San Antonio mayoral candidate Rolando Pablos says he’ll appoint ‘homelessness czar’

In what appears to be a last-ditch attempt to get voters to the polls on the first day of early voting, mayoral candidate Rolando Pablos said Tuesday he’ll appoint a “homelessness czar” to address the city’s unhoused population.

“[This] would be a position that allows us to centralize all of the efforts at City Hall and at the mayor’s office, because what is lacking is an individual who actually understands, knows and can work with each of you to coordinate efforts and also coordinate funding,” Pablos said.

Pablos’ comments came during the Housing and Homelessness Mayoral Forum hosted by housing advocacy nonprofit Close to Home on Tuesday. His election rival, Gina Ortiz Jones, also was present for the event.

In a press release, Pablos’ campaign expanded, albeit vaguely, on the concept of the new position, clarifying that the proposed czar would help facilitate public health interactions and community partnerships and “cut through bureaucratic red tape.”

San Antonio’s homeless population has grown nearly 7% since last year and has increased by 17.4% since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city’s annual Point-in-Time homeless count.

Jones agreed that homelessness is a problem in San Antonio during the forum. However, she offered few detailed solutions other examining data to better understand the cause of the problem.

“This isn’t just about bringing good jobs here. You have got to make sure people have a living wage,” Jones said. “That’s why I am proudly endorsed by unions… . Rolando will talk about poverty all day long. You know what contributes to poverty? Bad deals.”

Jones is referring to Pablos’ response to an Express-News editorial board mayoral questionnaire, in which the candidate said he would be willing to front up to 50% of the cost for a new downtown Spurs arena.

In an interview last week, Pablos clarified that he’d not spend any money from the city’s general fund to pay for a new arena. He even said he’d be willing to “start over” with talks on Project Marvel, the expansive downtown sports district that would surround the proposed arena.

Early voting runs May 27-June 3, and the runoff is scheduled for June 7.

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This article appears in May 14-27, 2025.