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Happy New Year Houston! As I reflect on my first year serving you as Council Member At Large, Position 1, I'm grateful for the change to have an impact for good in our city. Backed by a great council staff*, we’ve done deep-dive research, asked insightful questions, scrutinized answers, taken principled stands, spoken out, traveled all over this big city, advocated for real people and worthy causes behind the scenes, and always tried to cast the right vote on behalf of all of Houston—my constituency.
Here is a list of what I consider to be the biggest impacts we’ve had on several fronts. I always welcome feedback on my performance and your priorities for the future.
Public Safety--More Police on the Streets and Smart on Crime Initiatives
- Proposed and passed a budget amendment to add an additional police academy class
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Sponsored and passed a measure to cancel the ineffective, costly ShotSpotter contract
- Supported a crime lab budget, that passed, increasing funding to outsource backlogged forensic evidence
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Donated $23,000 from my council office budget to replace disappearing federal funding for mental health programs, allowing us to place non-violent Houstonians in treatment instead of taking up jail cells
- Connected HISD’s High School for Law & Justice to Houston Police Department (HPD) Recruiting to establish a pipeline into HPD
- Connected HPD Recruiting to a free billboard opportunity with a major media company
- Paused funding for the county’s Joint Inmate Processing Center (JPC), to identify next steps to reduce the high number of jail deaths and improve long wait times for HPD officers booking inmates.
Ethics and Corruption watchdog
- Assisted in exposing corruption at Houston Housing Authority (HHA) (not part of city government)
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Successfully pushed for removal of the President/CEO of HHA and change in leadership
Fiscal responsibility and Government Efficiency
- Voted for Mayor Whitmire’s idea to hire an outside expert to identify inefficiencies to see where we can cut to save money and help close the city’s structural budget deficit
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Pushed for performance data to be made available before votes to properly evaluate proposed service contracts that aim to provide services like homelessness case management and job training
- Successfully pushed the Housing Department to train public service grantees on how to gather better performance data
- Asked that the proposed 5-year, $25 million contract for art acquisition and conservation be restructured to save money
Fought Government Inefficiency
- Advocated for detention requirements that alleviate the risk of flooding without driving development outside the city
- Identified inefficient practices and a bureaucratic culture in the city’s permitting department that cause delays, increase housing costs, and discourage development
- Advocated for processes that will speed approval of contracts by the city’s legal department
TIRZ reforms and transparency needed
Brought the need for TIRZ reform to the forefront by
- voting against a $14 million expansion of Levy Park, while many other parks languish in need of care (I was the only "no" vote)
- voting against approving a budget for the Fifth Ward TIRZ #18 and its conflict-ridden board of directors
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calling for all TIRZ budgets and project plans to be available to the public before council votes so that the public can weigh in
Affordable Housing Advocacy and Accountability
- Scrutinized the million-dollar tax breaks given to public facilities corporations (PFC’s), causing the Houston Housing Authority to include more deeply affordable housing units on future PFC deals
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Voted against the Orem Circle PFC apartment complex that would end up providing 70% of its units at market rate or above in exchange for a 100% property tax break (the only council member to vote "no")
- Convinced the city Housing Department that the city needs its own independent third-party analysis of proposed PFC’s
- Convened a meeting with developers and the Housing Department about how to streamline and reduce regulations to reduce the cost of housing for all Houstonians.
Homelessness
- Called for ending court defense of the city's unconstitutional and ineffective ordinance prohibiting feeding of the homeless
- Successfully pushed for and obtained an assessment of the homeless in Hermann Park at the request of the Conservancy to spur outreach services
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Requested a full presentation on Mayor’s homelessness plan to the Quality of Life Committee, which I chair, for January 2025
Listened to Concerns of Residents and Stakeholders to Better Advocate
- Listened to community concerns and discussed safety measures to protect students as a panelist at an East End Town Hall following death of a Milby High School student
- Sought feedback from restaurant employees and proprietors about a proposed parking meter extension plan, and successfully supported its withdrawal
- In response to a lack of real community engagement on site selection for a Hispanic Research Center, I co-hosted a public meeting with over 200 attendees to get input
- Listened to community members’ concerns about inadequate online access to the library’s Hispanic Collection and then advocated successfully for greater access, getting key parts of the collection, including VIVA! magazine, digitized to make the collection more accessible
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After visiting two apartment complexes owned by developers seeking federal tax credits for new projects, I secured commitments from them to improve living conditions at the existing projects, by upgrading security, fixing dangerous construction, and getting rid of vermin
- Sought input from stakeholders and carried their concerns forward on needs including the effects of power outages and winter freezes on the elderly and impoverished, clarity on the cancer cluster relocation plan, and ways to improve disaster communication
Helped Organize and Support Food and Ice Disaster Response Drives
- Denver Harbor
- Spring Branch
- Fifth Ward
- Near Northside
- Northwood Manor
- West Houston
Environmental Health Advocacy
- Opposed a concrete crushing plant adjacent to LBJ Hospital, which treats respiratory disease and cancer patients, among others
- Spoke out in public comment against renewal of a frequent-violator concrete batch plant in the Kashmere area
- Investigated plans to deposit dredge spoils from the Port of Houston’s Project 11 to try to evaluate risks to the health of nearby residents and flood risk
New Year's Message
As we head into 2025, I look forward to building on the progress we made in 2024. I believe we are well-positioned to deal with our financial challenges and to make our government work better for you. As I alluded earlier*, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my great staff listed below. It's impossible to serve a city of 2.3 million residents effectively without a lot of great help.
I want you to know that I’m grateful for the privilege of representing you on Houston City Council and living in this great city. As I've said many times over the past year, serving you is its own reward. Best wishes to all of you for a safe and prosperous New Year!
At-Large 1 Council Staff
Leah Wolfthal -- Chief of Staff
Gloria Rodriguez -- Director of Community Outreach/Constituent Services
Sonia Soto -- Director of Communications
Tom Samuels -- Senior Advisor
City Council Committee Assignments
Quality of Life, Chair
Service Delivery, Vice-Chair
Public Safety, Arts and Culture, Ethics, Prop A, Budget and Finance, Member
Be sure to follow the At Large 1 team on social media for updates and information!
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