Government

City council voted to approve the convention center expansion and the new council district map, and also ruled to approve the payday loan ordinance championed by District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal.

With population shifts revealed by the latest census numbers, it was time to re-draw city council districts. David Mendez is the man charged with drawing the new boundaries and making sure everyone has equal representation in San Antonio. The race for Bexar County Sheriff features Democrat incumbent Amadeo Ortiz and Republican Retired Air Force General Susan Pamerleau.

District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal said the reason he wanted to devise a plan to help people pay off their loans is because of the vicious debt cycle that the practice creates.

He said payday lending companies create an almost impossible way for people to get rid of the loan because of high interest rates.

“Simplistically said, San Antonio’s population growth during the decade is Hispanic, very much Hispanic," said David Mendez, who has been drawing redistricting maps for more than 30 years.

He said San Antonio is straightforward when it comes to redrawing city council district lines, but what was different for the Alamo City during this census round is where the growth was reported, and who was moving there.

District 2 Councilwoman Ivy Taylor said she wants to remain committed to code enforcement, as many residents had expressed during ten city-wide meetings to identify priorities in the budget.

However, during the voting process Taylor caused a little confusion when she motioned to adopt the budget, with the exception of the line item for Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

"She was just recently elected to the board," said City Clerk Leticia Vacek, "after this is voted upon we will have another motion voting for that particular funding."