San Antonio council receives state legislative update; city signals opposition to bills seen as limiting local control

SAN ANTONIO — At a special B session on April 16, 2025, the San Antonio City Council received a monthly briefing on the 89th Texas Legislature and discussed a slate of bills the city is tracking, including measures the council said could reduce local control and change eviction and housing processes.

Sally Basurto, director for government affairs, told the council the regular session had about seven weeks remaining and that committee and floor hearings were active. She reported the House had approved “their version of the budget bill, with a price tag of 337,000,000,000 for the next two years,” and said staff was “vigilant” and coordinating with the city's legislative delegation.

The briefing highlighted several bills the city is following closely. Basurto described HB150 as creating a “Texas cyber command” at the University of Texas at San Antonio; she said the bill had advanced in the House and that city officials, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg and others, had supported the initiative. Councilmember Gregorio White said, “San Antonio is going to be, a great home, for Cyber Command.”

On housing and evictions, Basurto summarized HB32 as a measure to shorten eviction timelines and to loosen delivery requirements for the three-day notice landlords must give tenants before filing for eviction under current state law. City staff said the change could reduce a process that often takes “six to…