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MRT (free): Most Houstonians Work to Avoid Crime // Film Incentives to be Boosted? // ERCOT Requests CPS Spend $150M to Speed Up New Transmission Lines
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
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MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
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TUESDAY || 4/1/2025 & WEDNESDAY || 4/2/2025
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TOP NEWS
“More Houstonians are staying home at night and moving neighborhoods to avoid crime, poll says,” Houston Chronicle's Matt deGrood — “Around 77% of Houston survey-takers say they are staying home more at night to avoid crime and 51% said they’d moved homes in search of a safer neighborhood, according to the results of a new poll by a nonprofit organization studying how those living in the country’s biggest cities perceive crime.
The survey results come amid a nationwide decline in most types of violent crime after a spike during the coronavirus pandemic. Houston in 2024 saw significant decreases in property crime and a decline in homicides, though violent crime ticked up about 5%.
“My conclusion is the public perception of crime is much more complex than I think we’d ever thought,” said Ron Faucheux, the analyst that directed the polls.
As part of the project, Faucheux led scientific polls in Houston, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Chicago – the country’s six biggest cities – and one on a national level, asking people a wide range of crime-related questions specific to the city. Evan F. Trestman Philanthropies, led by a New Orleans-based attorney who became interested in understanding crime after his grandfather and father were murdered 20 years apart, provided $300,000 for the project
Marc Levin, the Houston-based chief policy counsel for the Council on Criminal Justice, said he finds the work interesting because it does something unique: In a world full of data about crime, the polls attempt to quantify the less tangible feelings people have about the issue.
“This really exposes some of the limits of the crime data that we do have,” he said. People often make judgments based on less analytical measures, such as homicide numbers. “If someone decides to walk alone in their neighborhood at night, what is the risk? …Often times, with quality of life stuff, I think they’re looking around at shorthand symbols that they think signal how safe or dangerous an area is.
The overwhelming majority of respondents in Houston said they were more careful about avoiding unsafe places, that they were staying home more at night and that they favored laws that would keep criminals in prison longer, according to the poll.
While worrying about crime, a slight majority of the same Houston residents polled, around 54%, were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the service from the Houston Police Department, records show.
When polled on proposals to improve the agency, improving mental health and addiction treatment facilities received the most enthusiastic support, with around 55% strongly supporting it. Other proposals with more than 50% signaling strong support included improving the agency’s capacity to investigate and solve crimes, increasing the use of computer analytics to solve crimes and expanding career counseling and recreational programs for young people.
Increasing patrol manpower and police pay both received slightly less than 50% - 44% and 46% respectively – of people saying they strongly support them, but an overall majority of more than 80% said they'd support it, records show." Houston Chronicle ($)
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#TXLEGE
"Texas is giving out $5B in loans to build natural gas power plants. Some companies say no thanks,” Houston Chronicle's Claire Hao — “For years, Texas politicians have fretted: What will it take for companies to build more natural gas power plants for the state’s strained power grid?
As it turns out, for a growing number of developers, even the Texas government handing out taxpayer-backed loans is not sufficient.
Four companies have pulled their projects from consideration from the $5 billion Texas Energy Fund, citing various financial and logistical challenges. Another project was denied loans last fall after one company listed on the application accused the other sponsoring company of fraud.
In total, nearly a third of new project capacity advanced to the fund’s due diligence review process has left the program..
State lawmakers created the Texas Energy Fund in 2023 and set aside the bulk of the money to give companies low-interest loans towards building new gas-fired generation for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas power grid. The fund was advertised to voters, who approved the program as a constitutional amendment, as a way to bolster the grid after the February 2021 winter freeze caused statewide outages and killed hundreds.
Then, last year, ERCOT forecasted an unprecedented increase in electricity demand in the near future as the state’s population and economy grow. Policymakers became even more adamant that Texas needs much more gas-fired power generation for use when wind or solar power isn’t available, even though natural gas is a fossil fuel contributing to climate change.
At first, the Texas Energy Fund seemed popular. So many companies applied for loans that state lawmakers — at the urging of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — are considering appropriating another $5 billion to the program in the ongoing legislative session, so that it totals $10 billion.
But critics of the Texas Energy Fund have noted that natural gas power plants, the primary generation source on the ERCOT grid, suffered the most failures during the 2021 winter storm. Others have said the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the state agency running the program, doesn’t have enough expertise assessing default risk to manage billions in taxpayer dollars.
Adrian Shelley, director of Public Citizen’s Texas office, said the fund’s recent dropouts have validated the progressive nonprofit’s concerns.
“Our skepticism about the Texas Energy Fund is borne out,” Shelley said. “Each time funding for one of these projects is canceled, the applicant says, ‘We're concerned about costs, we're concerned about supply chain, we're concerned about the timeline.’ These are the concerns that we raised when this was being proposed in the legislature.”
In an email statement, PUC spokesperson Ellie Breed said 16 Texas Energy Fund applications — totaling more than 8,300 megawatts of potential new generation — are still active and undergoing due diligence review. The agency’s staff plans to recommend another slate of projects for review at an upcoming meeting, she wrote.
“The PUCT continues to pursue the objectives of all four TEF programs, while ensuring the appropriate use of the taxpayer dollars dedicated to fulfilling those goals,” Breed wrote." Houston Chronicle ($)
"Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson testify in support of Texas film incentives bill,” Fox 7 Austin's Rudy Koski — “There was some Hollywood star power in Austin on Monday.
Actors Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson testified before the Senate Finance Committee in support of legislation to beef up an incentive plan for the entertainment industry.
Lockhart became a film set back in July when the TV western series "1923" came to town. The production was one of several entertainment projects lured to Texas with money from an incentive program.
On Monday, state Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) pitched legislation to revamp the program.
"For every dollar paid in a grant, $4.69 is spent in the state, according to the office of the governor," said Huffman.
Senate Bill 22 pumps $500 million every two years into the new Texas Moving Image Incentive Program. The grant money comes with several strings attached. There is bonus money for using rural areas and a rejection clause for scripts that put Texas in a negative light.
"It further codifies a list of projects that are currently not eligible for reimbursement, such as: pornography or obscene material, political advertising, casino-type video games, and more," said Huffman.
Central Texas plays a big role in a lot of movies and TV productions. The City of Lockhart took on a new role for a popular TV show '1923', a prequel to the 'Yellowstone' series.
The committee hearing featured a unique cast of supporting characters that included Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. SB 22 is a priority bill for Patrick, but his attendance was overshadowed by actors Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
Earlier this year, the two teamed up with fellow Texan Dennis Quaid and met with the Lt. Governor. The meeting came after the three released a promotional movie trailer for the incentive program.
In the video, Quaid suggested a "Wholesale takeover." Harrelson responded by saying, "A small fraction of the Texas budget surplus could turn this state into the new Hollywood."
In the committee hearing, the Texas story pitch came with a plot twist when McConaughey testified.
"So, I'm going to propose a bigger thought here. I'm going to propose doubling down on, if we pass this bill, what we can do. How do we do that? Number one, we train our own workforce. We partner with local community colleges and tech schools across the state of Texas, and we get Texan men and women trained and certified to learn the below the line trade jobs needed to make films," said McConaughey.
Lawmakers were told that local communities could be prepared for the way jobs programs are done for more traditional industries.
"We have a real pipeline. We have infrastructure, we have wood screws, not Velcro," said McConaughey.
Doing that, McConaughey suggested, would make Texas a permanent supporting cast member. The grant money, with the infrastructure, would exceed what's being done by Georgia and New Mexico.
It was even argued that eventually, providing a financial incentive may no longer be necessary.
"This is how Texas becomes its own profitable and self-sustaining industry. This is how Texas becomes more than just a destination for out-of-state productions. This is how Texas becomes more than just a tax-incentivized advertisement, with hey, come shoot here. If we do this, we begin to create our own industry. We do this, we start to create our own pipeline of film and television, which, in turn, means producers and financiers are not going to want to go to other states because they don't have the infrastructure that we'll have, and they're too expensive," said McConaughey.
Chad Gundersen, a producer for the TV series "The Chosen", also spoke to the committee. He agreed with McConaughey that the new infrastructure system should also include post-production work.
Gunderson noted how Texas A&M has a great animation program, but a lot of the Aggie graduates leave Texas to find work." Fox 7 Austin
STATE GOVERNMENT
"At ERCOT's request, CPS spending $150M to speed up new transmission lines,” San Antonio Express-News' Sara DiNatale — “CPS Energy is spending another $150 million to speed up construction of transmission lines the state grid operator says will reduce the risk of blackouts across Texas.
A troubled circuit near San Antonio will be getting relief years sooner than originally planned at the behest of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the statewide grid. The project is adding 58 miles of new transmission lines starting at the city-owned utility’s J.K. Spruce power plant’s substation and running through South Texas.
Most of the cost, which now totals $585 million, will be paid by utility customers across the state.
But the vendor contract the CPS board approved Monday isn’t simple. ERCOT’s desire to accelerate the work meant CPS had to find a company willing to do the work while the lines remain energized and actively moving electricity.
“You basically put on a suit that energizes yourself at the same what they call ‘potential’ as that line, so that you can work on it safely,” said CPS President and CEO Rudy Garza. “I’ve done it. It’s a lot scarier putting the suit on than it is actually putting your hands on the line. But, in essence, you’re working at the same potential — the same voltage environment as the transmission line.”
Garza said there was only one company able and willing to take on the project — Houston-based Quanta Services. It agreed to do the work by December 2026, shortening the original 2029 timeline. ERCOT had hoped to truncate the work even more but CPS wasn’t able to find a contractor able to reach ERCOT’s desired deadline of next summer.
ERCOT anticipates a related project to improve the crowded circuit by adding more transmission capacity starting at a Leon Creek substation to be completed by the summer of 2027.
“They have a unique skill set to package a number of their companies together to be able to deliver that line,” Garza said of Quanta.
The complete circuit, which makes a ring around San Antonio, is at risk of failure when plentiful power from South Texas wind farms and batteries is needed in North Texas, where capacity hasn’t kept up with increasing demand. Overloading the circuit to meet that demand could prompt grid-wide cascading outages." SAEN ($)
"Houston clocks record overtime pay for police, fire as city contends with $330M deficit,” Houston Chronicle's Abby Church — “Despite Houston’s efforts to fill vacancies in its Solid Waste Management and public safety departments, city leaders continue to shell out more and more cash to pay their employees overtime.
As Houston contends with a $330 million budget deficit heading into the next fiscal year, top officials with the controller’s office said Tuesday that Houston had broken a record in paying its employees over their standard workweeks.
The city budgeted around $65 million for employee overtime in last year’s budget, a figure that represents 4% of the city’s personnel budget.
Houston is on track to spend more than double the budgeted amount, and may consequentially spend close to $137 million on overtime alone before the end of the fiscal year, Deputy Controller Will Jones told council members at Tuesday’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs meeting.
The city’s solid waste, police and fire departments have all taken several steps to hire more personnel, from increasing pay to adding another police cadet class to passing a historic deal with the fire union that includes $650 million in back pay. Even so, overtime pay continues to increase.
Some council members listened to the presentation Tuesday with furrowed brows, and Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum referred to the information as “bleak.”
Council Member Sallie Alcorn, the committee’s chair, had only one remark after she thanked Jones for the presentation.
“I learned a lot,” she said. “My stomach hurts.”
The three culprits of increased overtime spending are Houston’s Solid Waste Management, Fire and Police departments.
According to data presented Tuesday, the police department was budgeted $13.7 million in overtime pay, but is on track to spend nearly $40 million – a 190% increase over its budget.
The fire department, while budgeted for $45.3 million in overtime, is on track to spend $88 million – a 94% increase over budget.
While Solid Waste was only budgeted $4 million in overtime, the department is on track to instead spend $7.1 million – 75% over its budget, according to data presented Tuesday.
Truck operators were the most frequent users of overtime, and the position happens to be the hardest to fill at the department, Jones said. The overtime use at Solid Waste comes despite increased spending on contracting outside vendors to pick up trash and adding new vehicles. In 2024, missed trash pickup was the second most complained about issue citywide.
An analysis of the fire and police department’s top earners showed firefighters were on average making 231% of their pay from overtime alone, while police officers made 118% of their pay from overtime. The same analysis for Solid Waste showed top earners made on average 91% of their salary from overtime.
All three departments were impacted by spikes in overtime during the derecho in May, Hurricane Beryl and January’s winter storm, but even without those natural disasters, all three departments would still be over their yearly overtime budgets, Jones said.
A Solid Waste crew picks up recycling on Allston Street in June. Solid Waste workers are among the municipal workers that will get 9 percent raises over the next three months, after the city approved a labor deal with its employees." Houston Chronicle ($)
2026
“Tarrant County Democratic Party lays off all paid staff, declines to share details,” Fort Worth Report's Cecilia Lenzen — "Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Crystal Gayden said Tuesday that her party is strategically restructuring, although she declined to share details on what that restructuring looks like.
Lon Burnam, a Democrat who represented Tarrant County in the Texas House between 1997 and 2015 and remains involved with the party, confirmed that the party has laid off its three paid staff positions. The layoffs were first made public in the Lone Star Left newsletter.
Gayden declined to confirm how many staffers were laid off, when the layoffs were implemented or how they stand to impact the party. She said the party is currently focused on fighting gerrymandering and a redistricting effort in the Tarrant County Commissioners Court.
“The Tarrant County Democratic Party’s recent restructuring is a strategic decision, not a financial crisis,” Gayden, an attorney and previous judicial candidate who has served as chair since 2023, said in a statement to the Report. “It is common for parties to adjust staffing between election cycles.”
Several other leaders within the party declined to comment, referring questions to Gayden.
The layoffs come one month before the May 3 election, when City Council, school board and other local races will be on the ballot across Tarrant County. Local races are all nonpartisan positions, but both the county’s Democrat and Republican parties have become increasingly involved in recent years.
Burnam said he’s disappointed by the layoffs but noted that it’s common for political parties to struggle with fundraising after a presidential election.
“Let’s be clear that it is always the case that after any presidential election, it is hard to raise money for either party — but it’s particularly hard if you lose,” Burnam said.
President Joe Biden narrowly won Tarrant County in the 2020 presidential election, becoming the first Democrat to do so since Lyndon B. Johnson’s victory in 1964. The county reverted to red in 2024, supporting President Donald Trump with 51.82% of the vote.
Tarrant Republicans are celebrating the layoffs as a victory. Bo French, chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, was outspoken before and after the November election about his goal to make the county “inhospitable to Democrats” through more involvement in local races. In response to the layoffs Tuesday, French posted on X that his “plan is working.”
In an emailed statement to the Report, French said the Democratic Party’s members “continue to take the 20% position on 80-20 issues.”
“It’s no wonder they are having trouble raising money,” he said." FW Report
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> AAS: "Texas bill would require citizenship proof to vote. Why rights groups say it’s dangerous." AAS
> AAS: "What is a faculty senate? As Texas lawmakers seek to regulate them, some defend its merit" AAS
> AAS: "Here's why school nurses need Texas law change to give new epi nasal spray to students" AAS
> HOU CHRON: "Houston quietly removes major bike lane protections, sparking outrage" HOU CHRON
> AAS: "Matthew McConaughey asks Texas Senate panel to support film incentives" AAS
> HOU CHRON: "Judge pauses Trump administration plans to end temporary legal protections for Venezuelans" HOU CHRON
> KXAN: "Matthew McConaughey and other stars push Senate to make Texas next film haven" KXAN
> THE TEXAN: "Superior HealthPlan Launches Internal Investigation After DOGE Hearing and CEO’s Firing, per Staff Meeting Audio" THE TEXAN
> TPR: "Matthew McConaughey, industry reps push for Texas lawmakers to beef up state's film incentive fund" TPR
> MY RGV: "Texas school libraries could have tighter oversight if Republicans get their way" MY RGV
> HOU CHRON: "Houston group wants to recall Mayor John Whitmire. Here's what to know" HOU CHRON
> KXAN: "AISD board floats idea of school consolidations to cut costs amid $100M+ budget deficit" KXAN
> SA REPORT: "San Antonio’s mayor likely won’t be decided on Election Day. Here’s what to expect in a runoff." SA REPORT
> THE TEXAN: "The Docket: Ghost (Gun) Busters" THE TEXAN
> THE TEXAN: "Dallas Residents Threaten Legal Action Over Unfulfilled Police Staffing Requirement in City Charter" THE TEXAN
> TPR: "Rural leaders push GOP lawmakers to unfreeze climate and environmental funding" TPR
> THE TEXAN: "Abbott Directs Texas Rangers Investigation Into 'Islamic' EPIC City Development" THE TEXAN
> TPR: "Bipartisan push to allow proxy voting for new lawmaker parents" TPR
> KXAN: "Austinites likely to vote on a bond package in 2026, what you need to know" KXAN
> HOU CHRON: "Ex-HISD president testifies she accepted $17K in bribes at Walmart parking lot" HOU CHRON
> DMN: "Trump Media lists on NYSE Texas, handing early boost to exchange" DMN
> HOU CHRON: "Fort Bend deputy disciplined after 2 Black teens mistakenly detained" HOU CHRON
> MRT: "CDC teams with Texas to tackle 75% rise in drug poisoning deaths" MRT
> MRT: "Dow wants to power its Texas manufacturing complex with new nuclear reactors instead of natural gas" MRT
> MRT: "Store, harvest, fix: How Texas can save its water supply" MRT
> TPR: "Mishandled from beginning to end: How a 9-year-old Texan died when family, neighbors and police raised concerns" TPR
> KXAN: "Amber alert issued for two Rockdale children" KXAN
EXTRA POINTS
Recent Texas sports scores:
Mon
> NCAAW: #2 TCU vs. #1 Texas
> MLB: Texas at Cincinnati
> NBA: Brooklyn at Dallas
> NBA: Houston at LA Lakers
> NHL: Dallas at Seattle
Tues
> MLB: Texas 1, Cincinnati 0
> MLB: San Francisco 3, Houston 1
> NBA: Orlando 116, San Antonio 105
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 11:40am: MLB: Texas at Cincinnati
> 3:10pm: San Francisco at Houston
> 7pm: NBA: Utah at Houston
> 7:30pm: NBA: Atlanta at Dallas
> 8pm: NBA: San Antonio at Denver
TEXAS A&M MEN'S BASKETBALL: "Texas A&M basketball: Buzz Williams leaving Aggies for Maryland job" AAS ($)
DALLAS COWBOYS: Sherrington: "If Jerry Jones keeps screwing up, it might be time to consider trading Micah Parsons" DMN ($)
HOUSTON ASTROS: "Texas Rangers place 3B Josh Jung on 10-day IL with neck spasms" Houston Chronicle ($)
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