City Council Halts Mayor's Policy Delay Plan

City Council Blocks Mayor's Efforts to Halt Policy Proposals

In a decisive 9-2 vote, the City Council members successfully blocked Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones from slowing down their policy proposals. This decision ensures that any future changes to the council’s policymaking process must be approved by the full body. The move came after Jones attempted to implement unilateral changes regarding how elected officials can propose new policies, programs, and laws since July.

The mayor's efforts sparked frustration among several council members, including Marc Whyte, Marina Alderete Gavito, and Teri Castillo. These members urged the mayor to put her proposed changes to a vote instead of enforcing them through a memo. When Jones delayed scheduling a public discussion, the trio organized a special meeting, which featured intense debates. Eventually, Jones backed down from most of her amendments, such as requiring the city manager and city attorney to review council consideration requests (CCRs) before they could be submitted.

Despite this concession, Jones continued pushing for council members to refile dozens of policy proposals that were filed but not finalized during the previous mayor’s term, effectively stalling efforts that had been in progress for months or even over a year. There are currently 32 CCRs at various stages of the policymaking process.

Alderete Gavito defended the ordinance updates, stating, “This body of government is the closest body of government to the people, so to say that we want to mirror the state and federal government doesn't make any sense.” She emphasized that excessive bureaucracy does not make sense, especially when taxpayer dollars are involved.

Jones also tried to kill a vote on fines for animal abandonment during the procedural conflict, but Whyte, Alderete Gavito, and Castillo brought the issue back for a vote. It passed 10-1, with Jones casting the only "no" vote. This is highly unusual for a mayor to be the sole dissenting voice.

Whyte, Alderete Gavito, and Castillo joined forces with District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears to push for Thursday’s vote. They argued that members do not need to refile proposals because the CCR ordinance did not specify that they expire when new council members are elected. The vote updated the code to explicitly state that CCRs do not have to be rerouted when new councils are seated. It also added a requirement that all modifications to the policymaking process be voted on by the City Council moving forward.

This defeat is not the first challenge faced by Mayor Jones in her early months in office. In August, she failed to slow down an arena deal, as the City Council voted 7-4 to approve a term sheet with Spurs Sports & Entertainment. This move laid the foundation for a financing agreement for a $1.3 billion arena, which is planned to be the centerpiece of a downtown sports and entertainment district.

Jones has already used one of her few remaining strategies as mayor by preventing her three most vocal opponents—Whyte, Alderete Gavito, and Castillo—from leading any of the City Council’s nine committees. While chairmanships are typically given to more experienced members, Jones chose to pass over these three in favor of members who had not spoken out against her, including two freshman councilmen.