Pelaez, 49, is seeking reelection to his fourth and final City Council term. An attorney, he chairs the City Council’s Economic and Workforce Development Committee, co-chairs the Intergovernmental Relations Committee and sits on the Audit and Accountability Committee, Governance Committee and Public Safety Committee.
Hear from the candidate
The following questions were asked of all City Council candidates.
Please tell voters about yourself.
I’m the proud father to Max and Sophia and husband to Diana, a professor at Northwest Vista College. I attended Trinity University and St. Mary’s University School of Law. I own a small law firm staffed with smart attorneys and legal support professionals who love what they do. I have spent the last 23 years serving as an attorney for homeowners associations, schools, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, religious organizations and some of the world’s largest companies. I’m also the pro bono general counsel to the Battered Women & Children’s Shelter.
Do you have any previous experience in government or participation on local boards, commissions or neighborhood associations? Have you run for elected office before?
For many years I served on the Brooks City Base board as a trustee and as chairman. I have served as a trustee or board member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planing Organization, Alamo Area Council of Governments, the San Antonio Economic Development Corporation, the SAWS Rate Advisory Commission and Sister Cities International. I’ve been your District 8 city councilman for the last six years.
What three issues do you consider to be most pressing for your district and how would you address them?
First and foremost, we must increase our law enforcement resources so that all of San Antonio’s neighborhoods remain safe for people to live, work and play. I will continue to advocate for increased police and firefighter staffing as I have for the last six years. Second, we must continue to pull from every lever to reduce domestic violence. One in three women in San Antonio have or will have a domestic violence story to tell. That’s unacceptable and will only be abated if we continue to recruit stakeholders to care for victims and educate children and teens about healthy relationships and problem solving. Lastly, we are a city that continues to grow at breakneck speed and we are not keeping up with infrastructure to absorb this growth. I will continue to bring home much needed infrastructure dollars from Washington and Austin to make sure we don’t fall behind.
Do you support the proposed city charter amendment, known as Proposition A or the Justice Charter, that would bar certain policing tactics, decriminalize abortion and low-level marijuana possession and create a city justice director to oversee criminal justice policy? Why or why not?
I oppose Prop A. It will make our neighborhoods less safe and will embolden criminals. Also, my district is home to the largest Asian, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish populations. These communities are frequently targeted with graffiti and property destruction by bigots who wish to do them harm. They deface and destroy their storefronts and their houses of worship. Also, Texas’ anemic hate crime laws do nothing to adequately protect my Jewish and Asian neighbors (e.g. the state jail felony for tagging a house of worship only kicks in if the damage exceeds $750). The Justice Charter, if enacted, would prohibit police from arresting these criminals and only leave them with the option to issue a verbal warning or a ticket — an absurd and unacceptable result for the victims of these crimes. I urge all San Antonians to reject this dangerous and poorly thought-out charter amendment.
How do you feel the city has done at balancing the needs of downtown and the neighborhoods, from bond projects to budget priorities?
San Antonio’s growth and the deferred maintenance have required us to make tough budget decisions about how we prioritize the streets and neighborhoods that need to most attention. Thankfully, the bond packages that San Antonians have selected and approved at the ballot box helped us take on the big projects that matter most. I’m pleased that these projects are completed within their budgeted parameters and that the quality of the finished product meets our expectations of quality and good workmanship. More needs to be done to prioritize drainage projects on the south and west side of San Antonio so that we can handle the megastorms that have become the new normal in Texas.
If elected, how do you plan to solicit input and feedback from residents in your district?
I have always and will continue to include my constituents in the conversation about how their city functions. Every year, I create opportunities for thousands of people to meet with me face-to-face at town hall events and neighborhood meetings. Also, my team and I maintain a very aggressive online and paper communications schedule that keeps my neighborhoods up to date on all the issues and events that we know are important to them. My neighborhood services staff are admired for being the highest-performing team at City Hall because of our excellent customer service and problem solving. Lastly, my team and I never shy away from difficult conversations, and we have made it standard practice to regularly engage residents all over San Antonio when we need to discuss delicate topics like gun violence, domestic violence, the crisis felt by small businesses, animal care services and disaster preparedness.
