BOR: - elections

Want More Latino Voters? Try Online Voter Registration

SaraChicaD — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:11:07 GMT

A greater proportion of Latinos registered to vote online than any other group, according to a new study from California, which utilized online voter registration in the 2012.

Authors Lisa García Bedolla and Verónica N. Vélez found that 22.6% of all of the 829,297 online voter registrants in California in 2012 were Latino, compared to 59.8% who were white and 11.1% who were Asian.

The study was titled "Differences among Latina/o, Asian American, and White Online Registrants in California" from the Center for Latino Policy Research at the University of California at Berkeley.

Latinos and Latinas were the most likely to register online of any group, according to the study. This makes sense, if you think about the fact that online voter registration also sweeps up potential young voters, but also the fact that Latinos' online behavior in other areas such as social media, video consumption, smartphone use, etc., indexes higher than other groups, too.

Interestingly, the authors also found that, among Latino and Asian online registrants in California, there was a strong tendency towards Democratic party affiliation. (Funny given the recent house bill trying to make mail ballots in Harris County English-only unless the voter requests otherwise. Also, Latinas were more likely to register online than Latinos, to the tune of 55%.

If we think about the 1.5 to 2.1 million unregistered Latino voters in Texas, and just think about how many online voter registration could be generated in Texas -- we're talking about between 345,000 and 460,000 newly registered Latino voters (in a perfect world where everyone eligible to register did so).

Then there's that whole matter of Rep. Mark Strama's House Bill 313, which would: "allow a person who has a valid driver's license or personal identification card issued in this state to complete a voter registration application over the Internet from the official website of this state and the websites of the secretary of state, the Department of Public Safety, and counties participating in the program."

To read more about the California study click here.

The Implications of State Senate Terms on 2014 Statewide Races

Burnt Orange Report — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:23:43 GMT

The State Senate drew straws yesterday to determine if each has a 2 or 4 year term before running for re-election. This is customary after an election following a redistricting year in which all Senators must run.

The draw has some major implications for our 2014 statewide races here in Texas on both sides of the aisle, starting, of course, with State Senator Wendy Davis of Fort Worth, a tireless campaigner who drew a 2-year term.

Many Democrats were eyeing Davis as a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2014 owing to her fundraising prowess and staunch support of education. Had Davis drawn a 4-year term, thus giving her a "free pass" to run statewide in 2014 without giving up her senate seat, she would have had tremendous encouragement to take the leap and run for governor. Now, her decision becomes somewhat more complicated.

Here are the results from SD-10 in the 2010 and 2008 statewide elections, courtesy of the Texas Legislative Council:

2010 Results in SD-10
38.9% Turnout

Governor
Rick Perry: 52.7%
Bill White: 44.6%
Margin: R+8.1%

Lieutenant Governor
David Dewhurst: 58.2%
Linda Chavez-Thompson: 38.8%
Margin: R+19.4%

2008 Results in SD-10
66.4% Turnout

President
John McCain: 52.1%
Barack Obama: 47.1%
Margin: R+5%

US Senate
John Cornyn: 52.1%
Rick Noriega: 46%
Margin: R+6.1%

Davis won election in 2008 by 2.4% over a Republican incumbent, and won re-election in 2012 by 2.3% over a former State Representative.

Below the jump, find out why Democrats should still be optimistic about Davis in 2014, and what the implications are for the Republicans.
Make no mistake, should Wendy Davis run for re-election to the State Senate -- which I think she will -- she will have a well-funded campaign that again sits at the top of the priority list for Democrats in 2014. In addition to being a statewide leader on education and healthcare issues, Davis is the crucial 12th Democratic state senator, providing us a one-vote cushion to block Republican legislation thanks to the two-thirds rule.

While those 2010 numbers are bracing, several factors should give Democrats hope:

Bill White was able to come very close to the 2008 Obama numbers, suggesting that voters can be persuaded here by strong, well-funded campaigns. And remember, Wendy Davis won in 2008 while Obama did not carry SD-10.
Turnout in midterms is usually lower, so that gives Team Davis more potential voters to target for GOTV and a lower number needed to get them to the polls to win. It also makes the impact of any overlaying Democratic or progressive efforts all the more powerful.
Congressman Marc Veasey's district overlaps with SD-10 and he will be running for re-election for the first time, so ideally he will be able to drive African-American turnout in the district.

Davis will have the funding and the support she needs to run a winning campaign. There's no way to prognosticate now and know if we'll see a Tea Party wave (or any other wave) in 2014 yet, but I'm confident she'll pull it out if she runs for re-election to her senate seat.

Senator Kirk Watson pulled a 2-year straw, and while I'm excited to vote for him again in 2014 this is another case of a statewide leader on budgetary transparency and good government who would be forced to choose between running statewide and winning re-election to his senate seat. Should he go for higher office, his seat would remain reliably Democratic.

Over on the Republican side, State Senator Dan Patrick probably has the worst set of options right now, drawing the two-year straw.

He has signaled some interest in running for Lieutenant Governor and got into a bit of an email spat with Senator John Carona over which man might hypothetically replace The Dew had he won his US Senate race (which he didn't). Meanwhile, Jerry Patterson is running for Lt. Gov (and has the bumper stickers to prove it!) even if that means challenging incumbent David Dewhurst. Other potential candidates include comptroller Susan Combs, fresh off under-estimating statewide revenue by $9 billion, who might also take a tilt at the #2 job in the state.

Should Dewhurst run for re-election -- and why not, what else would the Dew do? -- this is probably his weakest moment, coming off a defeat in the US Senate primary. I've got to assume Patrick is polling the field and assessing whether giving up his seat in the Senate is worth gambling on the Lieutenant Governorship in a crowded Republican field.

Dr. Donna Campbell, who I still can't quite bring myself to call "Senator Campbell," drew a 2-year term. While that shouldn't necessarily give Democrats much hope since SD-25 is still a deep red district, it but does present the possibility of a Republican primary challenge from the slightly less, ahem, reality-challenged faction of the Republican party. Dr. Donna shocked many in Texas when she defeated incumbent Jeff Wentworth in a run-off after a three-way primary including former Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones. Those of us who watched her relentless campaigning in 2010 against Congressman Lloyd Doggett -- in which Campbell rode a Tea Party wave to win all but one county in the district, that of Travis -- were perhaps less surprised, given the intensity of her supporters.

Campbell refused to meet with editorial boards during the general election and has largely avoided public scrutiny. Now it will be interesting to see how she tries to position herself knowing that she has to face the Republican primary electorate again in a little over a year.

So who runs for Governor in the Democratic side if Wendy Davis decides to seek re-election to the State Senate?

San Antonio Mayor and national rising star Julian Castro has already ruled it out.

Democrats still have some real work to do to win statewide, but we have tremendous potential and immediate gains that can be realized from smart investment in base mobilization. Our Latino, African-American, and Asian populations present tremendous opportunity for Democrats in Texas, and national attention is again focusing on the real viability of turning Texas blue in the next decade.

It's time for a candidate with the potential to galvanize this wave of minority Texas voters to step up to the plate, and the donor community needs to get behind this person as well. Our most successful candidates for higher office tend to come up from the legislature, so it's worth looking to see which of our Democratic state representatives have the energy and drive to campaign hard for two years in order to move the needle and help make Texas a true swing state, and eventually a blue state.

Dallas Municipals: Where's the Money?

jvansickle — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:26:24 GMT

Now that January 15 has come and gone, the campaign finance reports are in for Dallas City Council candidates. In this article we are going to be looking at some of the new faces that have announced their candidacy since our last blog post, plus review the reports filed with the Dallas City Secretary. We will also briefly touch upon the Redistricting Trial that would affect the 2013 City Council maps.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am working with Delia Jasso (District 1) and Bobby Abtahi (District 14) as Data Manager and Technology Consultant.

Article Update (1/21/13): The original problem with Councilors Tennell Atkins and Carolyn Davis reports have been fixed so they are now visible online. I have updated the table in this article to list their report totals. City Hall Blog from the Dallas Morning News also published an article today stating that Ori Raphael is continuing his campaign.

Find out who's running and how much they have in the bank below the jump.

New Faces Jumping into the Pool

Since our last post, several new faces have thrown their hats into the ring for the City Council elections. It appears that there will be several hotly contested and well-funded races. The last open seat election for District 13 was one of the most expensive in Dallas City Council history, and now at least two well-heeled candidates have decided to run for this seat. The newly created Hispanic-opportunity district could have its currently only candidate run uncontested if no one else jumps in.

Jesse Diaz (District 5, Open Seat): District 5 is a new Hispanic-opportunity district in Pleasant Grove, which is in the Southeastern part of Dallas below I-30. Jesse Diaz, a local realtor and political activist, has been discussing a possible run for this Council seat for over a year among Hispanic community activists. No other challengers have yet stepped forth so it is possible that Jesse could run uncontested. This won't be the first time that Jesse has run for political office. In 2010, Jesse ran for Dallas DISD District 4 but ultimately lost to Nancy Bingham.

Subrina Brenham (District 8, incumbent Tennell Atkins): Subrina announced just a week ago that she was going to be challenging incumbent Tennell Atkins. Subrina is a business owner who runs Subrina's Tax Service and Highland Hills Beauty Supply. According to the Dallas Morning News announcement, Subrina has also taken issue with some Korean owned businesses in the district for not selling fresh produce and opening a beauty supply store near her own store.

Lee Kleinman (District 11, Open Seat): Lee Kleinman is a board member of the Parks and Recreation Department since 2007 and was appointed by term-limited District 11 councilor, Linda Koop. Lee has a background in business. His partisan voting history shows 3 Republican Primaries and 1 Democratic Primary (2008), which is not unexpected given District 11's wide overlap of heavily Republican State House seats.

Ori Raphael (District 11, Open Seat): Ori filed a Treasurer's Appointment with the City Secretary. While his CTA leaves District blank, Ori is currently registered to vote in District 11. Ori is 29 years old and has a Republican Primary voting history. Hopefully, more info will come available as the Filing Period comes closer to opening. Update: Ori closed his campaign committee after raising over $10,000 in contributions. So Lee Kleinman is now presently unchallenged in his bid for District 11. Update 2 (1/21/13): While Ori filed a "Designation of Final Report" in his January 15 report, a blog article published today in the Dallas Morning News' City Hall Blog indicates that he is continuing his campaign.

Jennifer Staubach Gates (District 13, Open Seat): Jennifer Staubach Gates announced her candidacy for District 13 after current incumbent, Ann Margolin, chose not to seek re-election. Jennifer is a registered nurse and the daughter of Dallas Cowboys great Roger Staubach who was a big supporter of Mayor Mike Rawlings in 2011. Former District 13 candidate, Brint Ryan, has also thrown in his support for Jennifer, and her finance reports show that she has hired local Republican consultants Allyn Media who worked on Brint Ryan's 2009 campaign. In 2011, Allyn Media also worked for mayoral candidate Mike Rawlings.

Leland Burk (District 13, Open Seat): Leland Burk is a local businessman who has also announced his intention to run for District 13. Leland has received the endorsements of both Ann Margolin and her predecessor Mitch Rasansky. District 13 covers some of the most expensive areas of Dallas County so this is likely to shape up to be an expensive race for all parties involved. Leland's finance reports show that he has retained CP Henry of Graphics Management, a local Republican consulting firm, who worked on Ann Margolin's 2009 campaign. In 2011, CP Henry worked for mayoral candidate David Kunkle.

Richard P. Sheridan (District 13, Open Seat): Richard P. Sheridan filed a CTA with the City Secretary to run in the 2013 elections, which will be the fourth time he has run for office. Richard originally ran in 2005 for City Council, again in 2007 for Mayor, and most recently in 2011 against Ann Margolin. Richard has previously been in the news, such as when he was kicked out of a Dallas County Commissioner's Court meeting, protested outside the Commissioner's Court against John Wiley Price, and called for the ending of the FED and IRS. Richard has also written statements supporting the 9/11 Truth Movement.

Dallas Redistricting Lawsuit Dropped

In late December, the lawsuit filed regarding the 2013 Dallas City Council maps was dropped by its plaintiffs. This will prevent a potential redistricting court battle from causing a repeat of the 2012 Primary fiasco on a local Municipal level. Unfortunately, this keeps current lines as they are which means that incumbent City Councilors Delia Jasso (District 1) and Scott Griggs (District 3) now have to fight over who represents the new District 1.

The new map leaves the Dallas Hispanic community with 4 Hispanic-opportunity districts: District 1 (Delia Jasso), District 2 (Pauline Medrano), District 5 (No Incumbent), District 6 (Monica Alonzo). District 10 could be considered a potential coalition seat, but most of the minority population outside of Hamilton Park/Stults Road area are non-voting apartment residents.

January 15 Finance Reports

As mentioned earlier, the semiannual campaign finance report filing deadline of January 15 has come and gone. The City Secretary has posted the latest campaign filings on their website. I have ???? for both Dwaine Caraway and Carolyn Davis' Cash On Hand because their last 2 reports showed $0.00 even when contributions exceeded expenditures.

The below table shows the reported totals for contributions, loans, and expenditures from July 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. The Cash On Hand value is the balance left over as of December 31, 2012.

--Dist--	--Candidate--	--Contributions--	--New Loans--	--Expenditures--	--Cash On Hand--
1	Delia Jasso	$20,080.00	$0.00	$2,496.49	$26,193.20
1	Scott Griggs	$0.00	$0.00	$1,009.84	$11,608.72
x
2	Ricky D. Gonzales	$0.00	$0.00	$56.68	$0.00
2	Herschel Weisfeld	$9,235.00	$0.00	$3,246.63	$5,988.37
x
3	Vonciel Hill Jones	$13,790.00	$0.00	$3,924.08	$36,080.09
x
4	Dwaine Caraway	$1,500.00	$0.00	$2,500.00	????
x
5	Jesse Diaz	Announced January 4 so no 2012 campaign report
x
6	Monica Alonzo	$12,125.00	$0.00	$9,303.36	$6,984.54
x
7	Carolyn Davis	$3,370.00	$0.00	$837.11	????
x
8	Tennell Atkins	$10,850.00	$0.00	$12,425.00	$1,763.00
8	Subrina Brenham	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
x
9	Sheffie Kadane	$16,925.00	$0.00	$5,532.58	$19,976.66
x
10	Jerry Allen	$0.00	$0.00	$4,781.73	$4,442.21
10	Matthew T. Shuman	Did not file January 15 report
x
11	Lee Kleinman	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
11	Ori Raphael	$10,250.00	$0.00	$0.00	$10,250.00
x
12	Sandy Greyson	$0.00	$0.00	$75.00	$5,946.65
x
13	Jennifer Staubach Gates	$23,850.00	$30,000.00	$21,000.00	$31,350.00
13	Richard P. Sheridan	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
13	Leland Burk	$19474.55	$0.00	$19,451.63	$13,832.80
x
14	Bobby Abtahi	$60,225.00	$0.00	$419.99	$59,808.01
14	Philip Kingston	$26,306.73	$0.00	$3273.56	$23,033.17
14	Jim Rogers	$20,369.81	$0.00	$2001.83	$17,352.32
14	Jill Liimatainen	$0.00	$2,000.00	$645.61	$1,354.39

Most Important Election You Have Not Heard About

jvansickle — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:50:24 GMT

Now that the dust has begun to settle from the 2012 General Election, political activists can look towards three big races that are on the horizon: 2013 Municipal Elections, 2014 Democratic Primary, and who will replace County Chair Darlene Ewing. Huh?

Darlene Ewing has served as County Chair for the Dallas County Democratic Party since her election in 2005 after what many observers consider the disastrous tenure of Susan Hays. During Darlene's tenure, the DCDP has gone from a county party mired in financial problems to one that controls all 60 countywide offices plus a super-majority (4 out of 5 seats) on the Dallas County Commissioner's Court. In early 2012, Darlene announced at a County Executive Committee meeting that this would be her final term.

Many party insiders have suspected that Darlene would resign her position sometime in early 2013. This would lead to Precinct Chairs electing a new County Chair who would then serve through the upcoming 2014 Democratic Primary and possibly beyond. The goal would be to give the newly elected chair time to settle into the position and get their staff onboard before either the Primary or General Elections begin. This is the same path that Dallas Republicans chose in 2011 when former County Judge candidate Wade Emmert took over as County Chair.

Dallas is the second largest Democratic county in Texas with 52 local countywide offices (47 of them judges) up for re-election in 2014. All held by Democrats. The chief concern among party insiders is that a potentially contentious County Chair primary battle and subsequent turnover of county party staff in May 2014 could negatively affect the DCDP's ability to run an effective Coordinated Campaign in the 2014 General Election. These were similar concerns voiced in 2010 and 2012 when Sean Hubbard and Lymon King were respectively considering a run for County Chair.

What does the County Chair do in Dallas?

For those unfamiliar with local county party politics, the County Chair acts as the head of the local Democratic Party. In Dallas, there are several important functions that the County Chair performs that can have wide-ranging consequences for the DCDP. These functions include:

1) Hire or fire the Executive Director who oversees day-to-day functioning of the local county party
2) Hire or fire the Campaign Manager who oversees the Coordinated Campaign during partisan election cycles
3) Run the County Executive Committee meetings that meet once every quarter
4) Run the local Democratic Primary election for Dallas County
5) Be the face of the DCDP to local media and county functions

So how will this County Chair transition work?

The first order of business is when Darlene will announce that she is stepping down. It is likely that this County Chair election will follow the same path when Ken Molberg (now Judge of 95th Civil District Court) and Lisa Payne respectively resigned as County Chair in the 1990s. In each case, the County Chair issued a statement that they were resigning their position effective upon the election of their successor. A date would then be set, likely within 45 to 60 days from the announcement, for Precinct Chairs to meet and elect a new County Chair. Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News mentioned in his article "Dallas County Democrats closing gap in early voting, a sign of another sweep" that Darlene may resign in March 2013.

If Gromer is correct, it is likely that would put the election in either May or June to give candidates time to campaign among Precinct Chairs, Democratic clubs, and organizations. Once the new County Chair is elected, they will then hire an Executive Director, which is currently an open position after Steve Tillery resigned in September 2012. The DCDP also employs a Bookkeeper and Office Manager who work at the pleasure of the County Chair. The County Chair and their staff will then have roughly 6 months to settle in before filing begins for the 2014 Democratic Primary.

The County Chair who wins must then also run in the 2014 Democratic Primary, ironically, also while running the Primary itself. If there is a contested Primary and the newly elected County Chair loses, then the DCDP gets to have the transition of office staff all over again, but this time taking place in the middle of the 2014 General Election while also trying to heal possible wounds opened from a contentious primary fight.

What about past County Chair elections?

The last transition of a Democratic County Chair in Dallas was a less than stellar experience. In 2005, local Precinct Chairs openly revolted against then County Chair Susan Hays (see CIVIL WAR AMONG DALLAS DEMOCRATS?). Susan had angered many local Precinct Chairs and other activists by endorsing a Republican candidate using DCDP letterhead and not holding a County Executive Committee meeting for a year. It was also later discovered that the DCDP under Susan's stewardship was not only broke, but also owed roughly $25,000 in unpaid federal payroll taxes and related fines.

An argument can be made that changing demographics and anger at Republicans on a national stage helped local Democrats win in 2006. However, the fact that Dallas Democrats have expanded that initial success, even in disastrous years like 2010, shows why having a strong and competent County Chair is important to future successes in Dallas County. The election also has wider implications for Democrats across Texas. Statewide candidates need the strong turnout of Democrats in Dallas to have a chance at winning. If Dallas is disorganized and uncoordinated in its GOTV efforts, then up-ballot candidates for statewide office will feel the pinch just as badly down-ballot candidates do.

So what comes next?

In my next article on this subject, I look forward to talking about potential County Chair candidates as well as more news as this election develops.

James Van Sickle
james@darwood.us
Darwood Technology
Darwood Facebook Page

St. David's Puts Corporate Profits Over Community Health In Opposing Prop 1

Katherine Haenschen — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:00:00 GMT

A private, for-profit healthcare system is putting their own bottom line over the health of our community right here in Travis County.

St. David's Healthcare, a private, for-profit hospital system, is now campaigning against Central Health Proposition 1 because its passage would hurt their corporate bottom line. The Austin American-Statesman reported today that St. David's has come out against the local ballot proposition to raise funds to support bringing a medical school to Austin. Sadly, their motivation is all about putting their corporate profits above our community health.

The Seton family of hospitals, which are the one of the major providers in the Travis County healthcare district, are non-profit healthcare providers, and thus are more concerned with healthy patient outcomes than corporate bottom lines.

St. David's has been involved in discussions about Prop 1 and efforts to bring a medical school to Austin since the very beginning of the process. But now that they're not going to make enough money if it passes, they've decided to come out against it during the first week of early voting. It's a cruddy move that could very well result in preventing Travis County residents from accessing the healthcare that they desperately need.

St. David's is controlled by HCA, a gigantic corporation that controls 163 hospitals across the country and is owned by -- wait for it -- Bain Capital, the private equity firm started by Mitt Romney.

St. David's parent corporation is raking in record profits as healthcare costs spiral out of control. HCA-controlled hospitals like St. David's have increased their profits by finding ways to squeeze more money out of private insurance corporations.

So let's get this straight. A private, for-profit hospital system (St. David's) owned by a private equity firm (Bain Capital) that was founded by Mitt Romney is campaigning against a ballot measure (Central Health Prop 1) that will expand non-profit healthcare and provide increased access to healthcare for all Travis County residents, especially the neediest.

Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the country. It's a disgrace. Even Travis County has 200,000 uninsured residents, many of whom are working families. Central Health will expand access to healthcare for the uninsured, and support a broad network of providers to address a wide range of healthcare needs.

But since its passage will mean that St. David's won't be able to profit as much off providing healthcare to the poor, they're opposing Prop 1.

This doesn't quite pass the smell test. St. David's can't get a big enough piece of the financial pie to make it worth their corporate backers' time, so they want to make sure no one else can provide expanded healthcare options either.

Prop 1 shouldn't be about whether a big corporation can make enough money off of sick Travis County residents, but thanks to St. David's craven political move, the election may well now hinge on their last-ditch effort to put their own profits above our community health.

Don't be fooled. Vote FOR Central Health Proposition 1 and help bring much-needed healthcare access to Travis County.

Burnt Orange Report Endorses Gina Hinojosa for AISD At-Large Seat

Burnt Orange Report — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:00:00 GMT

Gina Hinojosa, a longtime progressive community activist, is the best choice to replace Annette LoVoi on the AISD board in a critical at-large seat. Hinojosa has the preferable perspective on public education and a willingness to engage the community in supporting our public schools.

Hinojosa, a civil rights and employment lawyer, became actively involved in the Save Our Schools movement when her family's neighborhood school was slated for closure. A 20-year resident of Austin and graduate of UT's Plan II Honors program, Hinojosa has a broad background in volunteer community service and a history of working well and listening to others.

We have serious qualms about Hinojosa's opponent, Mary Ellen Pietruszynski, who works as executive director of the Sooch Foundation, an educational foundation that supports charter schools. Her campaign is being bankrolled by her employer, Nav Sooch, and his business partner at Silicon Labs. Given the volume of money they have invested in this race, there are concerns that the tech duo are trying to buy a seat on the AISD.

The two candidates also differ in their perspective on working with embattled AISD superintendent Meria Carstarphen, who has rankled many community members by insufficiently considering public input -- particularly from East Austin -- in district decision-making. Pietruszynski seems content to simply let Carstarphen do as she pleases with our public schools, and wrote a Statesman Op-Ed to that effect. Pietruszynski also wrote an op-ed supporting the IDEA charter school in East Austin, which took over a neighborhood public school and turned it into a charter against the wishes of the students' parents, who opted out in such numbers as to curtail the program.

Hinojosa is an extremely capable, impressive woman who will listen to parents, and bring a valuable citizen activist voice to the school board. She is the best choice to both hold the AISD superintendent accountable and engage the public in the continued effort to improve our public schools. We unanimously and enthusiastically urge AISD voters to support Gina Hinojosa for the At-Large seat.

Early Voting: Monday October 22 - Friday November 2 --- Election Day: Tuesday, November 6

Click here for a map of Travis County Early Voting Locations. For all other counties, please contact your County Clerk's office.

Endorsements are made based on a weighted consensus of the staff, which guides the type and tone of endorsement. Members of the Burnt Orange Report staff employed by campaigns abstain from voting on those races.

Vote FOR Travis County Central Health Proposition 1

Burnt Orange Report — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:30:00 GMT

Central Health Proposition 1 will provide greater access to healthcare for all Travis County residents. Burnt Orange Report unanimously endorses a vote FOR Proposition 1.

This is one of the most important measures on our Travis County ballot this year, and we strongly encourage voters to learn about the many excellent community benefits Prop 1 will provide, starting with world-class medical care. Austinites who currently must travel out-of-town to seek cutting-edge care will instead be able to receive care here. It will create 15,000 permanent jobs and generate $2 billion in economic activity each year.

Prop 1 will expand access to care, especially for the 200,000 uninsured Travis County residents. 60% of those folks work and don't have or can't afford employer-provided insurance. Prop 1 will save taxpayer money by helping people without insurance avoid the emergency room. Preventative healthcare is more cost-efficient and less expensive than a visit to the ER.

Importantly, Prop 1 does not pay for construction of a physical medical school -- instead, it funds access to healthcare by funding and expanding healthcare programs. The University of Texas has contributed $25 million in perpetuity and $5 million per year for the first eight years to fund maintenance and operation of a medical school. Additionally, the Seton family of hospitals has pledged $250 million towards construction of a teaching hospital. All of that funding for the medical school disappears if Prop 1 does not pass.

Proposition 1 will fill critical gaps in our healthcare delivery system, improve healthcare and access to healthcare for Travis County residents, and result in a healthier community. We unanimously and enthusiastically endorse a vote FOR Central Health Proposition 1!

Early Voting: Monday October 22 - Friday November 2 --- Election Day: Tuesday, November 6

Click here for a map of Travis County Early Voting Locations. For all other counties, please contact your County Clerk's office.

Burnt Orange Report Endorses Diane Trautman for Harris County Department of Education

Burnt Orange Report — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Diane Trautman is a committed educator who has worked in education for over 25 years as a teacher and administrator. She is the best choice to tackle the challenges faced by the Harris County Department of Education.

Trautman is clearly the better choice for Harris County schoolchildren and would be a welcome improvement over conservative ideologue Michael Wolfe, the incumbent. Voters would be wise to turn out Wolfe, who has stated that he would abolish the very Department of Education on which he serves! The HCDE board previously tried to remove Wolfe from office because he simply does not respect the governing body or its procedures. Wolfe pledged to adhere to ethical practices and begged for a second chance, but since then has continued to miss meetings.

Wolfe is a severely partisan Republican who has earned endorsements from some of the most extreme conservatives who threaten to derail our public education system. Wolfe has been endorsed by two of the greatest anti-science advocates in Texas, SBOE member Barbara Cargill and Dr. Steve Hotze. Cargill wanted to put the age of the universe up for a vote, while Hotze believes disease is caused by "sin"... perhaps as opposed to viruses or bacteria? With friends like these, it's impossible to imagine that Wolfe will support scientifically accurate, reason-based education for our Harris County students.

The city that is home to NASA should not re-elect Board of Education members who fundamentally do not believe in science!

Trautman has been endorsed by the Houston Federation of Teachers, owing to her experience in many of the area's public schools. She is the former principal of Tomball Junior High School, and assistant principal while at Moorhead Junior High School in Conroe ISD. She also taught education administration at Stephen F. Austin State University. Her hands on experience will be a valuable asset to the board.

Burnt Orange Report urges Harris County voters to reject Michael Wolfe's ideological extremism and vote in a real educator to the Harris County Department of Education. We unanimously and enthusiastically endorse Diane Trautman for HCDE At-Large Place 3.

Early Voting: Monday October 22 - Friday November 2 --- Election Day: Tuesday, November 6

Click here for Harris County Early Voting information.

Vote FOR San Antonio's Pre-K 4 SA Initiative

Burnt Orange Report — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Burnt Orange Report urges San Antonio voters to support the Pre-K 4 SA measure, to close educational achievement gaps and improve education for all in San Antonio.

As the Legislature slashes and burns public education to the ground, the task of educating the next generation of Texans -- all of them -- increasingly falls to local governments. We applaud Mayor Julian Castro for his commitment to picking up the slack and supporting critical Pre-K programs that prepare our children to excel in school.

The proposal will create access to early childhood education in San Antonio, and help thousands of local children who lack access to full-day Pre-K programs. The measure will also support professional development for teachers across the district, thus raising the quality of education across the city. The Pre-K 4 SA program will close achievement gaps between some of the most disadvantaged children in San Antonio, and result in greater educational attainment across the community.

The measure has broad support from across the community, and represents only a modest sales tax increase. San Antonio's public schools are some of the worst ranked among major urban areas. The Legislature clearly will not fund access to competitive, 21st century public education for all Texans. This is a critical investment in the future of San Antonio and future of Texas, and merits support from San Antonio voters.

We enthusiastically endorse the Pre-K 4 SA program and urge San Antonio voters to vote for it.

Early Voting: Monday October 22 - Friday November 2 --- Election Day: Tuesday, November 6

Click here for the Bexar County Elections Division website.

Vote FOR Lakeway Proposition 1

Burnt Orange Report — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Burnt Orange Report encourages voters to cast a vote FOR Lakeway Prop 1, a general obligation bond package. These bonds will fund needed transportation infrastructure repairs.

The bonds will provide $4.3 million for sidewalks, streets, curbs, gutters, and drainage improvements. This is a worthwhile investment in the community. We encourage voters to support these bonds and vote FOR Lakeway Prop 1.

Early Voting: Monday October 22 - Friday November 2 --- Election Day: Tuesday, November 6

Click here for a map of Travis County Early Voting Locations. For all other counties, please contact your County Clerk's office.