Dear Friends, October is here — and so is the work. From public safety to school planning, there is a great deal happening across the Westside. I want to make sure you have the information you need to stay connected, stay engaged, and stay ahead. 3rd Annual Faith & Affordable Housing Summit We are days away from our 3rd Annual Faith & Affordable Housing Summit — and this year, we have a special $1.2 million announcement you will not want to miss. You do not have to be clergy to attend. This summit is open to anyone who cares about housing and community. Expect a hands-on experience with real, actionable takeaways. Spots are limited — pre-registration closes today, but limited on-site registration will be available. Thank you to our sponsors for making this work possible, and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday, October 10. Tree Trimming & Trash Delays We are still working through a backlog on tree trimming requests. I continue to encourage you to contact 311 to get in the queue — when adequate personnel are available, you will already be on the list. On the trash side, my office has seen a reduction in delays. If you are still experiencing issues, please contact our office directly with your 311 service request number, and we will follow up on your behalf. National Night Out National Night Out is this Tuesday, and District F is showing up. We have 11 neighborhoods officially participating, spanning both single-family and multi-family communities. This is more than a neighborhood event; it is a public safety tool. We are safer when we know our neighbors. Our office will attend as many stops as possible. The full list of participating neighborhoods is below. Find your neighborhood, step outside, and make a connection. Renaming Waloon Pocket Park to Barbara Quattro Park We are still seeking community support to rename Waloon Pocket Park in honor of Barbara Quattro — someone who dedicated so much of her civic life to improving the quality of life for all of us. This is a meaningful tribute, and I hope you will add your name to it. We need an additional 235 signatures to advance the request. Share the link with friends, neighbors, and colleagues who are City of Houston residents. The deadline to sign is October 31, 2026. Sign the petition here. Water Bill Disconnections — Please Don’t Wait Approximately one month ago, the Administration announced that Houston Public Works would begin approving water disconnections for customers with more than $500 in past-due balances. The City is currently carrying approximately $30 million in arrears. Within District F alone, nearly 920 families are at risk of disconnection. If you are behind, please do not wait until your water is disconnected to act. My office will work with residents to connect them with payment plans and available utility assistance. Yesterday, I spoke with KHOU about a success story — check out the clip below to see how our office helped one of our neighbors navigate this process. Reach out to us at [email protected] or 832-393-3002. Alief ISD School Optimization Meetings I hope you will consider attending one of the upcoming Alief ISD School Optimization Meetings. District leadership will share plans for school facility usage and optimization — decisions that will directly impact our families and communities. I will be attending the session at Olle Middle School and hope to see you there. The full schedule is below. Proposed CRA Rule: Why It Matters For nearly fifty years, the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) has required federally regulated banks to meet the credit needs of their entire communities — including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. It rests on a simple principle: banks have a public purpose. In practice, that means reinvesting deposits through loans and community development financing, generating capital for affordable housing, small businesses, and community facilities. These protections matter most in communities that have experienced redlining, disinvestment, branch closures, and unequal access to mainstream financial services. A rule recently proposed by the OCC and FDIC would substantially change which banks and communities receive meaningful consideration in CRA examinations. The likely result is less capital for affordable housing and community development in the neighborhoods that need it most. We are asking the agencies to extend the comment period, carefully analyze the consequences, and give the public a fair chance to respond. The deadline to submit a public comment is October 13. Learn more about the proposed changes and how to make your voice heard here. Remembering Former State Rep. Garnet Coleman You cannot truly understand Texas politics without mentioning Rep. Garnet Coleman. His mastery of legislation, his understanding of government, and his political instincts made him a force — and more importantly, a visionary. He understood long before many others that Third Ward would become one of Houston’s most desirable neighborhoods, and that affordability would be the defining issue. Rather than simply watch that change unfold, he charted a path to preserve it — so that longtime residents could remain, and so that the future of that community could still be led by us and for us. I am saddened that we have lost another servant who had so much left to give my generation of public servants. There will not be another. May he finally get his well-deserved rest. Save the Dates 
Council Member Tiffany D. Thomas
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