Texas: Bettencourt

Did Harris County Tax Assessor, Leo Vasquez, know what kind of poo Paul Bettencourt left him in when he quit just days after his re-election? Obviously not.

Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to accept a settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Texas Democratic Party against Paul Bettencourt's Voter Registration Office. Included in this settlement:

• The voter registrar must now comply with all Texas Election Code deadlines. In sworn discovery, Bettencourt's staff admitted that more than 11,350 timely submitted applications were not processed and on the voter rolls when voting started as required by law.

• The voter registrar's employees can no longer have employment or financial interests in outside companies that provide voter information to candidates or political parties, a practice Bettencourt allowed and Vasquez defended regarding moonlighting Republican political consultant Ed Johnson.

When Candidate Gene Locke talked at the Latino Summit he spoke against fully implementing the immigration 287g program, only supporting the screening in city jails and not on the street by the police force. Every viable candidate for Mayor has the same opinion. Then Gene went on right wing radio. According to Bradley Olson of the Houston Chronicle:
LOCKE: For me, and I think for the other candidates, and I'm not trying to pick on them...Everybody kind of recognizes that the implementation fo the 287g program is an essential for Houston.

BETTENCOURT: Glad to hear it.

LOCKE: I'm on record as saying that.