My Vision for District 8

As an attorney and small business owner who has represented countless workers, homeowners, small businesses, and large organizations, I know what it means to be an impactful advocate, manifest organizational vision, and deliver results. At its foundation, I believe the role of a councilmember is to ensure and expand public safety, build on the quality of life for the hundreds of thousands that live in and visit District 8, and supercharge our community’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting small businesses, working families, teachers, and students with the resources they need to remain resilient.

Advancing Public Safety

Ensuring the safety of our community is the bedrock function of city government, and it is impossible without the robust support of our police, fire, and medical first responders and the management of these services to prioritize dependability, transparency, and accountability. I have increased our police budget in each of the four budget I've been a part of on council. I led advocacy efforts to the state legislature to help deliver the accountability neighbors demand without undermining the ability of our public safety officers to keep our neighborhoods safe. As the collective bargaining agreement moves forward, we are holding the line on disciplinary and accountability measures so that we weed out the bad actors who do not represent the majority of officers on the force who do great work to keep our community safe. And, in the wake of the severe winter storm, I was appointed to the Committee on Emergency Preparedness to investigate the city and public utility companies’ response and develop recommendations for reform. In this capacity, I will continue to represent the input of neighbors and ask the tough questions of leadership at SAWS, CPS Energy and the City of San Antonio Emergency Operations Center, so that we can identify the gaps we need to fill and the strategies needed to improve our emergency readiness, protect our infrastructure, and keep neighbors safe.

Leading Coronavirus Response and Recovery

The nature of managing public safety was redefined at the start of 2020, when a global pandemic destabilized the economy and posed an unprecedented health risk to all San Antonians–especially those who were already medically or financially vulnerable. As Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, I spearheaded the joint City-County working group to advocate for our city’s emergency needs in Austin and D.C. and helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds for COVID testing and vaccinations; small business support and workforce training; rent and mortgage assistance; and, food insecurity and digital inclusion. By securing federal dollars, we were able to not just sustain the essential city services that neighbors depend on, but also build upon and expand them by making substantial investments where they could have the most immediate impact.

Enhancing Quality of Life

From road and sidewalk repairs to parks, trails, and facilities developments, I have made addressing damaged infrastructure and increasing accessibility a priority while balancing the calls from neighbors to make sure that our world-class trails system and parks are maintained and positioned for sustainable growth. I worked to ensure that our aquifer protection program had the secured funding needed to keep our water safe. And, I have kept my commitment to continue the funding of our trails development in District 8. In the last two years, I oversaw the completion of the Maverick Creek Trail to connect UTSA and Leon Creek and the connection from the 1604 Trailhead to Eisenhower Park. I spearheaded the development of Dan Markson Park, which will be the first of its kind to offer amenities to children and neighbors of all developmental abilities when it is complete. And, as Chair of the Innovation and Technology Committee, I implemented an artificial intelligence (AI) smart traffic pilot program in The RIM and the South Texas Medical Center to push our city’s traffic management programs off of the egg timers and into the future – so you can spend more time with your family and friends enjoying San Antonio and less time waiting in traffic to get where you want to be.