Commentary roundup: What newspapers around the state are saying

Houston Chronicle

March 14 editorial, "Lawmakers, don’t mess with Texas beach access."

Unlike beaches in most coastal states, nobody can buy Texas beaches. Nobody can fence them off. Thanks to the Texas Open Beaches Act, passed in 1959 and harkening back to a time when the hard-packed sand served as wagon roads, the rich and powerful can’t privatize them, can’t transform them into “Glass Onion” enclaves of privilege. The beaches are for everyone.

Although our open beaches law is an integral part of an old and honorable coastal heritage, the public’s right, like the beach itself, is regularly threatened by erosion of another sort. This session of the Legislature is no exception.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, insists that he’s not effacing the Texas Open Beaches Act when he proposes what would seem at first glance to be a tweak. Assurance aside, Texans have reason to be skeptical of his Senate Bill 434. Three former commissioners of the Texas General Land Office, two Republicans and one Democrat, question what the first-term senator is up to. The unlikely trio has raised warning flags.

Under current law, the public has a right to use privately held beach property from the line where grasses, ground covers, dune flowers and other foliage begin to grow, down across the sand to the water’s edge. Since the vegetation line frequently shifts as a result of storms and the fickle whims of Mother Nature, public access is a so-called rolling easement; the GLO is in charge of determining the boundaries. Property buyers know this: Since 1986, documents they sign at closing inform them of the public beach easement.(We suspect they’re also aware before they buy of raucous Spring Break partiers, loud, too-fast drivers and other bothersome public-beach intrusions that life guards and law enforcement need to impede.)

Middleton is an independent oil and gas company owner and climate-change skeptic whose ties to the uber-conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation – he’s a former board member – is reason enough to be skeptical of his bill, basically a proposal to erode GLO authority. If his bill passes, beachfront property owners, not the state agency, would get to decide who can use the beach between their residence and the water. Middleton himself lives in a development that owns some beachfront land.

— Houston Chronicle Editorial Board

San Antonio Express-News

March 14 editorial, "Gov. Greg Abbott, prove you aren’t against diversity."

Even if Senate Bill 17 doesn’t pass, there’s already been a negative impact. As we have noted, multiple university systems have made changes to DEI programs in response to the governor. No doubt this will limit applicant pools or push away talent.

What’s interesting here is this push against DEI is coming at a time of changing demographics in Texas. Latinos now account for a greater share of the state’s population than non-Hispanic whites.

The color of someone’s skin, their gender identity or sexual orientation, and background are important parts of identity and experience. In hiring at our state’s universities and public agencies, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts help guard against systemic bias and discrimination, which are forces that have limited merit.

When hiring at universities and state agencies, merit should come first, but America’s documented discrimination shouldn’t be ignored.

“Diversity is something that we support,” Abbott told Hearst.

But his policies say otherwise.

— San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board

Dallas Morning News

March 15 editorial, "If Texas leaves national voter fraud prevention group, what next?"

About 30 states and the District of Columbia are members of ERIC. Since its inception in 2012, the nonprofit has cross-matched states’ voter records, motor vehicle data, death certificates and other information to help member states purge millions of ineligible voters from rolls. It has also identified millions more who were eligible to vote but not yet registered.

Up until last year, the group, the only one of its kind in the country, enjoyed bipartisan praise from secretaries of state nationwide. But that changed late last year when some far-right Republicans began floating concerns about the group’s funding and purpose.

Among the complaints of some member states, including Texas, is a requirement that they notify eligible but unregistered voters of their ability to register. Critics want this provision to be optional after an initial contact. They also have privacy concerns.

ERIC executive director Shane Hamlin, a former election official in the state of Washington, has tried to allay the concerns, but to no avail.

So far this year, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Missouri and West Virginia have announced plans to withdraw from ERIC. And some big states, such as California and New York, aren’t members.

We hope ERIC doesn’t collapse and that member states can work out their concerns. Any voter fraud protection program must operate free from partisan politics.

— Dallas Morning News Editorial Board

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

March 10 editorial, "If Mansfield (or any city) starts paying council members, voters deserve a clear heads-up."

The city manager is right about this: Public servants deserve some compensation for their time and efforts. Their legitimate job expenses should be covered. It's not a full-time job, and it should not be paid as such. After all, council members are supposed to defer much of the city's governance to the professional manager and his or her staff. But a decent salary can help enable more people to serve.

Is $1,000 a month right? Neighboring Arlington pays council members $2,400 a year and the mayor $3,000, and it's five times Mansfield's size. Smaller cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area offer no pay at all.

It's ultimately for voters to decide. Consider Fort Worth, where council members have tried twice in six years to win voter approval for a handsome full-time salary and twice, voters have said no.

(City Manager Joe) Smolinski is right, too, when he says that accusations of criminal behavior on the council's behalf are way overblown. But some will reach that conclusion when new compensation is slipped in without much notice or discussion.

The charter issue doesn't leave voters much recompense, unless they want to demand a new election. Smolinksi has promised in future budget presentations to make the salaries clear. Perhaps the council should schedule a discussion so that they, not the city manager, make the decision on the amount.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram Editorial Board

The (Nacogdoches) Daily Sentinel

March 14 editorial, "Sunshine Week celebrates your right to know."

We're certain you'll agree with us that decisions concerning your tax dollars must be made in public. Most of the time, discussion of those decisions must also happen in public.

This openness is crucial for all of us.

We are also fortunate to have state Sen. Robert Nichols and state Rep. Travis Clardy as allies in the fight for open government. Both men have fought against attempts to restrict public access to meetings and records and have championed measures to increase your ability to know how your government works.

We believe that our government can only truly be of, for and by the people when it is done in an open manner.

Journalists keep an eye on government for you by attending meetings, requesting public documents and making sure that government is responsible and responsive to its taxpayers. At the heart of this work is the unwavering belief that you have the right to know.

— The Daily Sentinel

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman Commentary Roundup: March 19, 2023