Lina Hidalgo’s Parisian Jaunt Raises Eyebrows Amid Harris County Budget Woes
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is no stranger to making headlines, but her latest proposal has tongues wagging and deputies fuming. On the heels of a heated Commissioners Court meeting where she lamented the county’s tight finances—particularly when it comes to long-overdue pay raises for Harris County Sheriff’s Deputies—Hidalgo is now asking the court to greenlight a $23,300 trip to Paris, France, for what her office calls a “Harris County delegation visit” next month. Sacré bleu, indeed!
The irony is thicker than a French baguette. Just days ago, Hidalgo was in Commissioners Court, explaining with furrowed brow that the county’s coffers were too strained to bridge the 20% pay gap between Harris County deputies and their better-compensated counterparts at the Houston Police Department. Deputies, who start at around $57,000 a year, pleaded for raises to combat burnout, staffing shortages, and the temptation to jump ship to higher-paying agencies. Hidalgo’s response? A lengthy discourse on fiscal constraints, pointing to past legislative limits on property tax revenue and a lack of support from fellow commissioners to raise funds. “Everyone wants to give raises, but when it’s time to ask voters for the money, people disappear,” she said, positioning herself as a champion of fiscal responsibility.
Yet, it seems Hidalgo’s budget-conscious stance doesn’t extend to international travel. The proposed $23,300 Paris trip, intended for four representatives from her office, has sparked outrage among critics who see it as tone-deaf at best and Marie Antoinette-esque at worst. While deputies scrape by and the county grapples with a looming budget cycle, Hidalgo’s request for a transatlantic excursion feels like a modern-day “let them eat cake” moment—minus the guillotine, but with plenty of social media backlash. Posts on X captured the sentiment, with one user quipping, “Hidalgo’s out here planning a Parisian holiday while deputies can’t afford a decent lunch.”
Details of the Paris trip remain vague, with Hidalgo’s office offering little beyond the nebulous “delegation visit” label. Is it a critical diplomatic mission? A cultural exchange? A croissant-fueled fact-finding tour? The lack of transparency only fuels speculation that the trip is more about prestige than public service. Meanwhile, the $23,300 price tag could cover the annual salary of nearly half a deputy, a point not lost on the Harris County Deputies’ Organization, which has been vocal about the staffing crisis exacerbated by low wages.
Hidalgo’s defenders might argue that international trips can bring economic or strategic benefits to Harris County, but the timing couldn’t be worse. With the county facing a $141 million price tag to achieve deputy pay parity and Hidalgo herself admitting that a tax rate increase might be necessary to fund raises, the optics of a Parisian getaway are disastrous. Her recent history of controversies—legal fee reimbursements, tense court exchanges, and accusations of absenteeism—only adds fuel to the fire, painting a picture of a leader more concerned with her image than her constituents’ needs.
As the Commissioners Court prepares to vote on the Paris proposal, all eyes are on Hidalgo. Will she double down on the trip, or will public pressure force a retreat? One thing’s certain: if she boards that plane to France, she’ll be leaving behind a county full of deputies who feel more like peasants than partners in public safety. Perhaps Hidalgo should take a page from Marie Antoinette’s playbook and at least send some macarons back to Houston—though that might not be enough to quell the revolution brewing in Harris County.