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BROWNSVILLE — Texas may have a new city by the end of Saturday.
About 300 South Texas residents near Boca Chica Beach — mostly SpaceX employees — will decide whether to incorporate their neighborhood, known as Starbase, into a full-fledged city.
SpaceX is Elon Musk’s space technology company, which has the mission of colonizing Mars. The company has used the beach area since 2014.
The company has spurred development, and hopes to urbanize the area even more after Starbase is made a city. At the same time, it has enraged some neighbors who argue the company has cut public access to a popular beach and is destroying the natural ecosystem.
Voting ends today, May 3, as Texans across the state cast ballots in local elections.
The decision here at the southernmost tip of Texas has been months in the making. Given that most of the people voting on the matter of Starbase are SpaceX employees, the outcome is all but assured.
And the new city and its leaders — three people are running unopposed to form Starbase’s first board of commissioners — will be tasked with building the city from the ground up. Many first steps to establishing a city are outlined in state law. However, given Musk’s ethos, the city could try to chart a different path than a traditional municipality.
A sleepy — high turnout — election
Traffic came to a standstill along State Highway 4 outside of Brownsville on Friday morning.
A rocket, its massive hull perched carefully on a moving platform, inched its way to the main SpaceX facility down the road. There, hundreds of construction workers milled about the small village next to the facility, putting up fences, laying down new roads and building more tiny homes for employees.
At the end of the road is the beach, where families spent the afternoon fishing, playing with their dogs, and watching the surf. A couple from Switzerland who traveled here just to see SpaceX took selfies.
Such is life near Boca Chica Beach, a stretch of wild sand and surf sandwiched between South Padre Island and the Rio Grande. From here, Elon Musk’s SpaceX blasts rockets into space. Eventually, Starship is meant to take humans to Mars.
But with all the commotion, there is little trace that an election is happening at all. On the side of the road near the main building, just a few small red signs pointing to the voting site provided any clue. One placard, sitting amidst a construction site, was obscured by a tarpaulin.
There’s been little activity at the on-site polling place during early voting. Just 180 people have cast a ballot so far.
In most Rio Grande Valley communities, that number would signal a disappointing turnout. But here, it means 64% of the 283 registered voters cast a ballot during the early voting period that ended on Tuesday. More residents are expected to vote on Saturday.
Most of the eligible voters are employed with SpaceX or are relatives of employees. Indeed, an analysis by the Texas Newsroom found that at least two-thirds of the eligible voters either work for SpaceX or signed the petition calling for the election.
SpaceX officials estimate they own all but 10 of the properties in the area. Those who won’t work for the company were reticent to weigh in on the vote Friday. Two, reached at their homes in Boca Chica Village, declined to comment.
What comes next
Also on the ballot on Saturday are the three candidates for mayor and the two city commissioner positions. All three are running unopposed. Though the candidates have not publicly laid out a vision for the city, people associated with SpaceX have made it clear they want the community to grow to allow for more residents to move into the area. Currently, just under 500 people live in the community.
Becoming a governmental entity should provide more insight into the interests of the residents, and possibly the company, because cities are subject to the state’s transparency laws.
The commissioners will be required to hold at least one public meeting per month, and government records can be requested for public inspection, though some exceptions apply.
Incorporation could also give the community more authority over the beach. A proposed state lawseeks to give the city of Starbase the authority to close access to Boca Chica on weekdays.
The bill, Senate Bill 2188, was approved by the Senate but still needs a vote by the full House.
Denisce Palacios, a community organizer, views the incorporation of Starbase as a blatant attempt to erase the existence of Brownsville, a border community with more than 190,000 residents, and other nearby towns.
“The people who originally lived near Boca Chica were told that they needed to move because it was dangerous, only to develop and have SpaceX employees move in,” Palacios said. “The creation of a SpaceX company town gives greater power and more of a say in what the Rio Grande Valley should look like, when in reality, they’re all people from out of state who only care about their company, not our community.”
A coalition of community and environmental groups has repeatedly pushed back on SpaceX’s efforts to increase its footprint and the frequency of its rocket launches. Together, they’ve filed lawsuits attempting to stop SpaceX’s water discharges and protested bills like SB 2188.
“We see Starbase becoming a town as another move towards them escalating their dangerous SpaceX rocket activities,” said Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, one of the groups that joined the lawsuits.
She worries that the city might use eminent domain to continue taking over Boca Chica Beach and that the community would completely lose access to it.
Hinojosa added that because of the candidates’ ties to SpaceX, Musk would effectively be in charge of the town, a possibility that concerns her given the work he has done for the Trump administration.
“Elon Musk has proven to be unfit to govern,” she said. “The people who are running for office for Starbase are connected to SpaceX. The real boss there would be Elon Musk.”
Anthony Soriano was born and raised in Brownsville. Standing on the beach with his dog the day before the election, he said he feels split about SpaceX’s presence here — he appreciates the jobs the company has brought to the area, but doesn’t necessarily think anything needs to change.
He said if he could cast a ballot in the election, he would vote no. But it’d be close.
“I would say, leave it as is,” he said. “But change happens and people have to be welcoming to it.”
Neither SpaceX nor the candidates running for office have returned multiple interview requests.
Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
The article presents a factual account of the election regarding the incorporation of Starbase, Texas, and does not overtly endorse a political ideology. However, the framing and inclusion of quotes from community members who express concern about SpaceX’s influence in the area, as well as the critique of Elon Musk’s leadership, suggests a subtle lean toward a more progressive stance, particularly in its focus on local residents’ rights and environmental concerns. The article highlights opposition to the corporate control of the community and presents voices critical of the project, including those worried about its environmental impact and the potential erosion of local autonomy. Despite this, it offers an in-depth look at both sides of the issue, maintaining a mostly neutral tone while implicitly sympathizing with the critics of SpaceX’s development. The focus on transparency and the community’s relationship with SpaceX adds to the more socially conscious framing, aligning with a center-left perspective that prioritizes local voices and environmental justice.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-09-05 09:21:00
The Fifteenth Court of Appeals has reinstated restraining orders against former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, his group Powered by People, and partners like ActBlue, preventing them from moving funds out of Texas. The case involves fundraising for Texas House Democrats who fled the state opposing a redistricting law. Initially, O’Rourke ignored the orders, prompting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to seek contempt charges. After a controversial appellate ruling paused the contempt hearing, the court reversed itself to allow full review, keeping the orders active. O’Rourke denies wrongdoing, faces criminal contempt and bribery accusations, and urges supporters to continue fundraising.
(The Center Square) – In yet another reversal in an ongoing case against former U.S. Rep. Robert (Beto) O’Rourke, D-El Paso, the Fifteenth Court of Appeals has ordered that existing restraining orders already issued against him, his organization, Powered by People, and other groups remain in effect.
The case stems from O’Rourke, his group, and others raising millions of dollars for Texas House Democrats who left the state in opposition to a redistricting bill that passed the legislature and has now been signed into law.
The case was filed in Tarrant County District Court, 348th Judicial District, then appealed to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, then an emergency filing was made with the Texas Supreme Court. Initially, Tarrant County Judge Megan Fahey issued a restraining order against O’Rourke and Powered by People, The Center Square reported. She later expanded it to include Act Blue, a Democratic Party online fundraising platform, and any other platforms or organizations they were working with that are transferring funds.
However, O’Rourke ignored the orders and continued to fundraise, prompting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to file a motion for contempt against O’Rourke, The Center Square reported.
Prior to a Sept. 2 hearing on the contempt motion, O’Rourke filed a mandamus petition with the Fifteenth Court of Appeals challenging Fahey’s orders.
In response, the appellate court halted the contempt hearing, effectively allowing Fahey’s orders to expire in an “historically unprecedented decision,” Paxton said. He then appealed to the Texas Supreme Court to reverse its decision.
In his appeal, Paxton points out that the appellate court requested his office respond to a 75-page petition in less than 24 hours, an “impossible deadline.” After his office filed a mandamus petition with the court, the appellate court issued an administrative stay of the Sept. 2 hearing “without providing the State an opportunity to respond,” he argued.
The court’s actions would have enabled O’Rourke to continue fundraising, “without even allowing the State to respond and prove to the court how he’s hurting Texans,” Paxton said. The appellate court’s ruling was an “insult to the people of Texas, an affront to our judicial system, and a disastrous precedent if allowed to continue without being reversed,” he added.
A week later, the appellate court reversed its ruling “to preserve this court’s ability to fully review” the original proceedings, it said in a one paragraph order. It also put back into effect Fahey’s orders issued against O’Rourke, Powered by People and ActBlue. It said her temporary restraining order and emergency temporary restraining order “shall remain in effect” until the appellate court reaches a decision.
Paxton said the reversal was “a welcome development.”
He also said House Democrats who left the state “abandoned Texas at the behest of financial backers who promised them money for fleeing the state and abdicating their responsibilities. Texas is not for sale, and Beto must face justice for his illegal bribery scheme.”
The appellate court’s order prevents O’Rourke, Powered by People, and any of its institutional partners, including ActBlue, from removing any property or funds out of Texas.
O’Rourke said in a social media post that he faces criminal contempt charges, bribery accusations, his Texas-based assets have been frozen, and he and his organization have “racked up over $300,000 in legal fees” in the last two weeks of August.
He denies that he has broken any laws after he continued to fundraise and post videos of him doing so, including posting links to fundraising appeals.
He is also encouraging his followers and supporters to “continue the fight by whatever means necessary.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The article primarily reports on the legal actions involving Robert (Beto) O’Rourke and Texas officials without explicitly endorsing a particular viewpoint. However, the language and framing lean toward a Center-Right perspective by emphasizing the criticisms and accusations from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, and highlighting O’Rourke’s alleged legal troubles and fundraising activities in a negative light. The article quotes Paxton’s strong condemnations and uses phrases like “illegal bribery scheme” and “abandoned Texas,” which convey a critical tone toward O’Rourke and his allies. While it includes O’Rourke’s denials, the overall framing and selection of details suggest a subtle bias favoring the state’s legal actions and skepticism of O’Rourke’s conduct, aligning the piece more with a Center-Right viewpoint rather than neutral reporting.
SUMMARY: Bevo, the iconic University of Texas mascot, enjoys peaceful life on a 300-acre Williamson County ranch with his half-brother and a few others. Handled by four Silver Spurs—an honorary student group responsible since 1945—Bevo undergoes extensive training and care, including walking, feeding, and grooming before game days. The Silver Spurs, led by Executive Director Ricky Brennes, prepare Bevo for appearances at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, where over 100,000 fans await. Brennes, inspired since childhood, now oversees the program year-round. The 2025 football home opener marks the new handlers’ debut, continuing a cherished tradition with pride and excitement.
Most Texas Republicans in Congress avoided public town halls during the August recess, sidestepping protests over their support for President Trump’s unpopular tax and spending megabill. Only a few held in-person events, often facing criticism and heckling, especially regarding Medicaid cuts and demands to release Epstein investigation files. The GOP, following advice from the National Republican Congressional Committee, preferred smaller, private meetings or virtual events to avoid confrontations. Experts say this strategy aims to minimize negative media exposure ahead of the challenging 2026 midterms, as Trump’s approval ratings and the megabill’s popularity remain low among voters.
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Most Texas Republicans in Congress refrained from holding public town halls back in their districts during their annual August recess, skirting the protests and heckling that have overshadowed events held by their peers.
Only a few of the 25 Republicans in Texas’ congressional delegation held in-person and publicly accessible town hall events during last month’s summer break, according to a tally by The Texas Tribune, tracking the low-profile approach taken by GOP members across the country during a time lawmakers usually travel their districts and meet with constituents.
Some Texas Republicans who did hold town halls faced criticism over their July votes for the GOP’s tax and spending megabill, the centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda that has polled consistently underwater with voters ahead of the 2026 midterms. At least one member also encountered demands for the Trump administration to release its investigative files tied to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The delegation’s shunning of public Q-and-A sessions comes after the National Republican Congressional Committee earlier this year advised members to avoid such events and instead opt for virtual ones. GOP members were told to stay alert for Democratic agitators and attempts to rile them on camera, reflecting a view pushed by Trump and other Republicans that the protests are being cooked up by paid activists.
“Republican members of Congress have been encountering a lot of hostility at town hall meetings,” said Matthew Wilson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University. “A lot of Republican representatives have decided that this is just not worth it.”
Some members, like Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, are intentionally avoiding public events where they could be bombarded by protesters. He said in a social media post earlier this year that he would not hold an event that could be disrupted by “George Soros-funded Democrat activists.”
Instead of hosting public town halls, Nehls held smaller constituent and stakeholder meetings over Congress’ summer break. He is not alone.
Several Texas Republicans spent their recesses targeting constituents in smaller and more private settings, including meetings with business owners, neighborhood associations and community groups.
Rep. Keith Self, R-McKinney, held multiple public events over the August recess but was careful not to call them town halls. Billed as “Koffee with Keith,” the events are only open to Self’s constituents from his district, located in the suburbs north of Dallas.
Self said he doesn’t know the questions being asked ahead of time, so they could be coming from supporters or critics alike. At one event in late July, he fielded questions about the Epstein files, calling for them to be released to the public.
“We’ve done this throughout my career so I see no reason not to continue,” he told The Texas Tribune.
Some of the Texas Republicans who held in-person and public town halls faced jeering and tense confrontations with their constituents.
At a town hall in Kingwood last week, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, was interrupted by dozens of protesters who booed and heckled him for voting for Trump’s megabill, especially its cuts to Medicaid.
Having never expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, Texas avoided most of the looming federal cuts other states will face under the legislation. But up to 1.7 million Texans are expected to lose their health insurance through other parts of the bill, including changes that make it harder to enroll in coverage through the ACA marketplace, along with the move not to extend Biden-era enhanced premium tax credits that lower out-of-pocket costs for people with marketplace coverage.
Some attendees also yelled at Crenshaw to “release the Epstein files!” as he tried to address the audience.
“The protesters did a great job of annoying all the actual constituents in the room,” Crenshaw posted on social media after the event.
The Houston Republican hosted four public town halls across the 2nd Congressional District in August to “let constituents know about the wins he and House Republicans are delivering for them,” his chief of staff Kenneth Depew said in a statement to the Tribune.
Crenshaw and the other Republicans who did tour their districts over the recess emphasized the GOP wins in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including a permanent extension of income tax cuts signed by Trump in 2017 and increased funding for border security and immigration enforcement.
Republicans in Congress are facing pressure from the White House to promote the legislation by focusing on its more popular provisions.
But a recent survey from Pew Research Center indicates that the megabill is largely unpopular with Americans, about a third of whom approve of the bill compared to nearly half who disapprove. Other polling has found that Americans support the bill’s tax changes and immigration enforcement spending but disapprove of its clean energy incentive cuts, changes to social safety net programs and the increase to the federal deficit driven by the tax cuts.
“It’s certainly neither surprising nor unnoticed that Republican members are kind of hiding from their constituents,” Harris County Democratic Party Chair Mike Doyle said, pointing to the megabill changes that are expected to spike Texas’ uninsured population.
In the meantime, Doyle said, activists across Texas have hosted their own “empty chair” town halls to call out Republicans “refusing to answer at all for the bad things they’ve been doing in Washington.”
19 of the 25 Texas Republicans in the U.S. House did not respond to a request for comment. Of those who responded, Crenshaw and Self were the two who held town hall-style events; the other four held smaller events, with Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Flower Mound, hosting “neighborhood town halls” that were promoted by invitations sent to community leaders to distribute around where the town halls were held.
Two other Republicans, Rep. Pat Fallon of Sherman and Rep. August Pfluger of San Angelo, publicized town hall events online but did not respond to confirm whether the events had happened.
Shying away from public town halls is probably a smart political strategy ahead of the 2026 elections, political science experts told the Tribune.
Midterm cycles are historically difficult for the party that controls the White House, especially when the president’s approval numbers are low, signaling congressional Republicans may have to contend with built-in headwinds next year. Public approval of Trump’s job performance has fallen since his inauguration, settling in the low- to mid-40s in recent months.
Getting booed at town halls is more detrimental to Republicans than allowing Democrats to control the narrative around the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, said Sean Theriault, a government professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
The public appearances open Republicans up to negative media coverage that could hurt the entire party’s chances in the midterms, Theriault said, adding, “They just didn’t want that spectacle to make the front pages.”
Disclosure: Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
The article presents a critical view of Texas Republicans’ avoidance of public town halls during a politically contentious period. It highlights the unpopularity of the “megabill” pushed by the GOP and President Trump, emphasizing the concerns of constituents and Democratic activists, which points to a perspective that leans slightly left of center. The coverage includes factual reporting and quotes from political experts and party representatives, maintaining a generally neutral tone but with an undercurrent that scrutinizes Republican strategies and policies more than Democratic ones. This results in a center-left bias, typical of outlets that focus on holding conservative lawmakers accountable while aiming to inform readers with in-depth political context.
