Category Archives: City of Houston

Now, That’s How One Announces for 2015

Posted on February 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

With all the talk about who is going to challenge Mayor Annise Parker in 2013, Controller Ronald Green seems to have stated how he really feels.

I think Annise Parker’s going to be (re-elected) mayor in 2013. I don’t have any problem saying that. I have no desire that she not be the mayor. I think she will rebound from what showing she had last year. I think that at the end of the day I’m keeping my options open. I think that as long as the two of us can work together, she’ll be the mayor for the next four years, I’ll be the controller.

And then…

“When the time comes,” he repeated with a laugh. “I will be formidable. I have shown that I can be formidable in anything I run for.” Green was unopposed in November for a second two-year term.

I’ve been a fan of the Controller since his first race for Council. And he seems to know how to play it, rather than be a bully or a naysayer. But I know there’s at least one member of the City Council that I wouldn’t mind seeing announce for Mayor in 2015, too.

And now, back to our regular 2012 programming…

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Posted in City of Houston, HoustonVotes '11, Redistricting '11

What A Great Idea: An Independent Crime Lab

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 1 Comment

Houston Mayor Annise Parker made the proposal today to create an independent crime lab to serve HPD and perhaps other crime-fighting entities. The slide show is an interesting one which gives us a clearer picture.

As outlined by Parker, City Attorney David Feldmanand chief development officer Andy Icken, the seven members of the board could not be removed by City Council except for intentional misconduct. They envision the board would include a representative from the Innocence Project, the legal team nationally renowned for its work in exonerating the wrongfully convicted. Feldman said Innocence Project co-founder Barry Scheckcalled him and told him he thought it was an excellent idea.

“I clearly prefer to have our forensics sciences not under the influence of police, prosecution or politics,” Parker said.

Sounds reasonable to me, but not to my Council Member, who seems to have a lock ‘em up no matter what attitude about this. Because lives are in the balance in some of the worst crimes, some balance on the independent board is indeed called for, so, I’ll  just chalk it up to typical right-wing electioneering on the part of Mike Sullivan. So much for keeping politics out of this, right?

Anyway, the cost of something like this obviously is on our minds. The current cost of $23 million to run this kind of operation sounds about right, but the start-up costs would definitely be a concern. Ensuring there is no duplication of services offered by the County’s facility is one solution; however, if the County isn’t willing to step up and help create this kind of facility (the county is mandated by law to report to the Commissioner’s Court, apparently) then that’s a problem, too.

There’s a solution somewhere–a practical one, rather than a political one. Unfortunately, when different political ideologies are in charge of things, these clashes will happen. In this case, I prefer the Mayor’s plan.

Update:  Thanks to Kuff for catching this nugget of hope:

County Judge Ed Emmett said that although the city and county are on separate tracks right now, Parker’s proposal ultimately could make it easier for the two governments to come together.

“By having the LGC, it opens up more options for how the city can approach forensic science, including partnering with the Institute of Forensic Sciences,” Emmett said.

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Posted in City of Houston, Criminal Justice, Harris County, Your Wallet

Good Jobs Great Houston, HOPE Make Some Good Suggestions

Posted on January 16, 2012 | Comments Off

HOPE, the city of Houston’s employee union, has been at the forefront  when it comes to the City’s budget battles. Beyond any city committee’s politically expedient budget proposals, HOPE makes suggestions that would actually strengthen the city’s position, rather than just punt the ball to the next budget cycle.

So, it was not a surprise to see Good Jobs Great Houston and HOPE make a strong statement after a city committee made their budget proposals. Here is the organized group’s list:

Good Jobs Great Houston, of which the Houston Organization of Public Employees is a member, held a news conference outside Wednesday’s City Council meeting to get their own ideas out. They claim that some of the ideas they had submitted to the Task Force did not make it onto the draft list. Among the union’s ideas distributed Wednesday:

  • Raise the city’s tax rate;
  • Establish a higher property tax bracket on homes with a value exceeding $500,000;
  • Establish a 1 percent income tax on city residents who make more than $30,000 a year;
  • A “blight tax” on foreclosed homes that banks would pay on vacant properties they let deteriorate;
  • End the practice of double dipping — remaining on the city payroll while collecting a pension;
  • Put a cap of $100,000 a year on annual pensions for new hires;
  • Review all outsourced services to see if they can be done more efficiently in house.

There are a lot more, but the Good Job Great Houston and HOPE officials said they want the conversation to include more than what’s already on the Task Force’s 229-item draft list.

The union leaders also pointed out things they don’t like on the draft list: eliminating the property tax homestead exemption for the elderly and providing tax abatements and other incentives to lure biotech companies to Houston. The latter, a Good Jobs Great Houston release states, equates to “tax giveaways for big corporations.”

The responsible thing is to put everything on the table, including our city employees’ ideas.

Heck, I would add a commuter income tax (for those who reside outside of the city limits and use our roads and infrastructure while providing little return to our coffers), too.

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Posted in City of Houston, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11

Thursday: Actions Against Wage Theft

Posted on December 6, 2011 | Comments Off

In my inbox from the Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center are two actions that will be taken on Thursday to give light to two examples of wage theft here in Houston.

1) Thursday 6:30am – Meet at HIWJ
Cosme Asencio and Gilberto Zavala came to the Worker’s Center in April after a former contractor did not pay them for remodeling construction work they performed. In late July, the workers and Mr. Lucas Garcia, their former employer, had a court mediation in which Mr. Garcia admitted to owing the workers $4,450 collectively and agreed to start a payment plan to repay the workers’ wages. It has been almost 6 months since this court judgment, yet both workers are still waiting to get paid! Gilberto received a mere $200 out of the $1,450 and Cosme has not been paid any of the $3,000 he is owed.

6:30am too early? How about the pm??

and

2) Thursday 6:30pm – at Ruggles (903 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77006)
This past weekend, six Ruggles employees walked off the job in the middle of their shift fed up after trying unsuccessfully to collect their overdue wages. Five of the six workers are waiters who depend on the measely $2.13/hr tipped employee federally required minimum wage.  HIWJ met with the workers last night, today they met with the County Attorney who has agreed to open an investigation. Some workers have picked up checks, but not all checks represent the full balance owed. The owner of Ruggles, Bruce Molzan, is looking to open three new locations. Let’s let him know stealing from workers won’t fly in Houston! Check out a few articles on the issue: Houston Chronicle and the Houston Press.

The HIWJ is located at 1805 Alabama, 2nd Floor.

You can still sign the petition asking Mayor Parker and City Council to support an ordinance which will put bad apples on notice that this practice will not be tolerated.

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Posted in City of Houston, DC Ojo, La Familia, Mayor Parker, Your Wallet

The Campaign Against Wage Theft in Houston

Posted on December 5, 2011 | Comments Off

There’s a story in today’s Chron about several workers walking out of Ruggles in Montrose for what is described as lack of pay. Specifically, it is about workers who work for tips getting shortchanged. The owner of Ruggles says he’s working on it, but is also embroiled in other legal issues. Still, legal issues aren’t much of an excuse to not pay some folks.

Again, this is just one example of an ongoing crisis called wage theft. Here in Houston, there is now a movement asking Mayor Annise Parker and Houston City Council to take a stand against the practice:

It is time to take action now considering that: Wage theft disproportionately impacts those who already live in poverty ; Workers who aren’t paid are forced to fall back on public safety nets and government assistance in order to keep their families economically afloat; Wage theft is unfair competition since employers paying prevailing wages cannot successfully compete with businesses that reduce their costs by committing wage theft. We believe that you can take action to level the playing field for responsible businesses and bring economic justice to thousands of hard-working Houstonians. We urge you to work together to make Houston a Zero Tolerance city for wage theft.

While the Mayor and other politicians present a positive picture for corporations and small business, I think it would be a good idea to combine that with a pro-worker environment by taking a stand against wage theft.

The campaign is a coalition of organizations which represents the interests of ordinary folks–people who work for a living, provide for their families, and keep the economy running. Unfortunately, it is this very group of people that is easily targeted for wage theft by those companies who are more interested in profit than a good product.

The Coalition is asking the Mayor and City Council to draft a Wage Theft Ordinance that “expedites the process to resolve wage theft claims, includes a viable enforcement mechanism, and aims to prevent future wage theft cases.” And through a strong process, a message is sent that Houston will not tolerate such practices.

If you are part of an organization that represents community interests, become a part of the coalition. If you’re a concerned member of the community, sign the petition and even give a little.

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Posted in Chicano Politics, City of Houston, Consumer Affairs, Criminal Justice, DC Ojo, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, Mayor Parker, Oportunidades, Para La Gente, Viva La Union, Your Wallet

Run-Offs on the Radio, Part II

Posted on November 29, 2011 | Comments Off

This morning, This Week With Sylvia Garcia featured the At-Large 2 and At-Large 5 candidates. If you missed it, it will re-air on Friday at 8AM on UCTCRadio.com, but I’ll try to get a copy of it to post here to aid voters in their decision, if one has not yet been made.

The At-Large 2 forum went pretty much as planned, with Kristi Thibaut and Andrew Burks giving their priorities, their plans to expand outreach to aid turnout, their thoughts on the budget, etc. I’ll let you listen to those when I get the copy, but when given the opportunity to ask each other questions, Burks took a turn for the negative.

Burks took out a copy of a recent Thibaut mailer and attempted to call-out Thibaut on an endorsement (one of many on the mailer, including many African-American elected officials) she listed that Burks states was actually given to him. I believe it was from a church group. Anyway, Thibaut stated she had not heard from the organization and would have no problem stating something about any retraction.

But if that wasn’t enough, in a moment of weirdness, Burks threw one from left field asking why Thibaut was calling herself “the only black candidate.”  Thibaut stated she had never described herself in that way.

Thibaut’s question was more issues oriented; in fact, she asked Burks why he had campaigned against Renew Houston, but now speaks in favor of it. Burks responded by stating he saw “my members” of Council speak against it and took the same approach, but that he now supports it, but made sure to point out that “it is not a fee, but a tax.”

With AL2 completed, we were hoping for a good debate between Jolanda Jones and Jack Christie. Unfortunately, Council Member Jones was working at the courthouse and arrived at the show’s end. Still, Dr. Christie enjoyed the full time answering the usual questions, but given the tone of his campaign, I wanted to bring him back to issues.

So, I pointed to his most recent mailer–the pink one with all of the Chronicle quotes about CM Jones–and stated that it seemed like he had made the campaign all about personalities and not about issues. I didn’t mention what had occurred at a Meyerland Democrats meeting–a bad reaction from folks who didn’t much enjoy his comments about CM Jones’ fashion choices. In order to make it issues oriented, I asked: “Can you tell me one vote taken by CM Jones with which you disagreed and why?”

Dr. Christie didn’t take too kindly to the question stating he had made the campaign about himself. Still, I repeated the question. One Vote? Here was his shot at making a policy statement of sorts. He chose to state he didn’t like a budget item CM Jones had requested–he stated it was a personal bathroom in her office. Obviously, this was a budget amendment and not an actual council vote, which is what I was looking for.

Christie was given an opportunity to ask a question of CM Jones, too, as if she was in the studio. Christie asked what CM Jones’ relationship was with Constable Ruben Davis in Missouri City, stating that his “friends had told him” that money is exchanged and that the Constable ensures a certain number of votes. Make what you will of that response.

I haven’t made it a secret that I endorsed Thibaut in her race, but I had remained quiet in the AL5 race. So, in asking Christie the question today I think I was fishing for an answer that would bring him toward the issues, rather than the personalities (what has been central in his direct mail pieces)–something that would make the distinction for voters when it comes to the issues. I guess that was a #fail on my part, but I think this interview has given some clarity to voters in one way or another.

I’ll get a copy on here soon, otherwise, listen in on Friday at 8AM.

Early voting begins on Wednesday 11/30. Find your polling location at this link (PDF).

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Posted in Chicano Politics, City of Houston, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, LatinoVote '11, Redistricting '11

Run-Off Candidate Series on Tuesday

Posted on November 28, 2011 | Comments Off

Tune in to UCTCRadio.com on Tuesday, 11/29 at 10AM, for This Week With Sylvia Garcia. This week features the City of Houston Run-Off Candidate Series featuring At-Large 2 and At-Large 5.

Of course, facing off in At-Large 2 are former State Representative Kristi Thibaut and businessman Andrew Burks; while At-Large 5 features 2-term incumbent Jolanda Jones and former SBOE member Jack Christie.

Hosting, as always, is The Commish, Sylvia Garcia, and I’m proud to be co-hosting as we ask candidates the questions to which voters need answers.

Tune in at 10AM on UCTCRadio.com. You may also download the Live365 app for your phone and search for UCTCRadio.

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Posted in Chicano Politics, City of Houston, DC-Radio, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, LatinoVote '11

Run-Offs on the Radio, Part I

Posted on November 22, 2011 | Comments Off

Well, if you missed this week’s edition of This Week With Sylvia Garcia, you missed the first two candidate forums featuring City of Houston Run-Off candidates. It was a good, productive discussion about city and district issues.

In District B, it was Alvin Byrd and Jerry Davis. Both are good candidates, in my opinion, offering different skill sets. Byrd offers a wealth of experience “on the inside” having worked for current council member, while Davis offers up experience in the small business sector and the community. There was hardly anything controversial in the discussion, although there could be a couple of opportunities on which to “strike” that probably don’t have much to do with “city issues.” Perhaps they’ll keep it on the ground, instead of over the radiowaves, but the two were gentlemanly and impressive in their efforts today.

In District A, only incumbent Council Member Brenda Stardig participated, and she devoted most of her time speaking about her record. Whether it was her efforts at bringing more businesses to District A utilizing 380 Agreements, to boasting about the fact that District A has a high-level of participation in neighborhood recycling efforts, to the fact that there are tens of millions of dollars in CIP monies in the pipeline for District A, she spoke frankly about the need to continue these efforts with her in office.

I think my favorite question to Stardig came when I announced that I may just be moving into the city (finally) and that I expect my future council member to be a cheerleader for their district. I must say that I was practically sold by her “sales job,” until the host of the show (The Commish) later made her pitch about moving to Lindale. Even Byrd and Davis made some pretty strong pitches, and all talked about the various improvements and new developments that have been cropping up in their districts.

I had not met CM Stardig until today, but she certainly is friendly, open to discussion, and someone that has and is willing to continue promoting a cooperative City Council to achieve what is best for her district. At least, that’s what I got from the discussion.

And being a blogger, I decided to “go there” and ask about the revelations of controversial comments made by her opponent, Helena Brown. But Stardig kept it “candidate classy,” and preferred talking about her record and accomplishments. And that’s exactly what the voters needed to hear.

The show repeats on UCTCRadio.com on Friday morning at 8AM and then at 5PM. So, while you’re eating leftovers, give it a listen–twice!

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Posted in City of Houston, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, LatinoVote '11, Redistricting '11

Back To Work She Goes: Citizenship Week

Posted on November 9, 2011 | Comments Off

Mayor Annise Parker has proclaimed November 13 thru 19 as Citizenship Week.

Mayor Annise Parker is urging Houstonians to participate in the City of Houston’s Third Annual Citizenship Week. This year’s observance runs November 13-19 and will feature more than 180 events and activities across the city celebrating what it means to be a Houstonian, including student poetry contests, art exhibitions, citizenship workshops, discussions about Houston’s history, and other events and performances representing many culturally-diverse communities.

“We just completed the most important act of civic engagement and citizenship with yesterday’s election,” said Mayor Parker.  “Unfortunately, this right is often taken for granted.  With that in mind, I hope all Houstonians will renew their citizenship commitment by participating in Citizenship Week.”

You can check out all the information about Citizenship Week here. What’s it all about?

What We Are Celebrating

  • Citizenship: Greater awareness of what it means to be a citizen in order to foster positive, active civic engagement
  • Diversity: Underscoring of the City’s diverse ethnic, immigration, cultural, professional and socioeconomic communities to support social cohesion, secure and vibrant neighborhoods, productive workplaces and healthy communities
  • Global Houston: Highlighting the City as a global, inclusive, vibrant place uniquely-positioned and highly attractive to do international business in order to support its economic growth and health and foster increased work opportunities for our diverse populations
  • Fellowship: Providing opportunities for community-driven events representing every segment of City life to support our City’s neighbors getting to know each other better for harmony, cooperation and a sense of citizen stewardship towards one another and the City as our home and work space
Here’s a link (PDF) to events in which you can participate. 

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Posted in City of Houston, Cultura Chicana, DC Ojo, El Mundo, La Familia, U.S. Ethnic Relations, Unidos Con GLBT

Post-Election Thoughts ’11 – Round 1

Posted on November 9, 2011 | 1 Comment

I thought I’d put this collection of initial thoughts together regarding the election. Usually, I start right as the numbers are coming in, but this time around, I slept on it. Let me tell  you, waking up this morning didn’t change my thoughts much, but maybe someone can convince me otherwise.

It Ain’t Over

We’ve got run-offs! At-Large 2 has Thibaut vs Burks, and At-Large 5 has Jones vs Christie. In AL-2, I’m glad at least one of my two favorite candidates made it to the run-off and I’ll be voting Thibaut in a month. Jones, on the other hand, has a tougher way to go. It might be easy to say that it’s Republican vs Democrat in this one, but Christie isn’t your usual Teaper–at least I didn’t get that impression when I met the candidate. But attitudes can change in a tight run-off. In both of these races, it will be all about turn-out. What may become a single-digit turn-out of Latinos in the run-off may actually have some significance in these races, though.

In District A, one or both candidates who made it to the run-off are probably thanking the heavens for Bob Shoellkopf. I don’t know what effect Bob could have in this one. Frankly, if I lived in A, I probably would have voted for him just because I don’t like voting for Republicans, and I guess he was the most Democratic. But I’ve also had to vote between Republicans in the past (District E) and I chose the better saner friendlier of the two. (Or was it the one who would actually talk to me?)

In District B, well, I’ll let the B folks decide.

The Mayor

Well, when there are different factors involved, it is pretty obvious that money ain’t everything. The Mayor avoided a run-off after only one term; a term which, for all intents and purposes, wasn’t bad considering the challenges. Beyond the economy and the cameras and the drainage fee, I think there was something out there that affected her numbers, and I won’t say it until I see the precinct-by-precinct numbers to see how certain areas of town voted. Needless to say, I think the Mayor needs to begin campaigning today for 2013.

Believe it or not, I think there is one person who is in the best position to challenge her in 2013, and it’s not perennial wannabe-a-candidate with free space in the Chron, and it’s not some other former activist-turned-wealthy lawyer. It’s that one At-Large member of Council who was handily re-elected and will have the ability to create a bully pulpit where he will be seen on a weekly basis. Some may argue money-raising ability, but we’ve learned that money may not be everything. Still, I’ll root for the Mayor.

The Winners

Congrats to Ed Gonzalez in District H, who I will always think is one of our best hopes for Citywide greatness, as far as Latinos go. James Rodriguez in District I, obviously, has that potential, too. I am happy about the re-election of Melissa Noriega to another term in At-Large 3. These three good, progressive candidates had some annoyances for challengers, but in the end, finished on top; although, I was hoping for larger margins. Especially in At-Large 3, I want to see the precinct-by-precinct numbers to get a better view of things. Stephen Costello in At-Large 1 seems to have gotten “Annise’d,” too (yes, I said it–chill out!). He withstood all sorts of attacks and came through, but I’m sure he will be challenged the next time. One thing is for sure:  2013 is looking more and more interesting up and down the ballot. Then again, two years can be a long time if all goes smoothly on Council.

Congrats to Ellen Cohen and her District C team, as well as to District J’s Mike Laster on some decisive wins. I would like to note than in District E, 24% of voters did not vote for Mike Sullivan (undervotes). One guy that is sure to be impressive is Larry Green in K.

Update:  Al Hoang was returned to his District F seat. I don’t know, I kind of like him, but it’s probably because his staff sends me press releases and stuff. Congrats CM Hoang.

We still have the run-offs, obviously, and I am definitely looking forward to getting to know these candidates–all over again.

Education

HCC will have a good proponent of students in Carroll Robinson. When he participated in This Week With Sylvia Garcia’s forum, he impressed me with his ideas on retention and graduation. Community colleges are experiencing various challenges and they will need to step up–big time!

HISD-8. Well, Juliet Stipeche took out the teabagger challenger…again! That was another one of those annoyances I mentioned earlier, but her team worked the streets hard, and ultimately, that’s how elections are won. It was a decisive victory for Stipeche, who now gets four years to work on what matters–what is best for the kids, teachers, and families of HISD. I was hoping for more of a stomping of the teabagger, but, again, annoyances. As I said on the radio yesterday, Juliet is the real deal and she didn’t have to be created in some political laboratory. Congrats, Juliet!

HISD-3:  I’m not sure what I’m more disappointed in:  That a good, honest candidate like Ramiro Fonseca fell short, or that almost half of the election day voters bought into the incumbent’s hate piece. Some might say, “it’s because the voters were conservative,” but I’ll just say they were…

And Finally, Latinos

Some recent stats from Early Voting showed that Latino voters (surnamed, maybe?) were about 12% of the vote and a good majority were in District I and H. Those two districts had between 10 and 11% turnout after yesterday, so, I guess that’s where Latinos were hovering. A couple of percentage points is not necessarily amazing progress, so, there’s work to be done. And when you have annoying LaTEAnos getting on the ballot and spouting teabagger and other hateful nonsense, chances are they will get an audience. I will continue to argue that there needs to be mass and frequent engagement by progressives beyond the campaign-only, door-to-door stuff to reach Latinos. The annoyances cut into margins, slightly, and if those of us on the progressive side do not act, that trend will continue.

Well, I thought I’d be all 2011′d out, but we’ve got some run-offs in a month. Stay connected to DosCentavos.net because I’m bound to set someone off with one of my posts.

Kuff has more, as does Gregorio.

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Posted in City of Houston, HoustonVotes '11, LatinoVote '11, Mayor Parker