15th Annual State of the District Luncheon
South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce
15th Annual State of the District Luncheon
Friday, Aug. 5, Sunset Station
Hello everyone, and thank you so much for being here today. I want to offer a very special thanks to Cindy Taylor for being so understanding – does she know how to throw a party?
This event was first set for June 3, just after the regular session, but as you know, the governor put us right back to work.
Then we set it for July 15th and that didn't work either. I was beginning to think that Cindy would feel like the young woman who waited two hours for her date to arrive before deciding she'd been stood up. She changed from her dinner dress into pajamas and slippers, fixed some popcorn and turned on the TV.
Sure enough, the doorbell rang and there stood her date. He took one look at her and said, "I'm two hours late… and you're still not ready?"
Cindy, I'm finally here, a little late - and I want to thank you for being so patient and gracious… and for not wearing your pajamas today.
- retiring – great job
I'm always impressed and humbled by the turnout for my State of the District Address… and today is no exception. I want to recognize: Carlitos and Gabby, Danny and Bonnie, Tomas HISD, Mayor Castro, Rep. Castro, Chief McManus; Sheriff Ortiz, Jabier Rodriguez with Lone Star Natl Bank
and my fiance – Lleanna! Saxs - Nordstrom
Again, thank you all for being here.
Now before I go any further… I want to extend an invitation to all of you. On Saturday, August 20th, I'm holding my annual Back-to-School event at Palo Alto College. There'll be lots of food, fun, entertainment, community resource information for working families, and, of course, a backpack giveaway. I can also promise you a lot of smiling faces. So please join me and feel free to volunteer. If nothing else, just help spread the word.
The 82nd Legislature reminded me of something Mother Teresa once said: "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."
No one who really cares about public education, fundamental health care services, children, women and the elderly can say this was a great session. I think ultimately it will be judged for shortchanging our schools, and the fallout from that is yet to come.
But fortunately… Austin is still not Washington, D.C. ... and despite the partisanship we faced over Voter ID, sanctuary cities, and redistricting… a lot got done… for San Antonio and District 19. All in all, 5,795 bills were filed for the regular session. Of that number… 1,377 passed both Houses and went to the governor.
I am very happy to inform you that I passed 53 bills and amendments… accomplishing almost my entire legislative agenda and those bills I sponsored for SA and bexar county.
Topping that agenda was a bill providing for a dissolution vote on BexarMet. I said two years ago that I'd be back with this bill… and this time I brought the Bexar delegation with me.
Speaker Straus… Senator Wentworth and Senator Van de Putte… Representatives Castro, Farias, Gutierrez, Larson, Martinez Fischer, McClendon, Menendez, and Villarreal… all had a hand in passing this bill. And we got a lot of support from Mayor Castro and the City Council… Judge Wolff and the commissioner's court, members of this Chamber, the Greater Chamber, SAWS and the SA Realtors Association.
Our message was loud and clear: the time has come for ratepayers to hold the utility accountable and decide the future of their water service.
And again today… I call on BexarMet to end its misguided and costly legal effort to block this vote.
BexarMet's leaders can vilify me on the editorial page all they want. That's fine. With this kind of weather, trust me, this Marine can fade the heat. But their employees and customers are being ill-served by this effort.
Just look what happened this week. Thirty-Four hard-working BexarMet employees got the pink slip. But the consultants and lobbyists are still on the payroll.
It's time for BexarMet to get real, get out of the way and let the community have its day at the ballot box.
For me, this has never been just about water quality, poor customer service and mismanagement. It's an important economic development issue. As San Antonio and Bexar County continue to grow… builders and developers need a greater sense of certainty in the maintenance and development of water and sewer infrastructure.
They need a water utility that will work with them in good faith… from the planning process to turning on the taps. They need a utility that knows how to plan for the future, manage its resources and develop new supplies of water.
Folks, economic development was a top priority for me this session… because the economy has stubbornly refused to make the full recovery we've been waiting for. We hear a lot about job creation in Texas… but that activity often doesn't make it to every corner of my district.
In an effort to keep the jobs we already have… I carried House Bill 3727… which adjusts the tax liability for Boeing's Dreamliner aircraft being assembled at Port San Antonio.
This law will provide certainty and stability to the appraisal process. Boeing will know what its tax liability is from year to year… and won't need to look around for another city to assemble this plane.
As you know… Boeing is a major contributor to the Texas economy… with an economic impact of more than $415 millionin 2009. According to UTSA's Center for Community and Business Research… almost half of that impact was here in San Antonio… more than $200 million.
Right now, some 450 jobs are tied to the Dreamliner… and 400 additional jobs will be created by the 767-8 freighters that will be upgraded here.
Port San Antonio itself will benefit from House Bill 447… which allows it to charge for the use, lease, or sale of open spaces… for professional consultation or real estate development and other services provided by the authority.
Port SA continues to be the poster child for military base closures. The can-do spirit that prevails among its managers and workers… the attention of city and county leaders and the efforts of local lawmakers send a message to Boeing and other aerospace companies as well… South San Antonio is open for business.
As South San Antonio continues to grow… the people who live here must have a greater say in development decisions. That's why I sponsored Senate Bill 1493… which changes the makeup of the City South Management Authority.
This new law reduces the number of directors from 15 to 11… and requires a majority to be residents or property owners in the authority's area. This will give a greater voice to those with a direct stake in the economic development of southern Bexar County.
The stated goal for City South is bold and forward looking… to become a world class community. We've still got a way to go. According to City's South's web site, about 36 percent of the area is agricultural land… and 30 percent is vacant agriculture land. About six percent is residential and only 2 percent is commercial and industrial.
So there is a lot of room to grow. I believe the vision of a world class community can become a reality… and as we go forward… it's crucial that the management authority play a significant role in its development.
Of course, the economic anchor for the area continues to be Toyota… and I want to take this opportunity to commend the company for the way it has handled the challenges of the last year. Despite a series of recalls and the Japan earthquake in March that caused production delays… Toyota lowered its shoulder and kept charging the line.
Through these ordeals, Toyota San Antonio and its tier one suppliers protected its employees and continued to be a corporate citizen of the highest caliber. We are proud to have you on the Southside!
We're seeing that can-do spirit at Texas A&M University San Antonio… which is about to undergo an address change. That's right. Beginning this fall, Dr. Ferrier will be getting her mail at One University Way. This is a day we've all been waiting for… and I can't wait to see the inside of this new campus.
Texas A&M San Antonio is a crucial component of the South Side's economic drive. This university is special in so many ways… and its demographics tell quite a story. Last fall, more than 30 percent of its students were in the 25-to-30 year age range… 15 percent were 31-to-35… and 24 percent were 36-to-50. Four-point-six percent were 51-to-64… and seven students were actually past retirement age.
This means that almost 75 percent of TAMUSA students are young, middle-age and older adults you normally see in the workforce. These are people who are going back to school… reshaping their lives… making a reality of dreams that have been deferred. I congratulate all our Jaguars and wish them the very best.
Almost 65 percent of last fall's class was Hispanic… reflecting both the demographics of South San Antonio and the great need for a university in our part of town. This is particularly important in light of the fact that the economy continues to lag… and Hispanics are paying the highest price.
According to a study published last month by the Pew Foundation, Hispanic families accounted for the largest single decline in wealth of any ethnic and racial group in the country during the recession.
Based on data collected by the Census Bureau, the study found that the median wealth of Latino households fell by 66 percent from 2005 to 2009… leading to the largest wealth disparities in the 25 years that the bureau has collected the data.
Even before the recession, the median income for working families in District 19 barely exceed $12,000 a year.
This is why education and economic development and jobs are so important to me… and why I will continue to get every nickel I can for Texas A&M San Antonio so they can continue to grow.
I knows it's hot and some will melt but hang on.
So, the state of District 19 remains in good stead… but in the not too distant future… it will have a different shape.
For years I've loved to tell audiences about the size of my district. The largest legislative district in the nation… it covers more than 50,000 square miles, stretching from Southeast Bexar County all the way to El Paso. I tell people that it's bigger than 18 states, 138 nations… and two planets.
Well, no more. Beginning in January 2013, Senate District 19 won't be the largest in Texas. It will still be big… more than 35,000 square miles… but it will no longer include El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, and Bandera counties.
It picks up some new territory... Zavala, Dimmit, Frio, and about 98 percent of the voters in Atascosa County. It also picks up more of Bexar County… more than 100,000 new voters. Bexar County will have more than 50,000 voters in District 19 than it does now… a total of just over 490,000.
As you know, the Senate, House and Congressional maps are all being challenged in court… so there's still an element of uncertainty here. None of these maps truly recognized Hispanic population growth in Texas over the last ten years… but the Congressional map in particular is a dismal failure in that regard.
As Texas becomes more diverse… the face of the Legislature and Congress must change. The Congressional map not only fails to reflect that change… it would actually curb the influence of Hispanics in Texas… and I believe the courts will agree.
One more thing about the growth of Bexar County… something we should not be proud of and need to address. In 2008, 3,854 teenagers gave birth in this county… enough children to fill 175 kindergarten classes.
According to Project WORTH… the city's teen pregnancy prevention program… teen childbearing in Bexar County cost taxpayers more than $83 million in 2008. At a time when teen births are falling around the nation… the school-age birth rate here is 81 percent higher than the national rate.
This situation has an enormous impact on our health care, education and social service systems. It keeps people in poverty and low-wage jobs and puts innocent children at risk. We have to do better… and this is an issue that my colleagues in the Legislature must also address and we solicit your help as well.
But as I said earlier, there were accomplishments for San Antonio, and I want to mention them.
Senate Bill 116, the Kristy Appleby Act, will allow third-party protective orders in dating violence situations… Senate Bill 1154continues the work of the Statewide Blue Ribbon Task Force on child abuse prevention which I created, and Senate Bill 269 enacts a Foster Children's Bill of Rights .
As the session was winding to a close… and it became apparent that the Legislature wasn't going to fully fund our schools… something wonderful happened here in San Antonio.
The Harlandale Independent School District took home the top prize in
H-E-B's Excellence in Education awards. This award and its $100,000 prize recognized an amazing turnaround for Harlandale… from mediocrity to excellence.
It was a landmark accomplishment for this district… for my district. I say that as a proud graduate of McCollum High School. Since 2008, the number of Harlandale schools rated as recognized or exemplary by the TEA has nearly doubled to 18. The district rose to recognized status for the first time in 2010.
Through the dedication and hard work of its administrators, teachers, staff and 14,000 students… Harlandale attainted the top rank among San Antonio districts and seventh in the state.
Congratulations, to the Harlandale community.
Ladies and gentlemen, we live in a wonderful city… a world-class city with a unique history and culture. We live and work in a great part of that city… the South Side… where the days of neglect have long since come to an end.
Because of your hard work… because of your investment of money, time and sweat in your business… because of your unyielding commitment to family, church and community… our part of town is just going to get better and better.
I have had my share of success in Austin… but the pride I feel standing here today is for you. You are the reason that the state of the district is sound and the reason our future is bright.
Thank you, and God bless the Southside and San Antonio.
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