Continuing to Improve our Infrastructure
Good news! This week, City Council approved construction contracts for two bond projects:
Seeling Channel Phase 3, a drainage project to protect hundreds of homes from flooding, and the much-anticipated renovation of the
Forest Hills Library.
But find out what our next City budget holds for District 7.
This upcoming Monday, District 7 will host a Virtual Town Hall about the proposed City budget. Join us to learn more about the proposed budget and ask questions.
Visit here to learn how to participate.
City Council Declares Racism a Public Health Crisis
On Thursday, City Council declared racism a public health crisis in our city. With this resolution, we are called to recognize that racism has shaped our community's health for far too long.
When we talk about racism as a public health crisis, we're talking about systems that make it harder for people of color to stay healthy.
Take redlining, for example. Redlining was a 1930s policy that kept people of color from getting home loans and building wealth through homeownership, limiting where people of color could live to "redlined" neighborhoods. Today, residents in formerly redlined neighborhoods have a harder time staying healthy. These neighborhoods have less access to healthy food and quality healthcare; they also tend to have lower average incomes. In some of our poorest neighborhoods, residents live an average of 20 years less than residents in affluent neighborhoods. We must correct that.
For a more recent example, look no farther than the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Centers for Disease Control shows that Black residents are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than other racial and ethnic groups. This is not an accident. It is the result of poor access to adequate healthcare, education, employment, and housing for generations.
You can catch me talking more about this resolution this Monday on TPR's The Source at noon. To submit a question for the show, leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet @TPRSource.
I hope that this resolution starts a broader conversation about how we can make San Antonio a more equitable, healthy place to live.
SAWS Appointment Goes Back to the Drawing Board
I am disappointed to share with you that City Council chose not to appoint Mr. Robert Potts to the SAWS Board. Mr. Potts is CEO of a non-profit that promotes healthy watersheds and was formerly the General Manager of the Edwards Aquifer Authority.
In my vote, I considered the candidates’ willingness to work with the community as well as their advocacy for resident affordability and conservation of our most precious resource, the Edwards Aquifer. Given that the Edwards Aquifer Protection sales tax will not go to the voters for renewal, I believe that ensuring good stewardship of the aquifer by SAWS and our City is more important now than ever.
The City Council did approve the other two stellar candidates, including Ms. Jeylenne Burley as Chair and Ms. Leticia Ozuna. You can catch the interviews
here and see candidate applications
here.
City Council will revisit the unfilled SAWS appointment in the future.
100 Years of the 19th Amendment
This week, the 19th Amendment turns 100 years old!
The 19th Amendment went into effect in 1920 and granted women the right to vote. However, it didn't grant the right to vote to all women. For example, many women of color were unable to vote until 40 years later when the Voting Rights Act passed.
When I became a naturalized citizen, one of the most important honors I received was the right to vote. And now, 100 years after the 19th amendment's passage, I am grateful to serve on the first elected majority female San Antonio City Council. While we celebrate the progress we’ve made, we know there is more work to be done to protect every citizen’s right to vote.
