Bravo was elected to City Council for District 1 in 2021. He sits on the council’s Audit and Accountability Committee, Economic and Workforce Development Committee and Public Safety Committee.
Hear from the candidate
The following questions were asked of all City Council candidates.
Please tell voters about yourself.
My family moved to San Antonio in 1984 when I was in the third grade. I grew up here, attending all public schools, which prepared me to earn my Bachelor of Arts in History from UT Austin and Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Prior to serving on City Council, I worked on air quality, climate and health issues for Environmental Defense Fund, a nonprofit organization.
List any previous experience in government or participation on local boards, commissions, or neighborhood associations.
I was elected to City Council District 1 in 2021. I currently serve on the city’s Public Safety, Audit and Accountability, and Economic Workforce and Development Committees, as well as the AACOG Board of Directors. Prior to getting elected, I served on the AACOG Air Improvement Resources Advisory Committee, as well as the boards for MOVE Texas and the US Green Building Council, South TX Chapter. I also served on the CPS Energy Environmental Stakeholders group, where I worked to push through reforms to create a CPS Energy Rate Advisory Committee so that you could have a voice in your energy utility, and I worked to make their Citizen Advisory Committee hold public meetings rather than meeting in secret.
What three issues do you consider to be most pressing for your district and how would you address them?
Homelessness: In my first term we have secured $45M to build permanent supportive housing for individuals who are chronically homeless. This solution includes on site case managers, mental health and drug counseling, and security. This is not only the compassionate solution for getting people off the street and into a dignified living situation, but it also saves taxpayer dollars. By helping support and stabilize these individuals, studies show that we will reap savings from a reduced caseload on 911 dispatch centers, police and ambulance services, and emergency room visits. Council will finalize contracts to start build this housing in the next month.
Property taxes: We need to stop taxing people out of their homes. I have never supported a property tax increase. I did increase your homestead tax exemption from 0.1% of the assessed value of your home (the minimum allowed by state law) to 10%. I also increased the homestead exemption for disabled persons from $12,500 to $85,000 and the exemption for seniors from $65,000 to $85,000. You can count on me to continue to push back against increasing taxes.
Quality of life: This includes everything from reducing crime to getting loose, dangerous dogs off the streets, to making our city more walkable and bikeable, and increasing access to green space. In the post-pandemic world, many talented workers can choose to live anywhere. By improving quality of life, everyone benefits, and we can make sure our best and brightest stay in San Antonio. I will continue to support police Chief William McManus’ new hotspot policing program to reduce violent crime and the city’s new Good Neighbor Program to address nuisance properties. I’ll also continue to work to plant more tree canopy in our urban core and create pedestrian and bike paths to connect neighborhoods to all of our great spaces.
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?
The effects of this amendment are being over-inflated by both sides, creating division, not conversation about how we can make our community safer. I do support the spirit of some proposals. I have worked to decriminalize marijuana and I’ve always supported a woman’s right to choose, including my vote as your council member shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned. My main concern is taking away police officer discretion in how we deal with theft and property damage: $750 in stolen goods and $2,500 in property damages can cause real harm. We already have a cite-and-release policy in our city. It allows officer discretion in arresting for certain crimes. I have asked for data from the last few years so that we can review what is working and what can be improved. I love that City Council is nonpartisan and we can focus on working together to improve our quality of life. Prop A has proven to be another wedge issue that is more about taking sides than getting things done. When we get past this election, I’ll invite all sides to the table to work together in promoting criminal justice reform and keeping our city safe.
How do you feel the city has done at balancing the needs of downtown and the neighborhoods, from bond projects to budget priorities?
Property taxes from downtown support a lot of the services and improvements in our neighborhoods. We did a good job in the 2022 bond of investing significantly across the city, while instead leaning on downtown’s own property tax increment reinvestment zone funds to continue the work of improving downtown. Our city is growing, and we need to grow with it. We need more housing at all price levels. We need more infill development and density to support walkable and bikeable communities and public transportation. Developers in District 1 often ask to have their property rezoned to support infill development. I have approved over 80 cases while denying only three, yet I have a 100% approval record with neighborhoods. This takes a proactive approach of meeting with neighbors and developers and finding how to ensure that each development is a value add that also preserves the character of each unique neighborhood. You can count on me to continue this balanced approach of working with both sides to manage our growth.
If elected, how do you plan to solicit input and feedback from residents in your district?
Our District 1 office prides itself in being accessible to you. We will maintain our many channels of communication, including: 1. Monthly one-on-one appointments. 2. Constituent surveys. 3. Town hall meetings. 4. Constituent liaison staff for every neighborhood. 5. Email and postal newsletter mailings. 6. Listening sessions and site visits for hot topics.
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