Lawson Alaniz-Picasso is a former District 1 staffer and marketing professional who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in Bexar County’s Precinct 1 last year.
Hear from the candidate
Please tell voters about yourself.
I’m 32 years old and have lived in San Antonio for 14 years. I graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word with my bachelors in Business Administration – Marketing and have worked in both the public and private sector in areas of marketing, government affairs, and strategic operations planning and management.
List any previous experience in government or participation on local boards, commissions, or neighborhood associations.
- CPS Energy Citizen Input Committee, Chair
- Board of Adjustments, Commissioner
- Bond 2022-2027, Housing Committee Member
- City of San Antonio Bond, Housing RFP Scoring Committee
- Feeding America & San Antonio Food Bank, National Food Inequity Policy Advocate
- WTS – San Antonio Region, Board Member
- 2024 Candidate for Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 1
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 for District 6 and how would you work to address them in your first 100 days?
The issues in District 6 are the same key issues that we are seeing across our City. It is public safety, streets, sidewalks, and drainage, housing, and economic development.
We know the concerns, now it’s a matter of having a plan to address these issues– which I’ve been working with the community to create and even have some great starting points to get started with on day one.
We need to address the low hanging fruit– pothole repairs (that should be done within 72-hours of reporting it), neighborhood safety (speeding, lighting, theft), and then work to bring some long-term plans into fruition that will help create a complete ecosystem for residents where they can live, work, and play in the Northwest area of San Antonio while also attracting visitors to enjoy a new area of San Antonio that has family-friendly entertainment (Sea World, Government Canyon) but can be an authentic representation of the culture and people of our city. We also have a new bond cycle coming up that will be a great opportunity for us to work with City staff to identify major corridors– such as Culebra, to consider for safety improvements.
In a crowded field of council candidates, what differentiates you from the others?
I bring global experience with local understanding for how to address the needs of my community. I have a background of bringing solutions that meet the needs of the residents through thoughtful planning and collaboration that works to support a community’s goal. I’ve worked on multi-billion dollar projects where it’s critical that we look at how every dollar is spent and that each dollar spent must be at the benefit of the project and end goal. I also have experience working with state and federal governments to bring access to opportunities locally that best addresses the needs certain programs and funds are dedicated to supporting.
Additionally, I have my own personal experiences – both as a child and as an adult, where I’ve lived on the razor’s edge of not knowing where my next meal was coming from or where or not I would have a place to sleep at night. I lost my mom because she couldn’t afford the appropriate health care to have a surgery she needed to live. It is because of my professional experience blended with my personal values of helping those in need that makes me the right person for the job.
If elected, how do you plan to solicit input and feedback from residents in your district?
I plan on being immersed in my community. I will continue to block walk, phonebank, and meet with neighborhoods to ensure that I have tapped every possible means of participation in the planning process as I possibly could. I also think that City Councilmembers have an important role of helping to educate the community on how projects work, what each phase of the project looks like, and explaining what their role will be during each phase so they feel empowered by what is coming down the pipeline.
Read more about Lawson Alaniz-Picasso
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