The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 29, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks. Today is Wednesday, October 29th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans assistant editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has upheld the district court's ruling in a lawsuit challenging Tarrant County's redrawing of its commissioner's court districts earlier this summer. Lead plaintiff Winnie Jackson and her fellow plaintiffs sued Tarrant County, claiming that their opportunity to vote in the November 26th Commissioner's Court elections was impeded by the new redistricting map adopted in June. They allege that the new map violates the Voting Rights Act and the First, 14th, and 15th amendments. In September, U.S. District Judge Reid O'Connor denied the plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction,

Starting point is 00:00:58 quote, given the dearth of evidence on this record to support a finding of discriminatory intent, end quote, in the redistricting plan. Next, the Texas comptroller of public accounts is moving to freeze the historically underutilized business program to ensure it remains in compliance with new state legislation and executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Acting comptroller Kelly Hancock stated in a press release, quote, our office is committed to protecting taxpayer funds and ensuring that every Texas business has an equal opportunity to compete for government contracts. This action today reflects that commitment and reinforces Texas's longstanding principles of fairness and accountability. The program was developed over a number of different legislative sessions via House Bill 2626 during the 73rd Legislature in 1993 and Senate Bill 178 during the 76th Legislature. in 1999. In other news, accusations about contracts, recorded conversations, and paid chaplains

Starting point is 00:02:03 mark a heated fight between two incumbent Cyprus Fairpanks Independent School District Trustees, who were elected four years ago with support from conservative and Republican groups. In 2021, voters tossed incumbents and elected Natalie Blazingame and Scott Henry to CFISD board positions five and six, respectively. Both were endorsed that. that year by the Harris County Republican Party, the conservative coalition of Harris County, and business political networking organization BISPAC. Their campaigns emphasize community concerns over elements of critical race theory and curricula and the district's plans for an equity audit. This year, however, Henry lost the endorsement of GOP officials and conservative

Starting point is 00:02:48 activists, and instead of running for re-election to her position five seat, Blasengame is challenging him for position six. Also, Fort Worth Mayor Maddie Parker held a press conference on Friday, October 24th to address Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Marath's announcement of the state takeover of Fort Worth Independent School District. Parker told reporters, quote, I don't view this as a takeover, and I'll tell you why that is. First of all, this is very clearly legally what Mike Marath had to do, end quote. Fort Worth ISD's Leadership Academy at Forest Oak received its fifth consecutive failing rating at the end of the 2022-2020 school year, triggering mandatory state intervention. Under the Texas Education Code, the TEA Commissioner will appoint a board of managers

Starting point is 00:03:37 to govern the school district or close the campus. Last but not least, a small business owner who has classed with the city of Pasadena over parking lot requirements for more than three years must apply for a variance before he can bring another lawsuit, according to when appeals court opinion issued Tuesday. Pasadena resident Oz Sepulveda purchased property to expand his auto mechanic business in 2021, but the city demanded that he comply with a new regulation that forced him to increase his number of parking spaces from 5 to 28, an innovation that Sepulveda said would cost approximately $40,000 or half the purchase price of the property, and which he said would be physically impossible to fit. After Sepulveda filed suit, the Pasadena City

Starting point is 00:04:24 Council approved a settlement agreement in May 2022 that only required seven parking spaces, with three in front of the main building and four on the side. When Sepulveda submitted a site plan and engineering drawings, however, city officials denied his application for a permit in February, 2023. After several months of failed negotiations with city officials that included another attempt at mediation in June 2023, Sepulveda sued again that September with assistance from the Institute for Justice, this time alleging the city had violated the terms of the settlement agreement. 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.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 29, 2025

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.