San Antonio's Voice

SAN ANTONIO - “Hush, dad. I’m talking.”

Selena to Abraham. On the bus. In Austin. She was in control. Says Joe Nick Patoski, the man who wrote the book “Selena: Como La Flor.”

At the time, Patoski was writing a story on Selena’s burgeoning stardom for Texas Monthly. And the book… that wasn’t even on the radar; that only came after her death.

Everyone has a story. But no one has one like Chris Perez, at least not in South Texas.

A self-taught Rock ‘N’ Roller. Guitarist for a Tejano star. And, of course, Selena. The friendship, the romance, the marriage, the Quintanillas.

In a one-on-one interview with Randy Beamer, Perez shares how he got into music, how the music led him to Selena, and what life was like for the two of them. The San Antonio native details how their friendship blossomed into love and also reveals the bond he once had with Selena’s father, Abraham.

In this podcast, you’ll likely hear stories you never knew and you’ll find out what life is like now for Perez as a father, musician and budding businessman.

SAN ANTONIO - University Health is vaccinating 4,000 people a day at the Wonderland of the Americas mall, but that might be the most it can administer even if it gets more vaccines.

In this week’s San Antonio’s Voice, Dr. Bryan Alsip, Chief Medical Officer at University Health, explains why to our Randy Beamer. In early January, University Health became the first medical provider in San Antonio to begin a mass vaccine clinic. Since then, it has expanded to the second floor at the mall and is now administering first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Alsip and Randy delve into the latest pandemic trends in San Antonio and how a couple of big events might impact us relatively soon. Alsip also shares what the vaccine arrivals have done for hospital staffing. Plus, he gives his expert opinion on the Janssen Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine that may soon get FDA approval.

Dr. Bryan Alsip is the Chief Medical Officer for University Health. Previously, he served as the Assistant Director of Health for the City of San Antonio. Dr. Alsip is a primary care physician with Board Certification in Preventive Medicine and Public Health who also served on active duty in the United States Army. He holds faculty appointments at the UT Health San Antonio School of Medicine and the University of Texas School of Public Health.

SAN ANTONIO - The future of the San Antonio Police Department is at stake, staring down Danny Diaz, the new president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association (SAPOA).

On his first day on the job, Diaz went one-on-one with Randy Beamer about the critical timespan now facing SAPD. Diaz spelled out his number one priority - negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement that in recent years has turned into a bitter, messy battle with the City. The negotiations begin soon with the current CBA set to expire later this year.

Diaz and Randy also talked about an attempt to remove these bargaining rights. Currently, there is a group trying to get these rights on the May ballot. Diaz says efforts like these are similar to the ‘Defund the Police’ movement.

Plus, Mayor Ron Nirenberg is up for re-election. Randy asked Diaz if the SAPOA will stay out of the race. And in answering, Diaz says there are other council districts that may get SAPOA’s attention.

Diaz became president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association on February 1, 2021. Prior, Diaz served for nearly 30 years with the San Antonio Police Department. During his tenure, Diaz served on South Patrol, in the Street Crimes Unit, and for 20 years as a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit. While executing a narcotics warrant in 2010, he was shot three times. For his service, he was awarded the Meritorious Conduct Award and the Purple Heart. He has also earned several merit awards for apprehensions.

Despite a raging pandemic and a ravaged economy, people are gobbling up homes in a red-hot San Antonio real estate market. So what's the one thing home buyers are looking for?  (Spoiler: It's a certain room to make it so much easier to WFH.)

Despite a raging pandemic hitting many businesses and parts of the economy very hard,  people are still gobbling up homes in San Antonio, with sales up by 11 percent from 2019 to 2020. Average prices are up by nine percent from $269,000 in 2019 to $294 in 2020.

Cher Miculka is the Chairman of the San Antonio Board of Realtors and this week’s guest in San Antonio’s Voice.  She tells me low interest rates under three percent for most loans have helped fuel a buying appetite. The result is more homes sales, and higher prices, with bidding wars now common in a certain price range.

She reveals what that price range is - and shares some great, practical tips for both buyers and sellers to save you time and money in this market.

Miculka is the 2021 Chairman of the SABOR. She began her real estate career in 1986 and has worked in several aspects of the industry including REALTOR, broker, property adjuster, loan officer and home-building operations manager. She was the recipient of SABOR’s 2017 Broker of the Year Award and is a certified real estate instructor.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff - "We do have hope in the United States Congress for an infrastructure bill."

With the new session of the state legislature just beginning and a new congress now in session, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff talks with News 4 San Antonio’s Randy Beamer about what he’s hoping to see from lawmakers and how it could affect all of us.

For our San Antonio’s Voice podcast this week, Wolff gives us a great view of what’s in the works downtown right now – from just outside his office on the 10th floor of the Paul Elizondo tower on the west side of downtown.

He explains a number of projects you can literally see on the horizon, including what could be wrapped up this year and what’s on the drawing board that will take longer.

And if you haven’t been downtown lately because of the pandemic, you’ll be surprised at what you see.  

Plus Wolff opens up about the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in Bexar County, his New Year’s wishes, and his celebratory drink (it’s not champagne).

Wolff has been Bexar County Judge since 2001. From 1991 to 1995, he was the Mayor of San Antonio and is only the second person in more than a century to serve in both positions. Previously, Wolff was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate, and San Antonio City Council.

Randy Beamer put together this special edition with local lawmakers interviews so you can hear first-hand what it was like to be in lockdown, their reactions to what was happening, and what they expect will happen next -- and what it could mean for San Antonio.

Years in the making and at a cost of $23 million, the largest land bridge in the U.S. designed for people and animals opens Friday at Hardberger Park.

Phil Hardberger, for whom the park is named, is the guest in this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice. The former mayor of San Antonio sits down with Randy Beamer to talk about one of his crowning achievements and why he hopes it spurs similar projects city-wide.

Hardberger explains why it was important to include animals in the bridge design and how that research came from both Canada and Europe. He also reflects on his time as mayor and the astonishing number of debates he took part in against Julián Castro during that election period.

Hardberger served as mayor of San Antonio from 2005 to 2009 and spearheaded the acquisition of land that would eventually become Phil Hardberger Park. He is a retired Air Force veteran and judge, though still active around San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO - Covid-19 hit the annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner hard this year, but not hard enough to end the decades-long tradition. Despite the pandemic, thousands of San Antonio residents will receive a holiday meal for the 41st year in a row.

In this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice, Raul Jimenez III, grandson of the founder and namesake of the event, talks with Randy Beamer about the family tradition.

Jimenez tells Randy there will be 15,000 fewer meals than normal because of the pandemic. He also explains how the event has had to adapt this year, how 10,000 people will still get their food, and why Thursday’s meal serves as a glimmer of hope.

Plus, there are backstories, including some surprises about San Antonio’s Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner. For example, did you know it actually didn’t start in San Antonio?

And somewhere in there is a chorizo company. The nickname, Speedy. And a different kind of turkey. They’re all a part of a Thanksgiving celebration only San Antonio can throw. (Like a chancla?)

Jimenez III is a San Antonio native and graduate of the University of Incarnate Word. He is married to his middle school crush and the father to two girls. Jimenez is a Realtor in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO - Just months after taking office, Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia dealt with COVID-19 in a way that’s incomprehensible. Personally, seven family members died from the disease. Professionally, the coronavirus ravaged many residents in the district she represents.

Rocha Garcia opens up to Randy Beamer in this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice, revealing the hardships of Zoom funerals and the problems on the Southwest Side of San Antonio in District 4. The councilwoman points out inequities abundant in her area - lack of health insurance and a lower quality of life - and why they exist.

She also highlights some of the success stories such as the Port of San Antonio, Texas A&M San Antonio, and Pearsall Park as well as the potential for more development. Plus, Rocha Garcia reveals new COVID-19 technology on the horizon for San Antonio.

Dr. Rocha Garcia took office as councilwoman in District 4 in June 2019. She grew up in southwest San Antonio in a Spanish-speaking household and became the first in her family with a college degree. Dr. Rocha Garcia received her Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degrees from the University of the Incarnate Word. She became one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D. in Advertising from the University of Texas’ Moody College of Communication. Today, Dr. Rocha Garcia is an Assistant Marketing Professor at Our Lady of the Lake University, where she teaches marketing in the School of Business and Leadership.

In this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice, businessman Davis Phillips calls out the leaders responsible for the Alamo plan.

Phillips owns a trio of tourist attractions across the street from the Alamo and has served on the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee since 2014.

Philips tells Randy Beamer that politics are responsible for the failure to move forward with a redeveloped Alamo Plaza, highlighted by the recent denial to move the Cenotaph. As a result, he says, many businesses near the Alamo are now in limbo as is the future of a once-proposed entertainment district. The district would house companies forced to relocate if Alamo Plaza was redeveloped.

In this conversation, Phillips explains why he believes local and state officials, as well as Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, have failed to reach a compromise and why there are hundreds of jobs left in the balance.

Phillips is the President and CEO of Phillips Entertainment, Inc. operating Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Guinness World Records Museum, and Tomb Rider 3D Adventure Ride and Arcade. He started the company in 2001 and now employs more than 200 people. Phillips formed the first ever Attractions Committee in San Antonio in 2005 that continues to meet regularly sharing information on the issues and trends affecting the attractions industry. He also serves on the board of directors of the San Antonio Tourism Council and served as its Chairman of the Board in 2011 and 2012, and again in 2019.

SAN ANTONIO - Thanks to $30 million of CARES Act funding, job seekers in Bexar County are getting paid to learn new skills and start new careers. The person in charge of this program is Adrian Lopez, Randy Beamer’s guest this week on San Antonio’s Voice.

...Beware of family gatherings. That’s the warning from the epidemiologist and pandemic expert who led the region’s investigations of the Swine Flu back in 2009, at the time, handling the world’s first identified case in Guadalupe County.

Cherise Rohr-Allegrini is the guest in this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice.

Rohr-Allegrini talks with Randy Beamer about all-things Coronavirus in San Antonio. She explains what happens that makes family members high risk spreaders of COVID-19, while giving advice on how to see loved ones without endangering them.

Randy and Rohr-Allegrini discuss the threat of the virus at bars and restaurants and what she says may surprise you. Also in this podcast, Rohr-Allegrini shares her expertise on masks, herd immunity, schools, and the much-anticipated vaccine.

Rohr-Allegrini became the CEO of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation in July 2020. Prior, she worked for six years as the San Antonio Program Director for the Immunization Partnership, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases. Rohr-Allegrini was a member of the city’s Health Transition Team at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and also served for several years as an epidemiologist at Metro Health. During her time there, she was the Pandemic Flu Coordinator in the Division of Public Health Emergency Preparedness.

SAN ANTONIO - It started as just an idea over lunch between three of San Antonio’s power brokers at a downtown San Antonio restaurant. Now, only three months later, it’s already grown into a multi-million dollar effort that’s bringing highly accurate COVID-19 testing to tens of thousands of people in this area who are not showing any symptoms of the virus.

And it’s cheap enough, and so different than anything else out there, that the state of Texas is looking at it as a possible model for something much bigger. They believe it can help cut the spread of the virus by targeting ‘asymptomatic spreaders,’ the estimated fifty percent of those who are infectious, but don’t even realize they have it.

I talked with J. Bruce Bugg, one of the three founders of what’s now called Community Labs, about how it was born and what it could mean for all of us. I hope you check out our entire conversation in this week’s San Antonio’s Voice podcast.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Bugg explains how he and friends Graham Weston and Tullos Welles came up with the plan over lunch. As longtime San Antonio businessmen, they easily could have started Community Labs as a for-profit business but decided instead to make it a non-profit.

Before that, the focus on ‘asymptomatic spreaders’ of the virus came from Weston. He started researching the issue after he was infected by his son, who had just returned from England, but who had no symptoms.

Weston and Bugg are also members of the ‘Strike Force’ that Governor Greg Abbott formed in the spring, aimed at reopening Texas.

Bugg talks about the specifics of how this plan can drastically cut the cost of PCR tests from $150 each to $35 each, and how a lab analyzing results is already up and running in the same building that houses the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center.

Because Bugg is also involved in many different segments of the community, in the podcast we also talk some about what’s being done to fix traffic congestion in the San Antonio and across the state, as well as problems facing businesses with PPP loans, and the challenges non-profit groups have during the pandemic.

Bugg is Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, Chairman and Trustee of the Tobin Endowment, as well as the Chairman, President and CEO of Southwest Bancshares, Inc., and Chairman of The Bank of San Antonio.

In this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice, North East Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Sean Maika talks with Randy Beamer about topics important to parents and staff.

Maika discusses what a “typical” day looks like at NEISD schools, how to help kids struggling with virtual learning, and what schools are doing when they have a positive COVID-19 case on campus.

Randy asks questions to Maika from teachers who reached out to News 4.  Giving them a voice, Randy and the superintendent delve into staff complaints, as well as success stories happening in the district.  Maika also reveals which kids (there are almost 2,000) he’s very concerned about and why.  

Maika became superintendent at NEISD in September 2019 after serving as the interim superintendent. Before this, he was the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Campus Administration. Maika was also an Executive Director for School Administration and principal of Harris Middle School.

While children tend to fare better physically than adults, they are not immune to the Coronavirus. In fact, recent polls show 30% of parents believe their children’s mental health and well-being are hurting during the pandemic.

Today’s guest, Elisabeth Hand, is a counselor at the Ecumenical Center in San Antonio. Hand talks with Randy Beamer about the emotional struggles kids might have during COVID-19. She also points out some of the concerning behaviors that parents need to monitor and provides advice on how to help their children.

Randy and Hand also talk about the depression and anxiety that adults are facing right now. Hand gives examples and tips to deal with them.

Hand is a neurological music therapist who, as her title would indicate, integrates music into her counseling, including the piano and the drums. She also works with trauma survivors and people with disabilities. Hand has been with the Ecumenical Center for two years.

Feeding more San Antonians each week than the capacity of the Alamodome and AT&T Center combined, there’s no shortage of work for the San Antonio Food Bank. That’s why CEO Eric Cooper is actively speaking to Congress and Governor Greg Abbott, hoping to improve and retain programs that serve more than 120,000 people per week.

Cooper is this week’s guest on the ‘San Antonio’s Voice’ podcast, talking with Randy Beamer about his increased lobbying on behalf of San Antonio during the pandemic. They also talk about the new faces receiving food and why some unemployed families still can’t get fed. The reason may surprise you.

Also in the podcast, Cooper blames low paying jobs and racism for San Antonio’s hunger problem, adding that it’s wrong the Food Bank serves as a safety net caused by them. Plus, the former missionary and Boy Scout reveals his personal experience with homelessness and how it helped change his life.

Cooper joined the San Antonio Food Bank in 2001 as the youngest executive director in the history of the organization. The Food Bank helps provide food to Texans in a 16-county service area and employs 250 people. Cooper serves on a variety of committees focused on food and nutrition. Before arriving in San Antonio, Cooper was a product donations manager at the North Texas Food Bank.

Bexar County and San Antonio are trending in the right direction when it comes to the Coronavirus, but they’re vulnerable to worsening conditions. That’s according to this week’s guest, UTSA mathematics professor and COVID-19 modeler, Dr. Juan Gutiérrez.

In this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice, Gutiérrez talks with Randy Beamer about his new COVID-19 model which will account for every county in the United States. This new projection will show what San Antonio and Texas are supposed to like over the next two months. Plus, Gutiérrez explains the important reason for only projecting through mid-November.

In this podcast, Gutiérrez compares COVID-19’S death rate to that of the flu and also talks about the potential second wave coming in this pandemic.

Gutiérrez is the Chair of Mathematics at UTSA. He has also worked on infectious diseases for over a decade, focused on research pertaining to asymptomatic carriers and their transmission of malaria.

The future of two of San Antonio’s iconic landmarks could be changing. In this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice, guest Councilman Roberto Treviño talks the Alamo and the San Antonio River Walk with Randy Beamer.

Treviño explains his reason for wanting to move the Cenotaph and why this may get approved very soon. And it’s the Alamo’s proposed redesign, he shares, that could impact the future of the River Walk.

Treviño also reveals a new test run about to take place in San Antonio that could help revive struggling restaurants in the age of COVID-19. Plus, he talks to Randy about a new program to help the homeless that’s seeing early signs of success.

In 2014, the City Council appointed Treviño to the interim City Council District 1 seat. Since then, he won re-election in 2015 and 2017. Treviño has a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Texas Tech University. The councilman also serves on the Alamo Citizen Advisory Committee, the Alamo Management Committee, and the Bexar Appraisal Board among others.

When students return to campus within the San Antonio Independent School District, they’ll do so only when data from Metro Health gives the green light. That’s the word from this week’s guest, SAISD superintendent Pedro Martinez.

Martinez chats with our Randy Beamer about what the return to campus will look like and which students will be the first to arrive. He also discusses the high rate of poverty in SAISD and the programs designed to help these students. Plus, Martinez goes into detail about the $1.3 billion bond election that would makeover campuses, if approved in November.

Martinez became SAISD superintendent in June 2015. Prior, Martinez was Superintendent-in-Residence for the Nevada Department of Education and the superintendent for Washoe County School District in Nevada. Martinez is also on the Bexar County COVID-19 Economic Transition Team.

In this week’s edition of San Antonio’s Voice, former city manager Sheryl Sculley opens up about her new, tell-all book, “Greedy Bastards.” The book details her time as city manager for more than 13 years.

Sculley tells our Randy Beamer what it was like battling the police and fire unions over healthcare contracts. She explains what she wishes she could have done before retiring. Also in the interview, Sculley shares which famous San Antonian recruited her over the phone and what stunned her the first day she went into the office.

Sculley spent 45 years in public service. She previously was the city manager in Kalamazoo, Michigan and the assistant city manager in Phoenix. She served as city manager in San Antonio from 2005 to 2019. She’s now’s serving on many boards around the city.

In this week’s episode of ‘San Antonio’s Voice,’ the leader of the largest school district in San Antonio sits down with Randy Beamer for a detailed, information-filled talk about this upcoming school year in the face of the coronavirus.

Northside Superintendent Dr. Brian Woods and Randy talk about the variety of challenges staff, parents and students will face. Woods explains how remote learning will be different than it was in the spring and how in-person learning will look compared to normal times.

Woods reveals that 40,000 new devices are on the way for students to use. He points out new ways of using staff and answers many questions that parents, both in and out of the school district, are likely asking.

Woods began his career at Northside in 1992 and became superintendent in July 2012. In September 2018, the Texas Association of School Boards named Woods the best superintendent in Texas. There are more than 100,000 students enrolled at NISD.

In this edition of San Antonio’s Voice, Executive Director of the San Antonio Restaurant Association (SARA) talks with us about all kinds of things related to restaurants and COVID-19 in San Antonio.

Despite massive losses, San Antonio restaurants continue to fight for their survival. How will they stay alive? Dawn Ann Larios, executive director of the San Antonio Restaurant Association (SARA), divulges that to Randy Beamer.

Larios also points out the role, or lack of one, that restaurants have had related to a recent spike of Coronavirus cases in Texas. Plus, she explains one of the COVID-19 challenges that Riverwalk restaurants have unique to them.

Larios serves as the voice of the restaurant community in San Antonio, an industry, she says, which contributes more than $8 billion yearly to the area. Larios began with SARA in November 2019 and was most recently a fundraiser

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Phone: (210) 366-1151

SAN ANTONIO - In an exclusive interview with Randy Beamer, former Metro Health director Dawn Emerick explains why she resigned from her role after just five months and what she thought the morning of her resignation.

Emerick also points out what challenges San Antonio faces in trying to get the Coronavirus under control. And she tells Randy what she’s doing now. Is San Antonio still involved?

Emerick worked as Metro Health’s director from January to June 2020. Previously, she was the health director at a pair of Oregon counties. Emerick has more than 20 years of experience in the public health and human service sectors.

In this edition of San Antonio’s Voice, a member of President Trump’s Cabinet talks with our Randy Beamer about the future of Texas oil.

Randy’s guest is U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. The Secretary and Randy discuss San Antonio’s role in national cyber security, as well as Brouillette’s strong connection to San Antonio. Plus, he shares the secret to homeschooling nine kids!

Brouillette is the 15th U.S. Secretary of Energy. Most recently, he was the head of public policy for USAA.

SAN ANTONIO - This week’s guest has one of the most famous names in San Antonio history- David Crockett! He also happens to be an expert on the Alamo.

As a political science professor at Trinity University, Crockett talks to Randy about COVID-19 and how it may give Governor Greg Abbott more power. He also talks about Texas changing from a “red” state to a “purple” one and what that might mean for state elections this year. 

Plus, Crockett shares what college classes might look like this fall. And, yes, they talk about Crockett’s name and the family connection.

Crockett served six years as a communications officer in the United States Army. His primary teaching and research interests are in American politics and he serves as the faculty sponsor for the Young Conservatives of Texas.

SAN ANTONIO - Author of what she calls the “Latino-fied guide to authentic San Antonio,” Stephanie Guerra knows San Antonio’s pulse for entertainment and culture better than most.

In today’s episode, Guerra chats with Randy about promoting San Antonio, how COVID-19 has hurt the local music scene, and what she’d like fixed in the city.

Guerra is a San Antonio native and author to some of the city’s most popular social media outlets.

After the death of George Floyd and other high-profile law enforcement run-ins, change is happening at the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

Today’s guest, Sheriff Javier Salazar, reveals to Randy the new equipment he’s eyeing that could make some weapons inoperable. He also explains why his deputies are back in firearms training and how COVID-19 put a stop to it.

Salazar touches on the challenge of bridging the gap with law enforcement and the community, growing up in Universal City, and the dream that got away.

Salazar has been sheriff since January 2017. Previously, he served with the San Antonio Police Department for 23 years.

As calls to defund the police heat up nationwide, every dollar spent on the San Antonio Police Department will go under the microscope. That’s according to today’s guest, Councilwoman Jada Andrews Sullivan.

Andrews Sullivan tells Randy she believes redirecting some police funding to other city services, such as those centered on youth activities, could serve the community better. An Army veteran, she also explains why police weapons shouldn’t be so prominently used.

Andrews Sullivan and Randy delve into the impact COVID-19 is having on the African American community, as well as the potential for economic development in District 2. 

Andrews Sullivan grew up on the east side of San Antonio. She graduated from Sam Houston High School at age 16 and attended the University of Texas at Austin for two years before enrolling in the U.S. Army. She took office as Councilwoman for District 2 in June 2019.

The second wave of the Coronavirus has hit San Antonio, possibly with far reaching consequences, according to Metro Health. Our guest is the director, Dr. Dawn Emerick.

In this episode, Emerick tells Randy there’s one indicator that has her worried. She talks about the future of Fiesta and Spurs games. Plus, Emerick shares her own personal do’s and don’ts when it comes to eating at restaurants, getting haircuts and traveling.

Emerick has more than 20 years of experience in the public health and human service sectors. She began her position with Metro Health in January 2020 and oversees more than 30 programs.

SAN ANTONIO - The protests and riots over the death of George Floyd have grabbed the attention of Bexar County District Attorney, Joe Gonzales. In this edition of San Antonio’s Voice, Gonzales tells Randy Beamer how he feels about the calls to now defund the San Antonio Police Department.

Plus, Gonzales predicts what juries might look like and how they’ll be kept safe when criminal trials resume. Gonzales also reveals the large amounts of his staff working from home because of COVID-19 and how that’s affecting the prosecution of crimes in Bexar County.

Gonzales is a San Antonio native with more than 30 years of criminal law experience. He took office as Bexar County’s District Attorney in January 2019.

SAN ANTONIO - As the face of San Antonio’s COVID-19 response, Mayor Ron Nirenberg represents more than 1.5 million residents. Today, he talks with Randy Beamer about San Antonio’s future and how to get there.

Nirenberg also talks about his challenging conversations with business owners and shares his thoughts on lightening-rod topics such as conflicts between The City of San Antonio and the State of Texas and whether to mask or not to mask.

Nirenberg is in his second term as Mayor and previously served as a councilman for District 8.

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Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff talks to Randy Beamer about the differences between the state and county on how best to handle the ‘Stay at Home’ orders during this coronavirus pandemic. He also talks about how San Antonio will recover all the lost jobs, property tax relief, and which group in our area holds the key to stopping the spread of Coronavirus.

Wolff, who has been giving nightly remarks on the COVID-19 crisis in San Antonio, is a long-time representative of the area, originally joining the Texas House of Representatives in 1971. This preceded a stint in the Texas Senate and the San Antonio City Council. Wolff is a former Mayor of San Antonio and has been a Bexar County Judge since 2001.