Road Rage
What to know: Humble ISD’s newly-hired superintendent is set to earn a whopping $335,000 per year. But that’s not all. The district also threw in a ton of other generous perks, like “a $1,000 monthly car allowance.”
The TPPF take: It’s outrageous that an elite few in government are getting rich at taxpayer expense.
“Superintendent compensation has veered wildly out of control. The problem is obvious not only on the salary side, but increasingly on the benefits side too. It’s obscene that any highly-paid public employee also receives a $1,000 monthly car allowance,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Texas taxpayers desperately need state lawmakers to step in and regain control.”
For more on super-size salaries, click here.
More Regulations
What to know: The city of Houston is considering new rules for AirBnB and other home-sharing rental apps.
The TPPF take: Cities across Texas are finding ever more creative ways to regulate away property owners’ rights.
“For homeowners, home-sharing restrictions mean lost income and curtailed rights,” says TPPF’s John Bonura. “For tenants, they translate to fewer housing options and higher prices. The losers in this equation? Everyone—except the bureaucrats enforcing the rules.”
For more on short-term rentals, click here.
Wildfires
What to know: The wildfires in California recently were “completely preventable,” according to a growing number of experts.
The TPPF take: This was no surprise; the Santa Ana winds blow every year.
“California is a big, rich state and it should have had a plan,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “Unfortunately, Gov. Gavin Newsom was too busy working on legislation to ‘protect’ California from the policies of the incoming Trump administration to attend to the critical issue of wildfire mitigation. Forest underbrush wasn’t cleared, controlled burns weren’t set and there wasn’t enough water available.”
For more on California wildfires, click here.