Democratic primary candidates for Bexar County district attorney took the stage Tuesday night in a fast-moving debate at the Carver Community Cultural Center hosted by the San Antonio Report and the Greater San Antonio Chamber.
Eight candidates clashed over how to fix an office facing staffing shortages, case backlogs and growing public scrutiny over high-profile prosecutions. In a blue county, the winner of the Democratic primary is the odds-on favorite to carry the race in November.
Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination include three current prosecutors in the DA’s office: Jane Davis, who oversees the Juvenile Division, Angelica “Meli” Carrión Powers, who oversees the family division, and Oscar Salinas, who also works in that division.
Three other contenders are former prosecutors now working in private practice, Veronica Legarreta, Shannon Locke and Meredith Chacon.
The other candidates are James Bethke, who oversees the county’s Managed Assigned Counsel Office, and Luz Elena Chapa, who served on the Fourth Court of Appeals.
After incumbent District Attorney Joe Gonzales opted not to seek reelection, several bigger name candidates passed on the race, leaving voters with little time to get to know the long list of candidates before early voting for the March 3 primary starts on Feb. 17.
Against that backdrop, many candidates used Tuesday’s debate to attack Chapa, the candidate with the most political experience and connections, but least experience when it comes to prosecuting cases.
“I think it’s very important that you realize that someone here is recommending somebody take over this office who has absolutely no experience in being in a DA’s office, or in leading a DAs office, or even trying a case, I think that’s terrible,” Davis said.
Davis has spent the past 40 years working under seven different district attorneys and working in every division in the office. “I have done every job in the DA’s office except being the DA.”
Candidates also went after Locke, a seasoned attorney who has perplexed some with his calls to use the office to prosecute ICE officers — something even the current progressive DA has warned could get him in trouble.
Locke defended this stance and called for investigating alleged misconduct by federal immigration agents, arguing that holding government officials accountable is central to restoring confidence in the justice system.
“When people think the DA’s office doesn’t care, they stop calling the police,” he said. “That’s when people really get hurt.”
Candidates are vying to lead a 600-employee office that plays a central role in public safety and trust in the justice system — at a time when Texas prosecutors are under increasing political pressure from state leaders.
The debate quickly revealed a divide between candidates who emphasized internal management fixes and experience inside the DA’s office and those who argued the system is fundamentally broken and in need of outside leadership.
Asked to rank the biggest problems facing the office, most candidates pointed to staffing shortages, case backlogs and low morale as issues that have worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many cited overwhelmed courts and heavy caseloads that continue to slow prosecutions.
“There are huge dockets for judges who just cannot handle the volume of cases,” Legarreta said, adding that turnover among prosecutors and poor communication with victims have only compounded the problem.
Powers — who currently leads the family violence division within the district attorney’s office — framed staffing shortages as the root issue fueling nearly every other challenge.
She pushed back on the idea that simply increasing funding would fix the staffing crisis, noting that budget authority largely rests with the Bexar County Commissioners Court.
“Anyone saying that they’re gonna fund or do all these magical things to get money, that’s an uninformed position because it’s not that easy,” she said. “The DA’s office doesn’t control the budget.”
Davis suggested embedding assistant DAs inside police substations to consult on reports as they are written and reviving mentor programs pairing experienced prosecutors with newer hires.
Bethke focused on rebuilding strained relationships with law enforcement and implementing tighter case management systems. He said prosecutors should meet regularly with law enforcement leaders to improve communication, while implementing public-facing tracking systems and online dashboards to improve transparency and accountability for the office.
While many candidates centered their responses on capacity and workflow issues, Chapa framed the office’s challenges primarily as a public safety crisis driven by repeat offenders.
“We do have a big issue with repeat offenders, especially habitual repeat offenders,” Chapa said. “We do have a crisis because we haven’t been tough on crime in our community, and we need to make serious changes to improve public safety.”
Locke took a different approach, arguing the office’s biggest challenge is a widespread perception that prosecutors no longer care about victims or the community. To rebuild trust, he proposes creating ombudsmen within each division to serve as direct points of contact for victims seeking information about their cases.
Public trust remained a central theme as candidates were asked how they would improve prosecution strategies and public understanding when widely covered criminal cases fail to result in convictions. Several candidates emphasized the technical realities of building strong cases, pointing to evidence collection, preparation and experienced prosecutors as key factors.
Salinas stressed the importance of explaining the legal standard of proof to the public, saying acquittals do not necessarily reflect prosecutorial failure.
“Just because a case results in a not guilty verdict does not mean there was an unjust or unwarranted prosecution,” Salinas said. “It means the jury system is working appropriately.”
In contrast, Chacon and Legarreta framed failed high-profile prosecutions as symptoms of deeper leadership and continuity problems within the office.
Chacon said morale issues and lack of support drove experienced prosecutors to leave under the current administration, arguing that money alone would not solve the problem.
Legarreta criticized the frequent rotation of prosecutors between courts and divisions, saying the lack of consistency undermines complex cases.
Candidates were then asked what aspects of the role may be new or novel to them and how they would address the learning curve.
Chapa largely sidestepped the question about her lack of prosecutorial experience, instead pivoting to the need to work with the county commissioners on funding and resources.
Bethke framed the role primarily as an executive leadership position, arguing that managing budgets, advocating before the Texas Legislature and overseeing large organizations require a different skill set than trying cases alone.
Salinas said the most difficult adjustment for him would be navigating the politics, noting that representing victims in court is where his expertise lies. “I’m not a politician,” Salinas said. “But I know how to prosecute cases and fight for victims.”
Candidates then turned to the growing political pressure facing large urban district attorneys in Texas, as Republican state leaders have moved to make it easier to remove prosecutors they accuse of being “rogue” or unwilling to enforce certain laws.
Several candidates framed reform and public safety as goals that can coexist, while cautioning against openly provoking state officials.
“We got to be smart at crime but that doesn’t counterbalance being hard on the people that commit serious violent cases and habitual violent offenders.” Bethke said, pointing to the county’s large jail population and the need for data-driven approaches to reduce repeat offenses.
Davis said the office has already faced scrutiny from the Texas attorney general’s office under the current administration and must be careful in how reform efforts are communicated.
“We need to lead reform but not brag about it so much,” she said.
Legarreta said state laws may require prosecutors to file certain cases, but that diversion programs and alternative resolutions can still be used to reduce incarceration while remaining compliant. “They don’t tell us how to prosecute,” Legarreta said. “We can follow the law creatively and still do what’s best for our community.”
Chacon said prosecutors have a duty to seek justice — not convictions — and pledged to push back against political pressure from Austin.
“I would be seeing the justice is done, and I don’t care how much pressure I get or where I get it from,” Chacon said. “I will fight for that because I have always done that.”
Chapa returned to her criticism of the current administration, arguing that high dismissal rates in certain case types show the system is broken. She pointed to law enforcement support for her campaign as evidence she could rebuild trust and get the job done.
Tensions rose during closing statements, with several candidates directly challenging one another’s experience and claims made throughout the debate.
Chapa spoke directly to Legarreta asking her if she had resigned from her position as a magistrate judge for the City of San Antonio.
Legarreta then accused Chapa of committing a Class A misdemeanor by using the word “judge” on her campaign material when she is not currently an active justice.
In an interview following the debate, Legarreta clarified that she believes Chapa is in violation of the Texas Election Code and misleading voters because she uses the title of judge on her campaign materials rather than “former judge.”
“When you read the law which I understand she does not know, it actually is a Class A misdemeanor for every single time she does it,” Legarreta said.
In response, Chapa said she had received permission to use the title from the State Judicial Commission prior to announcing her campaign. She said she is allowed to use the judge title because she is vested and has earned it. If she wanted to use the title of “Justice” then she would then have to use “former” in front of it, she says.
The violation would be enforced by the Texas Ethics Commission if it was indeed a violation, Chapa added that it had also been cleared by the ethics commission.
Chapa says Legarreta is bound by the judicial canons on ethical standards to resign from her post as a city magistrate prior to running for DA.
Legarreta said she received clarification from the city that she does not have to step down unless she is running for a city position. The DA seat is a county position.
The Democratic primary is likely to advance to a May 26 runoff between the top two vote-takers, since the winner must take at least 50% of the vote. The winner will go up against Republican Ashley Foster, a former felony prosecutor, as well as perhaps an independent candidate who is collecting signatures to get on the ballot, in November.
Reporter Andrea Drusch contributed to this story.
