018 when he knocked off 12-term Republican Rep. Gary Elkins to win the state House District 135 seat … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Three more for the Lege

Criticizing the HPD narcotics audit

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good that it was finally released, but that doesn’t mean that all questions have been answered by it. Standing outside the small house where Houston police officers conducted a raid that killed two and grievously wounded their department’s reputation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Criticizing the HPD narcotics audit

More and better police data, please

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Like this. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement will ask nearly 2,000 Texas law enforcement agencies to resubmit information legislators intended be used to analyze whether police were treating minority motorists differently — but which turned out to be worthless … Continue reading →

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

Steps towards more transparency

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Step One: Mayor Sylvester Turner said Friday he is reviewing an internal audit of the Houston Police Department’s embattled narcotics division and will send the results of the probe to state lawmakers who have called for its public release. Turner … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Release the audit

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my three-word response to this. A growing chorus of elected officials is calling on Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo to release the findings of an internal audit on his department’s narcotics division, arguing that the chief’s refusal to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Let’s talk “meaningful reform”

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Chief Acevedo brought it up, so let’s go there. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo’s voice cracked several times and his eyes welled as he railed against the death of George Floyd beneath a policeman’s knee and implored protesters to demonstrate … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The real problem is those uppity local officials

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

My God, the Republican playbook is so predictable these days. Local governments have gone too far in issuing emergency orders during the coronavirus pandemic and can expect to have those powers whittled down when the Texas Legislature meets again, key … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

More on Abbott’s stay-in-jail order

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s that more detailed Chron story I referenced yesterday. I’m just going to quote the newer information about Greg Abbott’s executive order that attempts to basically stop most releases of inmates from the jail regardless of the coronavirus situation. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

More heat on Abbott over his anti-refugee action

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Keep it up. “This is not a Democrat versus Republican issue. It’s not an immigrant versus native-born issue … it is not a religious versus secular issue,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo during a press conference with elected … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More heat on Abbott over his anti-refugee action

State Rep. Rick Miller drops re-election bid

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This happened in a big hurry. State Rep. Rick Miller, R-Sugar Land, is no longer running for reelection after he sparked a firestorm for saying he was facing primary challengers because they are “Asian.” “During a recent interview with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chron overview of the District J runoff

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This unfortunately misses a relevant piece of information. The candidates vying for the District J city council seat in December’s runoff election have different backgrounds and separate bases of political support but have arrived at similar conclusions about the way … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Chron overview of the District J runoff

The local response (so far) to the ICE raids

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is good. Houston’s top elected and law-enforcement officials sharply criticized federal authorities’ plans to arrest large numbers of immigrant families living without legal permission in major U.S. cities, contending that the raids targeting groups of recent arrivals would harm … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Measles, schmeasles

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Eh, no biggie. With U.S. measles cases this year reaching historic levels since being practically eradicated nearly 20 years ago, a host of bills targeting vaccination policies in Texas don’t appear to be gaining traction in the Legislature. The U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Measles, schmeasles

Can we turn the anti-vax tide in the Lege this session?

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It sure would be nice, and this needs to be the primary goal. In Texas, children are required to have certain sets of vaccinations before they can be enrolled in public school – including the vaccine for measles. But parents … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Can we turn the anti-vax tide in the Lege this session?

State House remembers it was going to do something about sexual harassment

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something. Months after reports detailed a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the state Capitol, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Wednesday announced another measure to address the issue. Straus, a Republican who will retire early next year, created … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State House remembers it was going to do something about sexual harassment

The case for calling a Harvey special session

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Gene Wu disagrees with Greg Abbott’s decision. The historic level of damage and suffering caused by Harvey requires that we tap into our state’s Rainy Day Fund. Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to not call a special session of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The anti-vaxxers had another good legislative session

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sure would be nice if we could put a stop to this. It was mid-April, more than halfway through the legislative session, and Texans for Vaccine Choice was finally getting the fight it had been spoiling for. On April 11, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The anti-vaxxers had another good legislative session

Public testimony on SB4

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It was heated, as you might expect. Scores of residents urged City Council on Tuesday to challenge the state’s “sanctuary cities” ban, speaking during more than five hours of public testimony on the eve of council’s vote on whether to … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Public testimony on SB4

Bill to allow discrimination in adoptions and foster care passes the House

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Shameful. Under House Bill 3859, which advanced on a 94-51 vote, providers would be protected from legal retaliation if they assert their “sincerely held religious beliefs” while caring for abused and neglected children. The measure would allow them to place … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

House passes its “sanctuary cities” bill

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Terrible. After more than 16 hours of debate, the Texas House of Representatives early Thursday morning tentatively gave a nod to the latest version of a Senate bill that would ban “sanctuary” jurisdictions in Texas. The 93-54 vote on second … Continue reading →

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

Three State Rep race overviews

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In the order of their publication, beginning with HD149: For more than a decade in Texas House District 149 – where Harris and Fort Bend counties meet – a growing, ethnically diverse voting population has done something rare for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Three State Rep race overviews

July finance reports for State Rep candidates

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, it’s July, and you know what that means: Campaign finance reports! There aren’t many State Rep races of interest this November, but there are four that I wanted to look at. HD134 Rep. Sarah Davis Ben Rose Name Raised … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Labor for Thompson, the Mayor for Miles

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO today announced their support of Senfronia Thompson for State Senator District 13. “Our unions screened two candidates for Senate District 13 — Representatives Senfronia Thompson and Borris Miles,” said … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How you can help or get help in Houston

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from State Rep. Gene Wu: I hope this email finds you safe after yesterday’s flooding. While we are seeing most of the high water receding from our neighborhoods, there is still a good deal of cleanup work to … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How you can help or get help in Houston

Alma Allen for HISD Superintendent?

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. State Rep. Alma Allen, a former school principal, has emerged as a high-profile contender for the HISD superintendent’s job during the early stages of the search. The Houston Democrat, who retired from the Houston Independent School District … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

2016 primaries: State races

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with the Democratic race for Railroad Commissioner, and a few words from Forrest Wilder: The Gene Kelly Effect: Texas Democrats are almost perennially embarrassed by what you might call the Gene Kelly Effect — the depressing tendency of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2016 primaries: State races

Primary Day is today

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “Visit www.HarrisVotes.com to ensure you go to the correct voting location and to find your personal sample ballot for the Tuesday, March 1, Republican Party and Democratic Party Primary Elections,” said Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, encouraging … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Endorsement watch: State reps

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes endorsements in some State Rep races. Here are the ones I’m interested in. District 126: Cris Hernandez Two strong candidates who grew up in district are running in the primary and hope to replace Republican Patricia Harless, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Complaint filed against Cruz campaign for “check enclosed” stunt

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be fun. A liberal Texas political group has filed a formal complaint alleging that a recent fundraising solicitation mailed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign violated state law. The solicitation came in an envelope featuring a … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Rep. Gene Wu

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We turn now to legislative races, where there are a couple of open seats and a couple of challenged incumbents to keep an eye on. State Rep. Gene Wu is in his second term, having won a four-way primary in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa to retire

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A second open Congressional seat for 2016. First elected to Congress in 1996, Hinojosa has largely had a dormant campaign operation for most of this cycle, and he drew a Republican challenger this year in former Rio Grande City Mayor … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rep. Ruben Hinojosa to retire

State wants birth certificate lawsuit dropped

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about that. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday asked a federal district judge to dismiss a lawsuit that claims a state agency violated the U.S. Constitution by denying birth certificates to U.S.-citizen children of immigrant parents. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Marijuana reform advocates get their day

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching closely. Four proposals to relax penalties for possessing pot have been scheduled for a hearing Wednesday in the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, setting up what is sure to be a closely-watched debate in the … Continue reading →

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