HB 3664: A Bouquet of Central Planning

Assessing Tax Trends in Hidalgo County

Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in Hidalgo County? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the county’s 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and gather four types of data—i.e., tax levies, local population, total tax rates, and taxable values—over a 10-year time horizon. Using...

March 9, 2026

Economy

‘Sparkle Beach Ken’ Is Too Kind To Gavin Newsom

The California governor correctly figures that if he stays on offense, his own dismal record will be ignored — even if that offense is odd. Being Gavin Newsom means never having to explain yourself — being able to hurl accusations and nonsensical claims with nary a follow-up from the press. Newsom’s foray into the World...

January 23, 2026

Economy

Don’t Fence Me In: Lianne’s Story

Family, then finances—and opportunity. Those are what brought Lianne Halpern back to tiny Shamrock, a small, dusty stop on the famous Route 66 in the Texas panhandle. Like generations of Americans before, Lianne and her family had traveled west along that route in search of the golden promises of California. Lianne’s father worked in the...

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Kent Cho

Kent Cho

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Assessing Tax Trends in Hidalgo County

‘Sparkle Beach Ken’ Is Too Kind To Gavin Newsom

Don’t Fence Me In: Lianne’s Story