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This story was updated on Feb. 24 at 6:00 a.m.
The San Antonio City Council will vote on Friday about whether or not to censure Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
The decision comes after council members met on Monday without Jones or District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur who had filed a code of conduct complaint against the mayor over an incident on Feb. 5. The council met in executive session for about two hours to review the findings of the complaint and investigation.
Late Monday, the city released a resolution that called for a censure vote against Jones and included a request that she undergo leadership training and temporarily step away from her chairmanship of the governance committee, which is the first committee in which council policy discussions are considered.
In the complaint released by the city through an open records request Kaur said that Jones used abusive language in a room away from the main chambers of city council and listed several witnesses.
“During the encounter in the break room Mayor Jones used profanity, abusive language, and intimidating behavior directed at me and in close proximity to others in the room. In addition to the City Manager, ACM John Peterek, and Deputy Chief Pat Wallace were present in the room during the incident,”
On TPR’s "The Source," Mayor Jones admitted to using an "f-bomb" while talking to Councilwoman Kaur privately over a discussion on the Bonham Exchange nightclub that was up for vote on Feb. 5.
“Was my voice elevated? Yes. Did I drop an F-bomb? Yes. Did I point to locations? Yes, I admit to doing all of those things. I in no way — in no way — personally berated her. I did not use derogatory language. I did not do those things,” Jones told "The Source" shortly after the vote had occurred.
At hand, Jones said, was a vote on giving the night club a year extension on installing fire sprinklers that were up to city code. Jones, however, brokered another deal with the owner of the Bonham that reduced occupancy.
“For me, this is never personal. It's always about progress, and in this instance, it was about public safety. So I admit to raising my voice because we were about to do something needless,” she said.
Jones had committed to helping the Bonham raise $500,000 to install the system.
Kaur said via a statement she would not be making any comments until after Friday’s vote.
“To maintain the integrity of the process based on an external, independent investigation, I am recusing myself from this week’s meetings regarding the censure,” Kaur said.
The resolution council members will vote on calls for a censure on Mayor Jones calling her conduct unacceptable and for prior inappropriate interactions with councilmembers, city staff, and constituents.
“The City Council of the City of San Antonio calls upon Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones to participate in in-person leadership training that shall include components addressing civility, de-escalation conflict resolution, and effective workplace interactions,” the resolution said.
It also calls on Jones to step aside from the position of Chair of the Governance Committee until after that training is completed or for at least three months, whichever is later. In the meantime, the mayor pro tem would oversee the committee.
Before adjourning the meeting on Monday, Mayor Pro Tem Jalen McKee-Rodríguez, who is the District 2 City Councilmember, said the decision to censure was not about support of Mayor Jones.
“One thing is abundantly clear, and it's that we each love this city very much, and we're passionate, and we will not always agree on what is best for the city or how we get there, but we each have a duty to maintain a work environment that is conducive to that business and to treat one another with respect, and that is not conditional," he said.
On Feb. 9, five council members submitted a memo calling for the special meeting at the conclusion of the code of conduct investigation.
Jones and Kaur were not present on Monday. Neither was District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears.
District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte told reporters after the meeting that the censure vote on Friday is about accountability.
“When you make a mistake, you have to step up. You have to own it, because that's how you can best move past it. And my hope is that after Friday, the mayor will do that. She will take accountability for the actions, because, again, we need to work with her to do right by the citizens of San Antonio for the next three and a half years, and that's the goal of everybody on this council,” he said.
White had faced his own council censure vote in 2024, and District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez was censured last year. Both situations were related to DWI arrests.
District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, who was one of the five signatories on the memo, said via a statement the code of conduct for the city council needed to be upheld.
“This is an opportunity to reaffirm our shared commitment to professionalism and respect at City Hall, which are fundamental to serving our community. Our code of conduct sets clear expectations and upholding them is essential to accountability and to maintain the public’s trust.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
