Come on La Marque voters. You are better than this.
There are two City Council Members up for reelection, Council Members Joe Compian and Tonia Griffin. Compian is challenged by Felix Brown, Jody Richards, and Sade Williamsby. Council Member Griffin is being challenged by Sarah Lowry, yes, that Sarah Lowry, bride of Chucky Council Member Joseph Lowry.
As of today only Griffin has filed a campaign finance report. Those reports are posted on the La Marque website. Reports are required even if you are self financing. There are few exceptions for not filing.
Lowry hasn’t filed but has spent money on some of the worst campaign signs ever made in direct violation of Campaign Signs 101. Besides have a gawd awful sign the citizens of La Marque need stability and restored faith in their government. Lowry will just bring more chaos to the Council sitting next to her fucked up husband, Joseph Lowry. Joseph should be run out of office and Sarah should not be running for office. Both are not qualified to represent the citizens of La Marque and both are just filthy human beings. Her running on god, faith, and family is just fucked up.
La Marque, you can do better. Don’t fuel the chaos. Elect an adult.
Former Trustee Scott Bowen’s billionaire buddies have finally stopped meddling in our school board elections.
30 day and 8 day out campaign finance reports are due for the CCISD board elections. Of the four candidates only two have posted their reports, Arturo Sanchez and Ernest Hallman. I didn’t expect one from Gabriel Gonzales. He filed a document saying he was not going to raise more than $1001 and therefore would be exempt from reporting. I don’t think he is running a serious campaign. Current Trustee Jamieson Mackay has not filed any reports for this election. I found that strange. He has run a successful campaign in the past and knows the requirements. (Update. He is also filing the less than $1001 form)
You can read all the reports on the CCISD website. In a nutshell Arturo has a very strong report raising about $7000. Hallman raised about $500. We are not seeing any meddling by the two billionaires out of the Dallas area, Timothy Dunn and Farris Wilks. They are now focusing their money on helping Scott Bowen win his House seat. There is no evidence of meddling from any outside organization which is great for the community.
The election is May 2. If you live in District 2 or 3 go find your voting location and vote! Not sure where to vote? Use the app on the CCISD’s website to find your voting location!
The candidate for Harris County Commissioner, Richard Vega, (pictured here with his lordship) was all giddy about the ruling by a Federal Appeals Court’s close ruling on forcing the posting of the Protestant’s version of the Ten Commandments in public schools. Maybe Vega and Senator Money MAGAt Mayes Middleton should consider reading and following the commandments instead of forcing them down the throats of parents and children. They should also demand that their leadership follow the g**damn commandments.
Mayes and Vega are Christian Nationalists following and leading the far right extremists of the republican church. Both love Donald Trump, the leader of the Christians in Name Only (CHINOs). Both don’t seem to have a problem with the leader of their party lying on a hourly basis. They have no problem with their leaders committing adultery or killing people (Jan 6) or having false idols, or stealing. Both have no problem with the Texas Attorney General of Adultery defended the posting of the commandments he doesn’t follow.
Besides Vega and Middleton’s membership in the Society of Hypocrites In Texas (SHIT) they don’t seem to be on the side of the leader of the Christian religion, the Catholics. Catholics created Christianity. They rule in the State. If we must have the 10 commandments posted they should be the Catholic version and not any other offshoot of Christianity.
Until then the CHINOs should go back to church, ask for forgiveness, and shut the hell up.
Interesting report from the NASA Office of the Inspector General.
The NASA OIG release a report on 4/20 titled “NASA’s Acquisition of Next-Generation Spacesuit Services“. It is a detailed, and at times quite boring, report but the main point of the report is that based on past experience of developing and testing the space suits the Moon landing will be delayed into 2031. Here is their summary:
NASA faces challenges in ensuring next-generation spacesuits are available to meet the Agency’s current schedules for the Artemis lunar landing mission in 2028 and prior to the ISS’s decommissioning in 2030. NASA’s original schedules to demonstrate the lunar and microgravity spacesuits in 2025 and 2026, respectively, were overly optimistic and ultimately proved unachievable, as evidenced by delays of at least a year and a half for both spacesuits. Based on our analysis, if Axiom experiences design and testing delays in line with the historical average for recent space flight programs, the Artemis and ISS demonstrations may not occur until 2031.
Of course The new NASA chief had a response which is basically we are still landing in 2028 while Trump is in office and he can take credit for it. That’s not exactly what he said but you get the idea. Ever since Trump was reelected he has targeted NASA for massive cuts. First it was to cut the Artemis program and give it to Elon Musk. That fell apart when Trump and Elon started a fight over the failure of DOGE. Now he is calling for a 24% cut to NASA to focus on landing on the Moon while he is still in office.
I have full faith in those who are working on the new suits. I have no faith in who is running the agency or those who refuse to tell their leader in space when it is safe to go to the moon. More later. From the new NASA Chief:
We are reviewing where NASA can do better, how we can provide relief where appropriate to burdensome requirements, where we can expand capabilities over time (Apollo 11’s EVA profile was very different than Apollo 17), and where we can help industry by inserting NASA SMEs and driving the intended outcomes. I am confident that when NASA is ready to land on the Moon in 2028, our astronauts will be wearing Axiom suits.
Abel Garza is running for Mayor of Texas City. He raised $14,750 as reported on his 30 day out report. He has a couple of interesting donations including $5000 from the Houston Builders Association and $2350 from an anonymous donor which is illegal. According to the Texas Ethics Commission every donation must be identified with the name, date of donations, address, and amount. There are just a few exceptions but according to his report it looks like someone with a bag over their head handed him $2350 in cash.
I have read many reports over the last 20 years but I have never seen an anonymous donor before.
Retiring Congressman Troy Nehls from the Sugar Land area, a diverse, well educated area claimed Trump is the second coming of Jesus Christ. The last time I remember someone saying his band was more popular than Jesus resulted in the mass burning of their albums.
In March 1966, John Lennon stated that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” in a London Evening Standard interview, claiming Christianity was declining while rock music was growing. While ignored in the UK, the quote caused massive backlash in the US later that year, resulting in record burnings, radio bans, and Ku Klux Klan protests.
Nehls comment, like John Lennon, was met with the same outrage. Even his twin brother, Trever, (yes, “Trever”) who is running for his brother’s position, has distanced himself from Troy stating “I barely know who he is.” He later added “I can’t believe Troy would have taken the time to take his lips off of Trump’s ass to make a stupid statement like that.”
This isn’t the first time Nehls has been in the news. Not only has he been accused of kissing ass, he was accused of stolen valor wearing medals he did not earn. He was accused of profiling Hispanics while acting like a Sheriff. He was also involved in an accident requiring the jaws of life to free his rotten ass.
Harris County and the elected officials provide services to about 5 million people.
Harris County is the 3rd largest county in the United States covering nearly 2 million square miles running from the Kingwood area to the Clear Lake area, from Katy to Baytown. Needless to say it’s a big area. The County is divided into 4 precincts represented by Commissioners Rodney Ellis (1), Adrian Garcia (2) Tom Ramsey (3), and Leslie Briones (4). The Bay Area is within Precinct 2. There are 27 elected officials, not including Judicial positions. Of those 27 there are 1 Judge (not a judicial judge) 4 Commissioners, 7 Trustees for the Harris County Department of Education, and 8 Constables. All these are elected positions.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo acts as the chief executive officer for the county, presiding over the Commissioners Court to manage the county budget, tax rates, and infrastructure.
County Attorney Abbie Kamin is the chief legal officer for a county, responsible for representing the state in misdemeanor criminal cases, prosecuting juvenile offenders, and acting as the legal advisor to county and precinct officials.
District Attorney Sean Teare is an elected prosecutor representing the state in criminal cases, responsible for reviewing police investigations, filing felony and misdemeanor charges, and prosecuting cases at trial.
District Clerk Marilyn Burgess is an elected official who acts as the custodian of records for district courts, managing court documents (civil, criminal, family), processing lawsuits, collecting fines/fees, and managing jury selection.
County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth serves as the principal record-keeper, election official, and clerk to the county governing board, managing public records like deeds and marriage licenses, administering elections, and handling official licensing.
Tax Assessor Collector Annette Ramirez is an elected official responsible for assessing property values, calculating, and collecting property taxes for local governments, schools, and counties.
Treasurer Carla L. Wyatt as the chief custodian of county finances, responsible for receiving, depositing, and safeguarding all county funds
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez is an elected official acting as the chief law enforcement officer for their county, responsible for operating the county jail, providing security for courts, and serving legal papers.
County Commissioners act as the executive and legislative branch of county government, managing county property, finances, and services. They adopt the annual budget, set property tax rates, approve contracts, and maintain county infrastructure like roads, bridges, and jails.
County Constables is an elected, licensed peace officer who serves as the chief process server for justice courts and performs law enforcement duties. They execute warrants, civil papers (subpoenas, evictions), act as bailiffs for Justice of the Peace courts, and conduct patrols or criminal investigations.
Department of Education Trustee is an elected official who sets policies, approves budgets, and provides oversight for the department to support local school districts with educational services. They govern initiatives like Head Start, special schools, and adult education, acting as public stewards for Harris County schools.
These are important positions. So come November go vote.
Texas is divided into 31 Senate districts. Senate district 11 or SD11 covers parts of three counties, Galveston, Harris, and Brazoria. (See the map below) It covers south of Beltway 8 to the coast and from Angleton to Seabrook. (generally).
As with House District 129 the district has been represented by a Republican for 43 years. The last Democrat Was Senator Chet Brooks who served from 1983-1993. 43 years under republican rule and look at us now. Home insurance out the roof. The cost of Health insurance makes you sick. Auto insurance has crashed. The cost of electricity is shocking. Our schools are being starved with funding cuts and vouchers. The cost of living in the Bay Area has skyrocketed. And yet voters don’t want to change their voting habits.
The current Senator, “Money” Mayes Middleton is now running for Texas Attorney General leaving the seat open. State Representative Dennis Paul who has served for over 10 years is now running for the Senate seat. If you don’t know who Middleton or Paul is that is because they have never held a town hall meeting with their constituents. They only meet with the business community. Both are voucher supporters. Both believe in teaching their religion in schools. Both served on committees that should have addressed the insurance crisis. Both have ignored the rising cost of living in the district.
Democrats have had only one challenger back in 2008 as far as I remember. This year Shannon Dicely is challenging Paul. You can find information about her at https://www.shannondicely.com.
Houston Police Officers Union. To Protect and Serve Themselves.
Once again the HPOU President got his ass handed to him in front of City Council by Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz concerning the ICE ordinance passed last week. You can watch that video below starting at 2:01:26. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
This isn’t the first time HPOU has crossed the blue line. Just last month they posted a cartoon concerning Judge Lina Hidalgo and her dust up at the rodeo. It was childish and beneath the dignity of the office. Also, a couple of years ago the former President of HPOU soiled himself on television concerning a botched police raid which resulted in 2 homeowners dead, 4 police shot, and 6 police officers charged with felonies. He incorrectly, without any evidence what so ever, blamed the injuries on Black Lives Matter and threaten them with illegal surveillance. He later resigned, the police officer in charge of the raid was charged and convicted of murder and other cases he oversaw were reviewed for possible dismissal. You can watch his tirade here.
One thing is for certain, HPOU is for HPOU only. They are the MAGA arm of the police. Everyone supports our police. We grieve when one is hurt or killed in action. But HPOU does not deserve that support or that respect. Our police force is great but their Union is out of touch and out of control.
The HPOU President needs to shut the fuck up and get off his g**damn computer.
This is out of my district but the race highlights a very disturbing trend.
The Houston Chronicle wrote an article titled “Houston’s District C candidates clash over voting records” questioning the record of candidate Joe Panzarella. If it mattered to voters, his record of voting is questionable. He voted in the Republican primary in 2016 and in the Democratic Party in 2018 and 2024. His voting in the general election started in 2020. His opponent, Nick Hellyar, has a strong record of voting in every Democratic primary, general election, and the runoffs since 2008. The difference is night and day. The Chronicle said:
“Hellyar produced records showing Panzarella voted in the 2016 Republican primary despite saying at a March 18 candidate forum that he had voted in the Democratic primary in 2024 and “every Democratic primary before that.”
Hellyar’s participation in the Democratic Party is also very strong. He has served as a precinct chair. He has volunteered for a number of political campaigns, which as all volunteers know, is very difficult work. He has participated in County and State conventions. Besides have a strong record of voting in the Democratic Party, participating in the party, and having campaign experience, Nick has excellent, applicable, experience in City Council. He has served several elected officials to manage constituent services in their offices. He didn’t wake up one day and decided to run for City Council. He knows City Council. His experience in the office prepared him to run. He also has endorsements from many organizations and individuals representing a broad coalition in this non-partisan race.
Unfortunately the trend in local politics has changed and not for the better. Somehow voting in Democratic Primaries is not a requirement to run in the Democratic Party or even to run the Party. Last month a new comer to the party with no record of voting in the primary, and little if any participation in the Party, was voted in as Chair of the Party. Go figure.
Also having experience for the position you are running for doesn’t seem to matter either. A recent college grad, with little if any voting record, and no applicable experience is running for Harris County District Clerk to manage 500 employees and the court records of the 3rd largest county in the country. His opponent has a wealth of applicable experience. As an example of what could go wrong, Hays County voted for a young inexperienced candidate for District Clerk. He resigned two years later and left the office in shambles. Again the difference in the two candidates is night and day and yet prominent organizations and officials are backing the inexperienced newbie. Again, go figure.
City Council is a non partisan position but many know which Party the candidates associate with and what experience they bring to the table. If experience and party affiliation matters to voters in District C then the choice is very clear.
I can only wish that District E was competitive and an experienced Democratic candidate actually had a chance of winning.
Posted by johncoby 
Bay Area Houston 