Tag Archives: The Lege

Eyes on HD28

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The special legislative election in Fort Bend is on everyone’s radar. When Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, visited Austin this past weekend for the state party’s annual fundraiser, there was no race he mentioned more than … Continue reading →

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How’s that investigation into the Bonnen-MQS kerfuffle going?

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

About how you’d expect. If recent history is any indication, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen has little to fear from a Texas Rangers investigation into allegations he offered a bribe to a conservative activist. Investigators who have delved into accusations of … Continue reading →

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All the Legislative interviews

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just to collect them all in one convenient place for you: HD28 Eliz Markowitz HD148 Anna Eastman Alva Treviño Penny Shaw Chris Watt Terah Isaacson Kendra Yarbrough Camarena Rob Block Michele Leal Adrian P. Garcia Carol Denson And there you … Continue reading →

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MQS says he will release the Bonnen tape

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, well, well. Hardline conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan said Thursday he will release a secret recording of his controversial meeting with House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and another top GOP member next week. “I have been given the green light … Continue reading →

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Interview with Adrian P. Garcia

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of HD148 Special Election Interview Season. I hope you have found this useful, and that you will agree with me that there are many fine choices available to you on the ballot. Today we hear … Continue reading →

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30 Day finance reports: Special legislative elections

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As I said earlier, I’m still working my way through the unfathomably ginormous number of 30-day campaign finance reports for City of Houston candidates. There are other elections of interest for which 30 day reports are required, so we’ll take … Continue reading →

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Interview with Michele Leal

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Two more candidates to go in HD148. I will not get to everyone, but I hope this series has helped you decide which of the candidates you want to support. Michele Leal is another candidate to succeed Rep. Jessica Farrar … Continue reading →

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Cagle and Radack break quorum

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They did it. Two Harris County Commissioners Court members skipped Tuesday’s meeting to prevent the Democratic majority from voting on a property tax rate hike that would increase revenue by 8 percent. Republican commissioners Steve Radack and Jack Cagle were … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rob Block

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with Week Two of HD148 Special Election Interview Season. I get to call it a season because anything that requires more than one week qualifies for that designation. Rob Block is among the first-time candidates in the race, … Continue reading →

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Will Radack and Cagle break quorum to stop a tax rate hike?

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll find out today. Harris County Commissioners Court has scheduled a vote Tuesday to hike property taxes by 8 percent, though the two Republican members can thwart the plan by simply skipping the vote. A quirk in the Texas Government … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kendra Yarbrough Camarena

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Week Two of HD148 Special Election Interview Season. I have four more candidates to present to you, and we’ll start with one who has run for the State House before. Kendra Yarbrough Camarena was the Democratic nominee for HD138 … Continue reading →

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The Chron’s overview of the Mayor

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a fair picture. Mayor Sylvester Turner hugged his way through three dozen staff and supporters, reached the podium, and smiled. It was May 2017, and Turner’s landmark pension reform bill had just passed the Legislature, validating his decision to … Continue reading →

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Gina Ortiz Jones is doing big fundraising numbers again

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Gina Ortiz Jones, the leading Democratic candidate to replace U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, raised over $1 million in the third quarter, her campaign announced Tuesday morning. The figure represents a massive haul that her campaign described as the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Terah Isaacson

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of our first week of HD148 special election candidate interviews. There’s still another week to go, because there’s just that many candidates and I’ve done that many interviews. To wrap up Week 1 I bring … Continue reading →

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Interview with Chris Watt

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with the HD148 special election, where the field is big and deep. As you have already seen and will keep seeing, there’s a lot of quality in the lineup. Chris Watt is an attorney and resident of the … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against Texas drone law

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. A federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Austin seeks to strike down Texas laws that restrict what can legally be photographed by drones. Filed by two journalism organizations and a reporter, the lawsuit argues that a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Penny Shaw

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Most of the candidates who are running in the HD148 special election are first time candidates. One who is not is Penny Shaw, who ran a strong race in 2018 for County Commissioner in Precinct 3, the most Republican precinct … Continue reading →

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Interview with Alva Treviño

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing today and running through next week I’ll be presenting interviews with candidates from the HD148 special election. Today we’re talking with Alva Treviño, one of several contenders whom I had met before this election. Treviño is on the Executive … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anna Eastman

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So you’ve probably heard that there’s a special election in HD148 this November, to succeed the retiring Rep. Jessica Farrar. You’ve also probably heard that there are many candidates – fifteen of them, to be exact – who are running … Continue reading →

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I’m not that worried about the Green Party effect in Texas

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not nothing, but it’s unlikely to be much. Texas House Bill 2504, passed along party lines by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature in May and signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in June, lowers the threshold that minor political parties … Continue reading →

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On paying college athletes

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed this news out of California. California is going to pass this likeness rights bill and boy howdy does the NCAA not like it California Senate Bill 206, otherwise known as the Fair Pay to Play act, … Continue reading →

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Sorry, Willie D

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I think you need better lawyers, dude. William Dennis, the former Geto Boys rapper known as “Willie D,” is planning to a host a campaign fundraiser Friday for his City Council bid, but election officials say voters won’t be able … Continue reading →

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One thing our state loves spending money on

Posted on September 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Defending unconstitutional anti-abortion laws in the courts. As Texas defends abortion laws in federal court that mandate fetal burials and seek to outlaw certain medical procedures, the state has been ordered to pay pro-abortion attorneys $2.5 million — fortifying women’s … Continue reading →

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Let’s temper our expectations just a bit in HD28

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an important race, and winning it would be a big boost, but let’s no go overboard. When Beto O’Rourke traveled to his home state of Texas for the recent Democratic presidential debate, he made a surprising stop: at a … Continue reading →

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State Rep. Dwayne Bohac to retire

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another open seat for the Republicans to defend. State Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, announced Wednesday he is not seeking reelection. Bohac won reelection last year by just 47 votes, and his retirement gives Democrats a ripe pickup opportunity as they … Continue reading →

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DPS’ intel gathering

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Should be interesting. And necessary. State and federal officials in Texas have started monitoring racist and incendiary rhetoric online, such as that alleged to have been used by the suspect in the El Paso mass shooting, in the hopes of … Continue reading →

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Other counties also considering property tax rate hikes

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. A statewide property tax relief plan that takes effect next year is prompting hefty tax increases this fall in many of the biggest cities and counties in Texas, even in places that … Continue reading →

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Quorum question

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew? A quirk in Texas law could allow the two Republicans on Harris County Commissioners Court, despite being in the minority, to prevent the three Democrats from enacting a proposed property tax increase. Typically, three court members constitute a quorum, … Continue reading →

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Beto v Briscoe

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this, with some small reservations. Presidential contender Beto O’Rourke is helping a fellow Democrat raise money to unseat the Texas Rep. Briscoe Cain, after the Republican lawmaker tweeted last week that his AR-15 is “ready” for O’Rourke. … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan fighting is the sweetest sound you will ever hear

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Inject this directly into my veins. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan, a hardline conservative activist long aligned with the head of the Texas Senate, publicly accused each other of “destroying” the Republican Party on Tuesday — seeming … Continue reading →

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Where to find the HD148 candidates

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One of the things I observed as I was frantically updating lists of who had filed to run in the HD148 special election was that some of the candidates were easier to find online than others, and that some had … Continue reading →

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Rep. Cesar Blanco to run for Sen. Jose Rodriguez’s seat

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like this has been settled quickly. State Rep. César Blanco, D-El Paso, is running for the seat being vacated by state Sen. José Rodríguez. In a video published Monday, Blanco alluded to the deadly mass shooting last month in … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s gun suggestions

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Weak leader makes timid proposals. Film at 11. Gov. Greg Abbott called for the Texas Legislature to consider laws that would make it easier for private gun sellers to perform voluntary background checks on buyers — declining to go as … Continue reading →

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The San Antonio Chick-fil-A lawsuit

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good Lord. In a lawsuit citing a controversial new state law, five area residents are suing the city of San Antonio over its decision to prevent Chick-fil-A — a franchise known for opposing same-sex marriage — from opening a … Continue reading →

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