Monica Alonzo

Dallas Really Doesn't Care About City Government and Other Takeaways From Saturday's City Council Election

There was a City Council election on Saturday and, if you're like the vast majority of Dallas, you didn't notice. But whether you were paying attention or not, some important things were decided and some interesting trends emerged. Here's what you need to know: Angela Hunt's legacy: Saturday's mos ... More >>

Trinity East's Fracking Plans Might Be Screwed with the New Dallas City Council

Even with two seats in limbo, the complexion of the new Dallas City Council looks decidedly unfavorable for Trinity East, the would-be fracker from Fort Worth that paid the city millions for the rights to its natural gas. Because the Plan Commission voted against the company's drilling permits, four ... More >>

City Council Likely to Pass Gay Marriage Resolution, and Mayor Rawlings Isn't Happy

The Dallas Voice broke the news Tuesday that Councilman Scott Griggs had won the support from a majority of his colleagues for a resolution supporting marriage equality and would be putting the item on the City Council agenda for a vote. "It's timely, and it's relevant," Griggs later told the Morni ... More >>

Council Boots Gravel Plant Off Land Next to Elm Fork Soccer Complex

A few months ago, Joan Walne, chair of the city's Park and Recreation Board, sent a letter to the City Council to let them know that the board was not happy with a rock crushing plant right across the street from the $38 million Elm Fork Soccer Complex, which is set to open next year. They didn't l ... More >>

How Mayor Rawlings Saved Face, Kept Some Black Friends and Screwed Some Hispanic Ones in the Process

Oh, wouldn't you know it? Leave it to me to get all gooh-gooh-eyed and sweety-feets about things. Then cruel reality comes crashing in. It's because I'm just too innocent of heart. Just yesterday, I had my zither out singing softly to you about how the mayor had done the right thing in the municipa ... More >>

As Council Splits $329,000 Windfall, Mayor Rawlings Tells You Why Dallas' Pools Suck

The Dallas City Council is meeting this morning to decide how it wants to divide a last-minute, $329,000 windfall in the form of additional franchise fees from Oncor. In the context of the a $2.57-billion budget, it's peanuts, but it offers council members a way to fund their own pet projects, many ... More >>

America's War on Brown People Has Gone Too Far

A hostile Supreme Court. A feckless Obama administration. America's war on Mexicans has gone too far.

Comerica Donates $15,000 Worth of E-Books and Readers, Setting a Trend, Rawlings Hopes

With its budget shrinking and shrinking over the past several years, the Dallas library system has an acute need for a Daddy Warbucks. Several, actually. More specifically, branches need deep-pocketed donors who can pick up the public book-houses by the boot straps, smack them in the behind and prop ... More >>

Fort Worth Avenue Development Group Rides In With Money For Bike Lanes City Can't Fund

From a city briefing on bike lanes along Fort Worth Avenue that may now be funded with private money​We ended the year by lamenting City Hall's inability to implement the new Bike Plan due to two speed bumps -- the need for public hearings and the lack of money. But we begin the new year with word ... More >>

Rawlings Declares "Let The Dirt Fly" as City Council Approves Sylvan Thirty Zoning

Brent Jackson, at left, and Monte Anderson​Just after that totally delightful discussion on the voting habits of trees, after which the city council OK'd a new Walmart, there came another momentous development matter: the West Dallas mixed-use project known as Sylvan Thirty, the one we've been ... More >>

Last Week, Several From Dallas City Hall Took a Couple of Field Trips to the Justice Department

Photo by Anna MerlanDomingo Garcia and Delia Jasso at last night's redistricting confab​The answer is no, the question being: Will we ever stop writing about the city redistricting process? But it's been a little while, so let's review. Then we can discuss the dueling delegations who apparentl ... More >>

Council Votes Not to Suspend Its Rules, Which Means Jasso's New Map Won't Get Look-See

​In the end, the most surprising part of this afternoon's discussion at City Hall over whether to suspend the rules and allow redistricting brought back to the horseshoe is that there was no discussion at all. Sure, a few speakers came to the mic, among them Roy Williams and Marvin Crenshaw, the m ... More >>

Council to Vote Next Week on Suspending Rules to Bring Redistricting Back to Horseshoe

​Yesterday we confirmed the existence of council member Delia Jasso's amended council-districts map she hopes will replace the version the city submitted to the Department of Justice at the end of October. Actually, we were told, it wasn't really a map, more like a redo of District 1, with Jasso a ... More >>

Six Council Members Request Mayor Add "Redistricting Alternative" to Voting Agenda

​Speaking of issues with redistricting ...There's an online petition being virtually circulated concerning the new council districts map sent to the Department of Justice earlier this week; so far it's been signed by 105 who also want Justice to slap down the city's official submission. Among the ... More >>

"It's Time to Take Action": Latino Redistricting Task Force Pledges to Fight New Council Map

Photo by Anna MerlanDomingo Garcia and, sitting to his right, Scott Griggs at last night's meeting over the map in Oak Cliff​Last week we sat through a very long, very ugly city council meeting, which ended with the members narrowly adopting a new redistricting plan. At that time, council member D ... More >>

Race to the Finish: After Ugly Redistricting Meeting, Council (Barely) Settles on Map

​Yesterday afternoon, around 5:30, as a tiny audience sat in the city council chambers, former Mayor Dwaine Caraway came by and declared to Unfair Park, "I think we got something." That's right. A final redistricting map. Finally.Caraway spoke about three hours too soon, though. Last night at 8:30 ... More >>

Tune In Now For Today's Redistricting Fight

​Anna, of course, is at today's council briefing, where, Mayor Mike just said, they're going to spend the next 90 minutes or so fighting over the three council-submitted redistricting maps. She'll recap later today -- the mayor said they oughta wrap the chat at 11:30, though it could go longer. Bu ... More >>

Eight Outta 15 Council Members Like This Map, Which Caraway Says Still Needs "Tweaking."

​Another redistricting post, I know. Settle down. But this one's especially interesting: Dwaine Caraway, Tennell Atkins and Carolyn Davis have made it very clear that whatever the redistricting map ends up looking like, they want four "winnable" African-American districts. At last week's forum, th ... More >>

"A Moment of Truth for the City": Mayor Demands Council OK Flow Control. It Did.

​Brantley's been at Dallas City Hall for this morning's flow control vote, which began with that promised pre-game protest by the students of Paul Quinn College, who stood throughout the entire discussion that ran close to two hours. (Save for one protester, who fainted during the discussion, prom ... More >>

"Please, Respect": Council Seems to Settle on Combo Platter During Redistricting Meeting

Photo by Anna MerlanRoy Williams, whose lawsuit helped lead to 14-1, addresses the council during Saturday's redistricting meeting.​As the redistricting process goes on (and on and on), you might expect the public to become less involved, especially when a meeting takes place late on a college-foo ... More >>

Your First Look at the 10 (!) Amended Redistricting Proposals Submitted by Council

One of two maps submitted by Mayor Mike. All 10 are available here.​In the end, it would be quicker to name the council members who didn't submit amendments to the Redistricting Commission by Monday's 3 p.m. deadline: Sheffie Kadane, Angela Hunt, Jerry Allen and Sandy Greyson. Everyone else had so ... More >>

This Week in Council Memos: Members' Budget Wish Lists, Flow Control and Looking Ahead

​Those in need of a little light reading this Saturday morning will find on the other side the stack of heads-ups sent to the city council last night, the highlight of which will probably the proposed budget amendments offered by council members before Monday morning's briefing and straw vote. And ... More >>

If Mayor Mike Comes Knockin' On Your Door Tomorrow, He Just Wants You Back in School

​Got a robocall from the Dallas Independent School District last night asking me to help round up any truants I might know of. Sorry, wish I could help. Turns out, it was just a precursor to tomorrow's kick-off of Operation Graduation, which is now in its fourth year and involves city and district ... More >>

As Council Was to Take Up L.B. Houston Gas Drilling, It Retreated Behind Closed Doors

From today's council agenda​Council just wrapped discussing that police helicopter sale; Sandy Greyson, concerned about terrorist what-ifs, wanted it pulled from the consent agenda for further discussion, but the sale sailed through. This item's about something a little further down the agenda. As ... More >>

Because We Have Nothing Better to Do Than Pore Over Campaign Finance Reports

Photo by Sam MertenDonna Starnes raised more than former city council member Sandy Greyson in the race to succeed Ron Natinsky.​Now that you've had time to chew on our analysis of the mayoral candidates' fund-raising prowess, we thought it was time to take a quick look-see at how the city coun ... More >>

We Know What Illegal Means. So What?

Hodge Admits to Receiving More Than $30,000 From Potashniks, Using Campaign Contributions For "Personal Benefit"

Hodge landed herself quite a deal.​The indictment against Terri Hodge has always looked much more damning than the evidence facing the rest of the gang involved in the City Hall corruption case, and it turns out that, well, it's all true. Hodge admitted as much in her factual résumé, which s ... More >>