Battle In Farmer’s Branch Over Anti-Immigrant Ordinance Takes A New Twist
September 29, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
It looks like the city of Farmer’s Branch will be out some substantial cash for its idiotic attempts to ban illegal immigrants from renting property in the city. And, it also looks like the city is doing everything within its power to keep documents dealing with that situation–and the fees–out of the public eye.
Austin Chronicle Breaks APD’s Data Mining Scandal Wide Open
November 15, 2007 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
After being broken by criminal defense blogger I Was The State, the story about the Austin Police Department and the city’s municipally-owned utility mining electric use data in an attempt to determine who may or may not be growing marijuana in their home, the Austin Chronicle has broken the story wide open.
We urge you to read the entire story, but, of course, we find some of the email exchanges the Chronicle uncovered the most interesting aspects of the whole sad saga:
Voting Rights Lawsuit Challenges Single Member Districts In Irving
November 7, 2007 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
A voting rights lawsuit filed Tuesday seeks to strike down single member districts in the north Texas city of Irving on the ground that the present at-large voting system for city council elections denies representation to the city’s Hispanic population.
From The Dallas Morning News:
The lawsuit requests that a U.S. District Court declare that the at-large method violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It also asks that the city be ordered to disband at-large voting and develop a new system of electing council members.
The lawsuit mirrors a successful 1988 suit that challenged Dallas’ at-large elections, claiming they hurt the ability of minorities to get elected. That landmark case eventually led to Dallas’ current and sometimes controversial 14 single-member districts and at-large mayoral post.
It comes as no surprise that the city’s large Hispanic population is seeking better representation on the city council:
Look For Court Challenges To Little Elm Sex Offender Ordinances
November 7, 2007 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
The Little Elm Town Council has approved two ordinances restricting where sex offenders can live and gather.
It sounds like something straight out of last week’s Boston Legal episode:
Houston, We Have A Problem: Municipal Workers Pay Sucks
September 13, 2007 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
I was very excited to hear about this new site from the Houston Organization Of Public Employees:
Ever wonder what it’s like to crawl through flooded sewer pipes, or work underneath screaming jetliners as they land? Think you could work next to a 1,200-degree blast furnace sterilizing sewage or a hundred feet up in a tree wielding a chainsaw? Could you keep your cool talking 911 calls from accident and crime victims every three minutes? Now you can find out.
Melissa Noriega: An Awesome Candidate For Houston City Council
February 4, 2007 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
I rarely have much to say about city politics anywhere in Texas, be it Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio.
However, Melissa Noriega, who is running in the special election for Place 3 at-large on the Houston City Council (the seat vacated by Shelley Sekula-Gibbs in her run for Tom DeLay’s seat) is one of those progressive candidates that deserves some notice from this blog.
Most of us are familiar with Melissa Noriega because of her tenure in the House of Representatives. She served as a State Representative while her husband, State Rep. Rick Noriega (D-Houston) was in Afghanistan in 2005 and during the Special Session last year.
