The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - December 15, 2025

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

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Howdy, folks, today is Monday, December 15th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans managing editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, progressive attorney Alejandra Salinas overwhelmingly defeated former Democratic Houston City Council member Dwight Boykins in a runoff election for city council. as Mayor John Whitmire faces mounting opposition from the left flank of his party. According to unofficial election results, Salinas took 59% of the vote for the at-large position four seat being vacated by Letitia Plummer, who is running for Harris County judge in the 26 Democratic primary. An attorney and activist, Salinas drew endorsements from outgoing Harris County judge Lena Hidalgo,

district attorney Sean Tier, and run for something, a political action. Committee dedicated to recruitment and support for young progressive candidates, such as recently elected New York City Mayor Zeran Mamdani. Of the 15 candidates who ran in the special election last month, Salinas and Boykins garnered 21 and 20 percent of the vote, respectively. Next, Houston Mayor John Whitmire is barred from receiving the endorsement of the Harris County Democratic Party after a resolution was passed by local precinct chairs. The result of ongoing pressure against Whitmire for alleged alignment with Republicans and the Trump administration ahead of his potential re-election campaign. The vote to block Whitmire from receiving the party's

endorsement was spurred on by three main qualms, his recent attendance of a fundraiser for Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw, the city of Houston's perceived collaboration with U.S. immigration and customs enforcement, and the city's removal of rainbow-colored crosswalks decorated to represent the LGBT community. Whitmire responded to the resolution in a press release shortly after its passage, stating, quote, no resolution will change the fact that I am a Democrat with a 50-year record of voting and supporting democratic values. In other news, the Dallas City Council approved a funding agreement to help secure the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System, which has been facing a problematic future dating back to 2016. The Texas Pension Review Board and state law

require that the city fully fund its pension system in 30 years. The funding agreement meets that requirement and includes a modest stipend for retirees in addition to their monthly benefits to help offset the cost of living increases. It will require funding of $11 billion by the city over the next 30 years. In the summer of 2024, the pension system was positioned to not be fully funded for 82 years. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court refused a plaintiff's appeal for a hearing in a case of an alleged book banning in Lano County. The appeal was rejected on December 8th, but the case dates back to April 2022 when seven Lano County residents and library patrons, including Lila Green Little, filed a federal lawsuit against the county in the Western District

of Texas over the removal of 17 books from a local public library. The plaintiffs in Little v. Lano County cited a violation of their First Amendment right to receive information. The lawsuit claimed that the books were removed because their content, including themes of gender identity, sexuality, race, and racism, and LGBT issues did not align with the values of those who removed the books. The defendants claimed that the content of the books was pornographic and overtly sexual in nature. Last but not least, many Texas public school districts have expanded educational opportunities that assist students with career and college readiness, including early college, career and technical education, or CTE, Pathways in Technology Early

College High School, or P-Tech, and the Rural Pathways Excellence Partnership. House Bill 120 passed during the 89th legislative session, expanded funding for these types of programs and encouraged partnership with community colleges, industry partners, and workforce boards. It also raised the cap on new instructional facility allotments from $100 million to $150 million, increase the number of subsidies students may receive for CTE certification exams, and tripled the per-student P-Tech allotment from $50 to $150. Governor Greg Abbott signed HB-120, along with HB20 that outlined an additional CTE pathway at the Keith Bell Opportunity Center in Forney.

school and North Forney High School students can participate in 25 different CTE programs. State Representative Keith Bell told the Texan he authored HB 120 out of a, quote, clear need to better align our public schools with the economic realities facing Texas students. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the Texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts. I'm going to be able to be.