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The Outstanding Sarah Stogner Republican Primary Candidate for Railroad Comissioner Oil and gas attorney, Sarah Stogner, ran in the GOP primary for Railroad Commissioner, receiving a whopping 308,895 votes, 34.96%! This showed the world that there is BIG support among core GOP voters for oil and gas reform. But here’s why we think she deserves a medal from Texans of all persuasions. The day after she lost the primary runoff, she was immediately back in the saddle stating: “You didn’t think I’d go away quietly did you? I’m just getting warmed up. Steep learning curve. See y’all soon!” Since then, Stogner has continued the quest to get oil and gas policy, the Railroad Commission, and the destruction of water and land in West Texas under control. She has also tweeted about her meeting Andrew Yang and about the Forward Party. Good deal! PS Stogner’s infamous ride on a pumpjack in pasties was the most daring move we’ve seen since Jesse Ventura’s 1998 gubernatorial campaign ad in which he posed naked as Rodin’s The Thinker . 😊 LIV Runner Up: Susan Cook, Independent for Hays County Commissioner, Precinct 4 Susan Cook is LIV's runner up candidacy in 2022. She received another whopper vote, especially for an independent candidate -- 46%running in a two-way race against a GOP incumbent for Hays County Commissioner Precinct 4. Way to sizzle, she did! Despite the disappointment of a loss, Susan accomplished a big leap for down-ballot independent candidacies. Thank you so very much, Susan! Very Honorable Mention: Ronnie McDonald, Independent for Bastrop County Judge Ronnie Mcdonald’s attempt to become Bastrop County Judge as an independent in a three-way contest was inspiring to us. It had been 12 years since Ronnie served as a Democrat for four terms as County Judge. So naturally, coming in third at 17% was disappointing for the McDonalds and their supporters. More objectively speaking, however, is a relook at that 17% he received. Ronnie’s percentage may well be an opening for future opportunities for down ballot independent candidates running countywide especially in mid to small size counties. Very Honorable Mention: Alejandro Arrieta, Independent for Texas House District 103 - Dallas Alejandro Arrieta, running as an independent, received 25% in two-way race for Texas House District 103 (Dallas) against long term incumbent Democrat Raphael Anchia. Ale had very little money to run. But his issue of children having equal access to both parents in good standing is BIG. We applaud Ale, a working man, for stepping up and being a statesman on an important issue for kids. We look forward to watching his continued growth as a grassroots leader. Very Honorable Mention: Linda Curtis, Independent for Texas House District 17 (Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee and Milam counties) Linda riding Whistle, Tennessee Walker owned by Bill & Jean Rhodes of Lexington, Dime Box, TX Linda Curtis was the only independent legislative candidate to get past the onerous Texas 30-day petition ballot window requirement. She had to gather signatures in the middle of a heat wave. Running as an independent in a three-way race, she received 4%. Linda released, “ When I Grow Up ” at Independent Texans PAC about the race. She continues organizing to “stop the water grabs,” her signature issue in her campaign and a signature issue for LIV. Disclosure: Linda serves on LIV’s Advisory Committee and continues to play an important role in LIV and Independent Texans PAC.

In yesterday's LIV news, there was a broken link to our most important ask: renew your membership, join for the first time, or donate to LIV. Use this link to donate or join. In our article " Elephant in the Water ," we also neglected to link to this article in Quorum Report about the Texas House Speaker Phelan's commitment to renew Chapter 313 subsidies. Instead, we hope to see a cross-partisan coalition this session to end this program and change the Speaker's mind. (The article is now updated with the link.) Here's a list of what the new LIV working group is looking for to help us harness the white whale of Texas politics -- the 3.8 million Texans who identify as independents. Without partisan registration in Texas and with open primaries (something we support), reaching out to Texas independents is daunting without millions of dollars to spend. That said, there is no better way to reach them than through a better-organized cross-partisan LIV. Let us know of your interest if you want to: Organize (phone bank, canvass, petition, be a citizen lobbyist), research, engage in social media, provide tech support, provide administrative support, want to write or make us an offer we cannot refuse! If you live in or near Austin, we especially need your help to get to the Capitol to participate fully in the 88th Texas Legislative Session. Tell us about your interest by replying to this message, emailing us, or calling our main number (no texts). Thank you!

LIV wishes retiring judges Lee County's Paul Fischer and Bastrop County's Paul Pape all the best in their recent retirements. We caught them together at the Lee County Fair Parade in 2022. Both Judges have been essential allies in the quest to protect our most precious resource, the groundwater underlying both counties. We wish the new Lee County Judge, Frank Malinak, and the new Bastrop County Judge, Gregory Klaus, all the best! We look forward to working with you.

Celebrate the independent, unity builder, dreamer, and supreme organizer, Martin Luther King today! Join and get active in the League of Independent Voters of Texas. Dues start at just $10 for the year. D onate or Join here. LIV news: • Elephant in Water - TX Lege News! • LIV Citizen , Candidate , & Story & Series of the Year ! • Bastrop/Lee Countians:. Sign this to Lost Pines GCD • Happy Trails Judges Fischer & Pape! Why you have not heard from LIV since November 16. On November 16 the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met, signaling BIG changes in water policy. This week it became clear that WATER is at the top of the Texas Legislature's agenda. You know, water, the thing you cannot live without after three days. Something else really big happened. The 2022 election results in Texas made plain that ignoring Texas independent voters is not smart. A must-read is this Harvey Kronberg Quorum Report article. Note: Harvey's "15%" number is probably low. Texas independents are likely to be 24-27%; nearly 3.8 million Texans identify as independents! LIV took off two months to regroup, and we're still at it. We remain steadfast in our mission of achieving electoral competition (more independent candidacies and parties, including contested primaries) and the protection of natural resources . Most important to our mission is how we organize across the partisan divide. LIV dares to bring together right-wing, left-wing and all points in between because that is where independents are to be found. LIV has a working group that meets weekly . Our group includes people who voted for Trump, Biden, Sanders, Stein (Green), or Jo Jorgenson (Libertarian). Some are members of the new Forward Party. We hear the No Labels Party is also coming to Texas, and we will welcome them too. Yeah, yeah, we know, it can't be done. If you're confused, you're not the only one. The entire political spectrum is confused. At this moment, much of the Left is pro-war and pro-security state (CIA, FBI, NSA). On those same matters, the Right has begun to sound like the old Left from the 1960s. Let's not forget it was the FBI that sent this vicious letter to Martin Luther King. The good news is independent media is growing . Why? Corporate media keeps missing the story. Note: LIV has no position on federal policy. However, to illustrate our point we offer independent Texan, Ron Paul's article on the Twitter Files, for your consideration . The Intercept article about concessions won in US Speaker's race to avoid a debt crisis here , is another. Can we drop the labels? We believe the answer is simply in working together on that which we agree. The destructive partisanship we see today is not to be confused with democratic competition, listening and pluralism . There is a difference! If you don't like political fences, join LIV and help us grow. We need money and, most of all, your participation. Reach out and touch LIV today! LIV forums are currently on hold as we get our house in order. However, we invite you to send us your ideas for forums or to join us on Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm on Zoom. Email us at contact@livtx.org or give us a ring at 512.213.4511. Thank you for listening!

Nancy McKee brought the Elephant into the hearing room! LIV proudly announces our citizen of the year, Nancy McKee of Lexington, Texas. Nancy and her husband Ronnie stepped up five years ago to protect their and their neighbors' water wells from damage caused by Vista Ridge's pumping for San Antonio Water System, SAWS. Nancy didn't stop there. She brought the Water Elephant into the hearing room with outstanding perseverance, courage, and humility. McKee pointed out to the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs the rank insult of SAWS's massive water waste (43,000 acre-feet in 2021, revealed in Elena Bruess's article published in the San Antonio Express News) from failing infrastructure while the SAWS/Vista Ridge began importing nearly equal masses of Vista Ridge water (50,000 acre-feet). Nancy politely and forcefully placed this travesty smack dab in the lap of Senator Charles Perry. It's in the record and we hope will be in the mix of the 2023 Texas Legislative Session for action -- including yours -- you Texas independents. Check out McKee's amazing testimony here . LIV loves you, Nancy!

In 2021, SAWS lost almost 43,000 acre-feet of water, nearly the same amount of water pumped to San Antonio by Vista Ridge (50,000 acre-feet/year)! Thanks to writer Elena Bruess , San Antonio Express-News, " SAWS Lost over 14 billion gallons of water in 2021 , " this is in print! Excerpt from the article: "In total, Texas utilities lose at least 527,000 acre-feet of water a year from the water treatment center to tap. This is equivalent to the entire 2020 water needs for the cities of Austin, Fort Worth, Laredo, El Paso, and Lubbock combined, or 51 gallons per water connection per day, according to a report by the Texas Wildlife Federation."

Last Tuesday, all us Texans lost as we witnessed the tightening of one-party kleptocratic Republican rule. You can't just chalk it up to how "red" Texas is. Texas is also full of independents. However, both parties left the independents to fend for ourselves. This includes the party that had the most to gain from us, the Texas Democratic Party. We share with you Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report latest piece from behind their paywall. Harvey is at his best in, " Predictable Playbook . " Water Hearing Wednesday! A hearing has been called by State Senator Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Read this message from the Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund. You can even hop on their bus! Hope to see you water warriors in Austin next Wednesday! Just where do we -- the independents -- go from here? Where LIV would like to see Texas independents go from here is up for discussion next Monday night, 7 pm, at LIV's online forum. Sign in here to join us . We will look more closely at four independents who were on the ballot. Independent Texans PAC wrote about them here . Linda Curtis put out this message following her 4% showing in HD17 . Y'all be good -- and hide your water and your wives! :)

The 88th Session of the Texas Legislature (the Lege) begins on January 10th. See important dates for the Lege here . That said, legislators began filing hundreds of bills for the session on Monday, November 10th. Here at " TLO " is where you can begin following the sausage- making at the Texas Lege. We invite you to join LIV in tracking legislation throughout the session. This is no easy task when you're up against "The Lobby" of professionals in suits representing interests with plenty of cash to spend to get their way. This morning we extracted much of a message sent last night from the Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund about today's, Wednesday, November 16, 10 am important Senate Hearing on Water. Here's the notice from the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs . If you are unable to get to Austin, tune in to https://senate.texas.gov/av-live.php at 10 a.m. Wednesday to see the hearing livestream, or watch the recording later in the November 16, 2022 video/audio archive at https://senate.texas.gov/av-live.php . FROM SAWDF: Hurray for our Water Supporters! The Hearing WHAT : Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee Interim Hearing, Sen. Charles Perry, Chair WHERE : E1.016 Hearing Room (in the Capitol Extension, must be accessed through main Capitol Building, use South or North entrance, East entrance closed. ) Note: there will be an overflow room nearby where you can be more comfortable, come and go at will, and view the meeting via a big screen. We will locate that room when we get there, typically it is very near the meeting room. When our panel of several landowners and SAWDF Executive Director, Andy Wier, is due to be on, our plan is to move as a group when our panel is on, with our identifying "water drop badges" on, to the back of the hearing room to stand and be visible to the committee as a group--- if you can't stand for about 10-15 minutes, there may be seats available in the hearing room or you are of course welcome to return to the overflow room. If you are unable to get to Austin, tune in to https://senate.texas.gov/av-live.php at 10 a.m. Wednesday to see the hearing livestream, or watch the recording later in the November 16, 2022 video/audio archive at https://senate.texas.gov/av-live.php . WHY: We are attending to support our panel of three speakers who were formally "invited" to testify --- they are carefully chosen well owners, two from Lee County and one from Bastrop (Andy Wier, our Exec. Director for SAWDF, whose work resulted in the panel's invitation to testify). Andy, Nancy McKee and Mike Orosco have been working very hard on their presentations --- we don't have talking points to offer YOU because we believe our panel will use their extra minutes of testimony and lengthier written comments to cover the critical issues we are trying to advance at this time --- the runup to the regular session in January. We want to influence the Committee's written report to the Lt. Governor, as the President of the Senate. We never discourage citizens from giving 2-minute public comments, but we have confidence in the panel, and their ability to answer questions from the committee. We will of course be calling upon you during the regular session to help us play offense and defense, as needed, on specific legislation. Don't feel pressured to speak, but if you do, be as prepared as you can for 2 minutes of directed, focused comments --- but as always, speak from your heart. THE SENATE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE HOUSE --- WE BELIEVE THE COMMITTEE WILL NOT ACCEPT ELECTRONIC (EMAIL) COMMENTS. IF YOU WANT TO HAND IN PHYSICAL COPIES, YOU HAVE TO GIVE THE CLERK 15 COPIES AT THE HEARING. (LIV Note: Of course, you can contact the individual members of the committee anytime you wish. Current committee members may change when the Lt. Governor does his appointments sometime after new members are seated in January. Here is a list of committee members .) Bottom line, we believe our panel will raise, and provide arguments for, the need for the Legislature to address specific issues concerning both aquifer protection as well as property rights in our most precious local resource, our groundwater. When we see actual proposed legislation filed for the regular session (pre-filing started this week), we will know what we all have to focus on --- rumor has it, there may be some legislation proposed that will not favor rural communities and their groundwater districts. No surprise. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! The SAWDF Board --- Travis Brown, George Witta, Andy Wier and Michele Gangnes, all aboard the bus, and Ernie Bogart, who wishes he could go. LIV Note: SAWDF is taking a bus with Lee County landowners and the Lee County Commissioners Court, including Lee County Judge Paul Fischer. Lee County Judge Elect, Frank Malinak is also attending. If you are able to donate towards the costs of the bus, please do so here .

LIV reprints this SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE SIMSBORO AQUIFER WATER DEFENSE FUND (SAWDF) CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO WATCH SAWDF'S 6 minute educational video on the most sought after groundwater in Texas! Protect our water for the next generation, y'all! Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District has scheduled a special meeting on: Thursday, October 27, 2022; 7PM American Legion - Post 533 3003 Loop 150 E Bastrop, TX See both the agenda and draft resolution (attached to the agenda) HERE concerning a possible moratorium on permitting at Lost Pines, in what may prove to be a challenging run-up to the legislative session for the District. Both Michele Gangnes and I have previous engagements on Thursday and cannot attend this unanticipated special meeting. We did NOT plan to make public comment, because the resolution does not impact exempt domestic/livestock wells, and we did not see a reason to interrupt the flow of an important meeting. Get ready for game on at the Lege. However, SAWDF believes the strong presence of interested persons and landowners will boost the board's confidence in adopting the resolution. The meeting space can hold more than 100 people. We are not asking you to prepare comments; the Board will know why you are there. Permit holders will certainly be in attendance. The LCRA , Aqua Water , Gatehouse , and Thomas Turfgrass all spoke against the resolution at the regular board meeting last Wednesday, when the possible moratorium --- an important "time out" for the District to do its work --- was first considered. The LPGCD board is planning to move forward with new rules before the Texas Legislative session begins in January. The proposed moratorium continues through the legislative session so LPGCD can incorporate any changes to Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code which governs groundwater conservation districts. Andrew Wier, Executive Director Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund awier.tx@gmail.com 512-545-4779 voice/text

We’re not “there” yet, but the man on the left is we independents’ favorite judge this year, well maybe for the last couple of decades! That's Federal Judge Robert Pitman , who serves on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas . Last Friday, Judge Pitman issued this great big danged deal ruling that gives independent and minor party candidates in Texas a path to fair ballot access petition rules! Though the unconstitutionality of Texas’ ballot access scheme to impose discriminatory and severely burdensome requirements on independents and minor parties has been in contention for many decades, this case was filed in July 2019 by the Center for Competitive Democracy (CCD). The CCD had pro-bono legal support from the prestigious global law firm of Shearman & Sterling , and the backing of Mark Cuban . ( See LIV's report here . ) The case, like everything else in our lives, was slowed due to COVID. Quoting from Judge Pitman's order is his recognition that the paper petitioning process violates our fundamental rights: "…because the challenged provisions, to the extent they require paper petitions, violate Plaintiffs’ fundamental rights” ", and "…because the challenged provisions, to the extent they require a paper petitioning process, impose unequal burdens on Plaintiffs in violation of the Equal Protection Clause". Hallelujah, y'all! Although the Judge came down unequivocally on the paper petitioning procedure in favor of electronic petitioning and does not appear (as we hesitate to second-guess any judge) likely to change his mind, he handed down a split decision on other allegations in the complaint. Knowing that either side might appeal some element of his decision, he is giving the parties two weeks to come to an agreement out of court that will avoid an appeal of any of his decisions, including his rejection of paper petitions . If the parties don’t reach full agreement, they will at least submit the form of order they are looking for, and Judge Pitman will then make his final ruling. LIV Board Member, Jeff Harper said, "Clearly, we will wait for this other shoe to drop, but again, this is HUGE. We await, and cherish the moment, to see what comes out of this exciting development for competitive elections in Texas!" Join LIV today, y'all! We independents must be ready for the 2023 legislative session where we can expect interference from both parties in fair ballot access for independents and new and minor parties.

Join us on Monday night, October 10, from 7 to 8 pm on Zoom with all things water attorney, James Murphy, one of the top water lawyers in Texas. We'll talk about river authorities, water quality and desalination and you can ask James anything you want to know. THE BIG DANGED BAD NEWS is that yet another mega-permit of groundwater is about to get rolling in the communities east of Austin. The "Recharge LP"* permit is a long-standing 46,000 acre-feet per year (nearly the size of Vista Ridge) permit from the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District granted seven years ago. We were wishfully thinking it would just go away. *The name "Recharge" is a continual irritation because the aquifers from which they will pump barely recharge. This permit began life as the infamous End Op project run by an equally infamous former Williamson County Commissioner, Frankie Limmer . Just last week, we found out that Recharge LP finally has a customer -- the Brazos River Authority (BRA). Recharge can only pump “tiered” amounts over the next several years, starting with 25,000 AFY, with Lost Pines assessing impacts along the way. Remember Vista Ridge just started pumping full bore, 50,000 AFY in April of 2020. Within 6 months "The San Antone Hose" began wreaking havoc with landowner wells in Burleson, Milam and Lee counties. No word yet on where BRA will deliver the water, but the permit only allows export to Williamson, Travis or Hays counties. We think Williamson County is the best bet with the Williamson County led by County Judge Bill Gravell , who never met a water grab of his neighboring counties that he didn’t like. He is also crazy enough to support subsidizing eleven new Samsung chip plants without a seeming care in the world about where these water guzzlers get their water! (Our article " Samsung Snooker Subsidie s " has been making the rounds explains what happened to Milam County's water supply with the first chip plant in Taylor.) Three political powerhouses – the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), and now BRA – have plans to dip into our central Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. LCRA will produce and sell, and BRA will buy and sell Lost Pines groundwater, while GBRA will pump groundwater so near to Lost Pines (in the Gonzales County groundwater district) that they will likely also impact landowner wells in Lost Pines. Those communities across Texas with water better get ready for a big fight. Though we must share -- and already do -- we do not support robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Linda Curtis was pretty sure Whistle's hair hadn't been done yet (as seen in this picture) and she was riderless when the judges came by at the terrific Oktoberfest in Dime Box last Saturday. Whistle came in third in the horse beauty contest. Her rider, Linda, is in a three-way race as an independent candidate for House District 17 -- Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee and Milam counties. Linda wondered out-loud how she and Whistle can move from third place to first place by Election Day, November 8. LIV Board Member, Arlan Foster, who self-identifies as both an independent and a gambler, said, " Nobody expected Rich Strike to even come close to winning the this year's Kentucky Derby. The horse didn't just get lucky. His trainer and jockey held the horse back to save up energy for a mad dash to the finish line. In Linda's case, as an independent she had to start late. Can she come through with a final burst to a first place finish on November 8th? Linda is our -- independent's -- Rich Strike. I'm betting on her and doing all I can to help." Please note that Linda has many hats, including being our chief "bottle washer" here at LIV, who also serves on our Advisory Board. She is also known as "Petition Queen." The Petition Queen launched a petition to "Stop the Water Grabs." now parked at her website at Linda4Lege.org . The petition is designed get Texans across the state ready for the mad dash to the Legislature in January 2023. This is where we all will be working to protect our water resources and to broaden electoral competition.