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EVERYONE, WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY HEALTH ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE COMMITTEE OF WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15TH, 2023.
WE'LL START WITH ROLL CALL COUNCIL MEMBER MAKI RODRIGUEZ.
[Approval of Minutes ]
WILL START WITH ITEM NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE FEBRUARY 23RD COMMUNITY HEALTH ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE MEETING.HOPEFULLY EVERYONE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MINUTES.
IS THERE, UM, A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION TO APPROVE.
LOOKS LIKE NO, UH, ABSTENTIONS OR NAY.
[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS A METRO HEALTH FISCAL YEAR 2022 ANNUAL REPORT AND NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK ACTIVITIES.AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO, UM, CLAUDE JACOB, IT'S ALL YOURS.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MEMBERS OF THE CHECK COMMITTEE.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THIS AFTERNOON'S UPDATE REGARDING THE ONGOING WORK AT METRO HEALTH, OUR PLANS TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK, WHICH WILL BE OCCURRING DURING THE FIRST WEEK IN APRIL.
SO FOR THIS AFTERNOON, JUST A REMINDER OF WHAT'S CHANGED OVER THE COURSE OF THESE LAST THREE YEARS.
SO THAT PICTURE THAT YOU SEE UP THERE IS FROM THE LAST DAY, THE CLOSING, WELL, THE CELEBRATION EVENT OVER AT THE ALAMO DOME.
THAT WAS MARCH OF LAST YEAR, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, SO MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE MARCH OF 2020.
BUT I'LL JUST, UH, AT LEAST PUT INTO CONTEXT MY QUICK UPDATE THIS AFTERNOON, THAT WHILE THE ACUTE IMPACTS OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC MAY BE SUBSIDING, OUR WORK AND DILIGENCE ON THE GROUND REMAINS UNABATED.
SO WE'VE TAKEN FULL ADVANTAGE OF LEVERAGING EXTERNAL GRANTS TO ACCELERATE THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR DEPARTMENT, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT MADE AVAILABLE BY THE CITY TO STABILIZE AND ENHANCE MANY OF OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
SO FOR THIS AFTERNOON, I'LL PROVIDE SOME BRIEF HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR INITIATIVES, AS WELL AS A PREVIEW OF ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE THE FIRST WEEK IN APRIL.
AND AS ALWAYS, I'D LIKE TO THANK OUR FANTASTIC TEAM AT THE NATIONALLY ACCREDITED METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT FOR THE TIRELESS AND STELLAR COMMITMENT TO THE WORK OF THE CITY AND THE GREATER BEXAR COUNTY.
UM, SO I'VE BEEN HERE A YEAR AND A HALF, AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT FOR THIS AFTERNOON, UH, THERE, THESE ARE THE TWO TOPICS THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT.
IT'S REALLY ABOUT OUR ANNUAL REPORT, UH, JUST A PREVIEW.
AND THEN, UH, HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR NATIONAL NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN.
NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK HAS BEEN CELEBRATED FOR OVER 20 YEARS, AND IT'S ANCHORED TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION.
AND, UM, THIS IS AT LEAST A PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS.
SO, WITH THE ANNUAL REPORT, UH, WE ARE IN THE THROES OF COMPLETING, UH, THIS ANNUAL REPORT, WHICH WILL PROVIDE A SNAPSHOT OF OUR PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES, CAN DO THE DISRUPTIONS, UH, AND A MYRIAD OF TRANSITIONS AT THE DEPARTMENT.
IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE WE GENERATED A FORMAL, A FORMAL REPORT, BUT THE F Y 22 ANNUAL REPORT PRESENTS, UM, OUR DEPARTMENT'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE ALIGNMENT WITH OUR VISION OF HEALTHY PEOPLE THRIVING IN A HEALTHY COMMUNITY.
SO THE REPORT ITSELF FOCUSES ON KEY AREAS, INCLUDING THE DELIVERY OF FOUNDATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES, THE C OVID 19 ONGOING RESPONSE, AND THE LAUNCH OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF SA FORWARD, WHICH WE LAUNCHED LAST APRIL.
UH, SO IN BROAD STROKES, UH, THIS IS REALLY, UH, A PREVIEW.
UM, SO AGAIN, WE, UH, ANCHOR OUR WORK TO DATA TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS.
THE DOCUMENT IS ORGANIZED IN SECTIONS THAT PROVIDE A SNAPSHOT OF INDICATORS THAT MAY COMPARE, UH, SAN ANTONIO BEAR COUNTY TO THE STATE OR NATIONAL AVERAGES.
UH, WE PROVIDE HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTIVITIES OF OUR DEFINED ACROSS OUR DEFINED DIVISIONS OR UNITS SUCH AS COMMUNICABLE DISEASE, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, COMMUNITY HEALTH, ACCESS TO CARE, MENTAL HEALTH AND INFORMATICS.
AND, UM, IN THE REPORT, WE'LL BE GIVING EXAMPLES OF OUR YEAR ONE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE SIX PRIORITY AREAS OF ESSAY FORWARD.
UM, SO JUST A QUICK REMINDER OF THIS IS HOW WE'RE ORGANIZED, AND AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE HIGHLIGHTS REFLECTED ACROSS THESE DIFFERENT BUCKETS IN OUR REPORT.
UH, SO AGAIN, A REMINDER, UM, LAST SPRING, APRIL OF 2022.
UM, WE, UH, OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED EVEN THOUGH WE STARTED THIS AT THE START OF THE LAST FISCAL YEAR.
UM, SO THE WORK'S BEEN ON THE GROUND SINCE THE FALL OF 21.
AND JUST IN BROAD STROKES, IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU'LL SEE REFLECTED IN THE ANNUAL REPORT.
UH, SO FOR EXAMPLE, OUR DEPARTMENT ESTABLISHED ITS FIRST COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AND TRAINING HUB OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS ACROSS BEXAR COUNTY.
MORE THAN A HUNDRED COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS HAVE RECEIVED COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING IN HEALING JUSTICE BY BLACK EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, OR BEAM COLLECTIVE, UH, MENTAL HEALTH IN THE FACE OF C OVID, 19 COVID COMMUNICATION TOOLS, PATIENT NAVIGATION FUNDAMENTALS, UH, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
OUR, OUR DEPARTMENT ALSO, UM, THE HEALTH INFORMATICS UNIT LAUNCHED ITS FIRST COMMUNITY FACING DASHBOARD.
THIS DASHBOARD TELLS THE STORY OF SAN ANTONIO'S MORE, MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES AND HOW SA FORWARD SEEKS TO ADDRESS THEM.
UH, THE, AGAIN, THE PLATFORM RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR, IT'S VERY QUALITATIVE IN SCOPE.
AND STARTING, UH, NEXT MONTH, WE'LL, YOU'LL
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SEE THE YEAR ONE PROGRESS, UM, WHICH REFLECTS UP TO OVER 50 UP TO DATE DATA INDICATORS, UH, REFLECTING OUR ACTIVITIES ON THE GROUND.UH, THIS PAST YEAR, WE EXPANDED THE HEALTHY CORNER STORE PROGRAM SIGNIFICANTLY.
IT ONBOARDED 14 NEW STORES IN, UH, ACROSS COUNCIL DISTRICTS ONE THROUGH SEVEN, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STORES TO OVER 30, UH, HEALTHY CORNER STORES PURCHASED MORE THAN 25,000 POUNDS OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
UH, LAST FALL, WE ALSO HELD THE INAUGURAL HEALTH EQUITY SYMPOSIUM ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 200 INDIVIDUALS ACROSS THE CITY, CITY DEPARTMENTS, COMMITTEE-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE PUBLIC.
THE HEALTH EQUITY SYMPOSIUM FEATURED EXPERT SPEAKERS AND BREAKOUT SESSIONS THAT COVERED TOPICS SUCH AS UTILIZING DATA TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF RACISM, TRAUMA, AND MENTAL HEALTH IN SAN ANTONIO EQUITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES THAT ADDRESS HEALTH INEQUITIES.
UM, OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE EXPANDED THE TRIPLE P POSITIVE PARENTING PROGRAM ACROSS SAN ANTONIO, PRIORITIZING SUP, UH, SUPPORT FOR SYSTEM INVOLVED PARENTS.
THE TRIPLE P PROGRAM GIVES PARENTS THE TOOLS TO MANAGE MISBEHAVIOR AND REINFORCE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR.
IT ASSISTS, UH, PARENTS WITH BREAKING THE CYCLES OF VIOLENCE AND SETTING UP THEIR CHILDREN FOR SUCCESS.
WE'VE REACHED OVER 2000 PARTICIPANTS IN THE PAST YEAR AND A PREVIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS YEAR.
WE'VE ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND WE'VE ALREADY SECURED, UH, ADDITIONAL EXTERNAL FUNDS FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION.
UM, THE INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT THAT LAND THAT LANDED, UH, THIS PAST DECEMBER.
UH, WE'VE ESTABLISHED A FORMAL COLLABORATION WITH UT HEALTH AND U T S A AS WE'RE POSITIONING TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN ACADEMIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
AND WE'VE LAUNCHED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE VIOLENCE PREVENTION PLAN AMONG MANY OTHER ACTIVITIES UNDERWAY THAT ALIGN WITH OUR SIX PRIORITY AREAS.
SO IN TERMS OF PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK, NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK, AGAIN, THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR IS CENTERING AND CELEBRATING CULTURES AND HEALTH.
IT'S A FEELING LIKE WE BELONG.
BEING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND FOSTERING CULTURAL CONNECTIONS SUPPORTS OUR HEALTH AND THE QUALITY OF OUR LIVES.
UH, WE WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT THEY CAN MAKE COMMUNITIES SAFER, HEALTHIER, AND STRONGER.
WHEN WE SUPPORT AND STAY ENGAGED WITH ONE ANOTHER.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.
SO, AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST QUICK, UH, QUICK SLIDES SO THAT WE WILL LOCALIZE A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AND INCLUDE OUR SAN ANTONIO BRANDING AND PROMOTE THE ESSAY FORWARD PLAN.
AGAIN, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR, UH, AGAIN, SOME OF OUR TACTICS ON THE GROUND.
UM, OUR PUBLIC RELATIONS, UH, EFFORTS, UH, WILL BE SENDING OUT A PRESS RELEASE, A, A REQUEST FOR COVERAGE FOR OUR PUBLIC HEALTH FEST, WHICH WILL BE HELD, UH, HERE IN TOWN.
AND PITCH NEWS STORIES ABOUT THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AND OUR LOCAL EFFORTS.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH FEST WILL TAKE PLACE AT MISSION MARQUEE ON THURSDAY, APRIL 6TH, FROM THREE TO 6:00 PM THERE'LL BE OVER 30 EXHIBITORS, UH, WHO WILL TABLE AT THE EVENT.
WE'LL PROVIDE, UH, C OVID 19 AND FLU VACCINES AT OUR CLINIC THERE.
OUR METRO HEALTH STAFF WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS WHERE VISITORS CAN LEARN ABOUT PROGRAMS LIKE OUR DIABETES WORKSHOPS, SA KIDS BREATHE, THE WIC PROGRAM, WOMEN, INFANT, AND CHILDREN, AND MANY OTHERS.
WE'LL PROVIDE BAGS OF FRESH PRODUCE, FRUIT CUPS, FRUIT PEANS, UM, AND, UH, HARLANDALE, I S D WILL PROVIDE LIVE MARIACHI MUSIC.
AGAIN, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT WERE THERE LAST YEAR, IT WAS A HOOT.
IT GUEST CAN EARN A FREE FIESTA METAL BY VISITING, UH, THE EXHIBITOR BOOTS AT OUR TABLES.
AND GOOD FUN WILL BE HAD BY ALL.
SO WE'LL TAKE, UM, UH, WE'LL ALSO TAKE, UH, ALL, UH, DAYTIME LOCAL PROGRAMMING ON SA LIVE, UM, A GREAT DAY ESSAY, ESSAY LIVING AND SPANISH PROGRAMS. UM, AND, UM, OUR DEPARTMENT WILL BE FEATURED MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY OF THAT WEEK ON EVERY LOCAL SHOW FOR A TOTAL OF, UH, 30 INTERVIEWS PROMOTING NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK AND OUR METRO HEALTH PROGRAM, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR.
THIS IS PART OF OUR, UH, OUR, OUR WAY OF INCREASING AWARENESS.
THIS IS PART OF A NATIONAL EFFORT THAT'S BEEN IN PLAY FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
AND, UM, WE SEE THAT WE'LL BE PUBLICIZING AND WE'LL HAVE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR PSAS.
WE'LL AIR ON ALL LOCAL ENGLISH AND SPANISH STATIONS AND AIR ON SEVERAL CABLE NETWORKS LIKE U S A NETWORK, M T V, AND B E T.
SO THIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE HARD TO READ, BUT JUST KNOW THAT WE ARE FLOODING THE MARKET.
UM, THESE ARE PLACEHOLDERS FROM LAST YEAR.
SO OUR OUTDOOR ADVERTISEMENT INCLUDES BILLBOARDS, BUS SHELTERS, BUS ADS, AND INTERIOR BUS ADS.
THE MATERIAL, THESE ADS WILL BE IN THE SOUTHWEST AND E EAST PARTS OF THE CITY.
UH, SO OUR INFORMATION WILL, THIS INFORMATION AROUND NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK WILL BE ON OUR WEBSITE HOMEPAGE.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA AD WILL RUN ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND TWITTER.
AND THESE ARE STILL IN DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS YEAR'S CAMPAIGN.
SO KEEP AN EYE OUT, UM, AND AS I WIND DOWN MY UPDATES.
SO JUST KNOW THAT WE ARE YOUR, UH, CHIEF OR COMMUNITY HEALTH STRATEGIST ON THE GROUND.
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TO BUILD A WORKFORCE OF HOPE AND RESILIENCY.GIVEN THE EXPERIENCE OF THE LAST THREE YEARS.
UH, WE ARE SEEKING OUT INNOVATIVE PRACTICES TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY.
AND WE ARE DEDICATED TO RESHAPE AND TRANSFORM THE FUTURE OF THE GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH ENTERPRISE.
SO, OUR TAGLINE IS THAT WE'RE LEADING THE WAY TO A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY.
IN CLOSING, UM, I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, OVER THE PAST, UH, AGAIN, TWO YEARS.
BUT THIS, UH, UH, THIS LOSS OCCURRED IN JANUARY OF 2022.
UH, DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICINE, DR.
FERNANDO ARA, WHO DILIGENTLY WORKED TO IMPROVE THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM AT ALL LEVELS.
AND THROUGH ALL THOSE EFFORTS, HELP INDIVIDUALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO THRIVE.
HE DID SERVE IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE, NOT ONLY HERE LOCALLY AS A MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND, UH, HEALTH DIRECTOR HERE AT THE SAN ANTONIO METROPOLITAN HEALTH DISTRICT FOR 23 YEARS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO A SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A PRACTICING PEDIATRICIAN.
UM, AND HE LED EFFORTS TO ADDRESS CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, UNPLANNED CHILDBEARING, OBESITY, AND HEALTH DISPARITIES.
UM, AGAIN, HIS LEGACY INCLUDES THE FACT THAT HE WAS CHOSEN BY THE CITY AND BEAR COUNTY LEADERSHIP TO LEAD ALL THE PUBLIC HEALTH EFFORTS.
IN ANTICIPATION OF POPE JOHN PAUL II'S VISIT TO SAN ANTONIO BACK IN 1987, HE LED THE RESPONSE DURING THE H ONE N ONE PANDEMIC VIRUS AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN CREATING WHAT STILL EXISTS AS OUR DEPARTMENT, AS THE PUBLIC CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH.
SO HE SHARED HIS DEEP EXPERTISE IN PEDIATRIC CARE, IMMUNIZATIONS AND MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH WITH PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTITIONERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THROUGH HIS EXTENSIVE PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES.
AS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY AND CITY HEALTH OFFICIALS, AND I'M A PAST CHAIR OF THAT BOARD, UH, HE SERVED ON THE, WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION, AND I CURRENTLY SERVE ON THAT EXECUTIVE BOARD.
AND HE, UH, OUR PATHS THIS CROSS ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH ACCREDITATION BOARD.
HE SERVED THERE FROM 2008 TO 2016.
I JOINED IN 2017, AND I'M THE VICE CHAIR.
SO ALL THAT TO SAY THAT WE ARE ACKNOWLEDGING HIS CONTRIBUTIONS.
THERE IS A GARDEN, UH, DEDICATION THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5TH AT 10:00 AM AT THE SALINAS WIC CLINIC.
UM, WE PICKED THAT WEST SIDE GARDEN SINCE DR.
GURA MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE TO THE DISTRICT FIVE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND WHILE HE WAS BOTH, AGAIN, A PEDIATRICIAN AND SERVED AS A HEALTH DIRECTOR.
THE COMPLIMENT TO THAT, UH, AND THIS IS MY LAST UPDATE, IS THAT THERE WILL BE AN INAUGURAL, UH, LECTURE SERIES LAUNCHED ON THURSDAY, APRIL 6TH.
UM, THIS IS A COLLABORATION WITH THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNITY HEALTH AND POLICY AT U T S A.
THE THE, WE HAVE, UH, PULLED TOGETHER A PANEL FOR THIS INAUGURAL EVENT THAT INCLUDES FORMER HUD SECRETARY, UH, HENRY CISNEROS FORMER, UM, UH, SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL RECTOR FATHER DAVID GARCIA.
AND, UH, AGAIN, WE WILL, UH, CONFIRM A FORMER COWORKER, UH, WHO, UH, WORKED WITH DR.
GUERRA WHILE HE WAS AT METRO HEALTH.
THE SESSION ITSELF WILL BE MODERATED BY THE FOUNDING DEAN OF THE COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, DR.
SO THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT, MY UPDATES, AND, UH, NOW I CAN FIELD ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND, AND THANK YOU FOR THE ALL THAT YOU ALL DID.
AND I SEE A LOT OF THE, UM, STAFF BEHIND YOU.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UM, I WAS COMMENTING THAT I WAS REALLY EXCITED 'CAUSE THERE WAS A WHOLE BUNCH OF WOMEN, BUT WE HAVE MALE ALLIES, SO, SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
UM, I, I HAVE SOME QUICK QUESTIONS.
HOW MANY YEARS HAVE WE BEEN PUBLISHING THE ANNUAL REPORTS? SO, UH, WE DID IT ANNUALLY UP UNTIL 2018.
AND SO AGAIN, UH, WE HAVE NOT PUBLISHED IT, UH, SINCE THAT YEAR.
SO I SAW, UM, SEVEN ANNUAL REPORTS SINCE 2011, AND THEY WERE ABOUT FOUR TO SIX PAGES.
IS THERE ANOTHER WEBPAGE WHERE WE CAN FIND LIKE THE ENTIRE REPORT BY ANY CHANCE? OR? OH, THE REPORT IS NOT YET PUBLISHED.
OH, I'M TALKING ABOUT PAST ONES.
OH, WE CAN SEND YOU THE, THOSE REPORTS.
'CAUSE WE'RE STILL CLEANING UP WHERE THESE THINGS ARE ARCHIVED ON THE WEBSITE.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT I, WHAT I WAS, UM, GETTING AT.
SO, UM, THERE'S SEVEN OF THEM, BUT I, I FIGURED THERE'S BEEN MORE OF THEM.
SO YOU ALL HAVE DONE PROBABLY, OR OR IS THAT WHEN Y'ALL STARTED ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO? I, I, WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT.
AND THEN, UM, WHEN WE, WE LOOK AT A PREVIEW OF WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT IN THIS NEXT REPORT, I'M EXCITED, OBVIOUSLY ABOUT THE DATA THAT WE'LL BE SHARING.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, UM, I JUST HAD A MEETING WITH THE HEALTH COLLABORATIVE, UH, OR I'M SORRY, WITH THE STUDY FOR THE HEALTH COLLABORATIVE, RIGHT.
SO, UM, THE UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER STUDENTS WERE, UH, THE ONES DOING THAT RESEARCH.
I, I'M ALSO JUST, UM, THINKING THAT WE SHOULD ADD DATA ON SUBJECTS RELATED TO HEALTHCARE THAT WE COULD OVERLAY ON EXISTING MAPS.
AND SO, UM, SO I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE MAPS, FOR EXAMPLE, OF THE C D C, UH, OF LIFE EXPECTANCY, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, I'M WONDERING IF, IF Y'ALL MIGHT BE ABLE TO KIND OF OVERLAY THE HOSPITAL OF EXISTING HOSPITALS, UM, AND ER CENTERS, I'D LIKE TO SEE TWO SEPARATE ONES, RIGHT? AND
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MAYBE ANOTHER LAYER RIGHT OVER THIS OF THE HEALTH INSURANCE RATES AND INCOME LEVELS.AND SO I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE, UH, PEOPLE THAT, THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO THIS A LOT EASIER THAN JUST KIND OF LIKE DRAWING.
UM, SO I WAS HOPING THAT MAYBE WE COULD ALSO INCLUDE ASTHMA RATES, UH, BREAST CANCER RATES, DIABETES RATES, AMPUTATION RATES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RATES, LIKE EVERYTHING.
RIGHT? UM, I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO SEE IT LIKE IN, IN ONE, KIND OF LIKE A, IF YOU'RE OVERLAYING LIKE YOU COULD SEE, YOU COULD SEE, YOU COULD SEE, UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE A POINT, RIGHT? AND SO I KIND OF KNOW THIS DATA, BUT I THINK THAT IT'S CLEARER IN A PICTURE FOR PEOPLE THAT MIGHT NOT KNOW.
AND THEN, UH, FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK, DO WE PARTNER WITH, PARTNER WITH, UH, OTHER HOSPITALS AND, AND ANY OTHER PROVIDERS? HOW DO WE PROVIDE OR HOW DO WE PARTNER WITH HEALTH PROVIDERS TO KIND OF GET THE WORD OUT? UH, YES, WE DO.
UH, WE COULD LET YOU KNOW AT LEAST A NETWORK OF FOLKS, BUT THE WHOLE POINT IS DURING NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK, WE ALL CELEBRATE OKAY.
SO I'M SURE THEY HAVE LIKE A, SO I'LL, I'LL USE LIKE IN, IN OUR AREA, GONZABA, RIGHT? AND SO I'M, I'M SURE THAT THEY DO THEIR OWN THING.
SO I'M, I'M SEEING SOME SHAKING HEADS OVER THERE.
AND THEN, UM, SO OBVIOUSLY HOSPITALS HAVE BEEN ON MY MIND RECENTLY BECAUSE OF THE CLOSURE OF TEXAS VISTA.
AND SO I WAS SUPER EXCITED WHEN UNIVERSITY HEALTH HAD ANNOUNCED A, A NEW HOSPITAL BECAUSE I THOUGHT, OH, 147 MORE BEDS, RIGHT? AND SO NOW WE'RE GONNA BE AT A DEFICIT, RIGHT? SO EVEN IF, UM, THE IN THE WAITING, THE FOUR YEARS.
AND SO I FEEL LIKE WE'RE LEAVING A LARGE GAP ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
AND, UM, AND I'M TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO.
I'M TALKING ABOUT HALF OF SAN ANTONIO'S POPULATION WILL HAVE A GAP FOR HOSPITALS.
AND SO PEOPLE WILL TELL ME, WELL, THERE'S STILL ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE COUNCILWOMEN.
THERE'S CLINICS, THERE'S DOCTORS, THERE'S NOT A HOSPITAL THOUGH, RIGHT? AND SO PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS, I MEAN, YOU, YOU, YOU NAME IT, AND I DON'T HAVE TO TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT, UM, BUT I'M JUST REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THE GAP IN THE FOUR YEARS, RIGHT? AND SO AMBULANCE TRANSFER TIMES ALONE, ONE OF MY RESIDENTS COULD DIE IN THE TRANSFER SO FAR, RIGHT? AND SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I'M, UM, KIND OF THINKING ABOUT.
SO IT'S GONNA MEAN A LOSS OF LIFE.
ZAA SOUTHSIDE, WHO KNOW THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A LOSS OF LIFE.
UM, THERE'S JUST, UH, SO MUCH OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPATHY FOR CARETAKERS, RIGHT? SO THE CARETAKERS RIGHT NOW THAT LIVE ON THE SOUTH SIDE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR PARKING, RIGHT? BECAUSE THIS HOSPITAL HAS FREE PARKING.
ALL OF THE HOSPITALS IN THE MEDICAL CENTER, YOU HAVE TO PAY A LOT OF MONEY FOR PARKING ON A DAILY BASIS.
SO I'VE REACHED OUT TO VIA TO FIGURE OUT IF WE COULD DO SOMETHING IN THE MEANTIME, RIGHT? SO I'M WORKING WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE, UM, BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THERE HASN'T BEEN A CONCENTRATED EFFORT TO PROVIDE THAT, UM, LEADERSHIP.
SO PEOPLE ARE BLAMING EACH OTHER.
I'M NOT INTERESTED IN BLAMING OR IN THINKING OF FINANCIALS.
I'M INTERESTED IN THAT ACCESS TO THE HOSPITAL THING.
THE OTHER SCARY THING THAT IS TERRIFYING.
AND SO, KEEPING IN MIND THAT THE UNFORTUNATE ANNIVERSARY OF WHAT HAPPENED, RIGHT? AND VALDI IS COMING UP, THAT COULD HAPPEN IN SAN ANTONIO, THAT COULD HAPPEN ANYWHERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
IF IT HAPPENS IN THE SOUTH SIDE, PEOPLE WILL BLEED OUT.
AND SO THE TIME THAT IT TAKES FOR AN AMBULANCE TO GET PEOPLE TO THE DIFFERENT HOSPITALS, I AM TERRIFIED.
I AM HONESTLY TERRIFIED THAT SOMETHING'S GONNA HAPPEN.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HOW WE COULD KIND OF RAISE SOME ADDITIONAL AWARENESS ABOUT THIS TOGETHER.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE, UH, PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE DIFFERENT CLINICS, ET CETERA.
UM, I EVEN TOLD VIA, YOU ALL PROBABLY HAVE TO PUT TOGETHER A MAP OF HOW TO GET PEOPLE LIKE ALL THE WAY TO THE, UM, UH, THE MEDICAL CENTER, RIGHT? WHAT BUS ROUTES TO TAKE, HOW OFTEN ARE YOU GONNA BE RUNNING THESE BUS ROUTES? ALL OF THIS STUFF THAT PEOPLE DON'T NECESSARILY THINK ABOUT, RIGHT? AND SO, I'D LOVE TO MAYBE WORK WITH YOU FOR THAT, THAT SOLUTION.
SOME IDEAS THAT I KNOW THAT I'M NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT.
I'M JUST HEARING FROM, FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
AND MAYBE HOW WE COULD USE SOME OF THAT ANNUAL REPORT DATA TO PROVE THAT, RIGHT? SO THE BUSINESS CASE FOR IT, PEOPLE ARE GONNA ARGUE AGAINST IT.
I'M LOOKING AT THE EMPATHY OF, OF, OF THE SITUATION.
HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE DON'T DIE? WE ALREADY HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE DIE WITH COVID.
AND SO I JUST DON'T WANT THIS TO BE SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR.
SORRY, I GOT OFF MY, MY SOAPBOX.
BUT THAT'S KIND OF THE, THE, THE HELP THAT I WANTED TO OFFICIALLY POST TO YOU TODAY.
I'VE ASKED, UM, THE, THE MAYOR AND THE COUNTY JUDGE IF WE COULD CONVENE SOME SORT OF A TASK FORCE.
SO, WE'LL, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES.
I'M SURE YOU'LL BE A PART OF IT.
THE HEALTH COLLABORATIVE IS THERE, SO I'D HOPE TO LEVERAGE THEIR, UM, THEIR WISDOM AND SO THEIR RESEARCH AS WELL.
SO, UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL YOU DO.
I'LL PASS IT OVER TO, TO MY COLLEAGUES.
I DON'T KNOW WHO WANTS TO SAY COUNCIL
UH, I JUST WANNA ECHO THE, I I BELIEVE THAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO BRING THE HOSPITAL ISSUE BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE AND HAVE A LARGER CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT, YOU KNOW, AND THEN POSSIBLY IF WE COULD GET UNIVERSITY HEALTH HERE
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AND THE COUNTY SO WE CAN STRESS ABOUT WHAT, WHAT SORT OF CONSEQUENCES THIS HAS ON, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCILMAN ROCHA GARCIA MENTIONED, AND OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEIR E M S SERVICE.UH, AND ALSO, AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE CENSUS TRACK, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE AN AGING POPULATION WITHIN, UH, THE URBAN AREAS IN IN DISTRICT, IN, IN THE SOUTH SIDE.
AND, UH, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS THAT? BECAUSE, UM, UNIVERSITY HEALTH HAS CLINICS, BUT THEY'RE FAR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.
AND, AND THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT.
I DO, UH, WANT TO, AGAIN, I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU THE OTHER, THE OTHER DAY, CLAUDE WITH SOMEONE, AND I WAS LIKE, OH, HE'S DONE A GREAT JOB, AND JUST CALL HIM.
AND I, I COMPLETELY FORGOT WHAT IT WAS.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO GO BACK TO MY NOTES, BUT I'VE GOT MORE ASSIGNMENTS COMING YOUR WAY.
UM, THE ONE THING I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK WAS A GREAT SUCCESS LAST YEAR.
I WANT TO CHALLENGE MY, UM, MY CZECH MEMBERS TO GO OUT THE CHAIR LAST YEAR WENT OUT, UH, COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL WENT OUT.
I, SHE SANG WITH THE MARIACHIS, UH, YEAH, THE MAYOR WAS THERE.
I THINK IF YOU GUYS PUSH IT OUT AND YOU GO OUT, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SUCCESS.
THE TEAM DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB.
I'M ALWAYS IMPRESSED WITH, WITH THE SWAG.
Y'ALL, UH, UH, PEOPLE GET GREAT SWAG FROM, UH, METRO HEALTH.
UM, THE OTHER TWO GROUPS I'D LIKE TO SEE THERE FROM THE CITY IS THE BICYCLE NETWORK.
UH, 'CAUSE I THINK THEY HAVE A SURVEY.
EVERYBODY HAS A SURVEY RIGHT NOW.
AND, UH, THE OFFICE OF INNOVATION FOR THAT DIGITAL, BECAUSE I KNOW SOME OF, UM, PROBABLY THE PROVIDERS ARE GONNA SAY, HEY, HERE'S, HERE'S A QR CODE.
AND THEN SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS DON'T HAVE THE, THE DEVICES TO DO THAT.
UM, U T S A ALSO IS DOING A PROGRAM AND LOOKING TO PASS OUT IPADS FOR PEOPLE TO USE FOR HEALTH.
SO MAYBE WE SHOULD, WE CAN GET U T S A THERE.
UM, I JUST, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, UM, CONTINUE JUST THE GOOD WORK AND THE EFFORT THAT WE'VE DONE, AND THAT, CLAUDE, THAT YOU JUST CONTINUE TO INNOVATE AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND GET OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC.
I THINK ONE THING WE'RE SEEING IS, UM, THE, UM, PEOPLE, I SHOULDN'T SAY PEOPLE, BUT BEING AT HOME, THE DIABETES IS REALLY, IT, IT, IT'S IMPACTING MORE PEOPLE THAN IT DID BEFORE, UM, BECAUSE THEY, THEY STAYED HOME FOR THOSE TWO YEARS.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS FOR THE DIABETES GARAGE AND THE CLASSES THAT YOU'RE GOING INTO THE DISTRICT.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO SERIOUSLY, UM, ADDRESS THAT MORE BECAUSE IT CAN LEAD TO OTHER PROBLEMS. UM, AND WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
THEY THINK THEY CAN JUST CONTROL IT WITH THE DIET AND THE DOCTORS DON'T WANNA SCARE THEM, BUT, UH, MAYBE NOT SCARE THEM THIS PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK, BUT THAT WE CONTINUE TO KIND OF STRESS THAT.
BECAUSE I'VE JUST, AS I WALK IN AND I SEE PEOPLE THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN IN TWO YEARS, I'M LIKE, THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T LOOK HEALTHY.
AND SO LET'S WORK ON THAT TOO.
SO THANK YOU FOR JUST EVERYTHING.
AND, UM, IF WE COULD JUST GET ON THE AGENDA, HOW WE'RE GONNA DEAL WITH THE, THE HOSPITAL SITUATION ON THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND I, I KNOW THIS CONVERSATION SHOULD PROBABLY SHIFTED IN A DIRECTION THAT YOU MAYBE DIDN'T INTEND, BUT, UM, I KNOW THE CLOSURE OF THE HOSPITAL WAS DEVASTATING FOR THE SOUTH, UH, THE SOUTH SIDE, AND THAT HAS A RIPPLE EFFECT.
UM, SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A CONVERSATION REGARDING ACCESS TO HOSPITALS AND WHAT ROLE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO CREATE FOR OURSELVES.
WHERE THERE, WHERE THERE CURRENTLY ISN'T ONE, UM, THERE'S NO HOSPITAL ON THE EAST SIDE EITHER.
AND THAT'S BEEN AN ISSUE THAT RESIDENTS IN DELL CREST SPECIFICALLY, THEY HAVE PETITIONS THAT THEY GIVE TO ME.
AND AT THE MOMENT, I'M LIKE, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH THIS.
I CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND I CAN LEVERAGE SOME AMOUNT OF INFLUENCE, BUT I THINK THAT MAYBE THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CREATE, UM, NOT JUST A, A MECHANISM FOR INFLUENCE, BUT TANGIBLE ACTION.
UM, AND SO I ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT THAT AND WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT CONVERSATION COME BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE RELATED TO THE ITEM AT HAND.
UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO MUCH MORE, UH, MANY MORE UPDATES FROM YOU.
COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, THANK YOU, CHAIR.
THANK YOU, CLAUDE, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I AM ALWAYS EXCITED TO SEE THE UPDATES, UH, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ESSAY, FORWARD DASHBOARD, UH, AND THE CONTINUED WORK AND OUTREACH THAT YOU ALL, UM, PUT OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE, I HEAR THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE CLOSURE OF THE HOSPITAL AND THE SOUTH SIDE.
AND A CONCERN I HAVE WITH THAT IS, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS, UH, LIFE AND DEATH, UH, FOR THE SOUTH SIDE RESIDENTS TRYING TO
[00:25:01]
GET ACCESS TO CARE.UH, AND THEN ALSO THE PIECE OF, YOU KNOW, OUR E M S WORKERS ARE GOING TO BE SPENDING MORE TIME ON THE ROAD, UH, GETTING TO A HOSPITAL FAR OUTSIDE OF THE DISTRICT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT COULD POTENTIALLY CREATE A BACKLOG OF CARE, UM, FOR FOLKS SEEKING E M S ANDS SUPPORT RATHER, FROM E M S.
UM, WITH, WITH THAT, UH, AGAIN, I'M ALWAYS PLEASED TO SEE WHAT THE SA FORWARD PLAN HAS RECOMMENDED.
UM, BUT WITH THE COMMUNITY EDUCATION COMPONENT, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT MOVING FORWARD IS AN EDUCATIONAL PIECE, UM, ON SYSTEMS, RIGHT? AND, AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, OFTENTIMES WITH THE, MY CONSTITUENTS, WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ASTHMA, DIABETES, UM, BUT, UH, WE, WE PUT IT ON THEM AND ACCESS TO CARE, RIGHT? UM, BUT I THINK THERE ARE, UM, SYSTEMS IN PLACE, UH, THAT HELP PRODUCE AN INCREASE, UM, YOU KNOW, TOXIC, TOXIC EMISSIONS AND, AND WHAT ARE THOSE, RIGHT? IF YOU LIVE CLOSE TO, TO THIS INDUSTRY, YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE ASTHMA IF YOU LIVE CLOSER TO THIS INSTITUTION, UM, YOU'RE EXPOSED TO THESE TOXINS.
I THINK, UM, SHARING THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION CAN BE VERY, UH, POWERFUL AND HELPFUL FOR MY COMMUNITY TO, TO HELP, UM, PROVIDE THAT UNDERSTANDING, RIGHT? THAT THERE ARE THINGS BEYOND, UH, MAKING SURE THAT YOU DUST YOUR HOUSE OR YOU'RE, YOU'RE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE, RIGHT? SOMETIMES THERE ARE THINGS OUTSIDE OF THE CONTROL OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE HOUSEHOLD, UH, THAT IMPACT HEALTH.
UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD HOPE TO SEE.
UM, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT I HEAR FROM MY COMMUNITY THAT, UH, UNFORTUNATELY DOES HAVE A HIGH, UH, PERCENTAGE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DIABETES IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY NEED TO GET THEIR BLOOD FLOWING, RIGHT? THEIR, THEIR, THEIR LEGS ARE GOING NUMB, RIGHT? OR THEY'RE FEELING TINGLY, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A SAFE SIDEWALK TO GO OUT AND WALK, RIGHT? AND, AND HOW CAN WE ALSO LOOK AT ACCESS TO SAFE INFRASTRUCTURE AS PUBLIC SAFETY? 'CAUSE WITH THE HIGH CONCENTRATION OF FOLKS NEEDING TO GET UP AND MOVE AROUND, EVEN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OBESITY, UM, MANY OF MY RESIDENTS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE SIDEWALKS TO WALK AROUND THE BLOCK, RIGHT? AND, AND HOW CAN WE COUPLE THAT WITH A PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY? UM, BUT, UM, THOSE ARE A, A COUPLE OF SUGGESTIONS, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THAT YOU'RE, UH, AGAIN, USING THE FIESTA MEDAL AS AN INCENTIVE.
UH, I THINK THAT'S AMAZING, AND YOU ALL ARE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE LIKE THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATION
BUT, UH, I, I APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR TEAM, AND, UH, THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS.
I HOPE YOU ORDERED A LOT OF MEDALS.
WE'LL, WE'LL SEE IF WE ORDERED ENOUGH.
UM, I CELEBRATED MY FIRST FIESTA LAST YEAR.
I THINK I'M STILL RECOVERING FROM ALL THE FESTIVITIES, SO, OH, JUST IN TIME.
LET ME JUST SAY THAT I'LL ECHO THE SOUTH SIDE AND EAST SIDE HOSPITAL NEEDS.
WHEN I WAS AT PALO ALTO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE USED THE SOUTH SIDE HOSPITAL FOR WAS OUR MENTAL HEALTH CASES WITH STUDENTS.
UM, SO IF THERE'S A WAY FOR THE CITY TO LET PALO ALTO KNOW, AND PROBABLY TEXAS A AND M KNOW WHERE THEY CAN SEND THOSE STUDENTS, BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU HAD EMERGENCY CASES, AND LITERALLY THE, THE POLICE HAVE TO TAKE SOMEONE SOMEWHERE BEFORE THEY COMMIT SUICIDE OR WHATEVER.
AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE COLLEGES ESPECIALLY KNOW WHAT RESOURCES THEY CAN USE FOR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AS WELL.
UH, I'M REALLY SADDENED TO SEE THAT THAT HOSPITAL CLOSE.
UM, I WISH THERE WAS A WAY THAT THE, THE HEALTH SYSTEM COULD HAVE PROVIDED TO HELP SOME WAY, BUT IF NOT, I THINK WE DO NEED TO LIKE, LOOK AT MAYBE SOMETHING THAT'S ON THE CUSP OF BOTH DISTRICTS, UM, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REST OF THE, UH, REPORT.
UM, BUT I DO HOPE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THE COLLEGES SOME HELP.
SO I THINK YOU ARE, UM, DOING A WONDERFUL JOB.
AND SO, UM, I, I, I WILL SHARE, I ASKED MARIA VIA GOMEZ YESTERDAY DURING OUR ONE-ON-ONE FOR DATA, AND SO LIKE TIMES AND IN TRANSFER MINUTES, LIKE FOR AMBULANCES AND SO TO THE NEAREST AND, UH, MEDICAL CENTER HOSPITALS, HOW MANY PATIENTS ACTUALLY CHOOSE TO GET TRANSFERRED, ET CETERA.
AND SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S WORKING WELL, SHE'S PROBABLY WORKING THROUGH E M SS FOR IT, BUT, UM, I'M SURE THAT SHE'LL SHARE THE INFORMATION WITH YOU ALL AS WELL.
AND SO I THINK THAT IT'S JUST HELPFUL TO HAVE AS, AS WE CONSIDER THE PATH GOING FORWARD.
SO, UM, THANK YOU ALL TO ALL MY COLLEAGUES FOR, UM, ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS AND YOUR SUPPORT OF PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK.
UM, I WILL, I'LL, I'LL GLADLY SING, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL WILL APPRECIATE THIS SINGING
WE WILL GO ON TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS THE EXPANSION OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE.
AND, UM, MR. MCCAREY, DO YOU WANNA, UH, INTRODUCE THE ITEM? YES, WE'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE.
I THINK ANDY HAS A PRESENTATION
[00:30:01]
THAT HE'LL BE PRESENTING TO US, BUT THANK YOU ANDY, FOR BEING HERE.NO, I WANT, I DO WANT TO, UH, TURN IT OVER TO DR.
JENNIFER MATA, WHO'S OUR DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION AND ACCESS.
UH, SHE'S BEEN WITH THE, UH, CITY FOR LESS THAN A YEAR, BUT ALREADY HER AND THE TEAM HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT IN TERMS OF INCREASING THE, UH, CAPABILITY AND RESOURCES OF OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND, UH, GIVE AN UPDATE ON OUR REFRESH OF THE N D O DOCTOR.
GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US THIS SPACE TO PRESENT.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY, OR D E I A.
THIS AFTERNOON, WE WILL PROVIDE A PRELIMINARY HIGH LEVEL PRESENTATION ON UPDATING THE CITY'S NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE, THE CITY'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE D E I A TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ ON TAKING A FRESH LOOK AT OUR N D O SINCE HE SUBMITTED A C C R ASKING FOR A REVIEW OF OUR N D O.
THE N D O WAS INITIALLY PASSED ON SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2013.
A LOT HAS HAPPENED BOTH IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS ARENA AND WITHIN THE CITY ORGANIZATION.
SINCE THEN, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO UPDATE THE N D O FROM BOTH AN ORGANIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVE.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE DID NOT HAVE A CIVIL RIGHTS MANAGER OR A D E I A DEPARTMENT.
AND FROM A CONTENT PERSPECTIVE, FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE UPDATING TERMS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH STATE AND FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS AND UPDATING PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES USED TO IMPLEMENT THE N D O.
WE HAVE NOT SHARED THE PROPOSED UPDATE OR REVISED N D O WITH ANY STAKEHOLDERS, INCU, INCLUDING COMMUNITY GROUPS, BECAUSE WE WANTED TO GET INPUT FIRST FROM THIS COMMITTEE TO ENSURE THAT WE WERE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
OUR PLAN IS TO RECEIVE FROM THIS COMMITTEE, INPUT FROM THIS COMMITTEE, GO THROUGH A COMMUNITY INPUT PROCESS, AND THEN COME BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE WITH THE REVISED N D O FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE IT GOES TO THE FULL COUNCIL.
I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE SAMANTHA SMITH, OUR CIVIL RIGHTS MANAGER FROM D E I A, TO GIVE THE PRESENTATION.
GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, AS SHE SAID, MY NAME IS SAMANTHA SMITH.
I AM THE CIVIL RIGHTS MANAGER OVER IN OUR D E I A DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO A LITTLE BACKGROUND FOR YOU.
MATA SAID, IN SEPTEMBER OF 2013 OF 2013, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE.
SO WE'RE COMING UP ON 10 YEARS.
UM, IN OCTOBER OF 21, UM, 2021, THERE, UH, THERE WAS A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST TO REVIEW AND, UH, ENHANCE THE NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE IN AREAS OF PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT, IMPROVE COMPLAINT PROCESS, AND PROVIDE SUPPORT.
UM, AND THEN IN OCTOBER OF 2022, UH, THE C C R AND UPDATES WERE REFERRED OVER TO CHECK, WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
MATTO WAS SAYING, OUR D E I A DEPARTMENT CONSISTS OF FOUR MAIN PARTS.
SO IT'S MYSELF AS A CIVIL RIGHTS MANAGER.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE, OUR LANGUAGE ACCESS OFFICE, AND OUR OFFICE OF EQUITY.
AND THESE FOUR COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN REALLY WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY IS MORE INCLUSIVE AND MORE WELCOMING, THAT WE ARE PROVIDING SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE, WHERE THEY'RE AT.
UM, SO OUR NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE, WHAT DOES IT DO? SO THE AREAS THAT IT COVERS, IT PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION IN THE AREAS OF, UH, APPOINTED OFFICIALS, UM, APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO EMPLOYMENT IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION AND IN HOUSING.
AND WE DID, WE ALSO REQUIRE ANY CONTRACTORS AND THEN SUBCONTRACTORS TO COMPLY WITH THE N D O.
SO THE SPECIFIC AREAS, UH, PROTECTED CLASSES THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED, UM, IN THE 2013 ORDINANCE ARE RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, VETERAN STATUS, AGE, AND DISABILITY.
SO I WANNA GO OVER SOME, UM, PROPOSED UPDATES FOR THE ORDINANCE.
UM, THESE PROPOSALS ARE FOR THE LANGUAGE TO BE MORE ACCURATE AND TO REALLY REFLECT, UM, THE ACCURATE POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT WE ARE DOING IN THE CITY.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO LOOK AT WAS UPDATING OUR DEFINITIONS.
UM, OUR DEFINITIONS BACK IN 2013, UM, WERE, WERE VERY LIMITED, AND NOW WE HAVE MUCH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BRIGHT WAY TO, UM, IDENTIFY PEOPLE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE INCLUDING EVERYBODY.
[00:35:01]
WITH, UH, GENDER IDENTITY, UM, BEFORE GENDER, IT WAS GENDER RELATED IDENTITY, APPEARANCE, EXPRESSION, BEHAVIOR IN THE, UM, THE, IT'S IN THE ORDINANCE.UM, NOW WE HAVE REFLECTED, WE'VE PROPOSED REFLECTING THAT AS AN INTERNAL, DEEPLY HELD SENSE OF GENDER, AND THEN ADDED A DEFINITION FOR GENDER EXPRESSION.
AND THAT'S GONNA BE THOSE OUTWARD CHARACTERISTICS, MANNERISMS, GROOMING, THAT SORT OF THING.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT BOTH OF THOSE ARE, OR, UH, REFLECTED IN THIS ORDINANCE.
UM, WE'VE ALSO LOOKED AT UPDATING, UH, THE DEFINITION FOR SEX SEXUAL ORIENTATION, WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN VERY LIMITED.
UM, THE ONLY SEXUAL ORIENTATION COVERED IT WAS HETEROSEXUAL, HOMOSEXUAL, BISEXUAL, ASEXUAL.
SO WE, WE WANTED TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE INCLUDING EVERYBODY.
SO WE'VE KIND OF, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PROPOSING, UM, AN UPDATE THAT REALLY GETS EVERYBODY THAT, THAT IS AN, THAT IS ON THE, UM, LGBTQI PLUS SPECTRUM, AND THAT WAY EVERYBODY IS INCLUDED.
UM, NEXT, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE PROPOSED ADDING IS WITH THE DEFINITION OF RACE.
THE CITY HAS ALWAYS, UM, TAKEN PROTECTED HAIRSTYLES TO BE CONSIDERED IN RACE DISCRIMINATION.
WE'RE PROPOSING GOING AHEAD AND MAKING THAT EXPLICIT IN STATING THAT RACE DISCRIMINATION INCLUDES DISCRIMINATION AGAINST RACE-BASED HAIRSTYLES AND, UH, PROTECTED HAIRSTYLES AND TEXTURES, AND THEN NAMING A FEW OF THOSE SO THAT WAY WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S INCLUDED AND EXPLICIT, AND THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT THAT IS PART OF WHAT WE CARE FOR.
SO, NEXT, WE, UH, LOOKED AT POSSIBLY UPDATING, UH, DEPARTMENTS TO OUR CURRENT POLICY.
MATA WAS MENTIONING, WE WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE D E I A.
SO, UM, AGAIN, THAT'S DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE THAT ACCESSIBILITY COMPONENT BE PART OF THIS.
UM, OFTEN ACCESSIBILITY GETS LEFT OUT OF CONVERSATIONS.
AND SO WE WERE, UH, ONE OF DR.
FIRST THINGS THAT SHE DID WHEN SHE CAME ON BOARD WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS FRONT AND CENTER, DEFINITELY PART OF US.
UM, WE WENT AHEAD AND, UH, LOOKED AT MAKING SURE THAT THE, UH, D E I A IS IDENTIFIED AS THE, UH, RECIPIENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE COMPLAINTS.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT UPDATING OUR POLICIES FOR OUR INTERNAL, UH, EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, E E O.
SO THERE WAS SOME REPETITIVE LANGUAGE THAT WE HAD IDENTIFIED.
WE'RE LOOKING AT REMOVING THAT, CLARIFYING THE PROCEDURES, AND REALLY MAKING THINGS MORE ACCESSIBLE, MORE LEGIBLE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO LOOK AT WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYBODY WHO READ THIS ORDINANCE DIDN'T NEED A LAW DEGREE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS, HOW THE PROCESS WORKED AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO WE'VE, WE'VE GONE THROUGH AND KIND OF LOOKED AT DIFFERENT WAYS WE CAN ENHANCE THAT.
UM, NEXT WE JUST WANTED TO UPDATE SOME LANGUAGE.
SO, UM, A FEW YEARS AGO WE HAD TRANSFERRED, WE, WE KIND OF TRANSFORMED LANGUAGE.
WE HAD BEEN USING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.
WE'RE ACTUALLY, UH, USING A WORKFORCE DIVERSITY PLAN IN OUR HIRING RIGHT NOW.
SO THAT'S BEEN REFLECTED IN THE ORDINANCE AS WELL, THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE, UH, LOOKING AT.
AND THEN IN THE AREA OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT, UM, OUR, WE WANTED TO LOOK AT OUR FAIR HOUSING PROVISIONS AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE MORE ACCURATELY REFLECTED OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY, HOW WE'RE PROCESSING THOSE COMPLAINTS, AND CLARIFYING THAT COMPLAINT PROCESS.
SO THAT WAY WHEN RESIDENTS GO TO UNDERSTAND THEIR RIGHTS, THEY CAN LOOK AT IT AND VERY EASILY SEE WHAT THE STEPS ARE, HOW TO FILE THE COMPLAINT, WHAT THINGS NEED TO BE INCLUDED IN THERE, AND HOW MUCH TIME IS GONNA BE INVOLVED.
WE'RE ALSO PROPOSING ADDING SOME ADDITIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES.
SO IN THE AREA OF THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, THIS IS INTERNAL CITY EMPLOYMENT.
REMEMBER, UH, CURRENTLY THE N D O IDENTIFIES, UM, PROTECTIONS IN THE AREAS OF HIRING AND PROMOTION.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT MAKING IT EXPLICIT TO EXTENDING THAT TO, UH, PROTECTION IN, UH, DISCHARGE OR OTHER ADVERSE EMPLOYMENT IMPACTS.
UM, WE'RE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, REQUIRING OBJECTIVITY IN OUR INVESTIGATION, MAKING SURE THAT THAT IS EXPLICIT.
AND THEN, UM, OVERALL WE'RE JUST USING MORE INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE.
SO WE'RE GETTING RID OF GENDER TERMINOLOGY, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THIS COVERS THEM NO MATTER WHAT THEIR, UH, IDENTIFIED GENDER IN THE AREA.
PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION, UM, AGAIN, WE'VE NAMED D E I A, OUR DEPARTMENT, AS RESPONSIBLE FOR RECEIVING THOSE COMPLAINTS.
WE ADDED A 90 DAY STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.
UM, WE IMPOSED A 10 DAY RESPONSE DEADLINE ON D E I A.
SO WHEN WE RECEIVE COMPLAINTS, WE'VE GIVEN OURSELVES A DEADLINE OF 10 DAYS TO RESPOND.
THAT'S ACTUALLY REFLECTIVE OF WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING.
WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ADDED ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES WERE IN THERE, SO THAT WAY IN THE FUTURE, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY ELSE THAT TAKES OVER THIS ROLE COULDN'T THEN EXTEND IT.
[00:40:01]
THEN FINALLY, IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ROLE OF THE SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS CLARIFIED.SO, CURRENTLY, WHEN WE RECEIVE COMPLAINTS UNDER PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION, THAT INFORMATION GETS REFERRED TO THE SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND THEY ACTUALLY GO DO THE INVESTIGATION PROCESS IN THE AREA OF HOUSING.
UM, WE'VE LOOKED AT, UH, ENHANCING THE ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS AND ESTABLISHING 180 DAY STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON THAT.
AND THEN WE'VE ALSO WENT THROUGH AND CLARIFIED THE COMPLAINT PROCESS.
SO PREVIOUSLY, OUR STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS WAS, UM, 30 DAYS FOR THE END OF A HOUSING COMPLAINT, OR, OR EXCUSE ME, THE TERMINATION OF THE DISCRIMINATION, OR, UM, FROM THE DATE OF THE DISCRIM, THE ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION, WE WENT AHEAD AND EXTENDED THAT TO 180 DAYS TO GIVE PEOPLE MORE TIME.
UM, AND THEN WE WANT TO REQUIRE A MANDATORY REVIEW.
SO, UM, AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, THERE'S A LOT OF THESE PROCESSES AND LANGUAGE THAT HAS BEEN UPDATED AND CHANGED IN THE LAST 10 YEARS BY REQUIRING COUNSEL TO REVIEW IT EVERY FIVE YEARS, WHAT WE WOULD DO IS ESSENTIALLY ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT AT THIS PLACE WHERE WE ARE SO FAR BEHIND.
SO, IN, UH, MAKING THESE DECISIONS, WHAT PART OF WHAT I'VE DONE IS, UH, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF OTHER TEXAS CITIES AND WHAT THEIR N D O POLICIES ARE.
SO WE LOOKED AT THE, UH, TOP EIGHT CITIES IN THE STATE, UM, SAN ANTONIO, OF COURSE, ARLINGTON, AUSTIN, CORPUS DALLAS, EL PASO, FORT WORTH, AND HOUSTON.
SO, UM, WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT ACROSS ALL THE CITIES OF, UH, THE EIGHT CITIES THAT WE LOOKED AT, FIVE OF THEM HAD DEFINED COMPLAINT PROCEDURES IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION.
SAN ANTONIO WAS NOT ONE OF THEM.
SO THAT'S AN AREA THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT TRYING TO IMPROVE AND GET US UP TO SPEED WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE STATE OR OF THE CITY'S, EXCUSE ME.
UM, SO, UH, YOU COULD SEE SOME OF THE CITIES HAVE DEFINED INVESTIGATORY POWERS OR DEFINED REMEDIES BEFORE CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT.
UM, WE HAVEN'T LOOKED AT ADDING THAT PARTICULAR PART, BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, UH, TALK ABOUT POSSIBLY DOING.
SO THAT WOULD BE THINGS LIKE A CONCILIATION AGREEMENT OR GOING OUT AND DOING EDUCATION TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THE DISCRIMINATORY ACT WAS, HOW TO FIX IT, AND WHY THEY NEED TO, UH, IMPROVE THOSE PRACTICES.
AND THEN, UM, WITH THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR COMPLAINTS, YOU CAN SEE ABOUT HALF OF THE CITIES ARE CURRENTLY USING THOSE.
UM, AND WE'VE LOOKED AT, UH, ADDING THAT TO OURS AS WELL.
SO IN THE AREA OF EXTERNAL CITY EMPLOYMENT, THERE'S A FEW CITIES THAT HAVE THIS, UM, IT'S NOT SUPER COMMON.
SO THESE ARE FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE AGENCIES.
THEY HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE E E O C.
SO WHAT THEY DO IS THEY ESSENTIALLY BECOME AN INVESTIGATORY ARM OF THE E E O C, BUT EVERYTHING ULTIMATELY IS FINALIZED WITH THE E E O C.
SO THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION IS A STATEWIDE ONE.
WE HAVE AUSTIN CORPUS AND FORT WORTH.
UM, THERE'S TWO CITIES THAT DO MENTION EXTERNAL EMPLOYMENT, UM, HOWEVER IT'S ARLINGTON.
AND WHAT THEY'VE STATED IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO REFER TO THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY WITH JURISDICTION.
SO IN THAT CASE, IT WOULD STILL BE THE T W C OR THE E E O C.
AND THEN DALLAS HAS A SPECIFIC CHAPTER IN THEIR ORDINANCES THAT IS DEDICATED TO DISCRIMINATION, UM, OR EXCUSE ME, A PROTECTED CLASS FOR SEXUAL ORIENTATION GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION.
AND IN THAT CHAPTER, IT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT I SAW THAT ACTUALLY INCLUDED, UM, SOMETHING ABOUT EXTERNAL EMPLOYMENT.
SO I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH THAT'S ACTUALLY, UH, FOLLOWED OR ENFORCED.
ONE OF THE BIG AREAS THAT WE SAW WAS IN THE AREA OF FAIR HOUSING.
SO, UM, AS A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, HUD HAS TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT THEY HAVE, UM, FOR DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TO BECOME PARTNERS, EITHER THROUGH AN INVESTIGATION OR ENFORCEMENT WITH HUD.
SO THERE'S FIPS, UM, AND THIS IS THE FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM.
SO THIS IS TARGETED PRIMARILY WITH, UM, NONPROFITS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, WE HAVE THE SAN ANTONIO FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL.
I THINK THEY'RE GREATER SAN ANTONIO FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL NOW.
UM, BUT THEY ARE AIDING IN THAT, UM, NATIONWIDE NETWORK AND CARRYING OUT INVESTIGATIONS AND ENFORCEMENTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH HUD.
THEY GO OUT AND DO TESTING AND THAT SORT OF THING, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY ACTUALLY GO OUT TO APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE, UM, OFFERING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO RENT A HOUSE OR A HOME.
AND THEN THE OTHER OPTION THAT WE HAVE IS A FAB OR FAIR HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, F H A P.
SO, UM, THESE ARE, OR, UH, AGREEMENTS WITH STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
AND WHAT THAT IS, IS THAT THE STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
[00:45:01]
WILL THEN ENACT THEIR OWN STATUES AND ORDINANCES THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, AND THEY'LL RECEIVE NON-COMPETITIVE FUNDING FROM HUD.BUT THEY HAVE TO, UM, OBTAIN AND MAINTAIN CERTIFICATION FROM HUD IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
SO IF A CITY OR STATE DOES THAT, HUD WILL REFER ANY COMPLAINT THAT THEY RECEIVE DIRECTLY TO THE CITY.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, IF WE WERE TO GO DOWN A PATH LIKE THAT, THEN ANY FAIR HOUSING COMPLAINT FILED WITH HUD IN THE CITY LIMITS OF SAN ANTONIO WOULD THEN BE REFERRED TO THE, THE CITY FOR DOING THE INVESTIGATION AND ENFORCEMENT.
I, SO LOOKING AT THE, UM, AREAS THAT THE OTHER CITIES HAD, WHAT WE SEE IS THAT MOST OF THE CITIES DO HAVE, UH, SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT, EQUIVALENT ORDINANCES.
WE ARE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT IN THE AREAS OF, IN THE MAJORITY OF THE AREAS OF THE HOUSING PROVISIONS.
HOWEVER, IN THE ENFORCEMENT AREA, THAT'S WHERE WE, UM, ARE NOT EQUIVALENT.
SO IT'S US IN ARLINGTON THAT ARE STILL MOSTLY REFERRING OUT TO HUD, AUSTIN CORPUS AND FORT WORTH.
THEY ARE CURRENTLY CERTIFIED FPS.
SO THEY DO RECEIVE THE COMPLAINTS FROM HUD AND DO ALL THE INVESTIGATION AND EVERYTHING.
HOUSTON, DALLAS AND EL PASO, THEY'RE NOT CURRENTLY CERTIFIED, BUT THEY DO HAVE, UM, THOSE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT, UM, ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS IN THEIR ORDINANCES.
SO, UM, EL PASO ACTUALLY JUST PASSED THEIRS IN 2021.
UM, SO I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THEM YET.
SO, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO BECOME AN F H A P AND THAT'S WHY THEY PASSED IT, OR, UM, IF THEY'RE JUST LOOKING AT ENHANCING THOSE PROCEDURES.
SO THINGS THAT WE, UM, THAT ARE NOT IN THE UPDATE THAT WE'VE PROPOSED THAT WOULD MAKE US SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT IS GOING TO BE A MANDATORY NOTICE TO THE RESPONDENT OF THE DEADLINES AND RIGHTS AND EVERYTHING.
SO THAT'S THE APARTMENT COMPLEX HOUSING UNIT THAT WAS COMPLAINED AGAINST.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME KIND OF DEADLINES FOR INVESTIGATIONS.
SO, UM, WITH THE F H A P, THEY REQUIRE 180 DAYS TO FINALIZE THE INVESTIGATION, I BELIEVE.
AND THEN IT'S ONE YEAR TO ACTUALLY, UH, FINISH EVERYTHING.
THERE'S ALSO A REQUIREMENT FOR, UH, SUBPOENA AUTHORITY, JUDICIAL REVIEW, AND OTHER TYPES OF JUDICIAL AUTHORITIES.
IN MY CONVERSATIONS WITH HUD, THIS, THAT AREA IS REALLY WHERE MOST CITIES END UP LOSING THAT CERTIFICATION.
IT'S IN ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT ADDITIONAL JUDICIAL PROCESS.
SO I DID GET SOME DATA FROM HUD TO SEE WHAT TYPES OF COMPLAINTS WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE.
NOW, THIS IS IN THE CITY, IN THE CITY LIMITS OF SAN ANTONIO, AND THIS IS WHAT'S HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY HUD DIRECTLY OR FROM REFERRAL, UH, FROM US OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, UM, FOR FISCAL YEARS 2021 AND 22.
SO WE CAN SEE THAT THE MAJORITY OF COMPLAINTS RECEIVED ARE RELATED TO DISABILITY, UM, AND THAT THE MAJORITY OF CASES ARE ACTUALLY CLOSED WITHOUT CAUSE.
UM, ON AVERAGE IT TAKES ABOUT 105, OR EXCUSE ME, THE MEETING IS ABOUT 105 DAYS FOR A COMPLETE, UM, FINALIZATION OF A INVESTIGATION AND EVERYTHING FOR THE, UH, FOR HUD.
BUT, UM, THOSE AVERAGES CAN KIND OF VARY.
SO IT CAN REALLY BE, UH, ANYWHERE
UH, THE NEXT THING THAT I SAW WAS A, UM, SOME CITIES HAD A HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, OR, UM, AUSTIN HAS WHAT THEY CALL AN INTERSECTIONALITY COMMISSION.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS THAT OTHER CITIES HAVE THAT LOOK TO REPRESENT A, UH, BROADER SWATH OF THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT PROPOSING A, UH, HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.
UM, WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT DOING IS ADDING ONE MEMBER FROM EACH COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE THAT WOULD BE SELECTED BY THE COMMISSIONER COMMITTEE.
SO, UM, FOR INSTANCE, WITH, UH, VETERANS ADVISORY COMMISSION AND WITH, UM, LET'S SAY THE DISABILITY ACCESS COMMISSION, THEY EACH HAVE THEIR OWN REPRESENTATIVE.
SO THERE COULD, WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM DIFFERENT COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS IS THAT THERE IS SOMETIMES QUESTIONS THAT COME UP THAT THEY'RE JUST NOT REALLY CAPABLE OF HANDLING.
SO IF, WHETHER YOU THINK OF LIKE A DISABLED VET AND THAT PERSON IS OVER IN EITHER THE DAC, THE DISABILITY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, OR IN THE VETERANS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THERE MAY BE SOME AREAS
[00:50:01]
WHERE THEY'RE ACTUALLY, UH, NOT HAVING THE FULL AMOUNT OF INFORMATION POSSIBLE, BUT THEY'RE, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT CREATING A SPACE WHERE THOSE CONVERSATIONS CAN HAPPEN, AND WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND OUR RESIDENTS ARE ABLE TO GET TO ALL OF THE RESOURCES THAT THEY ACTUALLY NEED WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS BY HAVING THE SPACE TO COMMUNICATE.AND WITH THAT, THAT IS THE END OF MY PRESENTATION, SO I'LL BE WILLING TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE AT THIS TIME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, SAMANTHA.
MATA AND, AND ANDY FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS.
UM, THIS WAS A C C R BY COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ.
AND, UM, BEFORE GOING INTO MY QUESTIONS, I'D LIKE TO TURN THE MIC OVER TO HIM TO, UM, TO GET US STARTED.
I'M TRYING TO CONCEAL ALL OF MY JOY AND EXCITEMENT BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE SITTING HERE, THE LEGISLATIVE, UH, SESSION IS GOING ON AND, UM, THERE'S STILL A LEVEL OF POLITICAL CALCULUS THAT WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN.
UM, AND SO I, I DO WANNA START OFF REGARDING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
I WANNA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WORKING WITH US AS CLOSELY AS YOU HAVE AND BEING WILLING TO IMPLEMENT MY SUGGESTIONS.
I KNOW THIS WAS A VERY, THIS IS A THOROUGH JOB THAT YOU HAVE DONE AND THAT YOU'RE CONTINUING TO DO.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, A FEW OF THE SUGGESTIONS, LIKE THE FIVE YEAR REVIEW AND EXPLICITLY NAMING HAIR DISCRIMINATION, YOU KNOW, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY DO THAT, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT YOU DID.
UM, AND I'M, THAT MAKES ME, UH, VERY EAGER FOR WHAT COMES NEXT.
AND, YOU KNOW, HOW MIGHT YOU ALSO MAKE THE ADVOCACY GROUPS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FEEL WHEN YOU ENGAGE THEM ALONG THE WAY? UM, AND I HAVE VERY HIGH, I HAVE VERY STRONG FEELINGS THAT IT'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL PROCESS.
UM, I WOULD REQUEST THAT YOU CONTINUE TO LEAN ON MY OFFICE TO PROVIDE A LEADERSHIP IN THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
AND FOREMOST INCLUDE THOSE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THIS POLICY FROM THE BEGINNING OVER A DECADE AGO TO THIS CURRENT, UH, C C R PROPOSAL, INCLUDING THE LEMONADE CIRCLE FOR LANGUAGE REGARDING HAIR DISCRIMINATION AND HOUSING ADVOCACY GROUPS, UH, REGARDING THE FAIR HOUSING PRACTICES.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT A CONTACT LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE A PART OF FORMING THE LANGUAGE, UH, WHICH YOU HAD MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, FOR IDEALLY TO CREATE THE MOST ROBUST AND INCLUSIVE LIVING DOCUMENT AS POSSIBLE, WHICH I KNOW YOU'RE COMMITTED TO.
UM, AND MANY OF THOSE GROUPS ARE DOING ADVOCACY WORK IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND I WOULD ALSO, I, I IMAGINE MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SOME LISTS, UH, A LIST AS WELL THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY LIKE TO PROVIDE TO YOU, UH, REGARDING THE CONTENT.
I'M EXCITED TO SEE SOME OF THE LANGUAGE UPDATED FOR INCLUSIVITY.
AND I'M SO, UM, YOU KNOW, GRATEFUL YOU INCLUDED THE ADDED ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES.
ONE THING I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT AND WANT TO SEE IS THE INCLUSION FOR LEGAL SUPPORT FOR COMPLAINANTS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WOULD MEAN, YOU KNOW, A CONTRACT WITH AN ENTITY LIKE, UH, T R L A.
AND SO I WOULD STILL LIKE THAT TO BE EXPLORED AS A PART OF THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
I'D ALSO WONDER REGARDING THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS, UM, HOW MIGHT WE ENSURE RESIDENTS ARE AWARE OF THE COMPLAINT PROCESS PRIOR TO REACHING THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS? AND IS IT POSSIBLE THAT MAYBE THAT, UM, THAT 180 DAYS STARTS AFTER THEY BECOME AWARE OF THE COMPLAINT PROCESS? I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF LEGAL, UH, YOU KNOW, OPTION THAT IS, BUT I WANNA THROW THAT OUT THERE.
UM, REGARDING, AND I KNOW I, I TOLD MY COLLEAGUES I WOULDN'T ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT
BUT, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS MUCH DIVERSITY AS POSSIBLE REPRESENTED IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.
AND, UM, INNATELY WITH THIS PARTICULAR GROUP OF MEMBERSHIP YOU'VE MENTIONED, I THINK WE WILL GET THERE AND I WONDER IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY LATER TO CONSIDER HOW DO WE ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL OF THAT SELECTION OF THE, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM THOSE VARIOUS COMMISSIONS, AS WELL AS MAYBE HAVING DISTRICT APPOINTEE OR DISTRICT APPOINTEES, OR ENSURING THAT THERE'S, UH, UM, EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION ACROSS, UH, ACROSS SAN ANTONIO.
AND THEN I KNOW WE DON'T NEED A MOTION, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS JUST A BRIEFING, SO I'D ASK FOR A COMMITMENT TO RETURN IN MAY, UM, WITH AN UPDATE ON THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PIECE, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE LANGUAGE UPDATES, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, UH, AND MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE, EVEN IF THAT UPDATE IS, THERE'S STILL MORE WORK TO DO.
AND SO, UM, AS A CITY, I THINK THAT WE'VE, UM, MOVED THE NEEDLE, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, WE, WE MENTIONED THIS OFTEN IN IT'S, UH, WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, AND, UM, I HAD THE HONOR OF, OF, OF FORMING PART OF THE FIRST WOMEN ELECTED MAJORITY COUNCIL.
WE ALSO HAVE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY, UH, MAN ON COUNCIL.
AND SO VERY, VERY, UM, EXCITING TIMES, RIGHT, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS, THAT WE ARE CELEBRATING DIVERSITY.
UM, WE ALSO APPLY, UH, APPOINTED, UM, THE FIRST LEGALLY BLIND PERSON TO THE VIA COMMITTEE.
WE HAVE THE RIVER WALK IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE, WHERE WE HAVE SOMEONE WITH A DISABILITY FINALLY REPRESENTED AT THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST.
THERE'S A COMMITTEE OF 13 PEOPLE, AND I KNOW COUNCILMAN CASTILLO SITS ON IT, UM, WITH DIFFERENT DISABILITIES.
ONE CARETAKER OUT OF THE 13, SO ALL THE OTHERS HAVE A DISABILITY.
AND SO I'D ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK
[00:55:01]
AT THAT COMMITTEE AT THE CREATION OF THAT COMMITTEE BECAUSE IT'S DOING WONDERFUL WORK.UH, AND I WANNA THANK, UH, MY, MY COLLEAGUE FOR SITTING THAT ON, ON, UH, AND COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ MENTIONED, UM, THE LEMONADE CIRCLE.
AND SO THEY WERE JUST WONDERFUL.
I'M SURE THEY'RE GONNA BE SO EXCITED.
I CAN'T WAIT TO, TO YOU DELIVER THE NEWS TO THEM.
UM, COUNCILMAN, SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR BRINGING ME IN ON THAT.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION ON D E I A, UM, HOW TO REACH, UH, HOW TO REACH D E I A.
SO I, I WENT ONTO THE WEBSITE, UM, AND WHEN YOU GO TO THE VERY BOTTOM WHERE IT HAS OFFICE OF EQUITY AND THERE DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE A BUTTON LIKE FILE A COMPLAINT, BUT YOU, I SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM, VERY, VERY BOTTOM, UH, LEFT HAND SIDE, SAYS OFFICE OF EQUITY.
UM, I WENT TO FILE A DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT AND THERE'S NO WAY TO FILE IT ONLINE IN SPANISH.
SO THEN WHAT I DID IS I WENT TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE AND I CLICKED ON SPANISH.
AND INSTEAD OF IT TRANSLATING THAT PAGE TO SPANISH, IT TOOK ME BACK TO THE HOMEPAGE FOR THE CITY.
AT THAT POINT, I REALIZED THAT ALL THE LINKS AT THE TOP STILL HAVEN'T BEEN TRANSLATED.
SO GET CONNECTED, RESIDENTS, VISITORS, BUSINESS, YOUR GOVERNMENT, THAT'S ALL IN ENGLISH STILL.
AND SO I WOULD HAVE NO IDEA IF I SPOKE ONLY SPANISH, HOW TO SUBMIT A COMPLAINT.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ON YOUR ENGLISH PAGE, A LINK WITH THE, UM, HOW TO PRINT OUT, UH, IF THERE'S A P D F OF THE TRANSLATED FORM.
RIGHT? AND SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING THIS UP BECAUSE AS YOU, AS YOU ACTUALLY PRETEND THAT YOU DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH, I WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO FILE A COMPLAINT.
I HAVE NO IDEA THAT I CAN FILE A COMPLAINT.
RIGHT? AND SO, UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS, THAT SOMEONE IS ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH THE WEBPAGE AND CLICKING ON THIS.
'CAUSE I THINK IT'S 'CAUSE I'M A PROFESSOR, SO I DOUBLE CHECK EVERYONE'S WORK, RIGHT? AND SO I'M LIKE, SO WAIT A SECOND.
SO WE'RE SAYING THAT WE HAVE THIS, THIS, UH, WEBPAGE AND ACCESS, BUT WE HAVEN'T EVEN CLICKED THROUGH THIS.
LIKE, THERE MIGHT BE A BROKEN LINK FOR ALL I KNOW, RIGHT? AND SO THAT'S WHY I WAS KIND OF DOING IT LAST MINUTE.
'CAUSE I THOUGHT, OKAY, WELL MAYBE THEY HAVE A FEW, A FEW HOURS TO CHANGE IT OR SOMETHING.
RIGHT? BUT AGAIN, SO IT JUST HASN'T BEEN, AND MAYBE IT'S 'CAUSE OF THE NEW WEBSITE, MAYBE Y'ALL CHECKED IT WITH THE OLD WEBSITE AND IT WAS WORKING.
BUT, UH, PEOPLE WHO SPEAK SPANISH WOULD HAVE NO WAY OF, OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE TO GO.
SO HOW TO SUBMIT A DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT ON THE CHECK.
THERE'S A FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LINK.
THERE'S ALSO, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE LINKS.
UM, BUT THEY'RE, BUT YOU CAN'T EMAIL, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, SO ANYWAY, SO JUST LIKE THINGS TO CONSIDER, RIGHT? LIKE LITERALLY STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
LIKE GET, UM, A COLLEGE KID IN AND HAVE THEM GO CHECK OUT EVERY WEBPAGE, RIGHT? AND SO IF THEY DIDN'T, DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ARE THEY DOING? UM, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU, UH, ADDED THE MANDATORY REVIEW, THE FOURTH, UH, PORTION OF IT.
SO E E O, PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION, HOUSING.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU COMPETE, UH, COMP, UH, COMPARED THE DIFFERENT CITIES LIKE ARLINGTON AND HOUSTON AND FORT WORTH AS WELL.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT WHAT, WHAT PRACTICES ARE GOING ON IN SOME OF THE, THE MAJOR CITIES, UM, THAT WE WANNA PASS UP, RIGHT? THAT WE WANNA BE BETTER THAN QUITE HONESTLY.
UM, ON THE HUD COMPLAINTS, DO YOU ALSO HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF ANY COMPLAINTS PER DISTRICT SO THAT WE COULD KNOW LIKE WHAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE COMPLAINING MOSTLY ABOUT? AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
I RECENTLY TALKED TO DOUG MELNICK AND WE HAD PUT UP THESE BEAUTIFUL EV CHARGING STATIONS AT PEARSALL PARK, AND THEY WEREN'T A D A ACCESSIBLE.
AND SO, UM, I'M WONDERING, WERE THERE COMPLAINTS IN D FOUR ABOUT IT OR WERE THERE COMPLAINTS IN OTHER DISTRICTS? AND IS THAT WHAT KIND OF LIKE LED TO THE, OH MY GOODNESS, LET'S TAKE UP ANOTHER PARKING SPACE SO THAT PEOPLE COULD HAVE ACCESS, RIGHT? AND SO I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S A BREAKDOWN OF THE TYPE OF COMPLAINTS THAT ARE RECEIVED PER DISTRICT.
UM, FROM HUD, WE HAVE RECEIVED SOME COMPLAINTS AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRY TO PUT TOGETHER OKAY.
JUST BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE.
SO WE CAN GIVE YOU A BETTER REPRESENTATION OF THAT.
UM, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T HAVE THAT DATA FROM HUD.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF, IF THEY BREAK IT DOWN.
BUT, UM, SO JUST, JUST SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER AND IT REMINDED ME OF COUNCILMAN CASTILLO'S EARLIER QUESTION.
RIGHT? AND SO HEALTH EQUITY THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE, RIGHT? SO, UM, SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT COMMON COUNCILWOMAN AND THEN ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.
UM, I, SO WAS THERE A REASON THAT YOU WERE RECOMMENDING SEVEN MEMBERS THOUGH? 'CAUSE I'M KIND OF, TO COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ'S POINT, THEY THINK THAT THERE'S, THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR FEEDBACK FROM US, BUT WAS THERE A PARTICULAR REASON WHY THERE WAS ONLY SEVEN RECOMMENDED? SO RIGHT NOW WE JUST IDENTIFIED THOSE PARTICULAR SEVEN COMMITTEES OKAY.
AS, UM, ONES THAT WE REALLY THOUGHT WOULD HAVE THAT KIND OF, UM, KNOWLEDGE AND TOUCH ABOUT, LIKE, THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMMUNITIES THAT REALLY NEED TO HAVE A BIGGER VOICE AND BE, MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ALL REPRESENTED.
UM, I, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO IN THE FUTURE TOO, IS THAT AS MORE COMMITTEES OR COMMISSIONS MAY BE IDENTIFIED, WE CAN DEFINITELY INCLUDE THOSE AS WELL.
BUT OUR MAIN GOAL WAS TO TRY AND FIND A SPACE FOR THESE GROUPS TO COME TOGETHER AND BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT SOME
[01:00:01]
PARTICULAR ISSUES THAT THEY MAY, UM, THAT MAY OVERLAP AND THEY MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION TOGETHER.AND I FIGURED THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE SPADE ON THERE, UM, FOR, UH, FOR INSTANCE, CONTRACTING, RIGHT? AND SPECIFICALLY CONTRACTING, UH, WITH, WITH, UH, DIVERSE CONTRACTORS.
I WANT TO APPRECIATE, 'CAUSE WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION LAST WEEK AT THE COUNCIL AT IT AROSE.
AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT THAT WAS ON THERE.
SO I DUNNO IF Y'ALL HAD IT ON THERE BEFORE OR AFTER, BUT KUDOS TO WHOEVER ADDED THAT.
UM, I ALSO THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S MISSING HERE IS THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS COMPONENT.
UM, SO IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF RESEARCH INSTITUTION OR AT LEAST ONE OF THE HIGHER ED, UM, YOU KNOW, INSTITUTIONS, UH, PARTICIPATE AND THEN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND COUNCILMAN MKI RODRIGUEZ MENTIONED THAT.
BUT, UM, I THINK THOSE ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT I, THAT I WOULD, UH, RECOMMEND FOR THE NEXT GO AROUND.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE.
I DON'T KNOW WHO WANTS TO GO NEXT.
MATA AND SAMANTHA FOR THE PRESENTATION, AS WELL AS TO COUNCILMAN, UH, MCKEE RODRIGUEZ FOR LEADING THE EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT WE, UH, EXPAND THE PROTECTIONS WITH THE NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE.
UM, JUST THIS WEEK, UM, UH, TEXAS SENATE HEARD BILL SSB 15, WHICH IS A BILL THAT RESTRICTS THE RIGHTS OF TRANS STUDENTS FROM PARTICIPATING, UH, IN COLLEGE SPORTS THAT ALIGN WITH THEIR GENDER.
RIGHT? SO I THINK THIS IS MORE NEEDED, MORE THAN EVER TO DEMONSTRATE, RIGHT? THAT WE ARE A CITY OF INCLUSIVITY AND, UH, A COMMUNITY AND A CITY OF SOLIDARITY.
UH, AND, AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS EXPANDING, UH, THE N D O.
SO, REALLY PLEASED TO HAVE THIS BRIEFING.
UM, I WOULD ALSO BE SUPPORTIVE, UH, THE COUNCILMAN MENTIONED EXPLORING POTENTIAL LEGAL SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO FILE, UM, A, A COMPLAINT.
I, I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.
AND THEN, UM, I, I KNOW IT WAS MENTIONED IN THE PRESENTATION ON SLIDE 14, UM, FOR THE FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT ON, UH, TYPICALLY WHY CITIES ARE NON EQUIVALENT ENFORCEMENT.
I BELIEVE YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING, SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF, UH, THE, THE JUDICIAL MECHANISM IS WHERE FOLKS DON'T COME INTO COMPLIANCE WITH IT IS CORRECT.
SO, UM, THE TWO COMPONENTS OF BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT F H A P STATUS ARE HAVING THE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT ORDINANCE AND THEN ALSO HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT PROCEDURES.
SO A CITY WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THOSE DIFFERENT PROCESSES.
AND AS YOU GET INVOLVED WITH MUNICIPAL COURTS AND THAT SORT OF THING, IT CAN REALLY, UH, BOG DOWN A SYSTEM AND IT CAN MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FOR POSSIBLY A LARGER CITY THAT IS RECEIVING MORE COMPLAINTS TO MAINTAIN THAT LEVEL OF, UM, ENGAGEMENT WITH GOING TO THE COURTS AND MAKING SURE THAT THINGS ARE BEING TAKEN CARE OF THAT WAY.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
AND, UM, WERE YOU ABLE TO EXPLORE SOME OF THE DATA OF LIKE, MAYBE WHAT POTENTIALLY LIKE THE BACKLOG LOOKS LIKE FOR SOME OF THOSE, UH, MUNICIPAL COURTS FOR HOUSTON OR AUSTIN, FOR EXAMPLE? I HAVEN'T, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT FOR YOU.
MA CASTILLO, COUNCILMAN CASTRO.
YEAH, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS, UM, THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT.
ONE IS, IF YOU CAN GIVE US A BREAKDOWN OF THE COMPLAINTS BY DISTRICT, I'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME WAS, UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD HELP US IN TWEAKING THIS KIND OF ORDINANCES.
YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO REALLY FOLLOW UP ON SO THAT IT IS MORE EFFECTIVE? 'CAUSE I NOTICED IN YOUR REPORT THAT IT SAID MANY OF THESE COMPLAINTS ARE FOUND UNSUBSTANTIATED BY HUD.
UM, SO MAYBE IN LOOKING AT THAT, WE COULD DETERMINE IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO TWEAK AND MAKE IT A BETTER KIND OF ORDINANCE.
THE SECOND THING IS, I WONDERED WHEN WE LOOK AT THE COMMISSION AND THE MAKEUP OF IT, MAYBE IT FITS UNDER WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, BUT I THOUGHT ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD ABUSE, YOU KNOW, WHERE DOES THAT FIT? AND ALSO, UM, THE PROBLEMS THAT CITIES HAVE WITH, UM, WITH WHITE SLAVERY, WITH, WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE, ARE YOUNG WOMEN THAT ARE ACTUALLY PUT INTO SEXUAL SITUATIONS WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT.
I KNOW THAT EVERY CITY HAS THAT PROBLEM.
AND I JUST WONDERED HOW IN HERE, WOULD THAT BE A ADDRESSED OR, UH, YEAH, THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT I CAN LOOK INTO.
I KNOW THAT THAT'S AN ISSUE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE'D WANT TO ADDRESS.
SO WE'LL LOOK INTO THAT FOR YOU.
UH, I'M GLAD WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT IT.
UM, AND I, I WANNA THANK OUR COUNCILMAN
[01:05:01]
MC KEY RODRIGUEZ FOR, FOR MOVING THIS FORWARD AND UNDERSTANDING WE NEEDED TO REVIEW IT.UM, SOME THINGS ON THE, UM, NEWLY ADDED DEFINITIONS, UH, FOR THE PROTECTIVE HAIRSTYLES AND RACE IN DISCRIMINATION, UH, SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE, UH, HAS, UM, A GROOMING GUIDELINE THAT KI THAT IS REALLY WELL WRITTEN.
AND I'LL HAVE MY TEAM SEND THAT OVER TO YOU IF WE WANNA DO THAT.
BECAUSE WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO DO, 'CAUSE I DID LOOK INTO, AFTER COUNCILMAN MCCREE RODRIGUEZ MENTIONED THIS, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN MY DISTRICT THAT HAD SOMETHING REGARDING THIS, AND SOME OF THEM WERE VERY, UM, JUST WELL GROOMED, UH, NO DISTRACTIONS, BUT S SE, UM, SAN SS A I S D, SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT HAD ONE THAT KIND OF SAID, WE WILL NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST YOU, AND HERE'S, HERE'S A LIST.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE CITY KIND OF DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING, UM, UH, KIND OF WHAT MAYBE PEOPLE ON THE COMMUNITY ARE FACING AS DISCRIMINATION.
SO IF WE COULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
UM, SO WE'LL SEND THAT OVER TO YOU.
UM, THE OTHER IS, UM, AS WE DO THE ANALYSIS AND WE TALK ABOUT THE NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDER, AND, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO MENTIONED THIS IS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IS STILL VERY MUCH FRONT AND CENTER.
UM, IT'S WHY WE HAVE THE STATS THAT WE HAVE.
SO IF WE CAN JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, WE ARE ADDRESSING JUST THE OUTWARD AGGRESSION IN THE MICROAGGRESSION THAT WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE ARE FACING.
AND I KNOW SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY, WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THAT WAS OFFENSIVE, OR, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THAT WAS DISRESPECTFUL.
WELL, THE TIME TO EDUCATE PEOPLE THAT IT IS, UM, IS NOW, AND I THINK WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT AS WE UPDATE THIS N D O.
UM, THE, THE OTHER THING IS, UM, ON, ON THE COMMUNICATING TO OUR EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, THAT FAMILY VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE ACCEPT.
SO IF SOMEONE IS BEING OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS BEING, WELL, WE KNOW WHAT ABUSE IS, BUT MAYBE MORE OF A MICROAGGRESSION OR EMOTIONALLY ABUSED BY SOMEONE IN THE, THAT IS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, IS WHAT IS WHAT IS GOING TO BE THEIR, UM, AVENUE TO KIND OF FILE THAT COMPLAINT.
WILL IT BE ON THE WEBSITE, UH, WITH THE DIRECTOR? WELL, AS, AS YOU KNOW, COUNCILWOMAN, WE CURRENTLY HAVE THE AD AGAINST, UH, HARASSMENT.
SO IF IT'S FROM AN EMPLOYEE, WE ALREADY HAVE PROCESSES IN PLACE TO INVESTIGATE IT AND THEN TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IF THERE ARE FINDINGS, IF IT'S SOMEBODY FROM OUTSIDE THE CITY, IT DEPENDS ON THE CONTEXT OF WHERE IT OCCURRED.
UH, BUT, UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT, YEAH, WE DO NEED TO HAVE RESOURCES FOR OUR EMPLOYEES WHERE REGARDLESS OF WHERE IT HAPPENS OR WHO DOES IT, WE, WE CAN INFORM THEM AS TO WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE AND WHAT TOOLS THEY CAN USE.
SO, WE'LL, WE'LL ADD THAT TO OUR LIST OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
BECAUSE JUST WE, UM, I, I, BUT, AND PART OF IT IS BEING AN EXAMPLE FOR A TWO-WAY STREET IS WE EXPECT OUR EMPLOYEES TO GO OUT AND BE, BE RESPECTFUL AND, AND TO HANDLE THIS.
BUT MY EXPECTATION IS WHEN THEY WALK INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING, THAT THEY'RE TREATED WITH RESPECT BY THOSE ATTENDING THE, THE MEETING ALSO.
SO I THINK IT'S ONE OF THOSE LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND KIND OF MAKING SURE WE, WE INFORM THE COMMUNITY WHAT OUR N D O IS, UH, REGARDING THAT.
UM, OTHER THAN THAT, I THINK, UM, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, I, I THINK THAT THAT'S A GREAT IDEA OF LOOKING FOR THE REPRESENTATIVES.
AND I KNOW IT'S ONLY, UM, IT'S ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM EACH, BUT MAYBE WE LOOK AT, UM, IF WE NEED TO ROUND THAT OUT, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THERE'S NOT, IF THERE'S DISCUSSION, THAT THERE'S A ROBUST DISCUSSION.
IF WE NEED TO ADD, UH, MORE MEMBERS FROM A SPECIFIC COMMITTEE, COMMITTEE OR COMMISSION, OR NEED TO LOOK AT, UH, BRINGING SOMEONE IN FROM MAYBE, UM, UH, THE, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR THE HIGHER EDUCATION ALMO COMMUNITY COLLEGES, MAYBE DOING THAT ALSO.
ANY WRAP UP? ANY FINAL? I'LL JUST ADD, UM, FOR THE COMMISSION P THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION PIECE, I, I KNOW WE NAMED IT, BUT I HAVE TO NAME IT PUBLICLY, THAT, UH, THE L G B T Q COMMUNITY ISN'T REALLY REPRESENTED IN THAT.
AND SO MAYBE THERE'S ROOM TO INCLUDE SOME OF THOSE GROUPS
[01:10:01]
THAT WERE MENTIONED EARLIER, LIKE SURVIVORS OF, UH, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, UH, UH, SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, THAT A MEMBER OF THE L G B T Q COMMUNITY, AND WE CAN SORT OF SHOP THAT AROUND WITH SOME OF THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AND SEE MAYBE THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO APPOINT PEOPLE FROM THERE.AND WE WILL, ONE OF THE THINGS WE REALIZED WAS, AS WE PUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CONCEPT IN FRONT OF THE COMMITTEE, WAS THAT THE, THE GROUPS WERE IDENTIFIED WERE A STARTING POINT.
AND WE KNOW THAT AS WE ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY FURTHER AND WORK WITH THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE PART OF THIS COMMITTEE, THAT THAT LIST WILL PROBABLY GROW.
AND WE ALSO COMMIT TO COMING BACK IN MAY WITH AN UPDATE AND, UH, ACTUAL, UM, UPDATED N D O.
WELL, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AGAIN.
COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
AND, UM, AND, AND, UH, AND MS. SMITH, UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR WORK.
WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS STRATEGIES FOR PUBLIC ART IN 20 22, 20 27.
AND I BELIEVE THAT'S GONNA BE PRESENTED BY CRYSTAL JONES.
AND, UM, COMMITTEE, I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WANTED TO DO PUBLIC COMMENTS BEFORE THE PRESENTATION, OR WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT UNLESS YOU DID SIGN UP.
IT'S, WELL, IF WE HAVE ONE PERSON WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE COMMITTEE, ARE WE OKAY WITH LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC? OKAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP OUR PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE CHAIR, FRIDA FAI.
SHE, UM, WANTED TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS STRATEGY.
GOOD AFTERNOON, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THIS IS JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE MYSELF.
I'M FRIDA FAI, I SERVE ON THE SAN ANTONIO ARTS COMMISSION.
I'M ALSO CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC ARTS COMMITTEE ON THE COMMISSION.
I REPRESENT DISTRICT NINE FOR COUNCILMAN JOHN COURAGE.
I'VE SERVED ON THE SAN ANTONIO ARTS COMMISSION FOR SIX YEARS NOW, AND I HAVE ALSO SERVED ON THE PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE FOR THE SAME NUMBER OF YEARS, SERVING AS THE CHAIR FOR THE LAST THREE.
SO I'M FORTUNATE TO HAVE A STRONG GROUP OF MEMBERS ON MY PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WELL-INFORMED, AND WHO SHARE AS MUCH PASSION FOR PUBLIC ART AS I DO.
SO, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU BRIEFLY ABOUT THE PUBLIC ART IN SAN ANTONIO, SPECIFICALLY THE BOND, THE FUNDING FOR THE, UH, PUBLIC ART PROGRAM IN THE 20 22, 20 27 BOND.
SO AS CHAIR OF PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE, I HAVE WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE DIRECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO, DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE, CRYSTAL JONES, AND HER WONDERFUL PROFESSIONAL STAFF.
SO I HAVE SEEN THE RESULTS OF A STRONG AND GROWING PUBLIC ART PROGRAM IN SAN ANTONIO, AND I'M AWARE OF THE ENORMOUS VALUE VITALITY AND IMPACT THAT PUBLIC ART INSTALLATIONS HAVE ON OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WHEN I SAY COMMUNITY, I MEAN THE ENTIRE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, SINCE PUBLIC ART HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN ALL 10 DISTRICTS OF OUR CITY, ABOUT 600 PLUS AND COUNTING.
SO THAT BEING SAID, I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE JUST A FEW HIGHLIGHTS, AND I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO TOO MUCH BECAUSE CRYSTAL HAS A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.
BUT I THINK SOMETHING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN DETERMINING THE APPROPRIATE FUNDING LEVEL FOR PUBLIC ART IN THE COMING BOND.
CERTAINLY, COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.
WE HAVE A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF OUR CITY, MANY RESIDENTS AS DETERMINED IN SURVEYS WHO SAY THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE PUBLIC ART MAINTAINED AND DEVELOPED AND TO GROW IN OUR CITY.
IT HAS BECOME A SIGNATURE FEATURE OF OUR CITY.
AND ABOUT 88% OF OUR RESPONDENTS HAVE SAID THAT.
SO PUBLIC ART, AS YOU KNOW, IS A SOURCE OF PRIDE.
AND THE INTERESTING THING IS, IT'S ACCESSIBLE AND FREE FOR ALL WHO WANT TO ENJOY IT.
BUSINESS RELOCATIONS TO SAN ANTONIO, AGAIN, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THIS A HUNDRED TIMES, BUT I'M GONNA BRING IT UP ANYWAY.
UH, PEOPLE COME HERE FOR MANY REASONS.
IT'S A FRIENDLY PLACE, IT'S WELCOMING, IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO START A BUSINESS, HAVE A BUSINESS.
THERE'S A LOT OF GROWTH IN SAN ANTONIO.
UM, BUT LET US NOT FORGET THAT PUBLIC ART IS ALSO AN ATTRACTION HERE.
AND SO WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO NUR, UH, NURTURE, UH, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE PUBLIC HEART BECAUSE, UH, WE DRAW BUSINESS TO SAN ANTONIO.
[01:15:01]
AND I ALWAYS LIKE TO REMEMBER THE EXAMPLE OF TOYOTA, AND YOU PROBABLY HEARD THIS A LOT, THAT THEIR EXECUTIVES CONSIDERED THE ARTS IN GENERAL AS A QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUE IN THEIR DECISION TO RELOCATE TOYOTA TO SAN ANTONIO.AND THAT'S BEEN A BIG SOURCE OF JOBS AND AN ECONOMIC BOOST TO OUR CITY.
I ALWAYS THINK OF THE EXPANSION OF OUR CONVENTION.
I, I'VE BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE A LOT OF GROWTH AND TO SEE THAT CONVENTION CENTER DOWNTOWN THAT WAS BUILT, BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO DRAW TOURISM, VISITORS, AND AGAIN, REVENUE TO OUR CITY.
AND I WANNA REMIND YOU, AS I HAVE TRAVELED IN MY CAREER, WHEN I WASN'T RETIRED AND DOING THIS KIND OF WORK, THAT WHEN I WENT TO A CONFERENCE OR A CONVENTION, I WAS LOOKING AROUND AT THE CITY.
I WANTED TO SEE WHAT IT HAD TO OFFER.
I WANTED MORE THAN JUST THE CONFERENCE.
I WANTED THE BEAUTY OF THE PLACE AND THE ACTIVITIES THAT WERE AVAILABLE.
AND SAN ANTONIO IS A POPULAR DESTINATION BECAUSE WE PROVIDE ALL THAT PLUS PUBLIC ART.
SO GROWTH IN OUR POPULATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS IS SUCH AN EXCITING CITY.
AND I'VE LIVED IN MANY, MANY PLACES AROUND THE UNITED STATES AND OVERSEAS.
AND I CAN TELL YOU, I'VE NEVER BEEN IN A CITY THAT HAS GROWN AS FAST AS SAN ANTONIO IN THE LAST 20 YEARS I'VE SEEN IT.
UH, IT'S CURRENTLY THE SEVENTH LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES, UH, IN POPULATION.
SO RECOGNIZING THIS, OUR CITY PLANNERS HAVE CERTAINLY UNDERTAKEN MASSIVE UPGRADES TO OUR CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE.
YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE IN SAN ANTONIO WITHOUT RUNNING INTO ROADS THAT ARE BEING UPGRADED, DEVELOPED NEW ROADS BEING BUILT.
PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SLOWDOWNS.
SO, GROWTH IN THE POPULATION MEANS THAT WE WANT TO NOT ONLY DEVELOP OUR ROADS AND OUR BUILDINGS AND OUR BUSINESSES AND OUR NEW OFFICE BUILDINGS, BUT ALONG WITH THAT, WE HAVE TO HAVE GROWTH IN PUBLIC ART.
THESE INSTALLATIONS ARE PART OF THE CITY.
JUST ONE QUICK EXAMPLE, THE SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT TERMINAL, WHICH IS COMING ABOUT VERY SHORTLY, VERY EXCITING, A HUGE UNDERTAKING.
AND YOU CAN BET THERE'LL BE PUBLIC ART PROJECTS THAT SUPPORT THAT.
SO, IN CONCLUSION, JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THE TIME THAT YOU'VE GIVEN ME TODAY.
YOU KNOW, THAT PUBLIC ART PROGRAM SHOULD REMAIN ROBUST.
IT IS A FEATURE OF SUPPORTING FURTHER GROWTH IN DEVELOPMENT IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU AND WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DO, UM, ON THE COMMITTEE.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE.
AND I, I WANNA SAY THAT WHAT WE DO AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE, UH, IS NOT JUST A SOLO EFFORT.
SO THERE'S A HUGE TEAM BEHIND US, NOT ONLY INTERNAL, BUT AS YOU HEARD, WE HAVE OUR SAN ANTONIO ARTS COMMISSION.
WE HAVE OUR PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE, AND WE DO THIS WORK ALONGSIDE ALL OF OUR SISTER CITY, UH, OUR SISTER DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY, AND ALSO THE COMMUNITY.
I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE THE PUBLIC ART TEAM BECAUSE THEY DO A LOT OF WORK BEHIND WHAT I'M GONNA BE PRESENTING TODAY.
THEY'VE BEEN, UH, SPENDING A LOT OF TIME DOING RESEARCH, UM, ABOUT TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
SO I HAVE JORDAN PETS WITH US.
WE HAVE OUR NEWEST MEMBER, RENEE ANTE.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE KIMBERLY MORALES AND BIANCA ALVAREZ, WHO COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY.
UH, BUT WE ALSO WORK WITH OUR FISCAL ADMINISTRATOR.
I DO HAVE TO GIVE HER A SHOUT OUT 'CAUSE SHE KEEPS US ON TIME.
ERIN DELAROSA AND THEN LISA BEIGER HELPS US WITH A LOT OF CONTRACTS WITH THE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM.
UH, SO WITH THAT, I'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED INTO WHAT I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
FIRST, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AND REMIND US ALL ABOUT WHAT PUBLIC ART IS.
WE WILL LOOK AT WHERE WE'VE BEEN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WHERE WE WANT TO GO IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, 2022 TO 2027, AND THEN WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE.
SO FIRST, WHAT IS PUBLIC ART? PUBLIC ART, BY DEFINITION WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, IS IT IS ART AND A PUBLIC PLACE THAT IS ACCESSIBLE AND FREE TO VIEW.
IT IS MADE BY ARTISTS, AND IT ENGAGES THE COMMUNITY THROUGH ITS CREATION.
WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING PUBLIC ART.
IT IS PAID FOR BY ELIGIBLE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUNDS, AND IT'S APPROVED BY THE SAN ANTONIO ARTS COMMISSION AND PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE.
SO IT'S REALLY VETTED BY THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT
[01:20:01]
PROCESS IN DEVELOPING ART, AND THEN VETTED THROUGH OUR SAN ANTONIO ARTS COMMISSION AND PUBLIC ART, UH, COMMITTEE.THEY'RE VERY DEDICATED, UH, MEMBERS.
AND THANK YOU FOR APPOINTING YOUR REPRESENTATIVES ON THAT ARTS COMMISSION.
THE PAST FIVE YEARS WHERE WE'VE BEEN, SO THE 2017 TO 2022 BOND, WE'VE HAD 26 DIFFERENT PROJECT SITES FOR PUBLIC ART.
AND THAT IS ONE SITE MAY HAVE MULTIPLE PIECES OF ART.
WE'VE SEEN THAT WITH COMANCHE LOOKOUT PARK, UH, WHERE THERE'S THREE PIECES.
UM, THERE'S, UH, PIECES, UH, MULTIPLE PIECES WITH THE BLOOM SERIES, BUT WE HAVE 4 26 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS WITH 46 INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF PUBLIC ART ADDED TO OUR COLLECTION THROUGH THE BOND PROGRAM.
WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS TO WORK WITH LOCAL ARTISTS.
AND FOR THAT BOND PROGRAM, WE HAVE HAD 31 LOCAL ARTISTS CREATE THESE PIECES OF WORK THAT'S OUT OF 36 TOTAL ARTISTS.
SO AGAIN, FOSTERING THAT LOCAL CREATIVE TALENT THAT WE HAVE.
AND WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT TALENT HERE.
WE ALSO HAVE NON BOND CAPITAL PROJECTS, THINKING ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION THAT HAPPENED DURING THIS TIMEFRAME.
UM, THINKING ABOUT AIRPORT RENOVATIONS.
SO WE HAD 12 PROJECTS, 70 PIECES OF ART WERE PLACED, UH, IN THESE LOCATIONS WITH 28 LOCAL ARTISTS HELPING US DO THAT, 28 OUT OF 30 TOTAL.
SO AGAIN, WE ARE USING OUR LOCAL TALENT TO SHOWCASE THE BEST THAT OUR CITY HAS TO OFFER.
THIS TEAM NOT ONLY CREATES NEW PUBLIC ART PROJECTS, BUT AS YOU HEARD FRIDA SAY, WE HAVE OVER 600 PIECES OF ART THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND IT'S OUR JOB TO MAINTAIN AND REPAIR THESE PROJECTS.
WE KNOW WHEN SOME OF THESE PIECES ARE TIMING OUT.
OUR PUBLIC ART PROJECTS NEED TO LAST 25 YEARS.
UM, SO SOME OF THOSE, THESE PIECES, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, AT THE BOTTOM LEFT, YOU'LL SEE THE WANO GORMAN MURAL.
THAT'S, THAT WAS HITTING 50 YEARS THIS YEAR.
AND THERE WERE, UH, THERE'S ABOUT 400,000 PIECES OF TILE AS A PART OF THAT MURAL.
THAT'S, THAT WAS A REALLY DURABLE MURAL, IF YOU CAN, UM, THINK ABOUT THAT, JUST SMALL AMOUNT OF TILE MISSING.
BUT WE KNEW IT WAS TIME TO GET UP THERE AS A, A TOP OF THE, UH, CONVENTION CENTER AND MAKE SURE THAT MURAL WAS MAINTAINED, FIXED, REPAIRED, AND CLEANED.
AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AS WE HAVE THE I P W CONFERENCE COMING HERE IN MAY, WE'RE GONNA BE HAVING INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS HERE, UH, TO SEE THIS MURAL IN.
SO MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT PLANNED MAINTENANCE.
BUT OUR TEAM IS VERY RESPONSIVE AS WELL.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE INSTANCES OF VANDALISM WHERE WE HAVE SOMEONE MAYBE TAGGING A PIECE.
THE TORCH, UNFORTUNATELY, WAS TAGGED, UH, EARLIER THIS YEAR, BUT OUR TEAM GETS THAT PHONE CALL USUALLY THROUGH THREE 11.
OUR RESIDENTS ARE REALLY GREAT AT LETTING US KNOW WHEN THERE'S A PIECE THAT THAT NEEDS SOME ATTENTION.
AND WE ARE OUT THERE USUALLY THAT DAY DOING A FIRST KIND OF CLEANUP.
AND THEN IF THERE'S ANY KIND OF ADDITIONAL CLEANUP THAT'S NEEDED WITHIN THAT WEEK, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT PIECE IS BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION.
UH, SO WE ARE, UH, UH, DEFINITELY RESPONSIVE.
WE AVERAGE ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT PROJECTS A YEAR.
I WANT TO NOTE THAT THESE PROJECTS IN THIS MAINTENANCE FUND IS HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
AS OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, MONEY CANNOT BE USED FOR THOSE MA MAINTENANCE PROJECTS FOR CLEANUP OF GRAFFITI AND, AND REPAINTING.
SO AS A PART OF THE 2022 TO 27 BOND, UH, WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE CITY COUNCIL APPROVE 1.5% FOR PUBLIC ART FUNDING AS A PART OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
SO WE ARE REALLY THRILLED WITH THAT, ESPECIALLY AS IT YOU CAN IMAGINE, UH, SINCE 2011 WHEN OUR PUBLIC ART POLICY WAS PASSED, COSTS HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE STANDARD OF OUR PUBLIC ART PROGRAM, BUT ALSO PAY ARTISTS WHAT THEY DESERVE TO MAKE A LIVING HERE AND BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, TO LIVE IN OUR CITY.
SO WE HAVE 1.5% AS A PART OF FIVE PROPOSITIONS.
THAT'S A TOTAL OF 15.7 MILLION.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO DO 36 NEW PUBLIC ART PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY WITH THIS MONEY.
WE HAVE OUR PROJECT PRIORITIES.
WE SPENT ALL SUMMER MEETING WITH THE COMMUNITY, MEETING WITH COUNCIL OFFICES, HAVING A SPEAK UP SURVEYS, UH, COUNCIL FEEDBACK, UH, AND, AND THEN REALLY LOOKING AT THE PROPOSITIONS AND THE BUDGETS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
EACH US, EACH PRO UM, PROPOSITION HAS A BUDGET.
AND SO THIS WAS A PRIORITY LIST THAT WE CREATED ALONGSIDE THE COMMUNITY.
AND ALSO, I WANT TO NOTE THAT WE WORK WITH OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS.
THERE'S SOME PROJECTS THAT ARE A PART OF THE BOND, THAT IT MAY BE JUST A SMALL STREET IMPROVEMENT, AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM WHEN IT COMES TO CITY PROPERTY TO PUT A PUBLIC ART PIECE.
AND IT'S ALSO NOT A PLACE WHERE A LOT OF, A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL SEE IT.
SO WE'RE REALLY PRIORITIZING PLACES WHERE WILL HAVE A BIG IMPACT, MAKING PUBLIC ART ACCESSIBLE AND ALSO FEASIBLE BEYOND THE BOND.
WE DO HAVE A FEW ONGOING NON BOND PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
[01:25:01]
LATA THAT WILL BE INSTALLED WHEN THE LATA PROJECT IS COMPLETE.THE SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
WE HAVE A MURAL THERE THAT WILL, THAT WILL GREET VISITORS, UH, WHEN THEY COME DOWN THE ESCALATORS.
WE HAVE A FEW PUBLIC ART PIECES THAT ARE IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW FOR THE CITY TOWER PROJECT UPCOMING.
WE KNOW THAT THE ALAMO DOME HAS RENOVATIONS, AS DOES THE CONVENTION CENTER.
AND AS FRIDA MENTIONED, WE REALLY HAVE OUR EYE.
AND WE'RE ALREADY TALKING TO OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENT AT THE SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ABOUT THAT TERMINAL EXPANSION.
THAT IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO TELL PEOPLE YOU'RE IN SAN ANTONIO AS SOON AS YOU STEP OUT THE GATE.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE PROJECTS THAT HAVE PIECE, UH, PIECES OF PUBLIC ART FUNDING AS A PART OF THAT.
SO WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO FOR THE, FOR THE PAST SEVEN MONTHS OR SO? WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE SAN ANTONIO ARTS COMMISSION, THE PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE.
I'VE TALKED ABOUT THOSE SURVEYS, UH, THAT WENT OUT TO BOTH RESIDENTS AND VISITORS THAT HAVE PUBLIC ART QUESTIONS.
AS A PART OF THEM, UH, WE'VE BEEN DOING SOME BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH, TALKING TO OTHER CITIES ABOUT HOW THEIR PUBLIC ART PROGRAM WORKS.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN RECONNECTING WITH PUBLIC ARTISTS THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH, JUST TO ASK THEM, HOW DID THE PROGRAM WORK FOR YOU? WHAT COULD WE DO BETTER? WE'RE REALLY ALWAYS STRIVING FOR THAT EXCELLENCE TO BE LEADERS IN PUBLIC ART, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, PACE SETTERS, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THE PACE, I GUESS IT WOULD.
UM, WE ALSO DID EXPERT ANALYSIS, TALKING TO PUBLIC ART EXPERTS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCE IN BOTH LOCAL AND STATE PUBLIC ART PROGRAMS. AND, UH, I, THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE KEY FINDINGS.
FRIDA NOTED THAT WE HAD 88% OF RESIDENTS AND VISITORS REALLY TRULY BELIEVE THAT PUBLIC ART IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT TO A CITY'S IDENTITY.
AND WE'VE SEEN THAT, UM, WITH EVEN SOME RECENT, UH, UH, PUBLIC ART PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TEXAS MONTHLY.
PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO RECOGNIZE SAN ANTONIO AS A PUBLIC ART CITY AND A PLACE TO VISIT.
WE ALSO FOUND THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS THAT THERE IS A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING ON HOW THE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM WORKS.
HOW DO YOU CREATE IT? HOW DO YOU SELECT THESE ARTISTS? SO WE REALLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT LATER OF TELLING PEOPLE WHAT WE DO AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS WHAT THAT IS THAT WE DO.
WE HAD AN AVERAGE ARTIST SATISFACTION RATING OF OUR PUBLIC ART PROGRAM OF 4.9 OUT OF FIVE.
WE'RE ALWAYS STRIVING FOR THAT.
UH, SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF, UH, FINDINGS LATER ON THAT WE'LL, WE'LL SPEAK ABOUT REALLY DEVELOPING OUR ARTIST COMMUNITY.
AND THEN RESIDENTS DID EVERY MEETING THAT WE WENT TO.
UH, WE HAD FIVE MEETINGS, UH, TOTAL THAT WE ASKED PEOPLE TO COME AND MEET WITH US.
BUT THEN WE ALSO HAD OVER 20 EVENTS THAT WE WENT TO, UM, WHERE WE WERE TABLING AND ASKING PEOPLE WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT PUBLIC ART.
PEOPLE SAID, NEW PROJECTS ARE GREAT, BUT I HAVE THIS PIECE JUST AROUND THE CORNER OF MY HOUSE THAT'S LOOKING JUST A LITTLE BIT DINGY.
SO WE HAVE MAINTENANCE TOP OF MIND, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT AS WELL.
SO GOING INTO THE STRATEGIES WE'VE DEVELOPED ALONGSIDE OUR PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE AND OUR ARTS COMMISSION, SEVEN STRATEGIES TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
SO, WE WOULD LIKE TO AMEND THE PUBLIC ART POLICY.
THE NAME OF OUR DEPARTMENT IS INCORRECT IN THE POLICY, THE NAME OF THE ARTS COMMISSION.
IT DOESN'T EVEN EXIST IN THE POLICY.
UH, SO WE JUST WANNA REALLY UPDATE THAT FROM THAT 2011, UH, ORDINANCE, UH, ADOPTION.
AND THEN WE HAVE, WITH THE SUCCESS OF OUR PROGRAM AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT IT, WE'VE HAD AN INCREASED NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES COMING TO US SAYING, I WANNA A PUBLIC ART PIECE IN THIS PARK.
I WANT A PUBLIC ART PIECE ON THIS STREET, AND I WANT TO PAY FOR IT.
AND SO WHAT WE WANNA DO IS WE HAVE A DONATION PROCESS.
IT GOES THROUGH OUR PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE, OUR ARTS COMMISSION.
IF IT'S IN A HISTORIC AREA, IT GOES THROUGH OUR H D R H D R C, AND THEN IT ALSO COMES TO THE FULL COUNCIL.
BUT WHAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE IS THAT WHOEVER'S DONATING AN ART PIECE TO US DOES THEIR DUE DILIGENCE AND ASKS THE COMMUNITY AROUND THEM, DO YOU ALSO WANT THIS? UH, SO WE'D LIKE TO CREATE CRA A CANVASSING, UH, UP UPDATE TO OUR ORDINANCE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY WANTS IT.
AND IT'S NOT JUST ONE PERSON SAYING, I WANNA PUT THIS HERE, AND EVERYBODY ELSE HAS TO LIVE WITH IT.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE HAD AN INCREASED NUMBER OF INQUIRIES ABOUT, HEY, THERE'S THIS, UH, WALL HERE THAT CITY OWNED, AND OUR NONPROFIT WANTS TO PUT UP A MURAL FOR JUST TWO YEARS.
UH, RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO ADDRESS THAT WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION AND THE PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ANYTHING THAT IS GOING ON CITY PROPERTY, EVEN IF IT'S TEMPORARY MURAL OR SCULPTURE, THAT OUR PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE AND ARTS COMMISSION SEES IT.
SO WE'D LIKE TO ADD THAT AS A PART OF THE ORDINANCE.
THE SECOND STRATEGY IS WE WANNA CONNECT THE COMMUNITY FROM START TO FINISH.
AND WE'VE BEEN DOING SOME TEST RUNS WITH THIS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER.
WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE.
WE HAD THOSE MEETINGS AS A PART OF THE BOND CONVERSATIONS, AND WE HAD FIVE MEETINGS THAT WE HOSTED, AND WE HAD
[01:30:01]
A LOT OF PEOPLE R S V P.BUT LIFE HAPPENS, AND YOU MAY HAVE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AN EIGHTH OF THE RSVPS ATTEND.
SO WE KNOW THAT WHEN WE TABLED EVENTS, LIKE AT THE MISSIONS BASEBALL GAME, WE HAD MUCH MORE SUCCESS GETTING THOSE SURVEY RESULTS AND ALSO SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT WHAT PUBLIC ART IS THAN ASKING PEOPLE TO COME TO US.
SO WE'RE REALLY GONNA BE LOOKING AT GOING TO THOSE COMMUNITY EVENTS WHERE PEOPLE ARE ALREADY GATHERING, SO THEY NOT, THEY JUST DON'T HAVE ANOTHER CITY MEETING TO ATTEND THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PASSES THEIR RADAR WHEN LIFE HAPPENS.
WE ALSO WANNA CREATE REALLY ENGAGING DEDICATION EVENTS.
WE'LL HAVE THE RIBBON CUTTING THAT WE, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS NEED TO DEDICATE THE PUBLIC ART PIECE, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE THEM COMMUNITY GATHERINGS AND SOMETHING THAT'S JUST FUN TO GO TO.
YOU SEE IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT HERE, THIS WAS AT, UM, THE, UH, RAMIREZ COMMUNITY CENTER.
WE PARTNERED WITH PARKS AND REC ON THAT MURAL DEDICATION.
WE HAD FOUR SQUARE POPCORN BASKETBALL COLORING SHEETS.
AND IT WAS REALLY PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE WHO DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT THERE WAS A PUBLIC ART DEDICATION HAPPENING.
STARTED TO GATHER WITH US AND LEARN ABOUT THE PIECE JUST BECAUSE WE WERE HAVING A FULL SCALE COMMUNITY EVENT.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO.
YOU'LL ALSO SEE ON THE TOP THERE, WE WERE AT SAN ANTO CULTURAL ARTS, WORKING ON A MURAL THAT'S GONNA GO IN, UH, ON THE FARMER'S MARKET IN MARKET SQUARE.
WE ASKED THE COMMUNITY TO COME AND HELP US PAINT.
SO WE'LL BE, WE'LL, WE WILL BE WORKING WITH ARTISTS TO SEE WHERE CAN WE JUST HAVE TOUCHPOINTS THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROJECT, OR THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T JUST HEAR ABOUT THERE'S SOMETHING IN EXISTENCE, AND THEN HERE IT IS.
IT'S COME AND HELP US BUILD THIS.
ALSO, I MENTIONED THAT WE'VE HAD THIS INCREASED AMOUNT OF INQUIRIES ABOUT PEOPLE SAYING, I WANT ART ON MY, ON, UH, EITHER TO DONATE IT.
BUT NOW WE'RE GETTING INQUIRIES FROM BUSINESSES SAYING, I WANNA PUT ART ON MY PRIVATE PROPERTY.
I WANNA PUT A MURAL ON THE SIDE OF MY RESTAURANT.
HOW DO I DO THIS? WE'VE BEEN FIELDING THESE CALLS, AND WE'RE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP.
BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SO MANY INQUIRIES NOW THAT WE JUST NEEDED, NOW THAT WE JUST NEED A TOOLKIT.
AND IT REALLY GOES THROUGH THE STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS OF HOW DO I FIND AN ARTIST? UH, AND WE'LL TELL THEM THAT THEY CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE WHERE WE HAVE A REGISTRY OF 754 ARTISTS.
NOW, UH, WHERE YOU CAN FIND AN ARTIST, IT WILL, IT WILL TALK ABOUT THE PERMISSIONS THAT MAY BE NEEDED.
YOU MIGHT WANNA THINK ABOUT STREET CLOSURES.
HERE'S SOME JUST SUGGESTED THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU'RE CONTRACTING WITH ARTISTS.
HERE'S A PAY SCALE, JUST SOMETHING WHERE NOBODY, SOMEBODY DOESN'T HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH ART.
WHERE DO THEY START? THIS IS WHERE WE WANT THEM TO START.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, IT'LL HAVE ALL OF OUR CONTACT INFORMATION, BECAUSE A QUESTION MAY COME UP.
I TALKED ABOUT FOSTERING ARTIST DEVELOPMENT OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
THIS PUBLIC ART TEAM HAS HAD SUCH A WILD SUCCESS AND MAKING SURE THAT ARTISTS ARE HEARD, UH, THEY UNDERSTAND OUR CONTRACTING, UH, REQUIREMENTS.
WE'RE REALLY WALKING THEM THROUGH THE PUBLIC ART PROCESS, WHICH CAN, IT'S, IT'S REALLY A GREAT STEP FOR AN ARTIST IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREER.
IF IT'S THEIR FIRST TIME, IT'S A LITTLE SCARY.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS AND HELPING THEM DEVELOP, PAIRING THEM WITH ARTISTS WHO HAVE ALREADY DONE THIS.
UH, BUT WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MENTORING THEM AFTER THE PROJECT IS DONE.
WE DON'T WANNA COMPLETE A PROJECT WITH THEM AND SAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PROJECT.
NOW WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GIVING THEM THE ASSETS THAT WE'RE COLLECTING.
WE'RE COLLECTING NEWS CLIPS THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN OF THE PROJECT.
WE'RE GIVING THAT OVER TO THE ARTIST AND HELPING THEM DEVELOP THEIR, UH, PORTFOLIO, BUT ALSO SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE THIS INFORMATION AND SUBMIT TO ANOTHER CALL FOR PUBLIC ART, WHETHER IT BE IN OUR CITY OR ANOTHER CITY.
AND IF AN ARTIST FROM SAN ANTONIO GOES TO ANOTHER CITY AND DOES A PUBLIC ART PIECE, THAT'S GOOD FOR SAN ANTONIO, BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA BE KNOWN.
AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ARTISTS THAT HAVE DONE THAT.
BUT WE ARE GONNA BE KNOWN AS HAVING, BEING A PLACE WHERE ARTISTS LIVE, WORK, AND THEY EXCEL.
WE WANNA EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNCTIONALITY WHEN A ARTIST IS SELECTED FOR PUBLIC ART PIECE.
WE JUST WANNA POSE THE QUESTION, IS THERE A WAY TO MAKE THIS INTERACTIVE? LET'S LOOK AT SOME LIGHTING ELEMENTS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
PUBLIC ART IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, FRIDA TALKED ABOUT ALL THE BENEFITS OF IT, BUT WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE MEETING OTHER COMMUNITY NEEDS THROUGH OUR PUBLIC ART, UH, PROJECTS WHEREVER WE CAN.
SO WE WANNA THINK ABOUT IF WE HAVE INTERACTIVITY.
WE TALKED TO TODAY ABOUT A D A COMPLIANCE.
IS IT AN INTERACTIVE PIECE FOR ALL? WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE MEETING ALL OF THOSE NEEDS.
UH, BUT AGAIN, LOOKING FOR WAYS TO INCORPORATE THOSE LIGHTING, INTERACTIVITY.
IS THERE SOME SHADE ELEMENTS SO THAT WE CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY MAKE THIS A PART OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THEN PRIORITIZING MAINTENANCE.
UH, WE'RE REALLY GONNA BE LOOKING, AGAIN, A HARD LOOK.
WE'VE, WE'VE HAD A, A LIST OF ARTWORKS THAT ARE REALLY STARTING TO
[01:35:01]
DO THAT TIMEOUT PHASE, BUT WE WANNA LOOK AT OTHER WAYS THAT CITIES FUND MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS. WE DO HAVE A FUND THAT PEOPLE CAN DONATE TO.AND WE RECENTLY HAD SUCCESS WHERE SOMEONE CONTACTED US AND SAID, I LOVE THIS SCULPTURE SO MUCH.
I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY THAT I, UM, WOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE TO YOU, UH, TO CLEAN IT UP.
AND SO WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD SUCCESS WITH THAT.
I KNOW CHICAGO DOES THAT A LOT.
THEY ACCEPT DONATIONS FOR MAINTENANCE, UM, AND THEN EDUCATE AND INFORM ON THE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM.
I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, MAY NOT REALLY KNOW HOW THE PROCESS WORKS.
WE WANNA LIFT THE VEIL AT ANY OPPORTUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WITH SOME OF THAT MEDIA COVERAGE THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT.
BUT WE ARE GONNA BE LOOKING AT ESSAY SPEAKUP.
WE HAVE OUR SURVEYS ONLINE AND ENGLISH AND SPANISH, BUT HOW CAN WE TELL THE LIFESPAN OF A PROJECT FROM THAT SAME WEBPAGE SO WE CAN BUILD IT OUT TO SAY, HERE'S THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LOCATION.
HERE'S THE HISTORY OF THE LOCATION.
HERE'S WHY THE LOCATION IS IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY.
HERE'S THE SURVEY RESULTS TO DETERMINE THE THEME OF THE PUBLIC ARTWORK.
SO YOU CAN JUST CLICK THROUGH AND SEE EXACTLY HOW THIS PUBLIC ART PIECE CAME TO BE.
AND THEN I WILL SAY WE ARE PARTNERING A LOT WITH, UM, MARKETING PARTNERS, LIKE VISIT SAN ANTONIO TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT OUR PUBLIC ART PROGRAM AS WELL.
UH, WE HAVE HAD THE PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE APPROVE THIS PUBLIC ARTS STRATEGY.
UH, WE HAVE ALSO HAD THE SAN ANTONIO ARTS COMMISSION APPROVE IT.
IT IS HERE WITH YOU, UH, THE COMMITTEE TO, UH, REVIEW AND APPROVE THE STRATEGY.
AND AFTER, UM, IF WE RECEIVE YOUR APPROVAL TODAY, THE ORDINANCE UPDATES AND THE POL, THE POLICY AMENDMENTS WOULD GO TO COUNCIL ON APRIL 6TH.
AND SO WITH THAT, OH, AND THEN IF, UH, ONCE THAT'S DONE, WE CAN GET TO WORK ON THESE PROJECTS.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
UM, CRYSTAL, I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK.
AND ALSO, AGAIN, THANK YOU TO, UM, MS. FACE, THE, UH, THE, FOR, FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS.
MY APPOINTEE, UH, URA, UH, SUSAN SEGURA HAS, HAS BEEN VERY INVOLVED.
AND SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT ALL OF YOU DO.
UM, I DO, UH, WANNA, WANNA JUST LET THAT YOU KNOW THAT I THINK THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THESE SET POLICIES AND THESE PROCEDURES.
SO THANK YOU, UH, FOR INCLUDING THAT MEANINGFUL PUBLIC IMPACT.
I THINK THAT, UM, SOME FOLKS FOR SOME REASON THINK THAT ART IS WASTEFUL.
RIGHT? AND I, I JUST, I CAN'T GET THEM TO, TO NOT THINK OF THAT, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, BUT I THINK THAT IT'S BECAUSE MAYBE THEY'RE JUST FAMILIAR WITH JUST, UM, UH, POOR ART OR SOMETHING.
I, I DON'T KNOW, RIGHT? BUT I, I TRY, RIGHT? AND SO, SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO HELP.
I KNOW YOU ALL JUST, UH, AND YOU SHOWCASED THE, UM, ART PIECE AT RAMIREZ, AND I BELIEVE THAT YOU ALL GOT SOME FEEDBACK THROUGH ANOTHER, UH, EVENT THAT WE HAD THE NEIGHBORS TOGETHER EVENT, WHERE YOU ALL GOT FEEDBACK FOR THAT MURAL.
SO LITERALLY, YOU ALL KIND OF RECREATED.
AND SO, FOR MY COLLEAGUES AT MURAL IS THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE, WHICH I THINK IS SOUTH SIDE SPORTS SIDE IT'S BEST, RIGHT? SO IT'S GOT LIKE SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL AND KIDS PLAYING.
LIKE THE BRAIDS ON THAT GIRL ON THE MURAL, IT WAS JUST LIKE, PERFECTION.
AND I DO WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON, UM, LABOR PLAZA.
AND SO, AND THE BEAUTIFUL POETRY THAT MY, MY COLLEAGUE FROM ALU, DR.
Q UH, OKTA QUINTANILLA DID A GREAT JOB AS WELL.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR INCORPORATING DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ART AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN THANK YOU ALSO FOR YOUR HELP ON THE SOLAR WALK.
SO PUBLIC ART MEANS A LOT TO ME, UH, IN PARTICULAR, SO MUCH THAT I DEDICATED A, A PORTION OF MY MILLION DOLLARS, RIGHT? EVERY YEAR.
AND FOR THIS YEAR, I DEDICATED THROUGH, I KNOW THREE, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
FOR THE, OUR PROJECTS, RIGHT? I DEDICATED 350,000 TO THE SOLAR WALK.
WE HAD GREAT, UM, UH, PEOPLE THAT APPLIED FOR IT.
I, I HEARD IT WAS A NAIL BITER, THE, THE DECIDER, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA BE WONDERFUL.
SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT WITH THE, UM, UPCOMING SOLAR ECLIPSES.
UM, I DO KNOW, AND THIS WAS BEFORE MY TIME, SO, UH, WE WERE APPARENTLY, UM, BURNED BY SOME INSTALLATION OF A CONTROVERSIAL, CONTROVERSIAL PIECE.
I DIDN'T, I DON'T THINK IT'S CONTROVERSIAL, BUT AGAIN, IT'S MY RESIDENCE, I THINK.
AND SO ANYWAY, UM, I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVE THE IDEA OF EMBEDDING THIS INSTEAD INTO THE INFRASTRUCTURE, RIGHT? AND SEEING HOW WE COULD LEVERAGE SOME FUNDING SO THAT WE'RE, UM, NOT CRITICIZED, BUT WE STILL SHOWCASE THE GREAT ART THAT I THINK THAT WE HAVE A LOT, UM, IN, IN THE CITY.
SO THERE'S, UM, UH, I, WE RECENTLY WENT TO MEXICO CITY, AND WE HAVE, UH, PICTURES OF A VERTICAL GARDEN, UM, THAT WERE UNDER THE HIGHWAYS.
AND I CAME BACK IMMEDIATELY AND MET WITH TDOT, AND THEY SAID WE COULDN'T DO IT.
SO CRYSTAL, I THINK THAT WE CAN FIGURE IT OUT.
SO IF TDOT SAID NO, SO THERE'S, THERE'S MY LITTLE EXAMPLE REQUEST AND SAID,
[01:40:01]
MR. MCC CAREY'S TAKING IT UP ALREADY, OR JUST LIKE THE SIDEWALKS, RIGHT? AND SO THE LIGHTING UP OF THE SIDEWALKS.AND SO ANYWAY, I THINK WE COULD BE, UM, PURPOSEFUL.
LIKE WE JUST HAD A PRESENTATION NON-PUBLIC, UM, HEALTH WEEK, RIGHT? AND SO MESSAGES AND LIGHTING, RIGHT? LIKE REMEMBER TO WALK 30 MINUTES OR WHATEVER, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD CONSIDER.
AND IT'S STILL ARTISTIC, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S LIGHTING AND IT'S FAIRLY INEXPENSIVE.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, SO, SO I KNOW WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THE MAINTENANCE OF PUBLIC ART AND THE LONG-TERM IN INVESTMENT IS IMPORTANT.
SO I'LL GIVE YOU MY NEXT EXAMPLE.
IN DISTRICT FOUR, WE HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL, UM, TRIBUTE TO FREEDOM TOWER.
IT'S NOW SIX ART, SIX BRANCHES, RIGHT? OF THE GOVERNMENT WITH SPACE COMMAND OR WITH SPACE FORCE.
AND SO MY IDEA FOR USING, UH, LIGHTING AND MAYBE WORKING WITH THE ARTIST, THAT SIXTH ONE, NOW WITH US SPACE COMMAND, THEY DEFEND THE INVISIBLE LINE, RIGHT? SO THEY DEFEND EARTH AND SPACE.
SO WHY NOT USE LIGHTING INSTEAD OF ADDING LIKE A SIXTH, YOU KNOW, PHYSICAL TOWER TO IT.
UM, MAYBE WOULD USE LIGHTING TO PROJECT THAT SIXTH ONE SINCE THEY DO DEFEND THAT INVISIBLE LINE, RIGHT? SO, AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THAT, UM, THAT ADDITIONAL CREATIVE ELEMENT, RIGHT? AND SO WORKING TOGETHER WITH, WITH DIFFERENT ARTISTS, UM, ON, ON THEIR VISION.
UM, BUT I DO APPRECIATE THAT YOU ALL ARE BEING SENSITIVE TO WHAT WE INSTALL IN OUR AREA, BECAUSE THAT INCREASES THE PRIDE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
I'VE SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE AT RAMIREZ PARKS TAKING SELFIES.
AND I MEAN, IT, IT WAS JUST INCREDIBLE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE KIDS ENJOY THAT AND SEE THEMSELVES ON THE MURAL, RIGHT? LIKE, IMAGINE BEING ABLE TO COME HOME, UH, EVERY DAY AND, AND PASS BY THAT AND SEEING YOUR, YOUR FACE ON A SWING, RIGHT? SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, AND THEN ALSO YOU HAVE A LIST OF SITES FROM EACH DISTRICT THAT RECEIVED BOND PROJECTS.
DO WE, UM, SO EACH DISTRICT WILL SEE SOME SORT OF AN ARC PIECE, CORRECT.
AND SO THAT'S THE LIST THAT YOU'VE PROVIDED.
AND OUR GOAL WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY WE TALKED ABOUT THE LAST BOND.
IT WAS KIND OF THE DECADE DOWNTOWN.
WE REALLY WANNA SPREAD THE LOVE THROUGH THE DISTRICTS.
AND THIS DISTRICT LIST WAS WORKED WITH EACH COUNCIL OFFICE.
WE TALKED A LOT TO A LOT OF COUNCIL OFFICES OF SAYING, MAKE SURE WE LOOK AT WHERE PUBLIC ART ALREADY EXISTS AND SPREAD THE LOVE THROUGH THE DISTRICT.
IF THE EAST SIDE OF MY DISTRICT HAS PUBLIC ART, LET'S LOOK AT THE, THE WEST SIDE.
SO IT WAS A, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DANCE TO FIGURE OUT, OKAY, NOW WHICH BOND PROJECTS ARE A PART OF THE 22 BOND THAT ARE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE DISTRICT THAT ARE ALSO FEASIBLE.
AND SO WE'VE WORKED, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
'CAUSE I KNOW WE TOUCHED BASE, UH, WITH THE COUNCIL OFFICES TO SAY, HEY, THESE ARE THE, THESE ARE THE LISTS OF WHAT'S FEASIBLE.
AND THEN WE TOOK THE LIST TO THE COMMUNITY AND THEY RANKED, UH, WHERE THEY WANTED TO SEE PUBLIC ART OUT OF THOSE FEASIBLE PROJECTS.
AND I LOVE, UM, THAT YOU ALL HAVE THE MAP AS WELL.
AND SO I DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO PRINT OUT THIS MAP, BUT THIS IS ANOTHER THING LACKING IN DISTRICT FOUR.
SO YOU HAVE THESE BEAUTIFUL SPOTS OF EVERYWHERE WHERE THERE'S PUBLIC ART, AND THERE'S ALL THIS KIND OF VOID, I FEEL, UM, IN, IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE CITY.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR BEING MINDFUL OF THAT AND, AND FOCUSING ON, ON THE PROJECTS.
UM, I DO, UH, WANT TO ALSO JUST THANK EVERYBODY WHO, WHO CAME AND WHO HAS BEEN WORKING SO HARD ON YOUR TEAM.
I DON'T GET TO SEE 'EM VERY OFTEN, BUT, UM, I'M, I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL, I KNOW THAT THERE'S AN ENTIRE TEAM WORKING TO, TO SUPPORT THE, THE MISSION OF THE ARTS.
I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ NEXT.
UM, I, I THINK ESPECIALLY IN THIS COMMITTEE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIND ANY SHORTAGE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO LOVE THE ARTS.
UM, ARTISTS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR WELLBEING IN WAYS THAT WE CAN'T EVEN CONTROL OR EXPRESS ALL THE TIME.
UM, I'LL NAME, I LOVE THE PUBLIC ART DASHBOARD.
I KNOW THAT WASN'T A PART OF THE PRESENTATION, BUT WHEN YOU GO ONLINE AND YOU CAN SEE THE MAP, UM, OF WHERE THEY ARE, THERE'S QUITE A FEW PIECES MISSING.
BUT I DON'T, I DON'T BLAME YOU,
UM, AND I, AND MY NEWSLETTER THAT'S HITTING IN A FEW DAYS, HOPEFULLY SHOULD BE HITTING MAILBOXES.
CONSTITUENTS, YOU'RE WATCHING THIS.
UM, THE CROSS, THE WORD SEARCH, UH, THIS TIME AROUND IS ART PIECE, PUBLIC ART PIECES IN DISTRICT TWO.
SO THIS IS JUST A TIMELY PRESENTATION.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IN HINDSIGHT, I'M VERY GLAD WE APPROVED THE INCREASE FROM 1% TO ONE AND A HALF PERCENT OF PROJECT FUNDING TO BE ALLOCATED TO ART PROJECTS.
IS THAT, UH, PLEASE REFRESH MY MEMORY.
IS THAT JUST FOR THE BOND, OR ARE WE, DID WE DECIDE AS A COUNCIL TO APPLY THAT TO OTHER FUNDS? YEAH.
SO, UH, WHAT, WHAT IT IS, IS BASED ON COUNCIL FEEDBACK.
UH, THE 1.5 WILL BE A PART OF ALL PROJECTS, ALL, ALL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
THAT COUNCILMAN THAT WAS APPROVED ONCE THE BOMB WAS APPROVED BY THE VOTERS, AND THEY TOOK THAT, THAT BECAME AUTOMATIC FOR ALL THINGS.
I REMEMBER ALL THE PEOPLE COMING AND DON'T TAKE MY ART AWAY.
I'LL START WITH, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO CULTIVATE BUDDING ARTISTS.
AND I, I FEEL LIKE DURING THE PANDEMIC, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO PICKED UP VARIOUS
[01:45:01]
TYPES OF ART AS A HOBBY.AND I VISIT POPUPS, UH, FAIRLY FREQUENTLY.
I LOVE COLLECTING ART, AND I SPEAK TO SO MANY, UM, UH, SO MANY ARTISTS WHO STARTED IN THE PAST THREE YEARS.
AND SO I WONDER IF YOU'VE SEEN, JUST FOR MY OWN CURIOSITY, IF YOU'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN ENGAGEMENT FROM NEW ARTISTS, AND HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF THERE ARE SOME THAT MAYBE WE'RE CONNECTED TO? HOW MIGHT WE CONNECT? OH, YEAH.
WE, WE HAVE SEEN, I'LL TELL YOU SOME OF THE NAMES THAT HAVE COME, ESPECIALLY SOME OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION THAT HAVE FOUND OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND I WILL SAY A LOT OF THAT IS DUE TO THE INDIVIDUAL ARTIST GRANTS THAT ARE $5,000.
SO WE HAVE OUR PUBLIC ART TEAM THAT'S WORKING WITH ARTISTS, OUR GRANTS TEAM'S WORKING WITH ARTISTS.
OUR FILM AND MUSIC TEAM IS WORKING WITH ARTISTS.
AND OUR TWO, UM, OUR CULTURAL EVENTS AND EXHIBITS THAT RUN TWO GALLERIES, WE'RE ALL WORKING AND WE'RE ALL TALKING TO EACH OTHER.
SO WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASED, UH, ENGAGEMENT WITH ARTISTS.
UH, BUT IF YOU EVER FIND ANYONE WHO HASN'T HEARD OF US, PLEASE SEND THEM OUR WAY.
UH, OUR SAN ANTONIO.GOV/ARTS GET CREATIVE ESSAY ON SOCIAL, GIVE THEM MY CONTACT INFORMATION.
UM, WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTED AND THAT THEY'RE ALSO ON OUR ARTIST REGISTRY, BECAUSE WE HAVE SEEN, I MEAN, I THINK ONE OF THE LAST, UH, CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH THIS, WITH THIS COMMITTEE WAS THAT WE, I, WE ACTUALLY GOT TAGGED ON INSTAGRAM OF AN ARTIST WHO JUST LISTED THEMSELVES ON OUR REGISTRY AND THEN POSTED A PHOTO OF A COMMISSION PIECE FROM SOMEONE WHO CON JUST A, A RESIDENT FROM THE COMMUNITY, FOUND HIM ON OUR REGISTRY AND SAID, I WANT FIVE PIECES OF ART FROM YOU.
AND IT WAS AN EMERGING ARTIST WHO JUST STARTED OUT.
SO PLEASE CONNECT US BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE REALLY USING THE REGISTRY, INCLUDING CONVENTIONS, I P W CONFERENCES USING THE REGISTRY.
'CAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE, UH, THEY'RE REALLY SEEN IN OUR, IN OUR CITY AND BEYOND.
UM, I ALSO WONDER, UM, WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE TO ENGAGE STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE? AND SPECIFICALLY I'M THINKING ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL, UH, ART CLASSES AND THOSE WHO, UH, I, I HAD A NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO, MIND YOU, I TAUGHT MATH, THEY'D BE IN CLASS DRAWING.
IT WAS NOT A PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT, BUT I WANT TO CELEBRATE KIDS WITH, YOU KNOW, OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH TALENT.
AND I HAD SUCH A FANTASTIC TIME WHEN I GOT TO SIT WITH THE KIDS FROM THE EAST SIDE YOUTH CONTENT CREATOR PROGRAM, WHICH THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THAT.
UM, AND I WONDER WHAT SIMILAR PROGRAMS WE COULD BRAINSTORM ACROSS MEDIUMS SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HAVE, UH, AN INCREASED NUMBER OF ARTISTS RIGHT NOW AS A RESULT OF THE PAST FEW YEARS, BUT AS WE GROW, WE NEED TO INCLUDE THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE.
SO WHAT I, HOW, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT'S YOU THINKING? YEAH, SO WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS.
WE HAVE HIGH SCHOOLS REACH OUT TO US TO DO PRESENTATIONS ABOUT WHAT WE DO ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT, BUT WE'VE ALSO, ESPECIALLY WITH THE SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ART, FOLDING INTO U T S A, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH U T SS A ABOUT HAVING DISCUSSIONS BY ARTISTS TO STUDENTS.
WE HAD SUCCESS WITH THAT, WITH ALDRICK DOW, HE'S A U T S A GRAD.
HE CAME BACK, WE DID A VIRTUAL SEMINAR WHERE, WHERE STUDENTS COULD COME AND TALK TO HIM.
WE ALSO HAVE HAD A, A REALLY SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIP WITH TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO.
THEY HAVE THEIR STUDIO SPACE, AND THEY HAVE FREE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC EVENTS WHERE YOU CAN MEET FILMMAKERS.
AND I'M TALKING FILMMAKERS WHO ARE JUST STARTING, UM, TO, UH, REALLY SUCCESSFUL FILMMAKERS WHO HAVE THAT STORY OF HOW DID I EVEN GET IN THIS BUSINESS? WE'RE DOING THE SAME WITH PUBLIC ART, MUSIC, EVERY GENRE.
WE'RE HAVING THOSE, AND THEY'RE OPEN TO ANYONE.
STUDENTS CAN COME, UM, ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY CAN COME TO THOSE SESSIONS.
SO, UH, WE ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE KIND OF A, A FORUM OF WHAT IS IT THAT WE DO AT THE DEPARTMENT.
AND, UH, WORKING, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WITH STUDENTS TO INVITE THEM TO OUR EXISTING EVENTS.
WE'VE HAD UTSA STUDENTS TOUR OUR CENTER TO ART DISC GALLERY AND MARKET SQUARE AS A PART OF CLASS.
WE'RE HERE, UH, TO HELP AND TO CONNECT.
COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, THANK YOU CHAIR.
AND THANK YOU, UH, CRYSTAL FOR THE PRESENTATION AND TO YOUR TEAM FOR, UM, ALL THE AMAZING WORK THAT YOU ALL DO.
UM, I PRIDE MYSELF IN DISTRICT FIVE BEING THE NUMBER ONE ARTS, UH, COUNCIL DISTRICT,
BUT, UM, BUT WITH THAT, RIGHT, UM, DISTRICT FIVE IN PARTICULAR, WE'RE EXPERIENCING A LOT OF ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
AND, UH, WITH THAT COMES, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR, OUR MURALS, UM, AT RISK OF POTENTIALLY BEING REMOVED.
UM, AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND IT'S A CONVERSATION OF PROPERTY RIGHTS, RIGHT? UM, WITH A TOOLKIT, UH, I, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ADD AN, AN ADDITIONAL BULLET, UM, TO HELP, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS AND COMMUNITY, UM, WITH, UH, GUIDANCE ON HOW THAT WORK COULD POTENTIALLY BE PRESERVED.
RIGHT? AND I THINK THE, THE, THE WORK AND THE PARTNERSHIP WITH, UM, UH, YOUR DEPARTMENT AND THE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN OUR DISTRICT, I THINK IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT PARTNERSHIP AND, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY INPUT PROCESS.
I'M, I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR, UH, ONE OF OUR NEW NEIGHBORS WHO DECIDED TO MEET WITH COMMUNITY RIGHT.
TO GAUGE THEIR INPUT AND INTEREST WITH PRESERVING THAT MURAL.
AND THAT DOESN'T TYPICALLY HAPPEN IN OUR COMMUNITY.
[01:50:01]
REALLY GRATEFUL FOR HIM AND REALLY GRATEFUL THAT HE ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO PRESERVE, UH, A COMPONENT OF IT AND EXPAND TO TELL, UH, A CONTINUANCE OF A STORY.UM, SO, YOU KNOW, MY, MY CONCERN IS THAT WE, WE ARE GOING TO SEE, UM, THE ERASURE OF SOME OF OUR MURALS, RIGHT? AND ULTIMATELY, RIGHT, I GET IT.
BUT I THINK ALLOWING, PROVIDING WITHIN THE TOOLKIT, RIGHT.
OPPORTUNITY TO NAVIGATE THAT PROCESS IF THE PROPERTY OWNER'S INTERESTED.
AND, UH, THOSE ARE ALL OF MY, MY POINTS.
COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, COUNCILMAN CASTRO, DISTRICT SEVEN WOULD LIKE SOME OF THOSE GIANT CAT SCULPTURES.
UM, ONE OF MY FIRST QUESTIONS WHEN I SAW YOUR PRIORITIES IS THAT SO MUCH IS GOING TO THE DOWNTOWN, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, AND OF COURSE TO THE AIRPORT, BUT, UM, I DO HOPE THAT DISTRICTS COULD GET SOME OF THAT ART.
UM, AND WE MIGHT LOOK AT USING ART LIKE FROM DISTRICT, FROM THE EAST SIDE.
THERE IS UNDER THE, UM, EXPRESSWAY SOME ART THAT WAS DONE SOMETHING.
AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT'S LIKE SOME KIND OF ART THAT LEADS INTO DOWNTOWN SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEREVER PEOPLE GO, THEY'RE GONNA SEE THOSE ENTRANCES FROM THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS TO DOWNTOWN.
UM, BUT I DEFINITELY HOPE THAT WE CAN GET MORE ART IN OUR DISTRICTS.
UH, ALSO, UH, THIS MORNING WE MET THE STAFF AND I MET WITH U T S A, AND OF COURSE THEY MENTIONED THE SOUTHWEST ART SCHOOL THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I ASKED, WELL, WILL YOU BE, WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING WITH ART? AND THEY SAID THEY'D BE WORKING WITH YOU TO LOOK AT PLACING ART IN DIFFERENT PLACES.
AND I THINK THAT'S WONDERFUL, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT U T S A NOW OWNS HALF OF DOWNTOWN.
SO, UM, WHAT I WAS THINKING THOUGH IS THAT IT WOULD BE VERY EASY THEN TO LOOK AT JUST ONE COLLEGE, BUT WE HAVE A MULTITUDE OF COLLEGES THAT ALSO DO, LIKE PALO ALTO DOES A LOT OF SCULPTURE WORK.
UH, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE, YOU KNOW, THAT ALL THESE DIFFERENT COLLEGES HAVE SO MUCH TO OFFER.
AND I WOULD HOPE THAT WE DON'T GET STUCK WITH USING ONLY ONE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY.
UM, BUT I REALLY WELCOME THIS.
UH, LOVE TO SEE MORE ON THE, THE, UH, BOOK LITERATURE SIDE TOO.
UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE ON THIS.
I WILL SAY COUNCILWOMAN, UH, WE WILL BE PROVIDING YOU A BRIEFING ABOUT A NEW PUBLIC ART PIECE THAT'S COMING YOUR WAY, SEVEN POETS FROM DISTRICT SEVEN AS A PART OF THE PUBLIC ART PIECE.
AND IT ALSO HAS SHADE WHERE THERE WAS, UH, THERE WAS NO SHADE AT ALL IN THAT AREA.
SO IT'LL BE, WE'RE WORKING TO GET THAT DONE IN APRIL FOR NATIONAL POETRY MONTH.
SO WE HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US FOR THE EVENT.
UH, CRYSTAL, HOW MUCH DO WE SPEND ANNUALLY ON MAINTENANCE? TYPICALLY, WE HAVE $84,000 AND WE STRETCH AND WE STRETCH IT.
HOW MUCH WOULD WE, LIKE HOW MUCH WOULD WE NEED? I W I WOULD SAY TO START OUT, BECAUSE I DO WANT TO CLARIFY, THERE'S SOME RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR HOW WE USE FUNDING.
SO OUR PUBLIC ART TEAM IS FUNDED THROUGH CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
SO OUR MAINTENANCE CANNOT FUND FUND THEIR POSITIONS.
SO RIGHT NOW TO MAINTAIN IT, I'M, WE'RE LOOKING AT $500,000 TO START GROWING IT TO A MILLION DOLLARS.
SO, UH, AND THIS IS WHERE I KEEP ON GOING BACK TO THE FACT THAT WE NEED A BUDGET LINE ITEM FOR THE ARTS THAT SITS IN THE REALM BETWEEN ONE AND $2 MILLION IF WE ARE GOING TO GET OUR ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
AND, AND YOU, I'M, I'M, I'M GONNA BEAT THIS DRUM FOR FOREVER.
THE OTHER THING IS,
AND I GET THAT CHECK IS VERY CATCHY, BUT TO, UM, WE NEED, WE NEED ARTS BACK IN THIS COMMITTEE NAME.
IF WE'RE GOING TO BE, UM, UH, SERIOUS ABOUT THIS.
UH, AND I KNOW I'M, I'M GONNA ASK THE ATTORNEY, BUT I, WE, I WANNA MAKE THE MOTION TO MOVE THIS FORWARD.
UH, BUT I DO WANNA SEE IF WE CAN LOOK AT AN AMENDMENT OR KIND OF A DIRECTION, UM, THAT WHEN WE GET TOGETHER IN APRIL FOR THE BUDGET REVIEW AND BUDGET PRIORITIES THAT WE PRIORITIZE ARTS AND CULTURE.
CAN WE DO THAT? DO WE NEED TO DO THAT FROM COMMITTEE OR CAN I DO THAT DURING A SESSION? OR CAN THAT BE AN OFFLINE CONVERSATION? COUNCILMAN, YOU CAN DO IT IN ANY OF THOSE WAYS.
'CAUSE I THINK WE SHOULD MOVE THIS FORWARD WITH THE
[01:55:01]
AMENDMENT THAT WE MAKE THIS A PRIORITY IN OUR BUDGET DISCUSSIONS IN APRIL, WHICH WILL BE THE NEXT WEEK RIGHT AFTER THE SIXTH ABOUT GETTING FUNDS FOR THE, SPECIFICALLY THE MAINTENANCE OF OUR EXISTING PUBLIC ART.'CAUSE I LOVE THE IDEA OF SPENDING 1.5, BUT I, I WAS HESITANT BECAUSE THAT WAS, THAT'S THAT MUCH MORE THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN.
AND WHEN WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT MAINTENANCE AND MOVE IT AND TAKE IT FROM THE BUDGET, THAT MEANS THE THEATERS ARE IMPACTED.
THAT MEANS THE, UH, MUSICIANS ARE IMPACTED.
EVERYBODY ELSE WHO'S COMING TO ARTS AND CULTURES FOR FUNDING ARE IMPACTED.
AND THAT MEANS WE HAVE THAT MUCH LESS, UM, HOT TAX IS THERE.
AND YES, WE WANT TO, UM, SEE WHAT WE CAN DO THAT WITH THAT.
BUT I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO, TO DISCUSS THIS.
SO I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE MOVE THIS FORWARD WITH THE STATEMENT THAT WE WANT THEM TO PRIORITIZE, UM, THIS IN THE BUDGET SESSION TO A SESSION AND TO MOVE FORWARD TO A SESSION.
UM, OTHER THAN THAT, THAT, AND, AND JUST IF YOU COULD, IF YOU COULD GIVE US HISTORICALLY, LIKE WHAT YOU COULD DO YEAR ONE, WHAT YOU DID YEAR TWO, AND WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE IF WE HAD HAD, IF YOU HAD KNOWN THAT THAT WAS COMING FOR MAINTENANCE IN PARTICULAR.
UH, OTHER THAN THAT, I THANK YOU FOR GOING INTO MY DISTRICT AND THE THREE ITEMS WE HAVE.
WE, I ALSO GOT THE PRESENTATION.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL PIECE WITH THE HANDS AND THE RIVER.
UM, I KIND OF WANNA SHOW IT TO ALL OF YOU 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA BE RIGHT NEAR THE MISSIONS.
AND THAT HAPPENED WITH THE ARTIST WORKING WITH, UM, THE INPUT FROM, UM, FROM THE COMMUNITY.
'CAUSE THEY TOLD HER THEY LOOK LIKE ALLSTATE HANDS AND SHE'S CHANGED IT AND IT'S NOW IT'S, IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND THIS SYMBOL.
SO YEAH, WE COULD HAVE FOUND A SPONSOR, BUT, UH, THANK YOU.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING, UH, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO MENTIONED IS THERE'S A LOT OF NEIGHBORHOOD ART THAT ARE ISN'T PUBLIC ART.
AND THEN MAYBE IF WE GET THAT MAINTENANCE AND WE HAVE SOME LEFTOVER, WE COULD GO INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND, AND DO THAT TOO.
SO, UH, THAT, THAT'S IT FOR ME.
I KINDA LIKE THE SOUND OF ZEKA.
SO
UM, BUT, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE OH, COUNCILMAN MAKI HAS AN ADDITIONAL COMMENT.
I WANTED TO GET INTO MAINTENANCE AS WELL.
I, I THINK THAT WE'LL HAVE TO, AND, UH, AT THE GOAL SETTING SESSION, I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE A CONSENSUS THAT WE WANT A GENERAL FUND ITEM.
UM, I DO KNOW THAT, I IMAGINE YOU EXPERIENCED THIS, WHERE YOU BRING THIS GREAT IDEA, WE'RE GONNA DO PUBLIC ART, AND THEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE SAYING, WHAT ABOUT THE, THE BANNER, THE M L K BANNER? WHAT ABOUT WE DID THAT MURAL UNDER NOLAN AND SOMEONE PAINTED OVER.
UM, AND SO THERE IS THAT NEED.
WE HAVE A SIX-WAY TIE FOR THE MOST, UH, ART PROJECTS AS A PART OF THE BOND.
AND I'M GLAD TO BE IN THE TIE FOR THE MOST WITH THE FIVE OTHER COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
UM, I WANNA THROW SOMETHING OUT THERE.
THERE IS A BUILDING IN MY DISTRICT THAT WAS NAMED ONE OF THE TOP 10 UGLIEST BUILDINGS IN AMERICA, THE ALAMO DOME.
THERE IS A LOT OF MONEY BEING SPENT THERE THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
UM, WHO DO WE TALK TO AND WHAT DO WE DO? THE STRUCTURE IS THERE, BUT CAN WE MAKE IT PRETTY
SO WE WILL HAVE SOME PUBLIC ART COMPONENTS COMING ONLINE FOR THE ALAMO DOME, AGAIN, IT'S THAT, YOU KNOW, 1.5%.
UM, SO, UH, WE WILL DO WHAT WE CAN WITH THAT TO, UH, JUST ADD ART TO THE ALAMO DOM.
BUT WE, UH, I KNOW THAT ALAMO DOME IS ALWAYS LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT'S HITTING ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY, TO ENGAGE WITH ARTISTS.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO THE TEAM, UH, ON A REGULAR BASIS ABOUT HOW THEY CAN ENGAGE ARTISTS.
SO THERE MAY BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR MURALS INSIDE THE BUILDING.
I KNOW THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, EVEN WITH THEIR BUDGET THAT'S OUTSIDE OF OURS.
SO, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS, BUT THERE WILL BE SOME, UH, PUBLIC ART ELEMENTS.
IF YOU COULD GET, EVEN IF YOU WANNA GET ME SOME LADDERS AND PAINT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN, WE CAN MESS SOME STUFF UP.
YOU COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ.
YOU'VE, UH, YOU'VE OFFICIALLY BEEN WELCOME TO THE CREATIVE COMMITTEE AS WELL, BECAUSE WE'RE VERY CREATIVE HERE.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THE, UM, MOTION AS A, AS AMENDED BY COUNCILMAN VRAN.
LOOKS LIKE NO OPPOSITIONS OR ABSTENTIONS.
AND THAT, UH, CONCLUDES, UH, OUR MEETING FOR TODAY AT
[02:00:01]
WE ARE ADJOURNED AT FOUR O'CLOCK.