07 January 2007
Houston musters up the strength to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
Oh look: Houston's not "evented-out" after all.
While some city councilwomen are pooped, others have been resting up, it would seem.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/07/07 03:56 PM |
06 January 2007
Mayor White tackles convenience store crime with a task force!
Yes, Houston needs a task force to figure out how to reduce convenience store crime:
Mayor Bill White announced today the formation of the Mayor's Task Force on Convenience Store Security. Members will make recommendations aimed at curbing violent crime in convenience stores by reviewing new technologies, building codes, management processes, and law enforcement procedures.
Which means new city regulations will be required because that's how cities fix problems.
The answer is simple, as blogHOUSTON readers will know: punish convenience store owners for allowing crime to happen on their properties.
It's the logical approach to crime-fighting -- think graffiti and apartments --and it's easy to do. Fine store owners $20,000 or so each time their store is held up, then require that within two weeks, city-mandated security upgrades have been installed (see Metro Park and Pillage lots for guidance), and any building code violations have been addressed. After that, ensure that convenience store personnel attend management training classes conducted by the city (for a fee, of course), to learn how best to handle a robbery.
All this should be directed by a new city department. A contest will be held to come up with the acronym naming this new initiative. Leave your suggestions in the forum.
MORE: I just saw the Chron's story. The end (naturally!) includes a hint to another crime-fighting approach:
As the task force begins considering ways to make the industry safer, the store clerks suggested more patrols by Houston police officers, more street lights and enforcement of the Houston youth curfew.
Both clerks also agreed that more street lighting would improve overall neighborhood safety.
"It is too dark out here," Nguyen said. "And, everybody knows that Houston needs more police officers."
More police officers? Better street lighting? You mean the store clerks didn't suggest a task force to fix the crime problem?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/06/07 07:13 AM |
29 December 2006
Jordy Tollett resigns
Gerard J. "Jordy" Tollett announced today that he is leaving his post as president and CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
He said he has decided to pursue other ventures.He will serve as a consultant until 2008.
GHCVB chairman Doug Horn and chairman emeritus Don Henderson will coordinate day-to-day operations at the GHCVB.
The executive board of the bureau voted in November to search for a possible replacement for Tollett.
Considerable pressure was applied on the board's 28 members, who cast secret ballots when deciding whether to follow up on Mayor Bill White's recommendation to enlist a national executive search firm to find candidates when Tollett's contract expires in February.
Mayor White can really turn those screws, eh?
BLOGVERSATION: HouStoned, People Mover.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/29/06 05:25 PM |
17 December 2006
Mayor White wants counties to pass smoking bans, too
Kristen Mack's Friday column about Mayor White's agenda for the next state legislative session included this:
The city also is likely to push for expanding counties' powers to regulate smoking in public places.
White has said Houston's smoking ban, which will expand to bars in September, will be more effective if counties also enact such measures.
This also would keep city establishments from losing business to smoking-permitted venues just outside city limits.
Is Mayor White worried about Houston establishments losing business due to the smoking ban? I don't recall that being a part of the debate, from his end!
Now Houston's mayor wants to influence counties to pass smoking bans as well, so as to limit any business losses Houston establishments might incur. But in a 2005 Chronicle story on the first, less-restrictive smoking ban Council passed, Mayor White said:
"Today council acted decisively to make more of Houston smoke-free," White said after the 9-4 vote. "This is Texas, where we do balance freedoms."
It seems to me there's a balance when surrounding counties allow smoking, as opposed to Houston which doesn't. Houston-area residents and visitors get to exercise their freedom to choose which restaurant or bar they'll patronize.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/17/06 04:52 PM |
16 December 2006
Red light camera tickets are mailed from Arizona
The Chron's Alexis Grant notes this Wrap Up tidbit:
Drivers ticketed for running red lights at camera-monitored intersections in Houston are sometimes surprised that the tickets are mailed to them not from the city, but from Arizona.
That's because the notices are sent by American Traffic Solutions Inc., the Mesa, Ariz.-based company that runs Houston's camera system.
Violators' payments also go out of state, to a post office box in Ohio, because American Traffic Solutions' payment-processing partner, U.S. Bank, is headquartered in Cincinnati. So drivers who choose not to pay the $75 fine online or contest the violation must send a check or money order payable to the city of Houston, but destined for a Cincinnati address.
U.S. Bank then deposits the money in a city of Houston account, said ATS chief executive officer Jim Tuton.
"Most people are accustomed to sending payments to various locations for payment processing," he said.
All collections go to the city, which pays ATS as much as $5,000 per month per camera.
The city has 20 red-light cameras.
Houston sure has developed some Arizona connections, hasn't it?
Dan Patrick (KSEV-700) was interviewing one of the Kubosh brothers last week (I didn't catch which one) who said that City Controller Annise Parker reported to Council back in November that the red light camera ticket payment rate was 11%. It'd be interesting to know what the percentage is now.
As we've noted before, since the city has changed the red light running-standard to a civil offense at intersections with cameras, the city's only recourse to force payment is to send non-payments to a collection agency. Kubosh said it's unclear whether or not credit agencies will be willing to put those disputes on a person's credit report, with only a camera picture as evidence.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/16/06 09:16 AM |
30 November 2006
The Insite: Mayor wants to change law regarding special election
Isiah Carey posts an interesting bit of news tonight: Mayor White plans to ask the state legislature for a change to the law that requires a special election to fill the Council seat formerly held by Doctor-Congresswoman Shelley Sekula Gibbs. The Mayor would like to let the seat remain vacant until the regular election in November.
Carey further notes that Councilmember Anne Clutterbuck thinks Mayor White should appoint someone to fill the seat until an election can be held.
UPDATE: Here's a link to the report Carey did for KRIV-26.
UPDATE (12-01-2006): Kristen Mack comments in her Chronicle column.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/30/06 10:46 PM |
07 November 2006
Proposition G supporter Larry Kellner visits area churches
Isiah Carey has the scoop on what Continental CEO Larry Kellner was doing last Sunday:
The Insite has learned Continental Airlines C.E.O. Larry Kellner found his way to several African American churches last Sunday to get out the vote on Proposition G. The proposition, which has the backing of Mayor Bill White, would amend the charter of the city of Houston to exclude airport revenues and other self-sustaining enterprise funds, from the city's current limits on revenue collection. Kellner was reportedly accompanied by high ranking officials from the Mayors office on a tour of churches that began at 7 Sunday morning. I'm told the churches were: Wheeler Avenue, Good Hope Baptist and St. Anges Baptist. Tuesday will tell if Kellner's efforts worked!
Do you think Mr. Kellner told the folks that the ballot is long and complicated and they should just vote yes for everything? Do you think the ACLU is okay with this?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/07/06 06:34 AM |
02 November 2006
Stick a fork in Jordy Tollett
No more beating around the bush -- Mayor White wants Jordy Tollett out of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau when Tollett's term expires (via KHOU-11):
Houston’s mayor has taken another step toward ousting the city’s colorful convention and tourism chief.
Mayor White has made it clear he’d like to see Jordy Tollett leave the city’s Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, although we haven’t been told exactly why.
Tollett had recently taken a leave of absence after he was spotted drinking during business hours.
Now the mayor is asking the bureau’s chairman to hire an executive search firm.
KHOU provides a link to the mayor's letter to the chairman of the GHCVB, and the letter is much more, uh, pointed than the above story indicates.
Jordy'll have to really work those "legendary survival skills" to survive this one.
BLOGVERSATION: Isiah Carey's Insite.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/06 07:19 AM |
21 October 2006
Just wondering...
If Houstonians could vote on a smoking ban, what would be the outcome?
If Houstonians could vote on red light cameras (or surveillance cameras), what would be the outcome?
If Houstonians could vote on giving millions of dollars to a local (liberal) group so it could build subsidized housing in one particular neighborhood, what would be the outcome?
If Houstonians could vote on a stadium for the Houston Dynamo, what would be the outcome? (Maybe the Dynamo can talk to Cy-Fair ISD.)
But Houstonians WILL get the opportunity to vote on Mayor White's effort to nullify Prop. 2, so he can continue his free-spending ways. Funny how Mayor White got those before the voters.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/21/06 08:03 PM |
15 October 2006
Editorial LiveJournalists don't like some lobbying
The Chronicle's Editorial LiveJournalists blast City Hall lobbyists today:
Mayor Bill White, who has made his disdain for City Hall lobbyists well-known during his two terms, doubts they will have much effect on the outcome. "It's the witnesses who are doctors treating cancer patients and people who have respiratory illnesses related to secondhand smoke who work in bars and the merchants who are concerned who have impact on council members in this debate," the mayor said.
Let's hope that's the case. The public, including the business and medical communities, has had abundant opportunity to address council on the pros and cons of the smoking ban. The presence of lobbyists who say whatever they are paid to say, regardless of the obvious public good, is not needed and does little to elevate the debate.
This view may put me in the minority, but downtown lobbyists who go in front of Council to speak in favor of a position don't bother me that much. Yes, they're paid spokesmen for a cause, but we know that, and they do put forth points of view that ought to be considered. For example, during the recent debate before Council's decision to curry favor with Yellow Cab by putting Texans Shuttle out of business, a paid lobbyist for those opposed to the move put forward some very good arguments why it was a bad decision. Presumably, that lobbyist also attended various committee meetings on that topic and made himself heard, along with other stakeholders in that issue. That's not a "bad thing" in my view, so long as it's transparent. Indeed, the "lobbyist" said quite a few things that I might have told Council, if I could ignore job and life commitments to go hang out at City Hall for public comment.
It's unfortunate that the Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists chose to criticize transparent lobbying on the smoking issue, but chose completely to ignore the manner in which Yellow Cab company persuaded the city's aviation director and members of Council to put a competitor out of business a few weeks ago. Apparently, transparent "lobbying" is worse than non-transparent anti-competitive dealmaking to benefit City-Hall-favored companies, at least in the view of the Editorial LiveJournalists.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/15/06 09:01 AM |
14 October 2006
Fun with Council campaign finance disclosure
Slampo's been poring over City Council's campaign finance reports, and is sharing the fun in the form of trivia quizzes.
Here are part one and part two.
Better keep checking in. Who knows what Slampo may turn up while the Chronicle is focused like a laser beam on Yao Ming's toe!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/14/06 09:23 AM |
09 October 2006
Sanctuary policy revisions effective today
KHOU-11's News Blog reports that changes to HPD's sanctuary policy are now in effect:
Houston police put their new immigration policy into effect Monday.
Now, anyone who's arrested, even for a misdemeanor, could be asked to show proof of residency.
If they can't, they may be turned over to immigration officials.
Officers are still not allowed to inquire about a person's residency status before they're arrested.
When will City Council be taking up the topic of General Order 500-5?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/09/06 08:43 PM |
08 October 2006
Councilmember suggests a smoking ban revenue stream
Now and then a local news story will feature an idea or quote from a local pol that seems so familiar. Here's an example from a KTRH-740 story on the latest smoking ban debate:
Meanwhile, Council Member Jarvis Johnson advocated making bar owners pay a yearly permit fee to the city, and accept more stringent health requirements, in exchange for Houston allowing those businesses to take down the "no-smoking" sign.
"I want Houston to go smoke-free," said Johnson, "but if an establishment wants to be a smoking establishment, that is their right."
What a fine, Mayor White-style idea! A new revenue stream! But why does it ring a bell?
Dermatologist-Councilwoman Gibbs has led the charge on this matter, calling for an outright ban.
We think Mayor White could reclaim this issue, and give it his signature touch. That's right -- why not turn it into a possibility for a new revenue stream?
Ban smoking outright for now. Allow restaurants that meet certain specifications to allow smoking in designated parts of their restaurants. Create a new "Smoking Establishment Permit" and accompanying bureaucracy for the thing! There you go -- a new revenue stream AND cleaner air!
Mayor White's thinking small on this one. In a city that has a sign inspector and that requires delivery trucks to pay for loading zone permits, surely our creative mayor can figure out a way to squeeze restaurants that would like to allow patrons to smoke.
Because Kevin Whited suggested it one and a half years ago.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/08/06 07:55 AM |
07 October 2006
Revenue caps likely to force property tax rate cut
KTRH-740's Brent Fuller reported on Thursday that the City of Houston may have to offer a larger tax-rate cut than Mayor White had planned:
A 2004 voter-approved referendum, known as the "tax cap" or "Proposition 1", required the city to budget its yearly property tax revenue at or below the combined rate of population and inflation growth or 4.5 percent, whichever is lower. The idea is to prevent city administrations from overestimating the money they'll get, which can often leave them scrambling to make cut backs later in the year.
However, Houston's population growth in the past year, mostly due to the influx of Hurricane Katrina evacuees, has not been reflected in the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. So the city's tax revenue has risen much faster than the reported growth in inflation and population, triggering a legally mandated property tax cut.
Mayor White, who likes to portray himself as a fiscal conservative, already has a backup plan in place to protect his spending priorities:
White has also put forth a new proposition on this November's ballot, known as "Proposition H," which would allow Houston to take in $90 million more than the cap allows for public safety emergencies.
That's a pretty clever way of getting voter approval for significantly higher spending than voters approved via the two spending caps. Mayor White's resourceful that way.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/07/06 02:54 PM |
02 October 2006
LULAC "supports" sanctuary policy revisions; warns of racial profiling
As expected, city officials announced at a Sunday afternoon press conference (!!) that they are revising Houston's sanctuary policy (via the Chronicle):
The death of officer Rodney Johnson expedited the Houston Police Department's new policy of asking people arrested in minor crimes for identification and running criminal background checks on those who cannot provide it, but the change was being formulated before he was killed during the arrest of an illegal immigrant, Mayor Bill White said Sunday.
"That did provide an additional impetus to bring this to conclusion, but it was in the works anyway," White said at a news conference Sunday formally announcing the change. "Both Chief (Hurtt) and I, after that death, we asked for an expedited review of everything we could to identify people who are wanted (for criminal activity)."
[snip]
"(We are) specifically targeting those people that have been convicted of felonies in this country and have been previously deported and re-entered the country," Hurtt said.
Under the policy, Houston police will ask all arrested suspects whether they are citizens, then fingerprint anyone without identification and check for criminal histories in a national database.
If that search shows a person is accused of returning to the country after being deported for a crime or defying an order to leave the country — both of which carry felony charges — police will hold the person for immigration officials.
Those who cannot provide proper identification but have no criminal record will not be turned over to immigration officials.
Okay, but it's still not enough. A fourteen-year-old memo needs to be honestly and openly debated, and HPD's leadership should face tough questioning about the policy by City Council. MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are trying to deflect just enough negative attention so they can once again bury the topic.
Depending on which local news story you read, LULAC is either supportive of the changes or wary of the changes. Supportive:
At a news conference, support for the new policy appeared to be strong and widespread, from the Mexican Consulate to LULAC.
“If you have warrants or you have committed a crime, they need to take you in. And I think in that sense, it’s good. What I would tell immigrants is pay your tickets, stay out of trouble, carry identification and you’ll be OK,” said Rick Dovalina.
Wary:
"We're going to monitor how it affects everybody," said Rick Dovalina, Houston president of the League of United Latin American Citizens Houston. The group will watch to see if "there is racial profiling ... that type of thing ... how much strain it's put on police, because, obviously, when they take people in, it's time off the street."
This ought to be interesting.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/02/06 07:05 PM |
30 September 2006
Modifications to city's sanctuary policy
Following up on this hint that some changes in Houston's sanctuary city-status were imminent, here are a couple of stories from KTRH-740 with early details. First this teaser was in a Brent Fuller/Scott Braddock story from Thursday:
The department's current policy forbids officers from asking about someone's immigration status, unless they've committed at least a Class B misdemeanor. It also prevents officers from inquiring about citizenship if a person has committed no crime.
Both White and Police Chief Harold Hurtt supported that policy. However, White said Wednesday at a City Hall press conference that certain "operational refinements" could still be made. "I think it's fair game for discussion with a committee," said White.
Then yesterday some of those refinements came to light in this KTRH story:
[...]if an officer should decide to arrest an individual and bring them to the city jail, "We will be checking fingerprints of Class C offenders," said City Council Public Safety Committee Chairman Adrian Garcia. "If there's information that comes back in relation to questionable immigration status, we will put a 'hold' on you until Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials can investigate."
Garcia, who helped draft the plan, said they're trying to seal "gaps" in the system that can occur between booking at the city jail transfer to the Harris County lock-up.
HPD began holding high-level meetings and reviewing its inmate processing procedures after an illegal immigrant allegedly murdered an officer after a traffic stop.
While officers won’t question citizenship status on the street, they will once a person is taken to jail, no matter how minor the crime.
“It shows the pressure they’re under to change,” said Wanda Schultz, Protect Our Citizens. “We are grateful for that. We have been begging them for that much at least for years.”
Sources told 11 News everyone arrested will also now be fingerprinted—even those arrested for minor crimes.
HPD will also be working closely with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to make sure illegal immigrants are not caught and released by police.
[snip]
Police Chief Harold Hurtt and the mayor are scheduled to make an announcement regarding the change in HPD booking procedures on Sunday.
This policy review comes one week after Houston Police Officer Rodney Johnson was killed in the line of duty.
It's a step in the right direction. This blog has frequently wondered why a 1992 HPD policy memo is so sacrosanct that it could not even be discussed. It would appear Mayor White realizes that stance is no longer politically viable and he is now willing to consider some modifications.
One can guess his right hand does not support the changes.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: We'll see if this is anything more than an effort to deflect the bad PR that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have been receiving. We know how Mayor White and his press shop hate bad PR.
Despite all of his talk of including Council on major policy decisions, Mayor White and his out-of-town/soft-on-crime police chief seem to make most important decisions with no input from Council, whether it has to do with the sanctuary directive or the no-chase policy.
Mayor White and Councilmember Garcia (whose committee would presumably start the discussion) should bring the matter to Council for hearings. While Doctor-Councilwoman Sekula-Gibbs' raising the issue the day of Officer Johnson's funeral was crass and opportunistic, one can sense her frustration over Mayor White's absolute refusal to bring this matter to Council for input (although her timing could have been much better). Why in the world are Mayor White and his soft-on-crime police chief so scared to have a conversation about this important issue?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/30/06 09:07 AM |
26 September 2006
Mayor: sanctuary policy critics are disrespecting officers
Mayor White has now entered the illegal immigrant debate by attempting to change the focus (via Matt Stiles, Chronicle):
White, who disputes the "sanctuary" label, said critics were "disrespecting officers" by claiming that they aren't doing their jobs. He blames lax border security, and he said officers do cooperate with federal immigration enforcement authorities when they arrest criminals in the country illegally.
Very nice. Critics of the sanctuary policy aren't saying police officers aren't doing their jobs. Critics are saying a 1992 directive handed down from a former police chief (that is supported by current city of Houston leadership including the current police chief) is not allowing police officers to do their jobs.
I suppose that's one way to silence critics -- accuse them of saying something that hasn't even been said. Since Mayor White fancies himself such a consensus builder, he'd do well to actually have a honest debate about the 1992 HPD memo, but that won't happen. His right hand won't allow it.
UPDATE: Chris Baker has led off his program on KTRH-740 by blasting on Mayor White's bizarre characterization.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/26/06 06:24 AM |
23 September 2006
The job description from hell
The Chron's Mike Snyder reports that Mayor White's director of Neighborhoods and Housing has resigned, citing the desire to get his life back (not exactly using those words):
John Walsh, who signed on to help Mayor Bill White improve housing and neighborhoods for poor Houstonians and ended up directing the massive housing program for hurricane evacuees, has resigned from White's administration.
Walsh, 62, said this week that the overwhelming challenge of housing evacuees had made it increasingly difficult to fulfill his other duties as White's deputy chief of staff for neighborhoods and housing.
Heading the city's Joint Hurricane Housing Task Force, Walsh said, "became more than a full-time job."
[snip]
When evacuees began streaming into Houston a year ago after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area, Walsh took charge of a program that would provide free rent and utilities to some 35,000 evacuee households in apartments throughout the Houston area. His staff of three expanded to more than 600.[Wow!]
"We worked 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, for five months," Walsh said.
Walsh's duties will be divided among various city officials, but his position will not be filled, mayoral spokesman Frank Michel said.
One can hardly blame the guy.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/23/06 08:46 AM |
22 September 2006
YouTube: Council gets egged
Last week, "Senator Robert Horton" (who regularly addresses City Council) was arrested for tossing an egg at Council.
Here's my video capture of the event. The audio is slightly out of sync with the video, but a loud bang accompanies the egg toss. Poor Mayor White truly looks as if a gun was fired, but then soldiers on admirably.
Note the egg that slowly drips down the Council wall over his shoulder, and to the left.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/22/06 10:17 PM |
20 September 2006
Audit of GHCVB is complete; Jordy Tollett unavailable for comment
City Controller Annise Parker has released the findings of the city's audit of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, which (not surprisingly) found a few problems. KPRC-2 had the story on last night's 10 o'clock news, but I can't find a link to it on their site. Kristen Mack, however, has a story posted for the Chronicle:
[Parker] said the audit did identify "sloppy procedures, lack of internal controls and the need for more cooperation between entities working to sell the city."
The bureau's success — and a portion of Tollett's annual bonus — has long been determined by the number of hotel-room nights booked each year. The audit found that the bureau is using "subjective estimates" to determine hotel-room-night bookings.
The bureau's goal for this fiscal year, which ended June 30, was 675,000 room nights. It booked 638,000.
"Room nights are almost an impossible thing to quantify," Parker said. "It's easy to inflate room-night bookings."
KPRC's story also indicated that the GHCVB hands out bonuses based on room-night bookings; therefore, inflated booking numbers are quite a problem. Another problem -- and this one blows me away -- is that the bureau has no accountability controls in place for when officials woo prospective clients:
Auditors concluded that the bureau has no policy on entertaining prospective city visitors, including expenses for food and alcoholic beverages.
But these problems are nothing to get too excited about, according to some folks:
Doug Horn, chairman of the board, said the audit will be a learning tool for the bureau and that he is open to looking at how it accounts for room nights.
"It's a real nebulous, ambiguous issue," he said. "This audit, all in all, reveals that we have some areas to work on. There is nothing in here that is egregious or dishonest."
Eh, no biggie. Inflated room-night numbers? Wining and dining clients without backup and accountability? It's all so vague and complicated.
The audit also noted low staff morale, high turnover, inadequate record keeping to document use of free air travel and sporting-event tickets, and strained relations with the city-run Department of Convention and Entertainment Facilities.
That sounds about par for the government entity-course. No doubt lots of bonuses will be handed out again at the end of this fiscal year.
Tollett, who returned to the job late last month after taking a six-week leave from the bureau for unspecified treatment, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
[snip]
Horn said it is too early to tie the audit to Tollett's future at the bureau. "We ought to allow him to get reacclimated to his job properly and given all the confidence this board can give him in order to succeed," he said.
Oh, absolutely. A government employee who makes over $200,000 per year, plus bonus, shouldn't be expected to answer any questions.
UPDATE: Tollett did speak to KHOU-11:
“If you are trying to book a convention like the Offshore Technology Conference that is worth say, $70 million, and you have to spend $1,000, that’s a good expenditure,” said Jordy Tollett, President GHCVB.
[snip]
“Any resources for food or entertainment come out of that private money. We just thought that was more appropriate. And let me say this, all of the food and entertainment bills are approved in advance,” said Tollett.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/20/06 06:28 AM |
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