SAN ANTONIO – Thursday, Sept. 25 marked San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ 100th day in office.
In her time as mayor, Jones notably lobbied for delays to Project Marvel and changes to the policy proposal process amid a constant back-and-forth with council members.
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Below is a look at Jones’ first four months in office:
June 7: Jones defeated Rolando Pablos with 54.3% vote in the runoff election, becoming San Antonio’s newest mayor.
June 18: The City of San Antonio inaugurated Jones.
June 24: Jones joined KSAT 12 News for her first Q&A as mayor. Regarding Project Marvel, Jones said she wants the city to listen to community meetings and be smart about future investments.
June 27: Jones and the newly elected City Council held their first discussion of the city’s budget. Jones said she would prioritize San Antonio’s most vulnerable communities and minimize long-term risks.
July 1: Jones submitted a formal request for the 2028 Democratic National Convention to be held in San Antonio. She mentioned the Alamodome and Henry B. González Convention Center as potential locations for the event.
July 7: Jones named Jenise M. Carroll as her new chief of staff. Carroll took over the duties from Jordan Abelson, who departed from the role less than three weeks into Jones’ term.
July 10: Jones led a delegation to Washington D.C. to discuss keeping U.S. defense missions an integral part of San Antonio. The discussions occurred after an April 30 memo from the Secretary of Defense called for a move that would relocate some active-duty soldiers from JBSA-Fort Sam Houston to Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
“We will continue to position San Antonio and our unique civil-defense ecosystem to attract additional missions and contribute to the defense industrial base,” Jones said in a news release.
July 14: Jones outlined desired changes to the policy proposal process, known as Council Consideration Requests (CCR), in a memo to council members called “CCR Process Efficiencies.”
These changes included requiring an initial legal screening and the city manager’s signature. In her memo, Jones told council members that her changes “will apply.”
July 25: Hours after District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez was released on bond in her misdemeanor DWI case, Jones emailed Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai about footage that showed the councilwoman making her first appearance before a jail magistrate that morning.
She requested the judge’s office investigate footage she believed was leaked. Sakai told Jones the video was not a leak and was publicly accessible.
Aug. 1: According to a LinkedIn post made by Gary Cooper, an assistant to the mayor who handled media inquiries, he left her office and moved into a different role in city communications. According to Cooper’s post, he was in the position for approximately a week.
“One helluva week, though!” Cooper said in the post, before replying to a comment, “Not a good fit is what I was told.”
Aug. 6: During a council meeting, Jones said she did not believe the council had enough information on Project Marvel funding to complete their “due diligence.”
“I think we need to take a strategic pause on this entire effort,” Jones said.
At that same meeting, at least seven of the other 10 city council members expressed their support for moving ahead with negotiations.
Aug. 11: Jones doubled down on comments from the previous council meeting, requesting an independent economic analysis for Project Marvel.
Aug. 13: Council members Teri Castillo (D5), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) and Marc Whyte (D10) forced a City Council discussion on the policy proposal process. The group argued Jones had improperly inserted hurdles into the process for policy discussions.
Whyte told reporters after the meeting, “as far as I’m concerned, and it sounds like the majority of my colleagues are concerned, we are still operating under the process as set forth (in) the CCR ordinance that was fully adopted by council last year."
Aug. 14: In a memo sent to council members, Jones backed off on her attempt to unilaterally change the policy proposal process. While she still expressed an intention to change the process, she said she would take input from the council in doing so.
“I would target a collective review of the CCR process after the new year, so that we can implement improvements and add to the CCR ordinance as necessary,” Jones said in the memo.
Aug. 18: Jones held a news conference on the steps of City Hall where she called for the city to hold off on approving a non-binding set of terms for a new Spurs arena ahead of an Aug. 21 vote.
Jones said the only information on an arena’s possible benefits had come from a study commissioned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment. She was joined by council members Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) and Ric Galvan (D6).
Aug. 20: The day before City Council’s vote on funding terms for a new Spurs arena, Jones made an unexpected appearance at a rally organized by business leaders who supported passing the term sheet.
Jones spoke for 10 minutes and called for support of her resolution, which would include multiple community feedback meetings and an economic study by a firm unaffiliated with the Spurs.
Aug. 21: A 7-4 majority of council members voted in favor of the term sheet, approving the funding deal for the estimated $1.3 billion Spurs arena. Leo Castillo-Anguiano (D2), Teri Castillo (D5) and Ric Galvan (D6) voted with the mayor in requesting a pause and then against approving the terms.
Sept. 2: During a KSAT Q&A, Jones supported a “strong public campaign” to help San Antonio residents understand the approved terms and bills associated with the new Spurs arena.
Sept. 3: According to sources and a city website, Jones delayed a proposal regarding fines for pet abandonment ahead of a City Council vote.
The proposal, which would fine people between $500 to $2,000 for abandoning any animal within the city, was a part of the consent agenda, which is used for items that aren’t expected to draw any resistance.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office told KSAT that “Item 11 was pulled from the City Council agenda yesterday evening by the City staff, as the expired CCR had not been reviewed by the Governance Committee. As has been communicated, expired CCRs from the previous council may be resubmitted, and the Governance Committee will decide how best to move forward once received.”
Sept. 5: Council members Teri Castillo (D5), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) and Marc Whyte (D10) filed a three-signature memo that forced a City Council vote on the pet abandonment fines proposal. The proposal was added to the council’s Sept. 11 agenda.
In a joint news release, the council members wrote that, “Despite the Mayor’s attempt to obstruct our legislative process, this policy will move forward. Animal abandonment threatens both residents and animals, and the City should act promptly to adopt this critical protection.”
Also on Sept. 5, citing “new information,” Jones also called a special meeting for Sept. 11 to consider censuring District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez after her arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DWI) in July.
Jones said she was suspending Gonzalez from her committee assignments “until further notice or until more details of the incident are known.”
Sept. 9: During a KSAT Q&A, Jones discussed her position on the pet abandonment fine proposal. She argued that the proposed abandonment policy would be difficult to enforce and that she wanted to address the issue with due diligence.
“We have received a lot of feedback from those animal rights activists that are very concerned about how that CCR, in particular, will be implemented,” Jones told KSAT.
In a memo sent to council members, Jones stated her intention to require policy proposals filed before she and the other new council members were sworn in to be resubmitted.
Jones also visited more than half of the 14 flood mitigation projects listed on the state’s Flood Mitigation Plan.
“There are significant infrastructure needs throughout the city, including flood prevention and mitigation projects from Rock Creek to Huebner Creek that can help protect the safety of residents, curb long-term costs, and enable economic development,” Jones said.
Sept. 10: Internal city records obtained by KSAT Investigates showed that an outside media consultant, brought on by Jones, was imposing a $10,000 per month burden on taxpayers.
The contract between Washington, D.C.-based Frontwood Strategies and the city was finalized in August and has an end date of Nov. 30, 2026. In a written statement, Jones told KSAT that the agreement was needed to bridge the gap until she has a dedicated communications person in place.
During an afternoon budget work session on that day, Mark Whyte (D10) questioned Jones about the KSAT Investigates story.
Jones said it was the “same level of support, same level of funding” as what previous mayors have had, “and it’s a bridge until we can bring someone full-time on.”
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office also confirmed that Events Services Director Rory Vance had resigned.
In an emailed statement on Sept. 12, Vance said, “In consultation with my family, I have decided to seek other positions that allow me to rebalance my work and family life.”
Vance’s LinkedIn profile showed he also worked on Jones’ mayoral campaign as a community engagement manager.
Sept. 11: City Council passed a motion to censure District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez after her arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DWI) in July. Eight council members voted in favor of the motion.
Jones said that her vote, which was in favor of the motion, was her statement. Teri Castillo (D5) abstained and Meza Gonzalez recused herself from the vote. Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran (D3) was not present at the meeting.
City Council also approved the new set of pet abandonment fines in a 10-1 vote. Jones was the lone vote against it.
In a statement emailed to reporters after the vote, Jones said, “it lacked the required due diligence and public engagement.”
Sept. 12: Council members Teri Castillo (D5), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Misty Spears (D9) and Marc Whyte (D10) submitted a Four Signature Memorandum requesting a special meeting to amend the current CCR ordinance.
The council members suggested amending the policy proposal process ordinance to ensure that the status of a proposal remains unchanged, despite the introduction of new council members or a new mayor. They also proposed that the process not be altered without a City Council vote.
Sept. 18: City Council approved a $4 billion budget and voted to amend an ordinance for the policy proposal process. The proposal to amend the ordinance passed 9-2, with Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and Councilman Edward Mungia (D4) voting against.
“The recent Animal Abandonment ordinance that was rushed through and led to widespread confusion about its actual effect and implementation is a perfect example of why we need to do our due diligence with all proposed policy changes,” Jones said in a statement.
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