Both incumbents Arturo Sanchez and Jamieson Mackay have retained their seats on the CCISD School Board. Arturo absolutely hammered his opponent, Gabriel Gutierrez who was recruited by former Trustee Scott Bowen. He lost 1122 to 209. That was an incredible ass whipping. Jamieson beat Ernest A. Hallman II by 458-190. This is the first election for many years where outside of the district money was not a factor.
In previous elections Scott Bowen raised money from a PAC called Defend Texas Liberty. They were funded by two billionaires out of Dallas until the leadership was caught with Nick Fuentes, a holocaust denier. They have since changed the PAC name to Texans United for a Conservative Majority. This year there was no outside money and that was good. Maybe the partisan attack on our school board is finally over.
CCISD School Board is not a place for partisan politics or unlimited money from billionaires who are outside of the district. With Scott off the board and Sanchez and Mackay returning our board continues to be out of the news and moving forward on behalf of the students, teachers, parents, and tax payers.
An EV is not for everyone but for those considering here are a few things…. to consider.
I bought a 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV 2 years ago. For what I use the vehicle for it has been absolutely fantastic. I have a fast charger in the garage and I charge at night with my free nights plan. The only time I need to go to a gas station is for snacks or to fill up my other gas car. For me the Bolt is perfect for my dog and I but an EV may not be for you. Here are some things to consider when buying an EV.
Cost The cost of an EV has been reduced considerably over the years. The EV tax credit is available for some based upon your income. For me I didn’t qualify but the price was still very reasonable. The Bolt has everything I need. Great music, a sunroof, leather climate controlled seats, a cold AC. There are a wide variety of EVs available some are high end such as Tesla, Rivian, and BMW. Others are reasonably priced such as Chevy, KIA, and Ford.
Performance EVs are generally fast. I like to cruise at 80MPH. It is smooth. The Bolt has a Speed mode which I have used only a few times. The Bolt is fast in normal mode. The acceleration can push you into the seat. One of my important issues was performance and space. I wanted a small SUV hatchback so my dog can be comfortable and I wanted to have speed if I ever needed it. The Bolt did the job!
Battery Life By law the battery is guaranteed for 8 years or 100,000 miles. The cost of replacing the battery, if ever needed, has been reduced considerably costing much less than a car engine. Cars last well over 10 years with many having over 200,000 miles. Batteries will degrade after a consider amount of time but personally I will be buying a new car before this happens. We usually keep our cars for about 10-15 years with 150,000 miles.
Insurance Some people claim car insurance is higher from EVs. I did not see anything unusual when I swapped out my Subaru Impreza.
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV
Charging My car came with a 110 and 220 charger. The 110 can plug into any plug you have in the garage but that plug needs to be DEDICATED to charging your car, ie it cannot be shared with other appliances or you will trip the fuse. The plug in my garage worked fine….until my wife used the hair dryer! Charging from 9PM-7:00 I would get about 50 miles. Although this is relatively slow it was enough for me for the first two years. I eventually installed 220 into my garage and now it takes about 5 hour to get a full charge from 0-250 miles, about 50 miles per hour. Although my driving habits do not require the 220 charger it is very convenient. It took me a while to adjust to the charging schedule. Most nights I just plug in and it will automatically start charging at 9:00 PM. By 1 or 2 o’clock the charge is complete.
Charging Stations There was no standard when I bought my car but now it seems they are moving to the Tesla charging port. My car requires an adapter to use the Tesla chargers but Mercedes have charging stations that I use that require the regular port. It is something to consider when buying an EV.
Miles/Kwh The capacity of my Bolt is 65 kWh. On the highway I can easily get 180 miles without a charge. Local driving I can get over 200. Driving long distance such as to San Antonio requires a stop halfway with about a 30 minute wait. If I need to drive further, I take my ICE car (internal combustion engine). Overall I am saving about $1820 on gas from my previous car.
Gas Tax, Registration Fees Since we do not use gas EV owners do not pay the gas tax on every gallon. Texas solved this by tacking on an EV fee on the registration. That is $200. Texas also removed the requirement for inspections and EVs do not emit pollutants so they are not required to be tested.
Maintenance As with most EVs there is little if any maintenance needed besides changing the AC air filter and adding windshield wiper fluid. There are tires especially designed for EVs to provide better mileage but I used standard Yokohama tires which provide a smoother ride as a small cost in miles/kwh.
As I said before, if elected former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen will take a knee to Greg Abbott.
Following Greg Abbotts lead Scott Bowen is literally running on abolishing property taxes, the taxes that are used to fund CCISD, your city, your county, flooding projects, roads, law enforcement, etc, etc. It’s as if everything will magically become “free” like a socialist. Bowen championed Abbott’s school voucher gimmick while on the CCISD school board. CCISD voters threw his ass out because of that. Now as a candidate for State Representative he will continue his fight to cut school funding. Take a minute to watch this cringe worthy Facebook Ad.
Ending property taxes with the stroke of a pen might get the brain dead excited but eventually you have to ask “Who is going to pay for all of this free stuff?”. I’ll give you a hint, you are. Somehow you will pay for the free stuff. Money has to come from somewhere. Yes property taxes are high. This is a result of the leadership by the Republican Party over the last 30 years. This isn’t a new problem in fact this problem was created by the Republican Party and now Scott Bowen is going to ride in and solve a problem his party created?
Anyone with a lick of sense would address the problem at the root. Property taxes are based on home values. Home values have skyrocketed leaving most with no chance of owning a home. Couple that with the crippling cost of home insurance and you have a serious problem that must be addressed.
Bowen has a history of causing chaos on the CCISD school board. He has a history of being unable to lead or working with others. He has no idea what he is doing, or going to do besides taking a knee for Abbott.
Jesus folks. There is a better candidate for State Representative running against Bowen.
According to the Texas Department of Insurance the Commissioner, Cassie Brown, will be retiring in 2026. She held the position after only 4 years and will leave the state in a horrible situation with rates skyrocketing across the state especially in the Bay Area. Brown was appointed by Governor Abbott. She will leave her position on February 2. Abbott will appoint a new one to serve until the election in November.
Brown was the speaker for the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce back in the Summer.
After telling the business community how wonderful the TDI has protected the consumer from the rising cost of insurance and explaining why rates are so high, she left the stage, took no questions, and quickly left the building. Many in the crowd were not happy especially those at my table.
Insurance on all levels will be on the ballot this November. We need to demand action from our candidates. I have made it clear that this insurance issue is NOT a political issue. It affects all of us no matter what side of the aisle you are on. It affects owners, businesses, schools, insurance agents, realtors, and others.
It’s not a political issue but only our politicians can address this and if our elected officials refuse to address the problem, then we need new politicians. Elections are coming in November of 2026. Know who is running and vote your pocket book and your values. Demand all candidates running for office address the issue with their plans to solve the problem.
As I said, it ain’t good news. Social Security recipients will see an increase of 2.8% but Medicare will increase. According to AARP:
But next year the Part B premium is projected to jump 11.6 percent, $21.50, to $206.50, the Medicare trustees reported in July. That would raise the Part B annual deductible by 12 percent, $31, to $288 in 2026.
For Federal Employees and retirees the Cost of Living Adjustment is also 2.8% but there are significant increases in their healthcare cost. For example a retiree on Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard “self plus one” plan will see an increase of 16.5%. Last years premium was $593. In 2026 it will be $691. BCBS Federal is one of the most popular plans among retirees.
Changes to other plans can be found on the Office of Personnel Management website. Good luck. You will need it. Hopefully the great healthcare plan that Trump has been promising for over 10 years will finally kick in.
This opinion specifically refers to Webb County but is applicable across the State.
The Texas Attorney General’s office was asked for an opinion concerning whether a felon can run for office. You can read the letter from the Webb County Attorney here. From the letter:
Paxton’s office responded with the following. You can read the entire opinion here.
BTW the specific open records request was asking for any copies of any correspondence between the Texas Attorney General’s office and Joseph Edwin Lowry and/or his attorney including any ruling, letters, or documents concerning vacating a felony conviction from the State of Washington. The above was their response. No other documents were found.
The Texas Fair Plan is basically socialized home insurance. It is an insurance policy financially backed by the State of Texas and operated by the Texas Fair Plan Association. The TFP is like the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association the first socialized insurance plan in Texas. TWIA was created back in 1971 and was to be the “insurance of last resort”. Currently it is almost the ONLY resort available to the 14 counties on the Texas coast. TFP was created in 1995 and covers the entire State. It is also the “insurance of last resort” but is becoming the ONLY resort in the Bay Area.
The Texas Fair Plan is a state sponsored insurance policy. (Socialized insurance)
Property owners must apply through an agent
To qualify for the TFP property owners must have been rejected by two of the free market insurance companies
The TFP has very limited coverage
No water or sewer backup coverage
$5000 limit on water events such as broken pipes in the home
Doesn’t cover the 14 counties for windstorm damage. That is usually covered by TWIA
The total insurable value of the contents of the house maxes out at 50% of the total value of the house
If you are struggling with the rising cost of your home insurance you might want to reach out to an agent and see if you qualify. Personally I think the Bay Area is going to be like the coastal areas where the mighty free market will be allowed to flee the market leaving us with the Texas Socialize Insurance Association. Maybe this is a good option if it can be improved.
I really thought the Republican Party hated socialism.
NOTE: I have arranged a meeting with the TDI staff to address the rising cost of insurance in our area. I will update later.
Her Speech To say the speech by the Texas Insurance Commissioner Cassie Brown’s was disappointing would be a gross understatement.
After telling the business community how wonderful the TDI is protecting the consumer from the rising cost of insurance and explaining why rates are so high, she left the stage, took no questions, and quickly left the building. Many in the crowd were not happy especially those at my table.
I was able to speak with her briefly as well as two other attendees. A realtor told her about the impact to realtors in the area and her personal 40% increase, she basically asked her Why? Brown’s response was simply “I just told you why in my speech”. My question to her was about the price gouging by roofers after a hail storm or hurricane. Her response was short “We have no control over that.”. She then ignored my plea for the TDI to at least address the issue.
Reasons for high premiums. Iv’e heard the same excuses from the insurance industry. Inflation, rise in home values, and “severity and frequency of storms” (climate change). I have said it before. The entire industry, the lobbyists, and many elected officials will NEVER say “Climate change” it is always “severity and frequency of storms”. She used the exact phrase of the industry.
Actions being taken to reduce the risk She did not address anything the TDI was doing to reduce damage to homes such as better requirements on roofing materials, stopping price gouging, or anything positive.
My opinion I do not believe the Commissioner is concerned about our situation. She seems to be representing the industry and the industry only. She showed no interest in our situation, no empathy, no concern. She never addressed the extreme rate increase we were experiencing. It was as if she really didn’t care. Disappointing to say the least especially when talking to the business community.
Texas Insurance Commissioner to Address Clear Lake Businesses
Commissioner Cassie Brown
The Commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance, Cassie Brown, will be addressing the business community at a meeting sponsored by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. I will be attending and will report. I am very interested in this meeting and appreciate BAHEP’s effort. Needless to say homeowners are not the only people affected by the rising cost of insurance. Business owners, realtors, home buyers and sellers, and our school districts are all affected.
I asked her staff if she could squeeze in a visit with people in the community but she is unavailable. I am trying to set up a meeting with her staff in Austin.
Posted by johncoby 
Bay Area Houston 