Tag Archives: David Feldman

Time for a real NDO in Houston

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. Last week, San Antonio passed an ordinance protecting gay and transgendered residents and veterans from discrimination. Houston Mayor Annise Parker says that vote “upped the ante” and that Houston should follow suit. “It is absolutely something we … Continue reading →

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City reaches settlement with developer over Woodland Park damage

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Mayor Annise Parker, the City of Houston Legal Department and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) announced the City has recovered $300,000 to restore recent damage to Woodland Park by a private developer. Woodland Park, located at … Continue reading →

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Council to consider wage theft ordinance

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Houston City Council may step up its efforts to combat wage theft, sanctioning companies that deny workers pay to which they are entitled and monitoring firms accused of doing so, regardless of whether they do business with the … Continue reading →

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LIBOR lawsuit

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. The City of Houston filed suit today for financial damages suffered from the manipulation of the interest rates on its investments against the banks that set the benchmark interest rate known as the London Interbank … Continue reading →

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Eric Dick is just trolling us now

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Like a three-year-old having a tantrum – and against our better judgment – he gets the attention he so desperately seeks. Two City Council candidates facing thousands of dollars in fines for violating the city’s sign ordinance during their 2011 … Continue reading →

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Houston loses air pollution permit lawsuit

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that Houston may not effectively void a state air pollution permit. The justices agreed with Southern Crushed Concrete that Houston’s 2007 law restricting the location of concrete-crushing facilities violates state statute by nullifying … Continue reading →

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Schechter’s seat filled

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The HCC Board of Trustees has named a replacement for the outgoing Richard Schechter. Houston Community College trustees unanimously agreed Thursday to appoint attorney Leila Feldman to fill a recently vacated seat on the school board. Feldman served as associate … Continue reading →

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Three things in life are certain

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Death, taxes, and Bruce Hotze filing a lawsuit every time he loses an election. A local anti-tax activist filed a lawsuit Thursday to block the city of Houston from borrowing $410 million to add, expand and repair parks, libraries, police … Continue reading →

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City settles with Treasures, county still on the case

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Prominent strip club Treasures, hauled into court as an alleged public nuisance and haven for crime by city and county attorneys seven months ago, has agreed to put $100,000 in a nuisance abatement fund as part … Continue reading →

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CM Brown reimburses the city for her magnets

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for David Feldman. Houston City Councilwoman Helena Brown has repaid the city nearly $3,000 in taxpayer money she spent on refrigerator magnets that the Texas Ethics Commission says amount to campaign swag. City Attorney David Feldman, who had … Continue reading →

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A third act for Jolanda?

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. Jolanda Jones, who lost her at-large position 5 seat in last December’s runoff election, may run in next year’s elections to win a third term on Council — but this time it would be representing District D. The seat … Continue reading →

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Helena’s magnets

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been awhile since my last Helena Brown post, hasn’t it? Houston City Attorney David Feldman has asked Councilwoman Helena Brown to reimburse the city nearly $3,000 in taxpayer money she spent on refrigerator magnets that he contends amount to … Continue reading →

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City says No to some of CM Brown’s expense reports

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always something. Councilwoman Helena Brown hired a private attorney to sit in on meetings with her publicly paid attorney, then tried to bill taxpayers for it. Records obtained by the Houston Chronicle reveal that Brown sought reimbursement for $850 … Continue reading →

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The door will stay open

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good decision. A proposal to give Houston City Council the ability to meet behind closed doors is dead. What a mayor’s spokeswoman called a “lack of consensus” was manifest in a committee meeting last week during which several council members … Continue reading →

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The discussion is closed

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about this. The mayor and city attorney are floating the idea of shutting the public out of some City Council discussions. Houston is unusual, perhaps even unique, among Texas cities in requiring that its council always meet … Continue reading →

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As Helena Brown turns

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The soap opera continues. Houston City Councilwoman Helena Brown tried to coerce a staffer to go on medical leave because of her pregnancy, according to a memo the employee filed with the council’s administrative office. Sandra Kim, Brown’s constituent liaison, … Continue reading →

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CM Brown alleged to have altered time cards

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, my. Houston City Councilwoman Helena Brown subtracted hours from employees’ timecards in apparent violation of federal law, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. The first-term councilwoman shorted an employee by more than three hours in a day … Continue reading →

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Another homeless feeding update

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Depending on how you look at it, time is either running out for the petition signature gatherers who hope to overturn the homeless feeding ordinance, or it isn’t. Free to Give Houston, a recently formed political action committee, needs about … Continue reading →

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Petition drive to overturn the homeless feeding ordinance

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s underway. The petitioners have until July 1 to gather their signatures because that’s when the ordinance goes into effect. City Attorney David Feldman just informed me that petitioners have the longer of either 30 days following an ordinance’s passage … Continue reading →

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“Reasonable accommodation”

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

According to a legal opinion provided by the City Attorney’s office, Houston must provide “reasonable accommodation” to Southwest Airlines for its proposal to offer international flights at Hobby Airport. In a memo accompanying the legal opinion, City Attorney David Feldman … Continue reading →

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More details on the city’s crime lab plan

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s starting to come into focus. An independent crime lab could cost nearly 20 percent more than the current police-run operation, a high-level Parker administration official told a City Council committee this week. Andy Icken, the mayor’s chief development officer, … Continue reading →

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Mayor tells Ashby foes it’s over

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Annise Parker told the attendees at that neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposed settlement of the Ashby highrise lawsuit that it’s a done deal. “We have exhausted all legal means to stop this project,” said Parker, reiterating her opposition … Continue reading →

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Council agrees to red light camera settlement

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At long last. City Council approved a payout of at least $4.8 million Wednesday to settle a lawsuit and take down Houston’s controversial red-light cameras, finally ending a legal battle that began after voters banned the devices in a referendum … Continue reading →

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No action on red light camera settlement yet

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Houston City Council voted to wait two weeks before deciding whether or not to accept the settlement agreement with camera vendor ATS. The City Council on Wednesday delayed approval of a $4.8 million settlement with its red-light camera vendor amid … Continue reading →

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State Bar clears Feldman

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I believe this brings to a close the last unresolved issue involving former CM Jolanda Jones. The State Bar of Texas has cleared City Attorney David Feldman of a grievance lodged by former Councilwoman Jolanda Jones that he mishandled an … Continue reading →

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Red light cameras may get a Council vote

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Houston’s red-light camera vendor said on Friday that Mayor Annise Parker is trying to turn the cameras off again, and it has asked a federal judge to stop her from doing so. City Attorney David … Continue reading →

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State Bar to investigate Jones’ complaint against Feldman

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

On we go. The Texas State Bar will investigate allegations by Councilwoman Jolanda Jones that City Attorney David Feldman committed professional misconduct through his involvement in a city ethics investigation that targets Jones. Jones filed a grievance with the bar … Continue reading →

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DA gets Jones case

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

What sound does a hot potato make when it gets passed to someone else? The Harris County District Attorney has been asked to review for possible criminal prosecution allegations that Councilwoman Jolanda Jones used city resources to support her private … Continue reading →

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No appeal for now of red light camera ruling

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city will have to wait until the remaining issues in the red light camera lawsuit are resolved before it can appeal the judge’s ruling. A federal judge ruled Friday that the city of Houston may not appeal his ruling … Continue reading →

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More on the red light camera return

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the reinstatement of the red light cameras. A couple of points that need to be made: Wednesday’s announcement provoked the full fury of Paul Kubosh, a lawyer who helped lead the petition drive to get … Continue reading →

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Jones files her own complaint

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. Houston City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones, the subject of a city inspector general investigation, has filed a Texas State Bar grievance against City Attorney David Feldman. Jones’s spokeswoman, Kelly Cripe, would not provide a copy of the grievance, but she … Continue reading →

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Response from the city on the red light camera ruling

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Previously, I wrote that I had asked the city about the possibility of appealing the ruling in the red light camera lawsuit. I received the following response from the Mayor’s office yesterday: This was what’s known as an interlocutory order … Continue reading →

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ATS wants a decision on the cameras

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is just a mess. An Arizona firm says if City Hall agrees, it can turn Houston’s contentious red-light camera system back on by Aug. 1, eight months after voters rejected the surveillance operation in an election. American Traffic Solutions … Continue reading →

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More on the red light camera ruling

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I said before that what happens next with the red light camera ruling is a political decision. Here’s how that’s shaping up. City Attorney Dave Feldman said Friday’s ruling will force the city to choose from canceling the contract with … Continue reading →

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