Tag Archives: Bexar County

Early voting, one (six day) week in

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We have one week completed for early voting, though it was only a six day week thanks to the Presidents Day holiday. Here are the daily totals from the County Clerk. Republicans continue to be the majority of early voters … Continue reading →

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Bexar County to offer “plus one” benefits

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Without referencing same-sex couples, Bexar County on Tuesday agreed to extend health insurance benefits to the unmarried companions of county employees. The “Plus One Qualifying Adult” policy adopted by Commissioners Court attempts to circumvent legal roadblocks that … Continue reading →

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What’s at stake in the Democratic primaries

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve had my fun poking holes in Mark Jones’ ridiculous argument that we should all just vote in the Republican primary, but now it’s time to talk about the Democratic primary and why these races matter. US Senate On Monday … Continue reading →

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The party-switchers of Bexar County

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. A Bexar County judge elected during the “red tide” of 2010 is switching parties. Standing at the foot of the Bexar County Courthouse steps, County Court-at-Law No. 11 Judge Carlo Key said Monday he is joining the Democratic Party … Continue reading →

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DUI and blood testing

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure what I think about this. A decision by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to demand blood tests for every drunken-driving suspect who refuses breath tests has drawn an unusual opponent: Houston police officers. “We’re just very concerned … Continue reading →

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Judge assigned in complaint about Perry veto of Public Integrity Unit

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Moving along slowly. A San Antonio judge on Tuesday was assigned to hear a complaint that alleges Gov. Rick Perry committed coercion, bribery and official oppression by vetoing funding for the Travis County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit. Senior Judge … Continue reading →

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Making San Antonio more musical

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio is a little jealous of Austin, it seems. Tired of San Antonio playing second fiddle to Austin when it comes to a live music scene, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff on Friday laid out ambitious plans to change … Continue reading →

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Reed for AG?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is one of the stranger “draft somebody” movements I’ve seen. A movement has been building among local Republicans over the past few months to encourage Susan Reed to run for state attorney general in 2014. Reed, the hard-nosed, four-term … Continue reading →

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More counties for Medicaid expansion

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

All of these are from last week. Bexar County: On a bipartisan vote, Bexar County commissioners Tuesday urged Texas lawmakers to expand the state’s Medicaid program and take advantage of federal matching funds under the Affordable Care Act. “From 2014 … Continue reading →

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As if you needed another reason to support Medicaid expansion

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Even more data on why Medicaid expansion makes sense from Texas Impact. The study, by former Texas deputy comptroller Billy Hamilton, says Texas shouldn’t pass up the chance to insure up to 2 million of its more than 6 million … Continue reading →

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Straight ticket voting and judicial races elsewhere

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You may be wondering, after reading my post about straight ticket voting and judicial races if the same thing is true in counties other than Harris. I got to wondering that myself, so I checked out the results from a … Continue reading →

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Getting out the vote in Bexar County

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Stace pointed me to this Express News story about the Bexar County Democratic Party’s ground game for the November election. Many factors influence the outcome of an election, and precise analysis is not always available. But putting $600,000 into a … Continue reading →

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What kind of debt is it?

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Comptroller Susan Combs is real worried about city and county debt, y’all. Local governments are loading down Texas taxpayers with debt without providing them enough information about the amount already owed for roads, schools and other public projects, State Comptroller … Continue reading →

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Counties may try to expand Medicaid on their own

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Washington Post reports on the efforts of county and hospital district officials in some of Texas’ largest counties to bypass Rick Perry’s refusal to expand Medicaid for Texas and seek approval to do it themselves for their own jurisdictions. … Continue reading →

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Medicaid expansion: Not as expensive as the state claimed it would be

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Remember last year when the state Health and Human Services Commission claimed that Medicaid expansion would cost the state of Texas $27 billion over ten years, causing every Republican in the state to have a fainting spell and a hissy … Continue reading →

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How about those new Latino Congressional districts?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, not so much. Originally hailed by Latino leaders as a way to boost opportunities for their community, the newly redrawn Texas congressional map has led to a pair of white Democrats claiming the nominations in districts that … Continue reading →

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Express-News overview of Romo versus Doggett

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some interesting tidbits in here. Despite the minority makeup of a newly drawn congressional district, a San Antonio Latina candidate faces a steep uphill climb against a white Austin liberal with a long tenure in the nation’s capital. Sylvia Romo, … Continue reading →

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“Crazy” ants come to Austin

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

They’re on the move. There’s a new ant in town, and wherever it goes, fire ants start disappearing. It also doesn’t sting or bite. But don’t get excited yet. The Rasberry crazy ant which showed up in Travis County and … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sylvia Romo

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

One of the most closely watched Congressional primaries this cycle will be in the new CD35, the district to which Rep. Lloyd Doggett moved after redistricting and the second interim map made his CD25 hostile territory. In this Austin-to-San Antonio … Continue reading →

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Residency is more state of mind than anything else

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the “Home is where you say it is” department. Her dogs live there, her mail arrives there, and her “stuff” is still there. But Delicia Herrera insists she no longer lives at the home she owns on SW 39th … Continue reading →

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No, San Antonio will not be getting an MLB team any time soon

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You are right to be skeptical. It’s a development that has become as predictable as yellow pollen in the spring. A Major League Baseball franchise, struggling financially, seeks a new stadium deal, a new location, a new life. In the … Continue reading →

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Meet the new rail debate, same as the old rail debate

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like I’ve heard all this before. Opponents of the planned downtown streetcar system said Tuesday that county officials broke a promise with voters when they agreed to use advanced transportation district funds to help fund the project. The … Continue reading →

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CD35 will still have a contested primary

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It won’t be Doggett versus Castro but it still ought to be interesting. The battle for a newly drawn congressional district will pit two seasoned Democratic politicians against one another: Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector Sylvia S. Romo and former U.S. … Continue reading →

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San Antonio moves forward with streetcar plan

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio City Council has voted to approve funding for a five-year transit expansion plan that includes a streetcar line. The vote all but guarantees construction of the city’s first urban rail project since San Antonio ended its electric streetcar … Continue reading →

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Bexar County legislative hopefuls

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some news out of Bexar County about Democratic legislative candidates. Two former San Antonio councilmen who left office this summer because of term limits are back in politics and gearing up for their first partisan campaigns for seats in the … Continue reading →

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No MLB or NFL for SA any time soon

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio is many things, but a Major League Baseball or NFL city is isn’t, and won’t be any time soon. Those are the findings of California-based Premier Partnerships, which recently submitted the results of a six-month feasibility study commissioned … Continue reading →

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San Antonio approves long term transit plan

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The board of VIA Metropolitan Transit, the transit agency for San Antonio, has unanimously approved a long term roadmap that will bring rail construction to the city. San Antonio is the largest city in the U.S. with a bus-only transit … Continue reading →

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Oh yeah, someone is running in CD23

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Scott Stroud reminds me that the Democrats do have a candidate for that other Congressional race in Bexar County. Although Democrats are already buzzing about the looming Interstate 35 tussle between Congressman Lloyd Doggett and state Rep. Joaquín Castro for … Continue reading →

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Doggett v Castro by the numbers

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Greg looks at primary results from the last two cycles in the newly drawn CD35, and finds confirmation of the convention wisdom that Rep. Lloyd Doggett has his work cut out for him against State Rep. Joaquin Castro. Go take … Continue reading →

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Who gets prioritized?

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bexar County is beginning to experience what Harris County has gone through for decades: Dealing with lots of growth in unincorporated areas. In Bexar County, the population swelled by 320,000 in the past decade. Providing government services to the now … Continue reading →

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Veasey’s Congressional plan

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We didn’t get a Congressional map from the Senate Redistricting Committee, though we may now get one in a special session but that didn’t stop State Rep. Marc Veasey from drawing his own before sine die. In Veasey’s map, thirteen … Continue reading →

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Still going after Doggett

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Scott Stroud suggests there’s a new ploy by Republicans in the works to get rid of Rep. Lloyd Doggett. Congressman Lamar Smith, the Republican charged with redrawing Texas’ congressional districts, has floated a map that would transform Doggett’s district into … Continue reading →

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San Antonio and New Braunfels

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The San Antonio metro area has grown again. New Braunfels, the second-largest city in South Central Texas, now is part of the newly expanded and renamed San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has grown from four to eight counties. … Continue reading →

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New map, new opportunities: Travis, Bexar, El Paso

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

On to the urban counties. I’m grouping these three together because there’s really only one opportunity in each, and none of them are truly “new”. But never mind that. Let’s look at some data. District: 47 Incumbent: Paul Workman (first … Continue reading →

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