Tx Capitol Report | A view from the Texas state capitol

Getting ready for the Pachanga

Houston Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Bill White will be in El Paso on New Year's Day to attend State Rep. Chente Quintanilla's 7th Annual Pachanga.

More than 1,000 people are expected at the event at 2 p.m. Friday at the Mission Valley Ballroom, 10600 North Loop.

"El Paso obviously is a priority for him and this is a great opportunity to meet people,"  said
White spokeswoman Katy Bacon.

Quintanilla endorsed White for governor earlier this month.

 “Bill White has been a good friend of El Paso for the better part of two decades.  There is
only one candidate now for governor who has proven that his candidacy is best for El Paso:
Bill White,” Quintanilla said in a statement.  “El Paso Democrats are proud to welcome him to this
pachanga.”

White will be joined by Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, and his wife Maria Gallegos. He will fly out later that day to attend a rosary for Emma Barrientos -- a champion for the arts in Austin and the wife of former Travis County State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos -- who died this week.

Quintanilla said White's attendance at the pachanga says a lot about his interest in El Paso.

“There hasn’t been a gubernatorial candidate who has visited the Mission Valley area in
years.  The residents of East El Paso County appreciate Mayor White’s extension of his
campaign to their neighborhood,” said Quintanilla.

Nonprofit gets money to support clean-up

State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, announced today that the Lee Trevino Improvement Association received a $5,000 donation to purchase equipment and supplies that will help the nonprofit remove graffiti, clear weeds and trash and provide landscaping for medians.

Pickett said the donation from the charity foundation side of Union Pacific Railroad is a big help for the nonprofit that he founded more than 18 years ago.

He said the organization focuses its efforts on the East and Northeast sides of town but will take on projects throughout the city.

"The grant came at a good time," Pickett said in a statement. "For years the problem was at a level that required hundreds of hours of volunteer time. Until the City of El Paso and the County Adult Probation Department created programs, the clean up was performed by volunteers through out the city. Too many people believe that the problem has subsided to the point that donations of funds and resources are no longer necessary, but that is just not the case. It is still an on going problem that has great programs in place to steam the tide, but still a problem none the less." 

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas El Paso from the Texas Capitol.

I hope everyone will have a great holiday season.

Memorial service for Riverside High teacher

A memorial service has been set for Gustav Erick Djerf, the Riverside High School art teacher whose remains were identified last week by authorities.

Djerf, 47, will be remembered at a service at 10 a.m. Jan. 9 at Zion Lutheran Church, 2800 Pershing. 

"I thank all of you for your friendship with Erick," Djerf's mom, Peggy Djerf, said in an email. "He was a wonderful person and all of us will miss him greatly."

The longtime educator disappeared in August from a campsite near the Rio Grande between Fort Hancock and Sierra Blanca.

Last month, a skull was found by a rancher in the area where Djerf was camping. Testing of the skull determined it belonged to Djerf.

 
 

Attorney General has not made ruling yet

Yesterday this blog said the Attorney General's office issued a favorable decision in support of County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal.

The office actually released a copy of paperwork submitted by Bernal but has not rendered an opinion. That opinion will not come for another 180 days.

The county attorney's office and Ethics Commission Chairman Stuart Leeds disagree over the issue.

Leeds said Wednesday he continues to look forward to the opinion of the Attorney General, which he hopes will accept his arguments that the county attorney's office should not advise the commission because the office itself is subject to the ethics code and may have several conflicts of interest while representing other county officials and employees.

"Multiple representation carries with it multiple ethical issues with the state bar," said Leeds, who explained that he is speaking for himself and not the board . "Attorneys are under the gun all the time not to accept multiple representation. This is why I am hoping the attorney general does the right thing."

A quote that was attributed to the Attorney General's office was actually a statement made by Bernal in her request for the opinion.

"Finding the existence of such a comprehensive conflict would achieve an absurd result," Bernal said in her request. "The Ethics Commission members themselves are subject to the provisions of the Code of Ethics and the jurisdiction of the Commission and the same blanket conflict would apply to them - they could never hear and rule on any Ethics Code complaints."

Attorney General sides with county attorney

The Attorney General's office on Tuesday said County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal can serve as legal counsel for a newly formed Ethics Commission.

Responding to a request for an opinion from Bernal, the Attorney General's office said the county attorney has the "duty to provide advice and representation in all legal matters to the Commission." 

It also said the commission cannot seek outside legal counsel without the consent of the county attorney.

The county attorney's office and Ethics Commission Chairman Stuart Leeds have been at odds over the issue.

In November, Leeds wrote an op-ed piece in the El Paso Times saying that the county attorney's office should not advise the commission because the office itself was subject to the ethics code and may have several conflicts of interest while representing other county officials and employees.

But the Attorney General's opinion said there is no blanket conflict of interest that would prohibit the county attorney from giving legal advice.

It said the county attorney can serve as the Commission's legal counsel despite the fact that she is subject to the commission's jurisdiction and represents other county entities and officials that fall under that jurisdiction.

"Finding the existence of such a comprehensive conflict would achieve an absurd result," the opinion said. "The Ethics Commission members themselves are subject to the provisions of the Code of Ethics and the jurisdiction of the Commission and the same blanket conflict would apply to them - they could never hear and rule on any Ethics Code complaints."

   

Candidate for governor to visit El Paso

Houston mayor and gubernatorial candidate Bill White will make a stop in El Paso Sunday to accept endorsements from several area politicians.

His staff said they are still trying to work out details for the trip. It is tentatively scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Wyndham El Paso Airport Hotel.

Staffers would not specifically say which El Paso politicians would be endorsing White on Sunday. They said that announcement would come later this week.

White entered the Democratic race for governor last week as one of the party's lead candidates. Humorist Kinky Friedman, hair care mogul Farouk Shami and teacher Felix Alvarado of Fort Worth are also contenders for the Democratic nomination.

Friedman has hinted that he may drop out out of the race. Some have speculated that he may instead run for land commissioner.

If Friedman steps down, White and Shami would be the only two candidates with the ability to raise millions of dollars for their campaign bids.

White has already raised more than $4 million for the race.

Shami has pledged to invest up to $10 million of his own fortune on his bid for governor.

It's official. Bill White is running for governor

Houston mayor Bill White announced today that he wants to be the next governor of Texas.

Nearly two weeks ago, White said he was considering the possibility of running for governor on the Democratic ticket.

Another Democratic candidate for governor also made his own announcement today.

Hank Gilbert issued a statement saying that he was dropping out of the governor's race to run for Agriculture Commissioner. He endorsed Farouk Shami for governor.

Read more in Saturday's El Paso Times print edition.

First day to file for office draws Perry and others

Gov. Rick Perry today officially filed for re-election.
He is one of hundreds of candidates throughout the state who are taking advantage of the first day of the filing period for the March 2 primary.
The last day to file for the party primaries is Jan. 4.
His opponent U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced that she would file on Monday.
State Rep. Chente Quintanilla and State Rep. Marisa Marquez filed earlier today.
At noon, former County attorney Jose Rodriguez plans to file for the senate and State Rep. Norma Chavez expects to file for reelection to represent District 76.
State Rep. Joe Pickett is out of town and will file on Monday.

Luis Rene Diaz, a candidate for District 78, also announced that he would file later today.

Check back for more updates.

Money brings House speaker to El Paso

Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, will be in El Paso today raising money for his re-election campaign.

Straus will take a short tour of Texas Tech's Paul L. Foster School of Medicine before heading to a fundraising lunch at Cafe Central.

Businessmen sponsoring the fundraiser include Foster, Woody Hunt, Robert Brown and Marty Peisen.

Straus' office said that he is looking forward to touring the medical school and hearing about issues that are unique to El Paso and the border but made it clear that this is a campaign stop.

"A lot of times we visit with representatives from the area to see if there is anything they want to show us or if there are projects they are working on," said Gordon Johnson, senior counsel to the speaker.

Johnson said he was not sure if Foster or one of El Paso's representatives in the House suggested the visit to the medical school.

Straus will leave El Paso after the fundraiser.