Tarrant Count - Proclamation to Honor Hispanic Heritage Foiled
By Nisie
10/15/2026
Tarrant County Commissioner Alyssa Simmons of Precinct 2 issued a proclamation honoring Latino-led media during Hispanic Heritage Month. Unbiased, independent news matters now more than ever, amid mass misinformation. Especially bilingual news sources that serve communities that are otherwise disregarded by mainstream media. But unfortunately for Hola Texas, Northside Magazine, and 817 Pod, Precinct 3 Commissioner Kraus and County Judge Tim O’Hare voted to amend the proclamation.
Kraus and O’Hare took issue with the host of 817 Pod, EJ Corrian, being charged with disrupting the commissioner’s court. The charges came after an incident where, during statements t the court, he used an expletive. A warrant was signed for his arrest, and he was taken into jail. He was released but is not allowed to enter the commissioner's court, so he was not present at Tuesday's proceeding. Corrian is not in any litigation with the commissioner’s court; still, they made it clear they did not want to include 817 Pod in the proclamation.
Simmons and Kraus exchanged words and even argued over the validity of including the podcast, with Commissioner Kraus claiming 817 Pod has no ties to the Latino community because the host was not Latino. Commissioner Simmons corrected him, explaining that the podcast is a coalition that includes Latino collaborators. The amendment to remove 817 Pod from the proclamation passed, leaving 817 Pod out of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
As the Editor for Hola Texas, it did not feel right to accept a proclamation that would divide the Latino community by excluding 817 Pod. Alberto Govea, publisher of Hola Texas, thanked Commissioner Simmons for honoring Hispanic Heritage Month while also emphasizing the importance of supporting 817 Pod as a valuable community news source. 817 Pod has highlighted Hola Texas on occasion, and Govea has also appeared on the podcast. Northside Magazine, in solidarity with 817 Pod, declined the honor and spoke out against the attempt to divide the three Latino-led media outlets.
817 Pod was also given the opportunity to respond to the amended proclamation being passed without their inclusion. Nydia Cardenas, candidate for Tarrant County Commissioner, Precinct 4, a representative of 817 Pod, defended the inclusion of the podcast in the proclamation but was met with a vitriolic response from Judge Tim O'Hare, who attempted to stop her from speaking on 817 Pods behalf and accused her of not being part of the 817 Pod community. Cardenas tried to explain how the 817 Pod community collaborative functions by inviting other members of the 817 Pod to stand up, but O’Hare shouted at her to stop instructing his court; despite his efforts to silence her, Cardenas stood her ground and responded to the amended proclamation. During the proceedings, Manny Ramirez of Precinct 4 did not comment on Hispanic Heritage Month or the amended proclamation.
At Hola Texas, we will continue serving the community with factual, unbiased news.
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