Tag Archives: Off the Kuff

Texas Politics

Texoblogosphere: Week of September 1st

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The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a good Labor Day as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Like many people, Off the Kuff was cheered by the ruling in the school finance lawsuit.

The TXGOP had a really lousy week, and it only got worse for Greg Abbott as the Labor Day holiday weekend began. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs doesn’t wonder why the attorney general is running away from debating Wendy Davis, because he can’t say ‘no comment’ when asked about his many scandals in a debate.

Libby Shaw now posting at Daily Kos notes that this week has not been particularly good for Republican lawmakers. The bad includes Texas Attorney General and 2014 Gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott. Not a good week for Republicans, including Greg Abbott.

From WCNews at Eye on Williamson. The economy in Texas has never been miraculous. Bleeding the people dry while stockpiling cash is no miracle, Neglect and Greed.

Make no mistake, Republicans are waging a war against public education. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is glad that the Texas constitution is standing in their way.

Texas Leftist applauds the Leticia Van de Putte campaign for catching Dan Patrick in a bold-faced lie. He cannot hide from the 2011 education cuts. Plus, we reveal the true reasoning behind Greg Abbott’s ‘Debate and Switch’.

Neil at Blog About Our Failing Money-Owned American Political System asked why Texas Democratic Lt. Governor Leticia Van de Putte would look the other way at vocal supporters of her campaign who voted for the state-mandated rape of the forced sonogram law.

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

Beyond Bones has everything you need to know about sharks but were afraid to ask.

Nancy Sims examines the feminism of Beyonce.

Newsdesk introduces us to the widely discredited “expert” who coached the state’s witnesses in the HB2 lawsuit.

Ben Sargent solves the GOP’s Latino outreach problem.

The Lunch Tray asks if using junk food tactics to sell vegetables to kids is a good idea or not.

TransGriot has good wishes for the new school year.

Better Texas Blog analyzes the school finance decision.

Nonsequiteuse reacts to the story of Greg Abbott’s partisan witch hunt against Houston Votes.

And finally, the TPA congratulates The Great God Pan Is Dead for its fifth blog anniversary.

 

 

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Equality, Houston, Houston Politics

Houston Equal Rights Ordinance Won’t See 2014 Ballot

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After dropping a temporary restraining order, a State District Judge has set the all important court date for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.  As a result, Houstonians will not be voting on HERO in 2014.  Here’s the story from Mike Morris of the Houston Chronicle…

Opponents of Houston’s equal rights ordinance dropped their request for a temporary injunction Friday that could have triggered a repeal referendum this November.

Now, their lawsuit against the city is scheduled to be heard Jan. 19, 2015, a trial date ordinance opponents called “expedited” and among the reasons they agreed to withdraw the request. For the city, though, the withdrawal marks a victory in what could be a lengthy legal battle.

The injunction sought by the ordinance foes would have forced City Secretary Anna Russell to certify their petition and sent the issue to an emergency city council vote in order to get the repeal referendum on the November ballot. The group of conservative pastors and activists was also asking the city to suspend enforcement of the ordinance, though Mayor Annise Parker had already agreed to do so until a ruling is issued.

The expeditious trial date is welcome by supporters and opponents, because in the case of HERO, all parties want answers as soon as we can get them.  By Parker’s order, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance is still not in effect because of the anticipated legal drama, and the longer we wait to enact the law is the longer that Houstonians have to endure city-sanctioned discrimination.

But at least for now, both sides can plan their actions accordingly, knowing that they do not have to wage an aggressive ballot campaign for this November.  However, there is still a possibility that the signatures could be ruled valid and HERO would then come up for a referendum in 2015… a scenario that many municipal candidates are not excited about.

Many have debated on which year would be best to have a HERO referendum, and depending on the circumstances it could be won or lost in either 2014 or 2015. The 2014 ballot would yield higher turnout than the municipal-only contest next year. But given that it’s solely a City of Houston measure, supporters of HERO are cautious, but confident they could win in any scenario. After all, this is the same electorate that supported Mayor Parker in three mayoral elections (nine if you count back to her Council Member days), even after enacting a similar non discrimination Executive Order in 2010. Any way you see it, Houston voters have shown that they support the principles of equality and fairness, which is unlikely to change.

Off the Kuff and Texpatriate have more.

Houston

Houston: New METRO Rail Lines Delayed

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Here’s the news directly from Swamplot…

There’s still “some uncertainty” over the exact schedule, but all the pieces needed to allow Metro to open Houston’s second and third light-rail lines won’t be in place until late December, according to reports delivered to a committee of the transportation organization’s board of directors last Friday.

[…]

The contractor building the lines won’t be ready to turn over the completed tracks until September 30th to Metro, which will then need approximately 60 days to prepare for their operation.

Just for further verification, I went ahead and asked METRO via Twitter, and they gave the same response as quoted above.

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The article also cites delays in construction of axle counters, and construction that of a separate building project in downtown. Not mentioned however is the continuing drama surrounding METRO’s delivery of rail cars.  At this point, the CAF-USA factory in New York has actually made adjustments to be able to build the cars and ship them to Houston as quickly as possible.  But as Off the Kuff notes in a recent post, the delay for the opening of both lines actually gives  more time to get the necessary cars operational.

Delays have their annoyances, but it’s far more important that these lines start when everything is done the right way than it is to try and rush the process.  Let’s hope that METRO can get them running soon.

 

Texas Politics

TexWatch 2014: Vote in the Democratic Primaries!

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First things first, an explanation…

Many readers may be wondering why Texas Leftist has been so mum on the 2014 Primary circuit. It’s due to a combination of factors… Some personal, and some professional. I wanted to sit back and see how the Primaries play out before endorsing particular candidates. I’m still learning about the statewide political landscape, so rather than dive in head-first like in the municipal elections, this is the decision I made for the primary cycle. Once the primary results come in, Texas Leftist will assume a more ‘active’ role, including sending candidate questionnaires to those that make it to the general election.

This decision was certainly NOT because I consider the primaries to be less important… they are absolutely crucial. For the Democrats, it’s even more important that you vote in this Primary election so that statewide political forces (Battleground Texas, etc.) can have a gauge of how their work is going. Remember that in general, a vote to support Democratic candidates is a vote to expand healthcare for our states poorest citizens, to actually invest in the education of our next generation, and to strive for equality of all Texans. These principles are likely to be part of Democratic Party platform.

There a few races however, that I will go ahead and endorse outright… Texas Leftist supports Wendy Davis for Governor, Leticia Van de Putte for Lieutenant Governor and Kim Ogg for Harris County District Attorney. Recent comments made by Lloyd Oliver, Ogg’s opponent, denying the existence of domestic violence against women are inaccurate and misleading. As a result, I have to leave the fence on that race.

As much as it pains me to do so, there is also one anti-endorsement that must be made. Please DO NOT VOTE FOR KESHA ROGERS. She is a “LaRouche Democrat” that openly advocates for the impeachment of President Obama. Rogers is a danger to the entire Texas Democratic party. If any friends ask you about Rogers, tell them to not to voter for her under any circumstances.

Though not covered at Texas Leftist, I highly recommend the following sources to help guide your voting choices for the Democratic Primary…

The Off the Kuff 2014 Elections Page is information central for Houston-area politics. He has a fantastic breakdown of local races, and a few other contests from around the state.

Another trusted resource is the Texpatriate Blog. They have conducted several candidate interviews for the Primaries, kept up with all of the latest developments, and offer insightful analysis of each race and it’s broader implications.

Early Voting is underway now in counties across the Houston area. Please go VOTE!!

Uncategorized

Metro North Line FAR Exceeds 1st Ridership Goals

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Some great news directly from the METRO website…

In its first month of operation, the Red/North Line extension exceeded ridership projections by 62 percent.

METRO launched its 5.3-mile extension of the Red/North Line last Dec. 21 – extending the line from HCC-Downtown Station eight more stops to Northline Transit Center/HCC.

In January, the first full month of operation, the Red/North Line averaged 4,200 weekday boardings. That’s 1,600 more than what we had forecasted for the average daily ridership by Sept. 30, the end of METRO’s fiscal year.

“This speaks volumes about the value of rail in the community, and how expanding the reach of one form of transit enhances others like our bus service,” said METRO Chairman Gilbert Garcia in a statement.

Added Tom Lambert, interim METRO president & CEO: “It’s providing better connectivity and improving the customer experience on many fronts.”

Consider these stats since the Red/North Line expanded:

•The amount of transit service has increased, adding 192 rail trips each weekday, replacing 149 weekday bus trips.

•The frequency of service has increased with peak and midday service running every 12 minutes compared to 15 minutes on previous bus route.

•On-time performance has improved. Route 79, which serves the Northline Transit Center, rose to the top ten routes for on-time performance from the bottom 10.

Ridership on the Red/North Line is expected to surge when two more light-rail lines open later this year, the Burnett Transit Center opens and a redesign of our bus system is implemented.

Once the Green/East End Line and the Purple/Southeast Line open later this year, METRO will have about 23 miles of rail.

Of course in order to properly open the Green and Purple Lines, METRO is going to need some rail cars if they expect those trains to run at full capacity. Even still, the news that North Line ridership has far surpassed initial goals is welcome, especially when considering that the line just opened and much of it’s support infrastructure isn’t completed yet.

I can’t say I’m surprised by this. Anyone who has been brave enough to ride the line immediately finds a charming and interesting way to traverse the Near Northside. The Burnett Transit Center is a striking new edition to Houston rail as the first elevated station in the system. And best yet, at the end of the line, they have access to shopping and dining options that weren’t previously available. Sure many Liberals may detest the thought of stepping into a WalMart, but for most non-politicals out there, the expanded shopping is sorely needed. Slowly but surely, Houstonians are starting to understand that public transit has a place in the city.

The venerable Off the Kuff has more.

Houston Politics

Texoblogosphere: week of January 20th

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The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks that if same sex marriage is OK for Utah and Oklahoma it’s OK for our state too as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff interviews Kim Ogg, candidate for Harris County District Attorney, and Steve Brown, candidate for Texas Railroad Commission.

Eye On Williamson on priorities. Keeping immigrants in the shadows, because it’s not good politics for the GOP in an election year, shows exactly what the GOP’s priorities are. John Carter & The GOP’s Misplaced Priorities.

Horwitz at Texpatriate reports on the controversy that has recently erupted in the US Senate Democratic primary between David Alameel and Maxey Scherr.

The civil war in the Harris County Republican Party threatens to disrupt the candidacy of Dan Patrick for lieutenant governor, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has a snapshot of the battlefield.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that those Charter Schools are using your money to push the propaganda to your children..

Harold Cook patiently debunks Republican claims about Wendy Davis’ fundraising totals.

After reading a story about how China is paying for new shipping ports for Sri Lanka, Neil at All People Have Value wrote that when somebody else builds your port you lose control of what ships arrive and what goods are received. It is better that we construct our own ports of friendship and imagination. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

Texas Leftist welcomes it’s first ever guest contributor… A remarkable man who has truly lived all sides of the marriage debate. In the span of a few short years, this father of three went from being married to his wife to marrying his husband. Fred-Allen Self has an interesting story to tell.

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

Better Texas Blog celebrates the 50th anniversary of LBJ’s War on Poverty and reminds us that there is still much to be done about it.

Scott Braddock reports on a targeted worker misclassification crackdown going on in Texas.

The Texas Green Report wonders if the earthquakes in Azle will lead to a change in thinking, and in regulation, on fracking.

Juanita notes that Texas is now exporting campaign finance law violators to other states.

The Republic of Austin shares an Austin-based ad campaign that is trying to convince people not to move to Austin.

The Heights Life has some good news about one school that’s bucking the trend on library downsizing.

Texas Vox wants you to write a letter about Keystone XL.

Finally, the TPA warmly congratulates Eileen Smith of In The Pink Texas for the beautiful new addition to her family.

Houston Politics

Texoblogosphere: Week of December 30th

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The Texas Progressive Alliance bids farewell to 2013 and wishes everyone a happy and healthy 2014 as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff has stayed on top of the legal action in the Utah same sex marriage litigation and related matters.

Texpatriate picks Annise Parker as its 2013 Person of the Year.

DosCentavos gives us the last Thoughts on Viernes of 2013 which includes his Top 10 posts of 2013.

From the media’s impression, it’s pretty easy to think that all faith communities are against LGBT people and the struggle for equality. But in reality the religious debates are just as diverse as the ones going on elsewhere, with opinions changing just as rapidly as any other segment of society. Texas Leftist takes a look at one Houston church that is affecting this change while enlightening hearts and minds. As they would say, “traditional worship for contemporary people”.

The Texas Education Agency totally ignores South Texas. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is outraged, but not surprised at Republican denial of education opportunities for Texas Hispanics.

There was some gay marriage news made at the end of 2013, and it had nothing to do with Duck Die Nasty, according to PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Neil at All People Have Value took a walk on the Texas City Dike. Neil says that the TCD is a great place to take a walk and to get some thinking done. All People Have Value is a part of NeilAquino.com.

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

Laura Mayes sets a goal of spending more quality time with the children in her life.

Lone Star Q rounds up the top Texas LGBT stories for 2013.

Texas Redistricting rounds up some recent news stories relating to election law.

Grits for Breakfast reminds us that “Santa was in prison, and Jesus got the death penalty”.

Greg calculates updated Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) totals for Harris County.

Andrea Grimes reports on a Texas law that is forcing a hospital and a family to keep a pregnant woman on life support against her stated wishes.

New Media Texas outlines the six steps to getting a job in politics.