Southwest
Texas attorney general challenges liberal county's guaranteed income program, calls it a 'welfare scheme'
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced last week that he is suing Harris County over their revised guaranteed income program.
In a press release, Paxton slammed the “welfare scheme” and called the program “unlawful.”
“Harris County acts as though the Texas Constitution does not apply to them and as though they do not have to abide by the Texas Supreme Court’s rulings,” Paxton said. “Using public funds in this way directly violates the law. Harris County is willing to undermine the legal process out of apparent desperation to push this money into certain hands as quickly as possible.”
SAN FRANCISCO SUED OVER GUARANTEED-INCOME PROGRAMS BLASTED BY CRITICS AS RACIST
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit claims that “Uplift Harris,” a guaranteed income program established in Harris County, is “unconstitutional.” (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Last month, Harris County Commissioners approved changes to the program after the original version faced legal challenges from Paxton and was later struck down by the Texas Supreme Court.
The Harris County Commissioners is an elected body of four commissioners and the county judge that meets bi-weekly. Notable progressive, Judge Lina Hidalgo, serves as the county’s chief executive officer. The government body created a guaranteed income program for the county called Uplift Harris. The original program would have distributed $500 per month for 18 months to selected participants. Participants would be selected from the 10 poorest ZIP codes in the county, who are living below 200% of the federal poverty line.
Due to the legal challenges and the Texas Supreme Court ruling, the Harris County Commissioners placed restrictions on participants’ spending.
The revised version of Uplift Harris will now serve approximately 1,600 families that will receive a monthly debit card that is loaded with $500. The debit card is limited to essential needs like grocery shopping and medicine.
Harris County attorney Christian Menefee pushed back against Paxton’s latest legal effort, saying the revisions that were made addressed the state’s concerns.
“After a lawsuit from Ken Paxton regarding the Uplift Harris program, Harris County created a new initiative that addresses the state’s concerns while still offering financial stability to our neighbors who need it most,” Menefee said. “If it wasn’t clear before, it should be clear now that the opposition to this program is not about concern for the law; it’s about using people living in poverty as a means to score political points.”
JUDGE PUTS PAUSE ON ST. LOUIS GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAM THAT PAYS POOR FAMILIES $500 A MONTH
Harris County Attorney General Christian Menefee pushed back against Paxton’s latest legal effort with a statement he released publicly, accusing them of trying to score “political points.” (Harris County attorney general’s office/Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Menefee previously told Fox News Digital that the original version of the Uplift Harris was “legal” and that county officials were able to “create a new program with spending restrictions to address politically charged challenges brought by Republican officials.”
When the changes to the program were approved last month, Hidalgo called out “political posturing” of Texas state leaders.
“They were extremely late and inconsistent in fighting against it. As we’ve discussed, the program had run in Austin and San Antonio without issues,” Hidalgo said.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo seemed to politicize the death of Jocelyn Nungaray and the illegal immigrants suspected in her strangulation death.
While a majority of the county’s commissioners voted to approve the Uplift Harris program, there was one commissioner who opposed it.
Commissioner Tom Ramsey was the only person on the commission to vote against the program.
“The Texas Supreme Court already ruled this program as unconstitutional, so this lawsuit is no surprise,” Ramsey told Fox News Digital in response to Paxton’s lawsuit.
“I warned my fellow colleagues about the potential issues of circumventing the ruling, and now we’ll have to waste more taxpayer dollars on fighting this. I’ve consistently voted no against this program because not only does it fall outside of the county’s purview of responsibilities,” he added. “It’s disappointing that taxpayer dollars will continue to be wasted on this illegal initiative.”
The program was funded with $20.5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Houston, the largest city in Texas, makes up most of Harris County’s population.
Read the full article from Here
Los Angeles, Ca
Protests mark 1-year anniversary of federal agents storming L.A.’s Fashion District
Events and protests were held in downtown Los Angeles Saturday on the one-year anniversary of one of the largest immigration enforcement actions in California.
One June 6, 2025, federal agents stormed the L.A. Fashion District, arresting and detaining dozens of workers.
The enforcement action served as a catalyst, igniting a wave of subsequent raids across Southern California. In response, city leaders affirmed their “unwavering commitment to the immigrant communities” in Los Angeles, as events were held throughout the city to remember those who were deported and those whose immigration cases remain unresolved.
Protesters advocating for immigrant communities gathered outside a federal detention center in downtown Saturday, waving flags and signs. One woman was arrested during a clash with police.
The initial raid in the L.A. Garment District swept up workers, including the father of one woman who described the experience as “one of the most traumatic experiences” of their lives. This operation was among the first deportation actions that resulted in families being separated and triggered days of civil unrest.
At a commemoration event, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and the Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of L.A. stood together, vowing to protect immigrant communities living in fear.
“We all felt attacked, and I think what’s so critical today, is to know and remember and acknowledge that this is still going on every day,” Bass said.
While the Department of Homeland Security maintains that its enforcement operations target criminals, families of those detained argue that immigration enforcement terrorizes hardworking people. These families contend that many immigrants pay taxes and contribute to society, even if they are not U.S. citizens.
Immigration attorneys report that thousands of individuals are still trying to locate their loved ones. They also highlighted that hundreds of people swept up in immigration raids last year remain detained in facilities, facing medical neglect, inhumane conditions and the denial of basic due process protections.
Watch the full report from KTLA’s Sara Welch in the video at the top of this story.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTLA. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTLA staff before being published.
Los Angeles, Ca
Pasadena motorist knocked unconscious in unprovoked assault after other driver flashes high beams at him
A motorist was rendered unconscious after what authorities are calling an unprovoked attack that occurred after another driver flashed their high beams at him, authorities say.
According to the Pasadena Police Department, the victim, a 63-year-old man, was driving northbound on Raymond Avenue near Washington Boulevard when a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction flashed him around 1 a.m. Saturday.
“The victim reported that he was driving northbound on Raymond Avenue from Washington Boulevard when he observed a vehicle traveling southbound flashing its high beams at him,” a Pasadena Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. “The victim stated he stopped his vehicle and exited. He was then assaulted by an unknown suspect. The assault was unprovoked.”
The attack left the man unconscious and with a three-inch deep laceration to his head, police added. Upon regaining consciousness, the man transported himself to Huntington Hospital, and it was around 1:20 a.m. when police responded there to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon and began their investigation.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the victim told police that, due to his injuries, he was not able to provide a description of a suspect, vehicle or the weapon used, nor was he able to tell police the exact location where the assault occurred, although it was confirmed to be somewhere near Raymond Avenue and Washington Boulevard. La Pintoresca Park is located near that intersection.
No further details were immediately available.
Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact the Pasadena Police Department right away.
Sofia Pop Perez contributed to this report.
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman killed by driver while crossing PCH in Long Beach
A woman was struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.
On June 3, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue around 4:50 a.m.
She had walked against a red light and was hit by a 19-year-old driver in a Chevy sedan, Long Beach police said.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
“At this time, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speed are not believed to be a factor in this collision,” police said.
The woman’s name is being withheld pending identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is asked to call Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoProtests mark 1-year anniversary of federal agents storming L.A.’s Fashion District
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoHundreds gather for rally against gun violence on Detroit’s east side
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoSan Francisco unveils iconic Pink Triangle to kick off Pride Month
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoMiami Dolphins Discussion: Could He Be The One
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDallas Hoops Journal Podcast: James Barlowe Details Mavs’ NBA Draft Options
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoNBA insider believes Giannis Antetokounmpo’s intrigue in Celtics ‘is real’
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver weather: More hot weather Sunday
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoPHOTOS: West Seattle High School alums gather for 2026 All-School Reunion