San Antonio

==Government==

{{further|List of mayors of San Antonio}}
[[File:City Hall, San Antonio, Texas (1906).jpg|thumb|City Hall, San Antonio, Texas (postcard, {{circa|1906}})|222x222px]]
[[File:San Antonio City Hall.jpg|thumb|San Antonio City Hall|222x222px]]
The city of San Antonio is operated under the [[Council–manager government|council-manager]] system of government. The city is divided into 10 council districts designed to be of equal population. Each district elects one person to the city council, with the mayor elected on a citywide basis. All members of the San Antonio City Council, including the mayor, are elected to two-year terms and are limited to four terms (except for those who were in office in November 2008 and are limited to a total of two terms). [[Houston]] and [[Laredo, Texas|Laredo]] have similar term limits to San Antonio. All positions are elected on nonpartisan ballots, as required by Texas law. Council members are paid $45,722 and the mayor earns $61,725 a year. The current mayor is [[Ron Nirenberg]], who was elected in [[2017 San Antonio mayoral election|2017]] with 54.59% of the vote.<ref>[http://home.bexar.org/el45a.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614054949/http://home.bexar.org/el45a.htm|date=June 14, 2017}}</ref> Nirenberg was narrowly reelected in [[2019 San Antonio mayoral election|2019]] against conservative challenger Greg Brockhouse.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dimmick |first1=Iris |title=Nirenberg Survives Brockhouse Challenge for Mayor |url=https://therivardreport.com/nirenberg-brockhouse-runoff-election-results-2019/ |website=Rivard Report |access-date=December 30, 2019 |date=June 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bexar.org/DocumentCenter/View/22149/June-8-2019-Media-Report|title=Bexar County, Texas, City of San Antonio – Runoff |website=www.bexar.org |access-date=December 30, 2019}}</ref>

The council hires a [[city manager]] to handle day-to-day operations. The council effectively functions as the city's legislative body with the city manager acting as its chief executive, responsible for the management of day-to-day operations and execution of council legislation. The current city manager is [[Erik Walsh]].

The city operates its own electric and gas utility, [[CPS Energy]]. The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) is the city's municipal body of law enforcement. The San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) provides the city with fire protection and EMS service.

The city stretches into several national congressional districts and is represented in [[U.S. Congress|Congress]] by:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanantonio.gov/planning/pdf/GIS/map_download/0702GG24.pdf|title=CITY OF SAN ANTONIO|website=Sanantonio.gov}}</ref>
* [[United States Senate|Senate]]
** [[Ted Cruz]] [[U.S. Republican Party|(R)]]
** [[John Cornyn]] [[U.S. Republican Party|(R)]]
* [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
** Texas District 20: [[Joaquin Castro]] [[U.S. Democratic Party|(D)]]
** Texas District 21: [[Chip Roy|Charles E. "Chip" Roy]] [[U.S. Republican Party|(R)]]
** Texas District 23: [[Tony Gonzales]] [[U.S. Republican Party|(R)]]
** Texas District 28: [[Henry Cuellar]] [[U.S. Democratic Party|(D)]]
** Texas District 35: [[Greg Casar]] [[U.S. Democratic Party|(D)]]
* [[Governor of Texas|State Governor]]
** [[Greg Abbott]] [[U.S. Republican Party|(R)]]

===State and federal representation===
The [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]] (TDCJ) operates the Parole Division Region IV headquarters in the San Antonio Metro Parole Complex. San Antonio district parole offices I and III are in the parole complex, while office II is in another location.<ref>[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/parole/parole-directory/paroledir-rgnldisparoff4.htm ''Parole Division Region IV''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904002737/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/parole/parole-directory/paroledir-rgnldisparoff4.htm |date=September 4, 2011}}; [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]; retrieved on May 21, 2010.</ref>

The [[Texas Department of Transportation]] operates the San Antonio District Office in San Antonio.<ref>[http://www.dot.state.tx.us/local_information/san_antonio_district/ ''San Antonio TDT District Office'']. [[Texas Department of Transportation]]; retrieved on January 11, 2010.</ref>

The [[United States Postal Service]] operates San Antonio's main post office.<ref>"[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/san-antonio-10410-perrin-beitel-rd-san-antonio-tx-1435860 ''Post Office Location – San Antonio'']; [[United States Postal Service]]; retrieved on May 22, 2010. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618122431/http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/san-antonio-10410-perrin-beitel-rd-san-antonio-tx-1435860 |date=June 18, 2012}}</ref> Other post offices are located throughout San Antonio.

=== Politics ===

{| class="wikitable" style="float:center; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ '''San Antonio Presidential Election Results'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::1c2c1e0d-2fd1-43a8-a039-73e7023124d1 |title=Texas 2020 Congressional |website=davesredistricting.org |access-date=May 16, 2022}}</ref>
!Year
![[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
![[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
![[Third party (United States)|Third Parties]]
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |[[2020 United States presidential election in Texas|2020]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''61.91%''' ''326,553''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |36.53% ''192,653''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |1.56% ''8,244''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |[[2016 United States presidential election in Texas|2016]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''57.63%''' ''244,678''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |36.55% ''155,186''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |5.82% ''24,668''
|}

===Growth policy===
[[File:Ahbroadway.jpg|thumb|Broadway Street in [[Alamo Heights, Texas|Alamo Heights]], an enclaved city]]
Unlike most large cities in the U.S., San Antonio is not completely surrounded by independent suburban cities, and under Texas state law it exercises [[extraterritorial jurisdiction]] (ETJ) over much of the surrounding unincorporated land,<ref>[http://www.sanantonio.gov/planning/pdf/GIS/map_download/0607GT09.pdf Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Boundary (PDF)], City of San Antonio Planning Department. July 28, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/LG/htm/LG.212.htm#212.003 Texas Local Government Code section 212.003], Extension of Rules to Extraterritorial Jurisdiction</ref> including planning major thoroughfares and enforcing rules for platting and subdivision. It pursues an aggressive annexation policy and opposes the creation of other municipalities within its ETJ.<ref>[http://www.salsa.net/aiasa/sa-mastp.html ''San Antonio Master Plan''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628195115/http://www.salsa.net/aiasa/sa-mastp.html |date=June 28, 2014 }}, Public Studio (San Antonio Chapter American Institute of Architects); retrieved January 7, 2007.</ref> Nearly three-fourths of its land area has been annexed since 1960.<ref>[http://www.sanantonio.gov/planning/powerpoint/Growth_Trends_092506.pps San Antonio Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities (PowerPoint)], City of San Antonio Planning Department. Retrieved January 7, 2007.</ref>

In the 2000s the city annexed several long narrow corridors along major thoroughfares in outlying areas to facilitate eventual annexation of growth developing along the routes. The city planned to annex nearly 40 additional square miles by 2009.<ref>[http://www.sanantonio.gov/planning/pdf/Comprehensive/three_yr_plan/Three_Yr_Map_01_05_06.pdf ''Three-year Annexation Plan'']; (PDF) format, City of San Antonio Planning Department, January 6, 2006.</ref>

In May 2010, the City of San Antonio agreed to release thousands of acres of land in its extraterritorial jurisdiction along Interstate 10 to [[Schertz]]. The agreement releases a total of {{convert|3486|acre|km2}} of San Antonio's ETJ lands north of I-10 to [[Schertz]]. The ETJ lands are in an area bordered by FM 1518 to the west, Lower Seguin Road to the north, Cibolo Creek to the east and I-10 to the south.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/community/northeast/San_Antonio_agrees_to_release_ETJ_to_Schertz.html|title=San Antonio agrees to release ETJ to Schertz|date=May 6, 2010|website=Mysanantonio.com|access-date=July 12, 2018}}</ref>

Involuntary annexation is a controversial issue in those parts of [[unincorporated area|unincorporated]] Bexar County affected by it. Residents attracted to the outlying areas by lower taxes and affordable real estate values often see annexation as a mechanism to increase [[property tax]] rates (which are primarily driven by school district taxes, not city taxes) without a corresponding improvement in services such as police and fire protection, while the city regards its annexation policy as essential to its overall prosperity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/stories/MYSA031107.01A.Fireresponsetimes.370d0e6.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515130618/http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/stories/MYSA031107.01A.Fireresponsetimes.370d0e6.html|url-status=dead|title=MySA.com: Public Safety|archive-date=May 15, 2008}}</ref>

Since the city has annexed areas over time, San Antonio surrounds several independent [[Inner suburb|enclave cities]], including [[Alamo Heights]], [[Balcones Heights]], [[Castle Hills]], [[Hill Country Village]], [[Hollywood Park, Texas|Hollywood Park]], [[Kirby, Texas|Kirby]], [[Leon Valley, Texas|Leon Valley]], [[Olmos Park]], [[Shavano Park]], and [[Terrell Hills]].