Governance committee refers five council requests on vape shops, rezoning, permitting, gunfire and mail theft to committees

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio City Council Governance Committee on Jan. 15 referred five council consideration requests (CCRs) to standing committees for further study and possible action, the committee chair announced after a roughly 30-minute meeting.

The committee voted to move the CCR asking for authority to prohibit tobacco and vape retail stores within 1,000 feet of schools and day cares to the Community Health Equity Committee; to send a large-area rezoning review to an upcoming A session after Development Services Department (DSD) review; to send a permitting-transparency review to the Planning and Community Development Committee; and to send two public-safety CCRs — a public-education campaign on celebratory gunfire and a cluster-mailbox theft response (including proposed lighting and a multi-agency task force) — to the Public Safety Committee.

The referrals are the next step in a process that will task staff and the receiving committees with developing specifics or legislative language before any ordinance or formal council action.

Committee context

John (city staff) introduced the first three CCRs, including the proposal nicknamed “Breathe,” filed by Councilman Courage, which requests that the city seek authority to prohibit tobacco retail stores, including vape shops, within 1,000 feet of public schools, day cares and institutions of higher learning. Staff noted the city currently needs enabling authority from the state to enact such a prohibition; staff also said a senate bill filed by Senator Donna Campbell would give cities that authority if enacted.

Maria (ci…