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.
But it shouldn’t be Judge Hidalgo. Most individuals will never read the entire Agreed Resolution from the Texas Ethics Commission, but I have. I’ve read many, hundreds over the last decade. This resolution was an agreement between the Judge and the Ethics Commission. This kind of agreement is pretty common and for good reasons. The respondent (Judge Hidalgo) agreed to a $500 fine and acknowledges the laws addressing the issue and agrees to following the law. The fine was paid.
Unfortunately most, especially the Lina haters, won’t read past the headlines and her staff should have known that would have happened. The agreement made it clear. Her staff arranged a press conference where Judge Hidalgo clearly supported Sean Teare for Harris County DA. That conference was in an area that is not open to the general public. In short she used a county facility for political purposes in violation of the Ethics rules. That is on her staff. That was their mistake. That is in violation of Ethics 101. That was just plain stupid.
Judge Hidalgo isn’t perfect, neither are we, but she has some flaws that are exaggerated by the press and her haters. Her public display against DA Ogg didn’t help. Neither does her pettiness towards Mayor Whitmire or her temper tantrums. But Ogg will be gone soon and she has time to work with Mayor Whitmire if she chooses to do so. Her staff should make that happen. Temper tantrums can be grown out of.
Judge Hidalgo is young and has a great record of accomplishment. She is inspiring to others. In a political world of elderly statesmen Hidalgo brings energy, excitement, compassion, and passion to the job. She competes in marathons, ironman contests, and triathlons. She manages a $2.5 Billion budget for the County. She can ride a horse with confidence (most of us can’t) and she is a great salsa dancer. (LOL. Most of us can’t do that either) Is there anything she can’t do?
Before all the republican bed wetters soil their linens about this $500 fine they might want to clean their own ass. Case in point Eric Dick who was fined $40,000, referred to the State Bar of Texas by the Ethics Commission, and has refused to pay his fine even after receiving a collection letter from the Texas Attorney General. Do yourself a favor and take time to read that Final Order.
“Our premiums are too high. Our deductibles are out the roof. This is not sustainable.”
Last Thursday night about 200 individuals attended the meeting concerning the insurance crisis in the Bay Area!
Thanks! Thanks to Commissioner Garcia and his staff for arranging for this meeting at the Community Center. Special thanks to Dale and his daughter for setup of the event! Thanks to Senator Middleton, State Representatives Dennis Paul, and Briscoe Cain for sending members of their staff to address the crowd. And thanks to Houston City Council Member Flickinger, and CM Alcorn for attending.
One of “The Squad” members lost his seat in Congress last night in the New York Democratic Primary. Jamaal Bowman was elected to Congress to represent New York District 16 in 2020. He wore out his welcome in just 4 short years and lost his re-election bid by over 16 points. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) had this to say about his 16 point loss “Holy sh*t we are down to only 5 Squad members!” Actually she didn’t say that but she whined during the entire primary.
Bowman wasn’t known for his ability to pass legislation. Like the rest of The Squad he has filed a number of bills but to his credit he had 1 bill signed into law which counted for 25% of the entire Squad. He is more remembered for being arrested on the capitol steps, pulling the fire alarm during a crucial vote on the floor, and running his mouth about extreme positions.
Instead of taking care of his district he joined the other Squad members in their rush to be on TV and co-sponsoring bills that have gone no where including Single Payer, Medicare for All, and the Green New Deal. All were DOA. Instead of working across the aisle to find common ground and move to a more perfect health care system he joined The Squad in complaining and not doing the hard work to pass hard legislation. And passing Single Payer is hard. Ask Senator Bernie Sanders. He has been yelling about this for over 40 years.
You can compare the record of The Squad vs The Insurrectionist Caucus here. Both are extreme. Both can’t pass significant legislation.
The Chronicle finally put the blame on our elected officials for the Uvalde shooting. Sort of. Because of their lack of action on common sense gun regulations the parents of Uvalde have filed a number of lawsuits against organizations that gave easy access to guns and ammo to the 18 year old who killed 19 children. They are not alone. Some Santa Fe parents have also sued. And they are winning.
Our elected officials have protected the gun industry from lawsuits much like they are protected from suits after they gave that weapon to the 18 year old. It’s time to put the blame for these shootings that have killed children, police, members of the military, Mexican Americans on them. They are responsible for these senseless killings by giving easy access to mentally ill individuals to military style firearms.
They are responsible for forcing tax payers to pay for the leveling of Ross Elementary and for building a new school. They are responsible for the suits against the police who did nothing as the shooter was killing the kids. They are responsible for those who survived the shootings but will be scarred for life requiring continued medical care. They are responsible but will not be held accountable.
Gun violence was on the ballot in 2022 and not one single elected official, responsible for the Uvalde shooting, was held accountable. Not one. So who will be responsible for the next shooting?
CCISD Trustee was the guest speaker of True Texas Project.
TTP was thrown out of another venue due to their support of white nationalist figures and rhetoric. Back in 2022 Buzz Aldrin’s church in Webster banned the far right group from having their meetings in the facility after learning about the group. According to The Texas Tribune another group, the Dallas Botanical Gardens, has cancelled TTP’s event stating they “rejects all forms of hate speech, discrimination, or bigotry.”
And they have a point. A big one. Even some of the most white wing of the party, including Don Huffines, has joined 12 other speakers and have cancelled their appearance at the event. From the Tribune:
Billed as the 15th anniversary celebration for True Texas Project, the conference agenda claims that there is a “war on white America,” and urges attendees to embrace once-fringe ideologies such as Christian nationalism or the Great Replacement Theory, which claims that there is an intentional, often Jewish-driven, effort to destroy white people through immigration, interracial marriage or the LGBTQ+ community.
Other speakers include “figures with ties to antisemites and extremists, including Paul Gottfried, a far-right author who mentored neo-Nazi Richard Spencer”. TTP is supported by the two republican billionaires out of the Dallas area, Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks. They also created Defend Texas Liberty PAC. The leadership was caught meeting with known white supremacist Nick Fuentes. The backlash was so bad the PAC folded but they created another under a new name.
This is who CCISD Scott Bowen associates with. Do yourself a favor and read the two articles from the Tribune. The first outs the group and their agenda for the birthday bash. The second is about the speakers cancelling their appearance. Here are a few comments from the speakers:
“I know that the True Texas Project gets things done and I need each and every one of you to continue to fight for the conservative principles we all stand for,” –Ted Cruz
“Every good and [decent] and honorable person associated with this event should back out,” Travis County GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak
It’s a “dumb and inaccurate way to promote the Republican agenda” and that he “was never given a lineup of speakers or topics.” Senator Don Huffines
“I categorically reject white replacement theory and never write or speak about it. I’m not interested in any of that stuff.” Todd Bensman, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies
“What kind of stupid son of a bitch would associate with these racist assholes?” Me.
Posted by johncoby 
Bay Area Houston 