Four candidates running to replace longtime Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4) faced off at the Boeing Center at Tech Port Friday night for the San Antonio Report’s candidate debate.
City Council District 4 encompasses the city’s Southwest side, where candidates largely agreed that issues like stray dogs and illegal dumping are more pronounced than in the rest of the city.
Rocha Garcia, who has represented the district since 2019, is leaving the seat to run for mayor this year, and she’s endorsed longtime District 4 staffer Edward Mungia out of the five candidates running to replace her.
Early voting for the May 3 election runs April 22 through April 29. If no candidate takes at least 50% of the vote on May 3, the top two finishers will advance to a June 7 runoff.
On Friday’s debate stage, Mungia, 32, defended the district’s progress on some of its persistent problems, while three of his opponents argued it’s time for new leadership.
Read about all of the candidates running in District 4 in our 2025 Voter Guide & watch the full debate on YouTube
“District 4 will not just be defined by our problems. We are in District 4, in this building,” Mungia said, pointing to the Tech Port as an example of the type of project that’s being attracted to the South Side.
Among those calling for change was Johnathon Cruz, the 34-year-old principal of McNair Middle School, who pointed to the district’s low voter participation compared to the rest of the city as evidence its elected officials haven’t done enough to engage the community and elevate its needs to city staff.
“There is a clear inequity of city services within District 4 regarding these issues of stray dogs [and] homelessness,” he said. ” … Year after year, cycle after cycle, and we’re not seeing the kind of change that the average citizen of District 4 really wants.”
Mungia countered that the District 4 office is doing a good job of addressing issues brought to its attention by residents, but that it could use more public outreach so that residents know the council office is available to help.
“What I want to do more of when I’m a council member, is do more grassroots outreach and knock on people’s doors and tell them what programs are available,” Mungia said.
Ernesto Arrellano Jr., who served as a South San ISD trustee and was a member of the SAWS board, said the district adding many educational opportunities, like Texas A&M San Antonio, as well as jobs, like those created by the British manufacturer JCB.
“The City Council member needs to make sure that the future of the kids of this district are able to participate in and take advantage of the jobs that are going to come, all the opportunities for education that’s already here, and make sure that they are able to prosper and stay in District 4,” Arrellano said.
Arrellano, 63, was a part of the South San ISD school board until the state took over it over in February, citing nearly two decades of administrative dysfunction that resulted in “diminished student academic outcomes, poor financial controls, public distrust and multiple TEA investigations.”
On Friday, Arrellano defended his record on the board, saying the district was already under scrutiny from the state when he joined, and had been making progress on some of budget issues and student outcomes.
“My problem with the state takeover is not that they took it over, it’s the timeline,” he said. “They should have done that in 2019, 2018, when they started that investigation, not seven years later.”
Jose “Pepe” Martinez, a 36-year-old trucking company owner, said the district isn’t doing enough to bring high-paying jobs with good benefits that are critical to ending generational poverty.
“You can’t have a good quality of life if you don’t have access to health care. You can’t secure the next generation of your family if you don’t have access to life insurance,” he said.
While he didn’t articulate a clear vision for how he would bring more companies to the South Side, he said his experience as a business owner would be positive change for the district.
“In the past decade, we’ve had leadership in District 4 that is not focused on economic development,” he said. “That’s my vision for District 4, is to bring more economic development so that we all can have an opportunity at a better quality of life.”
Gregorio De La Paz, a 53-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran who works in construction management, was not able to attend the debate but outlined his vision for the role in the San Antonio Report’s Voter Guide questionnaire.
According to campaign finance reports, Mungia has raised the most money in the race with more than $25,000 raised so far. He’s spent $12,514. Cruz has raised $11,105 and spent nearly $10,000 of it. Martinez hasn’t raised any in contributions, but he’s spent $10,629 of his own money.
De La Paz raised and spent none, and Arrellano didn’t file a campaign finance report.
Watch the full District 4 debate:
