The San Antonio mayor requested to meet with President Donald Trump ahead of his scheduled visit to the East Side this week, saying she wants to discuss an “affordability crisis” facing the city.
During KSAT’s weekly Q&A, Gina Ortiz Jones said she had not heard from the president or his staff about the invitation. Jones said she will not attend the rally the president is in town to support.
Other topics Jones wants to talk about with Trump include gas prices, ending the Iran war, ending trade wars and tariffs, stopping the East Side U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement facility, stopping planned cuts to Medicare and holding data centers accountable. She said those topics contribute to the city’s affordability crisis.
Jones also talked about City Council taking action to increase water rates on Thursday, saying she expects support for it. Jones said the increase would go into effect in January, and that the money is needed for critical infrastructure to support safe drinking water.
Jones also issued a memo for the city’s upcoming bond. She said she supports keeping it at the $442 million level recommended by city staff, saying anything above that would require another property tax increase.
“My concern is if you put a bond forward that folks vote down then nobody gets anything,” Jones said.
Her framework calls for disproportionately investing the bond in council districts one through five, which she said have historically been underinvested in.
Jones said the city could consider another bond in fiscal year 2029 if economic conditions change.
She said the city’s infrastructure contribution tied to Project Marvel was reduced in an update last week from a long-discussed $220 million to $250 million range down to $35 million after items including a parking garage were cut.
Jones said she has asked for a full list of what was removed, and said the city could ask whether the $35 million qualifies for project finance zone funding in order to protect general obligation bond money for streets, sidewalks and drainage.
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