San Antonio council votes to censure Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones after investigator finds workplace violations

The San Antonio City Council voted Feb. 27 to censure Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones after an independent investigator concluded she was verbally abusive toward a colleague during a Feb. 5 encounter and violated the city code of conduct and administrative directives.

“I should not have raised my voice at my colleague, and I should not have used profanity. I apologize for doing so,” Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said in a brief statement to the council, and she announced she would recuse herself from the governance committee for three months and participate in in‑person leadership training next week.

Council members and staff described the decision as the result of a formal complaint, a third‑party investigation and a council briefing. A presenter told the council the investigator interviewed witnesses, reviewed meeting video and found the mayor’s conduct violated the city code of conduct and administrative directives 4.67 (equal employment opportunity/anti‑harassment) and 4.8 (violence in the workplace).

“This is not about an f‑bomb, or a raised voice,” the mayor pro tem said while closing debate, arguing the council’s action was about meeting established workplace standards and protecting employees who come forward. The mayor pro tem also acknowledged Mayor Jones’s policy work and said accountability can coexist with recognition of service.

During public comment, residents and local leaders offered competing views. Lauren Levy Hughes, a former journalist who said she supported the mayor, urged the council not to censor the mayor and asked elected officials to focus on other urgent city priorities. “I do not want the mayor to be censored,” Hughes said. Several other speakers likewise urged clemency and private resolution.

Other speakers and some council members pushed for accountability. Council member Castillo urged the council to reinforce standards and to adopt the remedies included in the resolution, saying a pattern of disrespect and harassment required more than apologies. Council member Bravo, who said he had been the subject of a prior investigation, criticized the investigative process as lacking procedural safeguards and argued the city should reform how workplace complaints are handled.

The mayor’s apology, her announcement that she would step aside from the governance committee for three months and her pledge to attend training were explicitly referenced during debate. The council then moved, seconded and approved the resolution; the presiding officer said, “Motion carries.” The transcript does not include a read‑out of a roll‑call vote tally.

The meeting record shows the council consulted city legal counsel in executive session under Texas Government Code section 551.071 before reconvening in open session; the presiding officer said no official action was taken during executive session.

Next steps specified on the record were the mayor’s temporary step‑aside from the governance committee (three months) and the mayor’s commitment to leadership training; the resolution itself and any required administrative follow‑up were adopted by the council at the Feb. 27 meeting. The meeting adjourned at 11:52 a.m.