On the record is brought to you by Steve and Adele Dufilo.

San Antonio is a fast growing, fast moving city with something new happening every day.

That's why each week we go on the record with Randy Beamer and the newsmakers who are driving this change.

Then we gather at the reporters roundtable to talk about the latest news stories with the journalist behind those stories.

Join us now as we go on the record with Randy Beamer.

Hi, everybody.

Thank you for joining us for on the record, I'm Randy Beamer, and this week we are starting with the negotiations between the city and the San Antonio Police Officers Association, the union over a new contract in the past.

Those have been contentious negotiations.

Joining us to talk about that for this time, Danny Dias, who is president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association.

Thank you very much for coming in.

Thank you for having me.

These negotiations a little sooner, than in the past year, because there were five year contracts.

Now we're starting on three years.

First of all, before we get into what you want.

Why is that?

Well, a couple things.

And really, the main one is we can't predict the future.

The instability of, you know, what's around us, that, we have no control over.

That process was come in with a three year contract, and then we can renegotiate after those three years.

Or do you expect, the last contract negotiations were when you had just come in a year before that as president?

Not as contentious as the ones before that.

People may remember the Sheryl Scully as a city manager and Mike Kelly, the police officer association president.

It was personal.

Sure.

And, drew lasted a long time.

What about the last time?

And this time, what do you think the negotiations are going to be like?

So the last time we were able to accomplish it in eight months, which was record time back then?

Yes, because of the change of attitude and the change of, the main thing was communication, being able to speak with the city manager without, making certain comments or going in person to the media and, and taking shots at each other.

The professionalism of of City Hall and Eric Walsh allowed us to communicate, and that's how we were able to get that done.

Since then, we've worked extra hard to make sure that not only City Hall, our administration, and the community realizes we're not the same that it used to be.

Those tactics might have worked back then.

Doesn't work now.

If we can't communicate, we can't get anything done.

And so the intent was to let's get to work and let's talk about it instead of arguing.

What are your goals this time?

Where the big issues for the police union.

So it always revolves around money.

Every contract that we talk about.

This time, though, it's a little different.

You have the city of Houston that received a 38% pay raise.

You had Bexar County, had, 32 with those sheriffs.

And then you had the fire department receive a 21% pay raise.

So everyone's getting money.

All around us.

From our standpoint, we have to focus on the ability to retain officers because you have the federal government that's coming out.

$50,000 or signing bonus for ice?

For ice.

So in that we've only had a handful leave.

But what we're noticing is, even without that, there's the young officers that are coming in, applicants that are coming in, and they're leaving at two and three years.

And that's not something that's for.

Other, more lucrative departments.

Sure.

Or they just came in and say, hey, this isn't for me.

And they move on.

That's actually unheard of.

And for our, you know, everyone's used to, in my era used to saying, you know, 30, 35 years, it's a career.

That's not the mindset now.

And so we're trying to instill, stability for officers to stay.

We're still over 80% of the officers that we have on the department are homegrown.

So everybody knows what what it's like to run here.

Why why are the younger people looking to move on to something else?

It's a different mentality from when when I started, you know, in 91, it's it's everyone was looking for their career.

Now everyone's looking for the money.

They're looking for what they are comfortable with and what their mindset is or their thought process that should be doing.

And then once they come in, it's like, I don't want to deal with.

Is it a tougher job?

Is it more political in some ways?

Are they worried about body cams and investigations or.

Well, I think the political aspect of it, yes.

Is it tougher?

Absolutely.

Policing has changed since in the last 30 years.

You know, where where since George Floyd, you have, De-escalate, retreat.

When I started, the retreat was a word that you never heard.

It was a warrior warrior mentality.

Because at some point, look, officers are only called when it's the last resort, right?

There's a problem, and you have to deal with it.

What we're seeing now is because of de-escalate, retreat, those types of things officers are letting things prolong when they shouldn't.

And because they're now worried about making a decision, getting in trouble.

And from the political aspect of it, if you make a decision, even though you're following the rules and regulations.

And.

Penal code, CCP, you could still get suspended because of the appearance of the way that it looks in the media.

You know, you're not recruiting people right now, although he's being honest.

I mean.

It's that's a way that's it.

That that's just the way it is.

Back to the contract.

Your base pay now for officers just under $63,000.

And many make more than that because of overtime.

What do you want that to be?

And should it be as much as an Austin or a Houston?

Because the cost of living there is greater.

Sure.

So Houston is 13.5% larger than than San Antonio.

We're trying to bring up the base salary to where it's compatible to those departments, because the same is it's retention.

And get us close, close.

You know, we don't have the luxury of Houston.

People don't understand or look into is that Harris County owns all the tolls throughout the state of Texas.

So they have the ability to take money from there to pay public safety with those outrageous pay raises that police and fire have have gotten.

And San Antonio is limited percentage wise to what they can pay for fire, EMS and police.

We haven't raised taxes in 30 to 33 years.

There is a bogus number of 66% that was just pulled out of thin air.

That that should be the cap of what?

Public safety is.

66% of the entire city budget.

City budget can go to.

And that is not true.

Back then, when Cheryl was here, Scully, she was going around telling everyone that, public safety budget was going to be 125% of the actual city budget.

They had formed a committee.

And even they understood that that wasn't true.

They pulled out 66% out of the air, and it stuck.

And people started using it as that's the cap.

When it wasn't, that should have been the base.

So we understand how much money is available.

We're not here to break the bank.

We're public servants.

How long is this going to take?

Last time, it took 33 meetings.

About eight months.

You said, how long do you expect this?

And really, there's just been one proposal set forward so far.

The next one will be another one.

How many meetings?

How long?

The intent is to get it done in 60 days.

By law, we have 60 days to finalize a contract.

We are able to have extensions, which is what we had to do in our previous contract.

I'm hoping to get this done by Fiesta.

The intent is, our current contract is up October or September 30th.

I want to hit the ground running October 1st.

Already into this contract where we don't have to worry.

No evergreen clause like we had in the past.

And that's why we're starting early.

I mean, you know, it's.

Let's get get in and get out and let's get it done.

This is a 50 year contract.

There's not much more that you can add to.

Wait 50.

Year, if you think about.

It.

I thought it was.

It's three years.

It's three years.

But our policies and everything that's placed into that contract.

We're just adding to it.

There's not much more to add to it because everything's been in place.

Except for the money.

And that kind of thing goes for three years.

Okay.

Well, thank you very much for coming in and explaining all that.

Danny Diaz, president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association.

Thanks very much for coming in.

Thank you for having me.

You may have heard that recently DHS bought a warehouse on San Antonio's east side, just off loop 410 for controversial immigrant detention center.

A lot of people in this area, a lot of leaders in this area anyway, are against that plan, questioning what it's going to mean for San Antonio and the bigger area around it.

And joining us to talk about that is State Representative Barbara Gervin Hawkins, district 120.

Thank you very much for coming in.

Happy to be here.

Tell us, first of all, when you heard about this, what are what were your concerns?

And now that it looks pretty much like a done deal, what do you think?

My first reaction was hell no.

Here we're talking about a location that's across the street from Sam Houston High School and Davis Middle School.

So this is a vulnerable community.

That's number one.

Number two, 640,000ft² detention center.

So we're creating a jail within the heart of a community in a neighborhood.

And that's a problem for me.

I'm adamantly against it, and I hope we can stop it.

How?

Because the city once, once federal property is federal property.

There's no zoning, and the city is looking at ways.

You're looking at ways.

How could that be done?

So we've explored many different things.

Like you said, the city can't do much.

The money has already been appropriated through the federal government.

And so my thinking is what can we do in the courts?

How can we stall it?

Can we put an injunction on it and we can stall it?

I believe till November, because it's going to take a while before they drop plans and do everything else.

It's going to rely on the people.

If the people is able to flip the US House, I believe that's when we begin to stop not only the detention center here in San Antonio, but across the country.

Specifically on the detention center here, 1500 beds, that warehouse, as you said, large.

It was the biggest warehouse built on spec ever in San Antonio.

What are the concerns about, say, the effect on businesses in that area and development in that area?

It's going to stymie all of that, because who wants to be located next to a prison?

Because now we're talking tall fence.

We're talking about armed guards.

We're talking about a situation that's created a negative perception.

And already the district two suffers from some of that.

So now we're just adding more fuel to the fire.

On the other side, people would say, well, this is needed.

President Trump campaigned on deporting people.

This is closer.

It's a hub.

So it's easier, say, than Dili.

What do you say to that?

Well, based on what I saw in Dili and what I've seen across the country is they're not housing criminals.

We're talking babies, we're talking mothers, we're talking families.

So the intent that's been out there is not really the intent of of the reality.

And so my concern is, is that we're housing people and that's wrong.

I have also heard, concerns here about what this means in terms of the ramping up, possibly of, raids and deportations and in the San Antonio area.

Have you heard anything more about that?

Well, I haven't heard a lot about it, has it?

The the their presence haven't been felt yet, other than some few cases here and there.

But no doubt there's a facility here.

There's going to be more arrests in our local community.

So it's going to be really disruptive.

And here we have a large immigrant population in San Antonio.

So no doubt we're going to be adversely impacted.

As I've even reached out to law enforcement to say, are we prepared?

What are we going to do when we're hearing about these cases?

And as it stands now, well, we'll wait and see.

And so I'm concerned because I think we need to get in front of it.

We had a contentious meeting at City Hall with the, local representatives, back and forth on this.

What they can do, what they can't in terms of, say state officers, what do you think they can and should do DPS and the like?

Well, first of all, we can't do anything legislative because we're not in session.

And the only way we can get a session is the governor calls.

And I doubt if he does that.

But I no doubt because we already have a shortage in law enforcement, and that's police as well as sheriff.

We're going to be looking for more DPS officers and we know that they're not trained to really provide what they need to in urban communities.

So that's a. Problem.

Let's look at some some positives in the area or potential positives.

Some of the projects and I mean big building projects and that kind of thing going on in there.

And your district.

Yes.

Tell us about those.

Well, we've got the Frost Bank center.

You know, the conversations have been around the Spurs leaving.

And I know in the beginning my community was quite upset about it.

But as I've shared with them, that's the new urban model where proteins are locating downtown.

So for me, let's not think of the negative.

Let's think of how we reimagine that site.

The rodeo wants to expand.

Now they're talking about year round activity.

That's a good thing.

My hope and prayer is that we can create real economic development on that site, as so-called promised in years previously.

What about around it?

Because that was really the promise in in years past.

What can be done?

Say that Willow Springs, Willow Park, the Springs golf course?

Yes.

What can be done with that?

Part of.

It's in a floodplain.

Well, think about this.

We can get it out in the floodplain, number one.

And we don't have to get rid of the golf course.

We can just reconfigure it.

So if that becomes part of the project, which it is not at this moment, but if it becomes, it opens up many opportunities for hotels.

And so when we talk about economic development, you've got to have foot traffic.

You gotta have people.

So what I see if the Willow Springs golf course is included, it opened up so many possibility hotels, restaurants that can not only just survive but thrive.

And so I believe is a big part of it.

But it's not as of today.

What about the industrial?

Buildings around that area?

Could those ever be converted?

And would you like to see that?

I would, we have a basically a industrial area over there.

And so I believe that with the dollars that will come in that we can relocate some folks do some land swaps and really reimagine that area to be very productive.

What about the population, say, in the East Side?

That's where we're building schools.

They're unlike most other areas in the city.

Tell us about the growth there, where it's coming from and what the outlook is.

So we have a a different dynamics core in the city.

We're closing schools as is closing schools.

But that's because those buildings were built in the 50s and 60s.

And so it's harder to renovate them and or bring them up to up to date.

But we're also building schools out in the Jetson area and out in East Central.

Where they just closed some schools.

And Judson, they did.

And your older schools, but they're building in the center of the building three new schools in East Central.

And as my understanding, one school, in the just an area the demographics has changed.

People aren't having as many children as they used to have.

We have an older population that those buildings no doubt our institutions of memory.

But the reality is, is that the demographics has changed.

We have to be ready to change.

For as a state rep, back to the, projects being built over there.

What can the state do and what do you think the state will do in terms of, say, tax breaks and things like that?

Well, you know.

Pumping in money.

Yeah.

Well, first of all, the biggest, deal.

And I and me and Senator Menendez worked on this together.

We brought in the tax money, which is the hotel motel hot tax.

And so that's where the county will generate over $400 million.

And they will share some of those dollars with project Marble up to a certain amount.

What about the project itself as envisioned?

You mentioned the year round stocks on rodeo.

Some have questioned whether that's realistic, that it will actually bring in as many people as they hope.

No doubt about it.

There's a model already that exists out of Vegas where their rodeo is probably one of the, you know, the shining stars in that area.

And so we're talking about programing for youth.

We're talking about expanding.

And we know that the rodeo in February brings millions of dollars.

So we want to multiply that.

And hopefully that influx of resources will be able to expand the things in the district, create more jobs.

And there are some renderings about what's going to happen.

What do you think of those and what's planned?

We know that when you start adding the care of animals with children, we're not talking about children development.

We're now talking about expanding four programs.

So we're looking at not just the facade, but also the internally what can happen and how it can help the people.

There's been talk of a, veterinary program.

Yeah.

Is that where are you in that, or do you think it'll happen?

I think it will.

I think there's so much on the table and we've got to flush it out.

What's realistic?

What resources will it take?

And also if the Willow Springs golf course is involved, who are those investors?

Okay.

And what level of development that really can happen.

I'm excited about it.

I'm getting ready for it.

All right.

Well, thank you very much.

State rep Barbara Gervin Hawkins.

A lot going on in your district on the east side.

Appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

On reporters roundtable this week, San Antonio's mayor, Gina Ortiz Jones, is facing a possible censure for comments she made and the way she made them to another councilwoman.

Score of district one.

Here to tell us all about it is Megan Rodriguez, city hall reporter for the San Antonio Express-News.

Thank you very much for coming in.

Thank you so much for having me.

What happened in this, altercation?

Verbal altercation?

Yeah, absolutely.

So last Thursday, the mayor allegedly berated Councilwoman Sikora in a back room of the municipal building.

That's where they hold their city council meetings.

The two had kind of stepped away from the meeting momentarily.

The thought is that they got into some kind of argument over the bottom exchange, which is a gay nightclub, that they were getting ready to vote on whether or not to give them more time to install sprinkler systems without having to cut their occupancy limits.

The mayor had been against this idea.

She was concerned about the public safety aspect of this, since this was just well beyond the deadline that this business had to actually put in their fire sprinkler system.

But, Councilwoman Core had been working with this business owner for months, trying to meet them in the middle since they had been concerned that if they cut down occupancy, that it could shutter the business.

And so the councilwoman was kind of concerned and frustrated after this interaction.

She, was brought to tears by it and was in the back room for, about 90 minutes or so during this meeting, kind of, bringing herself together before she came back out on to, vote for other items.

And she has really not talked very much publicly about it.

But from our understanding, from talking with other City Hall insiders, is that she was frustrated not only with how the council or how the mayor had treated her as a councilwoman, but also over how the whole situation had unfolded.

The mayor the night before the city council was supposed to take a vote on whether or not to give the bottom exchange.

More time went and, called up the co-owner of the bottom exchange and was pushing her into signing an agreement that would have cut down her occupancy limits and just kind of insisting that it was a real safety hazard, that it was something that she needed to change, that it would be embarrassing for her if there was a council meeting that kind of highlighted all the errors of the kind of, business had made.

And, she also, in that conversation, committed to raising $550,000 to help kind of offset the expenses of this sprinkler system.

But even still, the councilwoman, it seems, was just concerned over how all of this unfolded and how she was treating this.

The policy part of it, the personal part.

Do we know really what was said, because a councilwoman isn't really talking about it herself?

And the mayor has issued just a basically a statement about it.

So how personal did this get?

What is she, alleged to have said?

Yeah, that's a great question.

And, it's one that really not very many folks that we've talked to have been able to kind of give insight on.

There was nobody that we've talked to who was actually in the room when this happened, but Councilwoman Cora brought it up in a closed door session and basically told folks, I don't appreciate that I was yelled at, that I was cursed, but we don't really know exactly what was said.

The complaint that the councilwoman core made against the mayor on Monday is also kind of out of our reach at this point.

The city has yet to release it.

She has yet to release it.

It's unclear if it will, and that's.

Separate than the, the motion for a censure.

Yes.

So basically there are two kind of components here.

The motion for a censure was made by five council women.

Not Councilwoman Cora, not Mayor Jones, but the other five Councilwoman on council said after the results of an investigation come out based on this complaint that Councilwoman Core made from this incident, we want to then have a conversation about whether or not we should censure the mayor based on her behavior.

And so that complaint is really the kind of the starting point for this.

And that complaint has yet to be released.

What could come out of that complaint that is separate?

Do we know what that process would be?

Yes.

So basically was a complaint under the city's code of conduct, which was passed in 2024.

It bars the council and, from doing many things.

But among them berating other staffers or colleagues.

And so that is likely what this complaint was directing or pulling from and saying that was broken, saying that the mayor basically broke that part of the code of conduct, most likely.

Again, we don't know exactly what was said in it, but we know kind of what had happened on that Thursday between the two of them.

And we're kind of just awaiting what this investigation could be.

The city has hired a third party attorney to look into it, and so it's going to kind of be reviewed by them.

It's unclear if we'll ever be able to see kind of the results of that investigation.

The last time that there was something even similar to this was a few years ago when Councilman Mario Bravo was investigated for some comments that he made to then Councilwoman Ana Sandoval, basically berating her for not kind of siding with him for, regarding how money from the CPS surplus fund should be used.

And in that case, we really didn't get to see what the results of that investigation were.

The council saw it, and it wasn't released publicly.

And now I just want to make sure people know the mayor hasn't talked about it, at least in interviews.

But she did release your statement.

Just briefly.

Part of it says my style of leadership is grounded in my lived in experience, my lived experience.

And that approach doesn't always align with the traditional templates of female leaders or colleagues.

Still, I know we're all, committed to engaging with dignity, respect and compassion.

Disappointed, some of my colleagues felt this was a necessary step.

So, from here, do you expect this will affect their working relationship?

Maybe even more, because there have been, you know, butting heads in the past.

Yeah.

And, you know, it's interesting that you asked that because the council women who signed on that memo saying we need to have, like a discussion about a censure actually mentioned that this is just the latest instance in kind of a series of, kind of concerning unprofessional behavior from the mayor.

They don't go into depth on what those examples are in that memo, but, they say that this is kind of just like the result of an escalation of her negative behavior.

And and finally, we shouldn't read into any read into it anything about because there were just five or only five or as many as five council members and that they were women.

That doesn't really to have more than five would have been a problem.

Maybe for them.

Yes.

One Councilman district seven, Councilwoman Marina either took a veto, told me that part of the reason for kind of keeping it to five was out of concern, out of keeping it from being a walk in quorum and having too many folks on it.

She said that it doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't men on the council who are supporting it.

In fact, Councilman Mark white had made a statement to the Express-News, after this happened saying that he was in support of this and that he thinks that also negative behaviors from the mayor need to stop.

All right.

Well, thank you very much.

Fascinating story.

You can read more about that and everything at City Hall from the City Hall.

Reporter Megan Rodriguez.

The San Antonio Express-News.

Thanks.

Thank you for having me.

And thank you for joining us for this edition of On the Record.

You can watch this show again.

You can watch any previous shows.

You can also download the podcast@klrn.org.

I'm Randy Beamer and we'll see you next time.

On the record is brought to you by Steve and Adele Dufilo