The Junior League Galveston County (JLGC) is a non partisan organization dedicated to empowering young women. Take a moment and visit their website. It’s impressive.
In early June Natalie Sharp, the Executive Vice President Elect of JLGC, wrote an email to the Holly Hall Library staff and the Book Burning Bitch Justin Hicks complaining about a book titled Big Wig. She signed the email with her JLGC title. According to JLGC she was not authorized to do that. You can read that email here. (open records requests can be a gold mine)
Yesterday JLGC responded. As I thought they do not involve themselves with book burning nonsense. From the letter:
Creating and sustaining a diverse Membership is critical to our Mission. We are dedicated to centering equity, inclusion, and belonging in our individual, organizational, and community relationships. We believe that living these values strengthens our community and aligns with our commitment to fostering understanding and respect among all our members.
League City is like the Jelly of the Month club. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Mayor Pro Tem Justin Hick’s fingerprints are all over this. An email sent to the Holly Hall Library staff and Hicks from Natalie Sharp called for the removal of a book, Big Wig, from the library. I doubt if Ms Sharp has read every book in the library so she is probably just repeating what other right wing extremists are spouting and Justin is the perfect person to monitor this major issue.
But that isn’t the real issue here. Natalie is the Executive Vice President of the Junior League of Galveston County. According to their website:
Above all else, our goal is to promote and perpetuate social change in the Galveston County and Southeast Texas communities that will benefit most from it. By empowering women and providing valuable leadership training, we are giving local women the tools to get involved, put their talents to work, and positively impact their local communities.
Take some time to visit JLGC. They seem to be a great organization, established in 1952, empowering young women in Galveston County. It seems an email like Natalie’s doesn’t reflect their organizations values or purpose and they might not too happy with her representing their organization on such a divisive issue. She also incorrectly referenced a website that is not the JLGC.
God bless Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for her service to her district and our country.
Because of SJL passing the Democratic precinct chairs in Congressional District 18 will nominate a candidate to replace her on the ballot in November. The district is heavily Democratic and the nominated candidate will most probably win in November. Candidates running for this seat include former Council Member Amanda Edwards, former Mayor Sylvester Turner, and others.
Hopefully the precinct chairs will read the room. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “progressives” whine about long time politicians not moving aside and letting younger people have a chance at governing. Well, that happened last month at the every top of the Democratic ticket and Vice President Kamala Harris is now our nominee for President.
I’m not a fan of anyone running on “I will be the youngest…. whatever if elected”. Age doesn’t make you a good candidate for any office unless it’s to lead as president of your middle school student government. Applicable experience and the ability to execute the duties of the office is more important than your age. To have a candidate that is energetic, experienced, intelligent, capable of performing the duties of the job, and is young is a winning candidate.
Amanda Edwards is a winning candidate yet many “progressives” are endorsing Mayor Sylvester Turner. WTF? There is no doubt Mayor Turner has the experience for the job. None. What so ever. That isn’t my issue. Amanda has earned a shot at this seat. She worked hard to win the primary even after SJL re-entered the race after losing the election for Mayor. She checks all the boxes and she is young. It’s a win-win and yet young “progressives” are endorsing Turner. It’s a WTF moment.
So if young “progressives” want to endorse Turner then for fuck sakes stop complaining about younger people not being given the chance to lead. The chance is there and your “Younger People Need to Lead” card has been revoked. Here are Mayor Turners endorsements:
Last month League City Mayor Pro Tem, Justin Hicks, campaign finance reports came under investigation by the Texas Ethics Commission. Hicks claimed an outstanding loan balance of $12,000 but never reported it in any previous reports. This month Jimmy Fullen is also now under investigation by the Ethics Commission for some possible violations.
As stated before half of Fullen’s donations in Feb of 2024 were in the form of a personal loan of $100,000 yet in the next campaign finance report that loan was gone. There was no sign the loan was paid off. It just looked like a way to pad his campaign account to look like it brought in over $200,000 for the period.
There are other strange loans and reporting but the $100,000 loan stands out. Fullen now has 10 days to respond to the complaint. As the letter to Fullen states:
The TEC accepts jurisdiction over these allegations. This does not mean that the TEC has found that a violation occurred. It means that the sworn complaint meets the TEC’s legal and technical form requirements for accepting jurisdiction.
You would think that Texans would have figured this out by now.
In 2021 Texans endured days without power, living in freezing temperatures after the failure of the electricity grid. In 2024 Harris County residents endured days without power, sweating through their sheets after a failed response to Hurricane Beryl. Now the republican leaders, the very individuals who were partially responsible for the failures, are riding in shooting their mouths off, talking tough, and promising to solve the problem they created.
According to the Houston Chronicle State Senator Paul Bettencourt came to the Committee on his white wing horse spewing fire about a problem he created:
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt raised the specterof fraud in CenterPoint’s selection of a small, little known company to provide the generators rather than a well-established company with a much cheaper bid. Bettencourt, R-Houston, condemned what he portrayed as the overcharging of ratepayers in fiery comments Monday morning in the first meeting of the Texas Senate’s Special Committee on Hurricane and Tropical Storm Preparedness, Recovery and Electricity.
This isn’t new for Republicans in Texas. In 2003 they deregulated electricity resulting in a fragile grid, higher rates, and a need for $12,000 generators. They reformed insurance resulting in a crisis of rising rates and premiums. Both of these issues are now being investigated by the House and Senate with Republicans leading the way as if they had nothing to do with the very problems they created.
Lucky for republicans Texans are pretty stupid voters. Instead of demanding a fix to the electric grid they cash in their retirement and buy a $12,000 generator. Instead of demanding insurance companies pay claims and reduce premiums they are satisfied with less coverage in exchange for lower premiums.
We’ve seen this before. In 2023 they passed bills that passed on the cost to fortify the Texas grid to the consumer. Expect them to do this again in 2025. Why? Because we will let them.
This is some serious shit folks. Jimmy Fullen, candidate for Galveston County Sheriff, should ask Hunter Biden what happens when you falsify a government document.
Jimmy Fullen has some serious ethical issues that will be addressed after the election. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) has scheduled a hearing concerning Fullen’s falsifying government documents, a charge that could end with the revocation of his law enforcement license and possible felony charges. The allegations are serious and well documented at https://www.therealtruejimmyfullen.com.
Do yourself a favor. Go peruse https://www.therealtruejimmyfullen.com. It’s not just a list of very serious allegations, it is a list with supporting documentation. It is no wonder why the TCOLE issued the following statement after their investigation:
Specifically, Respondent omitted, failed to disclose, or provided false or untruthful information related to job experience, having been disciplined at work, having been fired or asked to resign from a place of employment, having been accused of discrimination, having been the subject of a written complaint at work, having failed to make or been late on a court-ordered payment, having been part of a civil lawsuit, and failing to disclose two arrests.
In other words, he falsified a government document with the intent to harm someone, that being his primary candidate, and that is a felony. So where is the Galveston County District Attorney? These are very serious allegations about a candidate for the Chief law enforcement officer of the county. Lucky for Fullen the DA is a republican, has announced his retirement, and will probably give him a pass just like all the other elected officials who have endorsed him.
If Fullen’s last name was “Biden” the DA would have been all over him like a republican candidate for president on a porn star.
League City Council voted to disband their Ethics Review Board. They should soon update their website to reflect this. Last month they were considering gutting their Code of Ethics including removing “Conducting themselves with integrity”. You can see the red lines here but here are a few tidbits:
Removes section titled “Rules of ethical conduct”.
Removes limitation on gifts to city officials
Removes the entire complaint process against city officials.
Removes the ethics review panel
League City will now resort to using the services of the Texas Ethics Commission which only addresses violations of campaign finance law like padding your campaign finance reports with fake loans. Other violations could be addressed by the County District Attorney but they only pursue criminal offenses.
I’m sure they justified this as a way to save money.
There is a serious ethical issue with the republican nominee for Galveston County Sheriff, Jimmy Fullen, but lucky for Fullen he is a Republican.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) has recommended to revoke the law enforcement license of Galveston County Constable Jimmy Fullen for omitting his multiple records of misconduct on an official document. (His record of misconduct is available at https://www.therealtruejimmyfullen.com) If the full board agrees, Fullen will not be able to hold the office of Sheriff. The republican controlled TCOLE has agreed to a hearing with Fullen after the election leaving voters in the dark. All of this sounds so familiar.
Jimmy isn’t the only republican candidate or office holder with ethical, illegal, and immoral challenges. The top law enforcement officer, Ken Paxton, was impeached by the Texas House with overwhelming evidence of breaking the law. (Go read the official allegations and watch the hearings) Luckily his republican buddies in the Senate acquitted him, including local Senator Money Mayes Middleton. The civil suit against Paxton, which prompted this impeachment, will now continue guarantying another embarrassing display of evidence for all to ignore and a massive settlement which the taxpayers will pay.
Fullen has a long list of elected officials who are willing to ignore his lies and omissions on an official document just like they ignored Hunter Biden who was convicted on providing false information on official documents. (LOL. They actually cheered Biden’s conviction) They also have given a pass to those who beat up cops, incite a riot, steal classified documents, conspire to disrupt a government proceeding, and falsify documents.
This is the new Republican Party. The party that talks a great game about “law and order” and looks the other way when their buddies break the law but demand order from others.
WTF? If you can’t follow the law you shouldn’t be trusted with upholding the law.
Justin Hicks, the League City Mayor Pro Tem, has received a letter from the Texas Ethics Commission regarding his disclosure of a $12,000 loan to his campaign. (you can read it here) Regrettably, there’s no evidence of such a loan appearing in any of his campaign finance documents since his candidacy for Council. However, he does acknowledge two loans totaling $900 and $600, which he accurately reported, indicating he’s aware of his actions. Additionally, his wife serves as the campaign treasurer.
The reason behind this action remains unclear. It seems illogical. In his most recent report, he managed to raise no funds and has a balance of $0 Cash On Hand. Yet, he has recorded a $12,000 outstanding loan. Should he have used campaign funds for this loan, he could have settled it by reporting the transaction promptly. The Ethics Commission is typically harsh on candidates or officials caught inflating their accounts with fictitious loans or donations, taking such matters very seriously.
This issue is not unique to Hicks. Candidate for Galveston County Sheriff, Jimmy Fullen, reported a personal loan of $100,000 in his February report, just before the primary elections. Subsequently, this loan vanished from his records without any repayment. Such actions are illegal under the Texas Ethics Commission’s regulations.
If one is unable to comply with the law, it raises questions about their ability to uphold it. It’s a matter of common cents.
Yesterday in the halls of Congress the tensions were tense. Members of “The Squad,” led by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, took center stage when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit, welcomed by Republican members like a royalty. While some Democrats chose to walk out or remain silent, Tlaib opted for theatrics, brandishing a sign that read “War Criminal.”
Her blatant performance echoed a past when Marjorie Taylor Greene donned a Trump hat during the State of the Union. Instead of choosing silence or diplomacy, Tlaib embraced spectacle—a moment meant for serious discussion turned into a sideshow, diverting attention from critical issues such as winning in November.
As an outsider witnessing this clash, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. The far left, with its fervent calls for extreme change—Medicare for All, the Green New Deal—seemed more intent on stunts than substantial policy work. After forty years of debating Medicare for All, they could muster just twenty cosponsors for their 2023 bill. A dismal show.
Tlaib’s actions only solidified perceptions of extremism, just as Greene’s antics did. In a time when unity was essential, it felt like the squad was more focused on headlines than healing. I welcome a Congress that prioritized progress over performance—a plea for maturity amidst the chaos, for a future where meaningful dialogue could thrive over mere spectacle.
Jimmy Fullen, candidate for Galveston County Sheriff has raised $66,125 as reported in his July campaign finance report. He has spent a huge amount of $100,871 leaving him a balance of $23,521. His total haul of $66,125 includes $42,250 of his own money, a $10,000 donation from Joel Caldwell leaving only $13,875 from other donors.
In his previous report, filed in February, he listed over $71,000 in loans from two individuals. His latest report does not account for these loans. His personal loan of $100,000 reported prior to February was removed without noting if it was paid off. His loan disclosures need to be addressed by the Ethics Commission.
Large contributions have all dried up. Nothing from Tillman Fertitta or Senator Mayes Middleton and others. Of the $181,570 raised in his Feb report $159,059 came from just 9 donors. Maybe they are concerned about the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement revoking his law enforcement license. The TCOLE unanimously voted to recommend revocation. His hearing is set after the election. If the TCOLE revokes his license he will not be able to serve as Sheriff.
Every six years, on a staggered schedule, every Commission in Texas is subjected to a “Sunset Review”. This review includes a self evaluation of the Commission and public comments, resulting in a bill that addresses the needed improvements to guarantee the Commission is performing per law. Here is the catch. If that bill fails to pass, the Commission fails to continue.
The Texas Ethics Commission is under Sunset Review and will be addressed in the 2025 legislation session. As per The Texas Tribune the Commission has no authority to collect fines and late fees. Instead they can only refer the individual/PAC to the Texas Attorney Generals office of Collections. This office has done little besides sending threatening letters to those who refuse to pay. Case in point, Harris County Department of Education Trustee Eric Dick who owes $40,000 and has refused to pay.
Since Paxton took office in 2015, the ethics commission has referred 2,500 unpaid fines to the attorney general for enforcement, the Tribune found. During that time, Paxton’s office has filed just 175 enforcement lawsuits, or 7% of the cases referred to it. Most occurred early in his tenure. After filing none in 2020 and 2021, the attorney general’s office brought 18 cases in 2022, 25 last year and just one so far in the first six months of 2024.
Because of this inaction elected officials just ignore the Commission and refuse to pay. In all the Commission is owed $3.6 Million. I’ve seen this before. The Republicans will now blame the Commission and will fail to pass the bill preserving the Commission instead of giving them the power to collect the debt.
Public comments are due by August 15, 2024. You can provide comments here.
It’s just amazing how much hypocrisy the Republican Party can tolerate. Mayor Pro Tem Justin Hicks said absolutely nothing about the violence on Jan 6 which had no place in our country but he had to weigh in on his lord and savior Donald Trump. After Jan 6 he didn’t ask if the families of those who died defending the Capitol were ok. League City residents should be so proud.
Campaign finance reports for League City have been filed. You can view them on League City’s website. Here is a summary:
Mayor Nick Long reported no fundraising but donated $10,000 to Galveston County candidate for Sheriff Jimmy Fullen. He also donated $5000 to Hank Dugie. He has about $13,000 cash on hand (COH).
Mayor Pro Tem Justin Hicks has reported no fundraising or spending. He has $0 COH.
Council Member Andy Mann reported no fundraising or spending. He has $0 COH.
Council Member Tommy Cones reported no fundraising or spending. He has $17.00 COH.
Council Member Chad Dressler reported no fundraising or spending. He has $0 COH.
Council Member Sean Saunders reported no fundraising or spending. He has $0 COH.
According to the Houston Chronicle the Katy ISD School Board voted to give a MASSIVE incentive to teachers who pass their 5 year mark.
After five years of service teachers will be given $250, according to data from the district. In 10 years they’ll receive $500. The payments continue in increments until 50 years of service, at which point a teacher will receive a one-time payment of $3,000.
The response from teachers was overwhelming positive. “A one time payment of $3000 at the age of 75 will go a long way in paying for my funeral!”. “I cannot tell you the feelings I have about this. It is just overwhelming. I just want to go to the next school board meeting and thank each and everyone of them face to face.” “That $250 after 5 years will go a long way for me to pay for my school supplies for the next year.” “What the living fuck? $250? Is that all?”
Well you can’t really defend some of the teachers. They are republicans. They vote for republicans. They wanted MAGAts like Calhoun on the board. So they did this to themselves. They deserve this slap on the face as if it was money on the dresser. Unfortunately their stupidity also affected those who have worked hard to make our public school system better and not 47th in the nation for school funding. Texas teachers deserve better than this slap in the face.
For those who voted republican, enjoy that $50/year bonus. You truly deserve it.
Here is a tidbit about electricity deregulation you might like while you are sweating at home, in the heat, without power or AC.
As part of electricity deregulation in 2003 the Public Utility Commission created the PowerToChoose.com website designed to help consumers compare electricity prices. At first it was easy to find a good rate by simply selecting one of the providers with a constant rate. I wrote about this back in 2016. At that time Discount power was offering a 24 month contract at 7.7 cents. No extra fees. No limits on use. Just 7.7 cents/kWh.
Shortly afterward the providers began with their gimmicks, fees, and “tricky little things”. From the Texas Tribune “Donna Nelson, chairman of the Public Utility Commission, said Thursday at a public meeting. “They’ve [electricity resellers] got all these tricky little things in their prices, and whatever the fact sheets are called – the nutrition label – that makes it really difficult for customers.”
In response to this Nelson started Project 45730 and asked for public comments on how to improve the website. The PUC collected over 200 comments then did nothing. They have also removed Project 45730 from their website as well as all the comments.
Many consumers made the same suggestion as I did. The electricity providers have access to your usage in 15 minute increments. Each provider could use this information and calculate what their plan would cost you each month. Then consumers could actually intelligently compare and choose. That is power.
Instead they did nothing. Why? Because there are companies that will use this information to compare rates and charge you a fee to provide this information to you. And that is why they did nothing. They supported businesses as the expense of consumers.
The Texas Ethics Commission fined Texas Attorney General $11,000 for failure to file a legally required campaign finance report. He has refused to pay the fine so the TEC referred it to the Texas Attorney Generals Office for collection. His office has refused to collect the fine.
But he is not the only one. According to the Houston Chronicle the TEC has over $750,000 in fines the AG’s office has refused to demand payment for. Case in point, my favorite ethical elected official, Eric Dick. Dick was fined a total of $40,000, $10,000 of that he agreed to pay in lieu of an investigation. He hasn’t paid. Last December the AGs sent him a demand letter and claimed they would file suit against him if he did not pay the fine within 10 days. It’s been 6 months. I’ve requested a status on whether the AG’s office is going to take action. They have refused to respond.
The TEC has a list of delinquent filers on their website. Paxton is on that list. They do not have a list of those who have been fined or who have agreed to a settlement yet have not paid, such as Eric Dick. The only way to find this information is to submit a public information request. I have. It is available to view here.
Don’t expect the AG’s office to take action against the AG. They won’t do Dick. Literally.
This is your opportunity to participate! Take it. Or quit complaining. As stated at the recent community meeting in the Bay Area there are going to be hearings about the home insurance crisis in the Texas House and Senate. You can and must participate by sending in your experience with your own home insurance increases. The first hearing will be by the State Affairs Committee on Sept 17, 2024. Details on how you can participate in person or by sending comments can be found here. You can send your comments electronically at this link: https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c450 Fill out the top form then scroll down and select “Economic challenges impacting insurance premiums”.
Here are some tips on what you should include in your comments:
The area of the state you live in such as coastal counties
What you are currently paying for insurance
The costs of any new policies or bids
Your Deductibles in dollars
Any claims you have had
Cost of repairs
If your current company will not renew your policy
Keep it short and with a statement of “Our premiums are too high. Our deductible are out the roof. This is not sustainable”.
Stay non confrontational. Refrain from “I’m going to vote you out if you don’t do something” type of comments
Demand that they take action
Thank you for your interest in this issue! Please invite others to join us in address this situation. They can join our newsletter at tinyurl.com/BayAreaHouston
Last month I was sanctioned by the Judge in League City Mayor Pro Tem Justin Hicks’ bankruptcy hearing. Read on.
Background. In September of 2023 Mayor Pro Tem Justin Hicks filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Southern District Court, Case #23-80179. If you are interested in the details, the case documents are public record via a free PACER account. Filing bankruptcy is a burden on a family and we should hope for a good result for the sake of his family.
But, this is Justin Hicks. Someone who ran as a fiscal conservative, sits on League City Council, is responsible for the city’s $300M budget, voted as Mayor Pro Tem by most of his colleagues, and has managed to piss off a large segment of the community with his extreme, partisan, rhetoric. He has worked hard to push his extreme agenda by purging books, librarians, and true conservatives from running in non partisan city elections. He has meddled in school board elections endorsing unqualified extremist candidates and supporting litigation against CCISD after his candidate lost. He has posted divisive memes and posts on his social media page. He is not a conservative. He’s a jack ass.
But, back to his bankruptcy. As I mentioned the bankruptcy records are all public. The hearings are open to the public also. I attended one of the hearings with my friend, Heidi. We walked into the hearing and sat quietly in the back row. Hicks was sitting up front. Hicks turned around, looked as us, and left. Moments later the Judge called the case, noticed Hicks had left, and said “Oh. He left”. After realizing he was not returning, we left too.
The photo Unfortunately, not knowing the rules of the court prohibiting photos, my friend took a pic from outside of the courtroom of the back of Justin’s head and posted it to a social media page. Justin discovered the pic the next day. I have to admit I was unaware of the rules of the court. There are no signs on the door or any warnings posted, but ignorance isn’t an excuse.
Hicks drags us into his case Hicks, representing himself with the skills set of Jackie Chiles, filed a motion for sanctions against us. The motion claimed he had a right to a peaceful hearing without people, like myself, in attendance and that a picture was taken against court rules. He claimed we were dressed incognito and were there to disrupt the hearing. (It was cold and rainy so appropriate attire was necessary) The motion was denied due to technical errors, but the judge gave him instructions on how to refile his motion, and he did. The judge was also very clear that the United States Constitution allows citizens to attend public hearings, so only the violation of the court rules was included in the new motion for sanctions.
The sanctions We attended a second hearing to address the sanctions and spoke under oath to the Judge. We were given the opportunity to address Hicks. The entire transcript is available if interested. Hicks submitted a proposed sanction order for the Judge. It included a $2000 daily fine, incarceration, and factory resets of our phones. In the end the Judge sanctioned us a total of $350 split evenly and required us to write a letter of apology. I have complied with the letter noting that I never took any pictures. Hicks stated under oath that he had no evidence showing otherwise and I offered my phone to the court for review, again under oath. Nevertheless I got hit with a $175 fine payable to Hicks for his time and effort to file the motion.
The time and effort We never saw a breakdown of his time and effort and his expenses. In his motion he wanted to be reimbursed for his time and mileage driving to and from the court even for the times he filed the erroneous motion. That part was denied. He could have sent everything via the mail like I did. Hicks also wanted time off of work for himself and his wife, mileage, and pain and suffering. Most was denied. He also asked for sanctions of thousands of dollars. Again denied. So in the end we had to pay Hicks $175 each to help him pay his bills.
But there is Good news for Hicks. At his last hearing Hicks said his career is back on track and he finally got a job and was able to buy a new car for his wife! That’s good for his family. His bankruptcy case is now closed.
Hicks re-election The above quote could be a good attack ad against Hicks like the one attacking a candidate for city council and supporting Hicks’ endorsed candidate, Courtney Chadwell. Months prior to this hit piece going out Hicks had filed his own bankruptcy. I’ve asked Chadwell what he thinks about Hicks “own record of being irresponsible with money and the fact that [he] will be a liability to the city” when managing the $300M+ annual budget. He has not responded.
The Risk. Hicks shouldn’t file for reelection. Instead he should spend more time concentrating on his fiscal stability and block walking for the Trump reelection campaign. Conservatives probably think the same but Republicans will give him a pass and reelect him. Veterans know you can’t get a security clearance with a looming bankruptcy over your head. Anyone who is responsible for contract negotiations especially for government entities could be a risk while being in financial trouble. We will see in November if voters are concerned with security or hypocrisy. My bet is on hypocrisy.
Posted by johncoby 
Bay Area Houston 