El Paso Politics

Those are the questions that entered my mind when I watched the ABC 7 Xtra show last Sunday night with Beto O’rourke. He gave every indication that he is going to run for Congress. He toyed with the idea recently and then chose otherwise at the last minute. His decision to not run for another term, when he has the ability to do so, is probably the clearest indicator that he is going to do it. But I think there are also a fair amount of indicators that he won’t do it. More on that in a minute. But first, let’s talk a little about O’rourke. I am a liberal, so while many might look at Beto as the devil, he is far from it. I can honestly say that there are very few leaders that I have met in my life like Beto O’rourke. He has something that I think too many elected officials lack, the balls to stand up for their convictions, the balls to stand up for minorities, even if it means some public scorn. Most politicians look for the path of least resistance or do what is most politically expedie...

I've been a little quite lately because I am working on a few pieces that are complicated. Here's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of: Two CEO's of Non-Profits in town have been making some interesting decisions. I'll explain what they are and let you make up your mind about the issues. The court house has been called a cesspool by some. I'll explain the irony in that statement. And the last one, why I don't think Beto O'rourke will run for congress after all. Stay tuned...

Texas taxpayers are footing the bill, a bill likely to balloon with Perry's possible presidential bid, for Governor Perry's security detail. There is nothing uncommon about that and its appropriate that given his office he has a security detail assigned to him. But what is raising the eyebrows of many in Texas is the fact that the Republican governor called a special session and one of the issues the Republican majority is undertaking is a bill that actually hides the amount of money taxpayers pay for Governor Perry's security detail FROM taxpayers for an 18-month period. That means, we wouldn't know how much we are paying until after the 2012 election. What area teachers want to know is simple. How many teachers could have been employed with the money tax payers will spend on Perry's security detail. Perry is going to be visiting several states in his ramp up to the presidential run. He's already recently traveled to LA, New York, New Orleans, Colorado, and Nor...

I have to give credit where credit is due. A couple of Republicans are circulating a letter to Texas legislators urging a "no" vote on HB 9. They lay out their argument in a very common-sense manner and are basically making the point that Republicans can't attract Latinos to their party with perceived anti-Latino legislation. The Texas Tribune has a good article about it today. Interestingly, Dee Margo is now on the record as being against the bill. That is, against the bill NOW. He was originally supportive of a much worse bill earlier in the session. There's a good piece in the El Paso Times written by Zahira Torres in which Dee Margo says a couple of very interesting things. First, Dee Margo defends previously voting in favor of the bill that would cost El Paso millions of dollars by saying, "I thought it was a fairly innocuous bill...I didn't think there was a whole lot to it. I thought it was more form than substance, and not one member of the city or...

If you know me, then you know I am a gadget guy. If you are in the market for a new phone, I wanted to pass on a little insight to you because I have used all of the major types of smart phones and I know it can be hard to sort out which one is the best. Blackberry – the innovator of the smart phone world has been passed up by the other smart phone brands over the last year, but at one point, Blackberry was ubiquitous. They were everywhere and everyone had them. They were also addicting, so much so that they earned the nickname Crackberry. They did, and still do, one thing well…email. They are simple and reliable without a lot of frills. They are also without a lot of apps these days. i-Phone – The new “it” gadget for a very long time, and it was basically the Blackberry killer. Faster, better graphics, more memory, more capabilities, and a much sexier look, the i-Phone, with its integration with music, photos, and video quickly rendered the Blackberry obsolete. Android – The “droid” i...

Alright a few days ago I wrote a post in which I presented some data regarding the the American tax dollar and how it was spent. Although this was not the intended focus of the piece, the numbers certainly got it. At this time I, first and foremost, would like to apologize. Looking back, I should have explained the numbers a little better, so in response to all the readers who are insistent the numbers are incorrect and that I am wrong, I will take the time today to explain the numbers in detail and hopefully convince some you out there that the data is correct. Now, before we look at the numbers we have to understand one simple fact, a fact that I think is the main concern behind those whom feel that the data I presented is incorrect. We have all been spoon fed the numbers, numbers like defense is 19% of what we spend and Social Security is another 30% and Medicare/Medicaid taking along another 20%. Now these are just approximations of course but fairly accurate ones. I think someone ...

Check this story out . This kind of thing happens all the time in El Paso and its a story about hard working people doing an honest day's work and are getting screwed and not getting paid. Its yet another example of the complexities of our immigration policies and yet another reason the policies need to be reformed. This is more complex than your typical racist, xenophobic right-wing retorts of this-wouldn't-be-a-problem-if-you-people-would-go-back-to-where-you-come-from....

If you haven't heard about Governor Perry and his "tweeter" reference, it might be because he's been all over the country running for President instead of being a Governor of Texas. But he recently said in a video taped message , and apparently in other places, to follow him on "tweeter". I assume he means follow him on Twitter. (Yes, I know, that is a bad assumption to make considering, as Bill Maher recently said, he makes George Bush look like the smart one...) Congressman Reyes Twitter feed today had the following tweet, with a hilarious hash tag: "Rick Perry shouldnt be surprised by his reception in San Antonio. Most anti-Hispanic legacy in TX history.   # NotFollowingYouOnTweeter "

Ernesto Villanueva, Jr. Well I want to apologize to my reader for the long delay on this post, but it has been brewing for a while and I hope that its not too long winded for your taste. I think we, as a party, have reached the breaking point in national politics. What has been going in this country for the last 20 years is something that has been having deep ramifications to the so-called identity, or what we once thought was the identity, of the democratic party. Now I am not one to bash my party or question my ideals, but as the Republican Party continues its tectonic shift to the extreme right wing, it is having the intended affect of moving the Democrats further and further to the right; proposing ideas that would have been, at one time, considered right wing or conservative thought not more than 15 years ago. So whats going on? Now I'm not here to tell others what they are supposed to believe in or what ideals they should hold true simply because they vote a particular party,...

Okay, so team USA will be taking on Mexico in the finals on Saturday. So I think President Obama and Presidente Calderón should make a wager on the game. Whoever loses gets stuck with Arizona. And to make it really interesting…they also have to take Rick Perry as the Governor.

CONGRESSMAN REYES TESTIFIES BEFORE HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE TO PRESERVE TIGUA FEDERALLY-RECOGNIZED STATUS Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Lt. Governor Carlos Hisa also testifies before subcommittee WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) testified today before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs in support of his legislation, H.R. 1560, to eliminate the one-eighth blood quantum requirement on the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo unfairly imposed by Congress in 1987. Of the 565 federally-recognized Native American tribes, the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo is one of the only known tribes whose membership is dictated by the federal government, not members of the tribe. Below is his testimony as delivered: "Good morning, I would like to thank the Chairman and Ranking Member, and the committee for holding this hearing on my legislation, H.R. 1560, to grant the people of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo the right to determine their own membership. This historic federall...

For all my fellow techie geeks out there, Apple is opening an El Paso location. The new location will be in Cielo Vista Mall. As you can see in this screen shot, they are already accepting applications for employment in the new store.  Props to my buddy Tim Holt for the tip!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Claudia Tijerina Tuesday, June 21, 2011  claudia.tijerina@house.state. tx.us FRESHMAN  D EMOCRAT  S UCCESSFUL AGAINST  T OUGH  O DDS AUSTIN, TEXAS – Governor Rick Perry has signed 23 bills authored or sponsored by State Representative Naomi Gonzalez. The youngest female member of the 2011 freshman class and the only Hispanic female, Representative Gonzalez faced incredible odds this session. Additionally, Representative Gonzalez was chosen among 37 incoming House members to receive the "Freshman of the Year" awa rd from both the Legislative Study Group and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. "My goal from day one was to work hard and stay focused on the matters important to the district I represent. Because of this, I was able to pass legislation under tough circumstances, but our efforts are far from finished. While the legislation I passed will support residents of District 76 in the tough times that lie ahead, I will contin...

by George Ybarra The County of El Paso is the first local entity to begin the Redistricting Process. Attached are two maps. The first is the current districts and the second is what it has proposed for the new districts. The time to get involved and offer our suggestions, comments or opinions is right now. Take a look at the proposed plan. What are your thoughts on it. You can send your comments to Javier Chacon, County Elections Director. On June 30th at 10:00 am in the County Judge's Conference Room, there will be a work session to discuss the comments, opinions and other plans submitted. 

So I wrote about Rep Quintana going to DC a few days ago and I questioned if tax payers were funding a road trip for a lame duck rep and if so...why? A couple of people got upset about it and obviously spoke before they knew the facts. They assumed that because she was invited by some young elected officials club that she was paying her own way. I had a hunch she wasn't. And I was right. The city says ( in this KVIA piece ) the money from her trip will come from discretionary funds. The question is, do you think it should have?

So I have to confess, I have been a fan of Antique Road Show on PBS for a long time. I am now addicted to the other shows like Pawn Stars and Storage Wars too, probably because of Antique Road Show. What’s not to like?  You can take your old, useless stuff that is just sitting around, not doing anything, and just collecting dust and find out how much it’s worth. There were in town on Saturday. No official word if El Paso’s most notable old, useless stuff that is just sitting around, not doing anything, and just collecting dust – City Rep Ann Morgan Lilly, was taken to be appraised or not.

I know, the headline sounds like a joke. But it isn’t. Last night on ABC 7 Xtra with Darren Hunt, Pastor Tom Brown and City Rep Steve Ortega were discussing the Domestic Partner Benefits Issue. It was a thorough beat down and Pastor Brown was actually visibly upset. He also seemed to be walking back the threat of a recall. Brown was questioned about jeopardizing the tax exempt status of his church by using his church’s website and newsletter for political purposes. Brown on the one hand said that its not a violation if they don’t have political action towards a specific candidate. I think most people recognize a recall against specific members of council would be such an action. And so would endorsing his wife’s candidacy, which was done during the recent city council elections. He then changes his story to say that the website belongs to him personally and not the church. Funny thing about that, the website has the church address, invitations to attend, video of sermons, etc. from the...

I've been getting tired of the right and their constant barrage of hypocrisy in calling for the resignation of Anthony Weiner due to Twitter-gate. Weiner tweets his weiner to a few women and the Republicans are calling for his head. Uh, the one on his shoulders. But there is no indication that he broke the law, and there is no indication that he even had sex with any of the women. Yes it was wrong for him to do. Yes, he will probably be in the dog house for a long time with his wife and the next time she lets him see her vagina might be at their kids birth...if he's lucky. But while the right-wing echo chamber has been blasting the Democrats for not calling for his resignation, they have been busy demonstrating the height of their hypocrisy. But they have probably set themselves up for a new standard of conduct in Congress that might be a tough one for them. Let's take Senator David Vitter of Louisiana. Let's take a look at what he did. He was a regular customer of the ...

The Legacy of Luis Jimenez, Sculptor of San Jacinto Plaza's Los Lagartos El Paso, Texas – The El Paso County Chicano(a) History Project will a screen a two-part interview conducted in 1997 by Miguel Juárez with acclaimed sculptor Luis Jiménez Jr. The screening will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, 2011, in the auditorium at the El Paso Public Library Main Branch, in Downtown El Paso. The screening is part of the “Keep Los Lagartos in San Jacinto Plaza” Campaign. At the time of Jiménez ' death in 2006, Stuart Ashman, Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, said that Jiménez was considered "the most important Chicano artist in the United States…[who] made great contributions to contemporary art in America."  Jiménez’s father was trained by Francisco “Frisco” Gutierrez, Artist-in-Residence at the Plaza Theater for over 35 years. In the “who's who” of sculptors in the United States, Jiménez gained international fame in his lifetime. In...

Interesting development I've been hearing about and I am still working on gathering more details. It looks like there is a faction of the El Paso Community College Board that is already on the search to recruit a replacement for Dr. Rhodes, who will be leaving the EPCC next week to head another community college system. Rhodes has been there a long time, so one would assume that there would be a more methodical search for a new President, but apparently one faction has taken it upon themselves to do some independent recruitment. If my information is correct, the word on the street is that they are looking to recruit former Senator Eliot Shapleigh to replace Dr. Rhodes. Shapleigh has been rumored to be interested in running for everything in town except District Clerk, but there has been chatter in the past in some education circles that Shapleigh would one day like to replace Dr. Natalicio at UTEP. Though I imagine Natalicio will be as old as Dr. Uxer before she decides to leave he...

Lisa Colquitt-Muñoz, who represents El Paso High and Bowie High School feeder patterns for EPISD School Board, has resigned. Sources say she's going to Europe for 8 months and ironically will be home-schooling her children during the time. Which makes sense since its only 8 months. Colquitt-Muñoz was previously a staffer for then-County Judge Alicia Chacon and a reporter for Noticias 26 (KINT). Colquitt-Muñoz served as Board President from 2005-2007. The EPISD Board of Trustees will appoint a replacement to fill out the remainder of her term.

If you saw the headline in the Borderland section of today’s paper, City Reps Holguin and Quintana are going to meet with President Obama about immigration reform. I know the city paid for Rep Holguin’s flight and hotel. Which I think is appropriate because he is an elected official representing the City of El Paso and was recently re-elected. He and his wife have also had a long history of advocacy for immigration reform. But Rachel Quintana? Are you kidding me? Why in the hell is she going? And for God’s sake, I hope we aren’t paying for her trip. She’s out of office in a matter of days. How could the expense ever be justified? More importantly, why are we paying for her to have a big ass road trip at the end of her political career so she can’t party it up in DC? I’m sure she will say its all business and she wants to talk about the importance of immigration reform. Sure she does. That’s about as up-front and straight-forward as her political stage name. Oh yeah, I don’t think I’ve ...

Gay rights and equality are part of the Democratic Party’s national platform. Plain and simple. City Reps Holguin and Acosta voted against the Mayor’s agenda item to restore domestic partner benefits.  They voted against retirees, they voted against social justice, they voted against the national platform of their party. I for one, am personally disappointed in their votes. Yes, I know, Lilly and Robinson voted with them. Robinson has been against this from day one, so I am not surprised at his vote at all. Lilly had to pay back her masters, so I am not surprised by her vote. But when the two flag-waving Democrats on council vote against a fundamental issue like equality, as a proud DEMOCRAT who stands by the principals of my party, I will not stand silent. I know some of you agree with their vote. But save me the “Will of the People” nonsense. It’s not the will of the people, it’s the will of the small percentage of people that actually voted. And stop with the ridiculous statemen...

Didn't take long for Pastor Tom Brown to react to yesterday's vote and post a document called Recall Form. There is a very specific political message before the form that states:  Open Letter to City Council City Council and the Mayor disrespected the will of the people. They overturned the legitimate vote for the Traditional Family Ordinance. People who have complained that their votes do not count are justified. You lost the most basic, fundamental civil right of all, and that is to have your vote count. The whole idea that the people have the right to address grievances against their government has been abolished by this council. If you are upset at this action and would like to sign and/or circulate a recall petition against Mayor John Cook and Representatives Susie Byrd and Steve Ortega, then fill out the form below. Share this page with your friends and get them to fill out the form. Thanks. How is this NOT a violation of the terms of their tax exempt status? Here is a li...

Watch the video below to hear what Rebecca Forest, a Texas Tea Party Leader and founder of an anti-immigrant group that tries to fool people with its name, Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas, says about Hispanic Legislators. Among the many ridiculous things she says, the one that stands out most is, " If you want to know why we can’t pass legislation in Texas it’s because we have 37, no 36, Hispanics in the Legislature. All of the states that have passed legislation have a handful and I mean literally, some of them have no Hispanic legislators, well, maybe 3 or 5 or something. So that’s, umm, part of our problem and we need to change those numbers... So the problem is these Hispanic legislators…" Yes, she really said that. There's video to prove it.  More importantly, she doesn't make a distinction between Republican or Democratic Hispanic legislators either. She meant Hispanic legislators. And thinks there should be less of them. Wonder how the El Paso Latino Nati...

WESTSIDE DEMOCRATS OF EL PASO are invited to the following events for 2 of our members:             A RECEPTION IN SUPPORT OF THE RE-ELECTION OF   JUDGE CARLOS CARRASCO Wednesday, June 15, 2011 5:30pm-7:30pm DoubleTree Downtown (Sky Room) &   A FUNDRAISER TO RE-ELECT 　 JUDGE YAHARA LISA GUTIERREZ 65 TH  DISTRICT COURT Tuesday, June 21, 2011 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Oasis Bistro Lounge 125 Pioneer Plaza (Next to the Plaza Theatre)