Friday, August 28, 2026
JUDGE TO SCOTUS: IT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL, STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE SUPREMES!
By Nate Raymond
Reuters
BOSTON - A federal judge on Thursday blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing core parts of a new rule it adopted at President Donald Trump's direction that would tighten mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November congressional elections.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston issued a temporary restraining order at the behest of Democratic-led states and voting rights groups after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday issued a ruling that led to the lifting of earlier injunctions blocking Trump's plans to restrict mail-in voting.
That decision led to a frantic effort by dozens of Democratic state attorneys general and voting rights groups including the League of Women Voters to renew their legal fight and secure an order that would prevent the USPS from enforcing a rule that was allowed to take effect on Wednesday.
In Thursday's ruling, Talwani said the rule risked preventing citizens from casting ballots by mail unless states secure the Postal Service's sign-off on the envelopes used for that purpose and upload information on each voter into an electronic portal run by the agency.
The judge said the agency had presented no evidence regarding fraudulent mail-in voting that would necessitate such a rule, which she said likely was unlawful and adopted in violation of the U.S. Constitution, which gives states the authority to administer elections.
"USPS's interest in correcting an unsubstantiated problem through likely unconstitutional means is dwarfed by the overwhelming risk of pervasive disenfranchisement of citizens who need access to mail ballots in order to vote," she wrote.
The restraining order Talwani issued will remain in place for 14 days while she considers whether to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction blocking the rule. The judge plans to consider whether to do so during a September 3 hearing.
Reuters
BOSTON - A federal judge on Thursday blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing core parts of a new rule it adopted at President Donald Trump's direction that would tighten mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November congressional elections.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston issued a temporary restraining order at the behest of Democratic-led states and voting rights groups after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday issued a ruling that led to the lifting of earlier injunctions blocking Trump's plans to restrict mail-in voting.
That decision led to a frantic effort by dozens of Democratic state attorneys general and voting rights groups including the League of Women Voters to renew their legal fight and secure an order that would prevent the USPS from enforcing a rule that was allowed to take effect on Wednesday.
In Thursday's ruling, Talwani said the rule risked preventing citizens from casting ballots by mail unless states secure the Postal Service's sign-off on the envelopes used for that purpose and upload information on each voter into an electronic portal run by the agency.
The judge said the agency had presented no evidence regarding fraudulent mail-in voting that would necessitate such a rule, which she said likely was unlawful and adopted in violation of the U.S. Constitution, which gives states the authority to administer elections.
"USPS's interest in correcting an unsubstantiated problem through likely unconstitutional means is dwarfed by the overwhelming risk of pervasive disenfranchisement of citizens who need access to mail ballots in order to vote," she wrote.
The restraining order Talwani issued will remain in place for 14 days while she considers whether to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction blocking the rule. The judge plans to consider whether to do so during a September 3 hearing.
To read rest of article, click on link: https://www.newsbreak.com/news/4853641086585-judge-blocks-rule-implementing-trump-plan-to-restrict-mail-in-voting?s=dmg_local_email_bucket_3.web2_fromweb&emailId=Jj4bNka&uid=209603484&exp=nl_bucket_exp26q2_10pct-v4%2Cnl_bucket_exp26q3-v2%2Cnl_bucket_exp_26_3-v25%2Cnl_max_conversion_exp2-control%2Cs3_based_embedding_rollout-control&nl_tag=national_breaking
Thursday, August 27, 2026
LAW-AND-ORDER ABBOTT FREES ICE AGENT WHO SHOT MIGRANT IN MINNESOTA AND THEN LIED TO FEDERAL OFFICIALS
By Mitch Smith and Ernesto Londoño
New York Times
(Ernesto Londoño reported from Brownsville, Texas)
An immigration officer facing state charges in connection with a shooting in Minneapolis was released from jail on Thursday after Republican officials in Texas prevailed in an extradition battle with their Democratic counterparts in Minnesota. It is unclear whether the agent will ultimately answer those charges in court.
The officer, Christian Castro of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, had been jailed for the last three months in Cameron County, Texas, while Minnesota officials sought to have him sent north to face assault charges related to a shooting in January that wounded a Venezuelan immigrant.
Sheriff Manuel Trevino of Cameron County said Mr. Castro was released just before 7 a.m. local time.
The case has tested the limits of state powers in an era of deep political mistrust.
It is rare for federal agents to face state criminal charges for on-duty conduct, and the Trump administration has argued that the charges Minnesota prosecutors have filed against Mr. Castro are illegitimate. It is also exceedingly rare for one governor not to act on a request from another to extradite a criminal defendant, as Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has done.
Because Mr. Castro did not agree to leave Texas, where he lives, Minnesota officials needed Mr. Abbott to approve a request to extradite him. But Mr. Abbott, a Republican, has so far declined to act on the request from Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, a Democrat. Because Texas law limits detention in extradition cases to 90 days, Mr. Castro had to be freed on Thursday.
Minnesota officials have said they were worried that Mr. Castro would flee to Mexico if he was released, and they filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to force the Texas governor to act. But Mr. Abbott’s lawyers said he needed more time to determine whether Mr. Castro was eligible for extradition. The judge sided with Texas on Wednesday, finding that there was no proof that Mr. Abbott was acting in bad faith.
Mr. Castro was among the thousands of federal agents sent to Minnesota last winter as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which resulted in violent clashes between agents and residents, thousands of arrests and three shootings.
Mr. Castro was accused of shooting a Venezuelan man, Julio C. Sosa-Celis, on Jan. 14 after a long car chase and short foot pursuit with Mr. Sosa-Celis’s roommate.
State prosecutors said Mr. Castro fired through the door of a home, striking Mr. Sosa-Celis in the leg. They charged Mr. Castro in mid-May in state court in Minneapolis with four counts of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
Mr. Castro, who returned to Texas shortly after the shooting, did not travel to Minnesota to face the charges. He was arrested in Texas in late May on a warrant from Minnesota.
Mr. Castro has not publicly addressed the charges against him, and he did not respond to requests for comment through a jail messaging system in recent months.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, federal officials backed Mr. Castro and accused Mr. Sosa-Celis and his roommate, who is also from Venezuela, of engaging in a sustained attack with a broom and a shovel.
Days after the shooting, Mr. Sosa-Celis and his roommate were charged in federal court with assaulting a law enforcement officer. But federal prosecutors dismissed the case in February after investigators determined, based on a video of the encounter, that agents had likely lied about the events that led to the shooting.
Federal officials have said they were investigating the agents involved in the shooting, though no federal charges have been announced.
(Ernesto Londoño reported from Brownsville, Texas)
An immigration officer facing state charges in connection with a shooting in Minneapolis was released from jail on Thursday after Republican officials in Texas prevailed in an extradition battle with their Democratic counterparts in Minnesota. It is unclear whether the agent will ultimately answer those charges in court.
The officer, Christian Castro of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, had been jailed for the last three months in Cameron County, Texas, while Minnesota officials sought to have him sent north to face assault charges related to a shooting in January that wounded a Venezuelan immigrant.
Sheriff Manuel Trevino of Cameron County said Mr. Castro was released just before 7 a.m. local time.
The case has tested the limits of state powers in an era of deep political mistrust.
It is rare for federal agents to face state criminal charges for on-duty conduct, and the Trump administration has argued that the charges Minnesota prosecutors have filed against Mr. Castro are illegitimate. It is also exceedingly rare for one governor not to act on a request from another to extradite a criminal defendant, as Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has done.
Because Mr. Castro did not agree to leave Texas, where he lives, Minnesota officials needed Mr. Abbott to approve a request to extradite him. But Mr. Abbott, a Republican, has so far declined to act on the request from Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, a Democrat. Because Texas law limits detention in extradition cases to 90 days, Mr. Castro had to be freed on Thursday.
Minnesota officials have said they were worried that Mr. Castro would flee to Mexico if he was released, and they filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to force the Texas governor to act. But Mr. Abbott’s lawyers said he needed more time to determine whether Mr. Castro was eligible for extradition. The judge sided with Texas on Wednesday, finding that there was no proof that Mr. Abbott was acting in bad faith.
Mr. Castro was among the thousands of federal agents sent to Minnesota last winter as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which resulted in violent clashes between agents and residents, thousands of arrests and three shootings.
Mr. Castro was accused of shooting a Venezuelan man, Julio C. Sosa-Celis, on Jan. 14 after a long car chase and short foot pursuit with Mr. Sosa-Celis’s roommate.
State prosecutors said Mr. Castro fired through the door of a home, striking Mr. Sosa-Celis in the leg. They charged Mr. Castro in mid-May in state court in Minneapolis with four counts of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
Mr. Castro, who returned to Texas shortly after the shooting, did not travel to Minnesota to face the charges. He was arrested in Texas in late May on a warrant from Minnesota.
Mr. Castro has not publicly addressed the charges against him, and he did not respond to requests for comment through a jail messaging system in recent months.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, federal officials backed Mr. Castro and accused Mr. Sosa-Celis and his roommate, who is also from Venezuela, of engaging in a sustained attack with a broom and a shovel.
Days after the shooting, Mr. Sosa-Celis and his roommate were charged in federal court with assaulting a law enforcement officer. But federal prosecutors dismissed the case in February after investigators determined, based on a video of the encounter, that agents had likely lied about the events that led to the shooting.
Federal officials have said they were investigating the agents involved in the shooting, though no federal charges have been announced.
YOU CAN VOTE ANYWAY YOU WANT (BUT NOT BY MAIL) AS LONG AS I WIN
While the decision lifted a block that applied to some states, a nationwide block still remains.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
STOP THE LAND GRAB OF OUR BOCA CHICA LAND BY EXTREMIST MUSK
Can you attend the City meeting this Saturday at 4?
By South Texas Environmental Justice Network's Post
Elon Musk wants to take over 8,292 acres of land in South Texas to build up his dangerous SpaceX rocket facility. Right now, Elon Musk is pressuring the Federal Government to give him 715 acres of wildlife habitat land for SpaceX in South Texas.
By South Texas Environmental Justice Network's Post
Elon Musk wants to take over 8,292 acres of land in South Texas to build up his dangerous SpaceX rocket facility. Right now, Elon Musk is pressuring the Federal Government to give him 715 acres of wildlife habitat land for SpaceX in South Texas.
Elon Musk’s company town, “Starbase,” is also attempting to annex about 7,133 acres of private and public land and 444 acres of City of Brownsville land. Sign our petition to oppose giving away more land in South Texas to Elon Musk. This land giveaway must not be allowed to proceed because it would allow Elon Musk and SpaceX to destroy more wildlife, prevent families and fishermen from accessing Boca Chica Beach, and cause people to lose property rights.
Why is this bad?
Elon Musk’s company town of Starbase and his SpaceX rocket facility must not be allowed to expand an additional 8,292 acres in South Texas. Allowing this to happen would destroy pristine wildlife habitat and force longtime private landowners to live under a town controlled by Elon Musk, and potentially lose their land if SpaceX claims eminent domain to expand. 
This major land grab would be so this trillionaire can increase the size and scale of his dangerous, unnecessary SpaceX rocket launches, which are damaging people’s homes, dumping pollution on the beach and into Mexico, disrupting airplane flights, and sucking up massive amounts of wealth. NPR article with more information about the land grab: https://www.npr.org/2026/08/17/nx-s1-5910496/elon-musk-starbase-texas-spacex
Tell members of Congress and local elected officials to oppose more land for Elon Musk and SpaceX!
Starbase, TX, is a company town created in May 2025, where the commissioners and the majority of the 200 residents have developed ties to SpaceX. Starbase was formed to support SpaceX's growth, enabling it to increase the number of dangerous rocket launches at Boca Chica Beach.
Tell members of Congress and local elected officials to oppose more land for Elon Musk and SpaceX!
Starbase, TX, is a company town created in May 2025, where the commissioners and the majority of the 200 residents have developed ties to SpaceX. Starbase was formed to support SpaceX's growth, enabling it to increase the number of dangerous rocket launches at Boca Chica Beach.
Starbase is not a normal town in any way. Starbase is closed off from the general public and secretive; they’ve banned drones over their town, banned airplanes overhead, installed private security gates on their streets, and have passed harsh ordinances or state laws against the public.
One of the laws is the Texas Critical Infrastructure law, which deems the entire town of Starbase “critical infrastructure,” such that anyone entering the town could be arrested immediately and potentially face felony charges and extreme jail time.
Longtime residents of Boca Chica do not want to be forced to live in a company town led by racist, fascist Elon Musk with extreme laws, which are designed to limit free speech. Starbase has also made it difficult for affected landowners to voice their opposition during the annexation process, and it doesn’t allow the public to comment virtually, nor does it provide video recordings of the meetings.
“Why another sneaky move to take and control what is residents’ property without individual proper notifications & clear intentions to individual landowners, devaluing our properties and unconsciously destroying this unique ecosystem?” - Robin, landowner impacted by Starbase Annexation
Petition is by the South Texas Environmental Justice Network: https://actionnetwork.org/.../petition-stop-elon-musks...
Social Media: www.sotxejn.org and @SOTXEJN on Instagram and Facebook
“Why another sneaky move to take and control what is residents’ property without individual proper notifications & clear intentions to individual landowners, devaluing our properties and unconsciously destroying this unique ecosystem?” - Robin, landowner impacted by Starbase Annexation
Petition is by the South Texas Environmental Justice Network: https://actionnetwork.org/.../petition-stop-elon-musks...
Social Media: www.sotxejn.org and @SOTXEJN on Instagram and Facebook
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
2026 YEAR OF DECISION: ELECT A CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY JUDGE WITH A CARTEL-LINKED PEDIGREE, OR A PROVEN ADMINISTRATOR WITH INTEGRITY?
By Juan Montoya
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
U.S. Dept. of Justice
Reforma
Various Sources
This year, Cameron County voters are approaching a watershed moment November 3 in the election for county judge.
Will they elect Steve Guerra, the Democratic candidate with familial links to the Gulf Cartel, or will they repeat what they have done at least five other times and elect his Republican opponent – this time Mauro Garza – instead?
The Republicans were Tony Garza Jr., who was elected three times and went on to become Texas Secretary of State and then U.S. embassador to Mexico. Cascos was elected twice and followed Garza by being appointed as Texas SOS. Could history repeat itself?
Guerra beat incumbent Eddie Treviño after a nasty internecine Democratic Party runoff where his anonymous proxies used misinformation and innuendo charging Trevino sold Boca Chica Beach to SpaceX's Elon Musk, that he received shady under-the-table construction contracts, and pictured him as a rodent, or a "rata."
He is now calling upon his opponent and those of his followers he maligned for party "unity" to face his opponent Garza in the November 3 general election. Is this a case where party loyalty demands too much?
In contrast, Garza's campaign for his party's nomination refrained from maligning his competition and urges putting "county before party and people before politics."
But it is Guerra's Gulf Cartel connection that should give county voters cause for concern. This is not hearsay. It is documented across genealogy, court cases citation, and U.S. Department of Justice cases, evidence, and press statements.
There is no dispute or cause for defamation or libel (the truth is its own defense against libel) to say that Guerra:
GRANDFATHER WAS FOUNDER OF GULF CARTEL
* Is the grandson of Cartel del Golfo founder Juan N. Guerra, whose criminal organization was headquartered in Matamoros and northern Tamaulipas and used violence and coercion to gain control of smuggling routes and bribed officials at every level of government. (That's Don Juan in the white hat and Juan Abrego Garcia standing with a white Styrofoam cup in his hand). Rivals were eliminated.
HIS FATHER UNCLE OF JUAN GARCIA ABREGO, RUTHLESS GULF CARTEL BOSS
* That Steve Guerra's father is the uncle of Juan Abrego Garcia, who took over the Gulf Cartel after Juan N. Guerra retired and passed away.
García Abrego was convicted on 22 counts including money laundering, drug trafficking, intent to distribute and running an ongoing criminal enterprise. After a four-week trial, a jury needed only 12 hours to convict García Abrego on all charges. He was sentenced by the presiding judge to 11 consecutive life terms, and is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Florence, ADMAX, (commonly known as ADX Florence) in Florence, Colorado. His rivals were often eliminated.
HIS AUNT SANDRA MEDINA GUERRA: PRICE FIXING, CONSPIRACY TO MONOPOLIZE
* That Steve is the nephew of Sandra Guerra Medina, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services and one count of conspiracy to monopolize the same market. Guerra also agreed to pay fines as part of their plea agreements. According to the DOJ of the Southern District of Texas, Guerra was involved in a long-running and violent conspiracy which involved price fixing, extortion and money laundering. She joined seven others who also entered guilty pleas for their various roles in a scheme to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios border region near Harlingen and Brownsville.
Some of their rivals and transmigrantes who did not comply with their enforced monopoly disappeared and were eliminated.
STEVE'S OWN LINKS TO CARTEL HUACHICOL
After months of denying any link between him and the importation of petroleum products into Mexico, documentation from the Mexican government, the Texas secretary of State, state district court records, and federal sources have linked Brownsville Navigation District chairman Steve Guerra directly to shipments between his Warrior Fuel Traders Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) and Pyrodiesel Del Cento SA de CV, named by the Federal Criminal Intelligence Center of Mexico as a principal in the smuggling of fuel by the Mexican cartels.
Guerra was first elected to the BND board in 2018 and appointed chair in 2022. He was reappointed to the position in May 2024. He beat Trevino in the Democratic Party runoff and is running against Mauro Garza in the general election this November 3.
A lawsuit in state court outlined a debt of Guerra's LLC of non-payment to Key Performance Petroleum Company of Navasota, Texas in just a month.
In that lawsuit, Key Performance president Mark Jackson filed an affidavit October 26, 2022 in support of his company's lawsuit demanding payment of an outstanding balance of $333,484.47 and attached copies of 24 invoices totaling shipments of diesel and other petroleum products they had shipped at Warrior Fuel Traders' request over a a month's period in 2020 that had not been paid. Guerra was served the next day, October 27.
In that lawsuit, Key Performance president Mark Jackson filed an affidavit October 26, 2022 in support of his company's lawsuit demanding payment of an outstanding balance of $333,484.47 and attached copies of 24 invoices totaling shipments of diesel and other petroleum products they had shipped at Warrior Fuel Traders' request over a a month's period in 2020 that had not been paid. Guerra was served the next day, October 27.
Before that, Warrior Fuels had been doing business for close to two years. Key Performance local agent Lindsay Clark, of Brownsville, was named as the local seller.
In Cause No: 2022-DCL-05154-I plaintiff Key Performance lists a systematic record of transactions that made up the outstanding balance of Warrior Fuel Traders, LLC.
Government investigations revealed that Warrior Fuel Traders/Steve Guerra was in direct business with Pyrodiesel Del Cento SA de CV. Pyrodiesel has been named as a principal in fuel smuggling activities (huachicol) of petroleum by the Federal Criminal Intelligence Center of Mexico. https://es-us.noticias.yahoo.com/huachicoleros-controlaban-puertos-pa%C3%ADs-060000638.html
Invoices to Warrior Fuel Traders from Key Performance indicate the diesel and petroleum products were shipped through Eagle Pass, Texas and delivered to Pyrodiesel. The Warrior Fuel Traders LLC was registered with the Texas Secretary Of State April 13, 2020 and its certification was forfeited June 24, 2022.
"The identification of the modus operandi: First modus operandi, the fuel is purchased in the United States and then imported into Mexico, where it is sold to various companies. These companies are responsible for distributing it through marketing and transportation companies, selling the fuel at a lower price than the one established in the national market.
"To this end, they use cloned gasoline and diesel import declarations to simulate the legal origin of the hydrocarbons, allowing them to legitimize the multiple sales they make," the Federal Center for Criminal Intelligence (FGR) analysis details.
"The identification of the modus operandi: First modus operandi, the fuel is purchased in the United States and then imported into Mexico, where it is sold to various companies. These companies are responsible for distributing it through marketing and transportation companies, selling the fuel at a lower price than the one established in the national market.
"To this end, they use cloned gasoline and diesel import declarations to simulate the legal origin of the hydrocarbons, allowing them to legitimize the multiple sales they make," the Federal Center for Criminal Intelligence (FGR) analysis details.
This November 3, you, the voters will decide who to entrust with the future of their families and the welfare of Cameron County.
IS GBEDC SHOOTING BLANKS IN "PIE IN THE SKY" SPACE DEFENSE "VISION" BID?
Jovanna Rangel, senior director of defense and space affairs for Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation., and GBEDC Director Gilbert Salinas.
By Juan MontoyaOn its face, it sounds like a natural next step for the fledgling space-related manufacturing and engineering hub sprouting in South Texas, specifically, Brownsville.
Since SpaceX is already here launching its prototype craft in preparation for man's return to the moon and Saronic Technologies has agreed to come to the Port of Brownsville to establish its maritime drone manufacturing plant, it seemed the natural next to pour development money to promote the "vision" to establish an "ecology" for a defense and space zone to" protect these emerging strategic assets before vulnerabilities become challenges."
In an address permeated with space-related and defense buzzwords, senior director of defense and space affairs Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation (GBEDC, formerly the GBIC) Jovanna Rangel, appeared before the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veterans’ Affairs to push the "vision."
"I'm here today on behalf of our president, CEO Gilberto Salinas, and our board of directors. I appreciate the committee's attention to this important interim charge and the opportunity to share what we are seeing on the ground in one of Texas' fastest-growing aerospace and defense regions.
"The Greater Brownsville EDC is a regional economic development organization responsible for attracting investment, supporting business expansion, developing industrial sites, and creating opportunities that strengthen our regional economy," she told committee members.
"Today, one of our highest priorities is building a defense and space ecosystem that positions Brownsville as a strategic asset for both Texas and our nation...We're intentionally building an ecosystem that supports aerospace, maritime, advanced manufacturing, autonomous systems, and national defense. That includes the planning of infrastructure necessary to support the next generation of strategic industries."
As romantic as this sounds, Rangel and her GBEDC bosses and board seem to be ignoring something. the GBEDC is the city's Type A economic-development corporation, which administers a dedicated ¼-cent local sales tax operating solely with Brownsville sales-tax revenue. It is supposed to attract industry to provide good-paying jobs to local residents, not outside scientists and engineers.
And there is a major difference between announcing a "vision" and having a project capable of attracting state or federal defense-and-space funding.
What are the taxpayers funding, a project or a dream?
Just because SpaceX is next to the City of Brownsville, its expertise does not automatically become GBEDC’s expertise because SpaceX happens to operate nearby. Likewise, Saronic's announced coming to the Port of Brownsville doesn't either. And, more importantly, who are its academic partners in research and development and defense expertise and necessary infrastructure?
In her remarks, Rangel touted the GBEDC "vision" and informed committee members of the organization's efforts to establish a defense and space zone – "a place where industry, innovation, workforce, and infrastructure come together to support both economic growth and national security objectives."
As part of that effort, she said, GBEDC has spent the last several months engaging with "partners" at every level of government.
"In Washington, D.C., We have met with the Department of Defense, including the Office of Small Business Programs, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, NASA, and the National Defense of Industrial Association..."
The GBEDC, she said, is "actively engaged with growing pipelines of aerospace, maritime, and defense-related prospects, evaluating opportunities in our region. These conversations reinforce that Brownsville is becoming increasingly attractive for industries that contribute to our nation's defense and industrial base."
Putting aside the rhetoric, has Rangel and GBEDC Director Gilbert Salinas and the board compared the qualities between Brownsville and another competitor for a similar zone? Look at what's happened with El Paso's Borderplex application.
The Borderplex Alliance has operated since 2013 and has spent years building economic-development experience. And when specialized expertise was required, it used outside specialists. Its senior economic-development leadership includes engineering and manufacturing experience. Ultimately brought forward something more substantial than a vision:
El Paso's Space Innovation Hub contemplated using U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command personnel and had government, private-sector and academic participation. It also contemplated capital improvements and included plans for a specialized SCIF — a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility for sensitive/classified work.
Then Borderplex Alliance received a conditional Texas Space Commission approval of $19.758 million for its Space Innovation Hub..
El Paso's Space Innovation Hub contemplated using U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command personnel and had government, private-sector and academic participation. It also contemplated capital improvements and included plans for a specialized SCIF — a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility for sensitive/classified work.
Then Borderplex Alliance received a conditional Texas Space Commission approval of $19.758 million for its Space Innovation Hub..
El Paso had more than a decade of organizational experience, outside specialized expertise, a defined
Space Innovation Hub, a Space Force connection, a specialized secure facility, an identified use for the money, and a conditional approval approaching $20 million. Even then, the original funding mechanism didn't work.
Space Innovation Hub, a Space Force connection, a specialized secure facility, an identified use for the money, and a conditional approval approaching $20 million. Even then, the original funding mechanism didn't work.
Texas’ original Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund (SEARF) request was approximately $3.4 Billion, but only $150 million was originally appropriated and committed across 24 projects to recipients include organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines, UT Austin and Rice University. These organizations did not compete with a vision alone. They brought combinations of engineers, scientists, technology, facilities, research institutions, federal relationships and defined projects.
Then the original award was revoked. El Paso's Borderplex had to return through a different Direct Award process before the $19.758 million grant was ultimately executed. El Paso was far beyond simply announcing an idea, and its still encountered a major funding obstacle.
That is the competition against BEDC's "vision."
What does Brownsville have?
SpaceX received up to $7.5 million from the Texas Space Commission for its Gigabay Starship facility at Starbase, not Brownsville or the GBEDC. SpaceX received the money, not Brownsville, not the GBEDC. Not the proposed Defense and Space Zone. SpaceX developed the technology, employs the engineers, built the experience. SpaceX qualified for the award. not GBEDC.
Yes, SpaceX is an extraordinary regional asset, as will be Saronic. But SpaceX’s expertise does not automatically become GBEDC’s expertise because SpaceX happens to operate nearby. And Saronic actually helps demonstrate the difference between a vision and a real project. It has a defense-technology company. It has technology. It has products. It has engineers. It has defense customers and federal relationships. And it is developing Port Alpha at the Port of Brownsville.
Having SpaceX and Saronic in the region is unquestionably an economic advantage. But their qualifications do not automatically transfer to an economic-development corporation.
Having a hospital in your city does not make the EDC a medical expert. Having a manufacturing plant does not make the EDC a manufacturing engineer. And having SpaceX and Saronic nearby does not automatically make an EDC an expert in aerospace engineering, defense acquisition, DoD contracting, cybersecurity, ITAR/export controls, classified facilities or space systems.
So the questions for GBEDC are straightforward:
What defense and space expertise does GBEDC itself possess? What qualified specialists has it hired or formally partnered with? What defense or space projects has it successfully developed? What federal mission has it secured? What contracts has it secured?
What state or federal funding has been awarded specifically to this Defense & Space Zone?
Yes, SpaceX is an extraordinary regional asset, as will be Saronic. But SpaceX’s expertise does not automatically become GBEDC’s expertise because SpaceX happens to operate nearby. And Saronic actually helps demonstrate the difference between a vision and a real project. It has a defense-technology company. It has technology. It has products. It has engineers. It has defense customers and federal relationships. And it is developing Port Alpha at the Port of Brownsville.
Having SpaceX and Saronic in the region is unquestionably an economic advantage. But their qualifications do not automatically transfer to an economic-development corporation.
Having a hospital in your city does not make the EDC a medical expert. Having a manufacturing plant does not make the EDC a manufacturing engineer. And having SpaceX and Saronic nearby does not automatically make an EDC an expert in aerospace engineering, defense acquisition, DoD contracting, cybersecurity, ITAR/export controls, classified facilities or space systems.
So the questions for GBEDC are straightforward:
What defense and space expertise does GBEDC itself possess? What qualified specialists has it hired or formally partnered with? What defense or space projects has it successfully developed? What federal mission has it secured? What contracts has it secured?
What state or federal funding has been awarded specifically to this Defense & Space Zone?
Brownsville officials themselves describe their Defense & Space Zone as a “long-term vision,” and taxpayers should treat it as exactly that until the evidence demonstrates otherwise. And how many cushy, high-paying jobs for friends and how many years will it take before a single job comes to Brownsville residents?
"Vision" is where Brownsville says it wants to go. Reality is what Brownsville can prove it has today.
"Vision" is where Brownsville says it wants to go. Reality is what Brownsville can prove it has today.
Monday, August 24, 2026
10 CANDIDATES DRAW FOR A PLACE ON THE BISD ELECTION BALLOT
(*Incumbent)
PLACE 1 (Unopposed)
*1. Carlos A. Elizondo
PLACE 2
*1.Denise Garza
2. Jorge Diaz
3. Victor M. Caballero
PLACE 4
*1. Frank Ortiz
2. Cecy Noriega
PLACE 7
1. Steve Torres
2. Nelda Rocha
3. Marisa Franco Leal
*4. Nelda Ruth Soto-Grantland
Early Voting Oct. 19-30
Election day November 3
TRUMP CONTINUES MINORITY VOTER SUPRESSION UNDER THE GUISE OF "VOTER INTEGRITY"
Peter Tucker Cartoon
Special to El Rrun-RrunThe right to vote is supposed to be exercised freely, without intimidation, pressure, or fear.
The Justice Department’s plan to deploy a large number of election monitors to heavily Democratic jurisdictions raises serious questions about how those monitors will be selected, where they will be sent, and whether their presence will protect voters — or make some voters feel watched.
The Justice Department’s plan to deploy a large number of election monitors to heavily Democratic jurisdictions raises serious questions about how those monitors will be selected, where they will be sent, and whether their presence will protect voters — or make some voters feel watched.
Election monitoring itself is not new. Politicizing it would be something very different.
Americans should not have to wonder whether the people standing outside a polling place are there to protect the integrity of an election or to influence the people walking through the door.
Free elections depend not only on accurate vote counts, but on every eligible voter feeling safe enough to cast a ballot.
That principle should be nonpartisan.
WHAT DO CPS SAN ANTONIO AND BROWNSVILLE PUB HAVE IN COMMON? MELLIE ZAMORA LANDIN!
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
MYSA, San Antonio News
Only a handful of major Texas metros are forced to use city-owned electric providers. San Antonio, Austin and Brownsville are among them, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is now vying to take on these municipal “monopolies.”
Abbott vowed to make a legislative push next year to break up local markets and introduce private power producers to San Antonio. He expressed frustration that CPS's Energy's service area exceeds San Antonio’s city limits, yet 14 percent of the agency’s gross revenue funds nearly 30 percent of the city’s general fund budget.
In Brownsville, the Brownsville Public Utility Board transfers an average of $10 million – sometimes an additional million or two – to balance its annual municipal budget each year. Its members are appointed by the city commission. Abbot says that – if he gains reelection in November – he will take on CPS and PUB to end their "monopoly."
But when we looked at the CPS website, we noticed a familiar face. It was Melissa Zamora Landin, the Pleasanton native who first came to Brownsville as a reporter for the Brownsville Herald, a mentor at the Texas Southmost College newspaper the Scorpion, a city commissioner, public information officer for the Cameron County Judge's Office, a PIO for the District Attorney's Office and an ad agency executive, to name a few.
She also had a stint as the director of the City of Harlingen Convention and Visitors Bureau also served as the city’s public information officer in 2016 but left in February 2017.
Landin was fired for “insubordination or other disrespectful conduct,” according to the city’s notice of termination. Neither the city nor her office provided details for her dismissal.
In July 2019, Landin managed to get hired by the the Falfurrias Board of Aldermen to supervise city departments, support maintenance of the city budget and to represent the municipality vis-a-vis community groups and state and federal governments. She has been working in different places across the state, and now she is with CPS.
Now, she is identified as a business strategist, a "changemaker(?)," Scenario Planner, Inclusive Leader and People Advocate."
It is possible that if Abbott succeeds in getting reelected and going after CPS and the BPUB, attorneys and administrators for the utilities will work together. If so, it is very possible that Landin will work in tandem with PUB reps to defend their entities. If so, the unsinkable Mellie Z. will have come full circle.
EXCUSE ME, FOLKS! I RESEMBLE THAT REMARK!
(Ed.'s Note: One of our observant readers in far-flung Edinburg sent us this photo of ECISD board candidate Sandra Avila who bears an uncanny resemblance to the well-known actor on the left. None of her supporters or advisors, apparently, noted the resemblance. But as always, someone di and there it is. Good luck to her.)
MYTHBUSTER MONDAY: GORGAS DID NOT DISCOVER THE SOURCE, CURE FOR YELLOW FEVER
PLAQUE CREDITING GORGAS WITH "DISCOVERY" OF SOURCE OF YELLOW FEVER AT OLD POST HOSPITAL AT TECXAS SOUTHMOST COLLEGE
(The oft-repeated local lore that Dr. William Gorgas discovered the source and cure cure for yellow fever while stationed at Ft. Brown has been cast in bronze. The plaque above is on the entrance to the Texas Southmost College president's office. For the edification of local residents and that of many others, we repost this article on the real discoverer of the cause of yellow fever.)
By Juan Montoya
In fact, he was clueless that mosquitoes carried the disease and never discovered the cure at all.
This didn't stop the UTB-TSC website (now TSC) listing the historical buildings from stating that Gorgas, "is credited with proving the mosquito carried the disease and finding ways to eliminate it. His efforts virtually eliminated yellow fever."
A memorial plaque was placed on the Fort Brown hospital building (above) presented in a ceremony by the Brownsville Historical Association (BHA) and Brownsville Junior College to commemorate Gorgas in February, 1949.
Then, of course, there's the romantic angle. According to this legend, Gorgas met his future wife Miss Marie Cook Doughty as he was staring into the open grave at the Ft. Brown National Cemetery prepared for her when he was asked by another doctor to read a burial service for his future wife-to-be. He tended to her and, of course, she survived and they lived happily ever after as a sort of yellow-fever tag team trouncing the disease around the world.
Mythbuster:
By Juan Montoya
"Dr. William Crawford Gorgas discovered the cure for yellow fever while he was stationed at Ft. Brown."
Sorry. Despite the weasel-wording on the large bronze plaque in front of the Arnulfo Oliveira Library (now the Student Center) at Texas Southmost College, Gorgas did not discover the cure for yellow fever here.
This didn't stop the UTB-TSC website (now TSC) listing the historical buildings from stating that Gorgas, "is credited with proving the mosquito carried the disease and finding ways to eliminate it. His efforts virtually eliminated yellow fever."
Later that same year the BHA, in conjunction with other organizations, were able to have Gorgas elected to the Hall of Fame. Gorgas Drive and the TSC’s Gorgas Science Foundation also bear the name of the doctor."
In fact, this romantic character even died on the right day, July 4, 1920.
The real discoverer that the disease was carried by mosquitoes was Dr. Carlos Juan Finlay, a Cuban, or to be more PC, an Hispanic. His discovery led researchers like Walter Reed and other leading medical investigators of the time to re-examine their thinking and consider Finlay's meticulous research.
The Philip S. Hench Yellow Fever Collection web page states that:
"Periodic epidemics of yellow fever ravaged the population of Finlay's native Cuba, particularly affecting the citizens of Havana, where he set up a medical practice in 1864. Finlay was intensely interested in epidemiology and public health, and his initial work on cholera – the result of a severe outbreak of the disease in Havana in 1867 – challenged the received wisdom of medical authorities.
(By the way, Gorgas received a medical degree from New York's Bellevue Hospital Medical College in 1876 and joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps in 1880, years after Finlay's research had begun. He didn't get to Ft. Brown until 1882 and stayed until 1884.)
"For twenty years of his professional life, renowned Cuban physician and scientist Carlos J. Finlay stood at the center of a vigorously debated medical controversy. The etiology of yellow fever – its causes and origins – had puzzled medical practitioners since the earliest recorded cases of the disease in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
"His conclusion that the disease was waterborne, though later verified, was rejected by publishers at the time. Finlay soon afterwards began research on yellow fever, publishing his first paper on it in 1872. Here the same keen observations and logical deductions which informed his analysis of cholera lead him to propose in 1881 that the Culex mosquito be "hypothetically considered as the agent of transmission of yellow fever."
When the Walter Reed Yellow Fever Commission decided to test the mosquito theory, Finlay provided the mosquitoes, and with the Commission's first scientifically valid success, Walter Reed wrote triumphantly, "The case is a beautiful one, and will be seen by the Board of Havana Experts, today, all of whom, except Finlay, consider the theory a wild one!"
The full run of experiments at Camp Lazear vindicated Finlay's two-decade-long struggle. In the glow of that early success, Reed acknowledged that "it was Finlay's theory, and he deserves much for having suggested it."
Gorgas, who later applied the results of the experiments to a public health campaign which made possible the construction of the Panama Canal, characterized Finlay's contribution in this way: "His reasoning for selecting the Stegomyia as the bearer of yellow fever is the best piece of logical reasoning that can be found in medicine anywhere."
Sunday, August 23, 2026
SECOND GAME OF MEXICO'S LLWS TEAM TODAY
Next Matchup: Mexico vs. Nicaragua, Latin America (August 23, 2026, at 10:00 A.M. CT on ESPN)
For the second time in just three years, Municipal de Tijuana, Little League little league team will represent Mexico in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.
The border city sluggers clinched the Mexican championship last month with an 8-2 blowout of historic favorites, Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
The team beat the Australia Region team 7-1 on August 21, 2026, advancing to the second round.
The team beat the Australia Region team 7-1 on August 21, 2026, advancing to the second round.
HERE COME THOSE COMMIES WITH THEIR DAMN LIBERAL AGENDA!
Liberals, not Democrats. Learn the difference and the history.
Good people did that, I'm sick of this political nonsense, liberals can do wise conservative things too, it's not one party against the other one, that is for the game of bridge, Us against Them, not real life, life is not a game.
Not to mention passing the G.I. Bill. How many small business loans financed Republican small businesses. We get the same thanks every Saturday at the golf club for the five day work week too.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM...NUNCA!
Special to El Run-Rrun
Mexican American graduate Jennifer Rocha honored her farmworker parents with graduation photos in the fields that shaped her journey.
Jennifer Rocha graduated from UC San Diego in 2021 and returned to the California fields where she had worked alongside her migrant farmworker parents since high school.
Jennifer Rocha graduated from UC San Diego in 2021 and returned to the California fields where she had worked alongside her migrant farmworker parents since high school.
She said the photos were meant to honor their sacrifices and the lessons that pushed her toward higher education. Rocha earned a sociology degree focused on law and society.
Josh Gates
The term Mexican American implies she is a natural citizen of America of Mexican decent, so, great her parents worked to put her in school, so did mine. I could have taken my graduation photos at my dads bakery, or took them washing the dishes because mom was a stay at home mom. We should all celebrate our parents who loved us, took care of us, and raised us. That is AMERICA.
Latzky Yaz
now that is very inspiring to not forget where your roots come from and respectively honoring your family and its roots good for her and that is what new generations forget or overlook.
Josh Gates
The term Mexican American implies she is a natural citizen of America of Mexican decent, so, great her parents worked to put her in school, so did mine. I could have taken my graduation photos at my dads bakery, or took them washing the dishes because mom was a stay at home mom. We should all celebrate our parents who loved us, took care of us, and raised us. That is AMERICA.
Latzky Yaz
now that is very inspiring to not forget where your roots come from and respectively honoring your family and its roots good for her and that is what new generations forget or overlook.
Gloria Perales
I worked doing this for 27 years so my children didn’t have to, but they knew how hard it was because they worked weekends, too until they graduated,. Oldest joined the Marines, second works in Doctor’s office, third and fourth work at Sysco for over 20 years .
I worked doing this for 27 years so my children didn’t have to, but they knew how hard it was because they worked weekends, too until they graduated,. Oldest joined the Marines, second works in Doctor’s office, third and fourth work at Sysco for over 20 years .
BLACKBIRD SINGING IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT...
Someone brought a coffin to Ruby Bridges’ elementary school.
Inside it was a Black doll.
Ruby was six years old.
On November 14, 1960, she arrived at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans to become its first Black student. Four federal marshals surrounded the tiny first grader as she walked toward a building that adults were determined to keep white.
Outside, segregationists screamed racial slurs and threats. White parents rushed inside to remove their children. Ruby later remembered thinking the enormous crowd looked like Mardi Gras.
Then she saw the coffin.
A woman repeatedly appeared with a Black doll displayed inside it, a grotesque death threat aimed at a child who had come to school to learn to read and write. Ruby later said the image frightened her more than the screaming and gave her nightmares. Another protester threatened to poison her, so federal marshals would only allow Ruby to eat food brought from home.
The punishment extended to her family. Her father lost his job. A grocery store refused to serve them.
Inside the school, nearly all the white children had been pulled out. Ruby spent first grade essentially as a class of one.
Inside the school, nearly all the white children had been pulled out. Ruby spent first grade essentially as a class of one.
Barbara Henry, a white teacher from Boston, taught her alone because other teachers refused. Ruby was kept away from the cafeteria and playground and required protection simply to use the restroom.
And yet, neither Ruby nor Barbara Henry missed a single day that school year.
That may be the detail worth remembering.
Hundreds of adults tried to frighten a six-year-old out of an elementary school.
They failed.
...TAKE THESE BROKEN WINGS, AND LEARN TO FLY...
Friday, August 21, 2026
THE PORT BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS THAT WORKS NOW..3 MONTHS AFTER THE ELECTION AND STEVE GUERRA COULDN'T DO THIS IN 8 YEARS?
Port of Brownsville
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Brownsville Navigation District (BND) Board of Commissioners at a regular meeting held Wednesday, Aug. 19, unanimously approved the adoption of a resolution establishing the maximum local-option residence homestead exemption allowed under Texas law for persons age 65 or older and for disabled persons.
"The Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners is proud to provide meaningful tax relief to residents in our communities," said Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez. "I commend my fellow commissioners as we remain united in our commitment to bring good paying jobs to the region while creating opportunities that enhance quality of life."
Under the resolution, pursuant to Section 11.13 of the Texas Property Tax Code, qualifying homeowners within the district will now receive an exemption equal to 100 percent of the appraised value of their residence homestead — the highest exemption permitted under state law.
The exemption applies to residence homesteads owned by individuals 65 years of age or older or by persons with qualifying disabilities and will be administered by the Cameron County Appraisal District in accordance with the Texas Property Tax Code. Qualifying property owners must file the required annual exemption application to receive the benefit.
Communities within the Brownsville Navigation District include Brownsville, Rancho Viejo, Los Fresnos, Indian Lake, and Starbase.
The exemption takes effect immediately upon adoption and will apply beginning with the 2027 tax year.
Residents with questions about eligibility or the application process may contact the Cameron County Appraisal District.
PANIC IN SAN BENE: SE SALEN! REMOVING THE ALCALDE NOT SO EASY, GUYS!
By Joe Rodriguez
Special to El Run-Rrun
Two San Benito City Commissioners placed on the August 18, 2026 Regular City Commission meeting the following Executive Session agenda item:
“Executive Session Item: Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 and Section 551.074, discussion and possible action regarding City Charter Article III, Sections 3.06 and 3.07, concerning vacancies, forfeiture of office, qualifications of elected officers, and procedures for their administration and enforcement, including standards of conduct and attendance.”
It does not take a ‘legal eagle’ or attorney well-versed in municipal government laws in Texas to know that a majority of city commissioners in Texas do not have the legal authority to unilaterally vote or force an elected mayor in Texas simply for walking out of an executive session.
Under the San Benito City Charter, removing a mayor requires strict adherence to constitutional due process or a citizen led recall.
A City Commission majority does not have the explicit statutory or constitutional authority to execute such an act without it being a political move. A city commission cannot remove a mayor elected by the people because they are angry about a walkout by the mayor.
Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan holds the office of Mayor via a mandate from the city’s majority of voters. The Mayor is neither an employee or appointee of the city.
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 21 governs the removal of the mayor if a commissioner (or a local citizen) believes a Mayor’s action(s) rises to the level of official misconduct or incompetence. Any elected official has a protected property interest in their elected office via Texas law and the U.S. Constitution.
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 21 specifically states that removing an elected local official requires a formal judicial removal proceeding (district court trial for official misconduct, incompetence, or intoxication) or a local citizen-led recall election. It is also called “due process”.
The statutory judicial removal process found in Subchapter B, Chapter 21 of the Texas Local Government Code applies specifically to general-law municipalities, not home-rule cities.
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees elected officials due process. The commission would have to issue formal written charges, provide ample notice, and hold a quasi-judicial public hearing where the mayor can defend himself with legal representation and with explicit legal grounds.
Home-rule municipalities like the City of San Benito derive their authority directly from Article XI, Section 5 of the Texas Constitution and Section 51.072 of the Texas Local Government Code, meaning the procedures and grounds for removing a city council member or mayor are controlled entirely by the city's own local charter rather than state statute.
Under the City Charter, a “forfeiture of office” generally applies to objective criteria such as moving outside the city limits or failing to maintain basic required qualifications and not political disputes or breach of meeting etiquette.
Bottom line, the real removal power belongs to the San Benito Citizens via a voter recall as dictated by the City Charter.
The City Commission majority cannot itself be appointed judge and jury. A valid and verified citizen initiated recall petition would put the onus (responsibility, duty, obligation) on the San Benito voters whether to or not to oust Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan from elected office.
Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan ran for Mayor with the slogan “Progress with Purpose”. There will obviously be roadblocks but I have confidence in him and I know Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan will deliver.
The next major test for Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan will decide whether the City Commission majority will agree with Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan and grant the city taxpayers a 2 cent reduction in property taxes.
FYI, After the last clean financial audit, the Total Fund Balance was $11.5 million. The total Unassigned Funds was $11.6 million. The City of San Benito also had $4.3 million in the 120-Day Reserve fund to meet minimum operating requirements. The city also has over $2.6 million committed for street improvements and specific city projects (equipment, grant payment, & CCRMA [Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority]). Source: City of San Benito web site.
IMHO, there are plenty of funds available to cover a 2 cent property tax reduction.
Special to El Run-Rrun
Two San Benito City Commissioners placed on the August 18, 2026 Regular City Commission meeting the following Executive Session agenda item:
“Executive Session Item: Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 and Section 551.074, discussion and possible action regarding City Charter Article III, Sections 3.06 and 3.07, concerning vacancies, forfeiture of office, qualifications of elected officers, and procedures for their administration and enforcement, including standards of conduct and attendance.”
It does not take a ‘legal eagle’ or attorney well-versed in municipal government laws in Texas to know that a majority of city commissioners in Texas do not have the legal authority to unilaterally vote or force an elected mayor in Texas simply for walking out of an executive session.
Under the San Benito City Charter, removing a mayor requires strict adherence to constitutional due process or a citizen led recall.
A City Commission majority does not have the explicit statutory or constitutional authority to execute such an act without it being a political move. A city commission cannot remove a mayor elected by the people because they are angry about a walkout by the mayor.
Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan holds the office of Mayor via a mandate from the city’s majority of voters. The Mayor is neither an employee or appointee of the city.
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 21 governs the removal of the mayor if a commissioner (or a local citizen) believes a Mayor’s action(s) rises to the level of official misconduct or incompetence. Any elected official has a protected property interest in their elected office via Texas law and the U.S. Constitution.
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 21 specifically states that removing an elected local official requires a formal judicial removal proceeding (district court trial for official misconduct, incompetence, or intoxication) or a local citizen-led recall election. It is also called “due process”.
The statutory judicial removal process found in Subchapter B, Chapter 21 of the Texas Local Government Code applies specifically to general-law municipalities, not home-rule cities.
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees elected officials due process. The commission would have to issue formal written charges, provide ample notice, and hold a quasi-judicial public hearing where the mayor can defend himself with legal representation and with explicit legal grounds.
Home-rule municipalities like the City of San Benito derive their authority directly from Article XI, Section 5 of the Texas Constitution and Section 51.072 of the Texas Local Government Code, meaning the procedures and grounds for removing a city council member or mayor are controlled entirely by the city's own local charter rather than state statute.
Under the City Charter, a “forfeiture of office” generally applies to objective criteria such as moving outside the city limits or failing to maintain basic required qualifications and not political disputes or breach of meeting etiquette.
Bottom line, the real removal power belongs to the San Benito Citizens via a voter recall as dictated by the City Charter.
The City Commission majority cannot itself be appointed judge and jury. A valid and verified citizen initiated recall petition would put the onus (responsibility, duty, obligation) on the San Benito voters whether to or not to oust Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan from elected office.
Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan ran for Mayor with the slogan “Progress with Purpose”. There will obviously be roadblocks but I have confidence in him and I know Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan will deliver.
The next major test for Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan will decide whether the City Commission majority will agree with Mayor Dr. Pete Galvan and grant the city taxpayers a 2 cent reduction in property taxes.
FYI, After the last clean financial audit, the Total Fund Balance was $11.5 million. The total Unassigned Funds was $11.6 million. The City of San Benito also had $4.3 million in the 120-Day Reserve fund to meet minimum operating requirements. The city also has over $2.6 million committed for street improvements and specific city projects (equipment, grant payment, & CCRMA [Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority]). Source: City of San Benito web site.
IMHO, there are plenty of funds available to cover a 2 cent property tax reduction.
SIN PELOS EN LA LENGUA: BEING A SUPER POWER CARRIES RESPONSIBILITIES
THE STRAIT AND SKINNY...
IRAN...
AND UKRAINE
Thursday, August 20, 2026
UNANIMOUS PORT OF B'VILLE BOARD VOTES TO ELIMINATE PORT TAX FOR 65+ HOMEOWNERS EFFECTIVE FY 2027
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Brownsville Navigation District (BND) Board of Commissioners at a regular meeting held Wednesday, Aug. 19, unanimously approved the adoption of a resolution establishing the maximum local-option residence homestead exemption allowed under Texas law for persons age 65 or older and for disabled persons.
"The Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners is proud to provide meaningful tax relief to residents in our communities," said Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez. "I commend my fellow commissioners as we remain united in our commitment to bring good paying jobs to the region while creating opportunities that enhance quality of life."
Under the resolution, pursuant to Section 11.13 of the Texas Property Tax Code, qualifying homeowners within the district will now receive an exemption equal to 100 percent of the appraised value of their residence homestead — the highest exemption permitted under state law.
The exemption applies to residence homesteads owned by individuals 65 years of age or older or by persons with qualifying disabilities and will be administered by the Cameron County Appraisal District in accordance with the Texas Property Tax Code. Qualifying property owners must file the required annual exemption application to receive the benefit.
Communities within the Brownsville Navigation District include Brownsville, Rancho Viejo, Los Fresnos, Indian Lake, and Starbase.
The exemption takes effect immediately upon adoption and will apply beginning with the 2027 tax year.
Residents with questions about eligibility or the application process may contact the Cameron County Appraisal District.
WITH SAUCEDA STEPPING DOWN AS P.D. CHIEF, B'TOWN HAS TWO DEPUTY C.M.s
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Brownsville – once again – has a caretaker government.
Yesterday, the City of Brownsville announced the search for a new chief of police after the city commission – a few months ago – promoted Brownsville police Chief Felix Sauceda to co-deputy city manager, joining Doroteo Garcia Jr. 
The current city manager, Alan Gard, has made it known that he will gladly step aside to tend to his ailing wife when and if his replacement can be found.
Sauceda, meanwhile, will remain police chief while the search is ongoing. Once the police chief position is filled, he will serve as full-time co-deputy city manager, along with Garcia Jr.
According to the job listing, the salary range is $168,000 to $214,000 annually, depending on qualifications. The application deadline is Monday, Aug. 31.
According to the job listing, the salary range is $168,000 to $214,000 annually, depending on qualifications. The application deadline is Monday, Aug. 31.
Sauceda and Garcia have openly sought the CM position, but the city commission now requires certification, something that Gard – after some four decades in city management – has recently acquired. Both Garcia ad Sauceda have traveled to various cities and undergoing training to get it.
Former CM Helen Ramirez was hired by the City in March of 2019 and earned her designation from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).designation July 2024, five years later.
How long it will take Sauceda and Garcia to get it is anybody's guess. Until then, any new city manager candidate will have to have it, so it may mean that as a result of the certification requirement we will have a city manager from outside the city - lacking any border experience - for years to come.
Former CM Helen Ramirez was hired by the City in March of 2019 and earned her designation from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).designation July 2024, five years later.
How long it will take Sauceda and Garcia to get it is anybody's guess. Until then, any new city manager candidate will have to have it, so it may mean that as a result of the certification requirement we will have a city manager from outside the city - lacking any border experience - for years to come.
Waiting in the wings are Deputy City managers Doroteo Garcia and Felix Sauceda
A MILLION HERE, A MILLION THERE ADDS UP TO REAL MONEY...
Reports and watchdog estimates suggest that Donald Trump’s golf trips have cost U.S. taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, with some estimates exceeding $70 million during certain periods.
Much of the cost comes from Secret Service protection, Air Force One flights, local law enforcement, and securing private golf properties.
Critics argue that this is excessive public spending on presidential leisure, while supporters say similar security costs apply to any sitting president.
The debate raises a simple question: How much should taxpayers pay for presidential golf trips?
GUEST EDITORIAL: BROWNSVILLE IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS THAT MATTER
By Dr. Laura E. Cisneros
Candidate, Texas State Rep., D-38
Brownsville deserves more than promises. It deserves solutions.
For more than three decades, I practiced medicine. As a physician, I learned very early that before you can treat a problem, you first have to understand what is causing it. If a patient wasn't getting better, I
couldn't simply repeat the same treatment and hope for a different result. I had to ask questions, review the evidence, consult when necessary, and sometimes reconsider the original diagnosis.
I believe government should approach problems with that same seriousness.
Brownsville faces challenges that affect families every day: flooding that repeatedly threatens homes and businesses; young people struggling to find a pathway from the classroom to a good-paying career; rising property taxes; healthcare access; aging infrastructure; and the long-term security of our water supply.
The same approach should apply to education.
If a young person repeatedly struggles to pass a college-readiness examination, our first response shouldn't simply be, "Take it again."
We should ask why.
This isn't about finding someone to blame.
It's about finding what works.
As your State Representative, that is the approach I would take to Austin: listen first, gather the facts, bring the appropriate people to the table, identify solutions, fight for the necessary resources, and then measure whether those solutions actually worked.
In the coming weeks, I will discuss some of the challenges affecting our community and the practical role state government can play in addressing them. I won't pretend that every problem has an easy answer. But I do believe every problem deserves serious attention.
And when something isn't working, we shouldn't be afraid to ask why – or to find a better way. Brownsville's future deserves that kind of effort.
Candidate, Texas State Rep., D-38
Brownsville deserves more than promises. It deserves solutions.
For more than three decades, I practiced medicine. As a physician, I learned very early that before you can treat a problem, you first have to understand what is causing it. If a patient wasn't getting better, I
couldn't simply repeat the same treatment and hope for a different result. I had to ask questions, review the evidence, consult when necessary, and sometimes reconsider the original diagnosis.
I believe government should approach problems with that same seriousness.
Brownsville faces challenges that affect families every day: flooding that repeatedly threatens homes and businesses; young people struggling to find a pathway from the classroom to a good-paying career; rising property taxes; healthcare access; aging infrastructure; and the long-term security of our water supply.
These problems didn't develop overnight, and they won't be solved with slogans.
Over the coming weeks, I want to use this column to examine the issues that matter to Brownsville families and to ask some basic questions:
Over the coming weeks, I want to use this column to examine the issues that matter to Brownsville families and to ask some basic questions:
*What is actually causing the problem?
*What has already been tried?
*What worked?
*What didn't?
*Who is responsible?
*And, most importantly, what can we do differently?
Brownsville residents have watched familiar streets flood after heavy rainfall. We repair roads, reconstruct intersections and build new projects, but families understandably want to know whether the underlying drainage problems are being solved.
Flooding remains one of the most persistent concerns facing Brownsville families and businesses.
Take flooding.
Brownsville residents have watched familiar streets flood after heavy rainfall. We repair roads, reconstruct intersections and build new projects, but families understandably want to know whether the underlying drainage problems are being solved.
Flooding remains one of the most persistent concerns facing Brownsville families and businesses.
We need to look beyond temporary fixes and ask whether our road, drainage and infrastructure investments are addressing the underlying problem – and what additional resources and coordination are needed from Austin.
Education
The same approach should apply to education.
If a young person repeatedly struggles to pass a college-readiness examination, our first response shouldn't simply be, "Take it again."
We should ask why.
*Is the student academically unprepared?
*Was there an unidentified learning disability?
*Does the student need a different instructional approach?
*Are we unintentionally creating barriers between capable young people and careers in which they could excel?
Those are questions worth asking.
Those are questions worth asking.
Economic Development
Economic development deserves the same scrutiny. When we celebrate millions – or billions – of dollars in new investment coming to our region, we should also ask:
* How many Brownsville residents are being trained and hired for those jobs
*What those jobs pay, and
*Whether that investment is improving the lives of families who already call this community home.
* And up front, what's the environmental trade-off required
Answers, not the "blame" game
This isn't about finding someone to blame.
It's about finding what works.
As your State Representative, that is the approach I would take to Austin: listen first, gather the facts, bring the appropriate people to the table, identify solutions, fight for the necessary resources, and then measure whether those solutions actually worked.
In the coming weeks, I will discuss some of the challenges affecting our community and the practical role state government can play in addressing them. I won't pretend that every problem has an easy answer. But I do believe every problem deserves serious attention.
And when something isn't working, we shouldn't be afraid to ask why – or to find a better way. Brownsville's future deserves that kind of effort.
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