During its Feb. 27 special session, the San Antonio City Council voted to censure Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones after an investigation into alleged verbal abuse toward District 1 council member Sukh Kaur. As a result, Jones agreed to step down from the Governance Committee and attend leadership training.
The framework
A censure is a formal public vote of disapproval that reprimands a council member or mayor for misconduct, including violating the city’s code of conduct. Though a censure is largely symbolic, it can lead to mandatory training and removal from committees, according to city officials.
The details
In an 8-1 vote, with District 9 council member Misty Spears voting against and Kaur in absentia, the City Council voted to censure Jones after a verbal altercation with Kaur in a council break room Feb. 5. The altercation was about Kaur’s support for the LGBTQ+ nightclub Bonham Exchange to maintain its normal 650-person occupancy despite the city’s fire code’s requirement for a sprinkler system. Jones pushed for the club to halve its occupancy to 300 until the sprinkler system had been installed, according to City Attorney Andy Segovia.
An investigation into the incident was conducted by an outside party after Kaur submitted a formal complaint that was backed by a memo from District 3 council member Phyllis Viagran, District 5 council member Teri Castillo, District 7 council member Marina Alderte Gavito, District 8 council member Ivalis Meza Gonzalez and District 9 council member Misty Spears.
According to Segovia, the investigation delved into the incident as well as into allegations of inappropriate behavior by Jones more broadly.
What happened
Prior to recusing herself from the meeting, Jones issued a second public apology to Kaur regarding her actions, stating that her passion for enforcing public safety got the better of her. As part of her statement, Jones agreed to step aside from the Governance Committee for three months, effective immediately. She also said she would participate in leadership training.
“As the mayor, the chief elected officer of the city, I take seriously our responsibility to keep our community safe. That is, in fact, our No. 1 responsibility,” Jones said. “As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, we have seen too many tragedies at LGBTQ+ establishments, and I could not [and] would not unnecessarily place the lives of patrons, employees and potentially our firefighters in harm’s way. I became passionate that morning because I firmly believe public safety is our No. 1 responsibility. I should not have raised my voice at my colleague, and I apologize for doing so.”
In their own words
Spears said that though she originally supported the censure, after the investigation, she did not believe Jones’ conduct warranted further action. She also expressed concerns over the investigation, its lack of transparency and the precedent censuring Jones could set.
“After examining the findings, it is clear the conduct was unprofessional, and I have genuine compassion for how my colleague felt in that moment, and that should not be minimized,” Spears said. “However, the level of unprofessionalism found does not rise to the level of censure nor removal from the governance committee. The conduct was inappropriate, but it was not unlawful.”
Though District 10 council member Marc Whyte supported the censure, he emphasized that the vote should be seen as a reset in the City Council’s relationship with one another.
“The reason we are here today is that the city hired a third‑party, independent attorney to conduct an investigation into the incident that occurred between the mayor and council member Kaur, and the findings of that investigation were that the prohibition on workplace violence here at our city was violated on that day by Mayor Jones,” Whyte said. “So when I think about the decision today and whether or not to vote for this resolution, it comes down to one thing ... having a safe and professional work environment at City Hall is necessary for us to be able to solve the issues facing San Antonio.”
Gonzalez said her decision to support the censure was made after the investigation made it clear that profanity was used in a verbally abusive manner by Jones, intended to threaten or intimidate Kaur.
"The intent behind this censure is not to divide but to reaffirm our shared commitment to respect, integrity and good governance," Gonzalez said.
District 2 council member and Mayor Pro Tem Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said the decision to hold a censure vote was a somber moment for the city, and he highlighted Jones’ contributions to the city prior to making the decision.
“A leader can do extraordinary work, and a leader can also cross the line, and today, the line is about respect and conflict. It's not about a mean tone or a raised voice or about passion or disagreement," Rodriguez said."But productive conflict requires consent, it requires understanding, and it requires mutual respect, and unfortunately, that was not present here."
Castillo said she endorsed Jones as mayor during the 2025 election, but due to her behavior in office, she supports the censure.
“We get to disagree on this dais. We do not get to disrespect or harass [our colleagues]. A pattern of disrespect is what we are taking action on today, and for that reason, I will be supporting this resolution,” Castillo said.
District 6 council member Ric Galvan voiced support for the censure in light of the investigation and allegations into inappropriate conduct by Jones.
“Over the last nine months, I've heard stories and witnessed interactions with Mayor Jones and my colleagues, community members and city staff that demonstrate a pattern of unprofessional interactions filled with disrespect, inappropriate tone and determination,” Galvan said. “The findings [of the] investigation show that Mayor Jones has violated the city code of conduct.”
