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Record of Proceedings

San Antonio City Council Special Meeting: Censure of Councilwoman Mesa Gonzalez (September 11, 2025)

City Council — Thursday, September 11, 2025
BodySan Antonio, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, September 11, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 24:52

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:06

Good afternoon.

0:07

The time is now 1 p.m.

0:08

on September 11th, 2025, and the meeting of the San Antonio City Council is now called to order.

0:14

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

0:16

Councilmember Corr.

0:18

Councilmember Castillo Angiano.

0:21

Councilmember Via Gran.

0:23

Councilmember Mungia.

0:24

Present.

0:25

Councilmember Castillo.

0:27

Councilmember Galvan.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Councilmember Alderete Gavito.

0:30

Here.

0:31

Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez.

0:33

Councilmember Spears.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Councilmember White.

0:37

Mayor Jones.

0:37

Here.

0:38

Mayor, we have Quorum.

0:39

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

0:40

I've called this special meeting to consider resolution censoring councilwoman Mesa Gonzalez.

0:45

The councilwoman is recognized to make a statement.

0:48

Thank you, Mayor.

0:50

Throughout this process, I have been clear in my commitment to take full accountability for my actions.

0:55

And I will respect the decision of my colleagues on today's vote.

0:59

To my colleagues, thank you for respectfully listening to me.

1:03

I look forward to continuing working with you and moving our city forward.

1:07

To the residents in District 8, I am deeply sorry for the any disappointment this may have caused.

1:12

My priority as your council member remains unwavering to serve you with a strong voice, making sure our community's best interest is represented, and I will not step back from that duty or trust that you have placed in me.

1:25

Thank you so much.

1:28

We have several uh members of the public signed up to speak.

1:31

I will call individuals in order of sign up, and all the individuals have three minutes to speak, with groups of three or more having a total of um nine minutes.

1:39

Written comment may be submitted to the city clerk for distribution to the council.

1:43

The playing of recordings is not permitted.

1:45

The first person is Gregory Kiros, followed by John Kiros.

1:56

Hi there, I'm Greg Kiros.

1:57

And I'm John Quiroz.

1:59

I would like to yield my time.

2:02

Okay.

2:02

Your first name is John, and you go by Jack, right?

2:05

Say that again.

2:05

Is that your last?

2:06

We have John Kiros on here.

2:08

Is that you?

2:08

Okay, thank you.

2:09

Yes.

2:10

Thank you.

2:10

Thank you.

2:12

Okay.

2:12

Um good afternoon.

2:13

Um my name is Greg Kiros.

2:15

Um I'm a newly licensed nurse.

2:17

Um, and I'm also I've also been an EMT and I work at one of San Antonio's busiest emergency departments.

2:23

Um patients often wait hours to days in the waiting room just to be seen in the ER due to the high volume of EMSs that acquire physical room and time from ER staff.

2:33

Many of the EMSs that come to into the ER and occupy room, preventing critical patients from being seen are preventable accidents involving impaired drivers.

2:41

In fact, San Antonio had the highest rate of drunk driving crashes per capita among large Texas cities in 2021.

2:48

While doing write-outs to obtain my national EMT certification with the brave firefighters of the San Antonio Fire Department, I saw firsthand the impacts an impaired driving can have on unsuspecting everyday citizens.

2:59

The injuries sustained in most drunk driving cases are often on the unsuspecting parties.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████69%
Procedural██████████16%
Public Engagement████6%
Legal Procedure███5%
Transportation Infrastructure███4%
Summary of Proceedings

San Antonio City Council Special Meeting: Censure of Councilwoman Mesa Gonzalez (September 11, 2025)

This special meeting of the San Antonio City Council was called to order at 1:00 p.m. on September 11, 2025, to consider a resolution censuring Councilwoman Mesa Gonzalez following her DWI arrest. After public testimony and council discussion, the resolution was approved. Quorum was present.

Consent Calendar

  • No consent calendar items were considered.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gregory Kiros (Greg Kiros), a licensed nurse and EMT, expressed strong opposition to impaired driving, sharing personal experiences from the emergency department and images from campaigns against DWI. He argued that council members should face consequences similar to those for ordinary citizens and called for Councilwoman Gonzalez to resign or not seek re-election.
  • John Quiros yielded his time to Gregory Kiros.
  • Teresa Blocky drew parallels to a school board trustee DWI case and emphasized the need for transparency and consistency. She urged the council to take 110 steps toward connection and listening over the next 54 days until the election.
  • Paula McGee spoke on behalf of citizens, calling for leadership, accountability, and high ethical standards. She argued that driving while intoxicated at nearly twice the legal limit is not a private mistake and urged the council to let constituents know that integrity still matters.
  • Jack M. Finger, a former ethics review board member, stated that censure carries no real penalties and criticized the lack of teeth in the council’s actions. He suggested passing an ordinance with more serious consequences and warned that those censured could play victim or race cards.
  • Nikolai Zabowski presented governmental records, arguing that Councilwoman Gonzalez was arrested without a warrant and that no blood sample was taken, similar to a prior case involving Councilmember White. He did not give an opinion on the censure but urged protection of citizens’ rights.

Discussion Items

  • Councilwoman Mesa Gonzalez made a statement accepting accountability, apologizing to District 8 residents, and affirming her commitment to continue serving.
  • Councilmember (Chair) Galvan expressed support for the censure vote, stating it demonstrates accountability, but emphasized that Councilwoman Gonzalez has continued working hard for her constituents and will remain an effective colleague.
  • An unnamed councilmember (likely a new member, based on remarks about serving only one and a half months) thanked the public for speaking and supported the resolution. They noted that council members are held to a higher standard and that incidents like this undermine public trust. They stressed that council members are not above the law and that the censure sends a message of accountability.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution to Censure Councilwoman Mesa Gonzalez – The motion was made, seconded, and carried. The exact vote tally was not stated in the transcript, but the mayor declared the motion carried. No dissenting votes or abstentions were mentioned.
  • The council’s action publicly reprimands Councilwoman Gonzalez for conduct unbecoming of an elected official, but no other penalties (e.g., removal from committees, loss of privileges) were discussed or imposed.
  • Meeting adjourned at 1:25 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. The time is now 1 p.m. on September 11th, 2025, and the meeting of the San Antonio City Council is now called to order. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilmember Corr. Councilmember Castillo Angiano. Councilmember Via Gran. Councilmember Mungia. Present. Councilmember Castillo. Councilmember Galvan. Here. Councilmember Alderete Gavito. Here. Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez. Councilmember Spears. Here. Councilmember White. Mayor Jones. Here. Mayor, we have Quorum. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I've called this special meeting to consider resolution censoring councilwoman Mesa Gonzalez. The councilwoman is recognized to make a statement. Thank you, Mayor. Throughout this process, I have been clear in my commitment to take full accountability for my actions. And I will respect the decision of my colleagues on today's vote. To my colleagues, thank you for respectfully listening to me. I look forward to continuing working with you and moving our city forward. To the residents in District 8, I am deeply sorry for the any disappointment this may have caused. My priority as your council member remains unwavering to serve you with a strong voice, making sure our community's best interest is represented, and I will not step back from that duty or trust that you have placed in me. Thank you so much. We have several uh members of the public signed up to speak. I will call individuals in order of sign up, and all the individuals have three minutes to speak, with groups of three or more having a total of um nine minutes. Written comment may be submitted to the city clerk for distribution to the council. The playing of recordings is not permitted. The first person is Gregory Kiros, followed by John Kiros. Hi there, I'm Greg Kiros. And I'm John Quiroz. I would like to yield my time. Okay. Your first name is John, and you go by Jack, right? Say that again. Is that your last? We have John Kiros on here. Is that you? Okay, thank you. Yes. Thank you. Thank you.

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