* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] INTERPRET SAN ANTONIO, SAN ANTONIO AND SAN ANTONIO [ PROCEDURAL  ] TO OUR CITY COUNCIL. A SESSION AGENDA. THE TIME IS 9:06 AM ON THE 26TH DAY OF JANUARY, 2023. WE ARE CALLING OUR MEETING TO ORDER, SO IF YOU CAN PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS. UH, MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HDA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER PALAI. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. HERE. MAYOR NIERENBERG. HERE. MAYOR. WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALRIGHT. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UH, AGAIN. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING. UH, WE WILL BEGIN TODAY WITH AN INVOCATION GUEST OF COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, PETER RE IS HERE TODAY TO DO OUR INVOCATION AND WELCOME. PETER RE IS BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTHWEST SAN ANTONIO AND IS A PROUD RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FOUR. HE IS AN ELDER AND THE OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATOR FOR NEW LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER. HE IS A SENIOR ADVISOR TO MINISTRY FOUNDER, SENIOR PASTOR, DR. LASAL ARVO. HE SERVES AS AN OFFICER ON THE NEW LIFE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND IS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NEW BEGINNINGS CHILDREN HOME AT CANNON LAND RANCH. IN 2000, IN MARCH OF 2000, AFTER 20 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE, HE RETIRED FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND TRANSITIONED INTO FULL-TIME MINISTRY AT NEW LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER. HE HAS SERVED IN MINISTRY FOR OVER 25 YEARS, MANAGED VARIOUS BUILDING PROJECTS AND COORDINATED NUMEROUS COMMUNITY INITIATIVES. HE MANAGED THE DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION OF CANON LAND RANCH, A 100 ACRE MINISTRY PROPERTY THAT HOUSES A NEW BEGINNINGS CHILDREN'S HOME AT CANON LAND, LAND AND THE C L R BED AND BREAKFAST AND EVENT CENTER. HE ALSO FACILITATED THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF 10,000 SQUARE FEET. SAN ANTONIO 9 1 1 MEMORIAL. LOCATED ON THE CAMPUS OF NEW LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER, AND SERVES AS A DIRECTOR OF ITS EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE. MR. ANOVA SERVES AS A MEMBER OF THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE FORMER SOUTH SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ADVISORY BOARD, THE BEXAR COUNTY BLUE RIBBON CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION TASK FORCE, THE VOICES FOR CHILDREN'S ABUSE AND NEGLECT, TASK FORCE SA VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN DISASTERS, AND THE SCHOOL CHOICE FOR ALL WORKING GROUP IN AUSTIN. HE SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE SA TOMORROW PORT SAN ANTONIO AREA REGIONAL CENTER PLANNING TEAM. HE REPRESENTED DISTRICT FOUR ON THE 2022 HOUSING BOND COMMITTEE AND SUBSEQUENT HOUSING BOND, R F P SELECTION COMMITTEE. AND HE CURRENTLY SERVES AS HIS DISTRICT FOUR C P S RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. HE WAS MARRIED TO HIS LATE WIFE, ALLISON ANORA FOR 18 YEARS. HE IS A PROUD FATHER OF FOUR CHILDREN. DANIELLE, DESIREE, JOSHUA, AND AARON. MR. ANORA, THE FLOOR. SEARS. THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN ROJA GARCIA FOR THE INVITATION TO BE THE GUEST INDICATOR THIS MORNING. UH, MAYORS ALWAYS PREPARING FOR TODAY'S INVOCATION. I WAS IMPRESSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR INTENTIONAL FORESIGHT IN DECLARING SAN ANTONIO A COMPASSIONATE CITY AS PART OF OUR PART OF YOUR FIRST RESOLUTION AS MAYOR IN ESTABLISHING A FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE. THIS WAS A PROFOUND RESOLUTION THAT HAS CHANGED OUR CULTURE AND OUR CITY AND IS PROVIDING FRUIT THAT WILL REMAIN. I WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE LAUNCH OF THE COMPASSION U S A AT THE US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS LAST WEEK IN DC. WELL DONE. I'LL ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE REMARKABLE ANN HEMKE, THE CITY FAITH-BASED [00:05:01] INITIATIVE LIAISON FOR HER OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP IN FACILITATING COMPASSION SAN ANTONIO, WHICH INCLUDES COMPASSION INSTITUTE AND NUMEROUS FAITH-BASED COLLABORATIONS. I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING A PART OF THIS DIVINE WORK AND ATTEND THE AT THE INTERSECTION MEETINGS WEEKLY FAITHFULLY. THANK YOU MAYOR, CITY MANAGER WALSH, AND ALL THE STAFF AND COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE COME TO BRIEF US AT THE INTERSECTION. YOUR ENGAGEMENT AND BRIEFINGS HAVE BEEN VERY EDIFYING AND INSPIRING. AND NOW FOR OUR INVOCATION, LORD GOD, OUR GOD, CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. GREAT IN COMPASSION AND FAITHFUL TO JUDGE RIGHTEOUSLY, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE ALL POWER AND AUTHORITY. LORD, YOU WERE HERE WHEN OUR SACRED CITY WAS FOUNDED ON A MISSION MISSION, SAN ANTONIO DE VOLERO. YOU HEARD THE FIRST INVOCATION. PRE PRAY DEDICATING OUR CITY TO YOUR MISSION, THE MISSION TO ADVANCE YOUR KINGDOM AND TO MAKE YOU KNOWN. LORD, WE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR SINS AND THE SINS OF OUR ANCESTORS. YOU HAVE SEEN ALL THE ATROCITIES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN OUR CITY. INNOCENT BLOODSHED, ACTS OF GREED, DECEPTION, DISCRIMINATION, THE PLUNDERING OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE SINS. YES, SINS COMMITTED EVEN IN YOUR NAME. LORD, HAVE MERCY AND FORGIVE OUR SINS AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US. YOUR WORD SAYS THAT WE SHOULD SEEK YOUR KINGDOM FIRST. YOUR MISSION AND YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, YOUR WAY OF DOING THINGS AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WE NEED WILL BE PROVIDED TO US TODAY. I PRAY THAT YOU WOULD RENEW IN EACH OF OUR HEARTS, THE COVENANT OUR FOREFATHERS MADE 300 YEARS AGO. MAY THE COMPASSION THAT HAS BEEN CULTIVATED IN OUR CITY BE PLEASING IN YOUR SIGHT AND MANIFEST INTO A SPIRITUAL REVIVAL SO THAT YOUR WILL WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. WE SEEK YOUR KINGDOM AND YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS AND INVOKE YOUR PRESENCE HERE TODAY. LORD BLESS THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WILL BE INVOLVED IN TODAY'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING WITH YOUR WISDOM AND DISCERNMENT AS THEY FACILITATE CITY BUSINESS TODAY. AND ALWAYS. I ALSO PRAY THAT YOU WOULD ENCOURAGE THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES WHEN THEY GROW WEARY. PERFECT. THOSE THINGS THAT CONCERN THEM AND KEEP THEM IN DIVINE HEALTH. LEAD THEM NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER THEM FROM EVIL. I PRAY THIS PRAYER IN THE NAME OF JESUS. AMEN. HOLY HANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ELDER AND RE. ALRIGHT, OUR FIRST ITEM FOR BUSINESS TODAY IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 11 AND 12. 2023. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THOSE SECOND. OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THOSE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, I JUST TAKE A VOICE. NO. HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE WITH THE TABLET. SO, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. AND WE DO GET A, AN AYE FROM ELIAS. [CONSENT AGENDA  ] OKAY. UH, BEFORE WE GET INTO, UH, SOME OF THE, UH, GUESTS AND POINTS OF PRIVILEGE THAT WE WOULD, UH, LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, LET ME ASK MY COLLEAGUES REGARDING THE CONSENT AGENDA, IF THERE ARE ANY ITEMS TO PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. UH, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE LISTED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. THAT'S IT. OKAY. 16 AND 17. 27 AND 28. 27 AND 28. OKAY. 32 ITEM 32. ANY OTHERS? OKAY. IF THERE ARE NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAVED FOR 4, 5, 16, 17, 27, 28, [00:10:05] AND 32. SO MOVED. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. UM, LET ME JUST MAKE SURE THERE'S A COUPLE FOLKS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS THAT ARE REMAINING ON CONSENT ON ITEMS 10, 12 15, 20 30 29, JACK FINGER. OH, AND ALSO SIX ITEM. UH, JACK, YOU'LL BE SPEAKING ON ALL THOSE ITEMS. YES. UH, MAYOR NURENBERG, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER. YES. UH, I WENT TO THE CITY CLERKS, UH, UH, KIOSK THIS MORNING AND, UH, SOMEWHAT HAD USED MY NAME TO SIGN UP ON QUITE A FEW OF 'EM THERE. AND WE, WE ALL HAD A BIG LAUGH WHEN I SAID THAT IF THERE'S MORE THAN ONE JACK FINGER AROUND THE WORLD WOULD EXPLODE. YES. UM, BUT I SIGNED UP ON JUST A, A COUPLE OTHERS, TWO OR THREE OTHERS HERE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. UM, ITEM NUMBER, A COUPLE I WISH TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION AT THIS TIME. ITEM NUMBER 20, GET MY GLASSES HERE. BASICALLY, IT'S AN ANCE ABOUT, UH, ACCEPTING FUNDS FOR, FOR THE STATE HEALTH SERVICES FOR VARIOUS THINGS, INCLUDING, UH, OH, TITLE V, DENTAL, ORAL HEALTH GRANTS AND, UH, THINGS FOR THE, AND, UH, FROM THE U OTHERS FROM THE UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER FOR, UH, THE, UH, TO BASICALLY COMBAT AIDS YEAH. AI, WHICH WILL BE GOING TO THE AIDS FOUNDATION AND TO THE B AIDS INCORPORATED, ET CETERA. YOU KNOW, I'VE NOTICED THERE'S BEEN A BIG PUSH LATELY FOR, UH, TO END AIDS NOW, BIG CAMPAIGN, BUT, YOU KNOW, AIDS HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT ALMOST RIGHT, ABOUT 40 YEARS NOW. AND I'M JUST WONDERING, I, UH, OVER 40 YEARS YOU WOULD THINK THAT, UH, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN, UH, ERADICATED, BUT, UH, IT STILL KEEPS POPPING UP AND WE WONDER WHY, UM, WE, IN FACT, NOW, NOW THERE'S THIS BIG PUSH TO ELIMINATE AIDS. THE, THE, UH, ACQUIRED IMMUNO IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME, I THINK IS WHAT IT'S CALLED. YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THROUGH, UH, SEXUAL CONTACT, MOSTLY, MOSTLY THROUGH MEMBERS OF THE HOMOSEXUAL POPULATION. YOU KNOW, MAYBE IF WE HAD HAD, UH, ASKED GO THROUGH THE RIGHT PROCEDURES IN TELLING PEOPLE HOW TO PREVENT IT, NAMELY TO USE ABSTINENCE ONLY, UH, JUST MAYBE, UH, THOSE NUMBERS WOULD GO DOWN. MAYBE EVEN BE YES, TRULY ERADICATED. BUT, UH, NO, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY SEEMS TO THINK, THINK THAT WE'VE GOT TO CAN'T STOP PEOPLE FROM HAVING THEIR SEXUAL PLEASURE OUTSIDE OF ONE MAN, ONE WOMAN, UH, MARRIAGE. AND SO WE'VE GOT TO DISTRIBUTE CONDOMS TO 'EM. YEAH. I NOTICED THE CONDOM TECH TECHNIQUE JUST ISN'T WORKING, FOLKS. UH, MAYBE JUST, MAYBE YOU'D WANT TO START, BEFORE YOU START DECEPTING FUNDS FOR THIS AND WHAT THEIR REQUIREMENTS ARE. ASK THEM, UH, ARE WE ALLOWED, ALLOWED TO, TO, UH, DO THE, UH, ABSTINENCE ONLY ROUTES? THANK YOU, MR. FINGER ON ITEM NUMBER SIX, DICK RASH. OKAY, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER 20, UM, AND 29 WE HAVE CHARLES SATTERWHITE WHITE. CHARLES, I JUST SAW YOU. ARE YOU STILL HERE? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ON ITEM NUMBER 30, OH, EXCUSE ME, 33. WE HAVE HILDA OCHOA. HILDA OCHOA. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UM, THAT'S EVERYBODY WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS THAT [00:15:01] ARE GONNA REMAIN ON CONSENT. SO I'LL TURN TO MY COLLEAGUES NOW FOR ANY ITEMS TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT ANY DISCUSSION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. WHY DON'T YOU SIGNAL ME SINCE WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF TABLET TROUBLE. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CAB H. THANK YOU MAYOR. I WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UM, ITEM 28, UH, REGARDING THE FIRE AND POLICE PENSION FUND. UH, THANKS OF COURSE TO OUR POLICE AND FIRE UNION CITY STAFF, MY FELLOW PENSION BOARD MEMBERS AND WARREN SHOT FROM THE FIRE AND POLICE PENSION FUND. TWO WEEKS AGO, I ATTENDED THE FIRE AND POLICE PENSION FUND LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE TO HEAR ABOUT THE WORK THEY PUT INTO THIS LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK ON BEHALF OF OUR CITY'S FIRST RESPONDERS. I THINK IT SEND SENDS A REALLY STRONG MESSAGE TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE THAT ALL THE APART PARTIES ARE IN AGREEMENT IS, WE KNOW THAT CAN SOMETIMES BE DIFFICULT. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THOUGH, IT SENDS A MESSAGE TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS FAMILIES THAT WE VALUE THEM, WE SUPPORT THEM, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR TIME OF NEED AND THAT, UM, AND THAT WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THEM. THIS IS, UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S INCREASING THE AMOUNT THAT A, A FIRST RESPONDER WOULD RECEIVE OR THEIR FAMILY WOULD RECEIVE IF THEY'RE, UM, IF THEY PASS WHILE THEY'RE, WHILE THEY'RE ON THE, AN ACTIVE POLICE OR FIREFIGHTER. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT THE CHANGES BE RETROACTIVE. COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA TOLD US A STORY OF A FIRST RESPONDER FAMILY WHO WERE CAUGHT IN A DEPENDENCY LOOPHOLE BECAUSE OF A DIVORCE AND SHARED CUSTODY. AND BECAUSE OF JUST A, A TECHNICAL ISSUE, THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO GET THE BENEFITS THAT THEY DESERVED. SO, THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION DOES CLOSE THAT LO CLOSE THAT LOOPHOLE AND IS RETROACTIVE FOR THE CHILDREN THAT, THAT SHE MENTIONED. THESE CHANGES ARE THE RIGHT THING TO DO, AND I, I TRULY APPRECIATE THE WORK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BERDA. COUNCIL MEMBER VILLAGRA. I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT TWO ITEMS, BUT I WASN'T SURE IF ONE GOT PULLED. DID ITEM 27 GET PULLED? YES, IT DID. OKAY. SO I'LL JUST HIGHLIGHT ITEM 23, APPROVING THE FOLLOWING BOARD, COMMISSION AND COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE UNEXPIRED TERM OF OFFICE TO EXPIRE MAY 31ST, 2023. UH, APPRO THE APPOINTMENT OF DEBORAH GUERRERO FOR DISTRICT THREE TO THE PORT AUTHORITY OF SAN ANTONIO. UM, THIS IS, I WANNA THANK MARY LOU FOR HER SERVICE. WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT PORT AUTHORITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND I'M JUST THANKFUL, UH, DEBORAH HAS DECIDED TO STEP UP AND SERVE AND REPRESENT THE DISTRICT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VILLAGRA. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, I'M SORRY, I, I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED OVER HERE AND COUNCILMAN, UH, HAVER TO HIGHLIGHT THIS, BUT I ALSO WANTED TO ADD MY THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THE POLICE AND FIRE PENSIONERS BOARD AND TO ALSO THE, UM, THE FIREFIGHTERS AND THE POLICE UNION BECAUSE, UM, WITHOUT THEM WE WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN THIS ACROSS. AND I SEE JAVI AND SEVERAL OTHERS IN, IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, AND I WANTED TO, UM, JUST EXPRESS TO MY COLLEAGUES SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR THIS. UM, AND COUNCILMAN PERRY SAT ON THE, ON THE BOARD AS WELL FOR A WHILE. UM, I EXPRESSED TO MY COLLEAGUES DURING A COMMITTEE MEETING ALSO THAT ONE OF THE HARDEST DECISIONS, ONE OF THE HARDEST VOTES THAT I EVER HAD TO TAKE, WAS WHEN WE HAD TO VOTE, UH, FOR A WIDOW WHO HAD LOST HER HUSBAND, UM, TO COVID. I, AND HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST RESPONDERS THAT FIRST CAUGHT COVID I AND HE WAS NOT, UM, GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE CONSIDERED, UH, AS A DEATH IN THE LINE, IN A LINE IN THE LINE OF DUTY. AND SO IT BROKE MY HEART. I RAN OUT OF THERE CRYING. UH, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I THINK I HAD EVER CRIED AFTER A MEETING. I COULDN'T STAY AFTERWARDS, AND IT, IT WAS REALLY HARD ON ME. SO I JUST WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES TODAY FOR SUPPORTING THIS WHOLEHEARTEDLY. THIS IS A, A GREAT, UH, MOVE FOR, UH, ON BEHALF OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS. AND I JUST CAN'T SAY ENOUGH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT WARREN AND THE TEAM DID OVER AT THE POLICE AND FIRE PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT ITEM 20, UH, 22, WHICH IS THE SUBMISSION AND HOPEFUL ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS FOR THE OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL LEGACY PROGRAM GRANT THAT WAS SUBMITTED FOR CASTANO PARK. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICES LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND WILL PROVIDE UP TO $2.5 MILLION FOR CASTANO PARK, FOR PARK IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH ALSO INCREASE WATER CONSERVATION. THIS IS A GORGEOUS PARK THAT SITS ALONG THE CREEKWAY. CASTANO PARK IS BELOVED BY COMMUNITY, SO MUCH THAT THEY ORGANIZED TO ADD THIS PARK TO THE 2022 BOND. SO THIS PARK WAS NOT ON THE LIST. UH, THEY ORGANIZED, MET WITH THE PARK'S APPOINTEES, AND SECURED A $3.8 MILLION OF IMPROVEMENTS DURING THE 2022 BOND. ONE OF THE CRUCIAL IMPROVEMENTS, UH, IS REQUESTING A NEW POOL. UM, SO WE SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE THE TIME TO RECOGNIZE THE ACTIONS WHICH IMPROVE BASIC, UH, COMMUNITY AMENITIES, RIGHT? WE KNOW IT GETS SCORCHING HOTS FOR MANY OF MY CONSTITUENTS. WE DON'T HAVE AC UNITS, WE DON'T HAVE CENTRAL AIR, SO HAVING ACCESS TO THAT CITY POOL, UM, KEEPS US COOL DURING THE SUMMER. SO, WANTED TO THANK THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR SEEKING THAT GRANT, AND IT'S [00:20:01] GOING TO DRASTICALLY, UH, IMPROVE THE LIVES OF DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS, UH, IF AND WHEN WE RECEIVE THIS GRANT. SO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. GOOD MORNING. UH, I FORGOT ABOUT THE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION TO, TO START ON TIME . SO, UM, I DO, UH, I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UH, A FEW ITEMS. UM, NUMBER ONE, I'LL START WITH THE MEDICAID, UH, WAIVER. UM, IT'S $8 MILLION THAT ARE COMING TO OUR PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM, AND IT'S CRITICAL FOR A LOT OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY. SO, UM, I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS. UH, AND WITHOUT IT, THERE WOULD BE A HUGE, UH, A HUGE GAP IN THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE. THE NEXT ITEM I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WAS, UM, THE I L A BETWEEN THE CITY AND BEXAR COUNTY FOR A STORM WATER STUDY ON CAPMAN BOULEVARD. AND THAT'S OVER IN THE, EXCUSE ME, MONTICELLO PARK NEIGHBORHOOD AREA. UH, SO THANK YOU TO THE COUNTY, UH, AND COMMISSIONER, UH, RODRIGUEZ FOR, UH, PROVIDING THE FUNDS TO DO THAT STUDY, AND THANKS TO THE ADVOCATES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND LASTLY, I WANT TO, UH, THANK COUNCIL, THE STAFF AND THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE BOND FOR THE, UM, DRAINAGE BOND COMMITTEE ON THEIR SUGGESTION TO ESTABLISH, UM, AN ONGOING STORM WATER MANAGEMENT ADVISORY, UH, COMMITTEE. AND THAT IS FINALLY HAPPENING TODAY IN ITEM 33. UH, IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER, UH, COMMITTEE BEING ESTABLISHED, UM, THE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT ADVISORY BOARD WILL NOT ONLY PROVIDE OVERSIGHT ON BOND PROJECTS IN THE DRAINAGE CATEGORY, BUT WILL ALSO DISCUSS, UM, MASTER WATERSHED PLANS, UH, ACCORDING TO WATERSHEDS. UM, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT, AND I'VE SAID THIS, UH, BEFORE, BUT I'M ASSUMING NOBODY REMEMBERS, SO I'LL REPEAT MYSELF. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN TO A CONSTITUENT WHOSE HOME IS FLOODING, WHY YOU CAN'T WORK ON THAT PROJECT RIGHT AWAY, BECAUSE THERE IS A SERIES OF UPSTREAM OR DOWNSTREAM PROJECTS THAT HAVE TO BE DONE FIRST. AND, UH, THIS, UH, THIS ALLOWS US TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION IN A PUBLIC FORUM INSTEAD OF COMPETING ONLY COMPETING POLITICALLY FOR DOLLARS BY DISTRICT. UM, THANK YOU TO THE STORMWATER TEAM FOR BRINGING THAT FORWARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OH, YES, I'M SORRY. UH, WE DID HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 22 THAT I FAILED TO CALL UP, UM, CARLOS VALDEZ. ARE YOU HERE, Y'ALL? UH, YES. I'M A LIFETIME RESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. UM, I CAME FOR ANOTHER MATTER WHICH THIS IS, UH, DIRECTLY RELATED TO THAT. AND, UM, UH, I'M WONDERING IF HOW MUCH ADVOCACY THERE IS FOR RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, UH, IN NEW INSTALLATIONS, IN NEW AREAS. THERE'S, UH, TREMENDOUS GROWTH AROUND SAN ANTONIO, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT, UH, CHILDREN'S NEEDS ARE BEING TAKEN CARE OF. UH, ALSO, OF COURSE, UH, THERE ARE ESTABLISHED COMMUNITIES THAT DON'T HAVE RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AND, UH, KIDS, YOU KNOW, 10, 12 YEARS OLD, 13, 14 YEARS OLD, AND SO ON, THEY DON'T HAVE THE MEANS, UH, TO GO TO CLUBS OR, UM, UH, ACTUAL PARKS ALREADY ESTABLISHED TO ENJOY THEMSELVES AND TO SPEND TIME AND TO, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN THESE GUYS ARE OUT THERE ON THE COURTS IN THESE COMPETITIONS, EVEN IF THEY'RE JUST PICKUP GAMES AND THINGS OF THAT SORT, THEY LEARN TO DEAL WITH EACH OTHER. THEY LEARN TO, UH, THEY, THEY DO HAVE CONFLICTS AND THEY RESOLVE THEM. AND THIS IS A, A GOOD GROUNDS TO, UH, TO GROW UP TO BECOME ADULTS EVENTUALLY, OF COURSE. SO I WOULD, UH, ASK THAT, UH, THIS INTEREST BE SUPPORTED IN THE SAME WAY ARTS ARE SUPPORTED IN THE SCHOOL OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE SAME WAY THAT LIBRARIES ARE SUPPORTED. UH, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT, UH, UH, UH, NEW, UH, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS, SUBURB, SUBURBS BEING BUILT UP. I'M NOT SURE THAT THEY'RE REQUIRED, UH, THE, UH, THIS TYPE OF, UH, INSTALLATION [00:25:02] DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY HOMES THEY'RE BUILDING, LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, OR WHAT THEY ASSUME WOULD BE THE POPULATION OF YOUTH IN A CERTAIN AREA. ARE THERE REQUIREMENTS TO SET ASIDE CERTAIN PROPERTY OR LANDS FOR THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY? AND I JUST WOULD WISH THAT, AND I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH, THERE ARE A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF PARKS AROUND SAN ANTONIO, THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. BUT, UH, THERE'S SOME PARKS THAT NEED TO BE UPGRADED, LET'S SAY, ALMOST PARK. THEY DIDN'T HAVE 10, UH, ALL AND BASKET. THEY DON'T HAVE TENNIS, THEY DON'T HAVE BASKETBALL. THEY CAN DO THAT PLENTY OF ROOM THERE. SO IF YOU OPEN UP YOUR MINDS AND PROVIDE FOR THE CHILDREN, IT WOULD BE A TREMENDOUS, UH, UH, SUPPORT AND MAKES SAN ANTONIO A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. VALDEZ. OKAY. I SEE NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. UH, ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALL ITEMS SAVED FOR FOUR OR 5, 16, 17, 20, 28, AND 32. LET'S CALL UP THE VOTE. NO, NO, NOTHING. OKAY. OKAY. UH, WE'RE HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE WITH THE VOTING TABLETS. UM, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, AND, UM, TAKE A ROLL CALL. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLL? COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKAY RODRIGUEZ. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER VEO BERDA. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER PALAI AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. AYE. MAYOR BERG. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. [POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE  ] OKAY, WE'LL GO NOW. UM, LET ME, UM, TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER GRO FOR A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. THANK YOU. I THINK WE HAVE A SLIDESHOW. UH, THIS PAST SATURDAY, THE DISTRICT THREE OFFICE LAUNCHED OUR FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR FOR OUR DISTRICT THREE LEGACY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE 2023 COHORT. THE STUDENTS COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY BECAUSE THEY ARE IN CLASS, BUT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THIS BECAUSE L L I WAS CREATED UNDER FORMER COUNCILMAN REBECCA V GRANT'S TIME ON COUNCIL. SHE UNDERSTOOD THE NEED FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO HAVE YOUNG LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY, UH, AT AN EARLY AGE. SINCE THEN, DISTRICT THREE HAS BEEN ABLE TO GUIDE, MENTOR, AND EDUCATE YOUNG ADULTS FROM ALL OVER THE CITY INTO LEADERS. WITH THE EIGHT YEARS AND NOW MY TWO YEARS, WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 110 LEGACY LEADERS WHOM WE HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH THIS YEAR, THIS YEAR'S GROUP OF CO CO COHORTS CONSIST OF 15 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO SAY THEY COME FROM HARLANDALE, MCCULLUM, CASMED, SOUTHSIDE STEMLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL, AND BROOKS ACADEMY SCIENCE OF ENGINEERING. AND THIS IS OPEN TO ANY STUDENTS THAT LIVE IN THE DISTRICT OR, UH, ATTEND A SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT. THEY ALL, THEY ARE ALL BRIGHT, AMBITIOUS, EAGER TO LEARN ABOUT ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CAREERS THAT EXIST RIGHT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND A BIG PART OF THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES THE PARENTS IN THE WHOLE PROCESS. SO THEY'RE INVITED TO COME ON THE TOURS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, THEY'RE PART OF THE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES. I WANNA THANK THE STAFF FOR ALL THE CITY STAFF FOR ALWAYS BEING AVAILABLE FOR THE L L I AND, UM, IN CITY HALL DAY. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING THEM HERE, UH, THIS UPCOMING YEAR. SO NOT ONLY ARE WE UPLIFTING OUR SOUTHSIDE YOUTH, BUT WE'RE UPLIFTING GENERATIONS OF SOUTHSIDERS TO BE MORE ENGAGED IN THEIR COMMUNITY, TO FIND THEIR VOICE AND RE-ENGAGE. AND I'M, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. AND THE TWO OFFERS IS, IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE PART OF THE 2024 COHORT, WE'LL BE OPENING THAT LATER THIS YEAR. AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A MENTOR OR VOLUNTEER TO ONE OF THESE 15 STUDENTS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING FOR IT FOR MENTORS AND VOLUNTEERS IN VARIOUS, UM, CAREERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. NOW LET ME RECOGNIZE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER [00:30:01] ROCHE GARCIA WITH POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, TODAY I, I WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE A GREAT COMMUNITY LEADER WHO FOR FIVE AND A HALF YEARS HAS LED PROJECT QUEST AND IS NOW RETIRING. AND THAT IS DAVID ZALO. AND, UM, I, I WANNA LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT DAVID HAD NO IDEA THAT HE WAS GONNA GET RECOGNIZED TODAY. HE DOESN'T LIKE THE SPOTLIGHT, AND HE, HE DID NOT EXPECT THIS. AND I COULDN'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECOG RECOGNIZE HIS LEADERSHIP AND HIS LEGACY. SO I HAD TO TRICK HIM THIS MORNING. AND CONSEQUENTLY, I WAS LATE TO COUNSEL FOR THE FIRST TIME, LIKE EVER. THANK YOU, DAVID . AND SO I, I GOT A CALL FROM THE MAYOR ASKING WHERE I WAS, AND SO YOU'VE GOTTEN ME IN TROUBLE, BUT, SO, SO, SO YOU GOT ME BACK, DAVID. SO FOR, FOR THE RECOGNITION. BUT, UM, I, I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE PROJECT QUEST HAS EARNED NATIONAL RECOGNITION AS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY BECAUSE IT HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST COMPLETION RATES IN THE COUNTRY, AND AN 86% JOB PLACEMENT RAISED, UH, RATE FOR THOSE WHO COMPLETE THE PROGRAM. THE ORGANIZATION WAS FOUNDED 30 YEARS AGO AND HAS EVOLVED INTO A TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF NUMEROUS SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS. THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES OFFERED BY QUEST ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PATHWAY TO SUCCESS THAT OUR RESIDENTS NEED. THAT NETWORK OF SUPPORT IS WHAT DAVID HAS HELPED BUILD AND EXPAND DURING HIS TENURE. AND I SEE MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT QUEST TEAM HERE AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AS WELL AS HIS WIFE, CINDY. I'M VERY HAPPY THAT YOU ALL WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT. UM, PLENTY OF QUESTERS CAN RELATE TO DAVID'S PERSONAL JOURNEY, ENROLLING AND THEN LEAVING COLLEGE AND EVENTUALLY RETURNING TO AN EARN A COLLEGE DEGREE. THE TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE CAN BE OVERWHELMING. AND EVEN STARTING A NEW TRAINING CERTIFICATE COULD BE OVERWHELMING FOR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE GUIDANCE OR SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. SAN ANTONIO IS FULL OF PEOPLE WHO ARE FIRST GENERATION, HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE GRADUATES, SO THE EXPERIENCE CAN FEEL LONELY WITH WITHOUT THAT GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT. AND I WANNA THANK DAVID FOR JOINING PROJECT QUEST IN 2017 AND GUIDING THE ORGANIZATION THROUGH THE UNPRECEDENTED AND TIMES DURING THE C OVID 19 PANDEMIC. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I RECRUITED DAVID TO THE POSITION HE HAD RETIRED FROM U S A A AND HE THOUGHT HE WAS IN RETIREMENT, AND I BEGGED HIM TO COME IN FOR AN INTERVIEW. UH, AND HE GOT THE JOB, EVENTUALLY WENT THROUGH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ET CETERA, SAID, THANK YOU FOR TAKING A CHANCE ON US, DAVID, YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA BE A QUESTER. WE'RE ALL EXPERIENCING UNCERTAINTY, AND WE CALL THOSE WHEN WE FEEL MOST ANXIOUS, THAT WE KNOW THAT WE CAN DEPEND ON. AND THAT IS DAVID ZALO, AND THAT IS PROJECT QUEST. DAVID AND HIS TEAM ARE ALWAYS THERE TO SUPPORT AND REASSURE OUR RESIDENTS. TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH TO INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE IS DIFFICULT. AND QUESTERS FIND THE SUPPORT TO REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL AND CREATE THEIR PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS AND HELP GUIDE WITH GUIDANCE ALONG THE WAY FROM THESE COACHES. DAVID, THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF OUR SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY FOR DECADES AND FOR CHOOSING TO LEAD A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE. YOU HAD A GREAT CAREER AT U SS A A AND YOU BROUGHT ALL OF THOSE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO RUN A SMALL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BELIEVING IN SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS. YOU HAVE BEEN A GREAT LEADER WITH A DELIBERATE AND COMPASSIONATE APPROACH. THE PROJECT QUEST TEAM HAS CULTIVATED WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARTICIPANTS AND YOU'VE INSPIRED THEM TO PURSUE A HIGHER LEVEL OF THEIR MISSION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING WHAT THE NEXT CHAPTER IN YOUR LIFE WILL BE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, DAVID, UM, IN JUST A SECOND, I ASK YOU TO COME UP HERE, BUT, BUT, UH, YEAH, YOU ARE. YEAH, YOU ARE DAVID. UM, I SEE ALL YOUR QUESTERS OUT HERE AS WELL, AND IT GIVES US SUCH GREAT PRIDE BECAUSE WE KNOW THE STORIES THAT ARE, AND THE LIVES THAT ARE BEING CHANGED BY QUEST. UH, IT WASN'T TOO LONG AGO THOUGH THAT, UM, THAT THE STORY UP HERE ON THIS DAIS WAS ABOUT SOME POLITICIANS EVEN TRYING TO DEFUND THE PROJECT. UH, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, THOUGH, THAT NARRATIVE HAS TOTALLY CHANGED WITHIN ALL THE CIRCLES OF OUR COMMUNITY. SO MUCH SO THAT PROJECT QUEST, I'M PROUD TO SAY UNDER THE FOLKS THAT ARE UP HERE ON THIS DIOCESE, HAS BECOME A, AN ANNUAL LINE ITEM BUDGET, UH, I, EXCUSE ME, ANNUAL LINE ITEM WITHIN OUR BUDGET BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT THAT IT'S HAVING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND, AND KNOW, UH, THIS, THAT THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM AND A LOT OF OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS THAT ARE BEING TAKEN TO SCALE ARE BEING RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY BECAUSE OF IT BEING BUILT ON, UH, THE, THE FOUNDATION AND THE LEGACY OF PROJECT QUEST. ALL THAT TOOK PLACE, UH, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP AND UNDER YOUR TEAM'S WORK, DAVID. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, YOU'RE CHANGING LIVES NOT ONLY HERE IN THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY. SO, UH, WE OWE YOU ALL, UH, A GREAT DEBT OF GRATITUDE AND THE QUESTERS WHO HAVE SET THE PACE, [00:35:01] UH, FOR THE REST OF US AS WELL. I DO WANT TO RE, UH, CERTIFICATE AND, AND DAVID, IF YOU CAN, UH, YOU MIGHT NEED TO BE PUSHED BY YOUR FOLKS TO COME UP HERE, BUT YOU CAN WORK ON THAT. WHILE I'M READING THIS, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HEREBY EXTENDS ITS OFFICIAL. CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID J ZELLO IN HONOR OF YOUR RETIREMENT FROM PROJECT QUEST, YOUR EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP AS PRESIDENT AND C E O LED THE NONPROFIT THROUGH THE C OVID 19 PANDEMIC AND LED THE INITIATIVE OF ADDRESSING ENTRENCHED POVERTY AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT IN THE CITY. DURING YOUR TENURE, YOU LED THE PROJECT QUEST TEAM TO BECOME ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY BY FOCUSING ON PROVIDING INDIVIDUAL SOLUTIONS TO OVERCOME LIFE OBSTACLES. YOUR COMMITMENT TO ENSURING QUALITY AND INNOVATIVE TRAINING EXPERIENCES FOSTERING PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND PREPARING INDIVIDUALS FOR SUCCESS AND CONTINUED SERVICE HAS NOT GONE UNNOTICED AND IS TRULY WORTHY OF COMMENDATION. THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ARE PROUD TO JOIN YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FELLOW COLLEAGUES IN SALUTING YOU FOR A JOB. WELL DONE. MAY YOUR RETIREMENT OPEN UP NEW VISTAS WITH NEW CHALLENGES, NEW INTEREST, AND ABOVE ALL, CONTINUED SUCCESS AND A LIFE WELL LIVED. CONGRATULATIONS, DAVID PRESENTED THIS NIGHT, THIS, UH, 26TH DAY OF JANUARY, 2023. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UH, TO MY FRIEND AND, UH, COUNCILMAN DISTRICT FOUR, I OWE YOU ONE BECAUSE I GOT UP THIS MORNING AND THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN, BUT I I WILL JUST BRIEFLY SAY THANK YOU FOR THE RECOGNITION. I, I'LL JUST GO ON TO THAT. THIS IS A TEAM SPORT AND IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS THE C E O OF PROJECT QUEST. I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN THE PROGRAM, AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE AN AMAZING TEAM OF FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN COMMITTED TO THE MISSION FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS. THE SUPPORT OF COUNCIL HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNERSHIP. THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM IS A BIG STEP FORWARD. TO BE JUST A SMALL PART OF THAT. AND IN HELPING PROMOTE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ON OUR COMMUNITY'S BEEN AN HONOR, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE PROGRAM, AND YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO BE THERE IN THE FUTURE. AND, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE RECOGNITION. APPRECIATE IT. THANKS SO MUCH, MAYOR. COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER , POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. OKAY, THANK YOU, MAYOR. LAST WEEK, THE SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT SPENT A NUMBER OF HOURS FIGHTING A FIRE AT A METAL RECYCLING PLANT IN THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF DISTRICT FIVE. I WANNA THANK OUR FIREFIGHTERS FOR KEEPING, UH, GREAT LINES OPEN OF COMMUNICATION AND TAKING GREAT ACTION TO ENSURE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT FIVE. SPECIFICALLY, I WANNA THANK CHIEF ESTRADA FOR PROVIDING US WITH IMMEDIATE BRIEFINGS. UH, SUBSEQUENT UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY. I KNOW MANY STATIONS RESPONDED TO THIS FIRE, BUT I'M PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL FOR LADDER EIGHT, ENGINE 12 AND ENGINE 16 FOR SPENDING APPROXIMATELY SEVEN HOURS AT THIS SITE TO ADDRESS THIS FIRE. THE FIRE STARTED BECAUSE FUEL WAS LEFT IN THE TANK PRIOR TO THE CRUSHING OF THE TANK. THIS STARTED A 25 FOOT TALL SCRAP METAL FIRE. I WANNA REITERATE THAT PUTTING OUT THIS FIRE TOOK OVER SEVEN HOURS TO DISTINGUISH. IT TOOK A LOT OF WATER, A LOT OF PERSONNEL AND STAFF TO ADDRESS THIS FIRE. THESE TYPE OF INCIDENTS ARE NOT UNCOMMON, ESPECIALLY WITH METAL RECYCLING PLANTS. LAST YEAR I ASKED MY STAFF TO WORK, UH, WITH THE CHAIR OF THE PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE TO GET A BRIEFING ON FIRE, ON RECYCLING PLANTS, UH, AND HOW THEY IMPACT SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS. WE RECEIVE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS FROM DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS ABOUT, UM, THE, THE, THE SMOKE, THE DUST, AND THE DEBRIS THAT'S LEFT ON THE STREET AND GOES INTO THE AIR. SO IN OUR NOVEMBER PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MEETING, UH, WE WERE PROVIDED AN UPDATE ON CHAPTER 16 AND CHAPTER SEVEN OF THE U D C TO REVISIT HOW THE CITY ENFORCES AUTO PARTS AND METAL RECYCLING. AS WE SAW LAST WEEK WITH LAST WEEK INCIDENTS. THESE SITUATIONS CAN ENDANGER FIREFIGHTERS, RECYCLING STAFF, EMPLOYEES, AND OF COURSE, THE SURROUNDING RESIDENTS WHO INHALE THOSE FUMES. SO I WANNA THANK MICHAEL SHANNON, UH, CHIEF ESTRADA, AS WELL AS THE CHAIR OF THE PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE FOR ENSURING THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND UPDATED BRIEFINGS ON HOW WE CAN ENSURE TO KEEP, UH, SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS SAFE FROM, UH, MANY OF THESE HARMFUL FUMES. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS WORK. UM, AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA GET NOW INTO OUR AGENDA FOR TODAY. UH, PLEASE NOTE, UH, THAT ITEM NUMBER FIVE WILL BE TAKEN AT THE END OF OUR AGENDA TO, SO WE'RE GONNA GO RIGHT INTO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 16. OH, I'M SORRY, [ACTION ITEMS FOR STAFF BRIEFING] FOUR HAS TO BE TAKEN ALSO. SO LET'S GO TO FOUR. I WAS LOOKING FOR IT AND I [00:40:01] FORGOT THAT IT WAS RIGHT AT THE TOP. SORRY, BECAUSE I DO WANT TO TAKE THAT ONE FIRST. GO AHEAD, MIKE. ALL RIGHT. ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE MEMORIAL STREET NAMED DESIGNATION OF EAST AND WEST VALS TO REFLECT EDMONTON AND YUCA MEMORIAL. WAY BETWEEN I 35 AND PROBAND STREET. ALRIGHT, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. UH, FOR THE RECORD, I'M MIKE SHANNON, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. I HAVE A QUICK PRESENTATION ABOUT THIS MEMORIAL, UH, WAY DESIGNATION, SO IF I COULD GET THE SLIDES UP. THERE WE GO. UM, SO JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW AND, UH, THIS ALL STARTED, UH, THERE WAS AN APPLICATION, ACTUALLY A C C R SUBMITTED, UH, TO, UH, INITIATE THIS MEMORIAL DESIGNATION, UH, SUBMITTED BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IN DISTRICT FIVE. UM, AND THE REQUEST WAS TO CREATE A MEMORIAL DESIGNATION, UH, FOR A STRETCH, UH, ON, UH, EAST OF IOS FOR, UH, TO MEMORIALIZE EMMA, UH, TE YUKA, UH, AND, UH, IT ACTUALLY LOCATED IN DISTRICTS ONE AND FIVE. SO, A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, OF COURSE, UH, THIS IS A REQUEST TO HONOR, UM, EMMA TEKA, A MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, UH, CERTAINLY PLAYED A HUGE ROLE, UH, IN THE PCAN WORKERS STRIKE OF 1938. UH, SO I THINK THIS IS APPROPRIATE, UM, UH, APPLICATION. SO, UH, CHAPTER SIX OF OUR CITY CODE JUST REQUIRES US TO GO THROUGH A FEW, UH, STEPS. UH, WE HAVE OPEN COMMUNITY MEETINGS, WE GO THROUGH H D R C PLANNING COMMISSION, AND NOW WE'RE HERE ALL WITH RECOMMENDATIONS OF APPROVAL. AND, UH, THERE IS A SMALL FISCAL IMPACT, UH, FOR THE APPLICATION, UH, NOTIFICATION FEE AND SOME SIGNAGE THAT WE'LL PUT UP AFTER THIS GETS APPROVED, UH, OF ABOUT $4,300. THAT COST COMES FROM, UH, THE BUDGETS OF, UH, THE APPLICANTS IN THIS CASE, THE MAYOR'S AND COUNCIL OFFICE. SO, UM, AND, UH, JUST A LITTLE BIT, UH, TO TALK ABOUT, UH, IN ADDITION TO THE PROCESS BEFORE I FINISH UP, UH, NO PROPERTIES ALONG THIS WAY WILL HAVE THEIR ADDRESSES CHANGED. THIS IS THE MEMORIAL DESIGNATION. UH, SO IT'S A QUESTION WE FREQUENTLY GET, BUT, UH, IT'S, UH, WE HAD A LOT OF LETTER SUPPORT, COLLINS GARDEN, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION SUPPORT, AND, UH, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, MIKE. UM, THIS WAS A, UH, C C R FILED, UH, BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO AND MYSELF. SO I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO TO, UH, RECOGNIZE THE, THE PROJECT AND ALSO SOME GUESTS IN THE AUDIENCE. GREAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ITEM FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. UH, TODAY'S VERY SPECIAL AS WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HONOR, UH, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS EMMA TANGA, FOR HER WORK IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT. AND TO CELEBRATE TODAY, WE PROVIDED ALL THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH THESE REALLY CUTE COOKIES THAT HAVE EMMA ON THEM. UH, SO I, I WANNA THANK EVERYONE WHO MADE THIS POSSIBLE, RIGHT? THIS IS A COLLECTIVE EFFORT WITH THE MAYOR, UH, THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE, CONGRESSMAN QUIN, UH, CASTRO, AND THE FAMILY OF EMMA YUKA, WHO HAVE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS FOR YEARS ABOUT IDENTIFYING WAYS THAT WE CAN HONOR EMMA AND HER LEGACY. SO, I WANNA THANK DR. SARAH GOULD, UH, OF THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE, THE WEST SIDE PRESERVATION ALLIANCE THAT HAS BEEN SAAP PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTER AGAIN, UH, CONGRESSMAN JOAQUIN CASTRO. UM, WHILE WE'RE HERE HONORING EMMA TODAY, I, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT RIGHT IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT TOOK A COLLECTIVE EFFORT OF THE MAYOR, THE MACRI, UH, CONGRESSMAN CASTRO IN OUR OFFICE, RIGHT? THAT IS THE LEGACY OF EMMA, A A COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO WORK TOWARDS THE GOAL FOR THE BETTER. AND ALL OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE HAVE PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN UPLIFTING THE HISTORY OF EMMA TANIKA AND ENSURING THAT MORE OF US UNDERSTAND THIS INCREDIBLE HISTORY. UH, I WANNA THANK THE MAYOR FOR CO-AUTHORING THIS REQUEST AND RECOGNIZING HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO UPLIFT THE CIV CIVIL AND LABEL LA LABOR STRUGGLES OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. SAN ANTONIO HAS COME A LONG WAY, BUT WE MUST CONTINUE TO RECOGNIZE MORE OF OUR STORY. THERE'S A LONG HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES OF BROWN AND BLACK PEOPLE BEING WRITTEN OUT OF HISTORY BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO RADICAL WHEN IN REALITY THEY WERE TOO BROWN, TOO BLACK, TOO ASIAN, TOO QUEER, TOO, TOO FEMALE, TOO LOUD, TOO YOUNG. THESE ATTITUDES ARE WHAT MAKE UP THE WEST SIDE. AND WHY I AM PROUD TO REPRESENT THE WORKING PEOPLE OF DISTRICT FIVE AND SAN ANTONIO, BECAUSE THAT'S OUR HISTORY AS A CITY AND AS A DISTRICT. BY 1937, EMMA YUGA HAD GAINED PROMINENCE IN THE SAN ANTONIO LABOR MOVEMENT FOR HER WORK WITH THE WORKERS ALLIANCE OF AMERICA. CO-FOUNDED BY, UH, MANELA SAGA, THE WORKERS' ALLIANCE REPRESENTED ALMOST 10,000 WORKERS IN SAN ANTONIO, A PORTION FROM THE UNEMPLOYED COUNCILS THAT PRESSURED THE W P A TO HIRE MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS AND ROUGHLY THE 3000 WORKERS IN THE CITY'S PECAN INDUSTRY BEFORE THE 1938 STRIKE. UM, THERE WERE SEVERAL WILDCAT STRIKES, AND THERE WERE JUST A, A, AN ERUPTION OF STRIKES, RIGHT? IT WASN'T JUST ONE HAPPENING. UM, AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE 1938 STRIKE, CONGRESS PASSED THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS [00:45:01] ACT, WITH WHICH ESTABLISHED A FEDERAL MINIMUM HOURLY WAGE OF 25 CENTS, AND ADOPTED A EIGHT HOUR WORK DAY, CREATED TIME AND A HALF, AND OVERTIME PAY AND ABOLISHED OPPRESSIVE CHILD LABOR. WHEN PEOPLE SAY UNIONS WON THE 40 HOUR WORK WEEK, IT'S IN PART DUE TO THE LABOR STRIKE THAT OCCURRED HERE, UH, IN SAN ANTONIO. AND WHILE DISCUSSING THE PEON CELLAR STRIKE IN HER ORAL HISTORY, EMMA STATED THAT WHAT STARTED OUT AS A MOVEMENT FOR ORGANIZATION FOR EQUAL WAGES TURNED INTO A MASS MOVEMENT AGAINST STARVATION AND CIVIL RIGHTS FOR A MINIMUM WAGE LAW. IN OTHER WORDS, CIVIL RIGHTS AND LABEL RIGHTS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. FOR NOW, I'M EXCITED TO CELEBRATE THE 85TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PECAN SHELLER STRIKE AT GAO PARK. AND GAO PARK HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A CELEBRATION SPACE, BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE MANY OF THE MEETINGS TOOK PLACE AND WHERE THEY TOOK THE VOTE TO, TO, TO STRIKE, UM, RIGHT THERE IN THE HEART OF DISTRICT FIVE AT GAO PARK. SO, I WANNA REMIND YOU ALL TO JOIN US THIS SATURDAY FROM THREE TO 5:00 PM THERE'LL BE MUSIC, ART, UM, STUDENTS FROM BURBANK HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE SHOWCASING SOME ART THAT THEY DID. UM, WE ARE REALLY GRATEFUL THAT WE WENT INTO THE CLASS TO TALK ABOUT EMMA, AND THEN WE VISITED A ART CLASS WHERE WE MADE SOME ART THAT'S GOING TO BE USED AT THIS EVENT. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED. UM, BUT WITH ALL THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE, UH, DENNIS GAMPA AND DR. SARAH GOULD OF THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE TO GIVE A COUPLE OF WORDS IF YOU'D LIKE. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILWOMAN. UH, I WANNA EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO, UH, ALL OF THE CITY, ESPECIALLY THE MAYOR AND COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, FOR SUPPORTING THIS IDEA THAT NOT ONLY SHOULD SAN ANTONIO BE THE HOME OF THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE, BUT ALSO THAT SAN ANTONIO SHOULD FIND WAYS TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT WE ARE THE CRADLE OF SO MUCH MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY, AND HIGHLIGHT IT IN WAYS THAT ARE VISIBLE IN OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT, SO THAT ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS, AS WELL AS ALL OF THE VISITORS TO SAN ANTONIO CAN SEE THAT HISTORY AND LEARN ABOUT THAT HISTORY. UM, IN TERMS OF WHY MEMORIAL WAY IS SO IMPORTANT, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ONE OF HER RELATIVES TO SHARE. UH, THANK YOU. UH, I'M DENNIS KAPA, AND EMMA WAS MY AUNT, UM, DE ON MY MOM'S SIDE. AND I'M THE TEKA FAMILY'S ETERNALLY GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATIVE OF THIS RECOGNITION. BUT EMMA WOULD WANT ME TO ARTICULATE THIS POINT THAT SHE WAS THE VOICE OF THIS MOVEMENT. IT WAS ABOUT THE 12,000 PEOPLE THAT SHE, THAT SHE LENT VOICE TO, AND THAT COMPELLED HER TO HAVE PASSION AND WORK ON THE ISSUES. SO I, I ASKED, AS WE GO FORWARD THIS, EVERY TIME PEOPLE SEE 'EM AT WAY THEY RECOGNIZE ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO WORKED IN EXPLOITIVE CONDITIONS AND SUFFERED TO MAKE SAN ANTONIO BETTER. AND AT THE SAME TIME, HOW DO WE USE THAT AS MOTIVATION TO COMPEL US TO BRING COMPASSION TO EVERYTHING WE DO IN PUBLIC POLICY AND HOW WE LIVE AS A COMMUNITY. SO, ON BEHALF OF, UH, EMMA IN, IN OUR FAMILY, WE THANK YOU IMMENSELY FOR THIS RECOGNITION OF HER, BUT ALSO FOR ALL THOSE PEANS. THANK YOU. AND BEFORE, UH, UH, HAND IT OVER TO THE MAYOR, I ALSO WANTED TO THANK, UH, DR. GABRIELA GONZALEZ, A PROFESSOR AT U T S A, WHO, UM, INTRODUCED ME TO THE WORK OF EMMA AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY. SO, THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT. I THINK, UM, NUMBER ONE, UM, RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANT LEGACY OF CIVIL RIGHTS IN SAN ANTONIO IS, IS OUR JOB. AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR YOU, SARAH, AND YOUR BOARD AND TEAM OVER AT MOCKERY. UH, AND ALSO GRATEFUL TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN STANDING UP THE INITIATIVE, UH, IN HOPES, UH, IT'S NOT JUST EMMA 10 YUKO WAY, IT'S ALSO A, AN EFFORT MORE COMPREHENSIVE TO FINALLY RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF MEXICAN AMERICANS THROUGH THE HISTORY OF SAN ANTONIO. WE ARE THE LARGEST LATINO MAJORITY CITY IN THE COUNTRY. AND WE HAVE NOT DONE A GOOD JOB OF RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MEXICAN AMERICANS TO OUR, OUR HISTORY. UM, I'M OFTEN REMINDED ABOUT THAT FROM MY WIFE ERICA, WHO GREW UP A MIGRANT WORKER WHO DEPENDED AND, AND STOOD ON THE SHOULDERS OF THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR HER RIGHTS, UH, THAT WE ENJOY TODAY. SO, UH, THIS EFFORT IS, IS ONE COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT THAT OUR ENTIRE TEAM WILL BE BEHIND YOU, SARAH, AND YOUR TEAM, UH, TO RECOGNIZE THOSE IMPORTANT INDIVIDUALS AND ALSO ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS EDUCATED, THAT THE WORLD IS EDUCATED ABOUT SAN ANTONIO'S PLACE IN CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY. [00:50:01] FINALLY, I'LL JUST NOTE, UM, IN MY OFFICE, UH, THANKS TO THE ARCHITECTS WHO REFURBISHED THIS, UH, THIS BUILDING IS A PICTURE OF A MEETING THAT WAS TAKING PLACE, I THINK IN, UH, IN THE EARLY THIRTIES. UH, MAYOR CHARLES QUINN WAS THE MAYOR AT THAT TIME, UH, WHO BY THE WAY, WOULD LATER SEND IN THE SEND TO THE ARMED GUARDS TO BREAK UP THE, THE, THE STRIKES. UM, BUT AROUND THE TABLE WERE A, A BUNCH OF MEN TALKING ABOUT LABOR RIGHTS. AND ONE WOMAN THAT WAS EMMA 10 YUKA, UH, THE DOGGED PERSISTENCE OF FIGHTING FOR PEOPLE, UH, FIGHTING FOR HER OWN RIGHTS, AND THOSE, UH, THOSE AROUND HER AS YOUNG AS SHE WAS, IS WHAT WE'RE CELEBRATING TODAY. AND, UH, I THINK IS PART OF, ALSO, AS PART OF SAN ANTONIO'S LEGACY, YOU CAN WALK DOWN, UH, THE HALLS OF THIS BUILDING AND SEE A PORTRAIT OF MAYOR QUINN AND SO MANY OTHERS, UM, THAT WERE PART OF SAN ANTONIO'S STORY. WE DON'T OFTEN RECOGNIZE THOUGH, UH, PEOPLE LIKE EMMA. AND, AND WE'RE FINALLY ABLE TO DO THAT TODAY AGAIN. AND THANK YOU TO COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO FOR YOUR WORK IN ORGANIZING THIS, UH, AND ALSO GETTING PEOPLE OUT TO RECOGNIZE THE, THE STRIKES. UH, WE'LL CONTINUE THESE EFFORTS, UH, IN THE DAYS AND YEARS TO COME. SO, UH, WITH THAT, LEMME TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN, AND THEN WE'LL CON CONTINUE TO MOVE. THANK YOU. UH, I JUST WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU, MAYOR AND, UH, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO FOR THESE EFFORTS TODAY. UM, WHEN THIS PICTURE, SARAH, MY GRANDMOTHER HAS THIS PICTURE 'CAUSE SHE WAS A MIGRANT WORKER, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WERE LIKE, JUST PUT ON THE WHITE SHIRT, TAKE THE PICTURE. BUT EMMA'S STORY WAS A STORY I KNEW THAT MY STUDENTS KNEW WHEN I TAUGHT, BECAUSE WE HAD MIGRANT WORKERS AND SHELL WORKERS IN OUR FAMILY. AND TODAY, YOU HONOR, WE HONOR EMMA AND WE HONOR OUR, OUR, OUR FAMILY MEMBERS THAT WENT BEFORE HER. AND I WANNA THANK YOU, SARAH, FOR COMING AND SPEAKING TO US AND CONTINUING TO EDUCATE US, BECAUSE FOR A WHILE IN THE SOUTH SIDE, WE THOUGHT THIS IS JUST A FAMILY STORY THAT WE TELL, BECAUSE THIS WAS OUR HISTORY. BUT TODAY, THANKS TO COUNCILMAN CASTILLO AND THE MAYOR, WE'RE LIKE, THIS IS A SAN ANTONIO STORY. WE TELL, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO TELL IT, AND NOW STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO WALK THE MEMORIAL WAY. AND I WANNA THANK MIKE AND HIS TEAM FOR BEING SO THOUGHTFUL IN THE CHOICE AND MAKING SURE THAT THIS GOT DONE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, MY FAMILY. THANKS YOU, MY STUDENTS. THANK YOU. UM, AND WE ARE JUST, WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS STEP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER VIA GR, COUNCIL MEMBER KDA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU TO THE RI AND TO DENNIS KAPA. UH, MR. KAPA, I THINK IT'S, UH, VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DISTINGUISH THAT THIS IS ABOUT THE WORKER THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. A A GREAT PERSON IN MY BOOK, EMMA DEKA, BUT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT STOOD BEHIND HER AND, AND ALLOWED, UM, AND REALLY GAVE HER THAT FORCE. UH, WE WERE TALKING A MO MOMENT AGO. BUT, UH, IN 1938, TO BE ABLE TO ORGANIZE 12,000 PEOPLE WITHOUT THE USE OF SOME OF THE TOOLS WE HAVE NOW IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE. UM, AND, UH, SO YOU DID WELL TO REMIND US OF THAT. AND I, I SEE THIS AS A START OF WHAT I, I HOPE TO BE A MOVEMENT TO RECOGNIZE THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SAN ANTONIO AS THE CRADLE OF MEXICAN AMERICAN AND LATINO CIVIL RIGHTS. SO IN THAT REGARD, I THANK THE MAKALEY FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'RE, THEY'VE DONE. I BELIEVE WHAT EMMA YUKA STARTED IN 1938 LED TO MY HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT WHERE I AM. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THIS DAIS, WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY WHERE, NOT FOR, FOR HER, FOR THE, THE STRIKES FOR, UM, LED BY THE WOMEN OF SAN ANTONIO, BY THE WAY, UH, LULAC MALDEF, UH, THE SOUTHWEST VOTER REGISTRATION, UH, THE COMMITTEE FOR BODY OF BETTERMENT. UH, ALL OF THOSE, ALL OF THAT HISTORY. BY THE WAY, I DID NOT LEARN IN SCHOOL AND IN A LOT OF OF CULTURES LIKE MY OWN, I HEAR, I HEARD, UM, THE ORAL HISTORIES THAT WE PASS ON ABOUT, UM, THE PECAN SHELLER STRIKES AND MY MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY THAT WERE PART OF IT AND PART OF THESE OTHER STRIKES. AND, AND I HEAR ABOUT THIS GROWING UP, BUT I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T KNOW THE, THE REAL FACTS. I DIDN'T LEARN ABOUT THIS IN SCHOOL. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE BRING IT UP TODAY. UM, I THINK AGAIN, UM, HER, YOUR FAMILY AND FOR WHAT I'M SURE HER FAMILY AT THE TIME HAD TO ENDURE WAS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AS WELL, NOT JUST HER. UM, THANK YOU, OF COURSE, TO, TO COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO AND MAYOR NUREMBERG FOR, FOR WORKING HARD TO MAKE THIS MEMORIAL DESIGNATION HAPPEN, AND TO HONOR HER, UH, ICAS TIRELESS WORK TO IMPROVE THE LIVES, TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ALL SAN ANTONIANS. IT WAS AN HONOR TO SIGN THE C C R, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE MEMORIAL DESIGNATION. UM, I THINK THAT THERE IS A DIRECT LINE I MENTIONED FROM, FROM EMMA TO THIS COUNCIL, AND WE SHOULD HONOR THAT HISTORY WITH PLACEMAKING AND SIGNAGE, WITH STORYTELLING AND EDUCATION. WE SHOULD ALSO, I WILL SAY, TELL THE STORY OF PEOPLE LIKE GUS GARCIA, WHO IN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE LEGAL WORLD IS KIND OF OUR PATRON SAINT FOR LATINOS. BUT, UM, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE TIME FOR THAT. AND I, I DO APPRECIATE THIS [00:55:01] AS A, AS FOR WHAT IT IS AND THE HONOR THAT IT IS FOR, FOR SOMEBODY WHO MADE OUR LIVES BETTER, BUT ALSO THE BEGINNING OF A LONG, UM, ROAD TOWARDS RECOGNIZING OTHER, UH, LATINO AND MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KI HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO. UM, UH, THANK YOU DR. GOLD. AND, UM, DENNIS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU RECALL, WE MET MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, ONE TIME OF A COFFEE. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS. AND, UH, I DO WANNA CELEBRATE, UH, EMMA AND THE WORKERS OF THE, OF THAT STRIKE AND THAT ERA. UH, BUT I ALSO KNOW THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE RECOGNIZING IN MEXICAN AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH THE WORK OF RI. UH, SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT IS TO COME, AND VERY EXCITED THAT I'M HERE TODAY TO, TO APPROVE THE, WHAT IS THE BEGINNING TO BE PART OF WHAT IS THE BEGINNING OF THAT WORK. I THINK WE ALSO HAVE A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO DR. PAUL RE, WHOSE VISION IT WAS TO ESTABLISH THIS CENTER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, BECAUSE LIKE THE COUNCILWOMAN SAID, THIS IS THE CRADLE OF, UH, MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS. AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY REVEL IN. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UM, LIKE MR. COMPASS SAID, THIS IS ABOUT THE WORKERS, AND I DON'T WANT US TO FORGET THEM IN, UM, WHEN WE, UH, WHEN WE PUT UP THE SIGNAGE AND, AND WE CELEBRATE THE HISTORY, BECAUSE TODAY WE STILL HAVE WORKERS WHO ARE IN CHALLENGING CONDITIONS, AND WE STILL NEED CHAMPIONS LIKE EMMA FOR THOSE WORKERS. AND I HOPE THAT, UM, THAT THIS COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER BEING ONE OF THOSE CHAMPIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU. AND, UH, CONGRATULATIONS. UH, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. UM, I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHER, BUT I ORIGINALLY WANTED TO BE A SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER, AND I WAS AT A DISADVANTAGE BECAUSE I LEARNED HAWAII HISTORY, UH, RATHER THAN TEXAS HISTORY. 'CAUSE I DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL HERE. UM, EMMETT SANKA IS, UH, ONE OF THE MOST HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT, UM, SAN ANTONIANS TWO HAVE EVER LIVED. IN KNOW, THAT'S BOLD, BUT I THINK IT'S, UH, ACCURATE. AND I'M GLAD TO SUPPORT COUNCILMAN CASTILLO IN HER EFFORTS, UH, TO UPLIFT EMMA'S STORY AND ALL THAT SHE STOOD FOR. SHE DESERVES ALL THE RECOGNITION FOR BEING A BRAVE AND PERSISTENT LABOR LEADER IN THE FACE OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL OBSTACLES THAT WE CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE. THE WORK OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT IS DIFFICULT RIGHT NOW. AND SO I CAN'T EVEN HAVE IMAGINED IN 1938, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE READ OR LEARN SECONDHAND, SO MANY OF THE LABOR, UH, THE LEADERS THAT WE CELEBRATE TODAY WERE ACTUALLY UNPOPULAR DURING THEIR TIME BECAUSE OF THEIR VISION FOR A WORLD THAT WAS MORE JUST, AND THAT CAME INTO CONFLICT WITH THE MOST POWERFUL AND MOST WEALTHY. AND I WAS REMINDED OF THAT THIS, UH, PAST MONTH, UM, AT THE M L K MARCH. AND SO I CHALLENGE EVERYONE TO THINK ABOUT THE LEADERS WHO EXIST TODAY, WHO ARE FIGHTING FOR A MORE JUST WORLD, WHO COME INTO CONFLICT WITH THE MOST POWERFUL AND MOST WEALTHY, AND THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THAT STORY GONNA LOOK LIKE 20, 30, 50 YEARS FROM NOW? IN EMMA'S CASE, SHE ACTUALLY HAD TO LEAVE SAN ANTONIO TO FIND WORK BECAUSE OF HER BELIEF IN COMMUNISM. AND THAT WORKERS SHOULD NOT BE AT THE WILL OF THE BOSS. RATHER, THEY SHOULD RECEIVE DECENT WAGES AND ENJOYING THE WEALTH OF THE LABOR THAT THEY CREATED. AND THE WEALTH OF THE PECAN SHELLING COMPANY WOULDN'T HAVE OCCURRED WITHOUT THE SWEAT AND HARD WORK OF MAINLY INDIGENOUS AND MEXICAN AMERICAN WOMEN. EMMA REMINDS US THAT WORKERS CREATE WEALTH AND SHOULD BE VALUED BOTH IN FAIR WAGES AND IN HEALTHY WORKING CONDITIONS. AND I WOULD LOVE, I WOULD LOVE, LOVE, LOVE FOR US TO BRING THIS ENERGY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WAGES FOR WORKERS AT ALL CITY, SUPPORTIVE FACILITIES, BUT ESPECIALLY IN THOSE OCCUPATIONS DONE BY WHITMAN, INCLUDING IN THE, UH, INCLUDING HOSPITALITY WORKERS, WAIT, STAFF, HOTEL, HOUSEKEEPERS, KITCHEN STAFF, CHILDCARE WORKERS, HOME HEALTH PROVIDERS, AND EVEN THE NONPROFIT INDUSTRY. AND I'M ALSO GRATEFUL TO ALL THE LABOR LEADERS THAT FOLLOWED IN MS, UH, FOOTSTEPS. AND, UH, A NAME COMES TO MIND, UH, LINDA CHAVEZ THOMPSON, AND MANY OTHERS WHO ARE HERE TODAY. UM, I'LL END WITH WHEN WORKERS WIN, THEN ALL OF SAN ANTONIO AND FAMILIES WILL SUCCEED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER R GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I THINK MY, UH, COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY SAID EVERYTHING, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, DR. GOULD FOR EVERYTHING. AND, UM, OF COURSE, I'M, I'M PROUD TO BE A, A SUPPORTER OF THE MACARI AND I ALWAYS WILL BE BEHIND YOU FOR ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED. I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE AND THANK, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO, UH, FOR HER LEADERSHIP ON THIS AND THE MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR, FOR BRINGING THIS. UM, AND ALSO, UH, THE OFFICE OR, OR THE HISTORIC DESIGN, UM, COMMISSION ALSO. THANK YOU ALL FOR APPROVING THIS BACK IN DECEMBER, IF ANYONE IS OUT THERE, UM, AND TO MY COLLEAGUES, BECAUSE [01:00:01] I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL NOTICED IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT, UM, ALL OF US WILL BE HELPING WITH, WITH THE COST FOR THIS, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN THE CAUSE. SO MUCH. SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, THAT, UH, AN OLD WHITE MIDDLE CLASS GUY FROM A CONSERVATIVE NORTH SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MANY OF US UNDERSTAND THE CONTRIBUTION THAT EMMA MADE AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO'VE WORKED HARD IN SAN ANTONIO FOR CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES AND LABOR ISSUES. I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT I'VE, I'VE KNOWN OF HER WORK. UH, I'VE ALWAYS ADMIRED WHAT SHE STOOD FOR AND I THINK MANY OTHER PEOPLE DO. BUT I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMMITMENT OF THIS COUNCIL TO GO AHEAD AND DO A BETTER JOB OF REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF EVERYONE IN THIS COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHOSE INTERESTS HAVE NOT BEEN, UH, HAVE NOT BEEN RECEIVED WELL IN MANY, MANY YEARS IN THE PAST. SO I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE HER WORK. I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE NAMING THAT, UH, STREET AND MEMORY OF THAT WORK. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE AGAIN, THE WORK OF THIS COUNCIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. I TOO WANT TO, UH, UM, THANK COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO FOR DOING THIS AND BRING THIS UP AND RECOGNIZING, UH, AN IMPORTANT MOVEMENT HERE IN THE CITY. UM, NOW COUNCILMAN COURAGE, I'M, I'M NOT AS OLD AS YOU ARE, UM, BUT, UH, UH, YEAH, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE THOSE BIG ACHIEVEMENTS HERE IN THE CITY THAT MOVES, UH, MOVES THE NEEDLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. SO, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR RECOGNIZING HER AND, AND PUTTING THIS UP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. ALRIGHT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND. WAIT, DID WE GET A MOTION? UH, LEMME TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO OFFER THE MOTION. I MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM FOUR SECOND. ALRIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION AND SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. HEARING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. AND CAN I GET A VOICE VOTE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PAL? YES. YES. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, WE'LL GO NOW TO ITEM NUMBER 16. HI, DO NUMBER 16 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE ACQUISITION THROUGH NEGOTIATION OR CONDEMNATION ON BEHALF OF C P S ENERGY OF ONE 7.249 ACRE PARCEL AND 48 PERMANENT EASEMENTS OF FEE. SIMPLE INTERESTS IN PRIVATELY OWNED REAL PROPERTY IN NORTHERN BEXAR COUNTY, SUFFICIENT FOR PROJECT PURPOSES OF CONSTRUCTING A SUBSTATION AND TRANSMISSION LINE, STARTING AT THE EXISTING RANCH TOWN TO MANGO CREEK, 1 38 KV TRANSMISSION LINE, AND EXTENDING IN AN EASTER LEAD DIRECTION, TERMINATING AT 2 5 0 4 7 TON BORE GUARD ROAD IN THE NORTHERN BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS FOR THE SCENIC LOOP SUBSTATION AND TRANSMISSION PROJECT, DECLARING IT TO BE A PUBLIC USE PROJECT AND PUBLIC NECESSITY. ALRIGHT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EZ. THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, I MOVE THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AUTHORIZE THE USE OF THE POWER OF EMINENT DOMAIN TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTIES DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT TWO TO AGENDA ITEM 16, WHICH WAS SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATE PUBLIC NOTICES AND VOTE BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF TODAY'S DATE FOR THE PUBLIC USE PROJECT OF CONSTRUCTING AND OPERATING THE C P SS ENERGY SCENIC LOOP SUBSTATION AND PROJECT FOR THE EXPANSION OF CCPS ENERGY'S ELECTRIC SYSTEM TO SATISFY THE POWER NEEDS AND TO ENHANCE RELIABILITY OF CCPS ENERGY'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, INCLUDING WITHIN NORTHWEST BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS BY ACQUIRING THE FOLLOWING PROPERTY DESCRIBED BY OUR CITY CLERK AND INCORPORATED AS PART OF MY MOTION. SECOND, SECOND, SECOND. I NEED TO FINISH. FINISH. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION I NEED TO FINISH READING THE, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR, UM, 16 MADAME CLERK. THE, THE PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNED THE PRIVATELY OWNED PROPERTY FOR ONE FEE, SIMPLE TRACT OF 7.249 ACRES AND APPROPRIATE AND APPROXIMATELY 48 TRANSMISSION AND ACCESS EASEMENT LOCATED NEAR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT EIGHT. THE FEE SIMPLE TRACT IS LOCATED AT 2 5 0 4 7 2 TU BORA GUARD ROAD JUST WEST OF SCENIC LOOP ROAD IN NORTH NORTHERN BEXAR COUNTY IN COUNTY BLOCK 4 7 0 3. THE TRANSMISSION AND ACCESS EASEMENT COMPRISE PARCELS ALONG APPROXIMATELY 4.53 [01:05:01] MILES, STARTING AT THE EXISTING RANCH TOWN TO MINGAN CREEK TRANSMISSION LINE AND TERMINATING AT 2 5 0 4 7 2 TON BORG BORG GUARD ROAD. ALL PROPERTIES ARE IN COUNTY BLOCK 4 7 0 3. THESE PROPERTIES ARE DEPICTED IN THE OVERALL PROJECT MAP AND MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED BY THE EXHIBITS ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED AS A PART OF THIS MOTION. OKAY, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 16. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. AND A VOICE VOTE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER APPLIES WISE? YES. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER 17. ITEM NUMBER 17 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE ACQUISITION THROUGH NEGOTIATING NEGOTIATION OR CONDEMNATION OF INTEREST IN LAND ON BEHALF OF THE TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE. SUFFICIENT FOR PURPOSES INVOLVING FIVE 16 EAST HOUSTON STREET FEE. SIMPLE PARCEL OF PRIVATELY OWNED REAL PROPERTY LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO OF BEXAR COUNTY IN NEW CITY. BLOCK 4 23, BLOCK 24 LOT E 36 FT OF TWO R A 14 RELATED TO THE ALAMO VISITOR CENTER AND MUSEUM, AND DECLARING THE PROJECT TO BE FOR PUBLIC USE AND A PUBLIC NECESSITY FOR THE ACQUISITION. OKAY. UH, ANDY? UH, YES, MAYOR AS IN THE PREVIOUS ITEM THAT THE COUNCIL JUST, UH, CONSIDERED, UH, THIS STARTS THE PROCESS, AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS TO DETERMINE A, UH, TRANSACTION PRICE FOR A PIECE OF PROPERTY WE'RE TRYING TO ACQUIRE FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES. THE HOPE AND THE EXPECTATION ON BOTH ITEMS IS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE A TRANSACTION BEFORE WE GO TOO FAR DOWN THE PATH OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ALRIGHT, BEFORE WE GO TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION, UH, THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 17. SO I'LL CALL FOLKS IN ORDER. UM, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK AND I'LL CALL THE NEXT PERSON IF YOU CAN BE PREPARED TO COME UP SO WE CAN KEEP MOVING EFFICIENTLY. FIRST PERSON SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER 17 IS PETE BRODERICK. MR. BRODERICK, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY ELIZABETH CONTU. THANK YOU MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS PETE BRODERICK. FOR THOSE THAT I DO NOT KNOW, I AM THE IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF CENTRO SAN ANTONIO. I'M HERE TODAY ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF CENTRO SAN ANTONIO TO URGE YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS ITEM AND THE ACQUISITION OF THE PROPERTY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ALAMO. WHILE WE DO NOT TAKE THE ACQUISITION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY LIGHTLY, WE FEEL IN THIS INSTANCE, GIVEN THE OVERWHELMING BENEFITS TO ACCRUE TO THE ENTIRE CITY FROM THIS PROJECT, THAT, UH, SUPPORT OF THIS ITEM IN THE ACQUISITION OF THE PROPERTY IS WARRANTED. WE'VE DELIVERED A LETTER TO EACH OF YOU, UH, OUTLINING THAT POSITION, A LITTLE MORE DETAIL, BUT AGAIN, WE JUST URGE YOUR SUPPORT AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MR. BRODERICK. ELIZABETH CANTU. GREAT. IS ELIZABETH HERE? YEAH, SHE SIGNED UP TOO. YOU'RE SIGNED UP AS WELL, VINCE, BUT YEAH, I SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THREE PEOPLE. SAME ORGANIZATION. I HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME MAYBE, SO THEY, THEY HAVE TO ALL BE PRESENT, SO SHE'S HERE. MS. CANTU, YOU'RE HERE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME UP MS. CANTU IF YOU, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO, JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE HERE. OKAY. AND WHO ELSE? YOUR HONOR, MY NAME IS DAN ELDRIDGE. I'M VINCE CANTU'S. ATTORNEY DAN ELDRIDGE, YOUR HONOR. YEAH. OKAY. YOU'LL HAVE NINE MINUTES, MR. CANTU OR WHOEVER WANTS TO TAKE IT. THANK YOU, MAYOR NORBERG. UH, HONORABLE COUNSEL. UM, LIKE I SAID, MY NAME IS DAN ELDRIDGE. IT'S MY, UM, PLEASURE TO REPRESENT THE CANTU FAMILY AND THE CANTU HARWOOD ENTITY THAT OWNS MOSES ROSES HIDEOUT. THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS, UM, PROPOSED ORDINANCE. UM, THE CANTU FAMILY WOULD ASK YOU TO VOTE NO, UM, ON THIS ORDINANCE, OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE TO POSTPONE THE ORDINANCE, UH, CONSIDERATION OF THE ORDINANCE TO ALLOW MEANINGFUL NEGOTIATIONS PRIOR TO SUCH A DECISION. UM, AS A, AN ATTORNEY WHO SPENT MANY YEARS, UH, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS ISSUE, ACQUIRING PROPERTY THROUGH EMINENT DOMAIN FOR C P S ENERGY, BEXAR COUNTY, UM, I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCESS THAT IS REQUIRED TO DO SO. UH, WIELDING THE POWER OF EMINENT DOMAIN IS A SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY CONSIDERING DOING SO ON THE HOLLOWED GROUND OF THE ALAMO IS AS SACRED A DECISION AS THIS BODY WILL EVER BE CALLED UPON TO MAKE. MY CLIENT AND HIS FAMILY FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS DECISION ONE WEEK AGO THROUGH THE MEDIA, AND THE ONLY REAL [01:10:01] TALKS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THAT TIME HAVE BEEN AN INSULT THROUGH THE MEDIA CALLING MY CLIENT DISHONORABLE. THAT PROCESS THAT, YOU KNOW, HAS PROCEEDED IN THE LAST WEEK IS NOT THE TYPICAL PROCESS FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU'VE GOT GREAT ATTORNEYS THAT WORK VERY HARD FOR YOU TO NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH, TO MEET PEOPLE ON THEIR PROPERTY, TO SHOW COMPASSION FOR, AGAIN, EXERCISING WHAT IS A VERY SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY. NONE OF THAT HAS HAD A CHANCE TO HAPPEN, AND I BELIEVE YOUR ATTORNEYS WOULD DO SO IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, SENDING A MESSAGE BY APPROVING THIS ORDINANCE SAYS TO THE CANTU FAMILY AND EVERY MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY, THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO NEEDS TO RUSH INTO THINGS THAT ARE SACRED AND SOLEMN, ESPECIALLY ON THE HOLLOW GROUND OF THE ALAMO. WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU LOOK AT THE ORDINANCE. THE ORDINANCE IS WORDED THE SAME WAY AS ANY OTHER EMINENT DOMAIN ORDINANCE. SECTION FOUR SAYS THAT YOU'RE GONNA NEGOTIATE, AND IF YOU CAN'T GET A DEAL DONE, YOU'RE GONNA CONDEMN ALL THAT MEANS. AND YOU KNOW THIS AS WELL AS I DO, IS THAT THE CITY IS GONNA CHECK SOME BOXES AND SEND THE CANTU FAMILY TWO LETTERS WITH TWO OFFERS. IF THEY DON'T ACCEPT EITHER OF THEM TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT SECOND OFFER, THE CITY CAN FILE A LAWSUIT TO CONDEMN. AND THEN WE END UP IN COURT FIGHTING OVER THINGS AGAIN WITH NO REAL NEGOTIATION. NO SIT DOWN, NO PERSON TO PERSON TALKS, CAN'T TWO FAMILIES ASKING THAT YOU VOTE NO. OR ALTERNATIVELY, TABLE THIS DECISION. ALLOW SOME TALKS TO ALLOW TWO WEEKS FOR TALKS TO TAKE PLACE WITHOUT THIS THREAT OF A MINUTE DOMAIN BEING IN THEIR FACE. I'M GONNA SEE THE REST OF THE TIME TO MR. KINTU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DAN. THANK YOU, CITY COUNCIL. AND, UH, IT'S A PLEASURE HERE TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO DEFEND MYSELF. I, AS DAN SAID, I WOKE UP AND READ THE PAPER LAST WEEK SAYING, UH, THAT SAID THAT, UM, I WAS GOING TO BE IMMINENT DOMAIN. UM, I WAS BLINDSIDED BY THIS BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN NO NEGOTIATION BETWEEN ME AND THE STATE OVER ACQUIRING MY PROPERTY. I KNEW THAT THEY WANTED MY PROPERTY FOR THE MUSEUM. I KNEW THAT THE PROPERTY WAS, UH, GONNA BE CLOSE BY TO WHAT THEY, HOW THEY WANTED TO DEVELOP THE MUSEUM. SO SIX YEARS AGO, I GOT MY FIRST OFFER FROM THE STATE, AND, UM, I REFUSED IT. IT WAS AN APPRAISAL. IT WAS A, YOU KNOW, APPRAISED VALUE OFFER. I MEAN, I COULD, I COULD TAKE THE OFFER, PAY OFF MY NOTE AND HAVE NO MONEY. I HAD TWO KIDS IN COLLEGE. I HAD ONE KID IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND, UH, I, I WOULD HAVE TO GO GET A JOB SOMEWHERE. SO I WASN'T IN A POSITION TO TAKE THEIR OFFER AT APPRAISED VALUE, AND I'M STILL NOT. I'VE HAD, I'VE HAD FOUR TOTAL OFFERS, BASICALLY AT AN APPRAISED VALUE THAT IF I WOULD TAKE THE APPRAISED VALUE AMOUNT AND PAY OFF MY LOAN NOTE, I'D BASICALLY BE PUTTING MYSELF OUT OF A JOB AND HAVE NO WAY TO CONTINUE TO HAVE MY KID IN COLLEGE. AND, AND, UH, I'M 60 YEARS OLD, IT'S GONNA BE HARD FOR ME TO FIND A JOB AFTER DOING WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING FOR 12 YEARS AND HAPPILY. SO, UM, THIS VOTE TODAY IS HISTORIC. REALLY. I MEAN, IT'S BEEN 200 YEARS SINCE THE GOVERNMENT HAS TRIED TO COME AFTER PROPERTY, PRIVATE PROPERTY ON THE ALAMO, YOU KNOW, 200 YEARS AGO, IT DIDN'T GO ALL THAT WELL. I, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THIS, THIS IS REALLY A POOR DECISION AS WELL. I THINK THAT, UH, UM, THERE'S ROOM TO NEGOTIATE HERE. THIS, THE STATE SAYS THAT THEY WANNA START CONSTRUCTION IN JUNE. THAT'S 180 DAYS AWAY. ANDY HIMSELF HAS SAID THAT THIS PROCESS TAKES ABOUT 90 DAYS. THIS IN IMID DOMAIN PROCESS TAKES ABOUT 90 DAYS. THAT LEAVES TWO OR THREE MONTHS OF TIME TO NEGOTIATE, TO TALK. AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN WILLING, AND I'VE ALWAYS TOLD THE MUSEUM, I AM WILLING TO TALK. I'M WILLING TO SELL MY PROPERTY. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SIX YEARS FOR THEM TO CALL ME UP AND SAY, VINCE, LET'S SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT YOUR PRICE. YOUR PRICE IS TOO HIGH. UH, WELL, YOUR PRICE IS TOO LOW. WELL, LET'S SIT DOWN AND HAVE AN HONEST NEGOTIATION. SIX YEARS I'VE BEEN WAITING. I'VE NEVER HAD A PHONE CALL FROM THEM. I'VE NEVER HAD AN EMAIL FROM THEM. I'VE NEVER HAD AN ATTEMPT FROM THEM TO TRY TO HAVE AN HONEST NEGOTIATION WITH ME. I WAKE UP, READ THE PAPER, I'M GETTING EMMETT DOMAIN IS WHAT IT SAYS. THAT'S, THAT'S THE WAY I FOUND OUT ABOUT ALL THIS WITHOUT ANY KIND OF SINCERE NEGOTIATION AT ALL. UM, I FOUND THIS PROPERTY 12 YEARS AGO. I'VE WORKED MY TORTILLA OFF TRYING TO GET IT WORK, TRYING TO GET IT UP AND RUNNING. AND I, YOU KNOW, I FINALLY, YOU KNOW, IT TOOK ME THREE, FOUR YEARS TO MAKE ANY MONEY THERE. AND I FINALLY GOT IT TO WHERE I WAS MAKING MONEY, PUT A COUPLE KIDS THROUGH COLLEGE, PUT A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY AWAY, AND NOW THE CI, THE STATE IS ASKING THE CITY TO STEAL IT FROM ME. AND I, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S WRONG WITHOUT ANY KIND OF NEGOTIATION, WITHOUT ANY KIND OF SIT DOWN TALK. WE EMAILED THEM ON MONDAY, EMAILED MAN ANDY AND THE STATE TO SEE IF THEY WOULD TABLE THIS ITEM. LET'S SIT DOWN AND TALK FOR TWO WEEKS. I MEAN, YOU SAY THAT I'M, I'VE REFUSED TO COME TO A TABLE. YOU SAY THAT OUR, OUR TALKS HAVE BEEN IN AN IMPASSE. THERE'VE BEEN NO TALKS, BUT LET'S TABLE IT AND LET'S HAVE SOME TALKS. I'LL SIT DOWN WITH Y'ALL. I'VE BEEN WAITING SIX YEARS TO SIT DOWN WITH Y'ALL. I MAKE A VOW TO YOU EVERY ONE OF YOU THAT I, IF THEY WOULD, IF Y'ALL WOULD TABLE THIS OR VOTE NO TO THIS, I'M READY TO SIT DOWN AND TALK. I'M READY TO NEGOTIATE MY PRICE AND THEIR PRICE AND SEE IF WE CAN'T COME UP WITH, WITH AN UNDERSTANDING. BUT THEY, BUT THEY'VE NOT BEEN WILLING TO HAVE A, UH, A SIT DOWN NEGOTIATION WITH ME. YOU KNOW, IT'S, TODAY WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF TALK ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS, MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS IN SAN ANTONIO. [01:15:01] I, I'M A TU MY, MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A FE. UM, YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN SAN ANTONIO DOWNTOWN. MY, UH, MY GRANDPARENTS HAD AUDREY'S MEXICAN FOOD RESTAURANT FOR 60 YEARS ON CAMDEN. UH, MY UNCLE TONY RAN THAT FOR A WHILE. MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER HAD THE TAVERN, UH, THE VICTORY TAVERN HERE ON FLORIST STREET A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. MY, I'VE HAD AUNTS AND UNCLES IN AND OUT OF THE, THE, UH, RESTAURANT BUSINESS, TAVERN BUSINESS. I'M PROUD TO BE A SAN ANTONIO GUY THAT HAS RUN BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN IN, IN THE, IN THE, IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MY PARENTS. UM, I WANNA CONTRAST THE WAY THAT THE STATE HAS NEGOTIATED WITH ME, NEGOTIATED WITH ME COMPARED TO HOW THEY NEGOTIATED WITH ONE OF THE ANGLO BUSINESSMEN ON THE PLAZA, THE PHILLIPS FAMILY. IT'S A GREAT FAMILY. WE'RE THERE FOR 30 YEARS RUNNING AND STILL THERE RUNNING ATTRACTIONS ON THE PLAZA. AND, UM, I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE PHILIPS FAMILY, BUT THIS IS THE WAY THE STATE NEGOTIATES WITH THEM. THEY SIT AT THE TABLE. THEY, THEY WERE INVITED TO A TABLE. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE TABLE IS. THEY, THEY'VE TOLD ME I HADN'T COME TO THE TABLE. THEY NEVER TOLD, NEVER EVEN TOLD ME WHERE THE TABLE WAS. THEY, THEY BROUGHT THE PHILLIPS FAMILY TO THE TABLE. THEY NEGOTIATED WITH THE, WITH THE PHILLIPS FAMILY TO LEAVE THEIR LEASES A LITTLE BIT EARLY, THREE OR FOUR YEARS EARLY. THEY GAVE THEM OVER $3 MILLION JUST TO GO AWAY. AND YET THEY OFFER ME EVEN LESS FOR ACTUAL REAL ESTATE THAT THEY WANT TO BUILD THEIR MUSEUM ON. I THINK, I THINK, UH, I MEAN, I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY ONE GUY GETS INVITED TO A TABLE AND GETS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND ANOTHER GUY DOESN'T EVEN GET INVITED TO THE TABLE. AND INSTEAD THEY COME TO YOU AND ASK YOU TO STEAL MY PROPERTY FROM ME. IS IT BECAUSE MY LAST NAME IS KTU AND HIS LAST NAME IS PHILLIPS? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, RACISM CAN BE FOUND IF YOU LOOK FOR IT, AND I CAN'T FIND ANY OTHER REASON WHY THEY WOULDN'T AT LEAST TRY WITH ME, EVEN AS THEY TRIED WITH THEM. SO I, I FEEL A LITTLE BIT PICKED ON AS A SMALL MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS. I FEEL A LITTLE BIT PICKED ON AS A MEXICAN AMERICAN IN SAN ANTONIO. I FEEL LIKE THE STATE OF TEXAS IS ASKING YOU TO DO THEIR DIRTY WORK. AND I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S AN INJUSTICE. I WOKE UP THIS MORNING FROM AN E WITH, UH, WITH AN EMAIL FROM JOHN QUINONES, NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT. UM, YOU KNOW, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT MAKING, MAKING THIS A SEGMENT FOR, FOR GOOD MORNING AMERICA. AND I'VE HAD OTHER NATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NICE TO HAVE NATIONAL NEWS COVER ANYTHING FROM SAN ANTONIO, AS LONG AS IT'S GOOD, AS LONG AS YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, BRING IT ON. BUT THE, THIS IS NOT BEING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF SOMETHING. THIS IS TAKING SOMEBODY'S PROPERTY WITHOUT EVEN A PROPER NEGOTIATION. THIS IS TAKING SOMEBODY'S PROPERTY FROM A MEXICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN AFTER YOU'VE GIVEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE ANGLO BUSINESSMAN AND, AND TRYING TO STEAL IT FROM ME. THIS IS, UH, INJUSTICE OF BIG GOVERNMENT ABUSING THEIR POWER AND JUST RUNNING OVER THE LITTLE GUY. SO, THERE, THERE, AND OF COURSE, IT'S ALSO A STORY ABOUT TAKING PROPERTY ON THE ALAMO GROUNDS AND, AND ALL THAT WORKS INTO IT. MY NAME, YOU KNOW, BEING MOSES ROSE AND BEING AN ALAMO FIGURE, I MEAN, THEY'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF IRONIES TO, YOU KNOW, TO WORK OUT IN THIS STORY. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WONDERFUL. BUT OUR, OUR OUR, UH, OUR HOPES AREN'T ALIGNED ON THAT. I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A NATIONAL STORY ABOUT ME. I'M LOOKING FOR JUST JUSTICE. I'M LOOKING FOR A MEETING WITH THE STATE, WITH ANDY, WITH, UH, KATE. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, CALL ME TO THE TABLE. I AM WILLING TO NEGOTIATE TODAY IF THEY CALL TO THE TABLE. MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. THANK COME TO. ALRIGHT, WE'LL GO TO FORESTS BIAS. FORESTS BIAS. ALRIGHT, MARILYN BERNARD, MR. BIAS. ALRIGHT, JUDGE BERNARD, YOU'LL BE NEXT. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS FORREST BIAS, AND I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF USING IMMINENT DOMAIN AS A WAY OF CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ALAMO MASTER PLAN, AS WE HAVE DONE SINCE THE RESET. AS A CITIZEN LOOKING AT IT FROM THE OUTSIDE, IT APPEARS THE ALAMO TRUST HAS ACTED IN GOOD FAITH, OFFERING THE APPRAISED VALUE, GETTING FUTURE VALUES, AND OFFERING OVER CURRENTLY 50% ABOVE THE CURRENT APPRAISAL. AS A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF ALAMO DEFENDER ANDREW KENT, I HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN SEEING THIS PLAN THROUGH IN HIS MEMORY. AS A MEMBER OF THE ALAMO CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, I'VE SEEN THE STEADY MOVEMENT FORWARD OF THE PLAN UNDER KATE ROGERS LEADERSHIP. GETTING THE MOSES ROSE DEAL DONE WOULD BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PLAN AND WOULD BENEFIT THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO, AS WELL AS THE STATE OF TEXAS. WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND I HOPE WE CONTINUE. [01:20:02] YOUR VOTE TODAY CAN HELP MOVE THIS FORWARD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU, MR. BAAS. MARILYN BARNARD, FOLLOWED BY PHILLIP BACKY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL MAYOR. UH, MY NAME IS MARIA AND BERNARD AND I AM COMING TO YOU SPEAKING AS THE RECENT CHAIR OF THE, OF THE ALAMO MUSEUM PLANNING, UH, COMMITTEE. AND THAT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THAT GROUP CAME TOGETHER, A DIVERSE BROAD SPAN OF PEOPLE REPRESENTING ALL OF, NOT ONLY SAN ANTONIO, BUT BEAR COUNTY AND SURROUNDING AREAS ALL SOUTH TEXAS, THE IMPACT OF WHAT THE ALAMO IS, AND MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE HAD A VOICE AND A SEAT AT THE TABLE IN THE PLANNING OF ALL THIS. AND SO, THREE THINGS QUICKLY I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT BESIDES SAYING HOW WONDERFUL THAT GROUP WAS AND HOW WE ALL CAME TOGETHER. AND SOME OF YOU WERE MEMBERS OF THAT COMMITTEE AS WELL, BUT I, LOOK, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUE, THE OUTPUT. WE'RE TALKING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS COMING INTO SAN ANTONIO IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT NUMEROUS JOBS, UH, AS WELL. AND SO THE ECONOMIC IMPACT IS HUGE AND CRITICAL TO SAN ANTONIO. SECOND, AND I'M PUTTING ON MY LEGAL HAT HERE, UM, RESOLUTION NEGOTIATIONS IN, UH, ANY KIND OF LEGAL ISSUE IS ALWAYS NORMAL. IT IS THE, UH, PLANNED WAY OF DOING THINGS. AND THERE HAS BEEN YEARS HERE IN THE MAKING OF THERE BEING COMMUNICATIONS BACK AND FORTH, AND OFFERS MADE AND REJECTED. AND SO THE NEXT STEP LOGICALLY IN THE LEGAL PROCESS IS IMMINENT DOMAIN. AND THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS QUICK, UH, IMMEDIATE AND HAPPENING. ALL OF A SUDDEN IT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN THE PROCESS. AND THEN NUMBER THREE, THE CULTURAL IMPACT. THIS IS HUGE, AS YOU KNOW, THE ALAMO IS A GOLD MINE. IT IS OUR HERITAGE. IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEART AND THROUGHOUT, NOT JUST TEXAS, THE NATION, BUT THE ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. THEY'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT REMEMBER THE ALAMO. AND THIS IS A CRITICAL STEP FORWARD EVEN IN THE UKRAINE. NOW THAT HAS BEEN USED INTERNATIONALLY IN THE NEWS, REMEMBER THE ALAMO, THIS IS LIKE THE ALAMO. SO I ASK YOU AND I SUB TO, UH, AGREE TO ALLOW THIS TO GO FORWARD. OF COURSE, WE WANT A RESOLUTION FIRST, BUT, UH, I'M ASKING YOU FOR THIS VOTE, A YES ON THIS VOTE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO BE HERE TODAY. THANK YOU, JUDGE BERNARD, PHIL BACKY, FOLLOWED BY PATRICIA MOTA. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. UM, MY NAME'S PHIL BACKIE. I RESIDE IN D ONE I OFFICE IN D FIVE, AND I WAS THE FORMER REPRESENTATIVE OF D 10 FOR THE ALAMO CITIZENS ADVISORY, UH, COMMITTEE. I'M, UH, CURRENTLY SERVING ON THE, UH, ALAMO, UH, REMEMBER THE ALAMO FOUNDATION BOARD. UH, I SUPPORT, UH, THE MOTION TO, UH, USE IMMINENT DOMAIN IF NECESSARY. IT'S NOT SOMETHING I TAKE LIGHTLY AS A BUSINESS PERSON AND A PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THE PUBLIC, UH, GOOD, UH, OUTWEIGHS, UH, THE BAD IN THIS, UH, SITUATION. AND, UH, AGAIN, LIKE, UH, JUDGE BERNARD SAID, THERE'S BEEN YEARS OF BACK AND FORTH, AND AT SOME POINT WE'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO MOVE, UH, THIS, THIS PLAN FORWARD AND, UH, ALLOW THE FULL STORY OF THE ALAMO TO BE TOLD, UH, WHICH WILL GREATLY BENEFIT NOT ONLY SAN ANTONIO, THE ALAMO, UH, THE STATE OF TEXAS AND AND BEYOND. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND, UH, SUPPORT OF THIS ENDEAVOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. BAKKE. PATRICIA MOTA, FOLLOWED BY HOPE ANDRADE. GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL. MY NAME IS PATRICIA ANN MOTA. I AM ONE OF THE NINTH GENERATION FAMILIES OF LA SOYA DESCENDANTS TO BE BORN AND RAISED IN TEXAS. LOYA STREET IS NAMED SO BECAUSE OF THE LOYA BROTHERS THAT ONCE OWNED THE PROPERTY FROM THE ALAMO COMPOUND TO AUDITORIUM CIRCLE. [01:25:02] I'M A DESCENDANT OF MIGUEL LOYA. OUR ANCESTOR ION LOYA WAS IN THE ALAMO WHEN HER SON TORI, WAS KILLED DURING THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO. OUR FAMILY HAS DONE RESEARCH FOR OVER 35 YEARS. WE HAVE COLLECTED DOCUMENTS AND MAPS REGARDING NOT ONLY THE LA SOYA FAMILIES, BUT OTHER RELATED FAMILIES. THE COLLECTIONS HAVE REVEALED AT MISSION DE ERO IN 17 AND 1800 TIME PERIODS ARE STILL ACTIVELY PATRIOTIC CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO. THEY CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROSPERITY AND SOLID FOUNDATION THAT THIS CITY WAS BUILT ON. THEY LIVE WHERE THEIR ANCESTORS SACRIFICED AS THEY LOVED AS THEIR LOVED ONES, LOVED ONES, THEY LOST LOVED ONES TO HARDSHIPS AND WAR FOR THE SAKE OF FREEDOM AND FOR LOVE OF A NEW LAND OF THEIR OWN. EXCUSE ME, JUST A MINUTE. LITTLE, LITTLE DIFFICULT HERE. UM, OUR COLLECTIVE STORIES ARE PRESENTED TO VISITORS FROM THE UNITED STATES AND VARIOUS COUNTRIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THEY ARE DRAWN TO A PLACE WHERE GALLANT MEN AND COURAGEOUS WOMEN ROSE TO CHALLENGE NOT ONCE, BUT SEVERAL TIMES TO WIN A PLACE IN HISTORY. I AGREE THAT ITEM 17 REGARDING THE ORDINANCE APPROVING ACQUISITION SHOULD BE PASSED AND THE PROPERTY AT FIVE 16 EAST HOUSTON BE PURCHASED AND DEVELOPED AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL MISSION, THE VALERO VILLAGE. THE REVERENCE WITH WHICH WE DEPICT OUR ANCESTRAL BEGINNINGS IS A WORTHY TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO LIVED AND DIED HERE, OVERCAME WAR, ADVERSITY AND STRIFE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MS. MOTA. HOPE ANDRE, FOLLOWED BY MARCO BARROS. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS HOPE ANDRE AND I SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE ALAMO TRUST BOARD AND CHAIR OF THE ALAMO MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. MAYOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THE FINAL HURDLE PREVENTING US FROM MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ALAMO PLAN. AS YOU KNOW, VARIOUS BUSINESSES AND SPACES LEASED BY VENDORS IN THE CROCKETT, WOOLWORTH, AND PALACE BUILDINGS HAVE ALL RELOCATED IN PREPARATION FOR THE ALAMO MUSEUM AND VISITOR CENTER. EXCEPT FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT FIVE 16 EAST HOUSTON. THE ALAMO PLAN HAS LONG CALLED FOR THE ACQUISITION OF FIVE 16 EAST HOUSTON. BUT DESPITE MULTIPLE OFFERS EXCEEDING THE VALUATION OF THIS PROPERTY, WE HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL. THE ALMO MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE HAS UNANIMOUSLY AGREED THAT WE HAVE MADE EVERY GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO ACQUIRE MOSES ROSE'S HIDEOUT, AND BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY OPTION LEFT IS TO URGE CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT THE USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN. DELAYING THIS ACQUISITION COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE INCREDIBLE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE MADE AS A UNITED COMMUNITY. THE ALMO MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE IS COMPRISED OF TWO MEMBERS FROM THE CITY, ANDY SEGOVIA AND FORMER CITY COUNCILWOMAN REBECCA VRAN, TWO MEMBERS FROM THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE AND TWO MEMBERS OF THE ALAMO TRUST. THE ALAMO TRUST AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE RESPECT THE PROCESS AND WILL CONTINUE TO COOPERATE TO RESOLVE THE MATTER AND FIND A SOLUTION. KEEPING IN MIND THE TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. AS A PROPRIETOR MYSELF, I KNOW THE BUSINESS OWNER'S RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED AND HONORED THROUGH THIS PROCESS. AND WITH THE COUNCIL SUPPORT, WE REMAIN HOPEFUL THAT IT WILL OPEN THE DOOR TO BRING BOTH PARTIES TOGETHER TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF OUR COMMUNITY AND THE ALAMO CITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU, MS. ADE. MARCO BARROS, FOLLOWED BY KATE ROGERS. GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS MARCO BARROS AND I'M BLESSED TO LIVE IN THIS GREAT CITY FOR THE PAST 35 YEARS. UH, I FEEL VERY BLESSED BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK, UH, [01:30:01] FOR 35 YEARS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, DEVELOPING A LOT OF BUSINESSES AND, AND, UH, MAKING SURE THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL. UM, I'M HERE IN FAVOR OF, UM, ITEM NUMBER 17. I THINK IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD. I SEND YOU A VERY, VERY LONG LATER IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. I DON'T WANNA REPEAT IT, REPEAT ALL THAT, BUT I WANT TO KEEP IT REAL SIMPLE. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE ALAMO AND IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ALAMO FOR OVER 10 YEARS. I'M ALSO VERY GRATEFUL TO SEE THE STAFF, ESPECIALLY LORI HOUSTON AND THE DEPARTMENT, HISTORIC PRESERVATION FOR HAVING SO MANY PUBLIC MEETINGS IN THE PAST 10 YEARS. UM, I WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE ALAMO ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UM, ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO. SO I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN A LOT OF THE INFORMATION, UH, INFLOW, UM, FOR PAST 10 YEARS. SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, UM, A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS AND IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD. SO I'M HERE TO SUPPORT ITEM NUMBER 17. IN ADDITION, I WANTED TO THE PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT WERE HELD BY CITY STAFF FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. THE EXPRESS NEWS HAS DONE, I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH. THEY'VE DONE IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, OVER 20 DIFFERENT STORIES ABOUT THE IMPROVEMENTS OF THE ALAMO AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR, UH, APPROVING AND, UM, MAKING A MOTION TO, UH, GET ITEM NUMBER 17 APPROVED TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU MR. BARROS. KATE ROGERS, FOLLOWED BY DAVE PETERSON. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, IT'S MY HONOR TO BE HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ALAMO TRUST. I TOO WANNA SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE OVER THE YEARS WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT. THE CITY IS OUR PARTNER IN THE ALAMO PLAN AND HAS BEEN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. I ESPECIALLY WANNA SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER LAURIE HOUSTON, WHO HAS BEEN AT THIS FAR LONGER THAN I HAVE. UM, AND I DON'T HAVE TO REMIND YOU ALL HOW LONG WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS IN SAN ANTONIO. I THINK IT MIGHT BE AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN ALIVE. UM, IT IS TIME TO GIVE THE ALAMO IT'S DUE. WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO LEAVE THE ALAMO ANY LONGER AND SAY, IS THAT IT? OR, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MUCH LARGER. WE OWE IT THE WORLD CLASS VISITOR EXPERIENCE THAT THE SITE DESERVES. UM, I WILL STATE ONE THING, WHICH IS MR. CANTU'S PROPERTY DOES NOT ACTUALLY SIT ON THE HISTORIC GROUNDS OF THE ALAMO COMPLEX ITSELF. UM, AND I WILL SAY THIS, UH, IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THE TRUST HAS USED THE SAME PROCESS WITH EVERY BUSINESS OWNER AND STAKEHOLDER IN THE AREA, WHICH WAS FIRST AND FOREMOST TO REACH OUT, TO LISTEN, TO UNDERSTAND THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON THE PROJECT, THEIR HISTORY WITH THE PROJECT, THINGS THAT HAD TRANSPIRED BEFORE I ARRIVED AT THE TRUST. UH, WITH EACH OF THEM. WE, WE USED A THIRD PARTY EVALUATOR TO COME IN TO ASSESS THE VALUE OF NOT JUST THE PROPERTY ITSELF, BUT ALSO THE BUSINESS IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE A FAIR OFFER. AND I WANNA SAY HERE THIS MORNING, A HUGE THANK YOU, UM, TO ALL OF THOSE BUSINESSES. MR. PHILLIPS, WHO WAS ACKNOWLEDGED ALREADY TO COSMO, TO JIMMY JOHN'S, WHO, WHO SAT WITH US WILLINGLY, UH, OPENLY, WE HAD AN OPEN DIALOGUE AND WE WERE ABLE TO REACH AGREEMENT. I THINK THAT YOU HEARD MR. CANTU HIMSELF SAY THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SIX YEARS. CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN HE AND THE STATE OF TEXAS, SINCE I HAVE BEEN THERE, THERE'S BEEN THREE SEPARATE OFFERS MADE IN AN ATTEMPT TO TRY TO HAVE A PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE. UM, LIKE HE STATED, OUR DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN. WE VIEW IMMINENT DOMAIN, LIKE HE SAID, AS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER. UM, BUT WE FEEL IT IS NECESSARY AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, AS YOU'VE HEARD TODAY, IN ORDER TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD IN A VERY POSITIVE COLLABORATIVE DIRECTION. I THINK YOU'VE HEARD THIS MORNING, WE HAVE BROAD SUPPORT FROM MANY STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THIS COMMUNITY. AT LONG LAST, WE HAVE A PLAN THAT IS THE RIGHT PLAN AT THE RIGHT TIME TO ACTUALLY GET THIS PROJECT DONE. WE VIEW IMMINENT DOMAIN AS A LEGAL PROCEEDING. IT IS DESIGNED WHEN TWO PARTIES CANNOT REACH AGREEMENT ON THE VALUE OF A PROPERTY. UH, IT IT MEANS THAT WE, WE ACTUALLY WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT, TO TALK, TO REACH COMMON GROUND, AND HOPEFULLY THEN WE CAN ALL MOVE FORWARD IN A VERY PRODUCTIVE FASHION. SO I THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR COURAGE IN TAKING UP THIS MATTER. UH, IT IS VERY SERIOUS, UH, AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR ATTENTION. THANK YOU, MS. ROGERS. DAVE PETERSON, FOLLOWED BY JONATHAN SEY. GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND HONORABLE COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M DAVE PETERSON. I'M THE INTERIM PRESIDENT AND C E O OF THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I'M HERE TODAY REPRESENTING OUR BOARD AND OUR OVER 1600 BUSINESS MEMBERS FROM THE CHAMBER. FOR MANY YEARS, THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS BEEN A VOCAL PROPONENT OF THE ALAMO MASTER PLAN AND REDEVELOPMENT, ADVOCATING FOR FUNDING FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT AND THE REDEVELOPMENT ITSELF. [01:35:01] IN THE PAST. IN 2015, WE ISSUED A RESOLUTION THAT STATED THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS ADVOCATED TO ADEQUATELY PLAN, FUND, IMPROVE, AND SUSTAIN THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE ALAMO PLAZA, AND THAT WE RESPECT THE PROPERTY RIGHTS OF THOSE WHO MAY BE IMPACTED BY A REDEVELOPMENT OF THE ALAMO AND SURROUNDING PROPERTIES. THE RESOLUTION CONCLUDED THAT THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER BELIEVES THE ALAMO AND SURROUNDING PROPERTY WARRANT A REDEVELOPMENT EFFORT THAT IS UNEQUAL AND WILL AND WILL RIVAL THE BEST HISTORICAL REDEVELOPMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND GENERATE ACCLIMATION FROM WORLDWIDE VISITORS. WITH A COMMITMENT FROM THE STATE TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR A WORLD-CLASS MUSEUM AND VISITOR CENTER. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE SAVE THE ALAMO PLAN. IN THIS CASE, IT APPEARS EMINENT DOMAIN AUTHORITY HAS BECOME NECESSARY. WHILE WE ENCOURAGE BOTH PARTIES TO COME TO A FAIR CONCLUSION THAT WILL ALLOW THE ALAMO PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD, WE SUPPORT CITY COUNCIL TAKING THE NECESSARY ACTION TO ENSURE THAT HAPPENS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. PETERSON. JONATHAN GUSSEY, THURSTON HOWELL, I THIRD DIANE BAIRD. GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. MY NAME IS DIANE BAIRD, BARGER OF SHIRTZ, TEXAS. AS YOU HEARD EARLIER, MY ANCESTRAL COUSIN, PATRICIA MOTA. I TOO AM A LA SOYA DESCENDANT AS WE SHARE THE SAME FOURTH THROUGH NINTH GREAT-GRANDPARENTS. I'M HERE TO, IN SUPPORT OF THE ALAMO TRUST, TO ENCOURAGE THE ACQUISITION OF MOSES ROSES SO THAT THE ALAMO VISITOR CENTER AND MUSEUM CAN BE BUILT. AS YOU MAY KNOW, IF WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY, THERE WILL BE A SCALED DOWN VERSION OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS EXHIBIT AND NO FOUR D THEATER AND THE SITE WILL NOT BE SELF-SUSTAINING. I'M PROUD TO COME BEFORE YOU REQUESTING YOUR SUPPORT OF THE ACQUISITION SO WE CAN BUILD A DESTINATION THAT RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO AND ALL OF TEXAS SO JUSTLY DESERVE. NOT A SCALED DOWN VERSION BECAUSE OF ONE MISSING PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT LEFT A VOID OF HISTORY AND DETRACTED FROM ITS PURPOSE. IF SCALED DOWN, THE VISITOR'S CENTER AND MUSEUM WILL NOT ONLY IMPACT THE ALAMO PLANS, BUT THE CITY AS WELL. WITHOUT THE ACQUISITION, THE SCALED DOWN VERSION COULD RESULT IN MILLIONS OF LOST TOURIST DOLLARS. IT IS IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR WHAT IT CAN BRING FINANCIALLY TO OUR CITY, BUT WHAT IT CAN TEACH FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE ALAMO TRUST IS ENSURING THAT THE TRUE DIVERSE STORIES AND TRUE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED, WORKED AND DIED HERE ARE BEING TOLD. THIS IS NOT ONLY IMPORTANT TO US, BUT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS AS WELL. AND TO ALL WHO VALUE OUR HERITAGE AND HISTORY BEYOND DOLLARS. IT'S LONG OVERDUE TO PAY HOMAGE TO ALL OF THE PEOPLES OF THE ALAMO MISSION AND TO TEACH THE HISTORY OF THEIR ANCESTORS TO THEIR DESCENDANTS AND TO THE WORLD. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BUT HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE CAN TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO COME HERE TO LEARN IT IN THAT NEEDED SPACE. THE VISITOR CENTER AND MUSEUM, AS CURRENTLY DESIGNED, NEEDS THAT SPACE. WE NEED THE WHOLE SPACE TO TELL THE WHOLE STORY. AS A LASO, AS A LA SOYA DESCENDANT, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE STORIES OF ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE MISSION BE TOLD AND SHARED TO SHOW THAT THE DIVERSITY THAT BUILT THIS CITY STILL SURVIVES. MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL AND STAFF, I PRAY OUR REQUEST FOR YOUR SUPPORT TO PURSUE THIS ACQUISITION IS TAKEN INTO FULL CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. BARRY. PAUL COVEY. MR. COVEY, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY KEVIN COVEY. I, UH, I SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS. I REALLY WASN'T GONNA SPEAK, BUT I DIDN'T WANNA SHED A DIFFERENT LIGHT ON IT. NUMBER ONE, I SUPPORT THIS. NUMBER TWO, I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN ON THE RECEIVING END OF CONDEMNATIONS NUMEROUS TIMES, AND IT'S A PROCESS WHICH I HAVEN'T ALWAYS AGREED THAT I GOT WHAT I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE GOTTEN. BUT THERE'S AMPLE FAIRNESS IN THE PROCESS. IT'S NOT A THEFT, IT'S NOT STEALING. UH, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE YOUR CASE FIRST IN NEGOTIATIONS, COMMISSIONER'S COURT, YOU CAN GO ON TO APPEAL THAT. UH, AND YOU ALSO HAVE VERY FAVORABLE TAX BENEFITS. YOU CAN TAKE THAT AWARD. YOU HAVE TWO YEARS TO REINVEST IT, DEFERRING YOUR CAPITAL GAINS, IF ANY. UH, AND IT, IT JUST, I WANT Y'ALL TO UNDERSTAND THAT AS A PROPERTY OWNER, YOU CERTAINLY WANT TO GET AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN FOR YOUR PROPERTY, BUT YOU ARE FULLY PROTECTED UNDER THE FEDERAL [01:40:01] CONSTITUTION, THE STATE CONSTITUTION. IT REQUIRES THAT YOU BE PAY PAID, FAIR VALUE. ANOTHER POINT THAT I THINK WAS BRIEFLY MENTIONED AND IS IMPORTANT, YOU DON'T JUST GET THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY, YOU ALSO GET ANY ENTERPRISE VALUE. SO YOU, IF YOU'VE GOT A BUSINESS THAT'S EARNING YOU MONEY, YOU GET COMPENSATED FOR THE LOSS OF THAT BUSINESS AS WELL AS THE REAL ESTATE. SO I DO FEEL THAT THE GENTLEMAN WILL BE FAIRLY TREATED IN THIS PROCESS. THANK YOU, MR. COVEY. KEVIN COVEY, FOLLOWED BY CHERYL WYATT. MORNING. THANK YOU. I'M HERE. A LOT OF THE BENEFITS OF THIS PROJECT HAVE BEEN ALREADY HASHED. I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER ALL OF THAT AGAIN. I'M REALLY HERE IN DEFENSE OF THE USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN IN THIS CASE, AS HAS BEEN STATED, IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE PLAN. IT IS NEEDED. IT CREATES THE WORLD CLASS HERITAGE SITE THAT SAN ANTONIO NEEDS AND WANTS. AND THIS IS THE EXACT PURPOSE FOR WHICH EMINENT DOMAIN EXISTS. AND IT WAS FIRST TESTED, ONE OF THE FIRST TEST CASES IN THE SUPREME COURT ON EMINENT DOMAIN WAS ACTUALLY THE BATTLEFIELD OF GETTYSBURG. THEY HAD AN UNREASONABLE PROPERTY OWNER IN AN, IN AN ANALOGOUS SITUATION, PREVENTING THE MEMO, THE CREATION OF THE MEMORIAL. AND THIS IS THE EXACT SAME THING ALL OVER AGAIN. IT WAS HELD, IT WAS UPHELD BY THE CONSTITUTION AS NEEDED AND, AND FAIR. MY ASK HERE TODAY IS THAT YOU RESPECT OUR HISTORY, THAT YOU RESPECT THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MAN HOURS HAVE GONE INTO THE ALAMO PLAN, THAT YOU UNANIMOUSLY SIGNAL TO US AND THE WORLD THAT YOU'RE FIRMLY BEHIND THE ALAMO TRUST AND THEIR WILL TO MANIFEST OUR HISTORY AND OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE WITH THIS PLAN. THANK YOU. PLEASE VOTE YES. THANK YOU, MR. COVEY. CHERYL WYATT, FOLLOWED BY ERICA DUNCAN. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND, AND CITY COUNCILMAN. MY NAME IS CHERYL WYATT AND I'M AN RETIRED EDUCATOR. I'M FROM DISTRICT TWO. HI JAYLA. AND I AM ERICA DUNCAN, HER NIECE . I'D LIKE TO SHARE YOU, UH, TELL YOU ABOUT MY STORY. WHEN, UH, I WAS 13 YEARS OLD, I WAS, UH, ASKED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SIT-IN AT WOOLWORTH. I SKIPPED SCHOOL THAT DAY BECAUSE, UH, AND I KNOW IT WAS ON A WEDNESDAY BECAUSE IT WAS ENCHILADA DAY IN CHOCOLATE CAPE. UH, SO I SKIPPED SCHOOL THAT DAY WITH A LOT OF MY FRIENDS. AND REVEREND CLAUDE BLACK HAD CAME TO OUR CHURCH AND HE HAD ASKED ALL THE BLACK PASTORS WOULD THEY COME AND PARTICIPATE. NOT ONLY THE BLACK PASTOR, HE ASKED HISPANIC PASTORS AND SOME OF THE WHITE PASTORS TO COME. SO MY PARENTS HAD WENT TO WORK AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO TO SCHOOL, BUT I DIDN'T CAUGHT THE BUS AND WENT DOWNTOWN WITH MY FRIENDS. AND WHEN WE GOT THERE, REVEREND BLACK HAD SAID, THIS IS GONNA BE A PEACEFUL, UH, SIT IN. SO JUST GO TO THE COUNTER AND SIT DOWN IF THEY HIT YOU OR ANYTHING. DON'T, DON'T RETALIATE. DON'T DO ANYTHING. JUST GET UP AND MOVE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID. WE SAT DOWN. SOME PEOPLE GAVE RACIAL SLURS, I MEAN, TOLD US, SAID RACIAL SLURS TO US. AND THEN, UH, SOME SPIT ON US. BUT THEN WE GOT UP AND SOMEBODY ELSE CAME AND TOOK OUR PLACE. SO I THINK THAT, UM, SAN ANTONIO HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR THE ALAMO. WHENEVER I GO ANYWHERE, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? I'M FROM SAN ANTONIO. UH, OH. THAT'S WHERE THE ALAMO. BUT IT'S REALLY SAD THAT WE HAVE, UH, THE WORLD'S BIGGEST MARTIN LUTHER KING MARCH IN THE UNITED STATES. AND THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE SIT-IN AT WOOLSWORTH. SO MY THING IS, FOR MYSELF, I THINK IT WOULD BE A DISSERVICE AND A DIS JUSTICE NOT TO SHOW WHAT WE WENT THROUGH AND WHAT I WENT THROUGH AND WHAT MY FAMILY WENT THROUGH AS A BLACK AMERICAN IN SAN ANTONIO FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE RIGHT TO, TO SIT DOWN AND EAT AT A PLACE. SAME THING THAT HAPPENED WITH, UH, UH, SKE. WE COULD GET IN LINE TO BUY STUFF, BUT IF A WHITE PERSON WAS IN FRONT OF YOU OR BEHIND YOU, THEY WOULD GO ALL THE WAY AROUND AND TELL THEM TO COME, OR THEY WOULD GO HERE, YOU HAVE TO STAND IN LINE. AND UNTIL THEY DECIDED TO, TO HELP YOU. AND THEN WHEN YOU GAVE 'EM YOUR MONEY, THEY WOULD TELL YOU, PUT IT ON THE COUNTER, BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA TOUCH MY HAND OR THEY DON'T WANNA TOUCH MY PARENTS' HAND. SO I FEEL THAT YOU SHOULD MOVE FORWARD ON DOING THE CIVIL RIGHTS, UH, MUSEUM [01:45:01] AT, UH, THE ALAMO THAT THE, THE PLAN THAT YOU'RE GONNA DO. BECAUSE TO ME, IF YOU DON'T, IF YOU CAN DO ALL THE MEXICAN AMERICANS, UH, MUSEUMS AND JUST LIKE YOU SAID EARLIER ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS FOR THEM, THE, THE MIGRANT WORKERS AND STUFF, I THINK WE STILL HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE TO THE SHOW TO SHOW OUR, WHAT WE WENT THROUGH AND WHAT WE ARE STILL GOING THROUGH TO THIS DAY. SO, SO I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE ALAMO ACQUIRING THE PROPERTY AT FIVE 16 EAST COMMERCE STREET. COUNCIL MEMBER, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE AND SUPPORT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS EXHIBIT AT THE ALAMO BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS TOLD MY KIDS, MY CLASS, MY CHILDREN, ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS. THEY DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WHEN THEY THINK OF CITY, THEY THINK OF ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI, GEORGIA, NEVER TEXAS. SO I'VE ENCOURAGED THEM IN AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS, UH, WOOLSWORTH AND SO THEY KNOW, BUT SO MANY OF THE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. WYATT. THANK YOU, MS. DUNCAN. OKAY. THAT IS EVERYONE WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER 17. UH, LEMME TURN TO COUNCIL MEMBER PIAS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I HAVE TO, UH, READ A, UH, A SCRIPT. UM, AND THEN, UH, DEBBIE HAS TO READ, UH, THE REST OF IT. UM, AND THEN I DO HAVE SOME COMMENTS. SO MY HOPE IS THAT MY SCRIPT, UM, IS READ QUICKLY SO I CAN HAVE THE TIME I MOVE THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AUTHORIZED THE USE OF THE POWER OF IMMINENT DOMAIN TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THE EXHIBITS, UH, PERTAINING TO THIS AGENDA ITEM, WHICH HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATE PUBLIC NOTICE AND VOTE BY THE CITY COUNCIL ON TODAY'S DATE FOR THE PUBLIC USE PROJECT OF CONSTRUCTING AND OPERATING THE ALAMO VISITOR CENTER AND MUSEUM PROJECT BY ACQUIRING THE FOLLOWING PROPERTY THAT OUR CLERK WILL DESCRIBE AND WILL BE INCORPORATED AS PART OF THIS MOTION. THE PRIVATELY OWNED PROPERTY, THE PRIVATELY OWNED PROPERTY FOR ONE FEE, SIMPLE TRACK LOCATED AT CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE. THE FEE SIMPLE TRACK IS LOCATED AT FIVE 16 EAST HOUSTON STREET AT THE CORNER OF ALAMO STREET AND HOUSTON STREET IN DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO, BEXAR COUNTY LOT A DASH 14 NEW CITY BLOCK 4 23, RELATED TO THE ALAMO VISITOR CENTER AND MUSEUM, AND DECLARING THE PROJECT TO BE FOR PUBLIC USE AND A PUBLIC NECESSITY FOR THE ACQUISITION. THIS PROPERTY IS DEPICTED IN THE OVERALL PROJECT MAP AND MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED BY THE EXHIBITS ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED AS A PART OF THIS MOTION. SECOND, OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 17. UH, WE'LL CONTINUE WITH COUNCIL DISCUSSION NOW. COUNCIL MEMBER PIA. THANK YOU. AND ANDY, UM, JUST SOME QUESTIONS. 'CAUSE I'VE HEARD A LOT. I'VE READ A LOT. UM, FIRST OF ALL, I'LL POINT OUT THAT, UH, THIS IS ITEM 17 ON THE AGENDA. AND, UH, I THINK IT'S IRONIC, COINCIDENCE THAT $17 MILLION, UM, 17, UM, IS THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT THE BORROW OVER SENT THE BAR OWNER SENT OVER AS, UM, HIS SELLING PRICE. IS THAT CORRECT? UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, UH, UH, OF COURSE THE CITY HAS NOT BEEN PART OF THOSE NEGOTIATIONS AND WILL BE GOING FORWARD. UH, BUT IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ALAMO TRUST THAT YES, INDEED THAT WAS THE, THE CURRENT OFFER FROM THE OWNER. OKAY. AND ANDY, WHEN WE, WHEN WE HEARD THE OWNER, UH, EARLIER, WHAT, WHAT I HEARD FROM THE OWNER, AND, AND FORGIVE ME, I'M, I'M SITTING HERE REMOTELY, AND SO MAY HAVE, MAYBE I'VE HEARD WRONG, BUT WHAT I HEARD FROM THE OWNER OF THIS BAR WAS THAT BY PUTTING THIS UP FOR CONSIDERATION, YOU AND, UH, COUNCILMAN VIA AGRO, FORMER COUNCILWOMAN VIA AGRO, AND, UM, THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ALAMO TEAM ARE PERPETRATING SOME KIND OF BIGOTRY ON HIM. I HEARD HIM SAY, WELL, THAT THE ONLY CONCLUSION THAT HE CAN DRAW IS THAT THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT HAVE THEIR KNIVES SHARPENED FOR PEOPLE WHOSE LAST NAMES ARE CANTU OR PEOPLE OF COLOR. DID YOU HEAR THAT? UH, THAT SEEMED TO BE THE SUGGESTION, COUNCILMAN. BUT AGAIN, I WILL REITERATE THAT THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE ARE, WHICH WE ARE STARTING TODAY, IF THE COUNCIL APPROVES, IS ONE THAT IS DESIGNED SO THAT THERE IS THIRD PARTIES THAT DETERMINE WHAT IS A FAIR MARKET PRICE. BUT AS I HAD SAID BEFORE, OUR EXPECTATION IS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE A TRANSACTION BEFORE WE ARE WELL DOWN THAT PATH. OKAY? AND, UM, MY, MY UNDERSTANDING, ANDY, ASIDE FROM ACCUSING THE PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK ON PROTECTING THE WOOLWORTH LUNCH COUNTER STORY, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, A BOARD FULL OF LATINOS, UM, AND A BOARD WHO'S BEEN TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE STORIES OF THE ALAMO, PARTICULARLY THE CIVIL RIGHTS STORIES OF THE ALAMO ARE TOLD, UM, HE'S [01:50:01] CLAIMING THAT THOSE PEOPLE AREN'T JUST BIGOTS, BUT THAT $3.4 MILLION, WHICH IS A MILLION DOLLARS MORE THAN THE APPRAISED VALUE, UM, IS THE EQUIVALENT OF STEALING FROM HIM. UM, A MILLION DOLLARS OR MORE IN EXCESS OF THE APPRAISED VALUE IS STEALING FROM HIM. MY HOPE, ANDY, IS THAT ONE DAY SOMEONE STEALS FROM ME, UH, BY PAYING ME A MILLION DOLLARS MORE THAN MY PROPERTY IS WORTH. UM, AND SO THE REASON, THE REASON THAT I MOVED, UM, AND THAT I SUPPORT TODAY'S ITEM IS, UH, BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING, ANDY, IS THAT CONTRARY TO HIS ASSERTIONS, NOTHING HAS STOPPED MR. CANTU NOTHING. THERE'S NEVER BEEN AN IMPEDIMENT TO HIM SENDING OVER A REASONABLE COUNTEROFFER, RIGHT? THAT THAT'S CORRECT, COUNCILMAN. AND, AND AGAIN, UH, NOTHING THAT EVEN IF COUNCIL APPROVES THIS TODAY, UH, IT DOES NOT PROHIBIT. IN FACT, AGAIN, THE EXPECTATION IS WE'LL HAVE, UH, SUBSTANTIVE NEGOTIATIONS RIGHT AFTER. YEAH. SO ANDY, YOU, YOU AND I, AND, UH, COUNCILMAN HDA, WE, UH, WE, WE'VE ALL SAT THROUGH WAY TOO MANY MEDIATIONS THAN WE'VE EVER WANTED TO. UM, WHEN, YOU KNOW, PARTIES ARE TRYING TO NEGOTIATE SOME SORT OF SETTLEMENT. UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S SOMETIMES NECESSARY TO GET PEOPLE REASONABLE IS FOR ONE OF THE PARTIES TO FILE A MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT OR A MOTION TO DISMISS AND PUT THAT, UM, ON THE TABLE, UM, TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO SOBER UP AND GET A LITTLE BIT MORE REASONABLE. UM, THAT'S ALL WE'RE DOING HERE. AND I KNOW THAT MR. CANTU AND HIS LAWYER WANT AN ADDITIONAL TWO WEEKS TO BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE, GO NEGOTIATE, TWO WEEKS STARTS TODAY, GO DO IT. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS, UH, THIS MOTION TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS MOTIVATED, UM, AND THAT THEY BRING GOOD FAITH TO THE TABLE, AND THAT, UM, WE STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH, UH, WITH THE TAXPAYERS DOLLARS. AND SO WITH THAT, THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS, MAYOR. THANKS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER AYA. COUNCIL MEMBER CVE. HDA. I THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, I ACTUALLY THINK THAT COVERED MY QUESTION, BUT I JUST WANT TO, UM, CLARIFY, INITIATING THE EMINENT DOMAIN PROCESS TODAY DOES NOT STOP, UM, NEGOTIATIONS, CORRECT? ABSOLUTELY NOT. COUNCILMAN, AND AGAIN, THE EXPECTATION IS THAT WE WILL, UH, HOPEFULLY ENTER INTO NEGOTIATION SOON AFTER TODAY. SO, MA OF COURSE, MR. CANTU WITH HIS ATTORNEY CAN NEGOTIATE, UM, IN THE NEXT CORRECT. WE WILL, WE WILL REACH OUT TO MR. CANTU'S ATTORNEY. WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL HOPEFULLY START SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSIONS REALLY SOON. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KABE HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I THINK COUNCILMAN PALAIS ALSO ASKED HIM MAJORITY OF MY QUESTIONS, SO, BUT I JUST WANNA CLARIFY. SO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, WHAT WOULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IF WE GO FORTH TODAY OR IF WE ASK FOR A TWO WEEK EXTENSION? THE ISSUE COUNCILWOMAN IS, UH, AGAIN, IT, IT, THE, THE ALAMO TRUST AND THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE, UH, HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, IF NOT YEARS, TO DO THAT. WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE IT'LL, IF WE DO NOT HAVE A DEAL RELATIVELY SOON, IT MAY IMPACT CONSTRUCTION. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE VISITOR CENTERS MUSEUM IS SLATED FOR SUMMER OF THIS YEAR. UH, AND AGAIN, WE CAN GO ON PARALLEL PASS IN TERMS OF STARTING THIS PROCESS AND AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO NEGOTIATE A TRANSACTION. OKAY. SO WE, WE'D STILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THE SAME THING EVEN IF WE DID IT TODAY, OR, OR DID THE EXTENSION SOUNDS LIKE, WELL, AGAIN, THE EXPECTATION IS BY THE ACTION TODAY. IT, IT, IT WILL ACCELERATE, UH, NEGOTIATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS. GOT IT. THANK YOU. AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO, TO THANK, UH, LORI HOUSTON AND, AND WELL ANDY AS WELL, UM, AND DR. KATE ROGERS. CONGRATULATIONS DR. ROGERS ON YOUR PHD. UM, AND ALSO, UH, HOPE ANDRE AND ALL OF THE ALAMO TRUST. I'M VERY, UM, UH, PLEASED WITH THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE. UM, YOU ALL HAVE KEPT US INFORMED, I THINK, UH, ALL, ALL ALONG THE WAY. SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME TO SPEAK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM 16? COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. THANK YOU. UM, I JUST WANNA THANK EVERYBODY FOR YOUR HARD WORK AT THE ALAMO TRUST. I HAVE TO A, GIVE A KUDOS FOR PATRICIA AND DIANE FOR COMING OUT AND SPEAKING. LA SOYA DESCENDANTS. UH, I AM A DESCENDANT OF LA SOYA. MY, MY FAMILY, THOUGH IS, WAS OUT IN THE COUNTRY IN ACTUAL LA SOYA, TEXAS. BUT, UM, IT'S WHY I, I SECONDED THIS, THIS MOTION TODAY, BECAUSE I KNOW THE ALAMO STORY, GROWN UP WITH IT. UH, WHEN I WAS VISIT, VISIT SAN ANTONIO, SAT THERE AT THE MEETING WITH THE FIRST PROJECT AND THE GLASS WALL. AND I HAVE SEEN THIS GO ON AND ON ABOUT HOW WE TELL THE STORY. AND I WANNA THANK, UM, UH, CHERYL AND E ERICA FOR COMING OUT REMINDING US THAT THIS IS A CIVIL RIGHTS STORY. [01:55:01] UM, THE LOYA DESCENDANTS REMINDING US THAT IT'S AT THE HANO STORY, AND THE LETTERS THAT, UH, BRENDA HELPED BRENDA PACHECO HELPED REMINDING US THIS, THAT THIS HAS BEEN ABOUT IMMINENT DOMAIN AND OTHER PARTS OF THE, THE MISSIONS. AND THAT THIS TIME AROUND WE WANT TO GET IT RIGHT, AND WE WANT TO DO IT FAIRLY. AND I, UM, KNOW, HOPE AND HER LEADERSHIP AND EVERYONE THAT CAME UP AND SPOKE, AND I KNOW THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING THEIR DUE DILIGENCE, THIS IS A, A, A NECESSARY STEP WE HAVE TO TAKE. SOME OF US DON'T LIKE IT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE IT AND IN, IN THE BEST INTEREST, HOPE THAT WE GET TO A RESOLUTION SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, FORWARD AND TELL THIS THE ALAMO STORY, THE CIVIL RIGHTS STORY, THE TEJANO STORY, AND WHAT WAS EVIDENT TODAY BY ALL THE WOMEN, A WOMAN'S STORY. SO, UH, I, I LOOK FORWARD MOVING THIS FORWARD SO WE CAN GET THIS RESOLVED. I THINK AT THE END, EVERYBODY CAN, CAN BE SATISFIED WITH WHAT WE DO. AND I ASK MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT THIS MOTION TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VIA GRIND, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, WANTED TO JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY ON THIS. WHEN THIS FIRST CAME TO COUNCIL, I THINK IT'S BACK IN 2017 OR 18, UH, WITH SOME BIG, BIG CHANGES TO THE, TO THE ALAMO AREA, LOWERING ALL THE GROUNDS, UH, MOVING THE T RESTRICTING ACCESS TO THE PLAZA, CLOSING THE PARADE ROUTE, TEARING DOWN THOSE BUILDINGS COMPLETELY, AND BUILDING A NEW MUS MUSEUM. UM, I VOTED AGAINST THAT. I, AND MY COLLEAGUE DID AS WELL, BECAUSE WE'RE TRADITIONALISTS. AND, UM, WE DIDN'T WANT TO SEE THOSE TYPES OF CHANGES MADE TO THAT PLAZA GROUNDS. UH, A LOT OF YOU WERE FOR IT, A LOT OF YOU WERE AGAINST IT. AND, AND THAT'S OKAY, BUT THROUGH THE STATE HISTORICAL COMMISSION, THEY SAID NO TO MOVING THE SENATE TAF. AND THAT CREATED A BUNCH OF CHANGES. AND LET ME TELL YOU, I'M HAPPY WITH THOSE CHANGES. 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT LOWERING THE GROUNDS, WE'RE NOT MOVING THE SENATE T WE'RE NOT RESTRICTING ACCESS. ON AND ON AND ON. ALL THOSE CHANGES WERE MADE. SO I AM ECSTATIC ABOUT THOSE CHANGES TO THIS PROJECT. NOW, HAVING SAID THAT, THIS IS A VERY DISTASTEFUL ACTION. UH, YOU KNOW, I, THIS GOES AGAINST MY PROPERTY RIGHTS SIDE OF WHAT I BELIEVE IN PERSONALLY. HAVE WE DONE IT BEFORE? YES. IN FACT, WE DID IT WITH A C P S, UH, UH, SUBSTATION TODAY, AND I'VE DONE IT BEFORE FOR, UM, UTILITY LOCATIONS WHERE THERE JUST ISN'T ANY OTHER CHOICE. YOU HAVE TO IN ORDER TO UPGRADE UTILITIES AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY. SO I'VE ACTUALLY DONE THIS BEFORE, AS DISTASTEFUL AS IT IS TO ACCOMMODATE THAT THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. THIS IS NOT UTILITIES AND THAT KIND OF THING. THIS IS FOR A PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN ENVISIONED FOR THE ALAMO, YOU KNOW, AND I SET ASIDE ALL THE, THE REVENUE GENERATION, I, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT FOR THIS PROJECT. YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA BRING IN MORE MONEY TO THE CITY. THAT SHOULDN'T BE THE FOCUS HERE. UM, I'M LOOKING AT THIS AGAIN AS PROPERTY RIGHTS. HAVING SAID THAT, I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ALAMO AND THE, AND THE PLAZA AREA AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH HERE. I'M, I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS WAS NOT ABLE TO BE SETTLED, UM, AND A DEAL STRUCK AND AGREED TO. UM, KATE, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. THANK YOU. UM, STARTING WITH, UM, UM, HE'S ASKED FOR A TWO WEEK DELAY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYTHING CAN BE DONE WITHIN TWO WEEKS IF WE COULD COME TO A DEAL. BUT YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IS A LONG TERM PROJECT. I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE A COMPLETION DATE. WHAT WOULD THE OVERALL IMPACT BE FOR A TWO WEEK DELAY? UM, WHAT, WHAT'S THE IMPACT? YEAH, SO, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE ON A VERY TIGHT TIMELINE, AS YOU ALL KNOW, UM, FOR COMPLETION. SO THE STATE OF TEXAS, WHICH IS CONSIDERING A $400 MILLION INVESTMENT, THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WHICH IS UNHEARD OF INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, THEY WANT THIS OPEN BY MARCH OF 2026. AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, LITERALLY EVERY DAY COUNTS, WHICH IS WHY FOR TWO YEARS WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO, TO REACH SOME LEVEL OF AGREEMENT ON THIS PARTICULAR PROPERTY TO NO AVAIL. SO I GUESS MY MAIN CONCERN, UM, [02:00:01] COUNCILMAN IS UNFORTUNATELY, UM, I THINK THERE'S BEEN A TENDENCY TO TRY TO PLAY THIS OUT IN THE MEDIA, WHICH IS NOT, I BELIEVE, WHERE THE MOST PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS ARE GONNA HAPPEN. UM, SO WE HAVE NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WOULD CHANGE IN TWO WEEKS. UH, AND AS, UH, AS ANDY INDICATED, THE SOONER WE GET THIS DONE, THE SOONER WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND HOPEFULLY REACH A RESOLUTION, WHICH IS EVERYONE'S GOAL. OKAY. ANDY, HYPOTHETICALLY, LET'S SAY WE COULD WORK OUT A DEAL WITHIN TWO WEEKS. IF, IF WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, HOW LONG IS THAT GONNA TAKE? I MEAN, THE IMMINENT DOMAIN GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS TO GET TO A FINAL RESOLUTION? AGAIN, THE PROCESS IS A MULTI-STEP PROCESS. UM, COUNCILMAN, UH, IF THERE'S APPEALS TO A DISTRICT COURT AFTER THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE DETERMINED A MARKET PRICE, IT COULD GO FROM MONTHS TO YEARS. BUT AGAIN, THE EXPECTATION IS THAT WE WILL STRIKE A DEAL, UH, BEFORE WE GO TOO FAR DOWN THAT PATH. OKAY. I GUESS I'M TRYING TO SAY, WELL, IF WE STRIKE A DEAL WITHIN TWO WEEKS, THAT'S SAVING A LOT OF TIME VERSUS GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WHICH COULD TAKE, LIKE YOU SAID, ANDY MONTHS. CORRECT. AND, AND, AND AGAIN, BUT COUNCILMAN, WHAT, WHAT IF, IF THE COUNCIL APPROVES THIS TODAY, IT DOES NOT PRECLUDE US STARTING NEGOTIATIONS AGAIN, THE HOPE IS BY TAKING THIS ACTION, IT'LL ACCELERATE THOSE NEGOTIATIONS RATHER THAN DELAY 'EM. BUT IT COULD TAKE LONGER, LONGER IF WE, AGAIN, IF WE FOLLOW THE, IF WE, WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE WHOLE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS. YEAH, IT COULD TAKE LONGER. UM, BUT THE SOONER WE START AGAIN, IF WE, IF THAT'S ULTIMATELY WHERE WE END UP, THE SOONER WE START THE BETTER. OKAY. AT ANY POINT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, IF MR. CANTU LEGITIMATELY WANTED TO COME TO THE TABLE AND HAVE A PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION, THAT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. OKAY. BUT IT HASN'T. OKAY. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT TWO WEEKS REALLY GAINS US. OKAY. UM, SO HOW, HOW DID THAT NEGOTIATION TAKE PLACE FROM YOUR OFFICE? I MEAN, UH, DID Y'ALL OFFER TO LET, HEY, LET'S SIT DOWN AT A TABLE AND TALK ABOUT THIS? YES, YES. AND MULTIPLE TIMES, AND I WILL SAY FROM THE GET GO, UM, MR. CANTU REFUSED TO MEET WITH US WITHOUT HIS ATTORNEY PRESENT. SO SINCE I HAVE BEEN ON BOARD AT THE TRUST, WHICH IS ABOUT TWO YEARS, UH, HE HAS HAD AN IMMINENT DOMAIN ATTORNEY, UH, GUIDING HIM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT AT SOME POINT HE FELT THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE INEVITABLE. I DON'T KNOW OTHERWISE WHY HE WOULD'VE FELT COMPELLED TO HAVE AN ATTORNEY THERE FROM THE GET GO. OKAY. UM, BUT THE OFFER WAS MADE TO SIT DOWN. OH, YES. AND, UH, YES. NEGOTIATE MULTIPLE TIMES. AND THE OFFER WAS, WHAT WAS YOUR FINAL OFFER? SO FIRST, THE FIRST OFFER THAT WAS MADE ACTUALLY BY THE LAND OFFICE WAS 2 MILLION. THAT WAS IN 2020. AND IT WAS BASED ON PRESENT DAY VALUE AT THAT TIME. WE DID ANOTHER VALUATION IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR. IT CAME BACK AT 2.1. SO WE MADE AN OFFER OF 2.5 MILLION, HOPING TO SAY, LOOK, WE'RE WILLING TO MOVE. UM, YOU'RE AT 17 AND HE'S AT 17. WHEN I FIRST GOT THERE, IT WAS 15, BUT HE AND HIS ATTORNEY HAS STATED THAT IT GOES UP BY A MILLION DOLLARS EVERY YEAR ON MARCH 1ST. SO TWO WEEK DELAY. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ANOTHER INCREASE FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW, UP TO 18 MILLION POTENTIALLY ON MARCH THE FIRST OF THIS YEAR. UM, SO THAT'S OBVIOUSLY GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF WHERE WE WANT TO GO. THE MOST CURRENT OFFER, WE DID ANOTHER VALUATION. WE ASKED THE FIRM, WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO DO WITH ANY CERTAINTY TO LOOK FIVE YEARS AND 10 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, LOOKING AT HOW WE THINK PROPERTY VALUES ARE GOING TO INCREASE. IT CAME BACK AT 2.8 MILLION. SO WE OFFERED 3.5 MILLION TO SAY, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE WANNA GIVE YOU SOME CONSIDERATION FOR LOST BUSINESS REVENUES IN ADDITION TO THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY. AND WE ALSO OFFERED TO SAY, AS WE DID WITH MR. PHILLIPS, IF YOU'RE WILLING TO OPEN YOUR BOOKS TO THE THIRD PARTY SO THAT THEY CAN REALLY LOOK AT POTENTIAL LOST EARNINGS, THE TRUST IS WILLING TO PAY FOR THAT. UM, AND SO THAT COULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION IN ANY SORT OF FINAL AGREEMENT THAT WE MIGHT REACH. OKAY. YEAH. WHEN I HEAR THE WORD 17 OR THE AMOUNT OF 17 MILLION, I'M THINKING, DANG, I'M A TAXPAYER. AND I, I THINK THAT'S WAY MORE THAN WE SHOULD BE PAYING, IN MY OPINION, FOR, FOR THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS. AND, AND, AND EVEN WITHSTANDING THE LOCATION FOR THIS. SO, UM, UM, THIS, THIS IS A TOUGH ONE, YOU KNOW, UH, AND I'VE HEARD ALL KIND OF STORIES. I'VE GOTTEN BOTH SIDES, BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY WITH EMAILS, PHONE CALLS, THAT KIND OF THING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING THIS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, THE CRADLE OF LIBERTY HERE FOR TEXAS. AGREED. AND, UH, IT, IT SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. I, I'M JUST, UH, I'M, YOU [02:05:01] KNOW, THE TWO WEEK DELAY. I, I, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYTHING COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED ON THAT. UM, ANDY, WHAT, WHAT'S YOUR, WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS? I MEAN, IS IS IT GONNA CRATER THIS PROJECT IF WE, AGAIN, MY, OUR, OUR VIEW, UH, COUNCILMAN IS THE HOPE IS COUNCIL TAKING THIS ACTION WILL PROMPT, ACCELERATE, ENCOURAGE ALL PARTIES TO COME TO A RESOLUTION SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. OKAY. BUT THAT DOESN'T, THAT DIDN'T PRECLUDE LIKE THE OFFERS OF AMOUNTS OF MONEY, THAT KIND OF THING FOR, FOR THE PROPERTY DURING NEGOTIATION. ARE, ARE YOU STUCK WITH THE APPRAISED VALUES AT THAT POINT? OH, THAT, THAT, NO. I, I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. NO, IT, IT, IT, IT, ONCE AGAIN, IT WOULD START WHAT WE WOULD HOPE WOULD BE A SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION IN TERMS OF TRYING TO NEGOTIATE A PRICE THAT BOTH PARTIES CAN AGREE TO. OKAY. SO IT DOESN'T, I MEAN, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT STUCK TO A PRICE OR TO A, TO A OFFER. IT'S, IT'S STARTING NEGOTIATIONS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT. UH, THANK YOU, KATE. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THIS IS A VERY DELICATE ITEM FOR ME AS, UH, IT CONFLICTS WITH MY VALUES OF PROPERTY RIGHTS AS WELL. UH, I UNDERSTAND THE, UH, NEED AND USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC UTILITIES, UH, DRAINAGE PROJECTS AND THINGS THAT, UH, ULTIMATELY, UH, CAN IMPROVE OR IMPACT PUBLIC HEALTH. UH, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THE, THE PROPERTY OWNER HAS BEEN MADE, UH, OFFERS WITH THE PRESENT VALUE AND THE, THE CONSIDERATION OF LOSS OF BUSINESS REVENUE. UM, BUT WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THIS ITEM WAS HOW THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO BRING IN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. RIGHT. AND THAT'S BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND WALKABILITY THAT THE CURRENT PROPERTY OWNER IS GOING TO BE LOSING OUT ON. UM, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S BEEN, UH, COMMUNICATION AND NEGOTIATION. UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR THERE TO BE CONSIDERATION OF THAT, THAT BILLION DOLLAR REVENUE THAT FOLKS ARE SPEAKING OF THAT ARE COMING TO THE ALAMO, THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES AROUND THERE, HOW HE'S NO LONGER GOING TO BENEFIT FROM THAT REVENUE, THAT WALKABILITY. UM, SO THAT'S A, A HUGE GAP, AND THAT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY, RIGHT. THAT EVERYONE'S ANTICIPATING COMING. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALSO A HISTORY IN SAN ANTONIO OF TEXAS, OF LAND GRABS. AND I WANNA ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, AREN'T AT RISK OF A PRESENT DAY LAND GRAB. UH, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S BEEN A PLANNING PROCESS, UM, BUT I, I TAKE ISSUE WITH MAKING PLANS WITH PROPERTY THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO THE PERSON PLANNING. 'CAUSE THERE'S ALSO A HISTORY OF URBAN RENEWAL, RIGHT? AND MAKING PLANS WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY. UM, SO THIS IS A REALLY TOUGH ISSUE. UM, I DO TAKE ISSUE THAT THE, THE PROPERTY OWNER EXPRESS THAT THEY LEARNED ABOUT THIS, UH, THROUGH THE NEWSPAPER. ANDY, CAN YOU SHARE WITH ME WHAT THAT COMMUNICATION, WHEN THE CITY, UM, TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO, UH, AGENDIZE THIS ITEM, WHAT DID THE COMMUNICATION LOOK LIKE TO THE PROPERTY OWNER? WAS IT A EMAIL, A LETTER, A PHONE CALL? UM, HOW SHOULD HE HAVE ANTICIPATED COMMUNICATION FROM THE CITY? THERE'S A PUBLIC NE UH, PUBLIC NOTIFICATION THAT'S REQUIRED COUNCILWOMAN. UH, AND AGAIN, WE DID CHECK WITH THE ALAMO TRUST. WE'VE BEEN COORDINATING TO MAKE SURE THERE HAS BEEN COMMUNICATIONS IN TERMS OF ACQUISITION OF THE PROPERTY BEFORE THAT. AND WITH THIS PROPERTY OWNER, WAS THAT THE EXACT, EXACT PROCESS THAT WE FOLLOWED? UM, AND WAS, I THINK, UH, KATE, YOU'LL PROBABLY BE BETTER ABLE TO ANSWER THAT. WAS THAT THE SAME PROCESS WE'VE BEEN USING WITH THE OTHER PROPERTY OWNERS AT THE ALAMO PROJECT? OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ANDY. UM, AGAIN, THIS IS A REALLY TOUGH AND DELICATE ISSUE. UH, I I, IF IT WERE ANY OTHER BUSINESS, RIGHT? UM, I WOULD STILL HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE PURCHASE PROPERTY, THAT IT SHOULD BE ON THE TERMS OF THE PROPERTY OWNER. UM, AGAIN, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MAJOR HEALTH HAZARD, UM, TO THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS AND PUBLIC HEALTH. UM, BUT, UH, THIS IS A, A REALLY TOUGH ITEM. UM, I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF A, A TWO WEEK EXTENSION IF THAT'S WHAT THE PROPERTY OWNER IS SEEKING, AND WE KNOW IT WON'T DRASTICALLY IMPACT THE PROJECT. UH, I, I THINK, UH, AGAIN, RIGHT FOR THIS, I'M, I'M A TRAINED HISTORIAN, UH, BY THE WAY. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE SAKE OF, UH, US ENSURING THAT THERE IS A TWO WEEK GAP TO HAVE FURTHER CONVERSATIONS. IT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU. UM, I THINK COUNCILMAN CASTILLO HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD. UM, I CAME IN TODAY, I THINK, PREPARED TO VOTE [02:10:01] NO, UM, ON THIS ITEM. AND THERE WERE, THERE'S A FEW THINGS THAT I THINK, UM, UH, DRIVE MY CONFLICTING THOUGHTS. SO, UM, ONE WAS EXACTLY THAT. COUNCILMAN CASTILLO SAID THAT WE MADE PLANS WITH PROPERTY THAT WASN'T OURS. AND I BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU'RE DOING THINGS LIKE THAT AND YOU EMBARK ON THIS LARGE PLANNING PROCESS, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE CONTING CONTINGENCY PLANS. AND THE THINGS THAT, THE, UM, COMMENTS THAT I HEARD THAT MOVED ME MOST TODAY WERE THE STORIES OF CIVIL RIGHTS. AND, UM, MS. CHERYL, I THINK SHE LEFT. BUT, UH, THAT WAS A VERY BEAUTIFUL STORY. AND IT BRINGS ME A LITTLE BIT OF SADNESS THAT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE FIRST THING TO BE CUT AND IT, BUT I HEARD THAT IT WAS SIGNIFICANT TO MANY PEOPLE HERE. AND SO, IF THAT IS SUCH A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THIS PROJECT, AND IF IT IS SO NECESSARY TO THE REVENUE, WHY AREN'T THERE CONTINGENCY PLANS AND BACKUP PLANS TO MOVE THAT ELSEWHERE, UM, IN THE PROJECT? AND SO I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE THAT EXPLORED, AND MAYBE IT HAS, AND I'M JUST NOT PRIVY TO THAT CONVERSATION. UM, BUT I AM, UH, HEARING TODAY, THIS CONVERSATION HAS BEEN, UH, MORE PUBLIC THAN ANY NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY. WE GOT A COMMITMENT HERE TODAY THAT THE PROPERTY OWNER IS WILLING TO NEGOTIATE STARTING TODAY. AND SO, UM, I'M HOPEFUL THAT THE CONVERSATIONS WILL BE MUCH FRUITFUL IF WE DO HAVE A DELAY. AND SO I'LL, UM, I MOVE TO DELAY THIS ITEM TO THE FEBRUARY, FEBRUARY 9TH MEETING. OKAY. THERE WAS A MOTION MADE. WAS THERE A SECOND MAY? MAYOR, IF THE MOTION IS TO DELAY, IT HAS TO BE DONE. STATE SPECIFIC COUNCILMAN I MOVED TO, I WOULD'VE TO WHATEVER OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING IS IN TWO WEEK, TWO WEEKS FROM NOW. I WANTED TWO WEEKS. IS FEBRUARY 9TH. ARE WE HAVING A MEETING THAT WEEK? SO I NEED HELP ON WHAT'S OUR COUNCIL DATE? FEBRUARY 2ND IS THE NINTH. FEBRUARY 9TH. FEBRUARY 9TH. SO THE MOTIONS TO DELAY UNTIL FEBRUARY 9TH. MAYOR? YES. ALRIGHT. THERE WAS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR DELAY TILL FEBRUARY 9TH. OKAY. UH, SECOND FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS WHAT WE WILL BE DISCUSSING NOW. UH, SO LET ME JUST SEE A HAND IF YOU'D LIKE TO DISCUSS THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR. ALRIGHT. I DO HAVE SOME THOUGHTS. UM, NUMBER ONE, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING ANY OF US TAKE LIGHTLY. I MEAN, IT IS SAD THAT WE'RE HERE, ESPECIALLY AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE OF PLANNING THIS PROJECT. I WOULD TAKE ISSUE WITH ANYONE WHO SUGGESTS THAT THERE'S NOT A, UH, AN ISSUE OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE TO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. IN FACT, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF YEARS FROM NOW, IF ANYBODY REMEMBERS ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING UP HERE, THEY'LL PROBABLY REMEMBER WHAT WE DID WITH THE ALAMO, BECAUSE IT IS THE FOUNDING OF THE, OF THE CITY AND, AND OUR EFFORTS HERE TO PRESERVE, UH, AND PROTECT AND BRING TO PROPER REVERENCE THAT FOUNDING SPOT OF OUR CITY. UM, I UNDERSTAND, AND I'VE, AND I, UM, BEEN WATCHING THE GOOD FAITH, UH, EFFORT TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY AS WE HAVE WITH OTHERS. UH, AND MY HOPE IS THAT, UH, WITH THIS ACTION, UH, OF AUTHORIZING THE USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN, THAT THAT WILL ACCELERATE THE EFFORTS FOR FOLKS TO GET A DEAL DONE. UM, AND PLEASE NOTE THAT ACTION TODAY IS NOT TAKING THE PROPERTY ACTION TODAY IS AUTHORIZING THE USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN. IF COOLER HEADS PREVAIL AND A DEAL, A SETTLEMENT IS REACHED, WE WON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. SO THIS HAS BEEN AT LEAST TWO YEARS, KATE. I THINK IT GOES BEYOND THAT. UH, BUT IT'S BEEN AT LEAST TWO YEARS OF REAL DEALS BEING OFFERED. TWO WEEKS OF NO ADDITIONAL MOTIVATION, I DON'T THINK IS GOING TO SOLVE THE ISSUE. AND SO, FOR THAT REASON, I DON'T WANT TO GAMBLE THE FUTURE OF THIS VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT ON THE NOTION THAT TWO ADDITIONAL WEEKS WILL DO SOMETHING THAT YEARS HAVE NOT ACCOMPLISHED. WE HAVE TO COME TO THE TABLE IF THE, IF THE PROPERTY OWNER IS SERIOUS ABOUT THAT, IT WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THIS ACTION, NOT BECAUSE WE'VE DELAYED IT. UM, THE LAST THING I'D SAY, ANDY, AND, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THIS, BUT THIS IS MY ASK OF THE, THIS IS A TRI-PARTY AGREEMENT. THE STATE, THE CITY, AND THE TRUST. UM, THE STATE HAS EMINENT DOMAIN AUTHORITY. THE CITY HAS EMINENT DOMAIN AUTHORITY. THIS IS THE, THIS IS OUR CITY TOGETHER COLLECTIVELY. THAT'S WHY THE ACTION IS HERE RIGHT NOW. BUT WHAT I WOULD EXPECT FROM TRUST IN THE INTERVENING NEXT FEW WEEKS AS THIS TO ACTION IS TAKEN, HOPEFULLY WITHOUT A DELAY, IS THAT WE REMAIN OPERATING IN GOOD FAITH WITH MR. KTU, UM, OUR POSITION TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY IN GOOD FAITH COLLECTIVE HOUR, SORRY. BUT THE TRUST IN NEGOTIATING ON OUR BEHALF POSITION OF ACQUIRING THE PROPERTY IN GOOD FAITH SHOULD NOT CHANGE BECAUSE THEY HAVE THIS BACKSTOP NOW. SO THAT IS MY ASK VERY PUBLICLY, [02:15:01] UH, AND, AND MY ASSURANCE FOR MR. KTU BECAUSE AGAIN, I, I CAN SYMPATHIZE WITH WHAT HE'S SAYING. UM, IT'S SAD THAT WE'VE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT. IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE HERE. BUT WITHOUT ADDITIONAL MOTIVATION, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET PAST GO. SO, UM, I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING A DELAY UNLESS THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON, UH, THE MOTION TO DELAY. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE UP THAT VOTE. SO THERE, THERE WAS A MOTION IN A SECOND TO DELAY TILL FEBRUARY 9TH. A YES VOTE WILL DELAY. A NO VOTE WILL GO BACK TO THE MAIN MOTION ON THE ACTUAL ITEM NUMBER 17, PLEASE VOTE. COUNCIL MEMBER REPLIES APPLIES. NO MOTION FAILS. WE'LL GO BACK TO THE MAIN MOTION. UM, I BELIEVE COUNCIL MEMBER GRO, UM, HAS THE FLOOR. I'D LIKE TO CALL UP, UH, BRENDA PACHECO, UH, TO, AND TO ASK HER SOME QUESTIONS AND TO SHARE, UM, AND, AND TELL HER THE SERVICE THAT SHE HAS. BRENDA, IF YOU COULD COME UP, UH, BRENDA IS A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE. UH, SOME OF YOU KNOW HER STORY. IT WAS FEATURED IN THE SAN ANTONIO R REGARD REPORT, AND SHE HAS BEEN SERVING ON THE ALIMO C MUSEUM COMMITTEE PANIC COMMITTEE. YES. AND SO, BRENDA, IF YOU COULD JUST SHARE, THANK YOU. SO I, I WROTE A LETTER ON BEHALF OF, OF MY FAMILY, UH, MY ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AND I, I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE PRESENTED TO YOU IN YOUR PACKETS TODAY SO THAT YOU COULD READ THE STORY OF, OF HOW WE FEEL ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH REGARD TO, TO ACQUIRING THE PROPERTY. BUT IF I COULD JUST READ IT NOW, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU ALSO THAT I AM A NATIVE AMERICAN AND I'M ACTUALLY REPRESENTING THAT COMMUNITY ON THE ALAMO PLANNING COMMITTEE. BUT I AM ALSO SPANISH. I AM ALSO MEXICAN. I'M ALSO FRENCH. SO I AM VERY PROUD TO BE ON THIS COMMITTEE BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I'M REPRESENTING MANY SAN ANTONIANS, NOT JUST THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY. SO THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ME, AND THAT'S WHY MY VOICE SOUNDS A LITTLE NERVOUS. SO I WROTE, THE ALAMO IS, AND ITS MULTICULTURAL HISTORY SHOULD BE PRESERVED AND PRO PROTECTED FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF OUR CITY, OUR ENTIRE CITY AND TEXAS. SAN ANTONIO IS A CITY WITH A LONG AND RICH HISTORY. MY FAMILY HAS BEEN PROUD MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY FOR OVER 300 YEARS. SOME STORIES OF OUR PAST MAY HAVE REFLECTED POORLY ON THIS CITY, BUT THEY HAPPENED AND CANNOT BE IGNORED. UH, ON OCTOBER 5TH, 2018, T P R PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE CALLED HEMISPHERE 68 REVISITED AN EVENT THAT TRANSFORMED THE CITY. IT REMINDED US THAT 92 ACRES OF DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO, INCLUDING ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS, WERE RAISED TO BUILD THE FAIRGROUNDS. UH, IN THE 1960S FOR HEMISPHERE, THE DISPLACED RESIDENTS WERE GERMAN, MEXICAN, SPANISH, AFRICAN-AMERICAN, POLISH, AND ALSATIAN. APPROXIMATELY 1600 TEXANS AND THEIR 1300 HOME HOMES WERE REMOVED AND DEMOLISHED. MOST OF THE FAMILIES WERE MIDDLE CLASS, HARDWORKING FOLKS IMPACTED BY EMINENT DOMAIN FOR THE GREATER GOOD IN THE 1970 LEGACY FAMILIES WHOSE HOMES WERE STILL NEAR THE FRONT AND BACK DOORS OF THE OTHER FOUR MISSIONS. BECAUSE THE ALAMO IS A MISSION, UH, WERE FORCED TO MOVE FROM PROPERTIES WHERE THEIR ANCESTORS, SOME WERE THE FIRST FAMILIES OF SAN ANTONIO HAD LIVED. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH MONEY EACH OF THE FAMILIES IN BOTH CASES RECEIVED, BUT AT LEAST ONE REPUTABLE MEDIA SOURCE STATED THAT MOST WERE GIVEN ONLY PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR. TODAY, OUR COMMUNITY FACES ANOTHER CROSSROADS AND THE QUESTION OF WHAT IS BEST FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE CITY AND THE STATE OF TEXAS. HOWEVER, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO STANDS IN THE WAY OF OUR CHERISH MULTICULTURAL HISTORY, AS THE CITY COUNCIL KNOWS SO WELL, OUR RICH HERITAGE IS CELEBRATED ACROSS THE CITY IN VARIOUS FORMS AND FASHIONS. BUT WE OFTEN OVERLOOK THE DEEP CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY THAT ACCOMPANIES OUR COMMUNITY. THE HISTORIC WOOLWORTH BUILDING LOCATED ON THE GROUNDS OF THE ALAMO, SERVED AS ONE OF THE FIRST LUNCH COUNTERS IN TEXAS TO BE DESEGREGATED. WHILE THE WARWORTH BUILDING IS CERTAINLY NOTABLE, THE OVERREACHING CIVIL RIGHTS NARRATIVE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS HELPED HISTORIANS CONTRIBUTE TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF CIVIL RIGHTS ON A NATIONAL FRONT. THE ALAMO VISITOR CENTER AND MUSEUM IS SET TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN THE WOOLWORTH BUILDING WITH PLANS TO INCORPORATE A SIGNIFICANT CIVIL RIGHTS EXHIBIT AND INTERPRETATION OF THE INTEGRATED LUNCH COUNTER. HOWEVER, WITHOUT, WITHOUT DIRECT AND URGENT ACTION FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND CITY COUNCIL, THE CURRENTLY PLANNED ALAMO VISITOR SYNDROME MUSEUM AND CIVIL RIGHTS EXHIBIT ARE AT RISK OF ONCE AGAIN BEING DERAILED BY UNNECESSARY DELAYS THAT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE INCREDIBLE PROGRESS MADE OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THE CITY COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO APPROVE THE CONDEMNATION OF FIVE [02:20:01] 16 EAST HOUSTON TO ALLOW PLANS FOR THE FUTURE WORLD CLASS VISITOR CENTER AND MUSEUM TO CONTINUE THE WORD EM DOMAIN DOMAIN. TO ME, COUNCIL MIRROR HURTS MY STOMACH BECAUSE MY FAMILY WAS PRODUCT OF THAT WE WERE DISPLACED. WE WERE THE LAST FAMILY DISPLACED AT SAN JOSE MISSION. WAS IT FAIR? AT THE TIME WE THOUGHT NO, BUT WE WENT AHEAD AND TOOK WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS FAIR MARKET VALUE. AND THAT IS ALL THAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TODAY, IS TO ESPECIALLY CONSIDER THAT IT, IT WOULD BE AN INSULT TO US TO HAVE SETTLED FOR WHAT WE CALLED, UH, AN AMOUNT THAT WAS NOT FAIR, AND THEN FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO CONSIDER WAY ABOVE MARKET VALUE FOR THAT PROPERTY. AND THAT IS WHY I'M HERE, BECAUSE MANY OF THOSE DESCENDANTS OF THOSE FOLKS THAT WERE RAISED TO DO HEMISPHERE AND ALSO WITHIN THE MISSION COMPOUND, WERE GIVEN WHAT WE WERE TOLD WAS FAIR. AND THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING IS THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND THAT ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS TO PLEASE CONSIDER THAT. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. THANK YOU, BRENDA. THANK YOU FOR SHARING. AND I THINK THAT'S THE OTHER POINT, IS WE WANNA GO IN AND NEGOTIATE FOR FAIR MARKET VALUE. AND THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT, UH, THIS AND THANK YOU MAYOR FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER 17? OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 17. PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE. YEAH. COUNCIL MEMBER. YES. MOTION CARRIES. WE'LL GO NOW TO ITEM NUMBER 27 AND 28. AND, AND MADAM CLERK, IF YOU COULD READ, UH, 27 AND 28, WE'LL TAKE THEM UP TOGETHER. ITEM NUMBER 27 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE 118TH US CONGRESS. AND ITEM NUMBER 28 IS AN, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY'S LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM TO INCLUDE SUPPORT FOR SAN ANTONIO FIRE AND POLICE PENSION FUNDS 2023 LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL. ALRIGHT, I BELIEVE WE HAVE, UH, DO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION, SALLY, OR NO? NO, NO PRESENTATION. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I DO HAVE A PRESENTATION IF IT'S NEEDED. UM, LET ME, LET ME TURN IT TO COUNCIL MEMBER PEZ. UM, FIRST COUNCIL MEMBER PEZ PEZ. YEAH, THANKS. I I, THE REASON I PULLED THIS WAS, UH, BECAUSE ANDY HAD WARNED US A WHILE AGO THAT IF MULTIPLE PEOPLE WANNA HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING ON CONSENT, WE GOTTA PULL IT. SO THIS IS ME FOLLOWING ANDY'S INSTRUCTIONS. 'CAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES MAY WANT TO COMMENT ON THESE ITEMS TOO. UM, AND SALLY, I DON'T NEED A PRESENTATION. I JUST, I I JUST WANTED TO, TO REMIND FOLKS, UH, WHO ARE, WHO ARE INTERESTED, RIGHT? AND WHO ARE WATCHING THAT. THIS FEDERAL PROGRAM IS THE CULMINATION OF A LOT OF WORK ON PART OF STAFF, ON PART OF THE CITY COUNCIL AS A WHOLE. AND ALSO, UM, AND IT'S A PRODUCT OF COLLABORATION AND CONSENSUS BUILDING WITH A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF PARTNERS FROM VIA TO C P S TO SAWS, TO BROOKS TO U T SS A AND, UH, CHAMBER. AND, UM, A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS AROUND SAN ANTONIO, IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK AT IT. UM, THERE'S SEVEN PILLARS IN THERE THAT INCLUDE, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESILIENCY AND TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING, WORKFORCE TRAINING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MILITARY PROTECTION, AND PUBLIC SAFETY. AND SO, JUST TO, JUST TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW, UH, OF THESE AND TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING ARMED WITH THIS AGENDA, WE'RE GONNA BE KNOCKING ON ALL DOORS AND TWISTING ARMS, UH, IN DC TO BRING BACK, UM, OUR HARD EARNED TAX DOLLARS IN THE FORM OF, UH, GRANTS AND APPROPRIATIONS FOR OUR AIRPORT, FOR TRANSIT PROJECTS, FOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE. I KNOW THAT, UH, OUR TEAM OF, UH, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS LIKE SALLY AND ALL THE FOLKS THAT SERVE UNDER HER, WELL, THEY'RE GONNA BE UP THERE COMPETING AGAINST OTHER TEAMS, UM, FOR IMPORTANT DOLLARS, UH, TO HELP SAN ANTONIANS ACCESS RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE INTERNET, UH, CLEAN PARKS, CLEAN STREETS. UH, WE'RE GONNA BE RENEWING OUR, OUR FEDERAL, UH, GOVERNMENT PUSH TO FINALLY ALLOW MILITARY CITY U S A, UH, PROFESSIONALS TO HAVE A NON-TYPE FLIGHT TO THEIR, UH, TO THEIR NATION'S CAPITAL. UM, OUR AGENDA DIRECTS OUR SALLY AND HER TEAM TO FIGHT FOR ENHANCEMENT AND EXPANSION OF, UH, HOUSING CREDITS, UH, PROGRAMS FOR SUPPORTIVE, UH, PERMANENT HOUSING FOR SENIORS AND, UH, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND OTHER VULNER VULNERABLE SAN ANTONIOS. UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE, UH, INSISTING ON EXPANDED SUPPORT FOR, UH, VULNERABLE RENTERS HOUSING VOUCHERS, [02:25:01] HOMELESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, EVICTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. UH, WE'LL BE TELLING SAN ANTONIO STORY OF, UH, ABOUT HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS HERE AND OUR NEED TO HELP THEM WITH JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS, EDUCATION FUNDING, UH, APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS, AND SALLY OR CREW ARE GOING TO BE UP THERE INSISTING ON MORE, UH, TARGETED AND INTENTIONAL INVESTMENT FOR BETTER HEALTH OUTCOMES, ELIMINATING FOOD INSECURITY IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND HELPING, UM, ALL OF OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS TO US TO VULNERABLE SAN ANTONIANS. UM, AND I, I WILL CALL OUT THAT AS A STANDALONE ITEM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG, LONG TIME. UH, WE'VE GOT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, UM, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY FEATURED QUITE PROMINENTLY IN OUR, UH, LEGISLATIVE PUSH. AND SO, UM, I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT TWO THINGS. THIS, UH, PROGRAM IS ALSO GOING TO, UH, BE DOUBLING DOWN ON SUPPORTING, UH, J B S A AND ITS MISSIONS. UM, AND THE WORDS MILITARY CITY U S A, UM, ARE GOING TO BE REPEATED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN BY SALLY AND GENERAL AYALA. UM, AND NOBODY IN DC IS GONNA FORGET THOSE WORDS. UM, LASTLY, WITH REGARDS TO THE, THE SECOND ITEM, UM, AS EVIDENCED BY THE FACT THAT WE TODAY ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AMENDED, UM, THE STATE LEGISLATIVE, UH, AGENDA, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT TO MY COLLEAGUES AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT THIS FEDERAL AGENDA IS EQUALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO AMENDMENTS WHEN, UH, NEW FACTS ARISE AND WHEN NEW NEEDS ARISE. AND SO THIS IS AN AGENDA THAT IS QUITE FLEXIBLE. UM, AND IT IS THE, UM, I, I, I THINK THAT WE'VE MANAGED EVERYBODY'S EXPECTATIONS GOING IN, AND IF ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES THINK THAT IT'S, UM, THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A TIME THAT WE NEED TO REVISIT THE AGENDA TO AMEND IT, UH, TO INCLUDE NEW PRIORITIES OR TO CHANGE UP PRIORITIES, UM, THAT'S WHAT I G R COMMITTEE IS FOR. AND SO, MAYOR, THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYBODY, UH, FOR SUPPORTING TODAY'S ITEMS. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN BLI. WE DO HAVE, UH, ONE SENTENCE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. UH, WE DO NOT, UH, WE DO NEED A MO. I, UH, I MOVE TO APPROVE BOTH OF THESE ITEMS. THANK YOU. I SECOND. THANK YOU, JACK AND FINGER. WELL, MAYOR PRO TEM, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK FIN. YES. WELL, ON THIS ITEM ON YOUR AGENDA, I DO HAVE A FEW COMMENTS TO MAKE ABOUT IT. UM, THE, UH, I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE BACKUP DOCUMENTS ON IT, AND, UH, I HAVE ISSUE WITH, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WISH TO PROPOSE TO OUR UNITED STATES LEGISLATORS THAT, UH, WELL, I JUST HAVE VERY SERIOUS, UH, ISSUES WITH, UM, MR. VIS. I'M GONNA PUT THAT FIRST LINE, LINE TO AREA UP THERE. THE FIRST PARAGRAPH, IT SAYS, UH, IF YOU CAN, IF YOU CAN BE SHOWN THERE. YEAH. IT SAYS, UH, A LAUNDRY LINE HERE SAYS, CONTINUE, CONTINUE GROWTH OF SAN ANTONIO AND PREPARE THE COMMUNITY FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. RE RETURN THE CAMERA TO THE PODIUM, IF YOU WOULD. UH, I HAVE ISSUES WITH THAT BECAUSE QUITE FRANKLY, QUITE FRANKLY, LIGHT, MANY OF US DISAGREE WITH EVEN THE CONCEPT OF MANMADE CLIMATE CHANGE. IT STILL HAS YET TO BE PROVEN. YES. UH, GO TO THE SECOND PAGE, IF YOU WOULD, SEE WHAT, WHAT THAT FIRST IN THE LINE AREA SAYS. THERE SAYS, UH, UH, SUPPORT LEGISLATION. IT ENHANCES THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES BY IMPROVING ACCESS TO CARE AND FOCUSING ON SOCIAL DETERMINANTS. YEAH. RETURN THE CAMERA IF YOU, ONCE AGAIN, IF YOU WOULD, TO THE, TO THE PODIUM. RE UH, ACCESS TO CARE. WE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S BEEN USUALLY, THAT'S BEEN THE CODE WORDS. IT'S FOR ACCESS TO ABORTION. YES. ACCESS TO ABORTION, SO-CALLED CARE. UH, WE, AND THE, THE VAST, THE, THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS NOW DO NOT WANT ABORTION. THEY WANT IT REGULATED IF AT, IF EVEN AT ALL. AND YES, WE DON'T LIKE VAGUE LANGUAGE. WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT, UM, IT'S BASED ON OUR SAN ANTONIO FORWARD, UH, MEDICAL PROGRAM. WELL, THAT PROGRAM ALSO IS VERY VAGUE. THERE'S A FEW, UH, PARTICULAR POINTS, BUT IT'S NOT, UH, DOESN'T TELL US IF IT'S LIMITED TO THOSE POINTS. ONCE AGAIN, MR. , I JUST SHOW WHAT ELSE WE HAVE THERE. LET'S SEE. UH, ENABLES UNDOCUMENTED IN IMMIGRANTS WHO CAME TO THE US AS CHILDREN TO EARN LAWFUL STATUS. RETURN THE CAMERA ONCE AGAIN, IF YOU WOULD. I'M SORRY. ILLEGAL ALIENS, NO MATTER WHAT AGE THEY ARE, ARE STILL ILLEGAL. AND QUITE [02:30:01] FRANKLY, WE DO NOT WANT ANY SUCH THING AS AMNESTY, WHICH IS WHAT APPARENTLY YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO PUSH HERE. THAT'S WRONG. WE DON'T LIKE IT. YOU SHOULD STOP IT. UH, FURTHER DOWN. SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, IF YOU WOULD. WHAT ELSE IS DO WE HAVE HERE? UH, PROVIDES CONTINUOUS FOOTING SUPPORT FOR PRO? WELL, MY TIME IS, UH, THANK YOU, MR. FINGER . ALRIGHT, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE OUR COUNCIL DISCUSSION NOW. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR PULLING THIS ITEM. I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ITEM 27, APPROVING THE CITY'S FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE ONE 18TH US CONGRESS, BECAUSE AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE OUR TEXAS LEDGE GOING, BUT WE DO HAVE OUR, OUR, UH, CONGRESS MEETING AND TALKING ABOUT IT. AND WE KNOW THAT COMMITTEES ARE FORMING, UH, AND THEY'RE HAVING HEARINGS AND THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SCHEDULES AND MAYBE A LITTLE DIFFICULTY IN GETTING THINGS THROUGH. BUT I KNOW, AND I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO SALLY AND JEFF AND THE CITY'S GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT WHO HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL FOR THESE TWO STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMS. I KNOW THERE ARE RESIDENTS OUT THERE WATCHING, AND I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF THE EVENTS. AND THEN, SALLY, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW OUR RESIDENTS CAN, CAN HELP GET INVOLVED AT THIS FEDERAL LEVEL. SO WE HAVE A, WE HAVE ABOUT SIX KEY, UM, AREAS OF THE COUNCIL. AND UNDER THE INFRASTRUCTURE, RESILIENCY AND TRANSPORTATION, WE ARE LOOKING AT SUPPORTING THE FUNDING FOR, UH, RESIDENTS TO HAVE FAST, RELIABLE, AND AFFORDABLE INTERNET SERVICE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR PROVIDER GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, AND OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS. SO, SALLY, MY QUESTIONS ARE, AND I'M GONNA GO THROUGH SOME OF 'EM, IS HOW CAN RESIDENTS HELP TELL THEIR STORY AND GET THE INFORMATION TO THE CITY ABOUT THEIR NEED FOR INTERNET? UH, ARE WE TAKING THIS ON 3 1 1 SA SPEAKS UP, OR SHOULD THEY, THEY CONTACT THEIR COUNCIL OFFICE? GOOD MORNING, COUNCILWOMAN. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I KNOW THROUGH OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, YOU MENTIONED SA SPEAK UP 3 1 1, AND I'M SURE THAT YOU HAVE ALSO A PLATFORM OF COMMUNICATION THAT RESIDENTS, UM, WOULD BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THEIR STORIES AND THEIR NEEDS TO YOU. THERE'S ALSO VARIOUS, UM, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL PLATFORMS THROUGH THE WHITE HOUSE WHERE, UM, PRIORITIES AND OR ASSISTANCE TO DIRECTLY TO RESIDENTS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THEM. AND WE CAN SHARE THAT WITH YOUR OFFICE SO THAT YOU CAN, UH, COMMUNICATE THAT WITH THEM AS WELL. THANK YOU. AND THE, THE OTHER ON HOUSING IS WE DO HAVE INCREASED FUNDING FOR THE EXPANSION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM, UH, CCB, C D B G, WHICH IS THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT. UM, WILL, CAN, CAN THE RESIDENTS SEND US SUCCESS STORIES TOO? WOULD THAT BE HELPFUL? AS WE, AS WE GO AND MAKE OUR CASE UP IN DC, A HUNDRED PERCENT SUCCESS STORIES ARE AN AREA THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS FOCUSING ON. SO WE WELCOME SUCCESS STORIES FROM ACROSS THE COMMUNITY THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, ALL THE GOOD THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING ACROSS THE CITY. SO, GREAT, ERIC AND THE TEAM, AND I KNOW THAT THEY'VE ALREADY GOT THE SUCCESS STORIES, BUT LET'S GET THEM READY. AND IF, IF, IF ANYBODY KNOWS OF ANYONE THAT HAS HAD A SUCCESSFUL RE HOME REBUILD, PLEASE SHARE THAT BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE IMPACTFUL. AND THE OTHER IS THE, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, THE SUPPORT FOR THE AUTHORIZATION AND SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FOR THE CHILD NUTRITION ACT AND FARM BILL TO ENHANCE PROGRAMS THAT REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY IN THE COMMUNITY. AND AS WE LOOK AT OUR FOOD DESERTS AND, UM, IN THE, IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, UH, IS DO WE HAVE OUR STAKEHOLDERS READY TO GO AND SHARE, UM, ABOUT THE NEEDS IN SAN ANTONIO? SO WE KNOW THESE TWO BILLS, UM, WILL BE REFILED, UM, IN THE NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. UM, SO WORKING THROUGH OUR METRO HEALTH TEAM AND OUR HUMAN SERVICES TEAMS IN THEIR EXISTING NETWORKS OF PARTNERSHIPS, WE'RE HAPPY TO WORK WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S SUFFICIENT COORDINATION ACROSS THE CITY. GREAT. AND THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK IN OUR LEGISLATIVE SESSION, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT WE AS A CITY HAVE CONSISTENTLY DONE OUR PART TO GET UP TO DC AND GET OUR TAX MONEY BACK TO THE LOCAL LEVEL. BUT WE NEED THE HELP OF THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STORIES ARE IMPACTFUL AND THAT WE'RE GETTING, WE'RE GETTING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO ALL THAT'S COMING. I LOOK FORWARD TO APPROVING THIS TODAY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE, WE, WE KIND OF GET OUR DUE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. THANK, THANK YOU FOR, UM, GIVING ME THE TIME TO HIGHLIGHT MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VILLAGRA, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEMS 27 AND 28? MY THANKS TO, UH, CHAIRMAN PIAS [02:35:01] AND THE ENTIRE I G R COMMITTEE FOR THEIR GOOD WORK. SALLY, YOUR TEAM, UM, FOR BOTH THE STATE AND, AND THE FEDERAL SIDE, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK, UH, IN OUR CONSTITUENTS BEST INTERESTS THROUGHOUT THE SESSION AS WELL. ALRIGHT, WE'LL TAKE UP ITEM 27 FIRST. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 27, PLEASE VOTE. COUNCILS MEMBER APPLIES. YES. YES. AYE. CASTILLO IS AN AYE. MOTION CARRIES ON 27. ITEM 28. THERE'S A MOTION, A SECOND FOR APPROVAL. PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE. I AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER PEZ AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, WE'LL GO TO ITEM 32. ITEM NUMBER 32 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING A RESPONSIBLE BIDDER PROGRAM FOR LOW BID CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS, INCLUDING BEST VALUE CRITERIA AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO DENY CONTRACTS OR OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH THE PERSON OR COMPANY, NOT DEEMED A RESPONSIBLE BIDDER UNDER THE PROGRAM. COUNCIL MEMBER. BRAVO. WELL, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. I WANT TO THANK COUNCILWOMAN KEO HDA, BUT IF YOU WANNA SPEAK FIRST, I'M WILLING TO PASS THE MIC TO YOU. THIS IS, YOU INITIATED THIS AND DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT. IS THAT COOL? ALRIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU, UH, MARIO. AND THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I'M GONNA START OFF BY READING A LETTER FROM MIKE MICHAEL CORMAN'S. HE'S A BUSINESS OWNER ON OLD HIGHWAY 90. I, I'LL, I'LL BE BRIEF. UM, MY NAME, MY NAME IS MICHAEL CORMAN. MY BUSINESS IS LOCATED SIX AT 6 59. HISTORIC OLD HIGHWAY 90 FOR WHAT SEEMS LIKE ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW. OLD HIGHWAY 90 SIDEWALKS, CURBS, DRAINAGE AND VIA BUS PADS HAVE BEEN UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN THE PAST YEAR. IT HAS REALLY HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON MY DAILY SALES DUE TO TRAFFIC GRID. LOT LOYAL CUSTOMERS AT PATRONIZES SAY THEY REALLY FEEL FOR US. BEFORE THIS PROJECT WAS LAUNCHED, THEY ASKED FOR THE COMMUNITY'S INPUT TO SEE WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO US. WE WERE, WE WERE TOLD DRAINAGE WOULD BE ONE OF THE MAJOR CONCERNS THAT WOULD BE ADDRESS ADDRESSED. AND WE AGREED. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HOLDUP IS WITH THIS PROJECT, BUT I'VE RECENTLY BEEN INFORMED THAT SOME OF THE ELEVATIONS ARE INCORRECT AND THAT IT WILL BE SOME TIME BEFORE THE SURVEYORS AND ENGINEERS CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NEXT MOVE WILL BE. HE GOES ON TO SAY, UM, UH, HE TALK ABOUT THE, UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVERY SAN ANTONIO TAXPAYER CARRIES THE BURDEN. HARDWORKING PEOPLE CARRY THE BURDEN. MOM AND POP FAMILY BUSINESSES CARRY THE BURDEN ON THE WEST SIDE. FAMILIES STUCK IN TRAFFIC, DROPPING OFF AND PICKING UP THEIR KIDS AT STAFFORD ELEMENTARY OR REN MIDDLE SCHOOL, CARRY THE BURDEN. I WANNA THANK, UH, ME COUNCILWOMAN CAB HARVARD FOR TAKING THIS FIRST STEP AT IMPROVING OUR CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE. WE CAN DO BETTER SAN ANTONIO. WE NEED TO DO BETTER, AND THIS ORDINANCE HELPS MAKE SURE WE WILL DO BETTER. I READ THAT LETTER FROM, FROM MIKE BECAUSE IT'S INDICATIVE OF WHAT WE'RE HEARING ACROSS THE CITY ABOUT CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS. UH, SO I AUTHORED THIS C C R BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT'S A COMMON SENSE BUSINESS PRACTICE. WE DO THIS IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES. UH, EVERY BUSINESS IN TOWN DOES THIS EVERY DAY. IF WE, IF I HIRE A CONTRACTOR AND, AND THAT PERSON DOESN'T DO GREAT WORK, I DON'T HIRE THEM BACK. IN SOME WAYS, THE CITY HAS BEEN, UH, BURDENED BY, BY RULES THAT DON'T REALLY HELP THEM TO BE ABLE TO TAKE, UH, TO, TO HAVE ALTERNATIVES WHEN IT, THEY'RE LOOKING AT CONTRACTORS. AND SO, FOR LOW BID ITEMS, THIS IS WHAT THE C C R IS. I WANTED TO, UM, HELP, HELP GIVE THE, THE CITY SOME TOOLS IN ORDER TO NOT HIRE THOSE POOR CONTRACTORS BACK AND MAKE SURE THAT, THAT IT'S A FAIR, UH, BIDDING PROCESS. SO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WHAT WE, WHAT WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO, A LOT OF WHAT THE C C R, IT'S VERY COMPLICATED AND THANK YOU TO CITY STAFF, ROD AND RAZZI ESPECIALLY. I, I KNOW YOUR STAFFS HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD FOR A LONG TIME ON MAKING SURE THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY, UH, COULD BENEFIT FROM, BUT ALSO OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY. UM, BUT SOME OF THE, THE PARAMETERS INSTALLED WERE, UM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR WHEN WE'RE HIRING A CONTRACTOR FOR A LOW BID. R F P IS DID THEY CUT CORNERS? ARE THERE EXCESSIVE CHANGE ORDERS? WAS THE PROJECT COMPLETED ON TIME? THESE ARE ALL THINGS AS PRIVATE CITIZENS, WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT IF WE HIRED REALLY ANY, ANY, UM, AND NOT JUST CONTRACTORS, BUT ANY SERVICE PROVIDER. SO THIS HOR ORDINANCE HELPS THE CITY, IT HELPS THE COMMUNITY, IT HELPS RESPONSIBLE CONTRACTORS, AND IT HELPS FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES THAT ARE DEALING WITH DISRUPTIONS CAUSED BY ONGOING CONSTRUCTION. AND WITH THAT, I ASK FOR EVERYBODY'S SUPPORT AND MOVE TO APPROVE. SECOND, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 32. WE DO HAVE SOME FOLKS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, SO LET ME CALL THEM UP NOW AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE OUR COUNCIL DISCUSSION. BEN PENA. [02:40:01] OKAY. AND HE HAS, UH, COMMENTS THAT WE'LL PUT INTO THE RECORD. HE'S NO LONGER HERE. OKAY. DO YOU WANT, OKAY, GO AHEAD. THIS MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS BEN PENA. I AM HERE TODAY TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE RESPONSIBLE BIDDER FOR LOW BIDS FOR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS PROPOSED BY COUNCILWOMAN CAVEO. HDA. PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENTS ARE A NECESSITY, AND I COMMEND OUR CITY FOR ALWAYS PLANNING IMPROVEMENTS. WE UNDERSTAND THE CITY NEEDS CONTRACTORS TO ASSIST IN MAKING OUR STREETS AND COMMUNITIES BETTER, A BETTER PLACE. UNFORTUNATELY, SOME OF THESE CONTRACTORS END UP CREATING PROBLEMS AND SAFETY ISSUES WHILE COMPLETING THE JOBS. THE CITY SHOULD HAVE A WAY TO STOP THESE COMPANIES FROM BEING AWARDED CONTRACTS JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE THE LOWEST BIDDER. OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS, MY NEIGHBORHOOD HAD A FEW STREETS MILLED AND RE REPAVED. DURING THIS PROCESS, WE EXPERIENCED ISSUES THAT AFFECTED ALL OF THE RESIDENTS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. OUR COMMUNITY WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AS REQUIRED. ONCE RE CONSTRUCTION BEGAN, SIGNAGE AND BARRICADES WERE NOT PROPERLY PLACED. RESIDENT SAFETY WAS COMPROMISED BY THE CONTRACTOR TO MINIMIZE THEIR COST, SENDING OFFICERS HOME EARLY TO MINIMIZE HOURS WHILE MEETING SEVERAL HEAD-ON VEHICLES. ENCOUNTERS OCCURRED DURING, DUE TO THE BARRICADES AND SIGNAGE REMOVED. WHILE WORK WAS STILL OCCURRING, RESIDENTS NOT ALLOWED ACCESS TO THEIR HOMES. EMPLOYEES FOREMAN AND SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COMPANY YELLED, ANSWERED RUDELY WHENEVER A RESIDENT WAS ENCOUNTERED. I ASK THAT YOU VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS ORDINANCE TO ASSIST IN KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFE DURING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. OKAY. THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. UH, DAVE PETERSON. MR. PETERSON, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY JAVIER GUTIERREZ. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THIS IS, UH, DAVE PETERSON. I'M THE INTERIM C E O AND PRESIDENT OF THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. UH, THE CHAMBER SUPPORTS THE RESPONSIBLE BIDDER PROGRAM AND THE BEST VALUE CRITERIA ORDINANCE. THE CRITERIA ARE FAIR AND APPROPRIATE FOR CONTRACTING. THE ORDINANCE PROVIDES GOOD STEWARDSHIP OF TAXPAYERS DOLLARS AND WE ARE FULLY SUPPORTIVE. THANK YOU MR. PETERSON. I, I BELIEVE, UH, MR. GUTIERREZ ALSO HAS A WRITTEN STATEMENT. HE WAS HERE EARLIER AND HAD TO DEPART, UM, UH, THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY MARINA GONZALEZ. HELLO, MY NAME IS JAVIER GUTIERREZ. OLD HIGHWAY 90 HAS BEEN UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR A WHILE NOW. WE HAVE BEEN TRYING OUR BEST TO SUSTAIN OUR BUSINESSES HERE, BUT IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT AT TIMES. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CONSTRUCTION DELAYS AS WELL AS SUPPLY DELAYS OF WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE. BUT NOW WE ARE HEARING THAT WE ARE HAVING DELAYS DUE TO CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE, AND THAT JUST DOES NOT SIT WELL WITH US. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT SEVERAL TIMES, EXPRESSING OUR CONCERNS OF POOR QUALITY WORK, WHICH HAS, WHICH IN TURN HAS DELAYED THE COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT EVEN LONGER. OUR TAX DOLLARS SHOULD NOT GO TO BUSINESSES THAT DO SHABBY WORK AND THOSE WHO FAIL TO MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE CITY. WE DO NOT NEED CONTRACTORS WHO CUT CORNERS TO GET THE JOB DONE. WE NEED TO REMOVE THE BAD CONTRACTORS AND REPLACE THEM WITH THOSE THAT ARE GOING TO MEET THE STANDARDS THAT WE DESERVE. I BELIEVE THAT CONTRACTORS SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THIS IS WHY I'M IN FAVOR OF ITEM NUMBER 32. THANK YOU. D SIX. CONS CONSTITUENT. JAVIER GUTIERREZ. THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK MARINA GONZALEZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. MEMBERS OF THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME'S MARINA GONZALEZ. FOR THE RECORD, I'M THE PRESIDENT AND C E O OF THE SAN ANTONIO HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I'M JOINED TODAY PREVIOUSLY WITH OUR CHAIRMAN, JR TREVINO, WHO'S ALSO A SMALL MINORITY OWNED CONTRACTOR HIMSELF AND HAD TO LEAVE. UM, BUT WE ARE HERE ON BEHALF OF MORE THAN 900 MEMBERS IN SUPPORT OF ITEM NUMBER 32, THE RESPONSIBLE BIDDER, UH, PROGRAM FOR LOW BID CONTRACTS. I WANNA THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN CAB HARVARD FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE FOR FILING THE C C R TO INITIATE THIS PROCESS AND DEVELOP THIS PROGRAM. WE BELIEVE THAT LOOKING AT THE RESPONSIBLE BIDDER AND LOOKING AT WHO PROVIDES THE BEST VALUE FOR OUR CITY WILL PROVIDE A TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC BENEFIT FOR THE RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO'S SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY. THIS PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR SMALL, LOCALLY OWNED CONTRACTORS BIDDING ON THESE CONTRACTS, AND WILL ALSO ENSURE THAT THE CITY'S DOING BUSINESS WITH COMPANIES THAT HAVE A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF RESPONSIBILITY. THIS WILL NOT ONLY BENEFIT OUR CITY, BUT ALSO THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO BY ENSURING THAT OUR TAX PAYING DOLLARS ARE USED RESPONSIBLY. FURTHERMORE, BY IMPLEMENTING THIS ORDINANCE, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL BE SENDING A STRONG MESSAGE TO OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY THAT RESPONSIBLE BIDDING AND INCLUSIVITY ARE A PRIORITY. I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE AND YOUR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO MAKING SAN ANTONIO A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL OF OUR CITIZENS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. GONZALEZ. I BELIEVE, [02:45:01] UH, JR TREVINO WAS HERE, UH, HAD TO DEPART AS WELL. OKAY. UH, HILDA OCHOA, IS MS. OCHOA HERE? OKAY, IF NOT, THAT'S EVERYONE WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. UH, TURN IT BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCILWOMAN MELISSA CAB HDA FOR INITIATING THIS, FOR PUSHING THIS FORWARD. IT'S A NEEDED STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, UH, TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE OUR PROJECTS IN A TIMELY MANNER AND BE ABLE TO PROTECT BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS, UH, FROM, FROM CONSTRUCTION DELAYS. UM, IF THIS MEASURE HAD BEEN IN PLACE, WE MIGHT NOT BE EXPERIENCING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING TODAY. SOME OF THESE PROJECTS WOULD BE COMPLETED BY NOW. UM, SO THIS IS FANTASTIC. IT'S DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T FIX THOSE PROJECTS, BUT THIS IS FANTASTIC PROGRESS FOR CITY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS GOING FORWARD. UM, SO AGAIN, JUST A BIG THANK YOU FOR INITIATING THIS. THIS IS, UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT THE SEXIEST POLICY, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS, THESE ARE THE NUTS AND BOLTS THAT WE WERE ELECTED TO, TO DELIVER ON IN ORDER TO, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEST PRACTICES AND MANAGE PROJECTS WELL AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROTECTING BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS ALIKE. SO I'M EXCITED AND THRILLED TO SECOND THIS MOTION AND, AND, UH, MAKE IT A POLICY HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. COUNCIL MEMBER PAPA. YES. THANK YOU. UM, BY PASSING TODAY'S RESPONSIBLE BITTER ORDINANCE, UH, YOU'RE RIGHT, MARINA AND OUR, OUR FRIENDS AT THE CHAMBERS AND JR TREVINO AND, UH, TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES. UM, THIS ORDINANCE, I THINK IS THE WAY THAT WE SPEAK TO THE PUBLIC. WE'VE HEARD YOU LOUD AND CLEAR. YOU'RE SICK AND TIRED THE WAY I AM OF, UH, SEEING SOME CONTRACTORS OUT THERE THAT ARE DOING SHABBY WORK AND WHO DON'T HONOR THEIR OBLIGATION TO THE TAXPAYERS OF SAN ANTONIO. THEY DON'T HONOR THEIR CONTRACTS TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND SO I THINK THIS ALSO SPEAKS LOUD AND CLEAR. IF YOU ARE A CONTRACTOR THAT HAS A HISTORY OF COMING IN, UH, OVER BUDGET, AND IF YOU DON'T HONOR OUR SCHEDULES THAT YOU PROMISED, YOU WOULD HONOR, DON'T COME AND KNOCKING AGAIN. UM, IF YOU ARE A CONTRACTOR THAT DOES, UH, SUBSTANDARD WORK, UH, BECAUSE YOU'RE CARELESS AND BECAUSE YOU'RE NEGLIGENT, AND QUITE HONESTLY, YOU DON'T TAKE YOUR JOB SERIOUSLY. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU BUILDING ANY STREET SIDEWALKS, DRAINAGE. I DON'T WANT, I DON'T WANT YOU ANYWHERE, UH, ANYWHERE NEAR IMPORTANT PROJECTS THAT MY CONSTITUENTS AND WELL ALL PEOPLE IN SAN ANTONIO RELY ON. SO, UH, IF YOU'RE A CONTRACTOR THAT'S WILLING TO LIVE UP TO THE OBLIGATIONS, PLEASE, WE WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU. UH, BUT IF YOU'RE THE KIND OF CONTRACTOR THAT DOESN'T TAKE MY CONSTITUENTS SERIOUSLY, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE. UM, AND THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT TODAY'S, UM, THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT TODAY'S ORDINANCE. AND I THINK IT'S OUR JOB AS STEWARDS OF PEOPLE'S TAXES TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THAT MONEY IS BEING USED ON, UM, PARTNERS WHO ARE GOING TO, UH, LIVE UP TO THEIR WORD AND HONOR OUR OBLIGATION TO, UH, TO OUR CONSTITUENTS. SO, THANK YOU, UH, FOR BRINGING THIS ORDINANCE TO, UH, TO US FOR A VOTE. I'M GONNA VOTE YES. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER EZ. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANNA THANK MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO REALLY BEGAN TO INITIATE THIS. AND I WANT THANK THE CITY STAFF FOR PUTTING TOGETHER WHAT I THINK IS A, A REASONABLE PROGRAM. I THINK THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS IS THAT NOW WE CAN LET A LOT OF THE CONTRACTORS WHO WANNA DO WORK FOR THE BUSINESS, UH, FOR THE CITY, KNOW UPFRONT WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE. NOW, WE MAY HAVE LAID THOSE OUT BEFORE, BUT I THINK WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS HAVING THE, THE COUNCIL LAY OUT VERY SPECIFICALLY AN ORDINANCE THAT DEMANDS THEY BE, UM, RESPONSIBLE IN THE WORK THEY DO AND TIMELY AND WITHIN BUDGET AND PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY DEMANDING THAT. I HAVE TO SAY I HAD TWO VERY BAD EXPERIENCES IN DISTRICT NINE. UH, BUT THAT'S OVER FIVE AND A HALF YEARS. SO I CAN'T SAY THAT THERE'S A CONSTANT PROBLEM WITH THAT. BUT WITH THE GROWTH OF DEVE DEVELOPMENT GOING ON IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE. THERE'S GOING TO BE, UH, MORE AND MORE NEED FOR CONTRACTORS TO COME OUT, WHETHER THEY'RE DOING BUILDINGS OR STREETS OR ANY OTHER WORK FOR THE CITY, AND WE NEED TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WORK'S BEING DONE IN A TIMELY AND ECONOMIC MATTER, UH, OUR MANNER THAT REALLY SATISFIES, UH, OUR CONSTITUENTS NEEDS. SO I THINK THIS IS GOING IN A VERY GOOD DIRECTION AND I'M, I'M GLAD TO SUPPORT IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER GRA THANK YOU. I WANNA THANK COUNCILMAN KEO HDA FOR TAKING THE LEAD ON THIS AND GETTING US HERE TO THIS POINT. UM, I'VE HAD EXPERIENCES TOO, AND [02:50:01] I JUST GOT ELECTED TWO YEARS AGO, SO I, I THINK WE'VE ALL HAD THAT EXPERIENCE AND YOUR LEADERSHIP AND, AND YOU, YOU'RE DIRECTING. THIS HAS BEEN GREAT. AND RAZZIE, THANK YOU FOR COMING. UM, AND BRIEFING ME AND MAKING SURE TO ADDRESS MY CONCERNS AND, AND LETTING ME KNOW WE HAD SOMETHING IN THE WORK. AND SO WE ARE HERE TODAY. I THINK THIS IS OUR FIRST STEP. I THINK FROM THIS POINT WE LOOK AT HOW GETTING THOSE RESPONSIBLE SUBS TO PRIMES, GETTING THEM PREPARED TO DO THAT. UH, I THINK WE ALSO REALLY LOOK AT, UM, NO LONGER LOOKING AT THE EXCUSE OF SOME OF THE CONTRACTORS WE USE SAYING, OH, WELL IT WAS MY SUBCONTRACTOR BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE THIS ORDINANCE. SO THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THIS TODAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VIRON. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU SIR. UH, RAZZI, I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS HERE. YOU KNOW, UH, WE'VE ALL HAD EXPERIENCES WITH, UH, UH, ISSUES AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY, UH, LOW BID CONTRACTS. BUT, UH, UM, DID YOU, DID THE STAFF REACH OUT TO THE DIFFERENT, UH, TRADE ORGANIZATIONS, CONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATIONS, THAT KIND OF THING TO GET ANY COMMENTS FROM THEM ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ITEM? YES, SIR. GOOD QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE VERTICAL A G, C AND HORIZONTAL, WHICH IS HEAVY CONSTRUCTION FOR A NUMBER OF THE TIMES. WE GOT THEIR COMMENT, WE INCORPORATE THOSE COMMAND, ANYTHING WE COULDN'T INCORPORATE, WE COME, WE COMMUNICATE BACK WITH THEM AND WE CHANGED SOMETHING. WE FINALLY, THEY WERE AGREE WHAT WE HAD. ON TOP OF THAT, LATE LAST YEAR, WE PRESENTED THIS ONE FOR AVIDA, WHICH WAS COMPLETELY SUPPORTIVE OF IT. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH CITY ATTORNEY'S, OFFICE, FINANCE DEPARTMENT, AND OF COURSE OURSELF TOO. YEAH. UH, SO YOU DID COORDINATE WITH SOME OF THE AGENCIES OUT THERE THAT, UM, ON THE PRIVATE PRIVATE SECTOR. CAN YOU KIND OF GIVE ME SOME FEEL FOR WHAT THEIR COMMENTS WERE? WERE THEY FOR THIS OR AGAINST THIS, OR WHAT KIND OF COMMENTS DID THEY HAVE ON COMMENTS? ACTUALLY, THEY WERE SUPPORTIVE OF IT. THE THING IS, WE END UP CHANGING SOME LEGAL VERBIAGE AND THE OTHER THING WE CHANGED, ORIGINALLY WE HAD FIVE YEARS, WE WILL NOT BE PROBABLY GOING BUSINESS WITH THEM. WE REDUCED THAT FUND FOR THREE YEARS. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND ALSO WE DID, AFTER CONVERSATION WITH YOU LAST WEEK, WE, WE SENT THE INFORMATION FOR REAL ESTATE COUNCIL ALSO, AND RA SPOKE WITH THEM. THEY WERE SUPPORT WITH WHAT WE ARE DOING. OKAY. SO YOU DID SEND THAT TO THEM? YES, SIR, WE DID BECAUSE THEY, THEY REPRESENT A LOT OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES WITHIN THAT, SO, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE ON BOARD WITH THIS? YES, SIR. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU, ZY. THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN, UH, COBE VARDA. I WILL FOREVER TAKE IT AS A SLIGHT THAT I DID NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIGN THE C C R. UH, I'M KIDDING. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I TOLD THIS STORY A FEW, I'VE TOLD THIS STORY A FEW TIMES OF, UH, A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT, UM, THE CONTRACTOR LEFT A CAR SITTING THERE ON THE ROAD AND PAVED AROUND IT AND THEN CAME BACK, UH, AFTER WE GOT A CALL. UM, WE CALLED, UH, WE CALLED THEM AND RAZZIE AND THEY WENT OUT AND FIXED IT THE SAME DAY. AND THAT TELLS ME, THAT LETS ME KNOW THAT THEY KNOW WHEN THEY'RE MAKING MISTAKES AND THAT THEY KNOW WHEN THEY'RE DOING A POOR JOB. AND THIS HAPPENS VERY CONSISTENTLY IN MY DISTRICT WHERE I GET, UH, CALLS AND COMPLAINTS FROM, UH, RESIDENTS WHO ARE SAYING THAT CONTRACTORS CAME IN, UH, CAME TO THEIR ROAD, MESSED UP SOMETHING ON THEIR PROPERTY, MESSED UP SOMETHING ON THEIR HOUSE, DID SOME SORT OF DAMAGE, AND BY THE TIME, UM, THEY THOUGHT TO CALL MY OFFICE, IT'S TOO LATE. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN. AND THIS IS, THIS IS THE THINGS, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HOPE TO DO, RIGHT? WE HOPE TO CHANGE THAT THE WAY THAT THE CITY OPERATES SO THAT OUR RESIDENTS CAN BENEFIT MORE DIRECTLY. AND SO THAT RESPONSIBLE CONTRACTORS ARE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES THAT, UH, THEY MIGHT NOT PREVIOUSLY BE GIVEN BECAUSE OF THE POOR ACTORS. AND SO, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS. SO EXCITED TO SUPPORT IT. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. ALRIGHT, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER 32? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. COUNCILS MEMBER REPLIES APPLIES. IS IT NOT, IS IT NOT? MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER FIVE. ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF COUNCIL MEMBER [02:55:01] ANA SANDOVAL, DISTRICT SEVEN AND INITIATING PROCEDURES TO SELECT A TEMPORARY COUNCIL MEMBER. OKAY, WELL, WE HAVE TO, UM, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH ITEM NUMBER FIVE. UM, I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL, UM, FOLKS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL. SO, UH, WE'LL START WITH JORGE NAES. MR. NAES CHAM, UM, PIN, MR. PIN. OKAY. FRANCISCO FRANCO, ANDRE, ROMAN ROMANO, JACK FINGER MAYOR NURENBERG, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER. YES. UM, MS. SANDOVAL IS GOING TO BE LEAVING US. AND, UH, I KNOW THAT, UH, SHE WILL BE MISSED BY A NUMBER, CERTAIN NUMBER OF PEOPLE HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, UH, SINCE THIS IS HER LAST MEETING, I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S ONLY FITTING THAT WE REVIEW SOME OF HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS THERE, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, UM, THEY'LL BE MISS YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE, UH, VOTED FOR THE, UM, THE PRO-CHOICE, UH, ORDINANCES THAT THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, INITIATED LA LAST YEAR. NOT ONLY ONCE, BUT UH, TWICE THE SECOND TIME BEING FOR, UH, OFFERING OUR TAX DOLLARS FOR PROMOTING THAT IN OUR STATE LEGISLATURE. UH, NOT, AND IN THE PAST, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE, SHE, UH, MS. SANDOVAL HAS VOTED FOR A PLANNED PARENTHOOD ABORTIONIST TO BE OUR MEDICAL AUTHORITY FOR OUR LOCAL PROGRAMS. HERE I'M TALKING ABOUT, UH, DR. JUNE DW ALSO, UH, CHUCK'S, UH, IN THE LAST SIX YEARS THAT, UH, MS. SANDOVAL'S BEEN HERE, SHE HAS VOTED TO, UH, BAN THE, UH, CHICK-FIL-A RESTAURANT FROM THE AIRPORT. THE, UH, UH, BASICALLY DISCRIMINATING AGAINST THE, UH, THE CHRISTIAN PRO TRADITIONAL PRO-FAMILY, UH, COMPANY AT THE, AT THE AIRPORT THERE. UH, SHE ALSO IN 2018 VOTED FOR THE HOMOSEXUAL RAINBOW COLORED CROSSWALK WITH ABOUT, UH, 12,000 OF OUR TAX DOLLARS THERE. UH, IN 2017 REGARDING OUR MONEY, UM, MS. SANDOVAL VOTED FOR A UTIL UTILITY WATER UTILITY RATE INCREASE, NOT FOR JUST ONE YEAR, BUT A SECOND YEAR OF INCREASES AS WELL. UH, IN, UH, 2018, SHE VOTED AGAINST THE VOTERS HAVING A CHANCE TO HAVE A PUBLIC BALLOT, UH, VOTE ON THE YES, THE PAID SICK LEAVE. HAVE JUST, UH, UH, UH, WHAT IS IT, UH, MAKING IT LAW BY FIAT WITH YOU THE REST OF THE CITY COUNCIL. UH, SHE AND, UH, AND, UH, 2020 SHE, UH, WITH, BY OTHER CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN, IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE, UM, COMMUNISTIC BLACK LIVES MATTER DISRUPTORS. AND, AND THEN, AND THEY'RE DEFUND THE POLICE PROPOSAL BY RAISING HER CLENCHED FIST. OH, YEAH. YES. UH, SHE ALSO, AND, AND, UH, HERE'S MY FAVORITE. AND JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, SHE, SHE INVITE MS. SANDOVAL, SHE INVITED AN ATHEIST, AN ATHEIST TO GIVE THE INVOCATION TO OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THAT WAS A HOOT, IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THAT VIDEO. YES. UH, UH, SHE, 2018, SHE ALSO VOTED TO REMOVE THE ALAMO CTA FROM ITS PRESIDENT, WHICH, UH, YEAH. OH GOODNESS. SO MANY SCANDALS. THANK YOU MR. FINGER. SO LITTLE TIME. WELL, AS MUCH AS ALL OF US UP HERE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MUTED THE LAST THREE MINUTES, I CAN SPEAK FOR COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, THAT, UM, SHE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE CHAMPIONS OF THIS DIOCESE OF PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESS TO, UH, YOUR PUBLIC HOUSE. SO I, I KNOW THAT SHE WAS PROBABLY, UM, GRATEFUL THAT WE HAD TO SUFFER THROUGH THAT. BUT, UM, WE'RE NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT FEW MINUTES BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE TO A, UH, VERY BELOVED COLLEAGUE. BUT, UM, LET ME GO AHEAD AND TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO COUNCIL [03:00:01] MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I REALLY FEEL LIKE THE PUBLIC SPEAKER STOLE ALL MY, I WAS ABOUT TO RECOUNT ALL MY WINS ON COUNCIL, AND, EXCUSE ME, WHILE I, WHILE I SAVOR A COUGH DROP IN MY MOUTH, UM, I'M DOING SOMETHING THAT I WOULD NEVER, EVER CONDONE IN ANYBODY ELSE, WHICH IS SHOWING UP WITH GERMS IN A COLD TO TO WORK. BUT I HOPE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY, WHY I AM HERE TODAY. JUST DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING THAT I'VE TOUCHED. OKAY. I WANT TO START BY THANKING, OH, I'M GONNA HAVE THIS IN MY MOUTH FOR THE PICTURES. I'M SORRY. . I WANNA START BY THANKING ABOVE ALL THE DISTRICT SEVEN COMMUNITY. I'M GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR TRUSTING ME TO REPRESENT YOU. IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE YOU. THE PAST FIVE AND A HALF YEARS HAVE BEEN AS REWARDING AS THEY HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING. NO JOB HAS BEEN AS TOUGH OR AS MEANINGFUL TO ME AS THIS ONE. IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE ON THIS COUNCIL ALONGSIDE YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND MANY OTHER TALENTED COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE MOVED ON. I THANK EACH OF YOU FOR YOUR COLLEGIALITY, YOUR SUPPORT AND EXCITEMENT AS I VENTURED INTO MOTHERHOOD, COUNCILWOMEN THREE AND FOUR AND FIVE AND SIX. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT BEAUTIFUL BABY SHOWER THAT, THAT YOU THREW. UM, AND COUNCILWOMAN GABRIEL HDA, YOU MAKE ME FEEL YOUNG AGAIN BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN SCHOOL. LIKE TWO, TWO GIRLS SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER IN SCHOOL HERE. YEAH. UM, I ALSO WANT TO THANK THOSE IN THE DISTRICT AND BEYOND THE DISTRICT WHO HELPED ME COME TO THIS PLACE. ONE OF THEM IS HERE, MATT, UM, OH, ERIC TOO. , MATT, ERIC, NATALIE RYAN. AND THERE WERE SO MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS THAT I CAN'T NAME. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY FAMILY WHO PUT UP WITH SO MUCH DURING THIS TIME AND WHO HELPED ME GET HERE. I INVITED YOU TO COME TODAY AT 10 I, YOU PROBABLY DID NOT KNOW YOU WOULD BE HERE FOR THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA REENACTED. UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, JULIE. I KNOW YOU'VE GOT SOME SOURDOUGH CONCHE TO BAKE FOR YOUR MARKET THIS SATURDAY. NANCY AND SASSY, I KNOW YOU'VE GOT STUDENTS TO TEACH THAT ARE WAITING FOR YOU. AND AGAIN, SORRY. I TRIED TO PREDICT THE TIME WE WOULD GET TO THIS AND I WAS WAY, WAY OFF. I TOOK ON THE CANDIDACY FOR DISTRICT SEVEN THE SAME WAY I TOOK ON STUDYING ENGINEERING OR DECIDING TO BE AN ENGINEER, NEVER HAVING MET AN ENGINEER AND NEVER KNOWING WHAT AN ENGINEER DID, HAVING NO IDEA WHAT AN ENGINEER DID. BUT I WAS MOVED TO RUN BECAUSE OF WHAT I SAW IN MY COMMUNITY. I SAW BEAUTIFUL PROGRESS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY, AND I SAW THE SAME OR WORSE IN OTHER PARTS, PARTICULARLY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF SHIFTING SOIL. THERE CONTINUED TO BE DRAINAGE ISSUES, SIDEWALKS THAT WEREN'T BUILT AND CHILDREN THAT WALKED TO SCHOOL IN PUDDLES FOR MORE EXTREME WEATHER. THAT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. I ALSO RAN BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE TO GET LEFT BEHIND FROM THE GROWTH THAT SAN ANTONIO WAS EXPERIENCING, THE GROWTH AND WEALTH THAT SAN ANTONIO WAS EXPERIENCING. AND WE HAVE LONGSTANDING RESIDENCES, PEOPLE WHO ARE DESCENDANTS OF THE FOUNDERS OF SAN ANTONIO THAT DESERVE TO SHARE IN THAT WEALTH AND THAT GROWTH. I ALSO TOOK ON THIS CAN THE, THE CANDIDACY TO HELP IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF SAN ANTONIANS AND TO HELP AND TO HELP RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENT. GOSH, THIS LIST IS LONG. AND TO FIND A WAY TO IMPROVE THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN THIS BODY AND THE RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE COLLECTIVELY MADE PROGRESS ON THESE FRONTS. OUR GROWTH GUIDELINES AND INCENTIVE POLICIES ARE DIFFERENT FROM WHERE THEY WERE FIVE YEARS AGO. AND FOR THE BETTER, WE HAVE GROWN OUR PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT TREMENDOUSLY AND PUT OUR OWN MONEY BEHIND THEIR GOALS. AND LAST YEAR, THIS LAST CA BUDGET YEAR, WE APPROVED A NINE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR A YEAR INVESTMENT IN RESILIENCY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY. BUT THE TRUTH IS, THOSE ARE NOT THE ISSUES THAT COMMUNITIES SEND YOU TO CITY HALL FOR . WHEN YOU KNOCK ON THOSE DOORS, WHAT THEY SEND YOU TO CITY HALL [03:05:01] FOR IS BECAUSE THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THEY CAN TAKE A WALK ON THEIR BLOCK BECAUSE TRAFFIC RUNS TOO FAST OR BECAUSE THERE IS NO SIDEWALK, OR THEY SEND YOU TO CITY HALL BECAUSE THEY HOPE THAT YOU WILL GET THOSE LIGHTS FIXED AT THAT PARK THAT'S NEVER HAD THE LIGHTS WORKING. SO THE TRUTH IS, I DON'T SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS MYSELF. I ONLY ASK THE CITY STAFF TO SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS. SO THANK YOU CITY STAFF FOR WORKING WITH US. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVEN THOUGH OUR NAMES ARE ON THAT BALLOT FOR REELECTION, I'VE SAID BEFORE, IT IS REALLY YOUR COUNCIL STAFF THAT PEOPLE ARE VOTING FOR AND THE WORK THAT THEY DO. SO I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE CITY COUN, CITY COUNCIL STAFF THAT I'VE HAD THE HONOR OF WORKING WITH OVER THE PAST FIVE AND A HALF YEARS. AND THOSE THAT HAVE MOVED ON, INCLUDING JOE AND BIANCA AND SEAN, WHO'S NOW A DISTRICT TWO, AND EMILY, WHO'S NOW IN ELI, TEXAS. AND OF COURSE MY CURRENT TEAM, THE ROCK STARS. I'LL START WITH CONSTITUENT SERVICES STAFF. ERIC, YOU'VE WORKED LONG HOURS DRIVEN ALL OVER THE DISTRICT AND I CANNOT OPEN MY EMAIL, MY PHONE WITHOUT RECEIVING A, A COMPLIMENT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK. I SENT YOU THE TEXT I GOT LAST WEEK, BUT A FEW DAYS AGO I WAS AT A PAR AT A WALK ON A WALK AT LEE CREEK PARK AND A HOMEOWNER FROM THE INSPIRATION HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD WALKED UP TO ME TO SAY HE WAS SORRY I WAS LEAVING. BUT THAT ERIC, HE WAS REALLY GREAT AND THAT HE HOPES YOU STICK AROUND. ALI, ARE YOU HERE? UH, THERE YOU ARE. I KEEP THINKING THAT THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A PART OF YOUR RESUME MISSING BECAUSE YOU'VE NEVER WORKED IN A COUNCIL OFFICE BEFORE, BUT YOU HIT THE GROUND RUNNING THE DAY YOU GOT HERE. YOU ARE NOT INTIMIDATED BY ANYTHING. AND GIRL, YOU HAVE GOT HUSTLE. AND I LOVE THAT. I TOLD ANDREW I WISH I COULD TAKE YOU WITH ME TO MY NEW JOB. ANDREW'S SHAKING HIS HEAD NO. UM, VANESSA, WHOM WE STOLE FROM CITY STAFF, THANK YOU FOR YOUR POSITIVITY AND FOR SHARING THAT ROSARY RECITED BY MARKY MARK. THANKS CATHERINE. SO QUIET. I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T LIKE ME FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS ON, ON STAFF, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR SOLID WORK IN, IN POLICY, ESPECIALLY IN HEALTH POLICY. ANDREW, I WON THE LOTTERY WHEN IT COMES TO CHIEFS OF STAFF WITH YOU. NO OFFENSE TO ANYBODY ELSE'S CHIEFS OF STAFF, BUT YOU HAVE A CALM THAT WE REALLY NEEDED IN OUR OFFICE. AND UM, NO ONE HAS EVER MADE ME FEEL SO MUCH LIKE I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF AS YOU HAVE. GOD. I SAID I WASN'T GONNA CRY. UM, OKAY. AND MATEO, YOU ARE NOT ONLY A GOOD EMPLOYEE, BUT SOMETIMES YOU ARE A MIND READER. YOU'VE BEEN WITH ME SINCE BEFORE THE BEGINNING, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS A SINGLE ACHIEVEMENT I HAVE MADE WITHOUT YOU AND YOUR HELP. TRACY. UM, YOU'RE NOT HERE, BUT YOU'RE PROBABLY WATCHING THIS. UM, I'VE BEEN WANTING TO WORK WITH YOU SINCE JUNE 1ST, 2017 AND IT FINALLY HAPPENED IN 2021, SO IT'S REALLY BITTERSWEET TO LE TO LEAVE YOU. UM, BUT CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEXT COUNCIL MEMBER WHO GETS TO WORK WITH TRACY, WHOEVER YOU ARE. UM, I ALSO WISH TO RECOGNIZE THE DEDICATION AND TALENT OF OUR CITY STAFF. SEEING THEIR WORK FIRSTHAND HAS FILLED ME WITH A VERY DEEP APPRECIATION FOR THE PEOPLE WHO TIRELESSLY SERVE OUR NEIGHBORS. MY CITY MANAGER OFFICE LIAISONS, ROD SANCHEZ, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING WITH THAT REMODEL IN THE OFFICE. I FELT LIKE IT WAS NEVER GONNA GET DONE UNTIL YOU CAME ALONG AND YOU HELPED WITH SO MANY OTHER THINGS. AND MR. MCCAREY FOR ALWAYS TAKING MY IDEAS AND, AND SUGGESTIONS SO SERIOUSLY. UM, THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE, BUT IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT I LEAVE WITH EXTREME GRATITUDE AND THE UTMOST AWE OF THE WORK OF DEPUTY CITY MANAGER MARIA GOMEZ. I HOPE THERE IS SOMEONE HALF AS COMPETENT, THOROUGH, AND PROFESSIONAL AS YOU. AT MY NEW JOB WHEN I CAME TO COUNCIL, I HAD A BAZILLION IDEAS AND LOTS OF MOTIVATION, BUT I FORGOT THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO WORKS AT THE CITY ALREADY HAS A FULL-TIME JOB AND THEY JUST CAN'T DROP WHAT THEY'RE DOING BECAUSE OF AN IDEA, UH, THAT [03:10:01] YOU HAVE. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE WITH ME AND WORKING IT THROUGH. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE MORE LEFT TO DO EVEN IF WE STAY HERE AND TERM OUT. BUT I WILL RESIGN MYSELF WITH THE WORK LEFT UNDONE AND I LEAVE IT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TODAY. I AM IN A DIFFERENT PLACE IN MY LIFE THAN I WAS IN 2017, AND IT'S TIME FOR ME TO FOCUS MORE ON MY PERSONAL LIFE BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL, AND I KNOW THIS MOMENT WON'T EVER RETURN. SHORTLY AFTER MY RESIGNATION ANNOUNCEMENT, NEWS BROKE THAT THE PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND WOULD NOT SEEK REELECTION AND WOULD ALSO STEP DOWN. I LIKE TO JOKE THAT WE SHARED OUR SPEAKING POINTS IN ADVANCE OR THAT WE COORDINATED IN SOME WAY, BUT IN ALL HONESTY, HER COMMENTS WERE REALLY GOOD. AND WHILE IT IS ABSOLUTELY PRESUMPTUOUS TO COMPARE MYSELF TO A NATIONAL LEADER, I ASK YOU TO HUMOR ME FOR A FEW MOMENTS BECAUSE SHE SAID THIS MUCH BETTER THAN I CAN. THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST FULFILLING FIVE AND A HALF YEARS OF MY LIFE. LITERALLY, SHE WAS THERE FIVE AND A HALF YEARS JUST LIKE ME, OKAY? BUT IT ALSO HAD ITS CHALLENGES. I'M NOT LEAVING BECAUSE IT WAS HARD. HAD THAT BEEN THE CASE, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE DEPARTED TWO MONTHS INTO THE JOB I'M LEAVING BECAUSE WITH SUCH A PRIVILEGED ROLE COMES RESPONSIBILITY, THE RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW WHEN YOU ARE THE RIGHT PERSON TO LEAD, AND ALSO WHEN YOU ARE NOT. I KNOW WHAT THIS JOB TAKES, AND I KNOW THAT I NO LONGER HAVE ENOUGH IN THE TANK TO DO IT JUSTICE. IT'S THAT SIMPLE. AS YOU ALL KNOW, I'M SHARING MY TANK NOW WITH MY FAMILY AND MY DAUGHTER. I KNOW THERE WILL BE MUCH DISCUSSION IN THE AFTERMATH OF THIS DECISION AS TO WHAT THE SO-CALLED REAL REASON WAS. I CAN TELL YOU THAT WHAT I AM SHARING TODAY IS IT. THE ONLY INTERESTING ANGLE THAT YOU WILL FIND IS THAT AFTER GOING ON SIX YEARS OF SOME OF THE BIG CHALLENGES, I AM HUMAN. POLITICIANS ARE HUMAN. WE GIVE ALL THAT WE CAN FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN. AND THEN IT'S TIME. AND FOR ME IT'S TIME. NOW, BACK TO ME. UM, I WANNA TELL MY CONSTITUENTS THAT I DID EVERYTHING I COULD TO TRY TO MAKE THIS VACANCY THAT I'M LEAVING AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE. I AM ONE OF THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO CHOSE TO DO THIS AS A FULL-TIME JOB BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I FELT YOU DESERVED. AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I FELT I COULD DO IT JUSTICE. HOWEVER, THE DECISION FOR THE TIMELINE IS NOT IN MY HANDS. AND I MUST RESPECT THE WILL OF THE MAYOR AND THIS COUNCIL. AS I LEAVE, I WANNA MENTION A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I WON'T MISS ON COUNCIL. NO, NONE OF YOU HERE. UM, JUST KIDDING. UM, GETTING THAT MICROSOFT CODE FROM MY CELL PHONE WITH WHAT FEELS LIKE EVERY TIME I WANT TO LOG IN TO CHECK MY EMAIL AND VYING FOR THE FRONT SPOT ON THE BARGE AT THE FIESTA RIVER PARADE. DANG, THAT IS HARD TO DO. EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE THERE. UM, BUT THINGS I WILL MISS ARE ACTUALLY LUNCH IN EXECUTIVE SESSION WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHEN WE CAN BE JUST PEOPLE FOR A FEW MINUTES WITH ONE ANOTHER WITHOUT CAMERAS, WITHOUT ANY AGENDA, EXCEPT GETTING OUR FAIR SHARE OF THAT CAKE OF WHOEVER'S BIRTHDAY IT WAS. AND I'LL MISS THAT CONNECTION WITH THE CONSTITUENT WHEN YOU SIT NEXT TO THEM AT THE LIBRARY OR IN OPEN OFFICE HOURS AND THEY COME WITH YOU WITH A PROBLEM THAT YOU KNOW, IT MUST BE IN THE HANDS OF THE CITY TO SOLVE AND WANTING TO DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO HELP THEM WITH THAT CRAZY INTERSECTION OR HOW THE DRIVERS KEEP CRASHING INTO THAT FENCE OF THEIRS. THOSE ARE MY WORDS FOR TODAY. UH, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR, FOR HUMORING ME AND I WANNA THANK MY FAMILY FOR, FOR BEING HERE. I AND I'LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE AS CRUZ SAID. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UM, SO, UH, I THINK, [03:15:01] UH, WE ALL WANNA MAKE A FEW COMMENTS, I BELIEVE SO IF I COULD ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO, TO USE THE Q SYSTEM. UH, AND LEMME JUST GO AHEAD AND START BY, UM, RECOGNIZING THE OBVIOUS. UM, WE'RE, WE'RE LOSING FROM THE DAIS, UH, AN EXPERIENCED MEMBER OF COUNCIL WHO HAS A QUITE A LONG LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, UH, AND DEDICATION TO THE CITY. UH, A LOT OF WHICH I'VE GOTTEN TO OBSERVE 'CAUSE OUR TERMS HAVE OVERLAPPED. UH, YOUR DEDICATION TO HEALTH EQUITY, WHICH IS SORT OF WHAT'S TAKING INTO A PROFESSIONAL, UH, ROUTE NOW, UH, YOUR SAFETY, UH, MINDEDNESS ON ENSURING THAT NO MATTER WHAT MODE OF TRANSPORTATION YOU USE IN THIS CITY, YOU CAN GET TO WHERE YOU'RE GOING SAFELY. UH, I'M PARTICULARLY, UH, INSPIRED BY YOUR PERSISTENCE ON THE BANDERA CORRIDOR, WHICH HOPEFULLY SOON WILL NO LONGER BE ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS STRETCHES OF ROADWAYS IN OUR CITY. BECAUSE OF YOUR WORK. YOU MENTIONED THE RESILIENCY, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY FUND, UH, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS YOUR BRAINCHILD, THAT BECAUSE OF YOUR WORK IS NOW PART OF OUR CITY, UH, FOREVER. UM, AND NO ONE CAN FORGET, OBVIOUSLY, UH, YOUR CONTINUED LEGACY WITH REGARD TO THE STEWARDSHIP AND OUR CLIMATE ACTION ADAPTATION PLAN. BUT WHAT I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE VALUED AND, AND WILL MISS, WHICH IS THAT I'VE BROUGHT INTO THE OFFICE, UH, THE SAME PERSPECTIVE I THINK, UH, YOU SHARE, WHICH IS THAT THE REAL WORK OF THIS COUNCIL, UM, WILL NOT BE FELT IN THE TIME THAT WE'RE IN OFFICE AND PERHAPS NOT EVEN THE TIME WE'RE ALIVE. UM, THE REAL WORK, UM, THAT WE WILL BE KNOWN FOR IF WE DO IT WELL, WILL LIVE WELL PAST THE TIME WE'RE AROUND AND HOPEFULLY LOOKING BACK ON IT, OUR CHILDREN WILL BE PROUD OF THE TIME THAT WE SERVED UP HERE. UM, I HAVE NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT ISADORA, UH, WILL BE PROUD OF YOUR TENURE AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IN SAN ANTONIO. AND, AND FOR THAT, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SERVED WITH YOU AND TO WORK ALONGSIDE YOU. I DO WANNA SAY TO YOUR CITY COUNCIL STAFF, UH, ANDREW AND THE TEAM, UH, THEY ARE PHENOMENAL MEMBERS OF THIS ORGANIZATION. UH, THEIR SERVICE WILL CONTINUE, UH, AND I THINK YOU'VE INSPIRED THEM TO DO THAT, UH, IN YOUR SHADOW. UM, BUT, UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUED WORK, UH, WITH CITY COUNCIL STAFF AND DISTRICT SEVEN, WHO DOES A GREAT JOB FOR OUR ENTIRE CITY, NOT JUST THE DISTRICT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ANNA, FOR YOUR DEDICATION, YOUR PASSION, UH, YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THE CITY. AND WE ARE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE. LEMME GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER KEOTA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR NOT, UH, MAKING ME GO RIGHT AFTER HER TOO. 'CAUSE THAT WAS A REALLY BEAUTIFUL SPEECH. BUT, UM, UH, SO I'M NOT GONNA LOOK AT YOU WHILE I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE, UH, I'VE ALREADY ALMOST ABOUT TO CRY. SO, UM, BUT I THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. I'M GONNA LOOK AT YOU NOW AND SAY, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE TIME AND DEDICATION THAT YOU'VE GIVEN TO THE CITIZENS OF DISTRICT SIX AND OUR BELOVED SAN ANTONIO. WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER A LONG TIME, BUT WE'VE REALLY GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER THESE LAST FEW YEARS, AS YOU SAID, KIND OF, UM, LIKE SCHOOL GIRLS, KIND OF, UH, JOKING AND LAUGHING BECAUSE WE, WE DO NEED TO DO THAT TO GET THROUGH THE DAY SOMETIMES. YOU'VE BEEN A LEADING VOICE ON THIS AND PREVIOUS COUNCILS, UM, AND YOU'VE BEEN THEIR CONSCIENCE REALLY ON CLIMATE INITIATIVES, HEALTH EQUITY, AND WOMEN'S ISSUES. I CHERISH THE HONOR I SHARED WITH YOU AND OTHER, UH, WOMEN ON THE COUNCIL, UH, TO SERVE ON THE FIRST WOMAN MAJORITY CITY COUNCIL. I DON'T TAKE THAT LIGHTLY. YOUR WORK WILL HAVE A LASTING EFFECT ON OUR CITY, AND I'M GRATEFUL TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT BY YOUR SIDE ON THIS DAIS. I ATTENDED A CUB SCOUT ASSEMBLY THE OTHER DAY IN BRONZE STATION, UH, AND A NUMBER OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS MADE A POINT TO COME, COME AND TELL ME. UM, PLEASE LET MY COUNCILWOMAN, UH, KNOW THAT WE APPRECIATE THE WORK SHE'S DONE. PLEASE THANK HER AND PLEASE SAY THAT WE'RE, TELL HER WE'RE DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU'RE LEAVING, BUT THAT THEY RESPECT YOUR DECISION. SO, I, I THINK THERE'S NO HIGHER PRAISE IN THIS JOB. SO WELL DONE TO YOUR STAFF. I THINK THAT YOU HAVE INSPIRED PROBABLY A LOT MORE THAN JUST YOUR STAFF, BUT ALL THE, ALL THE PEOPLE ON YOUR STAFF WHO I'M SURE ONE DAY WILL RUN FOR OFFICE OR RUN CAMPAIGNS, UM, YOU'VE GIVEN THEM A GREAT BASE AND A WONDERFUL STARTING POINT. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF YOUR FUTURES. UM, I MISS THE WAY, I WILL MISS THE WAY THAT YOU'VE CHALLENGED US TO THINK REALLY DEEPLY ON EVERY ISSUE AND MAKE IT A POINT TO CONTINUE YOUR CALL FOR THIS COUNCIL TO PUSH BOUNDARIES AND CONSIDER POSSIBILITIES. BUT I WILL MOST MISS YOUR INTELLIGENCE, YOUR UNIQUE POINT OF VIEW, AND YOUR KILLER SENSE OF HUMOR. I'M NOT SURE PEOPLE REALLY KNOW THAT ABOUT YOU. WELL, I'M DISAPPOINTED TO LOSE YOU AS A COLLEAGUE. I, I DEEPLY RESPECT YOUR DECISION AND THE REASONS BEHIND IT BY SHOWING YOUR HUMANITY. YOU'VE LIFTED THE VEIL A LITTLE BIT FOR ALL OF US. SO WE APPRECIATE THAT. I KNOW WE'LL CONTINUE THE FRIENDSHIP WE FOSTERED HERE, AND I KNOW WE'LL CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM YOU. IN FACT, I'M COUNTING ON IT, BUT GOD BLESS YOU. YOUR BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL IS ADORA AND YOUR WHOLE FAMILY ON YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE, WE HAVE SOMETHING, A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR YOU, . [03:20:02] ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KIO HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, COUNCILMAN, I'LL START OFF BY LETTING YOU KNOW THAT YESTERDAY, AND THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, PEOPLE CONFUSE YOU AND I AND YESTERDAY, SOMEBODY, UH, CONGRATULATED ME, BUT IT WAS REALLY SAD THAT I WAS STEPPING DOWN FROM CITY COUNCIL, OR ACTUALLY SHE SAID RETIRING. AND I WAS LIKE, OH, WELL, AND I WAS TRYING TO SAY, WELL, IT'S NOT ME, BUT I, I, I SAID, I I WILL GIVE HER, UH, YOUR BEST. AND SO IT WAS REALLY CUTE. BUT I'M ALSO HONORED TO HAVE, UM, BEEN PART OF THE FIRST ELECTED WOMEN MAJORITY GROUP WITH YOU. AND SO I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE DAY OF OUR INDUCTION AND THAT YOUR PARENTS WERE HERE AND THEY SPOKE SPANISH, BUT I WAS VERY EXCITED BECAUSE MY PARENTS HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO SOMEONE. UM, AND MY PARENTS DON'T USUALLY GET TO TALK TO ANYONE. SO I THINK YOU AND I BONDED OVER THAT RIGHT AWAY AND MADE SURE THAT WE SPOKE UP FOR SPANISH SPEAKING FAMILIES. UH, IN SAN ANTONIO, YOU'RE CHAMPIONING THE LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN WAS INCREDIBLE. UM, I WILL ALWAYS BE THANKFUL FOR YOU FOR DOING THAT. SO, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES THAT NEEDED THAT, WHO HADN'T HAD THAT VOICE AT THE TABLE. IT WAS, IT WAS ALL THANKS TO YOU, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE IT, AND MY PARENTS APPRECIATE IT TOO. SO THEY ALWAYS ASK ABOUT ANNA. UM, I THINK I'VE TOLD YOU BEFORE, MY, MY MOM ALWAYS CALLS EVERYONE LA OREL, SO IT'S LANA AND LA AND ANYWAY, SO IT'S REALLY CUTE, BUT SHE FEELS REALLY COMFORTABLE AND THEY ACTUALLY WATCH NOW. SO THEY'RE PROBABLY WATCHING RIGHT NOW, AND THEY SEND THEIR BEST. UM, I, I ALSO AM REALLY PROUD THAT WE STICK TOGETHER AS WOMEN ON DIFFERENT ISSUES. AND I REMEMBER, UH, UH, THERE WAS ONE TIME WHEN A A A PERSON WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED, UM, SAID THAT YOU NEEDED TO PUT THE FORK DOWN. AND I WENT, BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT CAKE EARLIER. AND I WENT AND I GRABBED A SLICE OF CAKE TOO, AND WE WERE FUNNY ABOUT IT, AND WE EACH TOOK A SLIGHT A BITE EVERY TIME THAT WE WERE BEING LOOKED AT BY THAT PERSON. AND I THINK THAT WAS THE MOST FUN DAY FOR ME ON THE DAIS. AND I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY ELSE NOTICED THAT, BUT WE DID IT TOGETHER. AND SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE THERE FOR YOU. I'LL NEVER FORGET THE COVID VACCINE TIMES. WE SPENT HOURS AND HOURS DURING A WINTER BREAK. YOU GAVE UP YOUR TIME AND YOU JUST WERE SUCH A CHAMPION FOR THE SOUTH SIDE FROM YOUR SIDE OF TOWN AS WELL. SO YOU KNEW WE WERE LEAVING, BEING LEFT BEHIND. AND YOU AS A CHAIR OF HEALTH AND EQUITY, UM, WERE INSTRUMENTAL AND THERE'S NO WAY THAT WE COULD HAVE BROUGHT VACCINES TO THE SOUTH SIDE WITHOUT YOU ALSO SUPPORTING US. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, THE C O APP ROLLOUT, UH, THAT WAS SOMETHING REALLY COOL THAT I, I DIDN'T THINK THAT COULD BE DONE IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BUT I HAD YOUR SUPPORT AS WELL. AND AS ONE OF THE FRESHMEN ON, ON COUNCIL, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I COULD DO MUCH WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF SOMEONE LIKE YOU. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THE NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP RENEW AMERICANS NATURAL NATURALIZATION TOUR ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY WAS SO SPECIAL TO ME. UM, WE HAD WOMEN, ALL WOMEN IN THE CHAMBER THAT WERE TAKING THEIR US CITIZENSHIP PLEDGE, AND THAT WAS ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT AND MEANINGFUL TIME FOR ME THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET. AND I SAW THAT YOU USED ONE OF THOSE PICTURES IN YOUR GOODBYE VIDEO, AND I WAS JUST SO, SO MOVED AND SO TOUCHED. UM, THE PROACTIVE APARTMENT INSPECTION TASK FORCE, UH, ANOTHER ONE THAT IS MUCH NEEDED AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO WORK ON YOUR BEHALF, UM, WITH THE TENANTS BILL OF RIGHTS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT WE ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS WEEK. AND IN THE COLD AND AND RAINY WEATHER, THE, UH, APARTMENTS AT SEVEN OAKS, THE RESIDENTS WHO YOU HELPED OUT OF YOUR CAMPAIGN FUNDS, NOT OUT OF CITY FUNDING. YOU IMMEDIATELY PLUGGED IN AND YOU SAID, I WANT TO HELP. THAT'S THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH IN THE FUTURE. WHO'S GONNA TAKE YOUR SEAT, RIGHT? AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BIG VOID TO FILL, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE WORKING ALSO ON HEALTH EQUITY. YOU HELPED WITH ALL SORTS OF HEALTH, HEALTH EQUITY. YOU OPENED TWO NEW PARKS, YOU HELPED WITH THE EQUITY ALONG BANDURA ROAD THAT HAD LONG BEEN FORGOTTEN AS WELL. AND THAT'S ALL PART OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH EQUITY IS WHAT YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DO. AND I WANTED TO FOCUS ON, ON YOUR WINS TODAY AND STANDING UP FOR YOUR RESIDENTS AND ALSO STANDING UP FOR ALL WOMEN ACROSS SAN ANTONIO. I'M ESPECIALLY PROUD THAT YOU GET TO CALL YOURSELF A MOM NOW. AND ISDA IS GOING TO BE PROUD OF ALL OF THE WORK THAT HER MOM DID TO CHAMPION ALSO THE GIRLS SUMMIT, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU WERE ONE OF THE ONES THAT VOTED FOR THE GIRLS EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT ONE DAY. SHE'S GONNA BE PARTICIPATING IN THE GIRLS EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT. [03:25:01] AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. AND THANK YOU TO YOUR STAFF. YOUR STAFF HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY PROFESSIONAL. UM, THEY ARE ALWAYS THERE. IF, IF I LOOK LOST, THEY'LL, THEY'LL VOLUNTEER IF I CAN'T FIND MY STAFF. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING THERE AS WELL. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WOULD'VE MISS, UH, JUST LOOKING OVER, UM, ACROSS THE DAAS AND JUST WE, I I THINK THAT WE HAVE THIS CONNECTION, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE WERE WEARING MASKS. I THINK OUR MOUTH DROPPED OPEN AT SOME THINGS THAT WE WOULD HEAR, BUT WE COULDN'T SEE IT, AND I COULD SEE IT IN YOUR EYES. SO, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR YOUR WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND HEALTH EQUITY. WE'LL CONTINUE TO NEED YOU TO HELP US WITH HEALTH EQUITY. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON IN THE SOUTH SIDE THAT I'M SURE YOU WILL BE A PART OF IN THE WEEKS, MONTHS, AND YEARS TO COME THAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO. SO THANK YOU, . THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER R GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER MKE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I'LL START OFF BY SAYING THAT I'M A PISCES AND THAT WHENEVER I WATCH THE PART OF REALITY SHOWS WHERE FAMILIES ARE RECONNECTED, I CRY. SO I HAVE A, I'M GONNA TRY NOT TO BE OVERLY EMOTIONAL WITH THIS, BUT COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL, UH, ANA, THANK YOU FOR THE LEADERSHIP THAT YOU'VE MODELED OVER THE PAST. I'M GONNA GIVE YOU SIX YEARS BECAUSE I THINK EVEN DURING THE CAMPAIGN, WE GET TO, WE GET TO COUNT SOME OF THAT, UM, SIX, ALMOST SIX YEARS OF SERVING THE PEOPLE OF DISTRICT SEVEN AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AS A WHOLE. AND COUNCIL COUNCILMAN COURAGE SAYS THIS ALL THE TIME, THAT WE'RE NOT JUST, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR OUR DISTRICT, BUT FOR THE WHOLE CITY. AND, YOU KNOW, WE GET TO HEAR FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THE DIOCESE THAT THEY LIKE, AND WHO IS IT THAT THEY DON'T LIKE, AND WHO, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THAT. AND VERY CONSISTENTLY IN MY DISTRICT, YOU ARE, YOU ARE LOVED. AND SO I WANT TO RELAY THAT TO YOU. UM, WHEN I WAS ELECTED, YOU OFFERED ME KINDNESS, FRIENDSHIP, AND WISDOM. AND I'M EXTREMELY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT. AND I'M GONNA MISS, I'M GONNA MISS, UH, A NUMBER OF THINGS ABOUT YOU, RIGHT? BUT, UM, SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF FOLK DON'T REALIZE IS THIS IS A VERY, UM, TAXING AND CHALLENGING ROLE, AND NOTHING PREPARES YOU FOR BEING A, UM, A REGULAR ULAR PERSON WHO IS NOW THRUST INTO THE PUBLIC LIGHT. AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO, WANT TO HATE YOU AND WANT TO SEE YOU HURT IN SOME WAY, NO MATTER HOW MUCH GOOD YOU TRY TO DO. AND I KNOW THAT I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO, UM, COUNT ON YOU AS A, AS A SHOULDER AND AS A EAR. AND, UM, I FEEL LIKE I, I'VE MADE THE COMPARISON TO YOU MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE, BUT YOU REMIND ME SO MUCH OF MY MOM, AND IT'S GONNA BE A REAL, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE SO SAD TO BE, TO NOT SEE, TO ME, TO NOT SEE YOU RIGHT THERE. AND I WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY TWO MORE YEARS OF SEEING YOU THERE. BUT, UM, I'M PROUD OF YOU FOR MAKING THIS DECISION FOR YOUR FAMILY. AND MOST PEOPLE WON'T KNOW HOW DIFFICULT THAT WAS FOR YOU TO DO THAT AND MAKE THAT DECISION AS A MEMBER OF THE CHECK COMMITTEE. IT WAS AN HONOR TO WORK ALONGSIDE YOU ON SOME OF THE CITY'S MOST PRESSING MATTERS. AND YOU'VE LED COUNCIL TO A MORE, UH, BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND ENSURED THAT WE ACT TO PROTECT OUR PLANET AND OUR FUTURE BECAUSE OF YOUR WORK TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC ACCESS, INCLUDING LANGUAGE JUSTICE AND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES LIKE TRANSPORTATION AND CHILDCARE. MORE SAN ANTONIOS WILL BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR CITY GOVERNMENT THE WAY THAT WE HOPE TO, AND THE WAY THAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE, UM, EMBARK ON A JOURNEY LIKE CITY COUNCIL. YOU CARE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, YOUR CARE FOR OUR COMMUNITY SHINES THROUGH, UM, AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. AND WE'RE GONNA MISS YOUR SINCERITY, YOUR HUMILITY, AND YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS ON THE DAIS. UM, I'LL MAKE A QUICK JOKE THAT IF I DID HAVE A VACANCY IN MY STAFF, I PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, I NOW WOULD BE THE PERFECT TIME. AND SO I'M SURE IF ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS DO HAVE A VACANCY, YOUR STAFF WILL BE THE FIRST, UH, THE FIRST TO GO. I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STANDING UP FOR THE MOST MARGINALIZED IN OUR CITY, INCLUDING THE TENANTS OF, UH, SEVEN OAKS AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WHO ENJOY, UH, THE HARSH ELEMENTS WHILE WORKING OUTDOORS. AND OUR CITY IS MUCH BETTER FOR IT AS YOUR FRIEND. YOU KNOW, I, I WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ALL THE BEST IN YOUR NEXT CHAPTER. RA HAS AN INCREDIBLE MOTHER WHOM SHE'S GOING TO BE VERY PROUD OF WHEN SHE IS, UM, ABLE TO HEAR AND UNDERSTAND THE LEGACY AND IMPACT THAT YOU'VE HAD AND THAT YOU LEAVE ON OUR CITY. UM, AND THAT YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO NOT INSIDE OF CITY COUNCIL, BUT OUTSIDE OF CITY COUNCIL. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR, UH, TO ALL OF THE, UH, CONSTITUENTS THAT, UM, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL SERVED OVER THE YEARS. UM, I, I GUARANTEE YOU, YOU ARE LOSING A, UM, A ZEALOUS FIGHTER, UH, OF THAT HAS PROTECTED AND ADVOCATED FOR YOUR RIGHTS AND, UH, FOR YOUR BEST INTERESTS. UM, AND I'M TALKING ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES, NEIGHBORHOODS, AND FAMILIES. UM, THE [03:30:01] CITY, UH, IS ALL THE BETTER BECAUSE OF COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL'S SERVICE. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, NOW YOU ARE LOSING A CITY COUNCILWOMAN WHO IS, UH, WHO HAS SERVED YOU VERY, VERY WELL. UM, AND, UH, UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEMS IS, UH, VERY FORTUNATE TO GET A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT HELPING WITH, UM, HEALTH EQUITY. UH, I WISH YOU WELL, COUNCILWOMAN, SON OF ALL GOOD LUCK. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN APPLAUSE. COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL. I AM, UH, SO THANKFUL FOR HAVING TO GET GET TO KNOW YOU. UH, 2017 WHEN YOU WERE ELECTED, I SAT THERE AS YOU WERE WITH YOUR PARENTS, UH, GETTING SWORN IN. THAT WAS A PHENOMENAL FEAT BECAUSE YOU BEAT AN INCUMBENT AND YOU WEREN'T IT. OVER THE YEARS, I WATCHED YOU NAVIGATE AND GROW AND REALLY HELP FORM THE DIRECTION OF THIS DAIS ALONG WITH, UM, THE DIFFERENT MARES THAT YOU, YOU DID WORK WITH. UM, AND THEN WE GOT TO WORK TOGETHER. AND IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK ALONGSIDE YOU. UH, I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH, UH, BEING PART OF THE CHECK COMMITTEE, UH, UNDERSTANDING YOUR EMPHASIS ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY. AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE TRIED TO TAKE THAT INTO THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE DECISIONS I MAKE FOR MY DISTRICT IN TERMS OF THE HEALTH INEQUITIES THAT FACE THAT FACE US IN ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO. BUT BEING A WOMAN AND SERVING ON THE DIOCESE IS BOTH AN HONOR AND A CHALLENGE. WE STRIVE TO BE THE VO. YOU HAVE STRIVED TO BE THE VOICE OF YOUR DISTRICT, ALONG WITH BEING A MOTHER, A SISTER, AND A ROLE MODEL. AND IT'S NOT EASY. AND WE, UH, COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND YOUR DECISION. AND I WISH WE COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND AND GET THE SALARY THAT COUNTY GETS SO THAT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE MAKING THIS DECISION TODAY. BUT HERE WE ARE. AND, UM, AND, AND WE HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE. I'M GLAD WE WERE ABLE TO BE PART OF YOUR BABY SHOWER AND THAT MILESTONE, AND YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN SO THOUGHTFUL IN GIVING GIFTS. THE WIND CHIME, THE BOOKS, THE PAINTING OF RASCAL AND CHOA, THEY LOOK SO PEACEFUL. UM, AND NOW YOU HAVE THIS NEW OPPORTUNITY, AND I KNOW THAT THIS YEAR HAS BEEN DIFFICULT. I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE A DAD, AND I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE TO BE THERE FOR YOUR FAMILY. AND SO AS YOU GO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'VE PAVED A WAY THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO FORGET THAT WE ARE GOING, I AM GOING TO CONTINUE TO TRY AND BE THAT VOICE FOR SUSTAINABILITY, FOR, UM, ADDRESSING, ADDRESSING THE CLIMATE ISSUES BECAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL . AND THE OTHER THING IS, I DO REMEMBER THE CAKE INCIDENT ALSO. IT WAS HILARIOUS. AND, UM, THOUGH WE WERE SAYING GOODBYE TO YOU, YOU WERE STILL A LEADER. YOU STILL HOLD THE TITLE OF BEING, UH, A COUNCILWOMAN THAT SERVED AND WENT OUT ON HER TERMS. SO UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR VOICE MATTERS, AND WE WILL BE LOOKING TO YOU FOR HELP AND, AND GUIDANCE, UH, AS, AS WE MOVE IN THE FUTURE. SO, CONGRATULATIONS, MUCH CONTINUED SUCCESS IN YOUR LIFE, AND, AND YOU'LL JUST BE MISSED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VIRON. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. IT IS HARD FOR ME. UH, IN 2017, WE HAD SEVEN COUNCIL MEMBERS ELECTED FROM A MAYOR WHO MOVED UP FROM A COUNCIL DISTRICT TO SIX NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS. THAT WAS A HUGE CHANGE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL BEFORE AND GOING FORWARD TO TODAY. AND ANNA, YOU WERE THE THE FIRST COUNCIL MEMBER WHO GOT ELECTED. YOU DIDN'T HAVE A RUNOFF, SO YOU GOT ELECTED IN MAY. I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE SENIORITY OVER THE REST OF US. UM, AND OUT OF THOSE SEVEN, TWO ARE, ARE NO LONGER ON THE COUNCIL, BUT FIVE OF US STILL ARE. AND, AND YOU REPRESENT SOME OF THE BEST OF US, I THINK. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE SERVED FOR 68 MONTHS AND, UH, I I THINK, ALTHOUGH I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT RON HAS BEEN THE VISION FOR THIS COUNCIL TO A GREAT EXTENT, YOU'VE BEEN THE CONSCIENCE. I THINK, UH, AND I, AND I REALIZE THAT A LOT OF THE EFFORTS THAT YOU BROUGHT FORTH HAVE BEEN BASED ON YOU BEING A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY AND HAVING LIVED HERE [03:35:01] FOR SO MANY YEARS AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE NEEDS AND CONCERNS WERE FOR YOUR DISTRICT. YOU HONORED YOUR DISTRICT AND YOU HONORED YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOU HONORED YOUR HIGH SCHOOL. YOU KNOW, I TAUGHT AT JEFF FOR NINE YEARS, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I, I'D HEARD ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE WHO'D SERVED BEFORE AND THERE'S A GLASS, UH, DISPLAY CASE THAT SHOWS SOME OF THESE PEOPLE WHO SERVED AND GRADUATED AND WENT ON TO MANY THINGS. AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THERE SOMEDAY. 'CAUSE YOU CERTAINLY HAVE REPRESENTED YOUR SCHOOL AND YOUR COMMUNITY REALLY WELL. UM, ALWAYS APPRECIATED YOUR COUNCIL AND YOUR COLLABORATION WITH SO MANY THINGS THAT HAVE, HAVE GONE FORWARD SINCE YOU'VE SERVED. AND I GUESS THE ONLY OTHER THING I CAN SAY IS I'LL MISS YOU, BUT I WISH YOU THE VERY GREATEST SUCCESS FOR YOURSELF. THANK YOU, HONOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. I'M GETTING OLD. I DIDN'T HEAR MY NAME CALLED THERE. BUT ANYWAY, MA'AM, I TELL YOU WHAT, UM, AND COUNCILMAN COURAGE KIND OF SET IT THERE. LOOKING AT THE DAAS HERE WITH THE MAYOR, YOURSELF, COUNCILMAN PALAS, COUNCILMAN, COURAGE, AND MYSELF, WE ALL CAME IN ON AT THE SAME TIME. AND, UM, UH, IT WAS GREAT. UH, GOT, I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW YOU OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS, AND I'M CALLING IT SIX YEARS BECAUSE IT'S, IN ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, IT IS SIX YEARS. AND I, I WANT TO JUST REMIND EVERYBODY, IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO THAT COUNCIL TERMS WAS ONLY TWO, TWO YEAR TERMS, FOUR TERMS, UH, FOUR YEARS. SO, UM, I, I DON'T KNOW, ERIC, HOW LONG AGO WAS THAT? I, I DON'T RECALL WHEN THAT WAS. BUT ANYWAY, UM, YOU SURPASSED THAT, AND THAT'S A TESTAMENT TO YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS AND DISTRICT, DISTRICT SEVEN. I ALMOST SAID 10, BUT, UH, SO THAT'S A TESTAMENT TO YOU AND YOUR SERVICE TO THEM AND, UH, YOUR COMMITMENT. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENT ABOUT THIS BEING A FULL-TIME JOB. UH, FOR SOME OF US IT IS. AND, UH, THAT'S A REAL BIG, UH, COMMITMENT THAT YOU TOOK ON TO RUN FOR THIS OFFICE, AND YOU'VE STUCK WITH THAT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE NOT ALWAYS AGREED HERE ON COUNCIL, BUT THAT'S OKAY. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT, IS DELIBERATION AND, UH, VOTING ON ITEMS. AND YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO AGREE WITH EVERYBODY ON COUNCIL. BUT I GOTTA SAY, YOU PROBABLY CAME OUT ON TOP MORE THAN I DID ON, ON ISSUES ACROSS THE, ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. BUT THAT AGAIN, THAT'S OKAY. I, I'VE ALWAYS VIEWED IT AS BUSINESS, NOTHING PERSONAL. I KNOW THAT'S HARD FOR SOME PEOPLE TO, UH, SEPARATE THE PERSONAL VERSUS THE BUSINESS SIDE. AND I THINK YOU MADE THAT COMMENT, UM, TO THE, TO THE PAPER. BUT, BUT THAT'S OKAY. EVERYBODY'S DIFFERENT AND EVERYBODY LOOKS AT THESE JOBS DIFFERENTLY. AND, UM, UM, I, I REALLY RESPECT THAT WE'VE, WE'VE SPARRED BEFORE ON, ON THE, THE STAGE UP HERE. AND I, I THINK THAT'S GREAT TOO, BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT GETS REALLY DULL IN HERE AND IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO KIND OF LIVEN IT UP A LITTLE BIT AND, UH, HAVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, OH, WHAT DID SHE SAY? WHAT DID HE SAY THAT, THAT KIND OF THING. SO IT KINDA LIVENED UP THE STAGE HERE A LITTLE BIT TO CREATE THAT INTEREST OF THE COMMUNITY. HEY, THEY, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING'S SOMETHING COOL IS GOING ON HERE AT, AT COUNCIL. SO, UH, YEAH, I I I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED THAT. WELL, NOT ALL, ALL THE TIME, BUT MOST OF THE TIME I'VE ENJOYED THAT. UM, BUT I REALLY RESPECT THAT YOUR DECISION AND, UM, LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU SOME MORE IN THE FUTURE. UH, I THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE ALSO HAD A CAREER IN MARIACHI'S SINGING. OKAY. 'CAUSE I, I'VE REALLY ENJOYED THAT, UH, AS WELL. AND I BET A LOT OF YOU IN HERE DON'T KNOW, BUT ANNA AND I PERFORMED IN A BAND SINGING AND, UM, PLAYING INSTRUMENTS IN A BAND. DID Y'ALL KNOW THAT? NO IDEA. WELL, IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, IT HAPPENED AT LA HACIENDA AND RICK CAVENDER'S BAND. IT WAS FOR A FUNDRAISER, AND WE WERE UP THERE HAVING A GREAT TIME. JOHN, ACTUALLY, WEREN'T YOU THERE AS WELL? YEAH, THE THREE OF US WERE, WERE JUST HAVING A GREAT TIME SINGING, DANCING, AND, UH, PLAYING INSTRUMENTS. SO, UH, I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO, TO LET YOUR HAIR DOWN IN THESE JOBS AS WELL. AND, UH, HAVE FUN, HAVE FUN OUT THERE, AND, UH, MIX WITH THE CROWDS AND THE PEOPLE OUT THERE TO SHOW 'EM, HEY, WE'RE JUST PEOPLE. WE'RE JUST PEOPLE ALSO TRYING TO DO THE BEST WE CAN. UH, SO YEAH, THAT, THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN AND I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT. BUT, UH, UH, MOST OF ALL, I WON'T FORGET, UH, WORKING TOGETHER WITH YOU UP HERE AND, UM, LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THAT, UH, RELATIONSHIP. AND [03:40:01] BEST OF LUCK AND GOD BLESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, COUNCILMAN ANNA SANDOVAL. I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU, AND I'M TEMPTED TO DELAY THIS ITEM TO 2025 . UH, WHEN YOU CALLED TO SHARE THE NEWS, I GOT EMOTIONAL FOR AND 'CAUSE OF THAT, I'M GONNA STICK TO THE SCRIPT. UM, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AND WELCOMING NATURE. YOU WERE THERE WITH ME DURING CAMPAIGN SEASON IN THE MIDDLE OF RAIN, KNOCKING ON DISTRICT FIVE DOORS, AND YOU GOTTA WITNESS THE DRAINAGE, UH, NEEDS, UH, IN DISTRICT FIVE FIRSTHAND, YOU AND YOUR TEAM. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT AS WELL AS FOR BEING A SOUNDING BOARD AND UNDERSTANDING, UM, SOME OF MY I IDEAS AND JUST BEING GUIDANCE AND GIVING THAT INPUT AND ALSO CHALLENGING THEM AS WELL. THANK YOU. UM, YOU IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE THAT MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS ON THE WEST SIDE, THAT SHARED BORDER, THAT WE HAVE, UH, HAVE PERSISTENTLY BEEN IMPACTED BY DRAINAGE AND FLOODING ISSUES. AND I'M PROUD THAT WE ARE ABLE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY ON THE COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUESTS THAT TODAY, TODAY WE KNOW WE, UH, DISCUSSED EVEN FURTHER, UM, TO ENSURE THAT WE TAKE A WATERSHED APPROACH IN ADDRESSING THOSE NEEDS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. I AM, UH, GRATEFUL THAT TODAY WE GOTTA COMMEMORATE THE LEGACY OF EMMA TANIKA WITH YOU. I REMEMBER THE, THE GIFT THAT YOU GAVE, UH, AS A NEW COUNCIL MEMBER WAS THIS GIANT EMMA DECA, UM, PHOTO THAT I HAVE IN MY OFFICE. IT'S HUGE. ALL LIKE YOU WALK IN MY OFFICE AND COUNCILMAN ANA GOT THAT FOR ME, UH, AND OUR TEAM. SO I, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR, UM, YOUR, YOUR SUPPORT ON WORKING ON ISSUES LIKE THE HEAT ILLNESS, UH, C C R, AND ENSURING THAT WE TAKE CARE OF OUR WORKERS. AND YOU'VE ESTABLISHED YOUR OWN LEGACY AROUND ENVIRONMENTALISM, COMMUNITY HEALTH INEQUITY, AND, UH, I, I JUST HOPE THE NEXT PERSON SHARES THOSE SAME VALUES AS YOU BECAUSE IT'S MUCH NEEDED AND YOU'VE SERVED AS THAT NORTH STAR OF WHERE WE SHOULD BE GOING, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH ENVIRONMENTALISM, UH, SO ON AND SO FORTH, AND JUST GRATEFUL. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, JUST REFLECTING, I, I'M, I'M GLAD AND I'M PROUD OF YOU AND I'M EXCITED FOR YOU, BUT ALSO REFLECTING ON, UM, I DON'T HAVE CHILDREN, RIGHT? AND MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES DO. UH, AND YOU ARE SO BADASS, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW HOW Y'ALL DO IT. UM, IT'S IMPRESSIVE, UM, TO THE MOTHERS UP HERE IN THE FATHER'S SHOE, I GUESS, BUT PRIMARILY THE, THE MOTHERS, RIGHT? UM, KATIE HAS A, A ONE-YEAR-OLD GORGEOUS BABY BOY, AND I'M JUST IMPRESSED EVERY DAY, AND YOU HAVE A GORGEOUS BABY GIRL AND JUST IMPRESSED EVERY DAY. UM, BUT JUST REFLECTING ON WHAT CAN WE DO MORE AS A CITY TO SUPPORT OUR WORKING MOMS, RIGHT? TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO SERVE THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND THEIR CITY AND STILL, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO SERVE THEIR FAMILY AS WELL. UM, SO I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. UM, BUT I, I WANNA TO THANK YOU, UM, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR CONTINUED WORK. UM, IT'S, IT'S BEEN GREAT. AND I'M GONNA BE CALLING YOU ASKING FOR YOUR ADVICE ON, UH, DIFFERENT ITEMS THAT COME ACROSS. SO THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO YOUR AMAZING TEAM AS WELL. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. YOU HAVE THE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION OF AN ENGINEER, AND WHEN YOU GOT TO CITY HALL, YOU SET ABOUT MAKING STRUCTURAL CHANGES HERE FOR THE BETTER. YOU PASSED THE PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, WHICH, UM, HELPED GIVE OUR COMMUNITY MORE OF A VOICE AT CITY HALL. UM, YOU, UH, TOLD THE CITY THAT WE NEED TO START LIVE STREAMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS. AND WHEN THEY DIDN'T ACT FAST ENOUGH, YOU STARTED HAVING YOUR OWN STAFF LIVE STREAM, YOUR COMMITTEE MEETINGS, AND THEY, AND IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS JUST HOLDING A, A PHONE UP AND FACEBOOK LIVEING THE MEETINGS. UM, BUT YOU SET AN EXAMPLE AND HERE WE ARE. WE, WE NOW LIVE STREAM THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS, THEY'RE RECORDED, AND IT, IT'S MORE ACCESSIBILITY. IT'S A STRUCTURAL CHANGE. UM, WHEN I READ THAT YOU WERE LEAVING, I SAW THAT YOU'RE TAKING A JOB AS A PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, IN, IN PUBLIC HEALTH. AND I KNOW THAT'S A PASSION OF YOURS. AND, AND I REMEMBER BACK TO, UM, DURING THE DAYS OF COVID WHERE YOU WERE REALLY LEADING HERE AT CITY HALL ON INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY TO COVID VACCINATIONS. AND SO I KNOW THAT THAT'S A PASSION OF YOURS AT PUBLIC HEALTH EQUITY. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU LEAVING HERE IS A LOSS TO DISTRICT SEVEN. IT'S A LOSS TO OUR CITY, BUT IT'S A WIN FOR UNIVERSITY HEALTH, AND I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER RAVO. UM, WE'RE NOT DONE. WE STILL HAVE A COUPLE MORE SEATS ON THIS D SO I'M GONNA TURN NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER, CITY ATTORNEY SEGOVIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, I'M NOT A COUNCIL MEMBER, BUT I WILL TELL YOU, COUNCILWOMAN, IF YOU EVER DID A C C R GETTING RID OF THAT NETTLESOME MICROSOFT SIGN IN, I WOULD'VE SIGNED IT. . UM, UH, A LOT OF OUR CONVERSATIONS STARTED WITH YOU ASKING ME, AM I IN TROUBLE, ? SO I WANTED TO STATE FOR THE RECORD THAT YOU WERE NEVER IN TROUBLE. UM, AND THAT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, OUR CONVERSATIONS LED TO US, THE CITY COLLECTIVELY STAYING WELL, CLEAR OF TROUBLE. UM, [03:45:01] YOU WERE ALWAYS VERY APPRECIATIVE AND RESPECTFUL OF THE ROLE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND MY TEAM, UH, YOU WERE A BIG SUPPORTER OF OUR FLEDGLING D E I A DEPARTMENT. UH, SO WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT. UM, IT WAS A JOY WORKING FOR, UH, WORKING WITH YOU. UM, AND WE WILL MISS YOU. AND SO ON BEHALF OF THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, D E I A, WE WISH YOU FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS ON YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, ANDY. AND, UH, CITY MANAGER ERIC WALSH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, SOME OF YOU MAY NOT REMEMBER, UH, BUT COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL'S SERVICE TO DISTRICT SEVEN BEGAN WITH THE 2017 BOND COMMITTEE, CITIZEN BOND COMMITTEES, AND THE FIRST TIME I MET HER WAS IN THE FALL OF 2016 IN THE LOBBY OF CITY HALL WITH, UH, THE PREVIOUS CITY MANAGER. UM, AND SHE WAS PREPARING FOR A COMMITTEE MEETING, UM, AND THE, UM, DEBATE THAT WAS GOING TO ENSUE REGARDING THE ALLOCATION OF DRAINAGE DOLLARS. AND SHE WAS SUCCESSFUL IN THAT EFFORT, UM, THAT RESULTED IN, IN CHANGES MADE BY THE COUNCIL AND ULTIMATELY CEILING CHANNEL FUNDED IN THE 2017 BOND PROGRAM. UM, COUNCILWOMAN, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR COMPASSION, AND YOUR UNIQUE APPROACH TO TAKING CARE OF THE BUSINESS AT HAND, UH, WHICH IS, UH, TAKING CARE OF THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND NOT JUST DISTRICT SEVEN, BUT UM, YOUR APPROACH, UM, TO TAKING CARE OF OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. UM, I THINK COUNCILMAN COURAGE, UH, HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD MANY TIMES. UM, YOU WERE THE CONSCIENCE OF, OF ISSUES, AND, AND I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, FOR, TO, FOR THE PUBLIC TO ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, IT IS A SELFLESS SACRIFICE OF TIME AND COMMITMENT THAT YOU, AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, UM, UM, COMMIT YOURSELVES TO, AND, AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT. UM, AND, AND WE SHOULD THANK YOU FOR THAT BECAUSE IT IS SELFLESS, UM, ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE STAFF. UM, WE WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK. UM, AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR MAKING US BETTER. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, FOR MAKING ME BETTER. AND I WILL, UH, MISS OUR WHITEBOARD MONTHLY MEETINGS, UM, BECAUSE, UM, I THINK THEY, THEY, UM, RESULTED IN GOOD THOUGHT PROVOKING, UM, DISCUSSIONS THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO, TO CHANGES THAT WE COULD MAKE IN THIS ORGANIZATION FOR THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY. SO BEST OF LUCK, UM, AND WE WILL MISS YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ERIC. GO. YOU WANT, I, I TURNED OFF YOUR CLOCK , SO, UH, YOU CAN HAVE IT. I KNOW YOU HOW MUCH YOU HATE THAT CLOCK ON US. SO, UM, OH, WAIT. BEFORE YOU DO THAT, CAN WE ALLOW OUR, OUR CLERK TO SAY A FEW THINGS? CITY CLERK, DEPUTY, ROCKET CENTER, COUNCILWOMAN, UM, I'VE ONLY BEEN CITY CLERK FOR A SHORT TIME, YEAR AND A HALF, BUT I WANNA SAY THAT I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND WORKING WITH YOU. UM, YOUR PASSION FOR THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND THE PROCESSES HAS LED TO US BEING AT 95% FILLED AND OF, OF THE VACANCIES. THERE'S HARDLY ANY. SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND LIKE I TOLD YOU IN PRIVATE, WHEN I TRIED TO GET YOU TO CHANGE YOUR MIND, UM, YOU GIVING 10% IS MORE THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE'S 100%. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK. I FORGOT. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU. I'M SORRY. I JUST FORGOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE ONE VERY IMPORTANT PERSON WHO IS ALSO WITH ME SINCE BEFORE THE BEGINNING AND, UH, SINCE 1989. UH, PROBABLY. AND THAT'S MISS DEBBIE DELLINGER, WHO, UH, HAS BEEN A FULL-TIME VOLUNTEER WITH OUR OFFICE THIS ENTIRE TIME. THANK YOU, MS. D I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOUR MOM BECAUSE, UM, NO MATTER HOW THINGS GO ON THE DICE AND THEY, THEY'RE SOMETIMES VOLATILE, YOUR MOM ALWAYS SMILES AND TREATS ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE MAYOR AS A FRIEND AND SOMEONE SHE COULD BE PROUD OF. SO, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SHARING, ANNA WITH YOU, WITH US, AND, UH, WE WILL MISS YOU, ANNA. A JOB WELL DONE COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER KEO H I MOVE TO DENY , UM, WITH A HEAVY HEART AND A SAD FACE. I MOVE TO APPROVE. OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FIVE. HEARING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. [03:50:04] YEAH. YEAH. MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. UH, ERIC, DO WE HAVE A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT? WE'LL HOLD IT, MAYOR. OKAY. UM, THAT WAY THE COUNCIL'S GOT A LITTLE BIT OF TIME. GOT IT. SO, UM, FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE HERE FOR THE ONE O'CLOCK, UH, ARPA BRIEFING, UM, I'M GONNA RECESS OUR MEETING. NOW. WE, IS THAT A SEPARATE AGENDA OR IS THAT THE SAME MEETING? OKAY, SO I'M GONNA ADJOURN US NOW. I'M GONNA ASK IF YOU, IF YOU'RE HERE FOR THE ONE O'CLOCK, GIVE US A 10 MINUTES, WE'LL BE BACK AT ONE 10. WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BRIEF RECESS SO WE CAN COLLECT OURSELVES AND THEN WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. SO, UH, THE TIME IS 12:55 PM ON THE 26TH DAY OF JANUARY, 2023. CITY COUNCIL, A SESSION IS NOW ADJOURNED. WE WILL RETURN IN 15 MINUTES. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.