Telling you everything's gonna be okay.

Believe in spirit, believe in his source.

I sit with steelness.

I'm hearing his voice, telling me everything's gonna be okay.

Black out of noise, only steals.

Do you hear his voice?

Telling you every day.

Believe in spirit, believe in his source.

Telling me everything's gonna be okay.

Good morning, everyone.

The time is now 9:10 AM on April 30th, 2026, and the meeting of the San Antonio City Council is now called to order.

Madam Clerk, please call roll.

Councilmember Corr.

Councilmember Via Gran.

Here.

Councilmember Mungia.

Councilmember Castillo.

Here.

Councilmember Galvan.

Here.

Councilmember Alderete Gavito.

Here.

Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez.

Present.

Councilmember Spears.

Here.

Councilmember White.

Mayor Jones.

Mayor Pro Tim.

Mickey Rodriguez.

Present.

Mayor Pro Tim, we have quorum.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

Thank you again all for all for being here today.

We're gonna have a very fast session, I imagine.

But we'll begin with our invocation.

Councilmember Messi Gonzalez is recognized to introduce introduce today's invocator.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

Today I'm proud to introduce Reverend Carrie Geta, who has served as rector of St.

Francis's Episcopal Church since June 2020.

She brings in to her ministry a deep commitment to formation, service to the community, and faithful discernment shaped by years of service in the Episcopal Church.

Reverend Guetta is passionate about nurturing spiritual growth, cultivating meaningful relationships, serving those in need in our community, and equipping others for ministry.

Together with her husband Jodi, they have a full and joyful family life with their two daughters, two son-in-laws, and four beloved grandchildren.

St.

Francis is a wonderful church located in District 8 with a long history of serving the community through food pantries, a community garden, various recovery meetings offered on site, and a weekly refugee refugee health clinic in partnership with UT Health San Antonio.

Thank you, Reverend Graff for being here.

Thank you.

Will you pray with me?

Almighty God, send down upon these who hold office in the city of San Antonio the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice, that with steadfast purpose, they may faithfully serve in their offices to promote the well-being of all people.

Renew the ties of mutual regard which form our civic life.

Enable us to eliminate poverty, prejudice, and depression, that peace may prevail with righteousness and justice with order, and that men and women from different cultures and with different talents may find with one another the fulfillment of our humanity.

Amen.

Please vote.

We have a number of uh points of personal privilege and proclamations.

I will start with a proclamation for transgender history week.

Sophia Sopova with equality sexist is recognized.

But first I'll read the I'll read the proposition.

Whereas the city of San Antonio reaffirms its commitment to protecting the rights, dignity, and bodily autonomy of all residents, ensuring every person can live as their authentic self, free from discrimination, and whereas Transgender History Week is an annual observance dedicated to celebrating the millennia old history, rich culture, and enduring resilience of transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and intersex individuals globally, and whereas gender diverse people have existed across all cultures throughout human history and contribute significantly to society through their leadership, art, advocacy, and distinct perspectives.

And whereas acknowledging these often overlooked or erased histories is essential to counter misinformation and ensure that the culture, knowledge, and experience of trans ancestors are preserved and shared as a source of well-being and a toolkit for liberation today.

And whereas the theme of 2026 emphasizes that gender liberation is for everybody, connecting the fight for trans rights to the universal pursuit of self-determination and fulfillment.

Now, therefore, I, Mayor Pro Tem Jalen McKee Rodriguez, on behalf of Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, mayor of the city of San Antonio, in recognition thereof, do hereby proclaim May 4th through 10th, 2026 to be transgender history week in San Antonio and Texas, and call upon all residents to observe this week by engaging with history stories, educational resources, and community events to honor those who came before and work toward a more inclusive future.

I know you brought friends, so please.

Hello and good morning.

My name is Sophia.

I am the community engagement advocacy director with Equality Texas.

They changed my I was a field director, now I'm all of the same.

And I thank you, uh Councilman uh Mackey Rodriguez for recognizing May 4th to May the 10th as Transgender History Week.

I want to also thank all of the council members for your continued support for our trans and LGBTQ community.

Um because his um I know that your names will be forever remembered forever in our hearts and forever in the history books because history is what we'll continue to make.

Since we first started recording history in ancient Mesopotamia, a 14 a 4,000-year-old hymn read to turn a man into a woman and a man and a woman into a man are yours in an a by the gala priestesses, assignment birth, leave us female princesses and people came from across the land to us for successful harvests, successful wars, and having babies of change genders.

Dr.

James Berry, transgender man who perfected the C-section to ensure women didn't die during birth during the 1830s.

During 1860s, Frances Thomson, a formerly enslaved black trans woman, um anti-rape activist, she was one of the five black women to testify before congressional committee that investigated the Memphis massacre massacre in 1866, whose testimony was the catalyst to give way to the 14th Amendment.

Dr.

Alan Hart, transgender man in 1941, developed the gold standard for testing tuberculosis.

Sophie Wilson, transgender woman who designed the armed processor, which all electronics use to this day, and by and large, the Newton, Apple's first personal assistant who gave way to the iPhone, and then every smartphones which we all use today.

Dr.

Ben Barnes, a trans man neurobiologist who pioneered the treatment and discovery of the glial cells which causes Alzheimer's disease.

He stated there is no compelling evidence for relevant innate gender differences in cognition.

There is overwhelming evidence for severe gender prejudice.

From Erica Andrews, a national trans superstars from San Antonio, Texas, to Jamie Zapata and Cassandra Alisea, who are the first trans real estate agents in the United States, Leo Castillo, entering councilman from District 2, first trans man ever in consul to creating history even at the Capitol, with the largest recorded advocacy day in Texas history, organized by you struly.

We trans people will continue to exist and create and make history in Texas, even when people don't want us to thrive.

The common theme in all of these achievements where I don't think I could have done what I did had I not been allowed to transition.

I have been who I am since I was four years old, despite my parents' ire and reprimands, despite their beatings and despite state oppression.

Here I am at 49, thriving, continue making history in such a beautiful city that is San Antonio.

Thank you again, Council members.

Thank you again at Consulman McKee for recognizing trans history week.

Tough to follow that act.

But good morning, uh mayor who's in the air somewhere, uh, and city council.

As you know, my name is Leo Castellon Guiano.

I'm the outreach and advocacy manager at Thrive You Center.

I also just want to start by saying thank you for recognizing this.

This is really freaking amazing to see our city recognize trans history week.

It just means more than words can fully capture.

Um, growing up, when I first realized I was trans, I felt completely alone, like I was the only trans person to ever exist.

I didn't really see myself reflected anywhere in community spaces, in leadership or in spaces like this.

And over time, I found my people and I learned about the history of my community through organizing and through community.

I found my chosen family, folks who showed me that not only do we exist, but we've always existed, and that's exactly why this proclamation matters so much, because it tells every young trans person in San Antonio that you are not alone, that you belong here, your history matters, and your future does too.

I dream of a city where every trans youth can grow up feeling supported, respected, and free to be their full authentic selves.

And today this proclamation brings us one step closer to that vision.

So thank you for seeing us, honoring us, and standing with us.

Good morning, everybody.

My name is Chris Chun.

My pronouns are he, him.

I'm a retired U.S.

Army colonel.

I'm a board member of Fiesta Youth, and most importantly, as it relates to today, I'm a proud parent of a transgender lesbian.

Centered on trans history day, which is May 6th, and this year marks the 93rd anniversary of the Nazi raid on the Institute for Sexual Weisenschaft, the world's first trans clinic.

Just to kind of give you an idea of why this week was started.

As a lot of recognition weeks are, it's not necessarily centered on something positive.

As a parent, I find it ironic that we live in a time that continues to ignore history and attack the vital health care that our trans siblings and kids need.

And hope this proclamation is more than just words on paper, but means that we will fight to provide the healthcare trans folks need to live.

As a parent, I can tell you how lucky I feel that my daughter was able to access the care she needed when she started her transition.

Unfortunately, that's not the case as it stands today.

And as a board member of FIS Youth, I can attest to how important it is for trans youth to be accepted and loved for who they are.

It is not just important for our youth to have safe spaces and necessary health care.

It is just as important that we recognize the positive impact that trans folks have had as Sophia's mentioned and will continue to have on our world and ensure that our youth see this and know that they too are important members of our society.

Thank you again for helping to create the environment to encourage and support trans folks and speak.

Thank you all for this time.

The space has been opened up to us today, not just for me, but for the community standing beside me.

My name is Nico.

I'm the executive director of Flaming for Jesus, and I'm fortunate enough to live as an out in the proud lesbian.

I'm even more fortunate to have the opportunity to explore my gender identity, to define what it means to me, and to navigate how I'm received by my peers and by society.

In a world that often asks us to hide, I choose visibility.

As a gender non-conforming African-American lesbian, I carry a history that is written in the very laws of this land.

There was a time when this country would have recognized me as only three-fifths of a person.

That was 1787.

Roughly 60 years later, in the 1840s, women stood up and birthed the movement for their own for their own agency.

Almost six years after that, in eight in 1905, George Santayana wrote that if we don't learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it.

Less than 60 years after that, from 1954 to 1968, the civil rights movement took force in the United States.

And just one year later, we rioted.

Today marks not only the proclamation of trans history week here in San Antonio, but today is a mark in trans history.

Each of you here is a part of this history.

It's a story that no matter how hard they try, cannot and will not be erased.

Today, we celebrate not only where we are, but where we come from.

We honor where we've been, and we set our sides from where we are headed.

Trans history is black history.

Trans history is women's history.

Trans history is U.S.

history.

We are not doomed.

We are not invisible.

And we would not be silenced, erased, or rewritten to fit a narrative of hate, exploitation, or marginalization.

Our voices ring loud.

Our stories stand true.

Every day, every battle.

Win, lose, or draw.

We continue the work.

Even 57 years after our first collective words of resistance were editored, we're still the movement.

We are trans history.

Thank you all.

Good morning.

First, I want to say thank you for the invitation to honor trans history week.

This right here is why I love San Antonio.

Because I would always say it loud.

San Antonio has no home for hate.

For those who don't know me, my name is Rain.

I am the founder of Unfiltered of Unfiltered Wings and the creator of the first ever transgender march in the history of San Antonio.

The March of Us.

And yes, I am part of that history.

Now I create something that will carry on for years to come.

Something bigger than me.

And even when I'm when I'm gone, I knew I know new leaders would rise to take what I built and continue showing hope and visibility for our transgender community.

But let me be clear.

I would not be standing in spaces like this, breeding this kind of freedom if it wasn't for the elders who came before me, to the ones who marched when it wasn't safe, who existed when it wasn't accepted, who took the hits so we could take the stage.

And this is personal for me.

My grand my grandmother that many of y'all may know, um, Joan Rivera Samochelli, you are my you are my strength.

You live in everything I do.

And to my mother, who I loved, who loved me unconditionally, let me be exactly who I was meant to be.

Rest your beautiful soul.

Your love built the courage you all see in me today.

Today I stand before you, not as Rain, but as a voice, as a fighter, as a reflection of every trans person who who was never told to shrink.

Who was who is sorry, because they were told to shrink, to hide, or to disappear.

To my sisters, my brothers, my entire trans community, you are not alone.

You were never alone.

And to our youth, hear me clearly.

Never be afraid to be yourself.

This is who we are, not a face, not a debate, not something to erase.

We are real, we are powerful, and we are here.

And as long as I'm alive, I will continue creating spaces where our community can exist loudly, safely, and unapologetically, spaces like the March of Us.

As the next year is our fifth annual march.

Five years of resilience, five years of visibility, five years of refusing to be silenced.

And I expect to see every single one of you marching there with us.

Because let's talk about it.

Many of us ask us, many, many of y'all ask us to show up when you're running for these seats.

When you need our voices, our votes, our presence, we're asking for that same energy back, not just for photo ops, not just for appearances, but for real support, real action, and real respect.

And to the people who are watching, judging, questioning my existence and my community, instead of sitting in your assumptions, come meet us, come stand with us, come experience what love actually looks like.

Because what we build is rooted in love, always has been, always will be.

Today we're making history not just remembering the past, but honoring the present and the protecting the future of our future trans leaders, our community, our legacy, and to my Latino trans immigrant.

We see you, we stand with you always, even when the world tries to tell you you don't belong, you do.

You absolutely do.

Without you, this world would not be as powerful and vibrant as beautiful as it is.

So today we don't shrink, we don't apologize, we don't ask for permission.

We stand, we speak, we exist, unfiltered, and this is our power.

Good morning.

I have to put on my readers because I'm a seasoned woman.

I apologize.

Good morning, council.

My name is uh Lindsay Andrews.

I'm a proud, married trans Latina woman born and raised right here in San Antonio, Texas.

Around three nuns, true story.

I'm the first trans woman uh radio personality on Tejano Radio.

I'm the first trans woman to MC River Parades for the city of San Antonio, and as of lately, I am the first openly trans person to serve on the San Antonio Arts Commission.

Thanks to Mayor Jones, who clearly believes in breaking barriers and occasionally breaking the mold.

We are here for the trans history week, and it matters because trans people didn't just appear like a new fiesta metal.

We've always been a part of this city.

It's culture.

Growing up, many of us didn't see people like us anywhere.

This week changes that.

It tells young people you belong, you have history, and you have a future.

And trans is true, history isn't only a struggle, it's a joy, it's creativity, and it's community.

It's hearing a trans voice on Tejano Radio or seeing a trans person on the river walk hosting and realizing, wow, we're really here.

We're being seen.

And honestly, if San Antonio can handle the triple-digit heat and I-35 construction, it can handle a trans person and trans people just fine.

I want to thank you, Council and Mayor Jones, for recognizing this week and making space for our stories.

Our history is strong, our future is brighter than a fiesta float at high noon.

Thank you.

Gracias.

Thank you all so much.

Please stay.

There's some uh council remarks.

Uh Councilmember Galvan.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

Uh just want to say thank you to everybody.

Uh well, first of all, thank you for the proclamation uh done today.

Uh I think I can't say any better than the folks who spoke today about the history and the kind of importance it is to root ourselves in history, uh, no matter what we're looking at here, right?

Understanding in particular that trans folks have always been a part of our community and always will be is critical when we talk about um about this week and upcoming week uh and about the issue of the people that think that has been created, this issue's been created because people have always been here, trans folks have always been part of our community, and unfortunately there's uh efforts to push them back, um, push them out and exclude um and demonize a group of people who are simply beautiful.

Um this is a personal thing for me.

I have people in my household, I have family, I have friends, I have mentors who are trans uh who have helped shape me as the person I am, and I always want to make sure that we are standing firm with them as well as everybody in our community who is sort of exploring, learning, uh, and trying their best to be their best selves and feel safe in our city.

There's no effort that we can uh that we must stop at to make sure that all of our folks here in our community are protected and feel secure here in our city and be able to are able to live to their fullest potential.

So I want to say thank you to everybody again who spoke.

Um I was of course say thank you to my former colleague Leo, uh, a former Texas Rising alumni as well, uh, for all the work that each of you have done.

And in particular, this is no shade to anybody.

I I've known Sophia and Leo for a long time, and I just want to share that there's so many people that you don't know who not only saw you on council, but before that, saw you at school or saw uh you in the community, and recognize you as uh folks who really led the way to make feeling comfortable and safe in this community possible here.

Plain and simple.

And it's because of each of you and every single trans person who is in this work, not only in your advocacy, but in living it every single day, that folks feel more confident and comfortable to say, you know what, I'm proud to be who I am too here in San Antonio.

There are so many folks here who are uh who are trans, who are exploring, who are learning, and are simply puro San Antonio too.

Plain and simple.

So I just want to say thank you again for all the work that you all do every single day.

Thank you for being yourselves and being that shining light from so many folks in our community.

Um happy to celebrate uh the history next week and continue pushing uh in advocacy as well on behalf of the trans community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor.

Just want to thank um community for moving this proclamation forward as stated when we ground ourselves in history, and as one of the speakers shared, right?

Trans history is civil rights history, it is healthcare, uh organizing, it is so many things.

Uh and when we ground ourselves in history and we talk about the civil rights movement, for example, right?

We look at it as something that just occurred, um, not paying attention to the actors, the agitators, the facilitators of these movements.

And when I think about building a better San Antonio, I think about many of the prospective organiz respective organizations in which you all serve in a personal capacity, a professional capacity, rather, but the work that y'all do beyond uh the professional capacity.

And uh, I attended this um uh youth summit in which they talked about why they organized, right?

And these are 17, 16-year-olds talking about why they organize, and they share that it's because it's the way that they show the city and the country and their neighbors that they love them, that they love this city.

Um, so just wanted to highlight and thank you all for you guys working on leadership.

And one story and anecdote that I'm always sure to share is that prior to being on council, I was a member of Texas Organizing Project, and uh Sophia was um the leader of the health care committee.

And if you all don't know this, I'm very shy, right?

And Sophia gave me a list of phone numbers to code call, right?

And I was like, oh, Sophia told me to do something, so I'm gonna do it.

And then um, with a sick of it Texas campaign, here's a list of addresses, go hit these doors and survey them on healthcare access.

Uh and I was like, okay, here's a list of addresses.

I'm I'm gonna go hit these doors, I'm gonna code call these people.

Little did I know.

Um Sophia was training a housing organizer, right, to go hit the doors of public housing tenants to go cold call my neighbors uh to talk about what their needs were.

So extremely grateful.

Uh and I'm reminded uh I I was introduced to Nina Turner, um, a former Ohio Senator, uh, and she would always talk about that God gave us two hands, right?

Not just to pull ourselves forward, to uplift and bring those ahead and along with us.

And I always think about Sophia uh whenever I hear Nina Turner speak because she's such a powerhouse, and of course, uh always highlighting how it's not about uh us as individuals, it's about us as a community and how do we bring and move people along.

Uh, but thank you so much, Mayor.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Korm Thank you, Mayor Pro Time, and thank you for bringing this forward.

I think the only thing that was missing was a drag show.

So we're gonna have to do that at Chambers next time.

Um, no, but I really one of the when you guys were speaking, the thing that hit home to me, one of y'all said, rather than sitting in your discomfort and your assumptions, come talk to us and just realize how much love there truly is.

And I feel like if we continue to push that message forward, we will really be able to bridge this gap of hate that exists.

And um, you're right, Lindsay.

If you can sit through our traffic infrastructure problems, you can love our trans community too, right?

Um, I wanted to highlight Sophia uh recently brought to us um an idea for our CCR that we are going to be bringing forward, but it's to designate a memorial way for Erica Andrews, who is a trans leader in our community.

Many of y'all's drag mom and help support the transition for so many folks in the community.

So that'll be coming forward for North Maine from Ashby to Cyprus.

So we're just getting a little bit of fine-tuning on that, but want to thank you, Sophia, for your leadership and Lindsay for you guys for bringing that forward.

And of course, Councilmember uh Castillo Angiano, him and I have the best selfie on the dais, so you know, uh, can't beat that.

Thanks, Mayor Fro Tem.

We'll have to fix that.

Councilmember Aldo Ratekavito.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

Um, and thank you all uh for your continued advocacy.

I mean, Sophia and Leo, you know, y'all are always talking to us uh uh about this and and really I think in general, whether it is the march, whether it is sitting on the board on boards to making sure that these organizations are sustained, um, that awareness is so instrumental.

As Councilman Galvan said, it that not only inspires other people, but as uh also as Councilwoman Korsa, just breaking down those barriers so people can come to get to know each other, right?

We uh we're all San Antonians, we all care about each other, and um, and so I just thank you for your your tireless advocacy uh for making this so and I I also um I want to join the march.

Make sure I want to I want us to know when it is so that way we we can be there for with y'all.

Yeah, thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember, Councilmember Via Gran.

Um thank you.

I uh thank thank you all for sharing.

I think we y'all brought forward just the most excellent group to continue to tell this story.

Um, you know, the history of Transgender, the recognition of the elders that y'all did and uh the Fiesta Metal reference, you guys are really good ambassadors.

Um you know, I think what you also communicated is that we need to have conversations.

And I was telling Sophia before we had this, I you need to explain to other generations, this is what it is to be me and sharing your stories.

And it was when my students came and a mutual student uh because I taught fourth grade, and they were telling me Christians now this, and you know, explaining the story, and then they were like, and they'd like you to do a drag show at Mission Marquee.

And I was like, sure, yes, done.

Because to have that opportunity to be open where people are like, let's have a conversation and explain to you where I'm at, where I've been, and how my story isn't much different from your story.

And you guys made me emotional because you gave me hope today because in as times get harder and darker, this you coming up, you continue to share the story.

You know the sentiment that out is out there, but you come and you share, it gives me hope that we as a nation are going to be okay if we continue to work together.

So thank you so much.

I know y'all serve, so thank you so much.

And um, I look forward to to hearing more from you and for you guys coming every year, and we continue telling the San Antonio story, and that you guys fully embrace that you are critical and part of it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Mungia.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tim.

Thank you all for being here, excuse me, turn us, but uh you know, I'm so fortunate to know and have met and spoken with Leo, Sophia and Lindsay.

Um you're doing amazing work in our community, um, not just for your own community, but for the entire, you know, city of San Antonio.

And I'm so so happy to have been able to sign the CCR for the love and ordinance.

And I'm happy to be with y'all.

Happy to be with y'all uh this Friday to talk about it, right?

Because if I told you in the past, we can't just show up to one uh event a year and say, hey, we're we're helping the community, uh, but we gotta be there year-round uh and to go up against the state who is trying very hard to put limitations on our neighbors uh when they're not even fixing health care.

So I think it's very important the critical work you're doing.

And if I can share one anecdote, you know, I my uncle who helped raise me was gay, and one of his good friends was Marvin, uh, who was a transgender woman and now goes by Marty.

Uh and I was so fortunate to have had that experience in my life early on and that acceptance uh because Marty was nothing but nice and kind to my family and still is.

Um, so that was very important.

Um, and so we just gotta keep that work up, and we gotta push against um very aggressive uh laws that are trying to diminish us.

But you guys are doing fantastic work.

I also want to give a shout out to to Frankie and Precinct One, who's doing amazing work over there too, uh, and bringing to light the community issues as well.

So thank you all for being here today.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

Uh, just thank you to be for being here today and for the work that you do in our community.

Uh Leo, you are thriving.

Um, you will continue to thrive.

And uh we meet a lot of advocates here in this in this role, but uh you are a strong and mighty bunch of advocates, so thank you for the work that you do every day uh for our community.

Um Chris Chan, his wife, Ginger, uh, was a founding member of the LGBTQ commission when I was in the mayor's office, and so uh that is a family that uh really uh walks the walk.

And so I'm just proud to know uh your wife and now you and uh thank you again for all the work that you do.

Thank you all, and I hope that you know you heard from a large majority of us on council, and obviously this proclamation was issued by Mayor Gene Ortiz Jones, and so I hope you feel the overwhelming um love and support that you have up here, and please feel free to I mean feel obligated to hold us accountable to all that has been shared today.

Uh I'll end with uh maybe one or two anecdotes.

The first student that my very first day of school, my first year of teaching, the first student who walked up to me, uh introduced themselves, walked into my classroom, probably saw the you know picture of me and my husband on my desk, the rainbow and trans flags in my classroom, and felt compelled to come back out, reintroduce themselves, say this is my name, and these are the pronouns I would like for you to use with me.

And uh I think about the the opportunity that we have and that you all are taking to make yourself a safe space for all who need it, uh, to be their truest and most authentic self.

My last year teaching full time, I had six students who had either attempted suicide or attempted to run away.

And every single one of them was trans or gender non-conforming.

And what they were experiencing in the world around them, especially during the pandemic when they were isolated and they were at home, they didn't have a space where they could be themselves.

They were hearing on TV the way that they were being talked about, uh the legislation that was being pro uh proposed to ban and silence them and uh push them into non-existence.

They were hearing their parents talk about it.

And so the way that we discuss people, because at the end of the day, we're people, the way that we talk about each other matters, and it's pushing people to make life-ending decisions.

And so uh we all have a duty to treat each other with with respect and kindness and love.

Uh and so thank you all for everything you do, and uh it's an honor to get to be a part of this proclamation.

Up next, we have the National Week of Action for Missing and Murdering Indigenous Women.

Uh, I'll read a proclamation for national for the National Week of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Uh this whereas the City of San Antonio recognizes the American Indians in Texas at the Spanish colonial missions, and will observe National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Peoples Awareness Day on May 5th.

And whereas many indigenous people in our local communities, including our neighbors, colleagues, and relatives are survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other deeply traumatic circumstances.

And whereas the disappearance and murder of indigenous people are heinous acts which pose serious threats to tribal sovereignty and sacred humanity and undermine the ability of indigenous peoples to heal from historic trauma and genocide.

And whereas AITSCM has been an active participant in the growing movement to address the missing the missing and murdered Indigenous Women and Peoples Crisis, working to bring awareness to uh the disproportionate and devastating violence experienced by Native American women and indigenous peoples.

And whereas AIT SCM is a nonprofit organization in District 2, established in 1994 by the Tapilam Kualitecan nation.

Descendants of the Aboriginal peoples who populated South Texas and Northeastern Mexico and the organization is dedicated to preserving the culture, tradition, and heritage of Native American tribes and other indigenous peoples associated with the Spanish colonial missions.

Now therefore I, Mayor Pro Sam, Jalen McKee Rodriguez, on behalf of Mayor Gino Ortiz Jones, mayor of the City of San Antonio, in recognition thereof, do hereby proclaim May 5th, 2026 to be national national missing and murdered Indigenous Women People's Awareness Day in San Antonio, Texas.

And I'd love to welcome AIT to say a few words.

Thank you.

Thank you for the time and opportunity, Council members.

Good new day.

My name is Ramon D.

Vasquez.

I'm a member of the Tepilam Cotecan Nation, the Atecapagwama tribe.

And I'm proud to have been able to uh bring forth this uh program that we built in 2021 called the Pilam Taptay Project or Pro as it's become now as we gain more opportunities to bring more awareness and build more resources around this epidemic.

Uh not just uh awareness on the national level but down here in the local level as well.

Um and so I'm really proud to be able to uh do this work, but also more proud to be able to highlight and uplift uh those that uh have been also doing this work, you know, in different ways and are looking forward to providing more uh opportunities to build resources and uh fight that fight, you know, against this epidemic.

Um and so today I bring you uh our newest uh addition to our Pilam Taptai programming, which is the San Antonio Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Coalition.

And so we have many of our members here, just a handful, um, and we acknowledge that there are uh many others that uh could not make it today.

Uh and so we uh we recognize them as well uh here in this space and in this same honor.

And so um it's important to us to always think about uh not just how we show up, but how we continue to build uh advocacy and uh opportunities to share more and more uh shed more and more uh light on this issue.

And so um as I've mentioned before, in this same space, you know, this is uh a city that uh has roughly around 65,000 native identified people, and each and one, every one of those people uh is honored, is sacred, and uh deserves respect um in in all circumstances in all sectors and all spaces.

And so that's the work that we're doing as an organization.

Um, but this is also uh a large state, as many as shared, uh, that are also looking to continue to uh oppress people, uh in particular communities of color, marginalized communities, and so on.

Um, and so this state is also uh a significant piece of the puzzle across the nation.

This is the second largest state in the country, uh, with roughly also about 800,000 native identified people across the state.

So this type of uh oppression uh is significant uh to our communities.

Many people uh continue the uh the stereotype that native people only live on reservations when in fact 70% of all Native people across the country um live in metropolitan cities like San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Corpus, and beyond.

Um and so these communities are important, these communities are sacred, and the more and more we can do to honor that uh the better.

This week of action, uh this day is significant as May 5th, but we're also celebrating our second uh week of action uh this year, coming up uh between May 5th through May 9th, we have many different events that are happening, uh, an event happening each and every one of those days.

Um each of y'all have been uh communicated with about our uh kickoff day, which is on May 5th at the steps of City Hall here to read this proclamation uh to the public uh and to the press as well.

We encourage more and more of you all as city council members to join us, you know.

Thank you, Councilman uh Mugia for uh agreeing to join us uh that day uh and we appreciate all the responses that we've gotten so far, and we continuously you know and urge you all to come out.

If you can't come out on Tuesday, come out to the other events.

We have many ways to uh bring you into the space and shed light on this issue and be in that community space together.

So I'll pass the word over.

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you so much for recognizing this day, but also the week of action.

My name is Jordan Galvan, and I'm our civic engagement coordinator at American Indians in Texas.

Um and I today I brought a couple of different key facts and figures to add a little bit extra context to the issue.

I think when it comes to awareness, education is an imperative part of including that.

And so, you know, when we recognize that in 2024, over 10,248 missing indigenous peoples were reported, with 500 or 5,614 of that being women, 4,628 being men, and most were most reported were missing were under the age of 18, and that still does leave a critical amount of data and information out as a lot of these different cases go underrepresented and underinvestigated by the media as well as through those federal and different forms of investigation and jurisdiction.

Um and in fact, Texas is also one of the um top states that has the highest rates of American Indian and Alaska Native missing person cases.

Um so we can see that this issue isn't something that is just present across the entire nation, but something that is also very localized and in our own backyards.

Um we look at these different things, it's important for us to recognize that the solutions for these issues lie directly in the hands of the community and those that who have survived these issues and those who have been most impacted.

And so when we invite you all out to come through the week of action, we invite you to sit with the community not only as a week of awareness, but as a week of change and as a week of spearheading that and building that base and finding the ability to learn from one another and create those solutions that way it's not just a day or a week, but something that happens every single day, and it's an issue that we can create solutions for um beyond just the awareness of it all together.

Um just recently as well, there was a report that said that um there was federal funding of over 1.3 million dollars invested by the San Antonio Police Department in launching a new forensic genealogy program aimed at solving the city's most stubborn cold cases.

With that, over 366 unsolved homicides and 49 unsolved sexual assaults that could be eligible for forensic genetic genealogy were present in those cases.

And I implore all of us here and all of us as citizens, but also as servants to the community to include Native people in those conversations, to include Native people in implementation and what that looks like and how we can best serve the community to allow healing and reconnection to our ways, to our identities, and to our protections as people.

And so a lot of people when they hear about this issue, they frequently um only understand it as something that is relevant or able to be involved in or supported by other Native people.

But in fact, it's something that we are all responsible to, and we all call for that standing in solidarity and support with one another to create change and to create safety for what that looks like.

And I think there's a lot of beauty in the connection of it being the history of trans visibility as well, because a lot of this um data does not reflect our two-spirited and trans individuals in our community that are also equally involved in that representation.

And so we stand with all of you as well and appreciate you for your recognition and protection of all of our relatives.

And so we implore all of you all to join us, and thank you so much for acknowledging this day.

And we look forward to not only change and awareness today on that day, but also moving forward into the future.

So thank you so much.

Aloha, um, thank you, uh Mayor Protem and Council members.

Uh, my name is Stacey Kawakeolani UN Leval, and I uh have the privilege of serving on the board of American Indians in Texas Spanish Colonial Missions as their VP.

Um, I also am a proud member of the San Antonio's MMIWP coalition.

Um thank you again for having us here and to hear today and recognize the MMI WP Week of Action.

Well, I'm not a native San Antonian.

Um I am a native Hawaiian, a kanakamoli.

I'm here to show that the Kanakamoli and the people of Hawaii stand with our brothers, our sisters, and our cousins, to support those who cannot stand here today.

We stand in their place and recognize that they are not forgotten.

They will not go unheard, and they will they will be honored and remembered.

Mahalo for the opportunity and to honor them in the city hall and shed light on such a major epidemic amongst our people.

Mahalo, Malamapono, and Mikhail Loha Council members, Mikhail, um San Antonio, Mikhail Aloha, Mekekwa.

Thank you.

One last thing, I'll be remiss if I didn't remind us all that we're also coming up on a year of the killing of Jonathan Joss on the south side of San Antonio, one of our beloved Native members here across the city of San Antonio, but also across the nation, uh, and also a member of the LGBTQ community as well.

Uh and also a member of the LGBTQ community as well.

So we're honored and acknowledged uh to acknowledge that uh representation, you know, of what Jonathan Joss brings to this community uh and what that uh what that issue shed light on in relationship to this issue of missing and murder indigenous women of people.

So we acknowledge and honor Jonathan Joss again this year, um, but also acknowledge that we still don't have an answer yet for you know his murder.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Galvan.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem, and thank you all for uh the conversation today for the proclamation today and for the work that you do every single day.

Um I want to make sure I also recognize Ramon.

Uh I we spoke after one another, we didn't necessarily meet fully um recently this month, and I want to say thank you for the word that you share the sustainability forum that we were at.

Um because again, right, when we talk about uh similar to the transgender um week of or week of history, um understanding the history that is involved in the current issues of today is critical to understand how we can actually address them, right?

We know uh the colonial structures in place here in our in our city and in our country, uh create structure create uh restrictive actions and restrictive powers that not only affect one community but can affect multiple communities as those tools are used in different places, right?

And so being able to understand how they were formed, how they were created, how they're utilized uh on one community as well as several others helps us understand how we can break those systems down, right?

And make sure that we're actually creating systems that are uplifting to folks and uh and liberating for folks too to be able to live in our communities um freely, fairly, um, and in true safety, right?

When we look at restrictions and other kinds of forms of safety that are considered to be we push some folks out, we move them out of the way, we get them out of the way, we cause even more harm by doing so versus finding ways to include folks and making sure that everyone's able to live in our society in a in a positive manner.

Um it creates those kind of underreported cases, it creates those kind of places of fear um and these kind of dark shadow shadow areas that you cannot access, you cannot see, and we cannot fully address.

And so conversations like these are critical to not only starting that work, um, but continue to shed light on it and get more folks involved in it.

So I want to say again thank you to you all for all the work you do every single day, not only in this space, but across the entire space of fighting for uh indigenous liberation.

And uh know that I think folks here on the council are there with you every single day.

Thank you, Mayor Protein.

Thank you, Councilmember Mungia.

Thank you, Mayor Port Tim.

I just want to say um, Jordan, you did fantastic work, and you should consider running for office if you want to take a step down from what you're doing now.

Uh but no, just thank you all for what you do at AIT.

Um and you know, I one of your greatest and best advocates uh I talk to almost on a daily basis, Ms.

Brenda, and I know she's watching from home today, and I'm so happy to join you all next week because I think this is truly one of those situations in our community that goes severely underreported.

Uh and it's unfortunate that it's at the intersection of uh women in our society uh and indigenous women and people of color that uh don't often get the attention that they deserve when tragedies like this occur on a regular basis.

So I think it's very important, like you said, to focus on the solutions of the issue.

We we're not gonna just go and get a proclamation and then come back next year, right?

We've got to work with SAPD, we have to work with our sheriff's office.

Uh because as you know, in my community on 35 in my district is where the entrance of the human smuggling component is right there on 35.

Um we know who that affects more than others.

So um count me as a partner to work with you to to do better in our community.

So thank you all for what you do today.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Viacron.

Thank you.

Uh thank you for coming, Ramon and Jordan.

Thank you for sharing.

Um, violence against women is something that we talk about often, and we know that this happens, it's something that um I worked on for years with the PD in terms of trying to get women out of abusive relationships.

I think what you are doing here is so powerful because you get specific and you say it's indigenous women, it's under 18, it's more than 50% of who goes missing, and this is just a fraction of what we see happening nationwide and globally.

Uh women are being targeted.

They are being dismissed when they tell their stories.

And what I am so proud about American Indians in Texas and the tribal communities is that they move to action and they were saying we will find a specific solution to the problem we have for us and being an example for other communities to go out and find solutions.

So I I have always been supportive of AIT.

I'm in support of this.

I have the t-shirts, know what here what's happening on the reservations, but for you to come and put it in perspective about what is happening here in Texas, the second largest state, means so much and means that we really do have to move to action and pledge that as we move forward with uh the forensics that we start addressing the issues of our uh our uh our tribal uh women that have gone missing and or have been trafficked and that we cannot find.

So thank you so much for what you do and your passion for this community and the fact that you temper the culture and the celebration with the harsh reality that we need to do something about it.

So thank you.

Uh I look forward to all the action uh of next week and getting updates on that and being part of it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Castillo, followed by Councilmember Aldor de Cabito.

Uh thank you, Mayor, and thank you all for continuing to shed light on the impact of indigenous women and the work that needs to be done to ensure that there is accountability and justice for all impacted individuals, uh, as Jordan and Ramon highlighted, right?

That the work goes beyond uh this week.

And I wanna highlight that yesterday we received a briefing in terms of uh some of our delegate agency fundings, and uh just wanted to highlight the work that you all do in terms of mitigating dropouts uh for many of our high school students by providing culturally relevant curriculum mentorship and so much more.

Um again, this goes beyond uh the week.

Um, but just to highlight that you all have many irons in the fire in how you're providing support uh to San Antonian.

So thank you all very much.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Councilmember Aldor De Capitlow, followed by Councilmember Corr.

Thank you, Mayor Potem.

Um, I'll be short and sweet.

I think uh you nailed it with your comments about uh awareness and awareness is important, but also too related to the the trans community awareness is the first step because we have to find solutions.

So um thank you for for stating that um so well and and you know I it's applicable uh across the board.

Awareness is important, but we have to find solutions.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Korr.

Thank you, Mayor Pratem.

What Councilman Castillo uh said is actually exactly what I was gonna share, which I learned so much more about your organization because of yesterday's conversation.

So reading y'all's proposals for what you do in child abuse prevention, dropout prevention, and really domestic violence support.

I know we were only able to well has not been approved yet, but recommend two of those three.

I'd love to continue to see how we could better support the domestic violence work that you all are doing.

I had no idea, like the number of people that you serve you said you were gonna serve in that program is 700, and that's a huge amount um of constituency.

So if we can do any uh additional support for that, maybe through public safety or uh find ways to better support those programs, we would really love to.

So thank you all for what you are doing, not just uh for this moment when we're recognizing history, but also in the community.

Thanks, Mayor Pro Tem.

Thank you.

Thank you all so much for being here today and for all the work that you do.

It's truly uh valuable and uh valued, and I hope that um you know we get to work together for for many, many more years to come.

One more round of applause.

I'll now recognize uh Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez for a point of personal privilege.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

If I can have the members of the Bob Ross Senior Center stand up and Bob Ross family as I read this point of personal privilege.

Happy birthday to the Bob Ross Senior Center.

We recently celebrated 19 years, 19 years ago, the doors opened for one of a kind senior center.

The research and vision of council member Bob Ross came together to create a space that would redefine how we serve older adults in San Antonio, a true one-stop center for connection, learning, and active living.

What began as a bold idea has grown into something even more meaningful, a vibrant community.

This place is filled with joy, friendship, and purpose.

I've had the privilege of experiencing that spirit firsthand, whether it's playing bingo together, organizing holiday and Thanksgiving lunches, or simply celebrating our seniors every chance that we get those moments, remind us that this center is not just about services, but it's about the people.

At the same time, anniversaries are also a moment to look ahead.

As this center continues to serve our community, we must continue investing in it, especially as it nears two decades of service.

So it can remain a place of pride for generations to come.

I'm honored to have some members of from District 8 Senior Center, their wonderful and caring director, Luis Betis and his staff, and as well as Council Member Bob Ross's children, Steve Sharon, and Mark, who will share a few words.

Thank you all for being here to share this special milestone with us.

Thank you, Councilwoman Gonzalez.

Uh so I want to just tell the story of the center.

So Judge Wolfe and Mayor Garza uh appointed my father to herd the cats to develop a city-county program and a policy for what's going to happen with seniors in San Antonio.

And sometime during that year uh he was diagnosed with cancer, but this was his goal is to get this project through.

So sometime uh the week before uh they had a party on Thursday to celebrate the end of the process and delivery of the report to city council on Thursday, and that following Monday, he passed away.

So he lived long enough to do that.

And I would be remiss uh not to mention that he started his career in city government with uh Eric was a youngster then, and Jillin was in the city manager's office too, and they kind of uh grew up together, and he would be very proud of where everybody's ended up, and hopefully he had some part in uh helping that process along.

But on behalf of my family, we would like to thank you uh for naming the center.

It was probably my mother's pride and joy, so she made it a point every year to go there every year she uh lived.

Uh so he passed away, I believe, when he was 85.

She made it to 105, and she went there every year since the naming, including uh the last year of her life, and so it's very important to our family, and thank you for naming it after him, and thanks uh councilman Art Hall for bestowing that honor of naming the first center.

And it's the great news is is it's grown to where there's almost one in every area of the city now, which was their vision, and so you've made his vision become a reality.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you, and happy birthday to the Bob Ross Senior Center.

The next thank you all for being here.

I know y'all have to, I know you all have to rush away, but thank you for coming out, and hopefully you enjoyed the rest of the pro the proclamations.

The next item is the city manager's report.

Eric Deverra report today.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Uh good morning, Mary Council.

So uh with just a quick video um spotlighting one of our uh one of our great employees, uh Walter Barrett, uh what and Walter is here today.

Uh yeah, I see him in the back.

Walter's shy, but Walter joined the city in 2008 as a solid waste manager.

Um, and he currently manages our solid waste safety and training teams.

For those council members that have uh not participated in, and you'll see a clip of it in the in the video.

We we have a simulator where we train drivers on how to drive our trucks.

And um I would encourage you to try it.

It's not as easy as it looks.

There's a lot of hand-eye coordination.

Um, but but uh Walter oversees that and in addition to his role in Solid Waste, he also serves as a member of our um black and African American Employee Affinity Group Steering Committee, which has been in place for five or six years now and really participates um as a mentor to other employees within the organization.

Um I wanted to I wanted to highlight uh Walter because here um a couple months ago, um, as we were celebrating uh and remembering uh Dr.

Martin Luther King, uh Walter received the 2026 service award and recognition from the Baptist Ministers Union um for his work and contribution um to the organization, to the department, to the employees.

Um he is um um he's certainly the first solid waste management uh employee who has received that that honor.

Um, and I want to thank Walter for what he does every day in uh in Solid Waste and for our organization and as a mentor to a lot of our employees.

So let's roll the video.

I manage the safety and training team.

I also coordinate the hiring processes for employees coming into our car collections teams.

The core values that I embody most is teamwork as well as professionalism.

Teamwork because effective communication is optimum to the amount of work and amount of employees that we have.

We cover every inch of the city as far as professionalism.

We must be where we need to be on time.

We have a lot of vehicles out on the road from day to day.

We are mandated by uh local, state, and federal laws to provide uh consistent solid waste collection services.

I am a member of the Black Affinity Group.

We get employees from around the city, prepare it for promotional opportunities, it's professional development, and we do that through communication and community.

I received the legacy award, and I am so proud to be recognized by the BAFTAR's Ministers Union as well as the Assistant City Manager David McCarey.

I'm still shaking.

Thank you, Walter.

Thank you, uh Mayor Council.

That's it.

Thank you, Eric.

Uh items five through twenty-seven are on the consent agenda.

This means they'll be considered as a group and there will not be a staff presentation unless pulled for individual consideration.

I understand there are some highlights.

Do we have any items to pull?

I'll go ahead and entertain a motion for the balance of the consent agenda.

Second.

We have a motion to second.

Uh again, a number of highlights.

Can we find that list?

I will start with Councilmember Aldre Carrito.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

I want to highlight item number 17, and that's appointing Justin Johnson to the Small Business Advisory Commission.

Justin, if you don't mind coming to the podium.

Justin is a valued district seven resident and was born and raised right here in San Antonio.

He takes pride in our city and is passionate about giving back to his community and improving our local economy.

He is a marketing and create marketing and creator partnerships executive with over 15 years of experience building growth strategies at the intersection of creators, culture, and commerce.

His work has contributed to over 500 million dollars in revenue across global platforms and consumer brands.

Throughout his career, he has developed scalable programs that help businesses of all sizes to grow their audience revenue and long-term customer loyalty.

His reach has span from San Antonio Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 brands and global creators.

Most recently, as head of market development at Acorns, Justin led Creator Media and Sports Partnerships across North America.

Justin graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and serves on the advisory boards for the Soho House, Global Influencer Council, Red Mah Red McCombs School of Business, and the Terry Foundation.

I'm proud to appoint Justin to the Small Business Advisory Commission and I'm confident at the valuable insight he will provide.

Thank you for your willingness to serve and congratulations, Justin.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Corr.

Oh, I don't know if he was gonna say so.

Oh, sorry.

Go ahead.

I just wanted to say this here for having me including me and giving the opportunity to give back not only to the district but the city of San Antonio at large.

I'm excited to bring what I've learned throughout my career back to the community.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Thanks, Jessie.

I have two quick highlights.

I'm highlighting item number 21, which is a large area rezoning.

Thank you to the DSD team for your help in moving this forward.

We found this out because there was a constituent that applied for major minor home rehab and couldn't because they were under the wrong zoning.

And so, but zoning costs, and we didn't want to put that burden on our residents, so we're adjusting the industrial zoning to residential, and hopefully they'll upzone uh if they'd like to add more units to the lot potentially as well.

Um, and so I know that that GSC is gonna be working closely with them.

I also wanted to highlight item number 18, which is appointing ours truly, Councilwoman Viegadan to be the director at large for the Texas Municipal League Board of Directors.

So we're excited that she's gonna be representing this.

Thanks, Mayor Brotem.

Thank you, Councilmember Via Grande.

Thank you.

I want to two quick highlights.

Uh first of all, uh, item 15, uh, the mayor's appointee of Suzanne Scott.

I know the mayor couldn't be here today, but I did want to highlight Suzanne, who continues to serve this uh community in so many ways.

So I want to thank her for uh agreeing to serve on the uh stormwater for that.

And uh that is not a glamorous uh committee.

So uh and the second is the resolution approving the reappointment of Jolyn LeBlanc Jamison to the North Sector and Mary Lou Raynid to the Southeast Quadrant set of San Antonio Water System.

Ladies, thank you so much for serving and continuing to serve and making sure the city moves forward and that we have the water that we need.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

I wanted to uh thank Mr.

McCarry and the Solid Waste team before getting into my highlights, especially Walter.

Uh many district five residents serve uh the City of San Antonio and the Solid Waste uh team, and they wake up every day when they drop by our office, they share how proud they are to serve the City of San Antonio and work for the Solid Waste Team.

So just wanted to thank uh both Walter and Mr.

McCarry for their leadership with that department.

Uh but I would also like to highlight item 11 uh again, which is the reappointment of Julian Jameson and Mary Lorena.

Uh, these two uh leaders are powerhouses and change makers when it comes to so many sectors.

Um, but I think the value that y'all bring to the SAUS Committee and each organization that you all serve uh is just highlighting the intersection, right?

Of health care, access to water, electricity, so on and so forth, uh, as well as communicating uh what that looks like to our constituency.

So just I value y'all's leadership uh and the ways in which y'all continue to serve the city of San Antonio.

So thank you all so much.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Gaulman.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

I want to highlight item number six, the Central Fire Department Burn Building uh capital improvements, of course, in district six.

Uh just want to start off by saying, you know, training is not optional for our San Center Fire Department.

It is essential to the safety and survival of our firefighters and directly enhances their ability to respond to and serve our community in a profession as an inherently dangerous as firefighting.

Consistent and high quality training is not a luxury, it's a necessity.

The Santa Fire Department's burn building construct in the early 2000s has undergone extensive use and now requires critical repair and maintenance to ensure it remains fully operational.

And if you ever have been there, uh we see some of the training.

Uh it is uh not only intense, uh, but also uh a clear need for improvement there to make sure that our folks are already prepared uh for any kind of emergency going on here in our community.

The facility is routinely exposed to extreme temperatures and repeated structural stress during training and live burns, making ongoing attention to a structural integrity absolutely essential.

I want to thank the Central Professional Firefighters Association for talking a bit about this uh item and making sure that we're aware of how the kind of critical need for this work.

Um I know they are remaining firm.

Uh their commitment to advancing firefighter safety, uh, and understanding that of course the capital improvements that are needed here are critical to making sure that our folks uh are able to take care of not only themselves in these conditions but also our larger community too.

So thank you again, and very excited to see these improvements coming online in district six.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

Thank you, Councilmember Spears Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

Um I want to start with item number thine.

This is the ordinance authorizing the submission of a grant application and acceptance of funds upon award in an amount of one million one and a half million dollars from the motor vehicle crime prevention authority.

Um theft and break-ins are not minor crimes.

They disrupt families and impact livelihoods and erode a sense of safety in our neighborhoods.

And this funding strengthens a dedicated regional task force focused on stopping these crimes at the source and not just responding after the fact.

It allows us to put more officers, more coordination, and more targeted enforcement behind a problem we know is increasing.

I fully support leveraging state resources like this to expand our local capacity without placing the full burden on our taxpayers.

This is exactly the kind of proactive intelligence-driven policing our community expects and deserves.

Public safety starts with protecting people's homes, their vehicles, and their peace of mind, and this investment moves us forward.

So thank you to staff for pursuing this grant and to the motor vehicle crime prevention authority for giving it to us.

I also want to highlight item number 10.

This is an ordinance authorizing the submission of a grant application and acceptance of funds upon award for the advanced law enforcement rapid response training program in the amount of six thousand dollars from the Office of the Governor and Public Safety Office.

Thank you again to staff for pursuing this this grant opportunity.

Uh training is everything, especially when seconds matter.

And this program ensures our officers are prepared to respond quickly and effectively in high risk, rapidly evolving situations.

We owe it to both our officers and our residents to make sure that they have the best training available and no shortcuts.

Even small investments in training can have life-saving impacts in the field.

And I'll always support efforts that we equip our law enforcement with tools, training, and readiness they need to protect this city.

Strong training, strong response, and strong support for our officers.

This is how we keep San Antonio safe.

I bet y'all can guess the last one I want to highlight.

It's number five.

A new parking structure and ground transportation center at the San Antonio International Airport.

This is funding from the interim financing airport improvement contingency fund.

This is wonderful.

This is forward thinking.

It's an investment about staying ahead of growth in at our San Antonio International Airport and not reacting to it.

As passenger traffic increases, we must ensure the infrastructure keeps pace, especially parking and ground access.

This project directly improves the travel experience for residents and visitors and adds 450 additional spaces.

It also supports the long-term success of the San Antonio Forward Program, SAT forward program, and the new terminal development.

This is a proactive financial decision for the airport to decide to add another floor to the parking garage during a time when it will minimize additional costs in the near term and drives increased revenue in the long term.

Airport leadership has made this possible because of how efficiently the expansion construction is flowing and how well the money being invested is being managed.

When we are investing in the airport, we're investing in jobs, tourism, and San Antonio's competitiveness.

So thank you to the airport for your forward thinking.

And the last thing is next week is uh teacher appreciation week, so don't forget to uh take care of your teachers and specials and nurses and admin and also Ghostburst Go.

Thanks.

Thank you, Councilmember Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor.

This morning I would also like to highlight item 14, which is the appointment of uh Valerie Martinez to the CC's commission.

Uh Valerie is a professor at Our Lady of the Lake University who specializes in 20th century Mexican American history as well as U.S.

military and labor history, women's and gender studies.

Uh she has received the National Endowment for Humanitaries funded project uh and serves in a wealth of roles, so just wanted to congratulate you uh on your appointment.

Thank you, Professor Martinez.

Thank you.

Thank you.

There being no further discussion, there is a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda.

Please vote.

Motion carries.

The time is now 1022 a.m.

on April 30th, 2026.

The City Council of the City of San Antonio will now meet in executive session and consult with the city attorney's office pursuant to chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code and to deliberate or discuss the following items.

Economic development negotiations pursuant to Section 551.087.

Purchase exchange lease or value of real property pursuant to section 551.072 and legal issues related to litigation involving the city, emergency preparedness, and collective bargaining, all pursuant to section 551.071.

The time is now 1249 p.m.

on April 30th, 2026.

And the San Antonio City Council will now reconvene in open session.

No official action was taken on executive session.

There being no further business.

Thank you.