Border Blogs: Expressing our Border Culture

Texas' redistricting battles made an appearance on a popular late night comedy show last night.

Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs and Daily Show host Jon Stewart traded jabs over the fairness in redrawing boundaries for political races in Texas during the latest round of redistricting. The exchange starts about a minute into the interview.

Check out the interview below:

 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Monday launched another public rebuke of President Barack Obama’s administration, filing a suit in court seeking quick implementation of the state's new voter identification law.

The law, which requires voters to show photo identification before casting ballots in elections, is on hold as the U.S. Department of Justice determines its compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act seeks to prevent the disenfranchisement of minority voters in states with a history of discrimination.

Abbott is now trying to fast-track the law, which was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, by asking a federal panel of judges to give it the go ahead. He suggests in court documents that the Department of Justice is stalling and could ultimately reject the state’s voter identification legislation as it did in South Carolina.

In South Carolina’s case, the Department of Justice said the law discriminated against minorities who had higher numbers of voters without photo identification than their white counterparts.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that voter identification laws are constitutional,” Abbott said in a statement, referring to states that are not subject to the Voting Rights Act. “Texas should be allowed the same authority other states have to protect the integrity of elections.”

Democrats and Republicans in the state have long battled over the passage of laws that require photo identification at the polls. The measure— requiring voters to show a driver's license, state-issued personal ID card, military ID, U.S. passport, citizenship certificate, or concealed handgun license—sailed through the Texas legislature last year after Republican lawmakers established large majorities in the House and Senate.

Voters, who are considered disabled by the Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs, are exempt from providing photo identification.

The law provides free state-issued “election identification certificates” to Texans who say they need one to vote. It also allows voters to cast a provisional ballot without photo identification but they would have to return in six days with proof. Otherwise, their ballots would not be counted.

Supporters of the law say it curbs fraud in elections and simply requires voters to show a photo at the polls just as they would when writing a check.

Opponents say proof of widespread voter fraud does not exist. They argue that the measure suppresses the votes of poor and minority voters who do not have photo identification.

The Department of Justice, which received Texas’ request that it clear the voter ID law in July, has twice sought a breakdown of minority voters with and without state-issued photo identification.

State Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso, called the voter ID law and the latest legal action by the attorney general a “waste of taxpayer money” and an example of “bigger government.”

Gonzalez, state Sen. Jose Rodriguez and state Reps. Marisa Marquez and Inocente “Chente” Quintanilla—all Democrats--voted against the law. State Reps. Dee Margo, R-El Paso, and Joe Pickett, a democrat, supported the measure.

“Part of the reason the DOJ is requesting information and has not implemented our specific law is there is a gross lack of detail on how exactly Texas is going to implement this voter ID law,” Gonzalez said.

A Democratic leader in the Texas House is calling on Gov. Rick Perry to reimburse state taxpayers for the retirement disbursements and the millions spent on his security detail while he traveled out of the state for his presidential bid.

State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, who heads the Texas House Democratic caucus, sent a letter to Perry asking that he return the $2.6 million the state paid for DPS troopers to accompany him during his presidential run and the $92,000 he collected in retirement money. She said in the letter "we could put that money back into classrooms, health services, or disaster relief services. I am open to your suggestions."

But that is unlikely, according to Perry spokeswoman Lucy Nashed, who issued a terse retort. Nashed said "not a dime of the governor’s political travel was borne by Texas taxpayers."

"Gov. Perry is governor no matter where he goes and the Department of Public Safety has a policy of providing security for governors and their families everywhere they travel, as they have back several administrations," Nashed said. "These policies are determined by DPS and not the governor’s office. It’s unfortunate that we live in a day and age where security is an issue. We respect and appreciate the officers who provide security for the Governor and First Lady and other state officials, just as they’ve done for decades."

Perry's retirement allows him to collect his pension while still serving as governor. Nashed said that "is consistent with Texas state law and Employees Retirement System rules." 

"We’re encouraged to see Rep. Farrar wanting to join the ranks of fiscal conservatives in Texas, and look forward to her joining our efforts to persuade Congress and President Obama to repeal the fiscally irresponsible mandates of Obamacare, noting the importance that our nation live within its means," Nashed said.

Below is the letter issued today by state Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston:

Dear Governor Perry:

I want to be the first person to welcome you back to Texas. We have a lot of work to do for our great state, and I know you are ready to get started.

I have a few ideas as to where we should begin our work, but first I want to make a confession to you, and it's a big one. Okay, here it goes: I… am a fiscal conservative. Yes, I admit it.

As a fiscal conservative, I believe government is supposed to be a wise steward of tax dollars. I believe that if the government must spend money, it should be for essential public services, like education, infrastructure, health services for the young and elderly, and disaster relief. I believe that unnecessary government spending is not just morally wrong, it is criminal. Tax dollars do not belong to the government or elected officials; tax dollars belong to taxpayers.

One way to protect taxpayers' money is by not spending it unnecessarily. But, if someone discovers tax dollars have been spent unnecessarily, it should be reimbursed either to general revenue or directly to taxpayers. With this in mind, I suggest you reimburse Texas taxpayers for the money you spent on travel expenses leading up to your withdraw from the GOP primary race. As of mid-January, you spent approximately $2.6 million of taxpayer money.

Additionally, because I know you take pride in being a fellow fiscal conservative, please also return the $92,376 in "retirement" pension you received last year, despite the fact that you have not retired.

 Please submit to the Texas Comptroller's Office a check in the amount of $2,692,376, plus any other expenses related to your out-of-state campaign activity that you charged to Texas taxpayers.

Given that $2,692,376 million amounts to about ten cents for each Texan, direct reimbursement from the Comptroller to taxpayers does not seem like a wise expenditure of taxpayers' money -- stamps are expensive these days. Instead, we could put that money back into classrooms, health services, or disaster relief services. I am open to your suggestions.

As a fellow fiscal conservative, I look forward to working with you during your final term as Texas governor to identify ways to eliminate unnecessary government spending. We have a lot of work to do, so let's get started before you leave.

Very sincerely,

Jessica Farrar

State Representative, District 148

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign released the text of his speech dropping out of the race for president. Here is a copy: Text of Gov. Rick Perry's Remarks 1/19/12, North Charleston, S.C.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - Below is the text of Gov. Perry's speech today. 
*NOTE: Gov. Perry sometimes deviates from prepared remarks.
Thank you. As I have stated numerous times on the campaign trail, this campaign has never been about the candidates. I ran for President because I love America, our people and our freedom.   But the mission is greater than the man.   As I have traveled across this great country: from New Hampshire to California, from Iowa to Florida, and to numerous states in between, I have discovered a tremendous purpose and resiliency in our people.  They have never lost hope despite current circumstances.  They haven't stopped believing in the promise of America or the American Dream.  Americans are down, but we can never be counted out. We are too great a people.  What is broken in America is not our people, but our politics.  And what we need is a Washington that is humbler, with a federal government that is smaller so our people can live freer. I entered this campaign offering a unique perspective: a governor who has led a large state leading the nation in job creation, an executive leader who has implemented conservative policies, a son of tenant farmers born with little more than a good name, but who has experienced the great possibilities of freedom.  But I have never believed that the cause of conservatism is embodied by any one individual. Our party, and the conservative philosophy, transcends any one individual.  It is a movement of ideas that are greater than any one of us, and that will live beyond our years. As a former Air Force pilot, I know we can't lose track of the ultimate objective in carrying out our mission, and that objective is not only to defeat President Obama, but to replace him with a conservative leader who will bring about real change. Our country is hurting with more than 13 million unemployed, nearly 50 million on food stamps and a debt of more than $15 trillion and growing. We need bold, conservative leadership that will take on the entrenched interests and give the American People their country back. I have always believed the mission is greater than the man.  As I have contemplated the future of this campaign, I have come to the conclusion that there is no viable path to victory for my candidacy in 2012. Therefore, today I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich for president. I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country.  We have had our differences, which campaigns inevitably bring out. And Newt is not perfect, but who among us is? The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God and I believe in the power of redemption, for it is a central tenet of my own Christian faith.  And I have no question Newt Gingrich has the heart of a conservative reformer, the ability to rally and captivate the conservative movement and the courage to tell the Washington interests to take a hike if it's what is best for the country. As a Texan, I have never shied away from a good fight, especially when the cause was right.  But as someone who has always admired a great Texas forefather -- Sam Houston -- I know when it is time for a "strategic retreat." So I will leave the trail, return home to Texas and wind down my 2012 campaign organization.  And I will do so with pride knowing I gave myself fully to a cause worthy of our country.  And as I head home, I do so with the love of my life by my side, a woman who makes every day a good one when she is by my side, my wife Anita.  Thank you Anita for all you have done. I also want to thank my son Griffin, my daughter Sydney, and my daughter-in-law Meredith for standing with us in this great effort. With a good wife, three wonderful children, and a loving God in my life, things will be good no matter what the future holds. I'm proud of the policies we put forward to the American people and believe they provide the right path forward for our party and our nation: overhauling Washington and returning power to state and local governments and to the people, creating energy jobs and energy security, cutting spending and eliminating unnecessary federal agencies and cutting taxes to a flat, fair 20 percent.    And I will continue to fight for these conservative reforms because the future of our country is at stake and the road we are traveling today - President Obama's road - endangers our future. I want to thank some wonderful individuals who have stood by my side in this state: Katon Dawson, Ambassador Wilkins, and a strong and good man serving you in Congress, Mick Mulvaney. I want to thank all my supporters from across the country, in particular Governor Bobby Jindal, Steve Forbes and Governor Sam Brownback, as well as Senator Jim Inhofe, Congresswoman Candice Miller and Congressman Sam Graves. And I want to say a special thanks to three distinguished veterans who have joined me on the campaign trail: Medal of Honor awardee and Navy SEAL Mike Thornton, Navy Cross recipient Marcus Luttrell and Purple Heart recipient, Marine Captain Dan Moran. I began this race with a sense of calling.  I felt led into this arena to fight for the future of this country.  I feel no different today than I did then, knowing a calling never guarantees a particular destination, but a journey that tests one's faith and character. So now the journey leads us back to Texas, neither discouraged nor disenchanted, but instead rewarded for the experience and resolute to remain in the arena and in the service of a great nation.  Our country needs bold leadership and a real transformation.  We must rise to the occasion and elect a conservative champion to put our nation back on the right track.   And this I know, I am not done fighting for the cause of conservatism. In fact I have only begun to fight.  Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

South Carolina will no longer be Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s last hurrah.

Perry ended his bid for president at a news conference this morning in South Carolina and endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. GOP candidates will participate in a debate tonight ahead of South Carolina's primary election on Saturday.

"I have come to the conclusion that there is no viable path forward for me in this 2012 campaign," Perry said. "Therefore, today, I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich for president of the United States."

"I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country," Perry said. "We've had our differences, which campaigns will inevitably have and Newt's not perfect but who among us is."

The news has El Paso supporters reflecting on a brief campaign that saw Perry initially take a lead in polls before poor debate performances eroded support.

“I just thought he had a great chance,” Ted Houghton, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, said. “I think he would have made a great president and I’m sorry to see that others in the country didn’t get to see him as I know him.”

Below are contributions to El Paso incumbents for the state House and state Senate who are unopposed. The figures run from July 1 through Dec. 31, the latest campaign filing period.

•State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, collected $8,750. He spent $23,633 and has $125,315 on hand.
•State Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso, received $34,879. She spent $33,109 and has $8,043 in the bank.
•State Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, raised $116,260. He spent $99,022 and has $103,255 left to spend.

State Rep. Dee Margo, R-El Paso, did not wait for the primary election to wrap up to start gearing up for his rematch against former Democratic state Rep. Joe Moody.

Margo received $84,686 in political contributions between July 1 and Dec. 31, according to campaign finance reports released today. He spent $76,696 and has $67,228 remaining in the bank.

Moody raised $13,025 during the same time period. He spent $5,913 and has $13,986 left to spend.

Newcomer Mary Edna Gonzalez has substantially more money in the bank than her opponents in the race for House District 75.

Gonzalez, with help from Annie's List, a political action committee that raises money for Democratic women candidates, received $21,326 in the month of December. She spent $1,854 and has $19,483 left to spend on her campaign.

County Comissioner Willie Gandara Jr. has no money left in the bank, according to his latest campaign finance report that runs from July 1 to Dec. 31. He collected $5,107 during that time period and spent $11,875.

Community College Board Trustee Art Fierro has about $470 in the bank, according to reports. He raised about $2,625 and spent $2,034.

Campaign finance reports were not yet available for Hector Enriquez with T & T Staffing.

State Rep. Marisa Marquez, D-El Paso, has $33,900 in the bank left to spend on her reelection campaign, according to the latest campaign finance reports.

That is a stark contrast from her opponent, Ricardo Aaron Barraza, who did not have any money in the bank as of the end of the year.

Marquez raised $52,978 and spent $44,052 between July 1 and Dec. 31.  Barraza, who entered the race last month, received a $38.05 in-kind donation for a domain name between Dec. 19 and Dec. 31. He did not spend any money, according to his report.

Check back for more updates.

State Rep. Marisa Marquez, D-El Paso, and school board members will participate Wednesday in the first meeting of the Task Force for School Board Transparency.

The task force, created by Marquez, will address selection criteria for school board members and the superintendent, increased access to campaign financial reports and financial accountability for district employees. 

The meeting will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Board Room of El Paso Community College Administrative Services Center, 9050 Viscount Boulevard. It is open to the public.

"The goal of the task force is to bring the members of different school districts together and identify potential barriers to increased transparency in school boards," Márquez said. 

 

The audience at last night's GOP presidential debate seemed to boo Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney's ties to Mexico.

Below is a short video. I will try to find a better clip to post by the end of the day.

 

Tejanos will soon have a permanent home at the Texas Capitol.

A groundbreaking ceremony Friday kicked off two months of preparations to install the first monument that honors the contributions of Tejanos—early Texas settlers of Spanish and Mexican descent who introduced ranching and missions, fought in critical battles and can be credited with the development of many towns and cities.

 But the effort to get such a monument on Capitol grounds was no easy feat.

 South Texas resident Renato Ramirez and others have labored for 12 years through legislative red tape, a misunderstanding of the role Tejanos played in the history of the state and attempts by naysayers to keep the monument away from the Capitol.

“There is no art that refers positively to Hispanics,” Ramirez, vice president of the nonprofit Tejano Monument Inc., said about the Capitol grounds. “They’ve got Santana on his knees with a sword to his neck. It’s always a put down.”

Ramirez recalled a visit to the governor’s office in 2000 that yielded his only encounter with Latino art at the Capitol. Even still, he said, the painting was of a Mexican hut, not of the ornate haciendas that produce pride in Mexican architecture.

“Hispanics are a very important part of Texas culture and history and we want to reflect positively on the accomplishments of Hispanics,” said Ramirez, who leads fundraising efforts for the project that has drawn more than $1 million in private donations.

State lawmakers appropriated an additional $1 million for the about 550-square-foot monument that is 10 feet tall and has 12 pieces including a Spanish explorer, a vaquero on a horse and two longhorns.

The monument — which reflects Tejano history starting with the arrival of the Spaniards in the 1500s— will be unveiled March 29, joining 18 permanent displays on Capitol grounds that include Heroes of the Alamo, confederate soldiers, the Texas Cowboy and volunteer firemen.

“The Capitol grounds, in part like the Capitol building, tell part of the great story of Texas and of the people and of the events that are important parts of our history,” John Sneed, Executive Director of the State Preservation Board, said. “This will be an important addition to telling part of our great story.”

 

Aaron Barraza, who is challenging state Rep. Marisa Marquez in the Democratic primary election, will have a campaign kickoff Thursday.

The kickoff for his House District 77 bid will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at  501 Bistro & Bar, 501 Texas Avenue.

 

Texas House speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, has appointed two El Paso lawmakers to state panels.

State Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso, will serve on the the Joint Interim Committee to study Human Trafficking. State Rep. Dee Margo, R-El Paso, has been appointed to the Partnership Advisory Commission, which will study whether taxpayer money is being used appropriately in the creation of public-private partnerships. The commission will also make recommendations to governmental entities. 

Other appointees to the House Partnership Advisory Commission are state Reps. Armando "Mando" Martinez, D-Weslaco and Jim Murphy, R-Houston.

"I am pleased to appoint these House members to this new commission focused on increasing transparency and accountability involving public-private partnership projects," Straus said. 

State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, will co-chair of the Joint Interim Committee to study Human Trafficking. Additional appointees are state Reps. Cindy Burkett, R-Mesquite, Allen Fletcher, R-Tomball, John Frullo, R-Lubbock, Patricia Harless, R-Spring and Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi.

The committee will study ways to fight human trafficking and identify services for Texas victims. It will make recommendations for legislation in the 2013 session. 

"I am proud to appoint these House members to an important committee tasked with giving voice to victims of human trafficking," Straus said in a statement.  "The Texas House will continue to work with law enforcement and human rights groups to end this tragedy."

 

Shortly after results from the New Hampshire primary showed Gov. Rick Perry garnering only about 1 percent of the vote, the Texas governor sought to downplay his showing on Tuesday.

Perry got sixth place in the New Hampshire Republican primary. He finished just above former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer who has not been allowed to participate in debates.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won by a wide margin. 

But Perry said a true test of his candidacy is less than two weeks away. Below is his statement:

"Tonight's results in New Hampshire show the race for 'conservative alternative' to Mitt Romney remains wide open. I skipped New Hampshire and aimed my campaign right at conservative South Carolina, where we've been campaigning hard and receiving an enthusiastic welcome. I believe being the only non-establishment outsider in the race, the proven fiscal and social conservative and proven job creator will win the day in South Carolina.

"South Carolina is the next stop. I have a head start here, and it's friendly territory for a Texas governor and veteran with solid outsider credentials, the nation's best record of job creation, and solid fiscal, social and Tea Party conservatism."

 

Gov. Rick Perry is wasting time on a presidential bid when he should be in Texas tackling school funding problems, U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, said today.

Reyes said Perry should quit his bid for president, return to Texas and call a special legislative session that would allow lawmakers  to tap into the state's rainy day fund to mitigate the impact of a more than $5 billion cut to public education. Because of the cuts, Reyes said, the "Texas Education Agency is reporting that 282 school districts have requested emergency waivers to increase class sizes, including four districts in the El Paso area."

"After his poor showing in Iowa, I hope it's become sufficiently apparent to Governor Perry that the American people, including those in his own party, soundly reject his leadership and radical views," Reyes said in a statement. "Instead  of parading around the country pushing a radical Tea Party agenda, Governor Rick Perry should get to work on the issues of importance to our state."

But Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle said the governor has no plans to call a special legislative session on school funding or any other issue.

"Thanks to Gov. Perry's fiscally conservative leadership Texas has a balanced budget and has increased funding to Texas public schools by billions of dollars," Castle said in an email. "If Congressman Reyes were so concerned with Texas children he would be working to get our federal government's finances in order, not mortgaging away our children's future with trillions of dollars in federal debt."

Reyes, who is seeking reelection to his congressional seat, also touted his role in the federal government's decision to send Texas additional funding for schools.

"Under a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, billions were sent down to Texas in emergency aid and time and time again Governor Perry and his Tea Party allies continue to play politics cheating our teachers, children and schools," Reyes said. "Governor Perry managed to divert large portions of those funds to prop-up the state's Rainy Day Fund. 

"Despite these actions, the latest round of federal funds through the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act of 2010 funneled about $28 million to El Paso area school districts, and I am proud to have worked with my Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives to make this happen."

To that, Castle retorted,  "the Education Jobs funds that Congressman Reyes references finally made their way to Texas schools because of Gov. Perry working with the delegation to overturn the anti-Texas Doggett Amendment, which Congressman Reyes voted for."

Two years ago, Perry and state legislators used $3.25 billion in federal stimulus funds for education to balance the budget and avoid drawing down the rainy-day fund. Last year, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, at the request of more than two dozen superintendents in the state, added a provision into a federal jobs bill that required Perry to promise the federal government that education funding would not be disproportionately cut in order to access $830 million intended to prevent teacher layoffs.

Republicans later managed to repeal the Texas-specific provision.

 

 

 

The Republican and the Democratic parties of Texas have hammered out an agreement to push back the primary election date by nearly a month.

The agreement to move the primary from March 6 to April 3 was reached today in light of the decision by the Supreme Court to halt the implementation of political boundary maps drawn by a panel of three federal judges in San Antonio.

 The agreement reached by both parties must still be approved by the panel of federal judges.

 “Given the less than ideal circumstances, we think that this election schedule is a workable solution that will create the least confusion for the voters,” Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie said in a statement. “We’re pleased that the agreement maintains a unified primary which will save taxpayers money.”

Republican Party of Texas Chairman Steve Munisteri said he hoped that all those affected would be satisfied with the proposal.

“We are hopeful that with both a timely ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court and subsequent finalized maps, that this agreement not only preserves the original structure of a unified primary, but provides us enough time to accomplish it in a fair and orderly fashion,” Munisteri said. “Furthermore, this agreement addresses the concern of both the TDP and RPT by providing a timeline which still allows us to hold our respective state conventions and national delegate selection in June."

 Below are some date changes agreed to by the parties: 

 ·         February 1, 2012 - New residency deadline for candidates seeking election to the Texas House and Texas Senate.

·         February 1, 2012, 6:00pm - New deadline of court-ordered reopened filing period, in which candidates for all offices have the opportunity to amend, withdraw or file a new application for the ballot.

·         February 3, 2012 - New deadline for County Executive Committees to conduct drawing for candidate order on ballot.

·         April 3, 2012 - Date of the 2012 General Primary Election.

·         April 14 or April 21, 2012 - Date of County and Senatorial District Conventions, as determined by the State Chair of each political party.

·         June 5, 2012 - Date of the 2012 General Primary Runoff Election.

 

A San Antonio panel of federal judges, in response to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to take on Texas' redistricting maps, signed an order today that pushes back the deadline to file for office.

The Texas court made official an agreement to extend the deadline to file for federal, state, county and local offices to 6 p.m. Dec. 19. The filing period will then be reopened once political boundary lines are approved for the state legislature and U.S. congressional seats so that candidates affected by the changes can either file for office, amend their applications or withdraw their names.

Other revisions by the court will allow candidates, who already put their names in the hat for office, to get a refund on their campaign filing fees if they choose to withdraw from the race. That option is not currently available under state law.

A candidate for County Commissioners Court said his opponent, state Rep. Inocente "Chente" Quintanilla inappropriately used state funds to campaign for the local office.

Vincent Perez, the former press secretary for U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, said his family received a state calendar from Quintanilla. Perez's family lives outside of Quintanilla's state House district but within the boundaries of the County Commissioners Court seat that the lawmaker is seeking.

"Using taxpayer resources to supplement your campaign is wrong," Perez said. "There should be no reason for a representative to mail official business, using taxpayer resources, to people who aren't his constituents."

Quintanilla refutes claims that he did anything wrong. 

The calendars from the Texas House of Representatives do not mention that Quintanilla is running for a seat to become the Lower Valley County Commissioner. They show a picture of Quintanilla with his wife and read "Texas State Representative, District 75: Chente Quintanilla. Serving the Community with Pride and Honor." 

Quintanilla said he mails the calendars to people inside and outside of his district every year based on a database he has developed of people who have attended his annual pachanga and other events. 

He plans to spend about $3 a calendar for up to 1,500 calendars this year out of his state office account. That does not include the cost of mailing the calendars or the cost of engraving the calendars with his name.

House rules say that non-returning members are limited to 300 non-personalized calendars but the state gauges which member is not coming back by looking at campaign filings. Since the filing deadline for office has been extended to Dec. 19, Quintanilla is still considered a returning member.

"No special effort was made to send out just to that area," Quintanilla said about the district in which he will be campaigning for the county office. "I'm not campaigning with state dollars. The state allows you to send out those calendars."

He added, "if I would have been afraid of something I probably wouldn't have sent one to Vince or his relatives."

Under House rules, mailing lists for newsletters, questionnaires and other mass mailings are checked to ensure that all of the addresses are in the member's district and mailing such materials is prohibited within 90 days of an election. But, state officials, said calendars are sent via first-class mail and so are not generally considered mass mailings.

 

 

Lower Valley County Commissioner Willie Gandara Jr. will not tell you flat out but he could soon jump into the race to replace state Rep. Inocente “Chente” Quintanilla in Austin.

“I can give you a hint,” Gandara said in a telephone conversation Sunday evening. “If I were to tell you now, then I would have to resign effective immediately,”

Current law requires that candidates resign from office if they file to run for a different elected position and have more than a year left in their term. The state legislature bumped up the filing period this year and proposed a constitutional amendment that would extend the time for county officials to file in order to accommodate the change.

But Gov. Rick Perry has not yet signed the paperwork to make official a voter-approved constitutional amendment that would allow candidates to keep their current elected positions and run for a separate office as long as they file 13 months from the date they would assume office.

“Everybody or anyone who is currently holding office and is thinking of maybe running for another position, I mean you can tell that everybody’s holding off,” Gandara said.

Gandara has been mulling whether to seek reelection or run for the Texas Legislature. He plans to make an official announcement on Dec. 10.

If he decides to run, Gandara will give up a seat that has drawn several challengers, including Quintanilla. Quintanilla announced that he would not seek reelection and would instead run for Lower Valley County Commissioner, the seat Gandara currently holds.

Gandara would enter a race that already has drawn campaign announcements from El Paso Community College Board Chairman Art Fierro and former Socorro Independent School District Trustee Hector Enriquez.