u/MrPolyMath777

Nearly two weeks before today’s vote, enough San Antonio City Council members had already publicly opposed Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ attempt to put the City’s proposed contribution toward a new Spurs arena on the November ballot. Today, that opposition held, leaving Jones unable to secure a majority for a separate citywide vote.

But the result may be less interesting than what the fight revealed about how San Antonio is governed. Jones’ argument has remained fairly consistent: Bexar County voters approved the County’s separate arena funding in 2025, but San Antonio voters never directly approved the City’s proposed contribution of up to $489 million. The opposing Council members argue that another election is not legally required, that elected council members are responsible for making major municipal financing decisions, and that reopening the issue could create additional uncertainty around the project.

That creates an unusual political divide. San Antonians elected Jones citywide, but they also elected 10 individual district representatives, and the mayor still has only one vote on an 11-member Council. Today demonstrated what happens when those mandates collide. It also did not constitute final approval of the City’s $489 million contribution. The existing arena term sheet is nonbinding, and final project agreements and financing decisions still have to return to Council.

So if the votes against another election were already there, what do you think Jones accomplished by forcing the vote anyway? And on a commitment this large, should the citywide mayor’s mandate carry additional weight, should the Council majority make the decision it was elected to make, or should San Antonio voters have received the final say?

Flooding has become one of the biggest recurring infrastructure frustrations in San Antonio after the deadly June 2025 floods killed 13 people across the city, including multiple deaths near the Perrin Beitel and Loop 410 corridor. Officials continue reviewing flood-warning systems, drainage infrastructure, low-water crossings, and highway vulnerabilities while TxDOT advances new mitigation projects downtown.

This week’s Dip IN with San Antonio features perspective from longtime resident Brian Thompson, who says many of the city’s worst flooding spots are not new problems at all. He pointed to areas like Perrin Beitel and 410, Olmos Creek, Pinn Road, Leon Creek, and Culebra and Grissom as corridors locals have watched flood repeatedly for decades. He also raised concerns about failing warning barriers, poor highway drainage, and rapid urbanization reducing green space that naturally absorbs runoff.

The larger concern throughout the conversation is whether San Antonio is actually adapting its infrastructure fast enough for future storms, or simply reacting after disasters happen. Recent city flood-awareness campaigns continue warning residents about many of the same crossings that emergency responders have repeatedly monitored for years.

👉 If you want the full responses, detailed reporting, and the full breakdown of the flooding concerns discussed, you can read the full article here:

https://thedipsa.square.site/s/stories/san-antonio-flooding-infrastructure-dip-in-6

If you’d like to be featured in a future Dip IN with San Antonio, anonymously or credited, send me a message and I’ll include your perspective.

Not necessarily “dead,” but the times when the stores themselves are less crowded and easier to shop.

I’m in Texas, and weekends can feel busy all day inside the store, even when the batches are decent.

For those of y’all who still make money on weekends, what times do you notice the stores are usually calmer to actually shop through?

I’ve been doing Instacart for about 7 years now, and I’ve always heard people talk about renting cars to do gig work.

I’m talking about stuff like HyreCar, Turo, Getaround, or even those Uber/Lyft rental programs.

I’ve never actually met someone in real life who’s doing it consistently though.

Has anyone here actually made it work long-term? Like after gas, rental cost, etc… is it even worth it?

Also curious if any of the Instacart perks (like Diamond Cart status, oil change discounts, whatever else they offer) actually help offset any of this or if it’s basically irrelevant.

Just trying to see what’s real vs what sounds good on paper.

I mostly shop at Costco and one main grocery store in my area, and I usually go back and forth between those two spots. It’s been somewhat consistent, but I’m trying to figure out if I’m leaving money on the table by not moving around more.

At the same time, I’ve noticed that when I do travel 15–20 miles out to chase “hot zones,” Instacart tends to keep giving me orders that push me further and further away from my home base, which ends up costing more in gas and time.

So I’m trying to find the balance between staying in a familiar area versus moving around for potentially better batches. Curious what’s actually worked best for others long term.