Come join us in celebrating Labor Day at the 2010 Harris County Labor Day Weekend Celebration and BBQ Cook-Off hosted by the AFLCIO on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5, from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Pasadena Fairgrounds.

Cothrun states the importance of this race in her own words, “The Judges in family courts decide the most basic personal issues of family life: where your children live; the financial obligations of each parent in raising the children and the division of your property accumulated during the marriage, just to name a few. The families of Harris County deserve judges who know and will follow the law and will consider the individual facts and circumstances of each family.” Cothrun is a prime example of how all races down the ballot will have a big impact on how Houstonians live their lives for the foreseeable future.

Over 300 enthusiastic Democrats packed the room as we honored: Commissioner Silvia Garcia, Senator Mario Gallegos, Lenora Sorola-Pohlman, Tony Campos, Frumencio Reyes and Leonel Castillo. Master of Ceremonies, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia led the program along with keynote speaker, Former Senator Gonzalo Barrientos.

Speakers treated Democrats to a program that expressed sheer gratitude for the progress made by each Latino Trailblazer. With common themes such as investing in future generations, honoring those who have come before and making way for those who will come after in each of their speeches, presenters and Honorees served as an inspiration to all who attended. Longtime Democratic activist Tony Campos even brought many to tears with his stories of WWII and the hardships and challenges he faced as a Latino man in Houston.

The Brunch was a celebration of achievement and a reminder that although there is still work to be done, me must stop and appreciate those Trailblazers who have made the future possible.

Barack Obama recently referenced FDR’s statement and took it further:

I think that’s true for workers generally. I think if I was a coal miner, I’d want a union representing me to make sure that I was safe and you did not have some of the tragedies that we’ve been seeing in the coal industry. If I was a teacher, I’d want a union to make sure that the teachers’ perspective was represented as we think about shaping an education system for our future.

Like Roosevelt’s, Obama’s words were spoken in the midst of painful economic upheaval—the recession that almost became the second Great Depression.

So why are the benefits of joining a union so clear to presidents when the bottom falls out of the economy?

Several reasons.

In both cases, the revered financial sector failed our country and left working families with the disasters of joblessness, destruction of wealth and little hope for climbing out.

In both cases, the presidents realized that stimulating the economy—reviving consumption—was essential at a critical moment. And unions, which enable working people to bargain fairly with employers for decent wages and family-sustaining benefits, make that possible.

In both cases, presidents knew that if the powerful minority continued to grow more powerful and the rich minority grew richer while people who work for a living suffered horribly, the fundamentals of our nation would not be sustainable.

They knew what unions are—people. People who come together to improve their workplaces, improve their lives, strengthen their communities and have a real voice for social and economic justice in public policy.

They knew unions could build and now rebuild the middle class, the engine of democracy and of national prosperity.

They knew unions could make “Made in America” a symbol of national pride and an imprimatur that means quality.

They knew unions could bring balance to our workplaces and win protection from abuse—whether it was federal prohibition of child labor in Roosevelt’s day or crackdowns on dangerous coal mine operators and Wall Street rogues today.

I did work in a coal mine—so I know first hand how right President Obama was. In 1890, the mineworkers who came together in Columbus, Ohio to form their union were black and white, they spoke more than a dozen native languages. They had dirty, dangerous jobs. Bosses cheated them on paychecks, charged them for the tools they used and placed less value on their lives than on the lives of the mules hauling the coal.

But when they joined together as workers who shared a common fate, they began to build a better life. And when they built a better life for themselves, they helped build a better life for everyone in America. When they sent their children to college, America got a better education.

That’s what a union meant a hundred years ago, 70 years ago. And it’s what a union means today.

Our Houston Union movement continues to grow. Workers in all sectors are joining Unions to better their lives, from janitors to teachers to building trades to food service and hotel workers, they all understand how working people can come together to build a better life. To build a middle class. To build opportunity for the next generation. To foster social and economic justice at work and in our society. To strengthen democracy and spread prosperity throughout America.

Today’s unions—that’s who we are and this is what we are about.

E. Dale Wortham, President
Richard C. Shaw
Secretary-Treasurer
Harris County AFL-CIO Council

While many students were worried about finding their class and buying books, the Harris County Democratic Party focused on registering student voters at the University of Houston.  The Coordinated Campaign partnered with the Eta Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc., the Student Government Association (SGA) and the University Democrats to register voters.  We participated in the first day of class lunchtime event and the Cat’s Back clubs and organization fest.  We registered 72 voters for Harris County.  The Youth Outreach team also collected over 150 names and emailsfor individuals interested in learning more about or candidates and helping the Democratic Party turn Texas Blue!  With a little sweat and loads of enthusiasm, we will continue to engage our college campus through youth outreach!

Thursday, the campaign hosted our first “Field School”, an intense all day training aimed to arm our newly hired Field Office Managers with the knowledge and tools they will need to run successful satellite campaign offices. The new staffers were trained on Texas VAN, voter contact, outreach, grassroots organizing and volunteer recruitment. We are still in the process of opening campaign field offices across Harris County. Check to which office is nearest you!

Saturday morning, Campaign Manager Jamaal Smith spoke to the Sharpstown Democratic Club on our 500 Surge for Success Program and our plans to turn Harris County Blue this November.

The highlight of the weekend was without a doubt, the HCDP Brunch Honoring Latino Trailblazers held Saturday at the Sheraton Suites Galleria. Over 300 enthusiastic Democrats packed the room as we honored: Commissioner Silvia Garcia, Senator Mario Gallegos, Hon. Lenora Sorola-Pohlman, Tony Campos, Frumencio Reyes and the Hon. Leonel Castillo. Master of Ceremonies, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia led the program along with keynote speaker, Former Senator Gonzalo Barrientos.

Also in attendance were many of the candidates on this November’s ballot as well as Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Al Green who presented the honorees with Congressional Certificates of Honor.

The crowd was treated to many light moments and quite a few emotional ones, as we looked back at the history of the Latino community in the hopes of emulating these Trailblazers in the future. “Long overdue” was a phrase that came up often during the ceremony, and we are thankful for the opportunity we had to honor not only our Latino Trailblazers but also the Latino Community.

A special thank you once more goes out to our presenters, underwriters, sponsors and volunteers, without whom this event would not have been possible.

Commissioners Court approved Kaufman’s emergency plan this afternoon to spend $13.6 million to buy 2,325 electronic voting machines and supporting equipment.

“Your polling place is going to be open early and on election day. You’ll be able to vote conveniently as you’re accustomed to doing,” Kaufman said afterward.

Kaufman’s request included 1.4 million paper ballots, which will be distributed to polling stations as a backup in case a shortage of machines leads to long lines.

A fire before dawn on Friday destroyed the building that housed all 10,000 of the county’s voting machines. The cause of the blaze has not been determined, but arson investigators returned to 606 Canino today to continue their investigation, Houston Fire Department spokesman Patrick Trahan said.

The 27,800-square-foot warehouse and contents were a total loss. Kaufman said she expects to ask for more money before election day but had no estimate this afternoon on how much.

The county was insured for $41 million worth of materials in the building, as well as $1.5 million on the building itself, said David Kester, the county’s risk manager. Kaufman said it is possible the county could get even more insurance money to cover the costs of demolition and site cleanup, plus construction upgrades required to meet building codes established since the warehouse was built in 1976.

Kaufman continued her call for early voting as a way to head off long lines at the 739 election day polling stations. Early voting begins Oct. 18.

The Harris County Democratic Party proudly recognizes and celebrates the 90^th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage. Women’s suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. On August 26, 1920, it was granted to women in the United States as the 19^th Amendment was certified as part of the U.S. Constitution.

“What is forgotten now, 90 years later, is that a long and hard-fought struggle was necessary to gain the vote. Suffragists marched, chained themselves to the White House gates, went to prison, fasted and were force-fed to get the right to vote,” says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics.

The Harris County Democratic Party celebrates women, both in politics and out. We salute women professionals, single moms, stay-at-home moms, civic and community leaders, and all women officeholders representing Texans from city hall to Austin to Washington D.C. On this historic anniversary, we also applaud all of the women in our most impressive slate of Democratic candidates for election this November.

Paying her own way through college and law school, Bryan finished with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Texas and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. She then went on to clerk for the Honorable Homer Thornberry on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

She is a partner at Smyser Kaplan & Veselka and practices complex commercial litigation. Bryan has represented plaintiffs and defendants and has extensive trial and appellate experience. Bryan has participated in the Houston Bar Association, serving as a member of the Gender Fairness Committee, and co-chair of the Communities in Schools Committee, which offers a summer legal internship to students in at-risk high schools. She donates time to several charitable organizations, including The Children’s Fund, Kids’ Meals, The Nehemiah Center, the Houston Food Bank and Inprint, Inc. She has been married to her husband Trey Peacock for 16 years and they have three children. They attend St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

Four weeks of monsoon rain has destroyed villages, crops, bridges and roads, killed at least 1600 people, and left more than 4 million homeless. At least 20 million people – 1 in 5 Pakistanis – have been affected by the floods, including 3.5 million children who may be at risk from water-borne diseases.

We are not unfamiliar here in Southeast Texas and the Gulf coast, with the ravaging effects of flood waters, so please keep the people of Pakistan in your thoughts and please support aid to that nation: Pakistan Relief Fund.

The staff worked most of the day Thursday setting up satellite offices around the county. We picked up and delivered furniture and campaign materials to our Eastside, Alief, and Sunnyside offices. Thursday evening we participated in the Young Professional Democrats “Rally at the Creek Event” where special guest State Representative Ana Hernandez spoke and rallied the crowd.

We kicked off the weekend on the East End at our new satellite campaign office, joining efforts with Senate District 6 and the Bill White Campaign to host a brunch for Latino precinct chairs. It was standing room only as guests heard elected officials such as Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, State Representatives Ana Hernandez, Carol Alvarado, and Jessica Farrar, members of the Bill White team, and our own Coordinated Campaign Precinct Chair Coordinator, Natalie Rovira talk about what it is going to take to win this November. The event was a great success and we hope all of you will join us again as we host our Eastside Office Campaign Kickoff Rally on September 11th.

Saturday afternoon the campaign, in conjunction with candidate for State Representative in HouseDistrict 150, Brad Neal, celebrated the opening of our Spring Campaign Office. The event was attended by candidates Diane Trautman, Billy Briscoe, Ann Harris Bennett, Jim Sullivan and a representative from Loren Jackson’s campaign. HCDP Chair Birnberg discussed the importance of turning out Democrats in North Harris County and making every vote count. The campaign office will be operational during regular business hours and staffed full time by Brad Neal’s campaign manager, Ashley. We look forward to working out of the space and turning out the vote in November!

On Saturday, we also connected with some of our city’s top teachers at the Kinder Excellence in Teaching: Be the Change Dinner.  The Youth Outreach Coordinator reached out to teachers from across the city and encouraged them to get involved in the 2010 Coordinated Campaign.  The crowd of more than 500 received a welcome and charge from State Senator Rodney Ellis.  He reminded them that gubernatorial candidate, Bill White, has been a strong supporter of teachers and their efforts to close the achievement gap in the classroom.  Senator Ellis emphasized that the education systems in our State are not up to par and when teachers vote this November, they should consider which candidate is most committed to changing the status quo.  These educators applauded with enthusiasm and seem ready for more change this election year.

Saturday afternoon the Coordinated Campaign staff also put on our dancing shoes and participated in the Inner-City Catholic Association’s 3^rd annual Summer Zydeco Festival at St. Anne De Beaupre Catholic Church. Campaign staff and volunteers from Senate District 6 registered voters, signed-up volunteers, and passed out hand fans and campaign paraphernalia to fellow venders and to those in the dance hall. The crowds were fired up to the sounds of great zydeco bands and the reminder to vote in the general election. We would like to thank Phillip Isaac for his over 30 years of service in the US Armed Forces and Marie Ledet for allowing us to outreach at this community event.

The Coordinated Campaign was also in attendance at the Office Grand Opening for Gordon Quan Candidate for County Judge, and a Birthday BBQ for State Representative Ellen Cohen.