09/11/2026
For weeks, our Veteran Housing Accountability series has examined what individual San Antonio City Council members said about HUD-VASH, housing choice, exemptions, enforcement and the City’s six-month review.
This video closes the first stage of that work.
Now the public can see the vote clearly.
On May 7, 2026, City Council considered removing every exemption from San Antonio’s new veteran housing protections.
The motion received support from:
✅ Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones
✅ District 2 — Jalen McKee-Rodriguez
✅ District 4 — Edward Mungia
✅ District 6 — Ric Galvan
The following districts voted to retain the exemptions:
❌ District 1 — Sukh Kaur City Council District 1
❌ District 3 — Phyllis Viagran City Council District 3
❌ District 5 — Teri Castillo Councilwoman Teri Castillo
❌ District 7 — Marina Alderete Gavito Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, San Antonio City Council District 7
❌ District 8 — Ivalis Meza Gonzalez Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, San Antonio City Council District 8
❌ District 9 — Misty Spears Councilwoman Misty D. Spears
❌ District 10 — Marc Whyte City Council District 10
The official Council result:
3 council districts supported removing every exemption.
7 voted to keep them.
NEVER FORGET THIS VOTE
THEY WILL LATER SAY THEY SUPPORT VETERANS REMIND THEM THEY FAILED!
We have also placed each elected official’s industry-linked campaign-contribution total beside their vote using the same expanded public-record review standard.
Why?
Because transparency should work the same way for everyone.
If an elected official supported our position, the public should see their financial record.
If an elected official opposed our position, the public should see their financial record.
Campaign contributions are legal.
The amounts shown do not prove wrongdoing, causation or that a vote was purchased.
They are public information presented alongside a public vote.
That distinction matters.
This video will be released on September 11, 2026 — 25 years after the attacks that changed our country and sent another generation of Americans into military service.
We do not want to turn September 11 into a political prop.
We remember those who were lost.
We honor those who answered the call.
And we recognize that Americans are again serving in harm’s way today.
Some of today’s service members will eventually come home as veterans.
Some may one day need HUD-VASH.
Some may need help finding a home after disability, trauma, financial hardship or homelessness.
Our responsibility to them cannot end when the uniform comes off.
🇺🇸 NO VETERAN LEFT BEHIND.
That includes not leaving veterans on the street.
That includes not giving them a housing voucher they cannot realistically use.
And that includes continuing to challenge barriers that prevent veterans from securing a fair opportunity to rent a home in the country they served.
This concludes Part I of our Veteran Housing Accountability campaign:
THE VOTE.
Next comes the more important test:
THE RESULTS.
As San Antonio approaches the six-month review of the ordinance, we will be asking:
🏠 Did veterans actually gain more housing choices?
📞 How many HUD-VASH refusals were reported?
⚖️ Is the ordinance being enforced?
🏡 Are smaller rental properties and single-family homes still presenting barriers?
🔎 Is the five-unit exemption limiting access?
And if the evidence shows the exemption is hurting veteran housing access:
Will City Council change it?
If you are a veteran using HUD-VASH or Section 8 and a San Antonio property tells you they do not accept your voucher:
Document what happened.
Do not argue with the property.
📞 Call 311.
The reports veterans make now will help determine what San Antonio sees when the ordinance is reviewed.
Campaign-finance methodology and supporting records:
mycityismyhome.com/advocacy/
🇺🇸 Veterans served this country.
They deserve a real opportunity to live in it.
— American GI Forum
Issue-based public information and advocacy. We do not endorse or oppose candidates.
