A crowd of about 106 people gathered today for some Chorizo and Menudo served by the good folks at Doneraki’s and presented by LULAC Council 4967. Alberto Ruiz provided the emcee duties.
Mayor Annise Parker provided a strong defense for her re-election, but a short presentation by what seemed like anti-city government folks put one issue into the spotlight–not that it has been in the dark these last couple of weeks.
It was pretty obvious that the room was not supportive of the red light cameras, but Mayor Parker stated her support for the concept based on public safety, but that she was going to respect the will of the people. Her main obstacle has been a poorly negotiated contract which basically took out any opportunity for the City to cancel it if the people voted against it. Mayor Parker and her staff has been left to negotiate down any possible contract pay-off to American Traffic Solutions, the RLC contractor which is seeking as much as $25 million, including political expenses for a failed campaign and money that might have been made from tickets. But without reservation, Mayor Parker stated that the RLCs are going to be turned off.
Pointing to the contract, which was negotiated by the Bill White administration, and, I believe, approved by the City Council, I think I finally had my questions answered as to who negotiated it, who approved of it, and why on earth would a contract exclude a clause to protect the city if a decision made by the people through election nullifies it? As Mayor Parker stated, every other City contract has that kind of clause. In my opinion, it’s just common sense.
The Mayor stated that much of this has been a distraction from city matters, such as improving the economy and creating jobs, but that she has remained on task to push Houston toward a brighter future. This would include initiatives, such as the drainage fee, supported by a majority of Houstonians, to improve flood control. She stated that it may not happen overnight, but it sets Houston on course toward a realistic goal.
Sheriff Adrian Garcia spoke about the vast array of improvements that have been made at HCSO since he took office. On top of facing federal investigations brought on by the previous Republican Sheriff’s management of the jail, Garcia stated they have moved forward on reforms to jail operations. Among those reforms was a response to inmate deaths, which now call for internal affairs and homicide investigations to ensure the facts of such a case are well-documented; and a reduction in the jail population (and possibly recidivism) by providing education and vocational education opportunities to inmates, as well as a work program that allows low-risk inmates to earn extra days of jail credit for quicker release. He seemed proudest of the fact that he has ensured a higher profile for HCSO with constituents around the county through various town hall meetings and outreach.
The Sheriff stated that it may not make him look like the toughest Sheriff, but that those who have made mistakes deserve an opportunity that will hopefully have them not choosing crime again in the future, and perhaps help create more productive citizens out of them.
At one point, two local pro-migrant activists, Cesar Espinosa and Jannell Robles, stated their case against Secure Communities, a program which the Sheriff defended on NPR last week. They also called on him to resign in protest of SCOMM from a DHS Task Force on the program. Reminded of the fact that the program is under federal investigation because of its obvious flaws, Sheriff Garcia pointed to ICE as the sole decider on a person’s status and deportation. Sheriff Garcia stated that jail staff checks every inmate processed through federal databases and if one has a “questionable citizenship status,” they then report them to ICE for them to decide.
Garcia went on to state he has advocated for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and DREAM Act, and that as a member of the SCOMM Task Force, he would like to help reform the implementation process of SCOMM. One member of the audience, a local attorney and activist, stated that Garcia should not resign from the task force as any replacement could do more harm than good, given the anti-Latino climate that exists. Of course, the attorney calling pro-migrant activists “the far left” was a bit much, but at least he acknowledged that he was a part of that flank, too.
Ultimately, I can appreciate the Sheriff’s work on improving jail operations, improving outreach with the community, and taking on flaws left by the previous administration, but SCOMM (and 287g) are still issues that have left many in the Hispanic community questioning Democratic advocacy for Latinos all the way up to the White House. The approving crowd response to Espinosa and Robles shows that, at least in the case of immigration reform and detention practices, there is a somewhat of a chasm that needs to be addressed.
State Senator Mario Gallegos provided a recap of the 82nd Legislative Session, which he stated he was proud to defend against anti-Latino legislation, such as Rick Perry’s sanctuary cities which would target Latinos for arrest. Redistricting was also a topic he discussed, stating that many of the maps approved by the Republican-led legislature left Latinos without the opportunity to elect whom they choose, thus, leading to litigation.
Many thanks to LULAC 4967 for putting on these monthly breakfasts to inform the community of the latest happenings in politics and policy, business and industry, and charitable causes. It is always good to have an opportunity to engage in productive discussion with various leaders in the community.
