Tag Archives: Rodney Ellis

It’s not easy to de-Flock

Posted on August 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is the best illustration I’ve seen of why federal action will be needed. At a 9 a.m. Harris County Commissioners Court meeting Aug. 17, dozens of Houston residents filed into the courtroom. The commissioners were meeting to review the … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County allocates funds to investigate ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Super annoying that we have to do this, but given that we do it’s good that we’re doing it. Harris County commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to dedicate $2.5 million over the next three years to support a local investigation … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

July 2026 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Statewide candidates Legislative candidates Here we go with the now much shorter list of Harris County candidates and officeholders. The January 2026 reports are here, the July 2025 reports are here and the January reports are here. Letitia Plummer … Continue reading →

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We have some video of ICE and Loranzo Salgado Araujo

Posted on July 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The NYT pieced together what we currently have. Shortly before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, immigration officers were trailing a white work van in the Magnolia Park neighborhood of Houston. Minutes later, the driver had been fatally shot in his abdomen. … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County is still where the Texans and the Rodeo want to be

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I never really thought that other places were a live possibility, and now that has been confirmed. Team owner Cal McNair said the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo have decided to make things work in Harris … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court declines to pursue RodeoGate

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Our long countywide nightmare is over. Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey’s call for Judge Lina Hidalgo’s resignation failed to pass Tuesday after commissioners voted 2-1 to strip a reference to her March 10 expulsion from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from a resolution. … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the District Clerk race

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty comprehensive and worth the read. Eight Democrats will battle it out in the March primaries for a chance to succeed Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, who announced in September she would not be seeking reelection. Whoever gets a … Continue reading →

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January 2026 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on January 18, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

New year, new finance reports. You know the drill. This is the busiest report of the cycle, the one that shows who’s who in the primaries. I’ll be doing the usual with the other offices as well. The July 2025 … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s attempt to block Harris County Immigrant Legal Services Fund denied

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For now. It’s the first step. An attempt by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to stop Harris County from funding legal services for immigrants facing deportation hit a roadblock Tuesday after a district court judge denied his office’s request for a preliminary … Continue reading →

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Still no replacement County Attorney

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not yet, but I expect it will happen soon. Commissioners failed to appoint someone to fill Christian Menefee’s seat Thursday, leaving the future of the county attorney’s office uncertain. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo scheduled a special session for Thursday … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Harris County over immigrant legal services

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This fucking guy, I swear. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Harris County for allocating county funds to programs that help undocumented people get access to legal support. The county, home to Houston, created the Immigrant Legal Services Fund … Continue reading →

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There may be a lawsuit over the rainbow crosswalk

Posted on October 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A legion of Houston’s elected officials gathered at the Taft and Westheimer rainbow crosswalk Tuesday as a show of force against Gov. Greg Abbott’s call to remove it or risk the loss of state transportation funding, and some even … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on Elon’s flood tunnels

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Insecure man makes defensive response to fair questions about his wild idea. Film at 11. Billionaire Elon Musk is taking issue with a recent investigation by the Houston Chronicle and The Texas Newsroom that raised questions about a flood tunnel … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do we still want flood tunnels if Elon is building them?

Posted on August 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating stuff. The devastating flooding in Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 killed dozens of people, inundated hundreds of thousands of homes and left the community desperate for a solution. Since then, local flood experts have extensively studied the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The censure

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t we have enough drama already? Harris County commissioners voted 3-1 Thursday to censure Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo following a heated disagreement over a proposed tax increase for early childcare programs. Commissioners Lesley Briones, Tom Ramsey and Adrian Garcia … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

July 2025 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s mid-to-late July, and you know what that means: It’s campaign finance report season! We’ve got a lot to cover, as there’s more angles and intrigue than usual, certainly a lot more than there was three months ago. I’ll start … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on Austin Street, Whitmire, and bike lanes

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna do this as a link roundup so I can get this out of my system. See here for the starting point. Whitmire stresses maintaining public safety as fears grow over future of Houston’s bike lanes. Emphasizing his priority toward … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Why are we now tearing up bike lanes?

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is bullshit. Without prior announcement, the city of Houston has begun removing the dedicated bike lane on a key street, raising concerns among residents about transparency and the city’s commitment to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. The potential loss of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

January 2025 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill here. Start of the year, we review all of the relevant campaign finance reports. Harris County races are the main event for 2026, at least at this time. I won’t mind if there are some other … Continue reading →

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Two more small updates on CD18

Posted on August 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I learned two things of interest from this Houston Landing story about the CD18 situation. The bulk of the story is about the candidate forum today and the recent Zoom interviews that candidates did (see here for more on each), … Continue reading →

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Harris County Flood Control District tax hike proposal on the ballot

Posted on August 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

One more item to vote on. Harris County will ask voters in November to increase the Flood Control District’s property tax rate to fund a “transformational” investment in drainage for years to come. The district’s current tax rate is 3.1 … Continue reading →

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July 2024 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Senate and Congress State offices Lina Hidalgo Rodney Ellis Adrian Garcia Tom Ramsey Leslie Briones Sean Teare Dan Simons Ed Gonzalez Mike Knox Christian Menefee Jacqueline Lucci Smith Annette Ramirez Steve Radack Teneshia Hudspeth Carla Wyatt Marilyn Burgess Candidate … Continue reading →

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Ellis requests full Metro board vote on halting Universities BRT

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s at least put it on the record. Concerned the University Corridor rapid transit line project could be delayed for years, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis on Friday called on Metro to move forward with the voter-approved project and hold … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Harris County seeks a new direction for HART

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully a solid reset and restart. Possibly even with the same vendor, if they can make the best offer and no other questions come up. Harris County officials on Tuesday began making new plans to extend a program that sends … Continue reading →

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HART trouble

Posted on May 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not great. Harris County paused its Holistic Assistance Response Teams on Wednesday after Commissioners Court failed to reach an agreement on whether to pay the vendor operating the program. At issue is a $270,000 payment to Disaster Emergency Medical Assistance … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire, Judge Hidalgo. Judge Hidalgo, Mayor Whitmire.

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What are we doing here? April made four months into Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s administration and he had yet to meet face-to-face with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “It has me worried, but it’s outside my control,” said Hidalgo. “I … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Uplift Harris can proceed

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

So says a judge. A district judge on Thursday ruled Harris County’s new guaranteed income program can proceed, denying the Texas Attorney General’s office request for a temporary injunction. The state sued Harris County earlier this month, arguing the initiative … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

County leaders defend Uplift Harris

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the passion and intensity in this response, but overall it does not leave me feeling optimistic about the outcome. Harris County leaders are defending their new guaranteed income program after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office sued to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mayor Whitmire appoints a new Metro Chair

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations and welcome aboard. Mayor John Whitmire on Tuesday announced CenterPoint Energy executive Elizabeth Brock would lead the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board of directors. If approved, Brock would be the first Hispanic woman to lead the transit agency. “She brings … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

January 2024 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: State offices Lina Hidalgo Rodney Ellis Adrian Garcia Tom Ramsey Leslie Briones Kim Ogg Sean Teare Dan Simons Ed Gonzalez Vergil Ratliff Joe Inocencio Mike Knox Joe Danna Paul Day Glenn Cowan Christian Menefee Umeka Lewis Jacqueline Lucci Smith … Continue reading →

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I have basically no idea who’s running for office right now

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Candidate data, where are you? Next year’s primary campaigns are starting to take shape after numerous candidates filed for office on Saturday, the first day to sign up for a spot on the March 2024 ballot. Voters will weigh in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Filing season for 2024 begins today

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Happy First Day of Candidate Filing to all who celebrate. The Democratic and Republican slates will begin to take shape this weekend once candidates start filing their paperwork to run. Several Harris County officials plan to file for re-election, such … Continue reading →

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From the “Idiots file dumb lawsuit” department

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I hesitate to give this any attention, but I feel it needs to be noted. Five people filed a lawsuit with Harris County District Court on Friday to remove Judge Lina Hidalgo from office, days before she is scheduled to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Harris County libraries are now “book sanctuaries”

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s great that they’re doing this, and terrible that they have to. As book bans and challenges occur across the state and nation, Harris County libraries have joined a movement dedicated to preserving people’s right to decide for themselves what … Continue reading →

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