Tag Archives: The Lege

More Dem primary polls from UH/Hobby Center

I asked, and I received. Just months after a bruising campaign for mayor of Houston, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is leading her top challenger in the 18th Congressional District by five points, suggesting the closest race for the position … Continue reading

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The Shawn Thierry situation

The Trib covers one of the more important primaries in Harris County this cycle. That Senate Bill 14 would pass was not in doubt. The legislation, which would bar gender-transitioning care for children and teens, had universal Republican support and … Continue reading

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Our one page ballot

Good news. Harris County voters and election workers can look forward to one major improvement in the upcoming March primaries: the county’s lengthy ballot now fits on one piece of paper, rather than two. The change is due to a … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Really? That guy?

For some reason, the Chron endorses Rep. Harold Dutton in HD142. As a graduate of Fifth Ward’s storied Wheatley High School, Rep. Harold Dutton has never equivocated on his legislation that enabled the state takeover, or “giveaway,” as Dutton calls … Continue reading

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SB4 lawsuit has its day in court

We’ll see what happens. Lawyers for the Biden administration and Texas faced off in a federal court in Austin on Thursday to argue whether a new state law that would allow police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Three big ones

The Chron races to finish up their primary endorsements before the start of Early Voting. Three more for your consideration: They endorse Rep. Lizzie Fletcher in CD07. Ever since Democratic voters picked her to take on and eventually defeat a … Continue reading

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Interview with Rosalind Caesar

Once more into HD139, where this time we meet up with political veteran Rosalind Caesar. Caesar currently serves on the Board of Harris County Municipal Utility District (MUD) 304, which provides “water, wastewater and in some cases, drainage services” to … Continue reading

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Interview with Charlene Ward Johnson

Next up in HD139 is Charlene Ward Johnson, who has served on the HCC Board of Trustees since winning a special election to fill the seat left vacant by Rhonda Skillern-Jones in 2022. On the HCC Board she is the … Continue reading

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Interview with Mo Jenkins

Believe it or not, early voting for the 2024 primaries begins next week. I have a full week of interviews to bring you to get us there. The first three will be for the open seat in HD139, and the … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Allred and more

The Chron endorses Colin Allred in the Democratic primary for US Senate. Texas voters eager to see U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz retire to Cancun permanently, not just on a quick trip during a devastating winter storm, have a choice between … Continue reading

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Interview with Ashton Woods

Moving to our next contender in HD146 we come to a familiar name. Ashton Woods has been a fixture on the scene as an organizer and activist since moving to Houston from New Orleans in 2005, just before Hurricane Katrina. … Continue reading

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Interview with Lauren Ashley Simmons

We move over to HD146 for the next two days. This is the home of the latest problematic legislator, Rep. Shawn Thierry, who has drawn a pair of challengers after making some bad votes and troubling statements on book bans … Continue reading

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Interview with Danny Norris

For the next two weeks I will have interviews with various legislative candidates – for HDs 139, 142, and 146, for SD07, and for CD38. This will get us up to the start of early voting, which begins on February … Continue reading

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January 2024 campaign finance reports – State offices

The start of the new year means campaign finance reports are due for everyone. I’ll work my way through them as I can, in between the interviews and Q&As. At this point in January, the only state race to watch … Continue reading

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TEA takes over La Joya ISD

This one’s a little different. The Texas Education Agency removed La Joya Independent School District’s democratically-elected school board and appointed a new superintendent after investigating the district’s previous leadership for allegations of fraud and conflicts of interest, the agency said … Continue reading

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Paxton sues five cities over marijuana decriminalization ordinances

Seemed likely something like this would happen eventually. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing five cities — Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton — to block their ordinances decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession. In 2022, voters in the five … Continue reading

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I don’t care about Rep. Jacey Jetton’s primary fight

There was a time when I’d have cared about this, but that time has passed. In many ways, state Rep. Jacey Jetton could be the poster child for the Texas Republican Party. He is a young, married father of color, … Continue reading

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SCOTx has its hearing on gender affirming care ban

I don’t know what to expect. The Texas Supreme Court heard a legal challenge Tuesday to a new state law banning doctors from prescribing gender-affirming care for transgender youth, a prohibition that a district court judge said was unconstitutional. After … Continue reading

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Today’s Ken Paxton whistleblower trial update

He’s basically a professional defendant now. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton could face a potentially expensive and uncomfortable jury trial to defend himself against former deputies after a Travis County judge declined Wednesday to end the case in the whistleblowers’ … Continue reading

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SCOTx pauses Paxton deposition

Delay, delay, delay… The Texas Supreme Court has halted depositions that were scheduled to begin Thursday in the whistleblower case against Attorney General Ken Paxton. The all-GOP court issued an order Tuesday staying the depositions and giving the parties until … Continue reading

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Paxton harasses another out of state clinic

Disgusting, but par for the course with our degenerate AG. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking medical records from a Georgia telehealth clinic that offers gender transition care to young people in Texas and other states where the treatment … Continue reading

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How should state agencies use artificial intelligence?

We’ve now got a committee for that. When the Texas Workforce Commission became inundated with jobless claims in March 2020, it turned to artificial intelligence. Affectionately named for the agency’s former head Larry Temple, who had died a year earlier, … Continue reading

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Can we have a do-over on that impeachment thing?

What an interesting question. Republican state Sen. Drew Springer called for Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate to consider reopening impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton. In a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the state … Continue reading

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More on why we need a split primary

Votebeat fills in some blanks. Some Texas election officials are running out of time before the March 5 primary to find sufficient polling locations, equipment, and election workers mandated by a new Republican-backed election law, and may not be able … Continue reading

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We’re beginning to quantify the effect of the abortion ban

Three stories from the Chron about abortion and forced births. The first one involves rape victims. Read carefully. More than 26K rape-related pregnancies estimated after Texas outlawed abortions. Texas saw an estimated 26,313 rape-related pregnancies during the 16 months after … Continue reading

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No, really, Paxton ordered to sit for deposition

Oh yeah. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to end a whistleblower lawsuit against him has been dealt another blow after a Travis County judge denied his attempt to end the case without being deposed. The ruling, which Paxton’s office publicized … Continue reading

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The Woodfill/Pressler story keeps getting uglier

Truly gross. In 2017, a Houston college student wrote to the family of Paul Pressler, warning them that the former Texas judge and Southern Baptist leader was a pedophile. “There is a serious issue at hand,” he wrote in an … Continue reading

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On HISD’s budget issues

They’re Mike Miles’ problem now. It would be nice if he shared with us how he intends to deal with them. Last fall, when Houston ISD’s new superintendent, Mike Miles, first laid out his expensive plans for Texas’ largest district, … Continue reading

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HISD Board declines the use of chaplains

Good call. Houston ISD’s Board of Managers voted unanimously Thursday to approve a resolution preventing chaplains from serving as hired or volunteer school counselors in the district. Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 763 in June, which requires each school … Continue reading

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On hiring more cops

Not as easy to do as you might think. Halfway through his inaugural speech, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the city made it far too hard for people to join the Houston Police Department. As an example, Whitmire pointed out … Continue reading

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Paxton ordered to sit for deposition anyway

Bwa ha ha! A Travis County judge issued an order Friday for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to sit for a deposition on Feb. 1 in the lawsuit brought by four of his former employees. However, some of those plaintiffs … Continue reading

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The Texas Freedom to Read Project

Good stuff. A group of Texas parents has a mission: Let their kids follow their curiosity in school libraries. The Texas Freedom to Read Project launched in December to counter the statewide surge in book challenges and removals in public … Continue reading

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Paxton will no longer fight the whistleblower lawsuit

Kind of stunning, definitely a stunt, and also his latest and most desperate ploy to avoid being deposed. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday that his agency will stop fighting a whistleblower lawsuit by four former top executives who … Continue reading

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Fifth Circuit upholds injunction in book rating lawsuit

Good news. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday blocked a new Texas law that requires bookstores to rate books for sexual content and prohibits any deemed “sexually explicit” from the state’s public schools. A panel of three judges … Continue reading

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