Results tagged “cityattorney”

Good morning, Houston. Seems like everyone's listening to iPods these days, eh? And even if you don't have one of the near-ubiquitous mp3 players, all might not be peace and quiet: As the AP notes, iPod-related noise pollution is a growing problem. It can happen in several ways, including people who turn their iPods up to top volume and others who sing along with the music in their heads. Bbut there are ways to...

Something we neglected to pick up from the weekend: According to the Chronicle, the city's attempt to curb the erection of billboards. But before you get too excited, it doesn't mean you'll start seeing less of the giant, landscape-blocking signs anytime soon — the city's current effort is aimed at one company that's putting up billboards just outside the city limit, in Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Something we missed over the weekend in the story of the city vs. The Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation: On Sunday, the Chronicle published a letter from former City Attorney John Wildenthal about agreements the city had made with social service agencies like The Center. You may remember that the Chron talked with Wildenthal, who served as city attorney from 1964 to 1966 under Mayor Louie Welch, about the situation last week, and...

Another development in the story of The Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation's attempts to stay on its West Dallas Avenue land: The Chronicle reports that high-powered law firm Baker Botts has agreed to represent The Center pro bono in its dealings with the city of Houston. As we said yesterday, The Center isn't going quietly. With regard to the city's claim that a 99-year lease The Center negotiated with former Mayor Lewis Cutrer in...

Houstonist has often seen the signs pointing the way to Fulshear and wondered what was going on out there — and now we know: Alleged carport theft! Seems Fulshear Mayor James W. Roberts has been indicted on charges of theft, official oppression and attempted official oppression related to a pair of carports that were removed from a resident's property. According to reports, the city was trying to get rid of the carports as part of...

Michael Kubosh, the Houston bail bondsman and red-light camera opponent who made headlines in September when his plan to intentionally run a light backfired, is finally going to have his day in court: According to the Chronicle, Kubosh plans to file a lawsuit against the city in state district court this week. At issue, Kubosh said, is that the city overstepped its authority by installing the red-light cameras, which issue civil citations to the registered owners of cars they catch running red lights at intersections across the city: "The city has gone outside their legislative authority," Kubosh told the Chron. "We just can't let this go because accidents increase at intersections where these things are put up."

Remember last weekend's story about Norman Fulton, the man who fell 12 stories down an elevator shaft while trying to escape from a stuck elevator at his Galleria-area condo in December? The death might have been prevented if elevators in the building where Fulton lived had been equipped with door restrictors, which prevent trapped passengers from being able to pry open the doors of a stuck elevator car before trained rescue personnel arrive to help them. And according to KTRK, many Houston buildings don't have door restrictors on their elevators.

Well, it looks like Mayor Bill White has given up on his quest to avoid holding a special election to fill former City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs' seat: Yesterday, the mayor asked for a special election to be held May 12, setting off a process he has estimated could cost as much as $4 million. White had planned to ask the state Legislature for an exception to Texas election law so that the city wouldn't have to hold a May election, then hold another election for the seat in November, but then he found out Sen. John Whitmire was going to block that plan.

Nearly two weeks after a speeding wrecker killed an elderly couple leaving a Bible study, the city has decided to tighten the rules governing how wrecker drivers are licensed under the Safe Clear program, Mayor Bill White announced yesterday. Among the changes in the process is a more stringent appeals process for wrecker drivers who are denied licenses. A retired HPD assistant chief will now preside over appeals (a sergeant did so before), and documentation...

More news on Houston's proposed stronger smoking ban: Marc Levin, an attorney who helped get a portion of Austin's smoking ban overturned on the basis of vague legal language, urged Houston City Councilmembers to postpone a vote on the expanded ban until the proposed ordinance can be reworded.

At Houstonist, we're always on the lookout for ways to stick it to the man — and today, we're happy to bring you one: Run a red light at a camera-controlled intersection by turning right or left. Even though it's an illegal turn, you won't get ticketed thanks to a loophole in the law governing Houston's new red-light camera system. Man, consider yourself stuck.

The next time you check a book out from the Sterling Municipal Library in Baytown, you're really going to want to make sure you return it on time. If not, you could be arrested, like Joanne Ibarra was on Tuesday. It's not like the police were hunting Ibarra down, but when she was pulled over for a traffic violation, the officer ran her record and found an outstanding warrant for a long-overdue library book. Ibarra...

Remember Houston's plan to sue online travel services for back hotel occupancy taxes? Yep, so does the city: City Attorney Arturo Michel said he hopes to have City Council approve a legal contract within the month. "We still plan on proceeding with it," Michel told the Chronicle. "We'll keep an open mind, but we've had a lot of good lawyers looking at it, and I'd be surprised if something happened that would change our minds."

The city has delayed its plan to sue online travel services for hotel occupancy tax revenue because the law firm set to represent the city has backed out. City Attorney Arturo Michel said Gibbs & Bruns was concerned over an April 11 memo from City Conteoller Annise Parker asking whether a suit against the online travel agencies would work.

The four employees of the mayor pro tem's office have been fired, the Chronicle reports: