Abby Church

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

Houston city administrators and elected officials stand with Mayor John Whitmire as he discusses details of his balanced budget during a media briefing in Houston, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Kirk Sides/Houston ChronicleA drew digs a ditch on 24th Street in the Heights on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 in Houston. This area is one of the Stormwater Action Team projects that are being funded by Build Houston Forward.

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church |Rebecca Schuetz

Roughly a year after a derecho and Hurricane Beryl wreaked devastation in the Houston area, city officials released May 23 an analysis that listed housing as the city’s top unmet need, a reflection of the tens of thousands of homes damaged by falling trees and other debris. The same document outlined plans for how to spend federal recovery dollars for the disasters. Zero of the $315 million plan would go to housing.

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

A Houston storm recovery nonprofit is urging the judge in a longstanding drainage case to stick to its ruling to fully finance the city’s drainage fund, posing a potential challenge to Mayor John Whitmire’s settlement with its plaintiffs. In 2010, voters approved a ballot measure that would put more of their property taxes toward street and drainage projects.

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Ryan Nickerson |Matt Degrood |Abby Church

The head of the Houston Police Department has formally rescinded a policy requiring officers to make at least one traffic stop per day, just before a City Council vote that could outlaw such quotas. In a memo to Mayor John Whitmire’s office, Police Chief Noe Diaz said the directive no longer aligns with best practices for patrol work. “Effective immediately, we are rescinding this directive,” Diaz wrote. “New guidance will be distributed to all patrol stations, emphasizing officer discretion.

3 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

Lawyers for advocacy group Fair for Houston have filed an injunction against Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston City Council after urging the city to comply with a local law to give the city more representation on the region’s transportation board. Houston City Council voted in October to renew its membership on the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a body that’s tasked with distributing federal funds for infrastructure, climate mitigation and workforce development.