After a week of mounting tension and closed-door deliberations, the San Antonio City Council voted 8-1 on Friday to formally censure Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, concluding that her conduct during a Feb. 5 confrontation with Councilwoman Sukh Kaur violated the city’s Code of Conduct and workplace policies.
In a surprise twist, District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears cast the lone vote against the resolution, saying she did not believe the incident rose to the level of workplace violence.
The vote follows months of friction between Jones and several council members over both her leadership style and the Feb. 5 breakroom exchange that prompted an independent investigation.
Although largely symbolic, the censure carries practical consequences. The resolution calls on Jones to step aside as chair of the Governance Committee for three months, complete in-person leadership training focused on civility and de-escalation, and issue a written apology to Kaur.
“In the interest of moving forward and focusing on the people’s work, I agree to step aside from the Governance Committee for a period of three months starting today,” Jones said in a prepared statement, adding that she would attend leadership training next week. Her remarks marked a shift from earlier comments in which she had said she did not plan to take those steps.
Speculation had circulated that the council might escalate the action to a vote of no confidence, a move that could have posed a greater political challenge for the mayor.
San Antonio councils have censured members in the past, though rarely the mayor. In recent years, the council amended city rules to reduce the mayor’s unilateral control over the agenda and committee process, allowing council members to advance items without mayoral support.
The dispute stemmed from a policy disagreement over the Bonham Exchange, a downtown LGBTQ+ nightclub operating in a 19th-century building. The city’s 2018 fire code required large venues to install automatic sprinkler systems by Oct. 1, 2023. While other establishments signed compliance agreements allowing reduced occupancy while completing upgrades, the Bonham Exchange declined to sign an agreement that would have capped capacity at 300 people. Fire officials recommended reducing the club’s occupancy unless additional life-safety upgrades were completed.
Jones said she supported the fire department’s recommendation in the interest of public safety. She acknowledged raising her voice and using profanity toward Kaur in a breakroom ahead of the Feb. 5 council meeting.
“I became passionate that morning because I firmly believe public safety is our number one responsibility. I should not have raised my voice at my colleague, and I should not have used profanity,” Jones said. “I apologize for doing so.”
An outside employment law investigator hired by the city concluded that Jones was verbally abusive and that her conduct violated both the council’s Code of Conduct and administrative directives related to equal employment opportunity and workplace violence.
Following the vote, Kaur publicly addressed the matter for the first time, saying the issue was not about policy disagreements or hurt feelings but about workplace standards.
“This was, as the investigation found, an incident of workplace harassment that was unacceptable and unbecoming of our mayor,” Kaur said, rejecting suggestions that Jones’ military background or leadership style justified the exchange.
During public comment, some speakers urged the council not to proceed with the censure, calling it a distraction, while others supported the measure. Former Councilman Mario Bravo questioned the fairness and transparency of the investigative process, noting he had been subject to a similar review in 2022.
Spears also raised due process concerns, saying the report — which remains confidential under attorney-client privilege — was not subject to public testimony or cross-examination. Council members said the report would not be released publicly to protect the identities of witnesses.
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez described the episode as “incredibly embarrassing” but said the findings required action. Councilwoman Teri Castillo said she had observed what she described as a pattern of unprofessional interactions and that accountability was necessary.
Councilman Marc Whyte expressed hope that the vote could serve as a reset, encouraging greater collaboration among council members.
The council adopted its Code of Conduct in 2024 to formalize standards for interactions among elected officials, staff and the public. Under the City Charter, censure does not remove the mayor from office. Removal is permitted only upon conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude.