Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4) has represented the Southwest Side on the council since 2019. She previously worked for the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a special projects manager and executive recruiter for the City of San Antonio.
Hear from the candidate
Please tell voters about yourself.
My name is Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia. I am a life long resident born on the west side and raised on the Southwest side of San Antonio. I have a PhD in advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree from the University of Incarnate Word.
I am a three term councilwoman who currently serves as the president of the San Antonio Housing Trust, president of Women in Municipal Government, chair of the Municipal Utilities Committee and chair of the Planning and Development Committee. Previously I served as the chair of the Ethics Commission.
In a field of 27 mayoral candidates, what differentiates you from the others?
As an educator, I’m collaborative and unite people to find common ground. I listen, and make decisions based on the information provided and I know that I need to hear from everyone involved. I will work with the community and empower my council colleagues to achieve the best outcomes for our city. I am fully committed to being a full time mayor and the work that entails that level of dedication.
If elected, you would be taking over at a time when the city has spent more than a year negotiating a massive downtown redevelopment effort in Project Marvel. How would you approach this project?
I love the Spurs and believe they unite our city, but all residents must benefit from Project Marvel. The current Frost Bank Center site should give residents access to opportunities in education, training, healthcare, reliable internet access and housing. The new site should also have increased access to affordable housing, and nearby employment opportunities. To finance the project we need to work with the County, Spurs owners, and the business community to explore all financing options.
In the city’s 2024-2025 budget survey, residents ranked homelessness, streets,
housing and animal care services among their top concerns for the city to address. Which issues do you consider a top concern and how would you work to address them in your first 100 days?
We need more affordable housing. This means that people, regardless of income level, can afford to live and age in their home. Older residents shouldn’t be priced out of their homes, nor should young families have to move out of the city to afford a home. We want to welcome anyone who moves here, but not at the risk of displacement. Investing in a larger housing bond will give us the opportunity to produce more housing at every level and invest in our current housing stock through rehabilitation.
Budget season falls within the first 100 days of office. I will work closely for the City Manager, Deputy City Manager, Chief Housing Officer and Budget Director to ensure that fund allocations reflect what residents have voiced. In addition, I will begin working with city staff on alternative funding options to continue to increase the housing stock.
For the past four years San Antonio has worked closely with the Biden Administration on federally funded projects like airport development and Advanced Rapid Transit. How would you approach working with both state leaders in Austin and a new presidential administration in D.C.?
Regardless of who is in power, we need to work closely with state and federal officials. They are elected and represent the same constituents that I represent, and coordination and cooperation is needed to progress our city. I will look for areas of opportunity for economic development such as Opportunity Zones, to help increase growth in our city.
I will also request frequent updates on the administration grant guidelines at both the federal and state level for funding, and schedule meetings with the appropriate state and federal departments to improve San Antonio’s future. Our city is one that believes in unity and collaboration, I will be a mayor that reflects those values.
Read more about Adriana Rocha Garcia
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Candidates swarm first hour of filing for San Antonio’s 2025 City Council races
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Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia will run for mayor in 2025
