Tejano Talks

Con Domingo & Hiram García

Tejano Talks es un pódcast de asuntos públicos y cultura presentado por Domingo García y Hiram García. Se centra en el análisis político, la educación financiera, el empoderamiento comunitario y entrevistas con figuras destacadas de todo Texas.

Último episodio

Skipping the bottom of your ballot? Those races pick who decides criminal charges, eviction cases, and flood projects in your county.
 
The district attorney decides how the law gets charged. The county judge and commissioners decide what gets built, funded, and fixed. The justice of the peace hears evictions, truancy, and traffic cases.This episode help you prepare for Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
 
Hiram and Domingo sit down with four Democratic candidates at the 2026 Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi to talk about what these local offices actually do, and how each candidate says they would run theirs.
 
The candidates:
Alfonso Salazar, Hays County Criminal District Attorney: https://www.alfonso4haysda.com
Lesley Briones, Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4: https://lesleybriones.com
Dr. Letitia Plummer, Harris County Judge: https://www.drletitiaplummer.com
Rodney Lee, Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4: https://www.rodneyleeforjop.com
 
🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Texas is sitting on $28 Billion in won't spend, Sarah Eckhardt for Texas Comptroller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNk55x1O3l8
• Gina Hinojosa on her run for governor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
IN THIS EPISODE
— What a DA, a county commissioner, a county judge, and a justice of the peace actually decide
— Charging discretion, second chances, and reviewing past convictions
— Flood control, public health, and mental-health diversion at the county level
— Bond money, hospital access, and how fast local government delivers
— Court access for hourly workers who can't miss a shift
— Trust between communities and the institutions that serve them
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:21 Alfonso Salazar — Hays County Criminal District Attorney
10:22 Lesley Briones — Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4
24:08 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
24:23 Dr. Letitia Plummer — Harris County Judge
35:01 Rodney Lee — Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE GUESTS
 
ALFONSO SALAZAR is the Democratic nominee for Hays County Criminal District Attorney. He served as a military police officer with the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, and State of Texas from 2008 to 2020, and holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Baylor Law School. On the show, he focuses on second chances, lowering recidivism, and a civil rights division in the DA's office.
 
LESLEY BRIONES is the Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4 and is running for reelection. She grew up in Laredo, the daughter of teachers, taught 8th and 10th grade, and earned degrees from Harvard and Yale Law School. She previously served as judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4. On the show, she focuses on flood mitigation, county wages, and mental-health diversion.
 
DR. LETITIA PLUMMER is the Democratic nominee for Harris County Judge. A practicing dentist who began her career with the Harris Health System, she served on the Houston City Council in At-Large Position 4 from 2020 to 2025. On the show, she focuses on getting voter-approved bond projects built, regional collaboration, and health care access.
 
RODNEY LEE is the Democratic nominee for Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4. He is a 22-year Navy veteran, a former juvenile probation officer, and a public school educator. On the show, he focuses on night court for hourly workers, evictions, and truancy.
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE HOSTS
 
DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.
 
HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS
Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.
 
Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

 
Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.
 
#TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #Election2026

Skipping the bottom of your ballot? Those races pick who decides criminal charges, eviction cases, and flood projects in your county.

The district attorney decides how the law gets charged. The county judge and commissioners decide what gets built, funded, and fixed. The justice of the peace hears evictions, truancy, and traffic cases.This episode help you prepare for Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with four Democratic candidates at the 2026 Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi to talk about what these local offices actually do, and how each candidate says they would run theirs.

The candidates:
Alfonso Salazar, Hays County Criminal District Attorney: https://www.alfonso4haysda.com
Lesley Briones, Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4: https://lesleybriones.com
Dr. Letitia Plummer, Harris County Judge: https://www.drletitiaplummer.com
Rodney Lee, Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4: https://www.rodneyleeforjop.com

🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Texas is sitting on $28 Billion in won't spend, Sarah Eckhardt for Texas Comptroller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNk55x1O3l8
• Gina Hinojosa on her run for governor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
IN THIS EPISODE
— What a DA, a county commissioner, a county judge, and a justice of the peace actually decide
— Charging discretion, second chances, and reviewing past convictions
— Flood control, public health, and mental-health diversion at the county level
— Bond money, hospital access, and how fast local government delivers
— Court access for hourly workers who can't miss a shift
— Trust between communities and the institutions that serve them

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:21 Alfonso Salazar — Hays County Criminal District Attorney
10:22 Lesley Briones — Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4
24:08 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
24:23 Dr. Letitia Plummer — Harris County Judge
35:01 Rodney Lee — Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE GUESTS

ALFONSO SALAZAR is the Democratic nominee for Hays County Criminal District Attorney. He served as a military police officer with the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, and State of Texas from 2008 to 2020, and holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Baylor Law School. On the show, he focuses on second chances, lowering recidivism, and a civil rights division in the DA's office.

LESLEY BRIONES is the Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4 and is running for reelection. She grew up in Laredo, the daughter of teachers, taught 8th and 10th grade, and earned degrees from Harvard and Yale Law School. She previously served as judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4. On the show, she focuses on flood mitigation, county wages, and mental-health diversion.

DR. LETITIA PLUMMER is the Democratic nominee for Harris County Judge. A practicing dentist who began her career with the Harris Health System, she served on the Houston City Council in At-Large Position 4 from 2020 to 2025. On the show, she focuses on getting voter-approved bond projects built, regional collaboration, and health care access.

RODNEY LEE is the Democratic nominee for Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4. He is a 22-year Navy veteran, a former juvenile probation officer, and a public school educator. On the show, he focuses on night court for hourly workers, evictions, and truancy.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS
Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.


Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #Election2026

2 0

Vídeo de YouTube VVVnMmVYZlpfX21xYTJEa3o5V3JDV3h3LmdFeU1WX3Zobk9n
Tejano Talks 1.3K

Skipping the Bottom of Your Ballot? Here's What It Decides | Tejano Talks

Tejano Talks 8 de octubre de 2026 17:00

Episodio

destacado

Entrevista con Bernie Sanders

Por qué los multimillonarios están destruyendo la democracia

Agosto de 2026 | 8 min

Episodios

Skipping the bottom of your ballot? Those races pick who decides criminal charges, eviction cases, and flood projects in your county.
 
The district attorney decides how the law gets charged. The county judge and commissioners decide what gets built, funded, and fixed. The justice of the peace hears evictions, truancy, and traffic cases.This episode help you prepare for Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
 
Hiram and Domingo sit down with four Democratic candidates at the 2026 Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi to talk about what these local offices actually do, and how each candidate says they would run theirs.
 
The candidates:
Alfonso Salazar, Hays County Criminal District Attorney: https://www.alfonso4haysda.com
Lesley Briones, Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4: https://lesleybriones.com
Dr. Letitia Plummer, Harris County Judge: https://www.drletitiaplummer.com
Rodney Lee, Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4: https://www.rodneyleeforjop.com
 
🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Texas is sitting on $28 Billion in won't spend, Sarah Eckhardt for Texas Comptroller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNk55x1O3l8
• Gina Hinojosa on her run for governor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
IN THIS EPISODE
— What a DA, a county commissioner, a county judge, and a justice of the peace actually decide
— Charging discretion, second chances, and reviewing past convictions
— Flood control, public health, and mental-health diversion at the county level
— Bond money, hospital access, and how fast local government delivers
— Court access for hourly workers who can't miss a shift
— Trust between communities and the institutions that serve them
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:21 Alfonso Salazar — Hays County Criminal District Attorney
10:22 Lesley Briones — Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4
24:08 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
24:23 Dr. Letitia Plummer — Harris County Judge
35:01 Rodney Lee — Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE GUESTS
 
ALFONSO SALAZAR is the Democratic nominee for Hays County Criminal District Attorney. He served as a military police officer with the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, and State of Texas from 2008 to 2020, and holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Baylor Law School. On the show, he focuses on second chances, lowering recidivism, and a civil rights division in the DA's office.
 
LESLEY BRIONES is the Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4 and is running for reelection. She grew up in Laredo, the daughter of teachers, taught 8th and 10th grade, and earned degrees from Harvard and Yale Law School. She previously served as judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4. On the show, she focuses on flood mitigation, county wages, and mental-health diversion.
 
DR. LETITIA PLUMMER is the Democratic nominee for Harris County Judge. A practicing dentist who began her career with the Harris Health System, she served on the Houston City Council in At-Large Position 4 from 2020 to 2025. On the show, she focuses on getting voter-approved bond projects built, regional collaboration, and health care access.
 
RODNEY LEE is the Democratic nominee for Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4. He is a 22-year Navy veteran, a former juvenile probation officer, and a public school educator. On the show, he focuses on night court for hourly workers, evictions, and truancy.
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE HOSTS
 
DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.
 
HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS
Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.
 
Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

 
Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.
 
#TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #Election2026

Skipping the bottom of your ballot? Those races pick who decides criminal charges, eviction cases, and flood projects in your county.

The district attorney decides how the law gets charged. The county judge and commissioners decide what gets built, funded, and fixed. The justice of the peace hears evictions, truancy, and traffic cases.This episode help you prepare for Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with four Democratic candidates at the 2026 Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi to talk about what these local offices actually do, and how each candidate says they would run theirs.

The candidates:
Alfonso Salazar, Hays County Criminal District Attorney: https://www.alfonso4haysda.com
Lesley Briones, Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4: https://lesleybriones.com
Dr. Letitia Plummer, Harris County Judge: https://www.drletitiaplummer.com
Rodney Lee, Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4: https://www.rodneyleeforjop.com

🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Texas is sitting on $28 Billion in won't spend, Sarah Eckhardt for Texas Comptroller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNk55x1O3l8
• Gina Hinojosa on her run for governor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
IN THIS EPISODE
— What a DA, a county commissioner, a county judge, and a justice of the peace actually decide
— Charging discretion, second chances, and reviewing past convictions
— Flood control, public health, and mental-health diversion at the county level
— Bond money, hospital access, and how fast local government delivers
— Court access for hourly workers who can't miss a shift
— Trust between communities and the institutions that serve them

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:21 Alfonso Salazar — Hays County Criminal District Attorney
10:22 Lesley Briones — Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4
24:08 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
24:23 Dr. Letitia Plummer — Harris County Judge
35:01 Rodney Lee — Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE GUESTS

ALFONSO SALAZAR is the Democratic nominee for Hays County Criminal District Attorney. He served as a military police officer with the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, and State of Texas from 2008 to 2020, and holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Baylor Law School. On the show, he focuses on second chances, lowering recidivism, and a civil rights division in the DA's office.

LESLEY BRIONES is the Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4 and is running for reelection. She grew up in Laredo, the daughter of teachers, taught 8th and 10th grade, and earned degrees from Harvard and Yale Law School. She previously served as judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4. On the show, she focuses on flood mitigation, county wages, and mental-health diversion.

DR. LETITIA PLUMMER is the Democratic nominee for Harris County Judge. A practicing dentist who began her career with the Harris Health System, she served on the Houston City Council in At-Large Position 4 from 2020 to 2025. On the show, she focuses on getting voter-approved bond projects built, regional collaboration, and health care access.

RODNEY LEE is the Democratic nominee for Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4. He is a 22-year Navy veteran, a former juvenile probation officer, and a public school educator. On the show, he focuses on night court for hourly workers, evictions, and truancy.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS
Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.


Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #Election2026

2 0

Vídeo de YouTube VVVnMmVYZlpfX21xYTJEa3o5V3JDV3h3LmdFeU1WX3Zobk9n

Skipping the Bottom of Your Ballot? Here's What It Decides | Tejano Talks

Tejano Talks 8 de octubre de 2026 17:00

There was never a pure taco. José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly's taco editor — the first at an American publication

Ralat has spent almost seven years tracing the origins of the best tacos. Lebanese immigrants brought a shawarma spit to Puebla and Mexicans adapted it into tacos árabes, then al pastor. Japanese and Mexican fishermen worked out the Baja fish taco together, tempura batter and all. Korean tacos came from Koreans and Mexicans living side by side in California. For his newest list he covered 14,000 miles and 437 taquerías to pick 25 of the best new or improved in Texas.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with José R. Ralat to argue flour versus corn, explain why burritos are tacos, and make the case that a French tire company has no business telling Texas what tastes good.

José R. Ralat’s work at Texas Monthly:
https://www.texasmonthly.com/contributors/jose-r-ralat/


🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Texas Has Two Supreme Courts. You’ve Never Heard of This One:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMnEN8wIku8&t=8s
• Can Ericka Ledferd Fix Our Schools?:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m0_hNj6KcSk&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3D

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
IN THIS EPISODE

— Why nearly every taco he traces turns out to be a record of somebody else's migration
— How al pastor got from a shawarma spit in Puebla to a trompo in Monterrey
— What he judges first — the tortilla — and why "flour or corn" is a trick question
— What 14,000 miles and 437 taquerías cost him, including a shattered ankle
— His account of being stopped by ICE and by a state trooper on the same reporting trip
— The Michelin star a Mexico City taquería won and then lost
— "New Tejano" cuisine, the term he coined in 2024 — and why a Puerto Rican gets to define it

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome — Texas Monthly's taco editor
01:16 Seven years on the beat; 1,000 taquerías for the book
03:05 Judging a lonchera against fine dining
04:14 How to judge al pastor: trompo, adobo, the slice
04:41 Lebanese immigrants, tacos árabes, and the road to al pastor
05:54 "Nothing is perfect until Mexicans get a hold of it"
07:03 The Baja fish taco and Japanese tempura
08:02 Fajitas: the cut nobody wanted
09:35 A shattered ankle in Veracruz
11:45 14,000 miles, 437 taquerías, 25 spots
12:22 "I had a run-in with ICE"
15:57 The criteria: tortilla, filling, salsa, story
17:39 Flour or corn — the trick question
19:15 Tradition versus innovation
20:55 Burritos are tacos
22:38 Korean tacos and fusion that works
24:17 His favorites from the 25
29:02 Austin versus San Antonio breakfast tacos
33:01 Big Red and barbacoa on Sundays
34:17 Mesquite, marinades, store-bought tortillas
37:49 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
38:20 Taco trends: birria, ribeye, wagyu
41:11 The taquería that lost its Michelin star
45:00 Why a French tire company can't judge Texas
46:59 "New Tejano" cuisine, coined in 2024
50:18 Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and the gateway taco
52:49 The teacher who saw his breakfast tacos
56:26 Where to find José Ralat

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE GUEST

JOSÉ R. RALAT is the taco editor at Texas Monthly — the first job of its kind at an American publication. He is the author of American Tacos: A History and Guide (2020) and won James Beard Awards in 2022 and 2023 for his Tex-Mexplainer column. In 2024 he introduced the idea of "New Tejano" cuisine alongside the magazine's 50 Best Tacos in Texas list, and his most recent project is "The 25 Best New (Or Improved!) Taquerías in Texas." He serves on the advisory board of Foodways Texas. Originally from Puerto Rico, he lives in Oak Cliff, Dallas.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #Tacos #TexasFood

There was never a pure taco. José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly's taco editor — the first at an American publication

Ralat has spent almost seven years tracing the origins of the best tacos. Lebanese immigrants brought a shawarma spit to Puebla and Mexicans adapted it into tacos árabes, then al pastor. Japanese and Mexican fishermen worked out the Baja fish taco together, tempura batter and all. Korean tacos came from Koreans and Mexicans living side by side in California. For his newest list he covered 14,000 miles and 437 taquerías to pick 25 of the best new or improved in Texas.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with José R. Ralat to argue flour versus corn, explain why burritos are tacos, and make the case that a French tire company has no business telling Texas what tastes good.

José R. Ralat’s work at Texas Monthly:
https://www.texasmonthly.com/contributors/jose-r-ralat/


🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Texas Has Two Supreme Courts. You’ve Never Heard of This One:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMnEN8wIku8&t=8s
• Can Ericka Ledferd Fix Our Schools?:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m0_hNj6KcSk&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3D

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
IN THIS EPISODE

— Why nearly every taco he traces turns out to be a record of somebody else's migration
— How al pastor got from a shawarma spit in Puebla to a trompo in Monterrey
— What he judges first — the tortilla — and why "flour or corn" is a trick question
— What 14,000 miles and 437 taquerías cost him, including a shattered ankle
— His account of being stopped by ICE and by a state trooper on the same reporting trip
— The Michelin star a Mexico City taquería won and then lost
— "New Tejano" cuisine, the term he coined in 2024 — and why a Puerto Rican gets to define it

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome — Texas Monthly's taco editor
01:16 Seven years on the beat; 1,000 taquerías for the book
03:05 Judging a lonchera against fine dining
04:14 How to judge al pastor: trompo, adobo, the slice
04:41 Lebanese immigrants, tacos árabes, and the road to al pastor
05:54 "Nothing is perfect until Mexicans get a hold of it"
07:03 The Baja fish taco and Japanese tempura
08:02 Fajitas: the cut nobody wanted
09:35 A shattered ankle in Veracruz
11:45 14,000 miles, 437 taquerías, 25 spots
12:22 "I had a run-in with ICE"
15:57 The criteria: tortilla, filling, salsa, story
17:39 Flour or corn — the trick question
19:15 Tradition versus innovation
20:55 Burritos are tacos
22:38 Korean tacos and fusion that works
24:17 His favorites from the 25
29:02 Austin versus San Antonio breakfast tacos
33:01 Big Red and barbacoa on Sundays
34:17 Mesquite, marinades, store-bought tortillas
37:49 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
38:20 Taco trends: birria, ribeye, wagyu
41:11 The taquería that lost its Michelin star
45:00 Why a French tire company can't judge Texas
46:59 "New Tejano" cuisine, coined in 2024
50:18 Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and the gateway taco
52:49 The teacher who saw his breakfast tacos
56:26 Where to find José Ralat

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT THE GUEST

JOSÉ R. RALAT is the taco editor at Texas Monthly — the first job of its kind at an American publication. He is the author of American Tacos: A History and Guide (2020) and won James Beard Awards in 2022 and 2023 for his Tex-Mexplainer column. In 2024 he introduced the idea of "New Tejano" cuisine alongside the magazine's 50 Best Tacos in Texas list, and his most recent project is "The 25 Best New (Or Improved!) Taquerías in Texas." He serves on the advisory board of Foodways Texas. Originally from Puerto Rico, he lives in Oak Cliff, Dallas.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #Tacos #TexasFood

5 1

Vídeo de YouTube VVVnMmVYZlpfX21xYTJEa3o5V3JDV3h3LkFHUFZxdktZbFNZ

There Was Never a Pure Taco — and That’s the Whole Point

Tejano Talks 6 de octubre de 2026 17:00

"I was declared dead about 4 months ago," Domingo Garcia says. His Texas voter registration had been suspended, and he had to get it reinstated.
 
His isn't the only registration with a problem. More than 1.2 million Texas voters are on the state's voter suspense list, according to KERA News. October 5 is the last day to register or update your address for the November 3 election. Being on the list doesn't mean you can't vote — but check now, not on Election Day.
 
Hiram and Domingo sit down, just the two of them, to talk about what's on the Texas ballot this November: the race for U.S. Senate between James Talarico and Ken Paxton, the governor's race between Gina Hinojosa and Greg Abbott, the cost of living, and why both hosts say turnout — not persuasion — is what decides Texas elections.
 
Check your registration, find your polling place, and see voting dates:
https://www.votetexas.gov/
 
Registered online through a DPS driver's license transaction? A state error left tens of thousands of those applications unsent to counties. Confirm with your county elections office.
 
🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• "No Te Dejes": Gina Hinojosa on running for governor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo&t=84s
• Nathan Johnson Scored 67 Episodes of Dragon Ball Z. Now He's Running for Texas Attorney General: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL3r7EO2nHU&t=29s
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
 
IN THIS EPISODE
— Why October 5 matters, and how to check whether your registration is current
— What the voter suspense list is, who ends up on it, and what to do if you're flagged
— Talarico vs. Paxton for U.S. Senate, and why the hosts say the race comes down to turnout
— Hinojosa vs. Abbott, and why Hiram and Domingo think the governor's race has tightened
— Gas, groceries, rent, health care: how the hosts connect the cost of living to the ballot
— Faith, values, and a direct appeal to young and conservative Latino voters
— Hiram's closing case: elections change when turnout changes, not when minds do
 
KEY DATES
Register or update your address: October 5
Early voting: October 19–30
Mail-ballot applications (eligible voters) must be received by: October 23
Election Day: November 3
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
 
CHAPTERS
00:00 What's at stake on November 3
00:37 Step one: register by October 5
01:19 "I was declared dead": check your registration
01:52 Redistricting and the fight over who votes
02:58 "My vote doesn't count": the 2018 Senate margin
03:23 Talarico vs. Paxton for U.S. Senate
05:49 Why some Latino conservatives still back Paxton
06:49 Diesel, tariffs, and the cost of living
08:31 Big money in Texas elections
09:51 Hinojosa vs. Abbott: why the governor's race tightened
11:46 The rest of the ticket
12:41 How to vote early and find your polling place
13:41 A message to people who don't vote
15:11 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
15:26 Marijuana, health care, and "small government"
16:38 Faith, history books, and Matthew 25
20:42 "Republicans win on fear. Democrats win on hope."
22:03 Take nine people to vote with you
22:26 Why turnout, not persuasion, decides elections
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
 
YOUR HOSTS
 
DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.
 
HIRAM GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.
 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
 
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS
Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.
 
Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.
 
Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.
 
#TejanoTalks #TexasVotes #RegisterToVote

"I was declared dead about 4 months ago," Domingo Garcia says. His Texas voter registration had been suspended, and he had to get it reinstated.

His isn't the only registration with a problem. More than 1.2 million Texas voters are on the state's voter suspense list, according to KERA News. October 5 is the last day to register or update your address for the November 3 election. Being on the list doesn't mean you can't vote — but check now, not on Election Day.

Hiram and Domingo sit down, just the two of them, to talk about what's on the Texas ballot this November: the race for U.S. Senate between James Talarico and Ken Paxton, the governor's race between Gina Hinojosa and Greg Abbott, the cost of living, and why both hosts say turnout — not persuasion — is what decides Texas elections.

Check your registration, find your polling place, and see voting dates:
https://www.votetexas.gov/

Registered online through a DPS driver's license transaction? A state error left tens of thousands of those applications unsent to counties. Confirm with your county elections office.

🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• "No Te Dejes": Gina Hinojosa on running for governor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo&t=84s
• Nathan Johnson Scored 67 Episodes of Dragon Ball Z. Now He's Running for Texas Attorney General: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL3r7EO2nHU&t=29s

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

IN THIS EPISODE
— Why October 5 matters, and how to check whether your registration is current
— What the voter suspense list is, who ends up on it, and what to do if you're flagged
— Talarico vs. Paxton for U.S. Senate, and why the hosts say the race comes down to turnout
— Hinojosa vs. Abbott, and why Hiram and Domingo think the governor's race has tightened
— Gas, groceries, rent, health care: how the hosts connect the cost of living to the ballot
— Faith, values, and a direct appeal to young and conservative Latino voters
— Hiram's closing case: elections change when turnout changes, not when minds do

KEY DATES
Register or update your address: October 5
Early voting: October 19–30
Mail-ballot applications (eligible voters) must be received by: October 23
Election Day: November 3

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CHAPTERS
00:00 What's at stake on November 3
00:37 Step one: register by October 5
01:19 "I was declared dead": check your registration
01:52 Redistricting and the fight over who votes
02:58 "My vote doesn't count": the 2018 Senate margin
03:23 Talarico vs. Paxton for U.S. Senate
05:49 Why some Latino conservatives still back Paxton
06:49 Diesel, tariffs, and the cost of living
08:31 Big money in Texas elections
09:51 Hinojosa vs. Abbott: why the governor's race tightened
11:46 The rest of the ticket
12:41 How to vote early and find your polling place
13:41 A message to people who don't vote
15:11 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
15:26 Marijuana, health care, and "small government"
16:38 Faith, history books, and Matthew 25
20:42 "Republicans win on fear. Democrats win on hope."
22:03 Take nine people to vote with you
22:26 Why turnout, not persuasion, decides elections

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

YOUR HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ABOUT TEJANO TALKS
Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasVotes #RegisterToVote

8 1

Vídeo de YouTube VVVnMmVYZlpfX21xYTJEa3o5V3JDV3h3LkNUY2FGbllsT2RN

“I Was Declared Dead”: Check Your Texas Voter Registration Now

Tejano Talks 1 de octubre de 2026 22:00

"No power is ever given. It is always demanded." That's Matthias Early, running for the Texas House the same year his father runs for Congress. Also here: a city councilman chasing a newly redrawn open seat, Opal Lee's granddaughter taking Juneteenth to Congress, and a Houston broker betting on "purple" politics. Five Texas Democrats, live from the convention floor in Corpus Christi.

Justin Early for Congress (TX-31): votejustinearly.com
Matthias Early for Texas House (HD-20): votematthiasearly.com
Dan Barrios for Congress (TX-32): danbarriosforcongress.com
Dione Sims for Congress (TX-25): dionesimsforcongress.com
Melissa McDonough for Congress (TX-38): melissaforcongress.com

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome: live from the Texas Democratic Convention, Corpus Christi
00:21 Justin Early and Matthias Early: a father and son, both on the ballot
01:08 ★ Justin Early on affordability and his run for Congress in TX-31
02:49 ★ Matthias Early: from pre-med to a run for the Texas House
05:56 Regulating AI, and who new data centers are targeting
09:59 The data-center fight in Hutto, Taylor, and Temple
11:36 Operation Lone Star, ICE, and the immigration question
14:43 Justin Early's military background, from Fort Bragg to the Pentagon
17:08 Two campaigns, one family — and demanding a seat at the table
21:27 ★ Dan Barrios: a Richardson city councilman running for the newly open TX-32
22:50 From an 82-vote loss in 2019 to Richardson City Council
23:31 Why TX-32 is now in play, after redistricting
25:08 Term limits, dark money, and the "Take Back Congress" platform
28:04 "Breakfast with Barrios": bringing government back to the people
31:48 Meet the opponent — and a challenge to debate
34:27 ★ Dione Sims: Opal Lee's granddaughter, running for TX-25
35:37 Juneteenth, and the history most Texans were never taught
38:09 Mexico, slavery, and the Underground Railroad South
40:33 Redistricting, and why she decided to run herself
42:10 Coalition-building, and her first days in Congress
45:42 Getting Juneteenth passed: a case study in coalition-building
47:27 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
47:46 ★ Melissa McDonough: from professional flutist to candidate for TX-38
51:11 30 years in real estate, and why she calls Congress "checks and balances"
54:29 "Who are you working for?" — accountability and corporate money
57:50 "Backward town halls": McDonough's listening tours across the district
1:00:47 Purple politics, and talking with disenfranchised Latino voters
1:03:38 A border tour, SpaceX complaints, and a 400-page bill that stalled
1:06:05 Closing: five races, one election on November 3rd

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

THE CANDIDATES

Justin Early (TX-31): Army veteran (Fort Bragg, Pentagon) and Dell cybersecurity architect. Faces Rep. John Carter (R).

Matthias Early (HD-20): Justin's son, former EMT and ER tech, studied political science at UT Arlington. Faces Rep. Terry Wilson (R).

Dan Barrios (TX-32): Richardson City Council member since 2023, running for an open, newly redrawn seat. Faces Jace Yarbrough (R).

Dione Sims (TX-25): Granddaughter of Dr. Opal Lee, co-producer of Juneteenth Fort Worth since 2015, founder of Unity Unlimited. Faces Rep. Roger Williams (R).

Melissa McDonough (TX-38): 30-year real estate broker, running for the seat Rep. Wesley Hunt left open to run for the Senate. Faces Jon Bonck (R).

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer  in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ABOUT TEJANO TALKS
Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia, blending cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments which of these five races you'll be watching closest. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasDemocrats #Election2026

"No power is ever given. It is always demanded." That's Matthias Early, running for the Texas House the same year his father runs for Congress. Also here: a city councilman chasing a newly redrawn open seat, Opal Lee's granddaughter taking Juneteenth to Congress, and a Houston broker betting on "purple" politics. Five Texas Democrats, live from the convention floor in Corpus Christi.

Justin Early for Congress (TX-31): votejustinearly.com
Matthias Early for Texas House (HD-20): votematthiasearly.com
Dan Barrios for Congress (TX-32): danbarriosforcongress.com
Dione Sims for Congress (TX-25): dionesimsforcongress.com
Melissa McDonough for Congress (TX-38): melissaforcongress.com

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome: live from the Texas Democratic Convention, Corpus Christi
00:21 Justin Early and Matthias Early: a father and son, both on the ballot
01:08 ★ Justin Early on affordability and his run for Congress in TX-31
02:49 ★ Matthias Early: from pre-med to a run for the Texas House
05:56 Regulating AI, and who new data centers are targeting
09:59 The data-center fight in Hutto, Taylor, and Temple
11:36 Operation Lone Star, ICE, and the immigration question
14:43 Justin Early's military background, from Fort Bragg to the Pentagon
17:08 Two campaigns, one family — and demanding a seat at the table
21:27 ★ Dan Barrios: a Richardson city councilman running for the newly open TX-32
22:50 From an 82-vote loss in 2019 to Richardson City Council
23:31 Why TX-32 is now in play, after redistricting
25:08 Term limits, dark money, and the "Take Back Congress" platform
28:04 "Breakfast with Barrios": bringing government back to the people
31:48 Meet the opponent — and a challenge to debate
34:27 ★ Dione Sims: Opal Lee's granddaughter, running for TX-25
35:37 Juneteenth, and the history most Texans were never taught
38:09 Mexico, slavery, and the Underground Railroad South
40:33 Redistricting, and why she decided to run herself
42:10 Coalition-building, and her first days in Congress
45:42 Getting Juneteenth passed: a case study in coalition-building
47:27 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
47:46 ★ Melissa McDonough: from professional flutist to candidate for TX-38
51:11 30 years in real estate, and why she calls Congress "checks and balances"
54:29 "Who are you working for?" — accountability and corporate money
57:50 "Backward town halls": McDonough's listening tours across the district
1:00:47 Purple politics, and talking with disenfranchised Latino voters
1:03:38 A border tour, SpaceX complaints, and a 400-page bill that stalled
1:06:05 Closing: five races, one election on November 3rd

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

THE CANDIDATES

Justin Early (TX-31): Army veteran (Fort Bragg, Pentagon) and Dell cybersecurity architect. Faces Rep. John Carter (R).

Matthias Early (HD-20): Justin's son, former EMT and ER tech, studied political science at UT Arlington. Faces Rep. Terry Wilson (R).

Dan Barrios (TX-32): Richardson City Council member since 2023, running for an open, newly redrawn seat. Faces Jace Yarbrough (R).

Dione Sims (TX-25): Granddaughter of Dr. Opal Lee, co-producer of Juneteenth Fort Worth since 2015, founder of Unity Unlimited. Faces Rep. Roger Williams (R).

Melissa McDonough (TX-38): 30-year real estate broker, running for the seat Rep. Wesley Hunt left open to run for the Senate. Faces Jon Bonck (R).

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ABOUT TEJANO TALKS
Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia, blending cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments which of these five races you'll be watching closest. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasDemocrats #Election2026

3 0

Vídeo de YouTube VVVnMmVYZlpfX21xYTJEa3o5V3JDV3h3Llp2bTAyUHRyenFB

"No Power Is Ever Given" — 5 Texas Democrats Running in 2026

Tejano Talks 1 de octubre de 2026 17:00

VOTE, DONT BE LAZY. #tejanotalks #podcast #texaspolitics #texas

Tejano Talks 1 de octubre de 2026 07:20

Holly Taylor is running for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. It's the highest criminal court in Texas, and most voters have never heard of it. 

The Texas Supreme Court handles civil cases. This one has the final word on criminal convictions in the state, including death penalty cases.

Taylor has worked on both sides of the system. She spent 17 years as a Travis County prosecutor. Then she joined the Conviction Integrity Unit where she reviewed cases for wrongful convictions, including one that helped free a woman after more than 20 years in prison. "I actually had worked to put this person behind bars," she says, "only to find out later that she was completely innocent." 

Today she's a defense attorney.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with Holly Taylor, Democratic candidate for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9, to talk about what it looks like to reopen a case you won, why she says a wrongful conviction creates two injustices instead of one, and what she means by "smart on crime."

Holly Taylor's campaign:
https://www.hollytforjudge.com/

🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Texas is sitting on $28 Billion in won't spend, Sarah Eckhardt for Texas Comptroller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNk55x1O3l8
• Can Ericka Ledferd Fix Our Schools?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0_hNj6KcSk


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

IN THIS EPISODE

— What the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is, and why most voters have never heard of it
— Why Texas is one of only two states with two courts of last resort
— What a conviction integrity unit does — old evidence boxes, witnesses nobody called, science that has since changed
— The case she prosecuted herself, then worked to overturn when the evidence fell apart
— Why she argues a wrongful conviction creates a second injustice, not just one
— "Smart on crime" versus "tough on crime," and what she says the difference buys you
— Judicial independence, and why she says it matters who appoints Texas judges

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CHAPTERS

00:00 Who Holly Taylor is and what she's running for
00:44 What the Court of Criminal Appeals actually does
01:00 Why Texas has two high courts — and only Oklahoma does too
01:38 Free speech, digital privacy, and what's inside your phone
01:58 254 counties, 54,000 miles
02:32 25 years in criminal law, 17 as a Travis County prosecutor
03:09 Joining the conviction integrity unit
03:42 How a wrongful-conviction investigation actually works
05:05 The case she prosecuted — and later helped undo
07:18 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
07:38 Why she moved to criminal defense
08:19 How to reach the campaign
08:52 "No county is too red, no Texan is too conservative"
09:32 The second injustice — when the real predator walks free
10:09 "We need to be smart on crime"
10:56 Judicial independence and pressure on the courts
11:48 Vote November 3 — and go all the way down the ballot

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ABOUT THE GUEST

HOLLY TAYLOR is the Democratic candidate for Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9, facing Republican John Messinger in the November 2026 general election. She has practiced criminal law for more than 25 years. She is board certified in Criminal Appellate Law. She holds degrees from Rice, UT Austin School of Law, and the LBJ School. She and her husband John have four children who attended Austin public schools. She was the Democratic nominee for Presiding Judge of the same court in 2024.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, and wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasCourts #WrongfulConviction

Holly Taylor is running for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. It's the highest criminal court in Texas, and most voters have never heard of it.

The Texas Supreme Court handles civil cases. This one has the final word on criminal convictions in the state, including death penalty cases.

Taylor has worked on both sides of the system. She spent 17 years as a Travis County prosecutor. Then she joined the Conviction Integrity Unit where she reviewed cases for wrongful convictions, including one that helped free a woman after more than 20 years in prison. "I actually had worked to put this person behind bars," she says, "only to find out later that she was completely innocent."

Today she's a defense attorney.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with Holly Taylor, Democratic candidate for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9, to talk about what it looks like to reopen a case you won, why she says a wrongful conviction creates two injustices instead of one, and what she means by "smart on crime."

Holly Taylor's campaign:
https://www.hollytforjudge.com/

🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Texas is sitting on $28 Billion in won't spend, Sarah Eckhardt for Texas Comptroller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNk55x1O3l8
• Can Ericka Ledferd Fix Our Schools?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0_hNj6KcSk


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

IN THIS EPISODE

— What the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is, and why most voters have never heard of it
— Why Texas is one of only two states with two courts of last resort
— What a conviction integrity unit does — old evidence boxes, witnesses nobody called, science that has since changed
— The case she prosecuted herself, then worked to overturn when the evidence fell apart
— Why she argues a wrongful conviction creates a second injustice, not just one
— "Smart on crime" versus "tough on crime," and what she says the difference buys you
— Judicial independence, and why she says it matters who appoints Texas judges

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CHAPTERS

00:00 Who Holly Taylor is and what she's running for
00:44 What the Court of Criminal Appeals actually does
01:00 Why Texas has two high courts — and only Oklahoma does too
01:38 Free speech, digital privacy, and what's inside your phone
01:58 254 counties, 54,000 miles
02:32 25 years in criminal law, 17 as a Travis County prosecutor
03:09 Joining the conviction integrity unit
03:42 How a wrongful-conviction investigation actually works
05:05 The case she prosecuted — and later helped undo
07:18 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
07:38 Why she moved to criminal defense
08:19 How to reach the campaign
08:52 "No county is too red, no Texan is too conservative"
09:32 The second injustice — when the real predator walks free
10:09 "We need to be smart on crime"
10:56 Judicial independence and pressure on the courts
11:48 Vote November 3 — and go all the way down the ballot

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ABOUT THE GUEST

HOLLY TAYLOR is the Democratic candidate for Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9, facing Republican John Messinger in the November 2026 general election. She has practiced criminal law for more than 25 years. She is board certified in Criminal Appellate Law. She holds degrees from Rice, UT Austin School of Law, and the LBJ School. She and her husband John have four children who attended Austin public schools. She was the Democratic nominee for Presiding Judge of the same court in 2024.

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, and wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasCourts #WrongfulConviction

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Vídeo de YouTube VVVnMmVYZlpfX21xYTJEa3o5V3JDV3h3LlhNbkVOOHdJa3U4

Texas Has TWO Supreme Courts. You've Never Heard of This One

Tejano Talks 29 de septiembre de 2026 17:00

we must end crony capitalism. #tejanotalks #texaspolitics #podcast #texas

Tejano Talks 27 de septiembre de 2026 16:43

ICE ALMOST KILLED SOMEONE ELSE. #STOPICE #ICE #IMMIGRATION #TEJANOTALKS

Tejano Talks 24 de septiembre de 2026 22:51

State Sens. Cesar Blanco and Royce West join Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia on Tejano Talks. Blanco on stopping the Big Bend border wall and El Paso's fight over AI data centers and water. West on 33 years in the Texas Senate, his Talarico endorsement, the body-camera law he authored. Domingo Garcia tells of how he was declared dead and purged from Texas voter rolls.

🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Jon Rosenthal on Fixing the Texas Railroad Commission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTQKpsZBECA&t=77s

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IN THIS EPISODE

— Why the Trump administration is building a border wall through Big Bend National Park, and the bipartisan pushback it's drawn
— AI data centers, water use, and the fight over Meta's data center in El Paso
— Sen. Royce West on the body-camera law that changed Texas policing, and 33 years representing Dallas in the Texas Senate
— Building political coalitions "based on interest, not race"
— The stakes of Texas's 2026 elections — the U.S. Senate race, redistricting, and a wave of voter-roll purges
— How co-host Domingo Garcia was mistakenly declared dead by the Texas Secretary of State and purged from the voter rolls

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome: introducing State Sen. Cesar Blanco
00:41 Representing "the most beautiful part of Texas" — El Paso to Big Bend
01:23 The fight over the Big Bend border wall
02:31 Real border security vs. a wall that "doesn't work"
05:15 Protecting Big Bend's dark skies, ranches, and ecosystem
06:38 Winning back Latino voters who turned to Trump
07:28 Why economic policy, not immigration, is hurting Latino workers
10:02 The 2026 fight for West Texas: Cornyn, and the vacant TX-23 seat
13:15 AI data centers, water use, and the fight in El Paso
16:02 Looking ahead: insurance reform and broadband for West Texas
17:31 Chico's Tacos: the important questions
18:11 Closing: how to reach Sen. Blanco
19:08 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
19:42 Welcome: introducing State Sen. Royce West
20:36 33 years in the Texas Senate — and counting
21:38 From the DA's office to Austin: how he got here
22:24 Body cameras: the law that changed Texas policing
23:41 Racial profiling reports, and founding the University of North Texas at Dallas
25:10 Building coalitions "based on interest, not race"
26:38 Can Democrats win Texas in 2026? Talarico, Crockett, and the U.S. Senate race
31:54 Redistricting, a resigning Secretary of State, and "a legal army" for 2026
34:41 Domingo's own brush with a wrongful voter purge
36:21 Getting men back into the Democratic Party
37:47 Dallas Cowboys (obviously)
38:27 Closing: the barbershop, where politics happens

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ABOUT CESAR BLANCO

Cesar Blanco represents Texas Senate District 29 (El Paso and far West Texas, including the Big Bend region), sworn in for his third Senate term in January 2025. He previously served three terms in the Texas House (District 76, 2015–2021), including as Democratic Caucus whip and chairman of the House Border Caucus. A U.S. Navy veteran and UTEP graduate, he serves on the Senate committees covering business and commerce, health services, and natural resources and water.

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ABOUT ROYCE WEST

Royce West has represented Texas Senate District 23 (Dallas) since 1993 — the second-most senior member of the Texas Senate. A former Dallas County assistant district attorney, he authored the state's 2015 statewide police body-camera law and legislation strengthening racial profiling reporting requirements, and led the effort to establish the University of North Texas at Dallas and its law school, the first public law school in Dallas. He was the Democratic runner-up in the 2020 U.S. Senate primary.

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DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#BigBend #BorderWall #CesarBlanco #RoyceWest #TexasSenate #TexasPolitics #TexasElections2026 #TejanoTalks

State Sens. Cesar Blanco and Royce West join Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia on Tejano Talks. Blanco on stopping the Big Bend border wall and El Paso's fight over AI data centers and water. West on 33 years in the Texas Senate, his Talarico endorsement, the body-camera law he authored. Domingo Garcia tells of how he was declared dead and purged from Texas voter rolls.

🎙️ More from Tejano Talks:
• Jon Rosenthal on Fixing the Texas Railroad Commission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTQKpsZBECA&t=77s

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
IN THIS EPISODE

— Why the Trump administration is building a border wall through Big Bend National Park, and the bipartisan pushback it's drawn
— AI data centers, water use, and the fight over Meta's data center in El Paso
— Sen. Royce West on the body-camera law that changed Texas policing, and 33 years representing Dallas in the Texas Senate
— Building political coalitions "based on interest, not race"
— The stakes of Texas's 2026 elections — the U.S. Senate race, redistricting, and a wave of voter-roll purges
— How co-host Domingo Garcia was mistakenly declared dead by the Texas Secretary of State and purged from the voter rolls

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome: introducing State Sen. Cesar Blanco
00:41 Representing "the most beautiful part of Texas" — El Paso to Big Bend
01:23 The fight over the Big Bend border wall
02:31 Real border security vs. a wall that "doesn't work"
05:15 Protecting Big Bend's dark skies, ranches, and ecosystem
06:38 Winning back Latino voters who turned to Trump
07:28 Why economic policy, not immigration, is hurting Latino workers
10:02 The 2026 fight for West Texas: Cornyn, and the vacant TX-23 seat
13:15 AI data centers, water use, and the fight in El Paso
16:02 Looking ahead: insurance reform and broadband for West Texas
17:31 Chico's Tacos: the important questions
18:11 Closing: how to reach Sen. Blanco
19:08 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
19:42 Welcome: introducing State Sen. Royce West
20:36 33 years in the Texas Senate — and counting
21:38 From the DA's office to Austin: how he got here
22:24 Body cameras: the law that changed Texas policing
23:41 Racial profiling reports, and founding the University of North Texas at Dallas
25:10 Building coalitions "based on interest, not race"
26:38 Can Democrats win Texas in 2026? Talarico, Crockett, and the U.S. Senate race
31:54 Redistricting, a resigning Secretary of State, and "a legal army" for 2026
34:41 Domingo's own brush with a wrongful voter purge
36:21 Getting men back into the Democratic Party
37:47 Dallas Cowboys (obviously)
38:27 Closing: the barbershop, where politics happens

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT CESAR BLANCO

Cesar Blanco represents Texas Senate District 29 (El Paso and far West Texas, including the Big Bend region), sworn in for his third Senate term in January 2025. He previously served three terms in the Texas House (District 76, 2015–2021), including as Democratic Caucus whip and chairman of the House Border Caucus. A U.S. Navy veteran and UTEP graduate, he serves on the Senate committees covering business and commerce, health services, and natural resources and water.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT ROYCE WEST

Royce West has represented Texas Senate District 23 (Dallas) since 1993 — the second-most senior member of the Texas Senate. A former Dallas County assistant district attorney, he authored the state's 2015 statewide police body-camera law and legislation strengthening racial profiling reporting requirements, and led the effort to establish the University of North Texas at Dallas and its law school, the first public law school in Dallas. He was the Democratic runner-up in the 2020 U.S. Senate primary.

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DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#BigBend #BorderWall #CesarBlanco #RoyceWest #TexasSenate #TexasPolitics #TexasElections2026 #TejanoTalks

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Vídeo de YouTube VVVnMmVYZlpfX21xYTJEa3o5V3JDV3h3LkM2REZzWU1xR0F3

Senator Cesar Blanco on Big Bend, Senator Royce West Endorses Talarico

Tejano Talks 24 de septiembre de 2026 17:00

Nuevos episodios semanales

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Hiram García

Tejano Talks es un pódcast presentado por Domingo García y Hiram García que combina conversación cultural, análisis político y entrevistas con figuras destacadas de la comunidad tejana. El programa abarca desde la cultura e identidad tejana hasta la actualidad, los negocios y el desarrollo profesional, con el objetivo de empoderar a la comunidad para que construya riqueza, lidere con propósito y moldee su futuro.

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