Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones at a town hall she hosted at Southside Lions Senior Center in September 2025.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones spent most of her hour-long “community listening session” talking — specifically explaining why she thinks residents should be given a say on the Spurs arena deal at the ballot box.
Jones wants the City Council to put a measure on the Nov. 3 ballot asking San Antonio voters whether they approve the city issuing up to $489 million in bonds to pay for part of a $1.3 billion arena for the Spurs to be built at Hemisfair.
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“I don’t think anyone should be afraid of city voters weighing in on their money,” Jones told the 50 or so people who turned out for the Thursday evening event at the Doris Griffin Senior Center on the Northwest Side.
A majority of City Council members think such a vote is unnecessary because Bexar County already held an election on its portion of the public financing deal. Unlike the city, the county was legally obligated to call the vote under state law. Fifty-two percent of voters approved the county raising taxes on hotel rooms and rental cars to generate up to $311 million for the arena.
The city’s portion of arena financing was contingent on the county winning voters’ approval last November for Proposition B.
Almost 72% of the nearly 248,700 people who cast ballots in the election registered to vote using a San Antonio address, according to figures Councilwoman Misty Spears shared from the county elections department.
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“San Antonio voters were not bystanders in this election — they drove it,” she said in a recent news release opposing Jones’ effort.
READ MORE: Spurs CEO defends arena deal after mayor says voters should decide
Earlier Thursday, Jones asked the city clerk to schedule a special meeting for Aug. 13 to order a November election for arena funding.
Jones told reporters after the listening session that she’s “not counting votes.” Still, she needs five council members to side with her to make the ballot measure a reality.
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“I think this is really where the community comes in,” she said. “If the city voters want this, they have to reach out to their council member and let them know where they stand on this.”
If that seems like déjà vu, you’re not wrong. Jones similarly called on residents a year ago to pressure their council members to delay approving a draft financing plan with Spurs Sports & Entertainment outlining the city’s contribution to the arena.
It was apparent that Jones didn’t have the votes in the days ahead of the Aug. 21, 2025, council meeting. Instead of trying to persuade her 10 council colleagues, she launched a public pressure campaign to influence them.
Days before that vote, she went off-script during her introductory remarks at a town hall Councilman Marc Whyte organized in his Northeast Side district, urging his constituents to call him out on his pro-arena stance. She infamously crashed a news conference that business leaders held in front of City Hall in support of the deal. And she got dozens of people to testify before the council in support of pushing back consideration of the financing agreement.
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The council voted 7-4 to approve the draft financing plan, with Jones and just three council members in opposition.
Under that plan, SS&E will contribute $500 million and cover any cost overruns. Additionally, it will give the city $2.5 million each year of its 30-year arena lease, for a total of $75 million that can be spent on projects of the council’s choosing.
Most of the listening-session attendees supported a public vote and were inclined to reject the financing plan.
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John Neal said the mayor’s stance on the deal — and her push for more public input — changed his opinion of her for the better.
“I wasn’t your biggest fan to start with, if I’m being honest, but seriously — you’ve done a great job in this department for sure,” Neal said. The crowd applauded.
Neal told the San Antonio Express-News that he voted against last year’s measure on county funding for the arena. He thinks the Spurs should pay for a greater share of its cost.
Eloy Tijerina was one of the few arena supporters at the event. He came dressed in a black fishing shirt with the team’s logo embroidered over one of the chest pockets.
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He told the newspaper that he voted for the county funding measure and would do the same if the city contribution goes on this November’s ballot.
But he’s skeptical there will be such an election and questioned the purpose of the mayor’s listening session.
“She’s trying to look good for her supporters,” Tijerina said. “If I were a politician, I’d do the same thing.”
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