Peter Sakai presided over the Bexar County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday — his first as county judge.
The former children's court judge pledged to improve the lives of all county residents.
"For those not aware, my name is Peter Sakai. I'm your new county judge. Welcome to commissioners' court," he said to applause from a room full of well-wishers, who turned out to greet the first Asian-American to ever hold the post.
Sakai recognized the accomplishments of his predecessor Nelson Wolff, who served as county judge for 21 years, and then laid out his own plans to bring prosperity for all.
"We'll do that by fostering education, cradle to career opportunities, support business growth, infrastructure expansion, and connectivity for all. and to promote better healthcare options for Bexar County."
Sakai was formerly sworn in on Sunday, Jan. 1. Re-elected Commissioners Tommy Calvert and Justin Rodriguez took their oaths of office on Tuesday, administered by Federal Judge Orlando Garcia.
Sitting Commissioners Rebeca Clay-Flores and Grant Moody looked on, and they all welcomed the Democrat Sakai, who defeated former Republican County Commissioner Trish DeBerry last November to become the county's top executive officer.
Moody is now the court’s lone Republican.
In other action on Tuesday, commissioners approved the allocation of $150,000 for a Wellness Room at the county jail, where detention deputies work a lot of overtime.
The space, where deputies may take a break from their stressful duties, was one of several recommendations from consultants who looked at improving morale at the lock-up.
Commissioner Justin Rodriguez voted for the allocation, but suggested jail administrators would have to schedule breaks for deputies to actually use the room. He said some jail deputies told him they didn't know when they would find the time to use it.
"They couldn’t foresee even an opportunity to duck in and have a little bit of down time. So, I don't know how you address that — again maybe it's something you guys, administrators could work out."
The jail is busting at the seams with an inmate population of more than 4,000 people, bigger than the number of residents in some South Texas towns. As many as 1,000 inmates should be in state facilities or in substance treatment beds that are not available, said a jail administrator.
Commissioners on Tuesday also:
- Approved a nearly $6 million budget transfer to cover the costs of disaster services and reimbursement agreement with the Bexar County Community Arenas Board or CAB. The transfer will cover the costs of the CAB as related to the FEMA Public Assistance Program during the pandemic. Freeman Coliseum, overseen by the CAB, became ground zero for the response during the early years of the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Approved $150,000 for the 2023 TechFuel-Bio talent development competition hosted by VelocityTX.
- Approved $85,000 for Build San Antonio Green or BSAG to provide services and programs to promote energy efficiency through September 2023. BSAG certifies new homes are constructed to meet Energy Star requirements. Commissioner Moody was the lone no vote on the appropriation. He said the private sector has companies that can do the same job without county expense.
- Approved $35,000 for the Martin Luther King Jr. March to go toward scholarships after a previous sponsor had to drop out. Commissioner Tommy Calvert sought the funding. The march is scheduled for Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. It will kick off at the MLK Academy on the East Side. San Antonio Express-News Columnist Cary Clack will serve as the keynote speaker for the event.
