SAN ANTONIO — James Branch, chief of staff to San Antonio District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, left City Hall on Monday after Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones publicly identified him as a city employee who had access to information related to her security detail during an internal leak investigation.
Branch confirmed his departure by providing KSAT with an unsigned copy of his resignation letter, dated June 10, which stated Monday was his final day with the city. He did not address the mayor’s allegations in the letter or provide additional comment.
His resignation came weeks after Jones issued a May 20 memorandum stating that the District 7 chief of staff had access to information about security measures at her home and had declined repeated requests from the San Antonio Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division for an in-person interview during its investigation into how details of the security plan became public.
Jones later posted the memorandum on social media. Although the memo did not identify Branch by name, it referred to the District 7 chief of staff. KSAT reported that Branch was not among the sources who provided information for its story on the mayor’s security arrangements.
According to the mayor’s memo, SAPD interviewed 115 officers during the investigation. Jones said one officer indicated that a City Council aide had access to the security information. The memo also stated that the District 7 chief of staff submitted a statement through legal counsel instead of participating in an interview between October and March.
Jones did not accuse Branch of leaking the information but said his decision not to participate in an interview prevented investigators from conducting what she described as a complete review of the security breach.
In his resignation letter, Branch thanked Alderete Gavito for her leadership and support during his three years in the District 7 office. He described the councilwoman as “a mentor, a confidant, an advocate and a friend” and said he planned to pursue an opportunity in the private sector.
Alderete Gavito said in a statement that Branch played an important role on her staff and wished him success in his next position.
The councilwoman also announced Monday that she had appointed La-Tieka Sims, who previously supervised constituent services and community engagement for the district, as her new chief of staff.
Alderete Gavito has publicly disagreed with Jones on several issues during the mayor’s first year in office. Earlier this summer, both the councilwoman and Branch’s attorney criticized the mayor’s statements, calling them unfounded. Branch’s attorney also said his client had no involvement in the disclosure of the mayor’s security information.
