Homebuilder a no-show at city meeting about failed retaining wall
Some took off from work or school to meet with Centex-Pulte Homes at city hall. But instead of information on the upcoming fixes to a failed hillside in their subdivision, residents were faced with a no-show by the homebuilder. “They shafted all of us,” said one homeowner. “Quit using excuses,” said another.  Centex-Pulte Homes agreed to the meeting, put together weeks ago by the city. Then suddenly, the company pulled out. The last-minute communiqué left the city and its engineers to discuss what little they know of the builder’s conceptual design to not only fortify a failed hillside, but fortify homeowners’ confidence.

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Collapsed retaining wall prompts suit
Centex Homes filed a lawsuit last week against two companies that it claims failed to fix a retaining wall that collapsed at a North Side neighborhood in January 2010, causing the builder and developer to have to rebuild the structure and repurchase 22 homes there.  Centex, which filed the lawsuit last week, is suing Arias and Associates Inc. and Gravity Walls Ltd. for damages associated with the wall collapse at the Rivermist and Hills of Rivermist neighborhoods. It was not disclosed how much Centex is seeking in damages, but in the lawsuit it claims the total cost for repurchasing the homes exceeded $2.5 million.

Shifting ground destroying neighborhood fences
Most Houses in the Enclave of Willow Pointe are 3 to 5 years old. But some of the fences look a lot older because the ground is shifting and washing away, pulling some of the fences apart. She says they tried to work it out with the builder centex, but she says the company told her the fence was not under warranty.  When we talked to CenTex the company spokesperson said they were not familiar with the case, but confirmed that the fence did not have a warranty and that it did not actually build the fence. It was subcontracted out.

Homebuilder criticized for response to sinking homes
Homeowners like Faye Touve say there are cracks in their walls, crumbling foundations and big gaps between sidewalks and driveways. "I'm afraid my house is going to float down the back ..."It's not a fluke, it's not one individual house, it's not just a lemon, it's the neighborhood," Benavides said. "Something went wrong when building this neighborhood."

Schertz homeowners allege shoddy construction, demand buy back 
Residents revealed pictures during the meeting of their roofs peeling away, and cracks that start outside and make their way deep into the walls. Residents in the Fairhaven subdivision said these problems are only the surface of foundation problems they are dealing with.

Homeowners want help, answers with foundation cracks
Residents of the Fairhaven subdivision, situated next to the Northcliffe subdivision off of Interstate 35, have met with representatives from Pulte Homes and city officials concerning their problems. While Pulte has repaired some of the damage caused by the cracks, many homeowners say the repairs are just a short term fix to a serious problem. Taylor said he is not the only homeowner on his block that has had to deal with the damaging cracks. “Seventeen houses on my side of Columbia (Drive) are experiencing the same problems,” Taylor said.

Lets ensure that Forced Arbitration does not fall off the radar!
As previously announced, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing on the Arbitration Fairness Act next Thursday October 13th at 2pm in Dirksen 226.  Democratic witnesses include NACA Member Paul Bland, Minnesota AG Lori Swanson and consumer witness, Dr. Deborah Pierce. Republican Witnesses will include: Christopher Drahozel (click here to see his take on Concepcion and the Arbitration Fairness Act) and Victor Schwartz.

'Crony capitalism' draws attention in GOP race
The TRCC, however, had at least one friend who mattered: Houston home builder Bob Perry, who has given Gov. Rick Perry more than $2.5 million during his tenure in office. An advocate for the agency from its creation in 2003 until it closed its doors in 2010, the home builder's imprimatur was significant. His lobbyists played a key role in its inception; his company's general counsel, John Krugh, was appointed to serve on the commission by Gov. Perry, no relation to Bob Perry, one month after the home builder gave a $100,000 campaign contribution to the governor.

Crony Capitalism: The Republican Governors Association in the Perry Years
As Texas Governor Rick Perry’s influence at the RGA increased over the past five years the political finances of both the governor and the Governors Association skyrocketed. The RGA raised a record $216.9 million during the Perry years between January 2006 and June 30, 2011. A remarkable 32 percent of this money ($68.7 million) came from just 139 crossover donors who also gave $13.7 million to Perry’s gubernatorial campaigns. Scattered through the ranks of these donors are gubernatorial appointees, state-regulated businesses and businesses with state-conferred monopolies, taxpayer grants or contracts.
Read the Crony Capitalism report.

Medina highlights questions of money and influence in Capitol
Piggybacking off the national attention being paid to Gov. Rick Perry’s 2007 vaccine mandate and his ties to the vaccine-maker’s lobbyist, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina and other advocates sought to shine the spotlight back on the Texas Capitol. ...They also highlighted the influence of homebuilder Bob Perry, who is one of Perry’s top campaign contributors. “It says something is wrong when one person can buy their own state agency and run it,” said Janet Ahmad, president of HomeOwners for Better Building, referring to the now-defunct Texas Residential Construction Commission that was created in 2003.

Medina, Activists Take Aim at Rick Perry at Capitol
Former gubernatorial candidate and Tea Party favorite Debra Medina and other activists slammed what they called a culture of crony capitalism in Texas politics at a Capitol press conference on Thursday — taking aim at Gov. Rick Perry... At Thursday's press conference, large donations made to Perry's campaign by homebuilder Bob Perry (no relation) also took center stage. Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for Better Building, said that Bob Perry’s campaign donations resulted in the formation of the now-defunct Texas Residential Construction Commission in 2003, an agency plagued by allegations that it protected homebuilders at the expense of homebuyers. “The resulting agency was so anti-consumer and industry protective that that the Texas Legislature recently abolished it,” Ahmad said. “Meanwhile Bob Perry’s political contributions have become the hallmark of influence for Texas policy.” 

Medina calls Perry a 'capital crony'
An old foe is lashing out at Gov. Rick Perry, as he continues his campaign for president. Debra Medina - a GOP opponent in 2011's gubernatorial race - and a handful of tea party activists pointed out what they call “crony capitalism” formed under Perry's reign in Texas. ...“We want to take the opportunity and say it's not an HPV mandate but across all areas of public policy in Texas we've seen those sorts of practices,” Medina said. "We do all we can to inform the public about what's going on politically.”... "The stagnant economy is a predictable outcome of government picking winners and losers in businesses and industries that they will favor," Medina said.

Texas tea partiers decry state 'crony capitalism'
Gov. Rick Perry's run for president is putting a national spotlight on a culture of "crony capitalism" he and the Republican-dominated state Legislature built in Texas, a small group of tea party activists charged Thursday.  Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for Better Building, complained that homebuilder Bob Perry _ who is not related to the governor but has contributed $14 million to Perry and the Republican Governor's Association _ effectively purchased his own state agency, the Texas Residential Construction Commission, in 2003.

Former gubernatorial challenger Medina takes aim at Perry ‘cronyism’
Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for Better Building, said that Bob Perry’s campaign donations resulted in the formation of the now-defunct Texas Residential Construction Commission in 2003, an agency plagued by allegations that it protected homebuilders at the expense of homebuyers. “The resulting agency was so anti-consumer and industry protective that that the Texas Legislature recently abolished it,” Ahmad said. “Meanwhile Bob Perry’s political contributions have become the hallmark of influence for Texas policy.”