San Antonio City Council approves censure of Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones after independent investigator’s findings

The San Antonio City Council voted Feb. 27 to approve a resolution censuring Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones after an independent investigation concluded she used verbally abusive language toward a colleague during a Feb. 5 encounter.

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones apologized at the start of the meeting, saying she had raised her voice and used profanity and that she “should not have raised my voice at my colleague, and I should not have used profanity. I apologize for doing so.” She told the council she would step aside from the governance committee for three months starting the day of the vote and that she will participate in in-person leadership training next week.

The council’s presentation said the city hired Natalie C. Ruggie, a board-certified labor and employment attorney, to conduct an independent investigation after a formal complaint was filed. The presenter for the city described the investigation’s scope and findings: “Findings, based on the, her investigation, Natalie found that, Mayor Jones was verbally abusive to Councilwoman (a colleague) during that 02/05/2026 encounter,” and said the conduct was reviewed against City of San Antonio administrative directives on equal employment opportunity, anti-harassment and workplace violence.

More than a dozen people spoke during the public-comment period, with several urging the council not to censure the mayor and others calling for accountability. Lauren Levy Hughes told the council she opposed a censure and urged members to focus on pressing city priorities, while Christian Carrenza, who said he once worked for the mayor, described her as principled and willing to take responsibility. Mario Bravo, who identified himself as someone previously investigated and censured by the council, criticized the city’s investigative process as lacking basic due-process protections and called for confidential resolution pathways and procedural reform: “The process you're using today lacks integrity,” he said.

Council debate divided along roughly two lines. Council members who supported the resolution said the independent investigator’s findings showed the mayor violated established workplace standards and that formal action was necessary to reaffirm professional norms. Councilmember Castillo said the findings pointed to a pattern of disrespect and harassment that required more than an apology. Supporters repeatedly framed the vote as necessary to protect staff and preserve a professional work environment.

Opponents argued the conduct did not rise to the level of censure or removal from committee and raised concerns about the transparency and fairness of the investigative process. Councilmember Spears said the incident involved inappropriate language in a heated disagreement but did not amount to workplace violence and said the investigation appeared one-sided.

A motion to approve the resolution was made and seconded; the mayor pro tem put the matter to a vote, and the motion carried. The council did not announce a roll-call tally in the meeting record provided; the mayor pro tem stated the motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 11:52 a.m.

The investigation, the council’s decision to censure, and the mayor’s pledges to step aside from a committee and take leadership training are the latest developments in a dispute that began with a Feb. 5 exchange. The investigator briefed the council in executive session after completing her review on Feb. 23. The investigation report is held as part of attorney-client privileged materials for the council, and council members said portions remain confidential to protect witnesses.

What happens next: the resolution takes effect as the council adopted it at the meeting; the mayor said she will recuse herself from the governance committee for three months and participate in training, and several council members urged reforms to the council’s investigative and disciplinary processes.