We Recommend Julie Johnson in the Democratic Primary for State House District 115

The Democratic primary for state representative in District 115 is Dallas lawyer Julie Johnson's first campaign as a candidate, but she's been involved in state and national political races for the last two decades. Her knowledge of the issues, dedication and life experiences make her the superior nominee over newcomer Rock Bower in this northwest Dallas County district.Johnson, 51, who owns a small law firm, believes the state should spend more on public education and has ideas about how to make that happen. She'd tap into higher-than-expected sales tax proceeds or dip into the state's "Rainy Day fund," for example, to do so without increasing the tax burden on property owners.On criminal justice reform, she advocates moving to a risk-based assessment in setting bail for suspects accused of non-violent crimes as a way to reduce the number of people retained behind bars prior to conviction simply because they can't make bail. The current practice, as we've argued before, disproportionately punishes poor people and costs taxpayers millions of dollars in unnecessary jail operational expenses.  Continue reading...