What does it mean that so many in Bexar County wanted to have their say in what is normally a low turnout off-year election? It means there’s a lot of interest in the Spurs and Project Marvel.
Bexar County voters weighed two venue-tax propositions Tuesday with outsized implications for San Antonio’s downtown “Project Marvel,” the Spurs’ long-discussed arena plans and upgrades to existing sports facilities.
Prop B would channel up to $311 million in county venue taxes toward a proposed $1.3 billion, 18,500-seat downtown arena; the Spurs have pledged at least $500 million and the city has signaled roughly $489 million. The arena would anchor the city’s Project Marvel a proposed entertainment district.
A failure of Prop B would likely imperil the deal’s current structure; passage would keep negotiations alive around site, timeline, and private-public cost sharing. Prop A focuses on improvements at the Frost Bank Center, Freeman Coliseum and rodeo grounds. Debate has centered on tourism-driven tax benefits versus fiscal risk and community priorities.
Statewide, Texans decided 17 constitutional amendments—the most since 2003—touching taxes, water, courts, veterans’ exemptions and more.
Two culture-and-elections measures drew intense scrutiny. Prop 15 would enshrine “parental rights” in the Texas Constitution; supporters say it clarifies existing protections, while critics warn it could complicate child-welfare interventions and school health policies even as existing abuse statutes still apply.
Prop 16 would constitutionalize the citizenship requirement to vote, a rule already in state law, signaling a harder line on local non-citizen voting debates without directly changing registration procedures.
Beyond Texas, Californians voted on Proposition 50, which would authorize mid-decade congressional redistricting using new legislatively drawn maps—watched in Texas as a potential counter-move to GOP-drawn maps here and a harbinger of redistricting fights heading into 2026.
Regardless of Tuesday’s local outcomes, the next political cycle starts now. Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai has launched a re-election bid, and former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg says he’s considering a challenge, setting up a potential 2026 clash that would keep arena financing, downtown development, and county services at the forefront of public debate.
As final results are certified, watch for immediate signals from the Spurs and City Hall on next steps for Project Marvel and from the Legislature and courts on how the new constitutional amendments will be implemented.
Guests:
Andrea Drusch is a local government reporter for the S A Report.
Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org.
This interview will be recorded live Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
