Category Archives: HoustonVotes ’11

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…

→ Leave a comment

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

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.

Comments Off

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

Catching Up on the Week’s Chisme

Posted on January 12, 2012 | Comments Off

A Lecture at City Hall?

That’s what one of the new guys on the horseshoe called it, apparently. Frankly, I think Helena Brown’s talk-down by CM James Rodriguez was well-earned. As far as “magnificent,” well, I don’t know about that. I said during my end of the election post that the newbies were going to have to work and play well with others, especially those reppin’ districts. City Council is about relationships and if done right, you can accomplish much. I also said Brown would make us all wish Addie Wiseman was still at City Hall. Well…maybe.

It’s Not Even a Story Anymore!

That’s right, 2012 will be another NoTejano event at HoustonRodeo.

¿Si o No?

Looks like the Chron already wants to start something for 2013. I mentioned it in my post-election thoughts, too. Now, I’m wondering if one of the “magnificent” 7 might be getting interested, too.

The Mintz Kick-Off

I was proud to be one of the hosts of the Silvia Mintz for Education Kick-Off Fundraiser at Julia’s Bistro on Wednesday.  Along with it being a success, the event also provided a burst of energy that many of us needed, now that the Republicans and the Supremes are messing with our elections. It’s the kind of energy we need to sustain starting now–no matter how long the Republicans force us to wait. I’m sure glad she and other energetic candidates will be anchoring the ballot.

More posts later. Just felt like catching up during this busy week!

Comments Off

Posted in Chicano Politics, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012

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.

Comments Off

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).

Comments Off

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.

Comments Off

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!

Comments Off

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

This Just In: Fonseca Will Not Seek Recount in HISD3

Posted on November 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

That’s the latest from Texas Watchdog Reporter Mike Cronin on his FB:

‎Ramiro Fonseca, who lost to incumbent Houston Independent School District Trustee Manuel Rodriguez last week by 25 votes, has told Texas Watchdog, he will not seek a recount. Fonseca’s statment: “After examining the official election results, I have decided that a recount is not an option that would change the outcome of this election. I congratulate Mr. Rodriguez on his re-election. I am honored to have worked with the many supporters and volunteers in my campaign for HISD Trustee. I thank everyone that stood behind me throughout this time. I am very proud of our campaign team and I hope that we have set an example for our next generation of leaders on how a campaign should be executed.”

Well, with the campaign officially over, the campaign to remove Manuel Rodriguez from the HISD Board continues. I just saw a new website taking shape explaining all that went on during the last last days of the HISD-3 race up to the protest at the HISD Board meeting in which community leaders and students called out Rodriguez publicly. HISDBully.org is the site, so, check it out.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Chicano Politics, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, K-12 Education

Harris County Redistricting Heads to Court–UPDATED

Posted on November 15, 2011 | 1 Comment

Kuff had a post yesterday about Harris County Commissioners Court attempting to mediate with Latino activist plaintiffs regarding an interim map for the 2012 elections. Indeed, it was in the Sunday morning news, along with news that the County Commissioner’s Court would be meeting on Monday to discuss options.

Today, the Chron reported that mediation did not effect an interim map and the parties were headed to court–and only to work on the interim map; not on arguments for or against the original maps. Obviously, with the 2012 primaries looming, there is a bit of uneasiness as the political parties must deal with candidate filing deadlines, residency requirements, and the overall prep for the primary. Equally important is the fact that precinct boundaries must be drawn, as well.

It is safe to say there is cautious optimism with the outcome of at least the interim map.

Dunn said the map could be drawn to add black voters to Precinct 1 and Latino voters to Precinct 2.

“The judge has made clear that any interim map she might adopt cannot be retrogressive to African-Americans or Latinos and it has to fairly distribute the population in the county,” Dunn said.

The County’s media folks were working overtime in putting it out there that they were willing to mediate and negotiate this weekend, and Pct. 2′s Jack Morman wasted no time in playing his own brand of spin:

“After the mediation Thursday it just seems like the other side is almost not negotiating in good faith, like anything they propose they know would be unacceptable” to the county, Morman said Monday.

Bottom line, mediation is where both sides come together and put it all out there. There’s little doubt that a bone of contention on the Latino activist side is the huge swath of Northeast Harris County (Atascocita) that is proposed to be a part of Precinct 2–more than likely the source of retrogression. Did the county offer to cut that out of the maps? Not likely, since their game appears to be incumbent protection.

Meanwhile, we await a decision from the Department of Justice to see if the proposed map even passes muster and the Voting Rights Act.

The U.S. Department of Justice also is reviewing the county’s adopted map and is expected to rule on whether it conforms to the Voting Rights Act by mid-December.

Given the fact that Texas Republican-created maps have been ruled improper lately, I’m hoping the DOJ continues that trend so that we may correct the improprieties.

Stay connected as decisions, maps and opinions will be flying about in the next days and weeks.

UPDATE 11-15 @ 9:25PM :  Testimony in case is complete!

Interesting

Assistant county attorney Doug Ray said Gilmore will hire demographer and redistricting consultant Jerry Wood (who assisted the City of Houston with its redistricting plan earlier this year) to help her draw the map.

Francisco Pedraza, professor of political science at Texas A&M University, and local political consultant Robert Jara testified for the plaintiffs (who are led by Houston City councilmen James Rodriguez and Ed Gonzalez and represented by Chad Dunn, general counsel for the Texas Democratic Party).

University of Houston political science professor Richard Murray (who helped the county draft its plan) and Ray testified on Harris County’s behalf.

Ray said his testimony focused mainly on the administrative difficulties that would be created by a radically redrawn map, given the many deadlines coming up related to the March 6 primaries.

Ray said he also is worried that a federal court in San Antonio that is hearing a challenge to the state’s redistricting map for state and congressional offices could create more severe administrative headaches.

A headache from correcting a map with so many Republican improprieties? Oh my! By all means, let’s not give the county more work to do after they messed it up the first time!

Anyway, the interim map could be completed this week, so, stay connected!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Chicano Politics, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, LatinoVote '11, LatinoVote '12, Redistricting '11

How About We Call them Humans?

Posted on November 15, 2011 | Comments Off

The Texas Tribune, bless their hearts, provided us a debate today on whether a group of human beings who are simply looking for economic opportunity should be called “unauthorized” or “illegal.”

Right-wing Rep. Jose Aliseda of Beeville, seems to be trying his best to separate himself from Latinos, though he does take the “legal” route.

Referring to persons, things and matters in their proper legal terms and common definitions is very important for a lawyer and should be important for a layperson and society as a whole. This is supposed to be a nation of laws, after all.

In that case, I’ll refer to him in a more human terms:  insensitive, selfish, egotistical, and self-loathing.

On the “unauthorized” side is Dan Kowalski, who gives a better argument in terms most lawyers, unlike Aliseda, would understand.

To the question, what part of “illegal” don’t you understand? I answer: every bit of it, including the distinction between jaywalking and murder, between littering and grand theft; in short, between malum prohibitum and malum in se — that is, the things we’ve decided to regulate versus the things we all agree are evil.

Of course, there are also the things that people like Aliseda turn away from, like the blatant disregard of the Voting Rights Act as if the undocumented are going around committing voter fraud. Aliseda and his sort will create “voter fraud” and violate the very laws that protect voters. But no, let’s blame an easier, defenseless target.

Although I can see where Kowalski is headed with his argument for “unauthorized,” in that it is a status that can be changed, it seems society generally fails to point to the positive aspects of the immigrant community; especially in the overall debate. Instead we get into debates like these, and Republican La-TEA-Nos like Aliseda can promote hate-filled legislation and force positive legislation to die in the name of politics–a vote.

I appreciate Kowalski’s end that we should be pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. But whether it is right-wing hate-speech or the indifference of a Democratic administration that chooses to waste political capital on other things, CIR is not happening, thus giving the Trib the ability to debate words, rather than help push the effort for CIR.

I wonder what Aliseda would call my 4th generation American mom, or my 2nd-generation American dad who would gather old clothes for, and provide food and drink to, “los mojaditos” who would be trekking along train tracks close to our house. I know I’d call them humanitarians.

Comments Off

Posted in Bigots and Liars, Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, Immigration, LatinoVote '11, LatinoVote '12, U.S. Ethnic Relations, Violence Against Latinos