The report stems from a public records request filed by conservative activist Mark McCaig, publisher of The Texas Voice, who said he sought to determine who had benefited from the HCSCC’s hospitality during the World Cup and other events.
Records obtained by The Texas Voice indicate Guzman received three tickets to the June 17 FIFA World Cup match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as four tickets to Bruno Mars’ April 24 concert at NRG Stadium. Videos posted to Guzman’s social media show attended the World Cup Match with her parents.
The Texas Voice reported Guzman’s acceptance of the tickets could conflict with KPRC’s ethics policies.
KPRC General Manager Sean McLaughlin confirmed to Chron that the station is reviewing the matter.
“We are looking into this matter. KPRC takes journalistic ethics very seriously along with anything that could potentially create even the appearance of a conflict of interest,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Due to this being a personnel situation, we won’t have any other comments.”
The report also names Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo; Commissioners Lesley Briones, Rodney Ellis; Adrian Garcia and Tom Ramsey; Ellis’ chief of staff Brandon Dudley; former Houston City Council member and Democratic Harris County judge nominee Letitia Plummer; HCSCC board appointee Elsa Flores; and Erica Lee Carter, the daughter of late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee who recently became Harris County’s administrator.
The disclosures come just months after another controversy involving complimentary event tickets. Earlier this year, the Houston Chronicle reported that multiple Harris County officials and employees received free tickets from the HCSCC to Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo concerts. That reporting followed a public dispute between Hidalgo and RodeoHouston over premium concert access, which prompted broader questions about complimentary tickets provided to elected officials.
Before publishing the records, McCaig announced on X that he had obtained documentation showing who received county-provided hospitality and defended the newsworthiness of the report after some users questioned why it mattered.
“Typically TV stations frown upon their personalities doing things that might create a conflict of interest, such as free hospitality from the County at these events (not to mention the County having a suite at NRG Stadium in the first place),” McCaig wrote.
A four-time Emmy Award-winning bilingual journalist, Guzman joined KPRC in 2022 after more than a decade at NBC-owned stations in Chicago and Los Angeles.
The Houston native previously spent six years at KPRC as a weekend anchor and breaking news reporter before returning to the station. She began her career with internships and reporting roles at Univision and Telemundo in Houston and Miami and graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in bilingual journalism and communications.