ENside Politics

District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo talks with the ENside Politics team about the many hard choices City Council will have to make in next year's budget and what it's like to serve under Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.

Suggested reading:

Mayor Jones proposes killing Ready to Work to close budget deficit

Mayor Jones asks business community to fund nonprofits that rely on city dollars

Hundreds of jobs, array of city services could be slashed without property tax hike

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Political consultant Andrew Solano talks with the ENside Politics team about whether City Council has the appetite to cut funding for the San Antonio Botanical Garden and other nonprofits -- or to increase the city's property tax rate. Also, the Bonham Exchange is asking for more time to install legally required fire sprinklers after Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones drops her pledge to help raise money for the system.

Suggested reading:

Why Mayor Jones said the city should stop funding the Botanical Garden

Bonham Exchange seeks more time to install fire sprinklers, avoid closure

Mayor’s voting commission wants new City Hall office to boost voter turnout

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The head of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo is warning that a conceptual development plan for the East Side could collide with his organization's expansion — and that tax dollars voters OK'd for the rodeo's designs could wind up paying for some of those clashing projects. Reporter Madison Iszler and host Greg Jefferson discuss. 

Suggested reading:

Rodeo says East Side development plan clashes with expansion

Housing, hotels or horses? A fight brews over Frost Bank Center land.

Voters approve plan to renovate Frost Bank Center, expand rodeo events

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Education reporters Noah Alcala Bach and Sophia Veneziano talk with ENside Politics about which area school districts have come under Texas Education Agency scrutiny and why.

Suggested reading:

State probes Judson ISD for alleged threats, failure to report child abuse

STAAR gains offer lifeline to some S.A. schools at risk of state intervention
Judson ISD board OK's budget that nearly slays deficit

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Reporter Liz Teitz and the ENside Politics team discuss the rupture that resulted in City Council postponing a vote on a SAWS rate increase till next fall.

Suggested reading:

After debate, split City Council delays decision on SAWS rate hike

SAWS says it needs to raise rates. It’s hitting resistance at City Hall.

City staff to council: Raise SAWS rates — just not by quite as much

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Former San Antonio Mayor and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff talks with reporters Madison Iszler and Molly Smith about the hallmarks of Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones' first year in office, what Ron Nirenberg's administration could look like if he wins the county judge election and tensions over Project Marvel and plans for the Frost Bank Center grounds.

Suggested reading:

One year in, Mayor Jones remains a political island in San Antonio

Will Project Marvel be on the ballot in San Antonio's next bond election?

Peter Sakai will lead Bexar County for nine more months. How will he govern?

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Former City Councilman Manny Pelaez talks with host Greg Jefferson about the freebies council members are offered — and that many of them accept — such as Spurs, concert and gala tickets, not to mention "parking wherever the hell they want." He also weighs in on Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones' rocky first year in office and Project Marvel.

Suggested reading:

Which San Antonio politicians got free Spurs playoff tickets?

Can City Council members park ‘wherever the hell they want’?

Will Project Marvel be on the ballot in San Antonio's next bond election?

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The ENside Politics team talks about how President Trump scrambled the race for the GOP nomination in San Antonio-anchored Congressional District 35 and Luz Elena Chapa's razor-thin margin in the Democratic primary for Bexar County district attorney.

Suggested reading:

Luz Elena Chapa wins tight runoff for Bexar County DA

Johnny Garcia to face Carlos De La Cruz for Congressional District 35

Does John Cornyn's defeat mark an end to Bush-era Texas politics?

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Politics reporter Molly Smith and host Greg Jefferson talk about the heated race between Luz Elena Chapa and Jane Davis for the Democratic nomination for Bexar County district attorney, and the blow-up in the Democratic contest in Congressional District 35 between Maureen Galindo and Johnny Garcia.

Suggested reading:

DA candidates in Democratic runoff clash over experience, case backlog

Personal loans, family contributions bolster DA runoff candidates’ campaigns

Democratic candidate for Congress under fire for conspiracy theories about Jews

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Megan Rodriguez chats with fellow Express-News reporters Liz Teitz and Madison Iszler as they dig into a proposed rate hike at SAWS and the controversy surrounding the pitch.

Suggested reading:

As SAWS mulls rate hike, these City Council members want a shakeup at the utility

SAWS seeks rate hikes as City Council weighs cost to residents

SAWS says it needs 8% rate hike this year to avoid system failures

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