Justin Rodriguez, 51, is an attorney who has served on the Commissioners Court since 2019. He previously represented San Antonio’s West Side in the Texas House.
Hear from the candidate
1. Please tell voters about yourself.
I’m Justin Rodriguez, Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 2, and I live in San Antonio’s Oak Park Neighborhood. I’m a lifelong San Antonian. I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of the Incarnate Word and my law degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I began my public service career as a juvenile prosecutor in the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, where I worked to support rehabilitation for young offenders.
I was elected to the SAISD Board of Trustees in 2004 and later served two terms on San Antonio City Council representing District 7 (2007– 2011). In 2012, I was elected to the Texas House of Representatives (District 125), where I served multiple terms, including on the House Appropriations Committee, advocating for education access, voting rights, and affordable health care. I was appointed County Commissioner in 2019 and elected in 2020.
2. Briefly describe your top policy priorities, or the top issues motivating you to run for office.
I have a track record of advocating for innovation in elections and voter access. I want people to feel confident that our elections are secure, transparent, and convenient, and that every eligible voter can participate.
I’m also focused on mental and physical health care. When care is out of reach, we all feel it in crisis calls, ERs, and the justice system, so I want to invest earlier and expand access.
Public safety is another core focus, and it is bigger than law enforcement alone. It includes a justice system that is fair and focused on real safety, emergency management that’s ready when severe weather hits, and the basic infrastructure that prevents tragedy in the first place. Safe roads, drainage, and flood control matter because they protect lives.
I also believe we can help open doors through workforce partnerships and practical investments that help people build stability and get ahead.
3. Bexar County is currently committed to helping three major downtown redevelopment projects: The Spurs Sports and Entertainment District at Hemisfair, the Missions’ Minor League Baseball stadium district in Northwest downtown, and the expanded rodeo grounds on the East Side. What would success look like in those projects? And what outcomes are critical to avoid? How do you think the county is doing in terms of balancing investments in the urban core with the needs of the county’s more rural residents?
Success looks like the project delivering clear public value and paying off in ways residents can actually feel. That means good jobs that connect to local hiring and training, real opportunities for small and local businesses, and public spaces and improvements that feel welcoming and usable to residents, not just people coming in for an event.
What we have to avoid is pretty simple. Projects that run over budget, promises that are hard to pin down, and deals where the public pays more than we should while the benefits are unclear. We also have to avoid changes that make it harder for nearby residents to stay in their neighborhood, or projects that look good on paper but don’t actually improve day-to-day life for the people who live around them.
On balance, I do not see it as urban versus rural. The County has to do both. We can make strategic investments downtown, but we also have a responsibility to keep investing in roads, drainage, public safety, and services countywide, including our more rural communities. The standard should be the same everywhere. Measurable benefits, transparency, and follow-through.
4. County leaders have struggled for several years now to come together on their shared spending priorities, including removing projects that are unlikely to be completed from the county’s capital plan. With federal pandemic funding that’s buoyed past budgets drying up, how do you think the five-member court should prepare for the fiscal cliff Bexar County is expected to hit in 2028?
We should not treat the end of pandemic-era funding like a surprise, but we also should not rush to spend just because money is available. The goal is to make investments that are meaningful, measurable, and sustainable over the long term. With ARPA, we did make major commitments in areas we believe fit squarely within the County’s role and will pay dividends for residents.
That includes standing up a County Public Health Department, supporting school based mental health services, and investing in programs like the SMART co-responder model that help connect people to care and reduce repeated crises. Now we have a responsibility to track what is working, what outcomes we are seeing, and what it will take to sustain the pieces that are delivering real value.
As we look toward 2028, the court should use multi-year planning and a disciplined capital plan so we are not carrying projects that are unlikely to be completed. The bigger challenge is prioritization. We need clear criteria, early alignment, and a willingness to make tradeoffs in the open.
We represent different parts of the county and we will not agree on everything, but we have always found a way forward by staying focused on results for residents.
5. Bexar County is the only local taxing entity with a road and flood control line item on its portion of the tax bill. After one of the most deadly flood years in
almost three decades, what do you think the county should be doing to address flood safety?
After a deadly flood year, we have to keep treating flood safety as a core public-safety responsibility and use the County’s road and flood control dollars where they will save lives.
That means staying disciplined on long-term flood control projects and continuing to fix known problem areas like low-water crossings, drainage, and creek capacity. It also means coordinating with city and regional partners where our systems connect.
In this year’s budget, the County allocated $21 million to expand the NextGen Flood Warning System so we can predict flooding earlier, close crossings faster, and get clear alerts to the public. Going forward, we should look for opportunities in major infrastructure and watershed project to build in flood-safety benefits wherever we can.
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Meet the candidates running for office in Bexar County in 2026
