Monthly Archives: October 2015

Houston, Houston Politics, Politics, Texas

Actress Sally Field Steps Up To Support Proposition 1

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As Early Voting comes to a close, the fight for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance is intensifying on both sides.  For supporters of Proposition 1 this week, that means some serious star power.  After meeting with the Houston Unites campaign, Academy Award-winning Actress and long-time Equality advocate Sally Field used her celebrity platform to draw attention to this critical vote.

Here’s the story from Drew Karedes of KHOU 11 news…

HOUSTON – Sally Field says she is compelled to stand up to what she calls evil lies surrounding Houston Equal Right’s Ordinance.

The two-time Oscar winning actress says this is very personal to her because her mother and grandmother were both born here in Houston, and she’s the mother of a gay son.

However, the actress says this goes much deeper than that.

“Why here, why Houston, why me? Because everyone in this country is watching this. This is incredibly important. Eyes are on Houston. This is Texas,” Field said.

She’s a name big enough to grab plenty of attention. Field is hoping Houston voters will listen to her message and vote “Yes” on Proposition 1.

“There are 15 different categories of people it protects. I fit into many of those categories,” she said. “This is my country, this our fight to bring about equality as a right for everyone.”

Also in attendance were State Senator Sylvia Garcia, Council Member Ellen Cohen, and a host of prominent Houstonian women in support of the ordinance.

As to be expected, the celebrity star power in support of Proposition wasn’t welcome by everyone.  Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick wasn’t too pleased…

Spirited as they may be, Lt. Gov. Patrick’s tweets do come with a bit of irony.  As Texas’ second in command, he happens to reside in the beautiful city of Austin, Texas. You know… the same Austin, Texas that imposed its “radical agenda” of equality back in 2004.  One wonders if Patrick lives in a constant state of fear for all of his fellow female legislators and employees as they traverse the big, scary, non-discriminating halls of their offices.

But anyway…

Having voices like Sally Field step up in Support of HERO has so far had the desired effect.  Her name was trending on Twitter for most of yesterday in Houston, and helped to increase national awareness of the truth on Proposition 1.  Let’s hope Houstonians turn that attention into votes.

 

 

Sally Field

Houston, Houston Politics

The ReBuild Houston Saga Ratchets Up

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To outgoing Mayor Annise Parker, and at least one candidate hoping to succeed her, the innovative ReBuild Houston program is viewed as a signature accomplishment.

To others desperate for every last vote, the program comes with hesitant support, if not outright opposition, mostly due to “poor implementation. Thankfully for them, the issue has received little Press during this election cycle.

But today, ReBuild Houston enters the fray, just hours before we see Election Results.  Here’s the story from Katherine Driessen of the Houston Chronicle…

A trial court judge ruled Thursday that the ballot measure Houston voters narrowly approved in 2010 obscured the nature and cost of the drainage fee at the heart of the city’s multi-billion dollar ReBuild Houston program, effectively voiding the election.

Judge Buddie Hahn ordered the city to hold a new election on the drainage fee, though that’s unlikely to happen immediately as appeals get underway. Hahn sided with a ruling issued by the Texas Supreme Court in June, saying the city had failed to make clear the ballot language surrounding the drainage fee, part of the city’s effort to dramatically improve Houston’s roads and drainage during the next two decades.

In a brief court hearing Thursday, Hahn said he had little discretion because the “Supreme Court has just about said as a matter of law” that the election should be voided.

Conservative activists, who deride the fee as a “rain tax,” filed suit against the city in 2010. The city originally prevailed at trial court, but opponents appealed. Now, attorney Andy Taylor is calling on the city to halt collection of the drainage fee altogether.

All along, opponents have claimed that there’s no possible way that voters could understand what they were getting themselves into back in 2010.   So from the viewpoint of Conservative lawyers, Council Member Michael Kubosh and Mayoral Candidate Bill King, this ruling should be the “nail in the coffin” for ReBuild.  But to be frank, this argument borders on the ridiculous.  As fellow blogger Off the Kuff so well reasoned back in June, if you could read the ballot, you knew that a vote for ReNew Houston was a vote for a fee.  Quantum Mechanics it ain’t.

However that just about in the judges’ statement proves to be of import.  According to the Mayor’s Office,  the 2010 election results still apply.   Per City of Houston Press Release…

We are disappointed with the court’s ruling and are considering our legal options, including a possible appeal.  This case places at risk the voter approved amendment to the City Charter that prohibits the City from using debt financing or spending the drainage fee on anything other than street and drainage improvements.  Those two issues have nothing to do with whether the city is able to continue the Rebuild Houston program and the collection of the drainage fee.  The ordinance remains valid and in effect.

It may not have garnered constant press attention like the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance or the City’s looming Pension woes, but the fate of ReBuild Houston will prove critical to the future of Texas’ largest (and rapidly growing larger) city.  At the end of the day, if Houston can’t repair and improve its infrastructure, the Southeast Texas region, and the whole state will suffer greatly.

If you’d like more information on where 2015 Municipal Candidates stand on ReBuild Houston, check out the TLCQ Questionnaire Response page.

ReBuild Houston

Houston Politics

Texoblogosphere: Week of October 27th

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The Texas Progressive Alliance is scouting out pumpkin patches as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff looked at early voting trends for 2015.

Socratic Gadfly told people who had not yet been to the polls to vote No to 6 of 7 on the constitutional amendments propositions.

Libby Shaw at Texas Kaos and contributing to Daily Kos explores the devastation to women’s health care options in Texas, compliments of the state’s far right Republican policies. The Texas GOP & Its Unforgiving War on Women.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is horrified at the Republicans use of state power to abuse Planned Parenthood, their patients, their employees, their associates and the people of Texas.

All of the political mail, door hangers, and assorted communication from the upcoming election for 2015 was photographed, discussed, and then recycled by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Realizing the value of everyday life, which when asserted against the elite and insider absence of values of the establishments of both major parties is a possible starting point for an uprising or people’s movement, Neil at All People Have Value took two pictures of traffic in Houston. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

Texas Leftist issues Endorsements for the 2015 Houston Municipal Elections.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Better Texas Blog analyzes State Propositions 1 and 7.

Streetsblog advocates against Prop 7.

The Current reports on the signs that Rep. Diego Bernal is providing local businesses who do not want to allow open carry on their premises.

Fascist Dyke Motors voted and feels good about it.

Texas Watch provides five things to know when filing a wildfire insurance claim.

Bekah McNeel vents her shame and outrage at being fooled by Volkswagon.

The Texas Election Law Blog answers your questions about homeless voting.’

 

And uh…. you need to V-O-T-E!!!!

Will Texas Vote

Houston Politics, Politics

Where Are Houston’s Young Voters?!?!

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So it’s an off, off year election with no President or Governor to be found on the ballot.  But so far, turnout for the 2015 Houston Municipal Elections is up.  Here’s KHOU with the details…

After one week of early voting, 61,008 people have already gone to the polls in Harris County. When you combine that with the 21,141 who have mailed in ballots, the county’s total early vote amounts to 82,149 with Election Day still more than a week away.

“It’s very clear that what we’re seeing is an uptick in turnout,” said Bob Stein, the Rice University political scientist and KHOU political analyst.

Given the high early vote, Stein predicts the total turnout for Houston’s city elections could reach 220,000 to 240,000 voters — a dramatic increase from the roughly 180,000 voters who cast ballots in 2009 when the city last elected a new mayor.

It is generally good news to have turnout increase for any election situation.  But the overall picture for early voting only tells part of the story.  When broken down by age group, turnout is expanding rapidly among older voters in Houston, while younger voters are all but absent from the polls.

And the phrase “all but absent” is not hyperbole.  Early Vote totals, broken into age groups by fellow blogger Erik Vidor, reveal the sad truth.  From October 19th through 25th, the first complete week of Early Voting, 56 percent of those that turned out to the polls were aged 65 and over, while just 1 percent were ages 18-24. And even when you add in the next age group of persons 25 to 34, you still only reach 5 percent of the total votes cast!!

TheOnePercent

(photo credit:  Erik Vidor via Facebook)

Umm, Houston’s young voters… where are you???

This is a national problem.  In a country where Millennials now outnumber Baby-Boomers, why have our nation’s youngest adults decided to let the older folks make critical decisions for them??

The answer most Millennials give?  They’re just too busy to vote.  Here’s how the Huffington Post summarized some data from 2014…

Young voters are more likely to say they are too busy to vote than the general population, an analysis by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University finds.

According to CIRCLE, 33.5 percent of young voters who were registered said their schedules conflicted with their ability to vote in 2010, compared to 25.2 percent of voters above the age of 30.

Only 5.8 percent of young voters, defined as those ages 18 to 29, said they didn’t cast a ballot simply because they didn’t like the candidates, and only 2.1 percent said transportation problems stopped them from voting. About one in ten 18-29 year-olds said they simply forgot to vote.

NEWSFLASH fellow Millennials… these excuses are C-R-A-P.  If one has the time to stare at  Snapchat or Yik Yak for 15 minutes without noticing anything beyond the phone screen, they have time to vote.

Texas got a major dose of voter apathy in 2014. Sadly, the alarming trends of young people simply not caring to vote for anything or anyone continue.  But one has to wonder why this generation has become so removed from the institution of government.  Beyond ridiculous, this is now kind of scary.

Please do your part, and get to the polls for Early Voting or Election Day.  If you don’t know about the candidates, look them up or ask someone who is informed.  Don’t be part of the problem!!

VOTE

Houston, Houston Politics, Texas, Texas Politics, United States

Texas Leftist 2015 Endorsements

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Here’s the Full List of Endorsements for the 2015 Houston Municipal Elections.  The Hyperlinks take you to the full-length endorsement page.  For more information on the candidates, check out the Questionnaire Responses, and be sure to also visit Off the Kuff’s 2015 Elections Page.

 

Houston Mayor
Sylvester Turner

Houston City Controller
Chris Brown

Houston City Council
At-Large Races
Position 1: Tom McCasland
Position 2: David Robinson
Position 3: Doug Peterson
Position 4 Amanda Edwards
Position 5: Philippe Nassif

District Races
District A: Brenda Stardig
District B: Jerry Davis
District C: Ellen Cohen
District D: unopposed (Dwight Boykins)
District E: unopposed (Dave Martin)
District F: Richard Nguyen
District G: Greg Travis
District H: Roland Chavez
District I: Robert Gallegos
Distrcit J: Mike Laster
District K: unopposed (Larry Green)

City of Houston Proposition 1:  Y-E-S!!!!
City of Houston Proposition 2:  No endorsement

 

And just to say one more time…

Like Dallas, Austin, Ft. Worth, New Orleans, hundreds of other cities and 17 states across the county, all Houstonians deserve to live in a city that does not condone discrimination.  Please vote yes to uphold the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.  Don’t believe the lies!!

Early Voting runs now until October 30th, and Election Day is November 4th.

HUEfest Mural

Photo credit:  Gary Paul Smith from Flickr

 

Houston, Houston Politics

TLCQ 2015: Endorsement for Mayor of Houston

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The 2015 Houston Mayor’s race is marked by a strong and diverse list of candidates.  At its outset, this close contest may be of some frustration to voters, but ultimately this is a good problem to have. Former Sheriff Adrian Garcia brings a record of executive experience and a positive outlook, but has remained a lackluster on charting new solutions to the city’s issues.  Former Congressman Chris Bell has demonstrated strong progressive values on the campaign trail, but little insight of how to encourage and inspire Houstonians which do not share his views.  Council Member Stephen Costello has proven himself invaluable during the Parker Administration, but also has not left the strongest impression for how he would advance the pension negotiations much further than the current status quo.  Bill King‘s view as both former elected official and media observer has been a welcomed perspective, but his fickle positioning on contemporary issues like HERO and ReBuild Houston reveal that he is behind the times to lead Houston forward.

In another time, it’s easy to see why any of the above candidates could execute the job of Mayor.  But for this time and the contemporary issues that Houston faces, one candidate seems best equipped to lead Houston’s municipal government in the next era.  That candidate is Sylvester Turner.

Mayor Annise Parker’s time in office has been truly extraordinary.  She led the city through the uncertain times of economic crisis, helped to basically re-write Houston’s perception within the rest of the country, and set her sights on long-term solutions with little regard to potential political risks.  Her pragmatic, details-oriented approach has served the city well, and many of the seeds planted during her tenure will bear fruit for years to come.

After such intense focus on details, it’s time for Houstonians to broaden our vision, and seek the “big idea” approach once again.  With challenges like the pension battle and growing economic disparities, Turner is well-suited to lead the city through its next phase.  His years in Austin have (hopefully) given him the right levers to solve many budgetary issues where Parker could not.  His background, growing up in Acres Homes and eventually graduating from the University of Houston and Harvard Law School, fosters the ability for Turner to build the right coalitions and keep the city moving in a positive direction.

The one quality which Turner has brought to the table that other candidates can’t quite match??  Big ideas.  Everyone knows that employment for under-served communities and a crumbling infrastructure are two the areas largest hurdles.  But only Turner sees the possibilities that could be achieved if we bring together our city’s under-employed workforce and train them to fix our streets while they gain valuable skills.  This is his Road to the Future initiative, and it’s the type of thinking that Houstonians need right now.

The pick for Mayor of Houston is Sylvester Turner.

 

 

Houston Politics

TLCQ 2015: Endorsements in At-Large Races

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Position 1— With several noteworthy candidates in this race, it is an admittedly tough decision to go with one over another.  Jenifer Rene Pool‘s decades of experience in the construction industry would be of great benefit as a new Mayor and Council continue to tackle the city’s massive infrastructure needs.  Lane Lewis is a proven public servant with a record of producing extraordinary results during his tenure as chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party.  Either would be an excellent addition to the Council table.  But the time in which Houstonians live points to yet another candidate… Tom McCasland.  Recent years have seen a nearly inconceivable proliferation of area property values, the result of which has left Houston in an affordable housing crisis.  Along with finding a path forward on the city’s pension obligations, affordable housing is sure to be one of the next challenges faced by the local government.  His successful time as head of the Harris County Housing Authority would bring necessary expertise to the people of Houston.  The pick for At-Large Position 1 is Tom McCasland.

 

Position 2— Incumbency is by no means an automatic ticket to reelection, as was seen two years ago, when David Robinson defeated then Council Member Andrew Burks.  But if any incumbent in the At-Large races deserves another term, it is certainly Robinson.  His wealth of knowledge and experience has helped to guide responsible solutions for the city’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).  Robinson also understands the importance of planning for the future of a rapidly-growing city, and has been a constant advocate for implementing the right solutions, not just those for “right now”. The pick for At-Large Position 2 is David Robinson.

 

Position 3— Even if one disagrees with Council Member Michael Kubosh, it’s tough not to like him on a personal level.  He is a charismatic and kind-hearted individual, always entertaining and often engaged with people in the community.  But among all of the Council Member’s many God-given political gifts, listening doesn’t seem to be one of them.  Time and again, he has made irresponsible statements, and fluctuates on his positions from one audience to the next.  This was apparent during the fight surrounding Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance.  Unlike Council Member Brenda Stardig, who opposed HERO while at least maintaining a respectful posture to both sides, Kubosh preached “respect” to the public, but then fell in line with those spreading unnecessary hate and lies when the cameras were off.  Rather than continue the chain of divisiveness, voters should instead consider Doug Peterson for this race.  With a strong record of community activism, Peterson understands that diversity and equality are necessary elements of Houston’s success.  As a Clear Lake resident, he also pledges to work towards bringing better quality of life for residents outside of the inner loop.  Another 1st-time candidate, John LaRue has run a respectable campaign and would bring many positive attributes to the seat, but in this year Peterson is the better choice.  The pick for At-Large Position 3 is Doug Peterson.

 

Position 4— This race is yet another open seat with two very strong candidates… Laurie Robinson and Amanda Edwards.  Either would serve the people of Houston with extraordinary commitment and common-sense pragmatism.  But for this election cycle, Amanda Edwards proves to be the best choice.  Though Robinson holds a wealth of experience in municipal government, Edwards’ time as a staff member for U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee shows that she understands the intricacies of constituent service.  Her experience in municipal finance law is also timely in light of the city’s fiscal challenges.  The pick for At-Large Position 4 is Amanda Edwards.

 

Position 5— Like Kubosh, there’s no denying that Council Member Jack Christie is personally a likeable guy.  But once again, personality cannot make up for a host of irresponsible comments and questionable positions around the Council Table.  This year, the clear choice is candidate Philippe Nassif.   He may not have the advantage of incumbency, but Nassif’s impressive experience working for The White House, Mayor Annise Parker and one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations will ensure that he brings a needed global perspective to one of the world’s emerging global cities.  In particular, his expansive work in helping to combat poverty and encourage affordable housing will prove necessary attributes to solve Houston’s upcoming challenges.  The pick for At-Large Position 5 is Philippe Nassif.

 

Houston-City-Flag