Judge orders mediation for Hidalgo taxi drivers, council members

Source: The Monitor, McAllen, TexasAug.迷你倉庫 21--EDINBURG -- Without asking any questions or hearing any arguments, state District Judge Jesus "Jesse" Contreras ordered Hidalgo's taxi drivers and half the City Council to mediation Tuesday afternoon.Contreras also extended a temporary restraining order -- filed by the taxi drivers and Councilman Rudy Franz against his political opponents, Councilman Guillermo Ramirez and Councilman Gustavo Sanchez -- until next Thursday, when the mediation ends and they'll return to court.Extending the restraining order will probably block the City Council from considering a long-delayed bus permit for S to N Transport next week. The new bus company would offer service to travelers at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge, but it'd also compete with Hidalgo's existing taxi drivers and Rudy Franz, who owns Franz Taxi and a rival bus company called STS Transportation."All we're doing is attempting to grant a permit to somebody that has earned it, by following the law and following our ordinance," Ramirez said, adding that S to N Transport meets all Hidalgo's permit requirements.Unsurprisingly, Rudy Franz and the taxi drivers disagree. They've described the new bus permit as political retaliation and warn the extra competition will destroy local businesses."If you get these guys out of business, you're going to have to fish for a taxi outside the area and wait there 15 or 20 minutes in the sun -- waiting for a taxi to drive in from McAllen or from Pharr," said attorney Fabian Guerrero, who represents Rudy Franz and the taxi drivers. "And really, they do need to take care of their taxi industry. I'm not saying protectionism; I'm talking about a balanced approach."Legal maneuvers, through, have stopped Ramirez and the City Council from considering the new bus permit altogether for two months.On July 22, Rudy Franz convin儲存ed state District Judge Juan Partida to sign a temporary restraining order against Ramirez and Sanchez, forbidding them from voting on the bus permit. When that case was removed to federal court, Rudy Franz obtained another temporary restraining order from another district judge on Aug 12.Once again, the court blocked Ramirez and Sanchez from voting, and the bus permit stalled again.After reviewing the initial legal filings, a Houston-based attorney called the situation "crazy" and questioned the willingness of district judges to stop local elected officials from voting."No federal court would ever issue an injunction against Congress and say 'Congress can't vote on this trade bill because some member of Congress said it would harm his business,' and that's exactly what happened here," said Jerad Najvar, a Houston attorney who handles political law issues, including campaign finance and ethics.In the Rio Grande Valley, though, temporary restraining orders have become a relatively common tactic for well-connected local politicians.--In March 2007, a district judge signed a temporary restraining order against then-La Villa Mayor Rene Castillo, forbidding him from "attending any city meetings or conducting any city business," according to Monitor archives.--In December 2007, Pharr City Manager Fred Sandoval obtained a temporary restraining order against a majority of the Pharr City Commission, preventing the elected officials from firing him.--In May 2012, a district judge signed a temporary restraining order forbidding the Edcouch-Elsa school board from meeting. When the school board scheduled another meeting, the judge extended the order and blocked the new meeting, too.dhendricks@themonitor.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Monitor (McAllen, Texas) Visit The Monitor (McAllen, Texas) at .themonitor.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉