Tag Archives: Lina Hidalgo

Is there no way to fully close the flood bond funding gap?

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking great right now. For three years, Harris County Commissioners Court members have bickered, haggled and negotiated over the $2.5 billion flood bond program voters passed after Hurricane Harvey. Throughout all the discord over how projects should be prioritized … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court passes its new map

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It differs from the first map in a few ways, which I will get to in a minute, but it checks all the boxes I wanted it to check. For Democratic Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, it boiled down to … Continue reading →

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More on Harris County Commissioners Court redistricting

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Tune up that tiny violin. Republican Harris County Commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey want to keep the decennial process of redistricting precinct boundaries simple. The maps they have proposed would add new zigs and zags to ensure each precinct … Continue reading →

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Last chance to make a good FIFA impression

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Coming to the end of this very long process. Houston’s diversity is being played up in the city’s recent push to host the 2026 men’s World Cup. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner joined forces with … Continue reading →

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Harris County Commissioners Court begins the process of approving its new maps today

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, an email from Commissioner Rodney Ellis: Every decade, after each U.S. census, states, cities and counties engage in a process called redistricting, where they adjust the boundaries of their governing districts to reflect changes in population growth … Continue reading →

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A little sandbagging from the SOS on the fraudit

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who’s running this show? In the five days since the Texas secretary of state’s office announced it is auditing the 2020 general election in four counties, local officials indicated they were in the dark about what the reviews would entail. … Continue reading →

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So we have a fraudit

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a load of crap. The Texas secretary of state’s office announced late Thursday that it has begun a “full forensic audit” of the 2020 general election in four Texas counties: Collin, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant. But the statement from … Continue reading →

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Judge Hidalgo has an opponent

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For the general election. Humble ISD School Board president Martina Lemond Dixon announced Wednesday she is running for Harris County Judge as a Republican candidate in the 2022 election. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was one of the youngest candidates … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court avoids quorum break

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Commissioners Court this week unanimously agreed on a proposal to cut the overall property tax rate for the coming year, a compromise that avoids a potential quorum break by Republicans that would have forced an even deeper … Continue reading →

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Republican County Commissioners ponder another quorum break

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a thing they can do, and have done in recent times. They shouldn’t, not for this, but they can. The three Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday proposed cutting the overall property tax rate for the third … Continue reading →

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Plaintiff in Constable Precinct 1 lawsuit responds

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

She’s not having it with the dismissal of Constable Alan Rosen as a defendant from the lawsuit. The booze-fueled undercover hotel operations were bad. Felecia McKinney’s worst moment at the Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, however, came two years ago, during … Continue reading →

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I-45 remains in the funding plan

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. Ask again in 90 days. Interstate 45 still is on a road to rebuild after Texas transportation officials on Tuesday kept the controversial project in the state’s 10-year construction plans, but warned that failing to get federal highway … Continue reading →

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The financial incentive

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At this point, whatever works. A week after public health officials in Texas’ most populous county started handing out $100 cash cards to locals getting their first COVID-19 shot, the number of daily vaccinations has shot up to six times … Continue reading →

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A look ahead to Commissioners Court redistricting

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the Census redistricting data is out, and that means a whole lot of map-drawing is in our future. The main focus on this will be in Austin where the Congressional and legislative maps are re-drawn, but those … Continue reading →

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A few words from the CEO of the Medical Center

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From an interview he did with Lisa Gray. What we’re seeing, sadly, is more of the same, only with more intense numbers. The number of people who are testing positive in our community continues to escalate month over month. The … Continue reading →

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SCOTx does what SCOTx does

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Room service, as always. The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday temporarily blocked mask mandates in Dallas and Bexar counties, marking a pivotal moment in the showdown between state and local government as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge in Texas. The … Continue reading →

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And it’s off to SCOTx for the mandate stuff

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s where it was always headed. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking the mask mandate battle to the state Supreme Court after the state was defeated in its attempts to overturn such mandates in San Antonio and other municipalities. … Continue reading →

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Harris County gets its restraining order against Abbott

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Step one. A judge in Travis County on Friday granted Harris County a temporary restraining order, blocking Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on local COVID-19 restrictions. The decision by Judge Jan Soifer of the 345th Civil District Court provides legal cover … Continue reading →

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Harris County sues Abbott and issues a mask mandate

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Quite the busy day yesterday. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday issued a mandatory mask order for Harris County schools and daycares, joining the chorus of elected officials in the Texas’ larges cities in defying Gov. Greg Abbott’s order … Continue reading →

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HISD to consider mask mandate

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a big deal, for all the obvious reasons. Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II said Thursday he plans to bring a mask mandate for ratification to the district’s board meeting next week, setting the stage for the … Continue reading →

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Back to Code Red

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty much inevitable at this point. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday returned the county to the highest COVID-19 threat level and urged unvaccinated residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary contact with others. At a news conference, Hidalgo … Continue reading →

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Will TxDOT pull funding from the I-45 project?

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. Supporters of state plans to rebuild Interstate 45 from downtown Houston northward trekked to Austin on Thursday to keep the imperiled project on pace, fearing the region could be stuck with an aging freeway and no sign … Continue reading →

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July 2021 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Congress There will be plenty of crucial races in Harris County in 2022. Because of the Democratic sweep in 2018, all of the countywide offices are held by Dems, meaning this is the first non-Presidential year in which Democrats … Continue reading →

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The I-45 survey

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who thought this was a good idea? The fate of the massive $9 billion project may depend on how many people who agree with Smith or agree with Davies fill out an online poll — after 15 years of planning, … Continue reading →

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The fourth wave

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’re not ready. One local hospital is reinstating visitor limits and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is mulling a change to the county’s threat level amid a wave of COVID-19 variant cases that medical leaders warned Tuesday could overwhelm area … Continue reading →

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What will Harris County do about rising case numbers?

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m afraid we’ll find out soon enough. The Harris Health System’s COVID-19 ward was down to just one patient at the beginning of July. Anxious to hit zero COVID-19 patients, Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, the hospital system’s CEO, purchased and stored … Continue reading →

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FBI looking into Constable “bachelor party sting” mess

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Never a good sign. Federal investigators are probing the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office after several current and former female employees accused superiors of sexually exploiting them during undercover anti-human trafficking operations, a lawyer for the women confirmed Thursday. … Continue reading →

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Back to the public input phase for I-45

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They hear, but will they listen? Hemmed between a request for a pause by federal highway officials and an outcry from opponents, planners of a massive rebuild of Interstate 45 in Houston are taking their plans back to the public … Continue reading →

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The Harris County Administrator of Departments

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday created a new administrator position to oversee departments, which the three Democrats described as a wonky internal move to improve efficiency but the two Republicans decried … Continue reading →

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Let’s try again to fix that flood bond deficit

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this works. Harris County on Tuesday [unveiled] a new plan to address a funding gap for its flood bond program, which will rely more heavily on diverted toll road revenue instead of federal aid that may never arrive. The … Continue reading →

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Feds tell TxDOT to slow down on I-45

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

On pause for however long. In two letters released Wednesday — one to the Texas Department of Transportation and another to Harris County leaders — the Federal Highway Administration said it expected Texas officials to halt work [on I-45], including … Continue reading →

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Everyone’s waiting on Beto

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pardon me while I brew myself a cup of tea and stare meaningfully out the window. Texas’ Republican statewide primaries are heating up as challengers emerged in recent weeks for both Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. But … Continue reading →

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Harris County’s COVID situation continues to improve

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Keep it up. Harris County’s 14-day average test positivity rate for COVID-19 has fallen below 5 percent for the first time since the start of the pandemic, County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced this week. Despite the positivity rate and vaccination … 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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