Hello D6!

There is a lot to report this week, from rapid transit updates to the animal care strategic plan.

The week began, though, on a somber note. Twelve-year-old Rebecca Rodriguez, and Edgewood ISD student, died of gunshot wounds last weekend. It’s important to say her name and talk about the circumstances that led to the tragedy because it’s by discussing the incident that the community moves toward finding a way to stop the violence that takes the lives of children.

This week the Council’s Public Safety Committee held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday. It was held at the SAPD training academy and started with a moment of silence in remembrance of Rebecca.

The 12-year-old was at a gathering with her friends. The police department is investigating, her family is grieving, and the Edgewood community is grieving.  Rebecca isn’t the first child to die because of gunfire and violence in San Antonio, and that’s what makes this more tragic. 

The well-being of our children and our families is the standard by which decisions should be made. The loss of a 12-year-old to violence is unacceptable. This isn’t a matter for the police alone to carry on their shoulders. The safety of all children and all families is our responsibility as a community. It’s exactly the reason that the City Council has been discussing the Violence Prevention Strategic Plan. The plan sees public safety as public health. The loss of 12-year-old Rebecca is a signal that our community is not doing well. 

Exactly one month ago I called on our Metro Health Department to work with the Police Department to take the Violence Prevention Strategic Plan as an initial step, and work towards a comprehensive public safety and mental health plan. After last weekend’s incident the plan is urgently needed.  

Rebecca Rodriguez, and the safety of all the children in San Antonio is the standard. We are responsible, as a city, to live up to that standard, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the police department and the Metro Health Department so they don’t carry this burden alone. 

At that same meeting the three County District Juvenile Court judges, led by Judge William "Cruz" Shaw of the 436th District Court, as well as Municipal Court Presiding Judge Carla Obledo, spoke to the committee about the work they do in an effort to find ways in which the District Courts and the City of San Antonio can work together to better serve the community and keep our children safe.

The District 6 office is constantly looking for gaps in services in order to better connect residents with the help they need to live better lives. The conversation with the judges revealed several ways to work together and steps are being taken to fill those gaps. 

Also that day the members of the Public Safety Committee had the opportunity to experience some of the training that police cadets go through. This is very realistic situational training that is intended to prepare the future police officers for the stress and situations that they will face.

Later that same Tuesday the Transportation and Mobility Committee meeting received an update on VIA’s Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) project that will provide streamlined public transportation from the airport to the near southside.

The good news is that the project is on track. There have been many hours of work done by many members of the Transportation and Public Works Departments to get to the point where formal agreements between the City and VIA are ready to be formalized. 

The Committee also discussed the Culebra Road Multi-Modal Corridor Planning Study. This has also been a long process and there is still a long way to go. 

The plan is impressive. There have been more than 1 million outreach touches: that’s counting newspaper ads, postcards, and social media.  So the Culebra Road improvement will have plenty of citizen input. 

The Transportation Department presented a preliminary rendering of what the segment between Bandera Rd. And General McMullen will look like. It’s still a concept but seeing those drawings gave the project a visual goal.

On Wednesday the Council discussed Animal Care Services (ACS). This is another timely issue given the recent dog attack which claimed one life.

Over the past year the D6 office has called on City Staff to look at public safety in a more holistic approach. ACS is a first responder, no different from police or fire. Collaboration among departments, whether in the City or other governmental entities, needs to happen. 

The presentation by ACS leadership shows strong steps in that direction. There are plans to improve ACS responses with funding, collaboration and technological improvements. 

This is something that affects every part of the city, but because the ACS campus is in D6 the problem hits close to home. There is still work to be done to finalize the plan and City staff will be working with the city’s animal rescue community to strengthen their collaboration.

The most effective way to address the problem of stray dogs is by increasing spay and neuter opportunities across the city.  But it’s interesting to note that 85 percent of stray, or free roaming, dogs belong to someone - they have owners who let their pets roam the streets.

It’s also important to know that in the state of Texas spay and neuter cannot be mandated. So education is the only recourse. There will be more information concerning this in the weeks to come as the strategic plan is finalized.

During Thursday’s A Session two important community historic events were highlighted.

First, 50 years ago this week, the US Supreme Court issued a watershed decision regarding public education funding in Texas. In a 5-4 decision in San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez the court ruled that there was no violation of rights in the Texas school funding system. It was a watershed moment because that Supreme Court decision sparked a movement in San Antonio’s Mexican-American community.  

The future of Mexican-American children, a future built on fairness and opportunity was at stake.  

The Edgewood community had organized against a public school funding system that discriminated against poor students and favored wealthy schools in the state. Five years earlier 400 students organized a walk out at Edgewood High School to protest the inequalities in education in San Antonio. They left their classrooms and walked from Edgewood High School to the District Administration offices to call attention to the inequities in education. 

One of the high school students who participated in the walk out is Mr. Luis Gomez, a life-long D6 resident and a leader in the Edgewood community - he is a member of the Edgewood ISD school board, a veteran of the war in Vietnam, and a retired City employee.  

The student walk out, the SAISD v Rodriguez lawsuit 5 years later that went all the way to the US Supreme Court, and the eventual Edgewood v Kirby decision a decade later are part of a long history of struggles for equal rights in our city. They are the reason that San Antonio is known as the cradle of Mexican-American civil rights.  

 There are many stories, of many generations of the San Antonio community organizing to fight inequities. That's the reason I wanted to pause to remember the struggles of our elders and the generations of people in San Antonio who had an uncompromising vision of a better life worth fighting for.    

SAISD V Rodriguez is one of many moments in our city’s history that define us and guide us. So we remembered that moment with pride and gratitude. There are many stories and moments like this one in our city’s history and I look forward to more commemorations in the future.

Another commemoration was the recognition of Cesar Chavez Day in San Antonio.

Congratulations go out to Ernest Martinez, his team and the board at the Cesar E. Chavez Legacy and Education Foundation who organize the annual Cesar Chavez March.  

The Chavez march has become a tradition in San Antonio because of the vision and energy of people like Ernest’s father, Jaime Martinez, who began this traditional march 27 years ago. Over the years there have been thousands of people who have brought the march to life with their hard work and organizing.   

They are the embodiment of what Cesar Chavez meant when he said, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community."

The march is about progress and prosperity. It’s about remembering the struggle for justice, and it’s about coming together to celebrate the difficult work that lies ahead.   

I urge everyone to take part in the Cesar E. Chavez March for Justice this Saturday.  

I look forward to seeing you there.

An important new ordinance was approved by the City Council this week. It’s a proactive apartment inspections program that ensures that apartment complexes are meeting living standards for local renters. 

Beginning April 2, the City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department will proactively inspect apartment complexes with multiple code citations to provide safer housing conditions for local renters. The inspections will ensure the apartments are providing proper living standards. 

This is how it will work:

The City of San Antonio will maintain a registry of apartment complexes that have been cited for code violations. Apartment complexes with five or more units within San Antonio city limits could be required to be listed on the registry if they: 

• Receive three designated citations within a six-month period

• Are not maintaining property to minimum code standards

• Or have allowed property to develop health, safety, life, and welfare problems 

Properties registered will be subject to monthly inspections while in the program. Registered apartment complexes will remain on the registry for a minimum of six months. 

The program includes property owner incentives to improve overall compliance. Properties may be removed from the registry if they improve and meet certain requirements. Properties must have less than three citations in a six-month period and correct all violations to be removed from the registry and will remain in probation for a period of four years. If the property falls back into the program, they will remain in the registry for a full year. The registration fee is $100 per unit, per year.

This week the D6 team hosted the newest corporate members of the community.

The San Antonio Missions Baseball team, whose home is in Wolff Stadium in D6, has new ownership and it was important that they meet and understand the community they’ve moved to, especially the Los Jardines and Community Workers neighborhoods.

Edgewood is a proud and tight-knit community that looks after each other. We visited with Mr. Luis Gomez and Mike Cooremans, who owns 4M Auto Supply on Historic Old Hwy 90, who welcomed their new neighbors and gave them a taste of the hospitality and family atmosphere they’ll find in D6. Mr. Cooremans also gave them a list of great ideas for community events and family treats at Wolff Stadium. 

The tour also stopped at the brand new Westside Education and Training Center (WETC). Alamo Colleges Chancellor Dr. Mike Flores gave them a tour of the impressive new facilities that will soon be inaugurated - workers were unboxing computers as we visited the campus. 

We wanted the new Missions leaders to feel welcomed and to get to know the Edgewood community better.

And finally this week …

It’s beginning to feel like Fiesta!

Fiesta is still about 4 weeks away, but it’s not too soon to reveal the D6 Fiesta Medal!

And once again, by popular demand, Godzilla is the star. That’s because he has a strong fan base in D6, and we like to think of him as a mascot.

The good folks at KABB’s morning show helped reveal the medal on their program, They also helped announce the medal give-away on April 6.

This is the information to get your medal:

It’s never too soon to say VIVA FIESTA!

Council Meetings and Committees

Council B Session
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
1:00PM
City Hall Complex

Council A Session
Wednesday, April 6, 2023
9:00AM
Municipal Plaza Building

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETINGS THIS WEEK:

• Property Tax Help Information Session
• Parks and Recreation Board Meeting
• Municipal Civil Service Commission Meeting
• Ready to Work Advisory Board
• Linear Creekway Parks Advisory Board Meeting
• Head Start Policy Council Meeting
• Audit and Accountability Committee

Community Bulletin Board

Help Spread the Word: City of San Antonio Hot Jobs!

The City is looking to fill 150+ positions (full time/part time/temporary/summer) in multiple departments, and we want your help to spread the word. If you know someone who might be a great addition to Team COSA, encourage them to check out our available career opportunities at sanantonio.gov/careers.   

Innovation | Integrity | Professionalism | Teamwork

*Hot Jobs*

*Arts & Culture: Contract Officer (Grants) – Closes: 4/4

*Aviation: AICC Manager | Parking Supervisor | Administrative Assistant II – Close: 3/21

*Building & Equipment Services: Fuel Specialist – Closes: 4/8

*City Auditor: Auditor (I-IV) – Closes: 3/29

*Development Services: Combination Senior Inspector – Closes: 3/21

*Human Services: Senior Management Analyst | Management Analyst - Head Start Monitoring – Close: 3/23

*Parks & Recreation: Summer Jobs (Temporary)

*Police: School Crossing Guard – Closes: 4/17

*Solid Waste Management: Senior Management Analyst (G.I.S.) – Closes: 3/22

*Various Departments: Fiscal Analyst (Multiple Openings) – Close: 3/19

Click here to view all of the available job opportunities with the City of San Antonio.

Need tips on how to successfully complete the City’s employment application? Check out our short and helpful video.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Human Resources Customer Service at 207.8705.

AskHR@sanantonio.gov | 207.8705 | Jobs: sanantonio.gov/careers | Employee-Related Info: sanantonio.gov/employeeinformation | Text COSAGOVHR to (877) 872.4241 to sign up to receive Employee Text Messages

Monday, March 27: 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Ron Darner Park Headquarters, 5800 Historic Old Hwy 90, 78227

Monday, April 3: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Bibliotech EDU, 626 N Flores St, 78205

Monday, April 10: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Cody Library, 11441 Vance Jackson Rd, 78230

Thursday, April 13: 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Second Baptist Church Community Center, 3310 E Commerce St, 78220

Monday, April 17: 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St, 78203

Monday, April 24: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Walker Ranch Senior Center, 835 W Rhapsody, 78216

Saturday, May 6: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Lanier High School, 1514 W Cesar E Chavez Blvd, 78207

Monday, May 8: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
The Tool Yard, 10303 Tool Yard, 78284

San Antonio Metro Health and Bexar County Health Collaborative is surveying the community on their ability to receive healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The community is encouraged take the survey by clicking HERE.

Animal Care Services joins Daisy Cares to feed hungry pets in San Antonio 

Pet food donations sought as holidays near and needs increase   

The San Antonio Animal Care Services (SAACS) team is joining Daisy Cares, a local non-profit, to host a holiday pet food drive that will help both organizations support pet parents in need by filling their pet pantries.    

Bags of dog and puppy food are especially needed in addition to other new or gently used pet items. All donations will be divided between the Daisy Cares pet food pantry and the SAACS Community Animal Support and Assistance (CASA) program, which uses a case management approach to assist pet parents in need with food, humane care support, and veterinary resources.   

Residents can bring pet food donations through the end of November to Animal Care Services during regular business hours. SAACS is located at 4710 State Highway 151 and is open on weekdays from 1 - 7 p.m. and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on weekends (except on City holidays). All donations are tax-deductible.

CPS energy has launched an updated webpage with information to help keep customers safe in the event of an outage: www.cpsenergy.com/prepare and in Spanish www.cpsenergy.com/preparar.

Customers are also encouraged to update their emergency contact information with CPS in case of an emergency.

For more information visit http://cpsenergy.com