[Snapshots] Armadillos, Resolutions and Hotdogs!

Check out these shots from the Helotes Health and Wellness Fair on March 22nd!

Over 100 people came for free health screenings, dinner, music and more. Thank you to everyone who participated and our wonderful community sponsors!

From the top:

Our intern Stephanie, dressed as an armadillo, shows visitors the right place to turn.

Rep. Garza delivers a resolution in honor of Mayor Tom Schoolcraft in front of the Helotes City Hall.

Artist Ryan Forester draws one of many caricatures.

Our intern Leighton stands in front of City Hall dressed as Harry the Hemoglobin to welcome visitors.

Delicious hotdogs grilled by Legislative Assistant Karson Nance were a part of the free meal served by Garza staff members.

Rally Against the HHS Mandate on March 23rd

Cities Nationwide to Rally Against the Health and Human Services Mandate

Representative John V. Garza to Participate, Pledges Support

San Antonio, TX- When President Obama’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate first came to light, the Latino National Republican Coalition immediately responded with the Faith and Freedom First Rally on Feb. 18. Rep. Garza, who opposes the mandate, pledged his support for the February rally and now plans to do so again. On March 23rd, the “Stand Up for Religious Freedom- Stop the HHS Mandate!” rally will take place in over 100 cities nationwide to show united opposition against the mandate and its narrow exemption addition. The rally is organized by Citizens for a Pro-Life Society and the Pro-Life Action League, and Rep. Garza will be one of thousands who show their support.

“We will not tolerate attacks on our faith,” Rep. Garza said. “We will not surrender our freedom of religion. That is why I plan to participate in this rally and why I encourage other to do so as well.”

The Stand Up for Religious Freedom Coalition will participate as well. The Coalition is protesting the mandate because of “the federal government’s definition of what constitutes a religious institution through the narrowly constructed ‘exemption’ to the HHS Mandate, a definition which is both false and beyond the federal government’s authority to make” and “that religious institutions, even after President Obama’s so-called ‘accommodation,’ are being forced to facilitate contraception, sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs through the health plans they are mandated to provide.”

Jobs are coming to District 117!

Schlumberger North America has opened a new operations facility in southern Bexar County. Schlumberger, one of the world’s biggest oil companies, has invested $19 million into the area to be closer to the Eagle Ford Shale oil reservoir. The company is expected to hire 100 new employees over the coming months and already employs 400 people.

The Eagle Ford Shale oil boom means incredible opportunity for both San Antonio and the smaller cities that surround it. I’m excited about the new jobs, and because I represent District 117, I urge companies to invest in the area in a way that establishes healthy communities for years to come. Regional planning must include roads, power, water and sewer improvements. That way the infrastructure of the small rural towns that surround San Antonio and the Eagle Ford Shale area can handle the population boom and support long-term industry.

Another important part of the growth process is creating enough family housing. Oil fields have experienced a rapid increase in vice crimes and drug abuse in the past. Encouraging families to move with their newly hired family member can help prevent history from repeating itself. More families also means a bigger population boost and increased tax revenue, especially for small rural areas.

Schlumberger is a great example of the new jobs and increased revenue this oil boom will bring us. We have an opportunity like never before. By 2020, the Eagle Ford Shale play is expected to employ close to 68,000 people and generate over $20 billion in revenue. I’d like to see the increased funds used to build more medical facilities and renovate institutions of higher education, since diversifying investment means more economic stability for future generations. Really, the opportunities are endless. I thank Schlumberger for choosing to invest here, and I look forward to what the future will bring.

(Map created and owned by the San Antonio Express-News)

You're Invited!

A Week in the Life: January 23-27

Here's a collection of photos from last week. John attended several events, including a meeting at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, a Northwest Vista College Forum Panel, a joint meeting with the Alamo Pachyderm Club and the Latino National Republican Coalition of Bexar County, a discussion about the STEM Program and the City of Somerset Cowboy Breakfast. Whew!

Redistricting, Revisited

Many Texas Democrats choose to perpetuate the myth that a voter’s ethnicity can predict which party they support. Democrats claim to represent Hispanic Texans, but that claim doesn’t match up with how Hispanics in Texas vote. Hispanics, like all Americans, are not a politically cohesive group and hold a plurality of political beliefs.

In 2010, the Republican Party of Texas elected more Hispanics to statewide office than the Democrat party. There are presently six Hispanic Republicans in the Texas Legislature, two Hispanic Republicans on the Texas Supreme Court, and numerous Hispanic Republican officeholders throughout the state. Nationally, a significant number of majority Hispanic Congressional districts have elected conservative Republican members, including: CD 21 Florida (75.6% Hispanic), CD 27 Texas (73.2% Hispanic), CD 25 Florida (71.6% Hispanic), CD 18 Florida (66.9% Hispanic), CD 23 Texas (66.4% Hispanic), CD 2 New Mexico (51.8% Hispanic) and CD 28 California (51.2% Hispanic).

On Jan. 20, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the court drawn Texas redistricting maps and rightfully chastised the San Antonio court for its judicial activism. The lower court erred by adopting the arguments of partisan factions seeking to redraw the maps produced by the Legislature. The San Antonio court's disregard for the Legislature's map was in fact disregard for the will of the people of Texas, who spoke through their elected representatives.

Before the Supreme Court ruling, two Federal judges voted to change the boundaries of District 117. Honorable Jerry Smith, the other Federal judge who heard the case and voted against changing the district, wrote “any purported challenge to the Bexar County districts is without foundation,” and “we should not use past elections as a crystal ball to predict how future elections will turn out.” He went on to explain that the court “is prevented from making such complex political predictions tied to race-based assumptions,” and “nothing in the State’s plan will hinder Hispanic opportunity to register and vote in greater numbers than before.”

While the San Antonio federal court clearly has jurisdiction to review redistricting maps to ensure compliance with constitutional protections, it cannot override the political will of the people of Texas when no such violations have been found. Racism in America is still a reality, but partisan factions should not use the Voting Rights Act to push a partisan agenda. The Texas Democratic Party has lost sight of the goal of the Civil Rights Movement—that we abandon superficial racial barriers and come together as a unified American people. Liberty, freedom and optimism are what truly define what it means to be an American, not race or political affiliation.

John V. Garza represents District 117.

Cowboy Breakfast

This is a picture of me enjoying the Somerset Cowboy Breakfast with my wife, daughter & sister-in-law on Friday, January 27. Early morning but the food was great. Many thanks to the City of Somerset for sponsoring the event!

My Point of View: The Redistricting Debate

The American Civil Rights movement should be about true integration. A candidate should be elected because he or she represents voters the best, regardless of race. Unfortunately, the Texas Democratic Party has failed to take the same non-racial stance. Instead, it has chosen to manipulate the Voting Rights Act as a way to gain seats in the Legislature.

The current redistricting debate centers on this. The Texas Democrat Party has chosen to support candidates defined primarily by racial background in special racially drawn districts, rather than candidates with broad appeal. The result is self-segregation, over dependence on racial politics and a class of protected politicians who are limited in their electability to their racially protected districts.

Two Federal judges voted to change the boundaries of District 117 on the belief that it violated the Voting Rights Act. They discussed changing 117 in a lengthy defense of their proposed interim map, but their only claim was that the State tried to replace regularly voting Hispanics with those who do not regularly vote. This is not part of the Voting Rights Act or any case law. They do not attack District 117’s stats because the map was carefully drawn to improve every statistic.

Honorable Jerry Smith, the other Federal judge who heard the case, voted against changing District 117. He wrote that “any purported challenge to the Bexar County districts is without foundation,” and “we should not use past elections as a crystal ball to predict how future elections will turn out.” He went on to explain that the court “is prevented from making such complex political predictions tied to race-based assumptions,” and “nothing in the State’s plan will hinder Hispanic opportunity to register and vote in greater numbers than before.”

Texas Democrats are so concerned about getting elected that they forget they must represent everyone in their districts. This is why candidates that define themselves primarily on their racial background often fail to get popular support. In contemporary America, including Bexar County, race-baiting needs to end.

Creating a climate of racial polarization does not achieve anything. Hispanics and Mexican-Americans consider themselves simply American.

John V. Garza represents District 117. He will testify before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. next week regarding redistricting.