r/SanAntonioUSA

Registration: https://www.mobilize.us/talaricofortexas/event/953347/

Date: Wednesday, May 27**,** 7 – 9pm CDT

Location: Rich's Houston**,** 2401 San Jacinto St, Houston, TX 77002

About this event

“Join James Talarico in Houston for a general election kick-off rally for U.S. Senate!

Gather with your family, friends, and neighbors to hear from James about taking his fight against Big Money and corruption to Washington. Together, we can win back power for working people in a system that’s rigged for the ultra-wealthy.

Learn how to get involved with our campaign, pick up some new merch, and get energized with us for the road ahead. The program will be short, and you'll have the opportunity to say hello to James after!

Doors open at 6:00 PM

We'll have security on site with us for the whole event.

Parking is available in nearby paid lots and garages surrounding the venue.

See you there!”

​

I'm not 100% on if this is allowed in the subreddit, but yesterday at my job. I witnessed a man beat his wife then drive away. All I know is that it was a black 2025 Toyota Camry, his license plate, that they went north on Roosevelt Ave. and that he beat her, because she was literally screaming bloody murder as he was hitting her. If anyone can help, please do. I also posted this on the other subreddit, but it hasn't gotten any attention.

by Michael Karlis

Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo is again stirring up controversy, this time for saying her runoff opponent, former Bexar County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Johnny Garcia, should be tried for treason.

“[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is again part of [the Department of Homeland Security], which has headquarters and offices inside Israel,” Galindo said on Texas Public Radio’s The Source with David Martin Davies.

“This is an Israeli occupation of America,” the candidate for San Antonio’s 35th Congressional District continued. “In fact, I was thinking this morning, maybe Johnny Garcia and others who support him, or anybody who is supported by Israel, should be tried for treason.”

For reference, ICE is headquartered in Washington, D.C. And, while the agency has two offices in Israel, they are located within the U.S. diplomatic facilities, as is common in other U.S. diplomatic outposts.

A bewildered Davies tried to respond before Galindo cut him off, warning that Israel could be planning genocide in the United States. She didn’t elaborate on how that might come about.

Garcia, who was also on The Source on Wednesday, dismissed Galindo’s assertion that he should be tried for treason or that he is controlled by Israel.

“I think she’s drawing these baseless claims from the group called AIPAC Tracker that put us on that website after the endorsement of the Democratic majority for Israel,” Garcia said.

AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is an advocacy group that lobbies the U.S. government to strengthen its ties with Israel.

“We haven’t taken any money from AIPAC,” Garcia added. “My issues are making sure that our community stays safe, that we combat antisemitic remarks like we’ve seen my opponent make.”​

Indeed, New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg called out Galindo over the weekend for remarks in a Facebook video where she claimed “Jews … own Hollywood” and are using their influence to take over the world and bring about the Rapture.

Instead of apologizing, Galindo has doubled down on her views this week, accusing Garcia, in remarks to the Current, of collaborating with “Billionaire Zionist Jews.” She also accused those same billionaires of operating a human trafficking network in Bexar County.

Galindo and some of her supporters maintain that her most recent remarks aren’t antisemitic because she’s targeting Zionists — or those who believe that Jews are entitled to a sovereign ethno-state — not Jewish people in general.

The Jewish Federation of San Antonio, in a statement this week, disagreed, stating that Galindo is peddling antisemitic tropes and conspiracies under the guise of anti-Zionism.

“Divisive and hateful rhetoric targeting the Jewish community has no place in our civic life,” the group said. “San Antonio is a vibrant and diverse community, and an attack on any group is an attack on us all. We call on all candidates and elected officials to engage in meaningful dialogue with the community and refrain from bigoted and offensive attacks.”

Early voting in the Texas Democratic runoff begins May 18, with Election Day on May 26. Voting information is available on the Bexar County Elections Department’s website.

In 3 years time, the wealth gap will be so large that regular people cannot afford to live in San Antonio. It will only be the rich and the poor. If you are strictly middle class or trying to make it to middle class, get out while you can

I’ve seen discussions on here about the congressional candidates, but haven’t seen much discussion regarding the district attorney runoff race. I’m curious about what people’s thoughts and opinions are on both of the democratic candidates since early voting starts tomorrow

by Stephanie Koithan

Five city council members have called for an audit of the San Antonio Police Department’s overtime spending, according to a memo obtained by the Current.

District 4 Councilman Edward Mungia spearheaded the effort with council members Teri Castillo (D5), Sukh Kaur (D1), Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) and Ric Galvan (D6) also signing on.

“Given the upcoming discussions at the Public Safety Committee about the hiring of

additional police officers, we ask that an audit be conducted on the San Antonio Police

Department overtime authorizations,” states the memo addressed to City Auditor Buddy Vargas.

The council members signed off on the April 13 memo roughly a month after a San Antonio Current investigation found that SAPD spent double its overtime budget in 2024, to the tune of $34 million.

Some San Antonio police personnel are raking in $100,000 to $200,000 annually in overtime pay alone, according to documents provided to the Current by police accountability group Act 4 SA. In some cases, those payments doubled or nearly tripled their annual salaries.

With overtime and other compensation, one officer made more than $345,000 in 2024 — more than the police chief and more than most of city council combined.

The head of the police union told the Express-News that rising overtime is a direct response to staffing shortages at the department.

“It’s not that we’re trying to be greedy and trying to make more money — it’s just a necessity that’s had to happen here for the last couple of years,” Johnny Perez, president of the San Antonio Police Officers’ Association (SAPOA), told the daily.

Public safety represents the largest chunk of the city’s $4.06 billion general fund in the adopted budget for fiscal 2026, with $631.5 million earmarked for SAPD.

The call for a police overtime audit comes after months of pressure from accountability group Act 4 SA, which laid out its demands as the city entered into contract negotiations with SAPOA.

The city’s budget season is also quickly approaching, and the memo to the city auditor is intended to put it on the calendar for upcoming budget discussions.

The city last audited police overtime in 2020, but that survey merely looked at the tracking, scheduling and processing of overtime payments. The last time the city audited police overtime authorizations before then was the 2006 fiscal year, according to Mungia’s memo.

However, Mungia told the Express-News that this time, he wants a more “holistic” view of overtime, including “who is using what different overtime buckets, what those buckets are for and what’s the cost of that over time.”

Seeking a comprehensive review

Act 4 SA officials said they’re encouraged by movement on the issue after their open records requests, data analysis and meetings with council members. Even so, an audit of overtime isn’t comprehensive enough, according to the group.

“There was definitely a bit of celebration and triumph,” organizer Ananda Tomás told the Current. “We got at least one of the pieces we were asking for pushed through, but at the same time, a little bit of disappointment that it was only talking about overtime when our conversations with council members and the conversations from community to council have been asking for more the entire time.”

Tomás said Act 4 SA seeks a full audit of all compensation, including overtime, benefits, incentives and payouts. The group also wants the audit to include a review of contracts so they can be examined for compliance gaps, financial inefficiencies and operational risks.

“This is fiscal transparency and responsibility at a time when we need it most, as we’re facing a massive budget deficit, as we see federal funding losses and considerations to cut either positions or programs, even locally,” Tomás said. “If we can, through this audit, not only understand better how our public safety dollars are being spent at SAPD, but even uncover wasteful practices that are costing millions of dollars, those millions of dollars can be put back into these other pieces of community programs and departments that also are part of public safety.”

As such, Act 4 SA has compiled a white paper based on audits of other police departments throughout the country. The research shows hundreds of millions of dollars in wasteful spending at those departments, according to the oversight group.

San Francisco found $108 million in excessive overtime spending over the course of 5 years, including $55.6 million in 2023 alone, Tomás said. An audit of the Chicago force found $4.3 million in federal equitable sharing funds with inadequate controls. And examination of Keansburg, New Jersey’s police force found $451,000 in longevity bonuses over 2 years and $95,000 in improper payouts.

The more comprehensive audit of SAPD sought by Act 4 SA also would allow it to fill knowledge gaps it’s been unable to remedy with Freedom of Information Act requests, such as whether there’s evidence of preferential treatment for some on the force.

The average SAPD officer makes $12,000 to $25,000 in overtime annually, according to documents reviewed by the Current, but a select few pull in more than $100,000 in overtime each year.

Act 4 SA also wants the audit to look at federal and state grants and whether that funding compels SAPD to work with agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

However, for now, only overtime is on the agenda.

City budget deficit

Meanwhile, the city is grappling with a $20 million — and growing — deficit, and is considering raising property taxes and implementing utility rate hikes to account for its projected revenue losses.

City expenses are expected to exceed revenue collections as early as fiscal year 2028, which starts Oct. 1, 2027.

Simultaneously, SAPOA is looking to add 65 more officers and increase base pay as it continues contract negotiations with the city. This comes at a time of increasing austerity for most other departments, including Health and Human Services, Parks and Public Works.

With city finances barreling toward a cliff, Act 4 SA also is calling for recurring audits of SAPD overtime spending every three years to “better inform future budgets.”

Mungia’s April letter appears to agree that regular audits of police overtime are needed, noting that other facets of the department are audited periodically, including its property-and-evidence room, off-duty employment, armory inventory management and detention centers.

“We believe an audit on SAPD overtime authorizations should be conducted regularly to ensure fiscal responsibility and most importantly the health and safety of our officers,” states the memo.

by Michael Karlis

An Alamo Heights family detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will head home after a federal judge ordered their release from the South Texas Family Residential Center.

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia on Wednesday ordered the federal government to release Maria Betania Uzcategui Castillo, her 11-year-old stepson Victor Labrador and her 8-year-old stepdaughter Victoria “Monserrat” Labrador no later than 9:30 a.m. Thursday, the Express-News reports.

Castillo and her stepchildren were detained by ICE agents outside their home while waiting for the school bus on April 27. Both Victor and Victoria were students at Alamo Heights ISD’s Cambridge Elementary School.

“Thank you to everyone who spoke up — your voice made a difference,” U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, who visited the family while they were being held in Dilley and advocated for their release, tweeted after news of the judge’s ruling broke.

Garcia handed down the release order in response to a habeas corpus hearing on Wednesday.

The Venezuelan family’s attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, maintained the family had applied for asylum and were granted both parole and work permits under the Biden Administration in 2021, according to the daily.

Even so, lawyers representing the federal government are expected to appeal the ruling.

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) said two children were found dead in a burned vehicle early Friday morning on the West Side.

The bodies were located just before 5 a.m. behind a warehouse in the 500 block of Richland Hills Drive, which is located near Potranco Road.

Officers said they later detained a 34-year-old woman at the scene, who was determined to be the children’s mother.

The woman, identified as Marlene Vidal of Edinburg, was arrested and charged with capital murder, SAPD said. She has “family connections” in the San Antonio area, authorities stated.

SAPD Assistant Chief Jesse Salame said the children are believed to be 5 and 7 years old. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office will determined their identities.

During a news conference just after 7 a.m., Salame told reporters that first responders initially found “three young children” inside the car.

However, in the most recent news conference held just before 10 a.m., Salame confirmed there were only two children inside the burned vehicle.

Police said crews were called to the scene after a passerby saw the vehicle on fire and called 911.

Salame said police obtained surveillance video and evidence at the scene, along with “statements” made by Vidal, that indicate that “she was solely responsible for the death of these two children.”

While a motive remains unclear, Salame said “mental health issues may have played a role.”

As the investigation continues to unfold, Salame struggled to find the words to capture the impact that the discovery could have on the community.

“It’s difficult for our entire community to have to deal with this,” Salame said. “It’s tragic on so many angles; it’s hard for us to really put into words how this impacts all of our community.”

Salame said arson investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

Work training trip so company is scheduling everything. Flying out on Southwest at 5pm.

by Sanford Nowlin and Michael Karlis

San Antonio didn’t elect Gina Ortiz Jones to play nice. But it also didn’t elect her to run City Hall like, well, how it’s working right now.

A month shy of her first year in office, the mayor has burned through seven staffers — an eyebrow-raising level of turnover. Her second chief of staff, Jenise Carroll, exited last month — just a week after another key departure.

Meanwhile, City Council in late February formally censured Jones after she shouted at a colleague during a heated behind-the-scenes discussion. The 8-1 vote marked the first time in modern history that San Antonio council censured a mayor, and in remarks to the media, members of the body painted Jones as vindictive and bullying. 

Amid that fractured backdrop, Jones has emerged as a lone wolf on council. 

Earlier this month, amid a contentious debate, she cast the sole vote against issuing the first city contracts for the massive Project Marvel sports-and-entertainment district. She also drew early criticism for unilaterally trying to change the city’s Council Consideration Request (CCR) process.

One of Jones’ most notable victories so far — a proposal to move municipal elections from May to November during odd years — barely squeaked by on a 6-5 vote even though it was widely praised by voting rights groups.

“Perception is everything in politics, and the perception right now is that there is instability in [Jones’] office, that she’s not able to keep top staff people,” UT-San Antonio political scientist Jon Taylor said. “And that may end up impeding her ability to lead city council and the City of San Antonio while going into a tough budget situation and an economy that’s looking worse by the day.”

Expecting receipts 

To Taylor’s point, all the City Hall turmoil under Jones’ watch isn’t a good look. Still, it doesn’t mean Jones has cratered her chances of emerging as a successful mayor, political observers said. 

Municipal politics has a dirty little secret: most voters don’t follow it closely. Unless trash pickup stops or property taxes spike, the blow-by-blow of council drama tends to live and die among staffers, insiders and the handful of residents who treat council meetings like must-see TV.

Jones may be skating on that reality. For now.

“You don’t always have to get along with the people you work with, and you can burn through staff and still get things accomplished — although getting things accomplished becomes harder in both of those situations,” veteran San Antonio political consultant Laura Barberena said. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, voters care about whether you have the receipts. Did you get things done?”

Still, City Hall observers said time may be running out for Jones to learn from the tumultuous opening months of her tenure and stake out a different path. 

Churning through staff

High staff turnover doesn’t just make for awkward goodbye cakes, it drains institutional memory, slows policy progress and makes it more difficult to recruit top talent, political experts said. 

UTSA’s Taylor called the churn in Jones’ office “unprecedented,” adding that it would set off alarm bells if it was occurring higher up the political food chain, say, in the governor’s office.

“It makes me wonder how well the policy can be formulated, let alone implemented, when you have such a lack of continuity with the person that is supposed to help coordinate the mayor’s roles and coordinate her policy agenda,” he said.

At least two people familiar with the inner workings of Jones’ office said she will need to change her management style if she wants to stop bleeding staffers. Those people declined to be named because they don’t want to risk their future political work. 

Ortiz regularly cuts off and interrupts staffers as they try to apprise her of situations, according to the first person, who’s worked closely with her in the past.

The other person familiar with Jones’ office said she hastened a staffer’s resignation by publicly dressing the person down for taking a seat at a meeting.

“Who told you you could sit down?” Jones reportedly snapped. 

Jones’ military experience and tenure as the Biden administration’s Under Secretary of the Air Force suggest she developed a management style more about getting things done than playing well with others, the first observer said. 

“There’s just people that don’t work well with others and work better by themselves,” the person said. “She’s a great technocrat. You give her something to do, and she’ll do it. But when you tell her to work with others and manage personalities, situations and conflicts, that’s just not her skill set.”

One mayor, one vote 

Likewise, the longer Jones and the remainder of council remain locked in trench warfare, the less likely she is to rack up accomplishments the way San Antonio’s most successful mayors have — by building consensus behind the scenes.

Our city’s “strong council, weak mayor” system limits the executive’s power, meaning success depends heavily on coalition-building and back-channel diplomacy. Alienate too many colleagues and even modest initiatives end up sputtering before they reach the finish line, observers said.

“Mayors in San Antonio can be as blunt as they wish, but that doesn’t move the dial very much when you’re in a vulnerable position, when you don’t really have the chips to play that get you leverage,” said Char Miller, a historian at California’s Pomona College who’s written multiple books on San Antonio. 

“So, some of the best mayors in the city’s modern history have been people who understood that limitation of the position, but had other skills, which were in collaborative engagement.”

Those are learnable skills, the professor added. Especially now that Alamo City mayors are elected to four-year terms.

“The advantage of a four-year term is that a mayor can learn the job in year one — one-and-a-half or so — and if necessary, pivot and still have time to pursue the agenda that they came into the office with,” Miller said. “And I think part of that is about a flexible personality that goes, ‘OK, that didn’t work. Let me try something else.’”

Jones campaigned on promises that require coordination, persistence and cooperation: housing affordability, economic development and infrastructure improvements. She’ll also need to collaborate as council tackles the city’s $170 million budget deficit.

None of those get done by a mayor operating in isolation or constantly rebuilding her team, political experts said. If the administration can’t translate its agenda into tangible wins, voters will notice — even the ones who don’t read the local news every day.

And an inability to deliver on objectives doesn’t just complicate Jones’ bid for a second term. Observers warn it also could cast a long shadow over her using the office as a political steppingstone — say, for a congressional run. Opponents would be quick to frame her time as mayor as being more about acrimony than accomplishments.

“Very soon, the public is going to want results,” UTSA’s Taylor said. “They want to see tangible results, and that’s where the mayor is going to have to deliver, and that is why having continuity and stability … is extraordinarily important.”