State Representative Gene Wu — Local services in Houston

WU, rep for the 37th state district in TX, asked excellent questions, July 28. How did the redistricting order, for the US congressional districts, from Gov Abbott, come about, on such short notice? Ordering 20 some state reps to show up, on short notice(July 21), to a special redistricting committee and drop their other work, such as flood issues?

Wu was patient and thorough and relentless in quizzing the committee chair. A good combination, as the Chair answered honestly, as well. Yes, Abbott ordered line re-draws. No, the legis. did not ask for them. No, no law required a second re-draw mid-decade. Did ANYONE have a new map? No.

Abbott had no new map. The chair had no new map. Of the speakers at the hearings, none had a new map for the whole state (though some individual districts were critiqued, as too snakelike, for separating neighbors).

People testifying at Arlington seemed to agree (also heard at two other hearings, Houston 1day earlier, Austin 3 days earlier). Very few speaking seemed to want lines re-drawn; almost all were opposed. They resented state reps being distracted from fixing horrific flood problems recently in the news. The request to redraw seemed puzzling. The lines were already re-drawn as required after the last Census, and multiple speakers commented law suits for some had not finished. It was also deemed terrible that after Rep Sylvester Turner died in March, his seat in Houston, Congressional District 18, was not re-filled, nothing scheduled until Nov., so, for nine months, they've no rep at all, in Congress, to...

Talks tough, does little! I was a former supporter not until myself ran into a healthcare fraud and abuse by Universal Health Services (UHS) who owns Behavioral Hospital of Bellaire, I desperately needed help then but Mr. Wu chose to look the other way despite my requesting for support and showed him proof of abuse and fraud. I'm an immigrant, Mr. Wu was once said his heart was with immigrants but...

It took us half an hour to get seated despite having a reservation. I ordered Gazpacho soup and it came out cold. I made them take it back and heat it up. The wait staff were extremely rude. They keep telling me that this was a government office and not a restaurant. I told them this was totally unacceptable. Terrible service. I'll never eat here again. I took their entire candy bowl on...