Max Powers

Jaime Abeytia and Hispanic Cultural Center Subcommittee

Next week on the City Council Consent Agenda are appointments for the Hispanic Cultural Center Subcommittee.

District 5 City Representative Michiel Noe, who represents the Eastside, is appointing former El Paso County employee, Jaime Abeytia, to that committee.

Per the El Paso County Appraisal District, Jaime Abeytia's house is located at:

13427 Cypress Point Court
Socorro, TX 79928

Also per the El Paso CAD, Jaime Abeytia himself is located at:

13427 Cypress Point Court
Horizon City, TX 79928-6496

Either Jaime himself or the El Paso CAD is not sure whether he exactly resides in Socorro or Horizon City.

But one thing for sure is that Mr. Abeytia does not live in El Paso.

City Representative Noe is appointing a non-El Paso resident, a non-El Paso resident who does not pay property taxes to the City, to inform decisions regarding a City expenditure.

Yet more interesting still is that it appears the City does not conduct criminal background checks on appointees.  As you all may recall, Mr. Abeytia pled guilty to breach of community security and is on probation as a result.  This does not take into account other legal peccadilloes Mr. Abeytia has.

Then there is the issue of his leaving the County.  No reason was giving, but it has to be rather interesting that Jaime gave up or was pushed up out of employment to be...unemployed.

So City Representative Noe is using his political capital for a non-El Paso resident with a criminal past and questionable employment history. 

This like that time City Representative Emma Acosta appointed Larry Medina to some city post.

Take it back. 

It's worse. 

We can forgive Acosta for being dumb, but Noe?

Was it really that hard for Noe to find someone in his district without a criminal past, that is employed and is Latino who would like to serve on this subcommittee?

This may explain Jaime Abeytia's recent charm offensive of Forma Group client, City Representative Cortney Niland.  Jaime has his panties all in a twist about Forma because Forma actually gets paid to consult.  If anyone could torpedo Jaime's nomination it would be Niland.

But I hope Niland and Forma Group were not bought by Jaime with a couple of blog posts.

 

 

 

It's Marisa Marquez's Fault

Over on Jaime Abeytia's end of the internet he has a piece on Ysleta ISD Trustee Marty Reyes decision not to seek re-election, where he states:

But you know what else is true? The fact that she was the loudest voice at YISD against having transparency with campaign financial reporting.

This is the first election cycle for her that candidates for school boards will have to file financial reports.

And she's not running.

You do the math.

"She" of course is Marty Reyes.

Campaign financial reporting?

I think what my friend Jaime was trying to say was personal financial statements.

Yeah, that's the thing State Representative Marisa Marquez passed in the last legislative session - requiring school board trustees in El Paso County to file personal financial reports.

That's the thing that Canutillo ISD Trustee Armando Rodriguez showed up drunk - quite naturally - on Xtra to debate against this effort by Marquez.

So because of Marquez and her interest in transparency we can blame her for Marty Reyes decision NOT to run.

Ysleta ISD totally got hosed by losing someone not into the whole transparency thing like Marty Reyes....for shame. 

But because Jaime is too scared to blame Marquez, well, I am here to do it.

I blame Marisa "Meanie" Marquez.  

El Paso Electric's Bottom Line

El Paso Times' Vic Kolenc wrote a recent piece about El Paso Electric's profit.

Maybe it was Kolenc or maybe it was somebody else, but the headline "El Paso Electric's profit was $91.4M in 2014; higher rates wanted in 2016" does nobody any favors.

We all know everybody hates El Paso Electric.

And certainly when people see $90 million in profit it only fuels that hatred.

A more appropriate headline would have been "After generating $600M in Revenue, El Paso Electric's profit was $91.4M in 2014."

Even then my headline is still kinda crude, but a lot less crude than the El Paso Times' headline.

When you look at El Paso Electric's revenue vs profit, you kinda realize "Shit, they ain't so greedy after all."

Hell, some of you might at actually look at your margins and say "Damn, I do better than El Paso Electric."

Then they rest of you will go buy iPhones and won't bat an eye at Apple's margin yet find a way to bitch and moan about El Paso Electric being greedy and stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

El Paso Times, You're Welcome.

Well, what I posted about yesterday, the El Paso Times wrote about today.

But what I don't get about the El Paso Times' story is why didn't Marty Schladen not call Mayor Oscar Leeser or County Judge Veronica Escobar regarding their thoughts on having communications made on private devices available to the public?

Instead of asking them, Marty does them a solid and calls the lobbyists representing the governmental associations that represent the County and City of El Paso respectively.   Of course, lobbyists rarely, if ever, like to be quoted.  Marty knows that, or at least he should know that.

Stephanie Townsend Allala's Revenge

I won't rehash the whole Stephanie TownsenD quest to get former City Representative Steve Ortega to release his emails and what not from his private cell.

But there is something of interest afoot in Austin.

You won't read it in the El Paso Times because all it has in the Austin is a copy-writer, not a reporter.

You'll have to the read the Dallas Morning News to hear where Allala' case is headed...besides court.

It's headed to the Legislature.

That's right.

A state representative from Corpus Christi, Todd Hunter, has filed legislation that would allow the public to sue to get information from public officials made on private communication devices.

That sound you heard from County Judge's office was an "Oh, shit!  Now people want to know about the emails I sent to Max."

But I digress.

If that bill were to become law that would change everything, and not necessarily for the better.

Y'all heard of Carlo Gambino?  He founded and ran the Gambino crime family knowing little to no English.   The FBI was all over his ass, but he still ran his business without saying a word.  This kind of legislation will spawn more Gambinos, not less. 

Will this legislation move forward?  Maybe...only after it is seriously amended.  That or you will find folks use crafty ways to protect their information.

Right now, you could not file an open records request on State Representative Mary Gonzalez's efforts on a particular bill.  That sort of thing is protected from an open records request.  If it was not, there would be an ongoing legislative massacre in Austin on people killing other people's bills.  I would not be surprised open record requests are denied based on some sort of competitive nature grounds.

But hey, you all really want to see all the dick pics State Representative Cesar Blanco sent to State Representative Mary Gonzalez.

 

 

 

Why THIS Latino Cultural Center Is A Bad Idea

El Paso will have a Latino cultural center, but it will be shitty and done for all the wrong reasons.

First of all, I do not think it is necessary, but if you are going to build one, build one right.  That though is wishful thinking.

The folks pushing for the center are upset of the idea that the center be part or next to a Children's Museum. 

That itself really shows their hand.

Who is your audience? Children isn't it?  This the group that you want to show all of the contributions made by Latinos? 

Never mind, there is also the very practical consideration of what that move would be bring to the center - people. Yes, I hear of these other cities with their Latino centers.  But guess what?  As far as attendance goes, I am sure there are more people that will walk through the Starbucks on Gateway and Airway than visit this center or centers in other cities. If you want people to come to this thing, build it where the people go.

Now, let's get a little more cynical now.

Why wouldn't you put this place next to or inside a Children's Museum?  Because you have no programming that would bring people in, or at least programming that would educate folks about Latino contributions. 

This place is meant to be an El Paso Club, but an El Paso Club for folks like Alicia Chacon, Belen Robles, and the like.

They do not want children there.

99 percent of El Paso does not give a shit that Alicia Chacon was the first Latina County Judge.  Seriously.   Children even less so.

It's all about that 1 percent...that 1 percent of sycophants that run in different El Paso political circles.  

Hence a Latino Cultural Center.  There you will see pictures and bios of Alicia Chacon, Jaime Esparza and so forth.  I am sure things will get tricky when you have to decide whether or not you should use Tati Santiesteban's mugshot as a framed picture. 

All this place will be is a hangout for Paul Moreno and others to throw "non-profit" fundraisers while knocking back Miller Lite and shitty tacos, while kissing each other's asses.

They will take a pride in the fact that once they are dead and gone, well, at least they will have a picture hanging up on the wall in the center.  I am guessing most of these people have come to the realization that they will not die and go to Heaven.   They will die and go to Hell, but anything left here on Earth, well, that makes the trip to Hell worth it.

 

What's A "White Guy"?

It's a serious question.

Over on Jaime Abeytia's end of the internet, he has a piece talking about a potential District 1 City Representative candidate, Manny Hinojosa.

Jaime had this little gem about Manny's prospects:

That being said, being Latino against two white guys helps. Well, not as much in District 1 as it does in other parts of the city. And with Gallardo in the race, that may be further negated. (emphasis added)

Two white guys? 

Rick Bonart and Peter Svarzbein?

That's odd...never mind for now that Latinos can be white, black, Asian, etc.

Why would you not consider Svarzbein "Latino"?

Svarzbein's father is from Argentina.  Argentina, in case you were wondering, is a Spanish-speaking country that is part of an area some call "Latin America".

Svarzbien's mother is half-Spaniard. 

So what gives?

I do not know if Svarzbein speaks Spanish or not, but if language is what makes a person Latino then County Commissioner David Stout is Latino and Commissioner Vince Perez is not.

Is it the way Svarzbein speaks English? Like a "white boy"?  Which is how Vince Perez sounds like if you are into labeling folks like that.

Have you heard Manny Hinojosa speak?  He doesn't exactly sound like Chente Quintanilla. 

Is it Svarzbein's name?  Which is bullshit because you can have a last name like "Glenn" as in "Guillermo Glenn" but be considered "Latino." Or here's one for you: Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld.  You are probably thinking "Kreutzberger Blumenfeld???"  Yea, your abuela knows him as Don Francisco from Sabado Gigante.

Is it Svarzbein's skin tone? Again, it's not like Manny Hinojosa looks like an Aztec warrior. 

Is it because Svarzbein is Jewish? Please see Don Francisco. 

As you see, when start to break it down it makes no sense at all....unless you're a racist, fat, and dumb hood-rat. 

The worst part of it is that it is not just Jaime that is pushing these ethnocentric bullshit (see Cultural Center, but more on that later).

 

 

El Paso Lent

Lent has begun.

Let us see what some folks around have given up for Jesus:

Rick Armendariz (Forma Group): Blogging.

County Judge Veronica Escobar: Happy Hour.

Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton: Being chismosa.

County Commissioner Vince Perez: Being the inner spoon.

State Representative Marisa Marquez: Whataburger.  Seriously.  She was on the right track losing weight, but something has happened. 

State Senator Jose Rodriguez: Being relevant.

State Representative Mary Gonzalez: Women.  Oh, I kid.  Mary has never been into women.  So for realz.  Trains.  Not talking about transportation.

Jaime Abeytia: Inappropriate sexual positions.  Oh, who am I kidding? The man can barely do a push-up let alone an inappropriate sexual position.  So for trill...employment.

Martin Paredes: His citizenship. That and Bobby Bowling's money. Oh, and copyright infringement.

City Representative Carl Robinson: Paying attention during City Council meetings.

Paul Foster: Rick Perry.

Deceased Commissioner Dan Haggerty:  Crown.  Oh, never mind.  Haggerty has actually been good lately about being sober.

Taylor Moreno: Banging guys whose last names are NOT Moreno.

City Representative Cortney Niland: Being so charming. 

District Attorney Jaime Esparza: Prosecuting Canutillo ISD Trustee Armando Rodriguez's DWI case.  Oh, wait he gave that up a long time ago.

City Representative Candidate Peter Svarzbein: (CONTENT REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF THE ADL)

Hector Montes: Chasing Stephanie.

 

Veronica Escobar's Refrigerators

The Commissioners Court is having to spend more money on the new County Administrator's office.

One item of interest that caught Commissioner Carlos Leon's attention was an expense for a refrigerator.

To which County Judge Veronica Escobar said that the ADA requires the employees have access to refrigerators to store medications.  She went on further to say every department gets that.

I am sorry if I am not an ADA expert, but is there a requirement that that there be a refrigerator within certain walking distance or that X amount of refrigerators need to be available on each floor?

This all seems a bit silly.

At least in the private sector, which Veronica Escobar has never been in, generally there is a refrigerator and it is in the break room.   There isn't a rule that every department gets one.

Escobar's reasoning borders on bullshit. 

She just wants another place to stash her meds...her white zinfadel and chardonnay.

 

 

Martin Paredes Eating a Lollipop...

...after eating a powdered donut. 

Why you would want all that sugar is beyond me. 

But some people like living on edge of being diagnosed with diabetes.

Martin Paredes  is really a sloppy eater.