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Harris County Commissioners Court, August 15, 2024.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo walked out in the middle of the Harris County Commissioners Court meeting on Thursday during a spat about a project that she said could restrict space inside her department’s office.
Commissioner Lesley Briones said that her efforts to secure a second exit door from her precinct office inside the Harris County Administration building were delayed for months before commissioners overwhelmingly approved the request on Thursday.
Though the item was set to be taken up in a closed-door session during the court meeting, Hidalgo requested that the discussions be taken in the public forum. Earlier in the day, she held up a map of her county office and said she’s been harassed by Briones’ precinct office, which has made attempts to tear down one of her office walls for the project, Hidalgo said.
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However, Briones said that creating a second egress from her precinct office would ensure her staffers’ safety.
“All we want is a second door in case there is an active threat, whether that is a shooter, whether that is a fire,” Briones said. “My office does not have a second exit in a separate area by which my team can leave.”
Hidalgo spoke about commissioners last year failing to back her request for additional security detail during her trade mission to Paris. In an interview with Houston Public Media last year, she said she wasn’t permitted to bring security detail on her trip, which was funded with money from her own political campaign.
The request for an additional door from Briones’ office first arose in a meeting of the county’s space planning committee, which works with county departments and precinct offices to make security and space recommendations for local government buildings.
On Thursday, Hidalgo said the county judge’s office inside the administration building is limited in space and has not been remodeled like other precinct offices. Some of the county judge’s staff need to work out of a conference room because the floor they work on is being treated for asbestos.
“We have had people share offices,” Hidalgo said. “So it’s five community engagement staff and eight policy staff that are sharing a conference room because of asbestos, and I have a communications staff — obviously important because of my role as a spokesperson for the county — that would be displaced if this plan goes through. So it’s not feasible for me.”
County staff previously rejected two alternative options to enhance safety for Briones’ staff, according to Hidalgo, like installing a safe room inside the precinct office or creating a door into Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis’ office.
Hidalgo said she’s never voted against recommendations for safety and security, but creating a door into the county judge’s office by tearing down part of her office when she doesn’t have room for her own staff isn’t feasible. Briones, however, said the option was recommended by the county’s top engineering and fire marshals officials, and the door would only go through a storage closet.
Hidalgo asked if the space planning committee voted on an item to discuss the option back in December. Sam Peña, who works in the county’s engineering department, said there was no need for a vote.
“See, you’re being cute,” Hidalgo said, cutting off Peña and prompting Commissioner Adrian Garcia to call for a point of order. “You serve at the pleasure of the commissioners, of course you’re going to be cute. But the point is, there was no vote. Please send it back to the space planning committee, take a vote.”
Hidalgo then promptly exited the chambers. The conversation continued, and Garcia apologized for Hidalgo’s comments. He said the county judge’s staff is working in poor conditions because she failed them by not considering their working conditions.
Commissioners passed the item unanimously on Thursday while Hidalgo was absent. The project will take about a month to complete.