Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones looks down at her notes during a press conference at City Hall. Credit: Michael Karlis

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has called one of her most vocal City Council opponents’ chief-of-staff an “insider threat” and accused the person of conspiring to leak specifics about her security detail to the press.

The allegations, which Jones aired in a Wednesday memo, stem from a KSAT report in October that detailed the unprecedented security detail she demanded after a disgruntled Spurs fan in an online group allegedly threatened her life over her opposition to Project Marvel.

Although KSAT disclosed in its reporting that the information came from sources inside the San Antonio Police Department, Jones maintained in her memo that the true source was District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito’s chief of staff, James Branch.

Jones’ allegations against Branch are outlined in the memo she addressed to the City of San Antonio Council Aides Corp. Personnel Committee. In the message, the mayor demands the City of San Antonio’s Administrative Directives (ADs), or code of ethics, apply to council aides.

“At present, the inapplicability of those [Administrative Directives] to [council staffers] creates the ability for one to escape accountability, which runs contrary to the Code of Conduct we signed committing to ‘fostering a safe and productive work environment,’” Jones wrote.

Jones’ office was unavailable for immediate comment on the memo.

Following KSAT’s October report, San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus ordered a sweeping investigation into the alleged leak, interviewing 115 officers, according to Jones’ memo. During those inquiries, one SAPD officer disclosed that Branch “had access to the security information,” the memo states.

​The memo contained no other information linking Branch to the leak.

Through his attorney, Branch provided a statement to investigators but refused to participate in a sit-down interview with them.

“My understanding is a City of San Antonio employee would have been required to comply with SAPD’s (Internal Investigation’s) request for an in-person interview, in accordance with applicable ADs,” Jones wrote in the memo. “Moreover, had they continued to refuse, a likely outcome of such refusal would have been termination.”

Council staff is hired by the Council Aides Corp., not the city, to ensure their independence from the City Manager’s office and provide staffers, who previously served as contract workers, with benefits, longtime political consultant Laura Barberena told the Current.

Branch’s attorney, Mariah Medina, a former News4 reporter, told the Current Jones’ memo was “bizarre” and “demonstrably false.”

“There are obviously imbalances of power here,” Medina said. “It’s obvious that the mayor is leading this investigation and is trying to arrive at a certain conclusion. It’s just unfortunate that James is in her crosshairs.”

Medina also maintained that Jones’ assertions that her client is a “threat” are completely untrue, and that Branch isn’t responsible for leaking information to KSAT.

Branch’s boss, Alderete Gavito, has been among Jones’ most vocal critics over the past year, and sources familiar with San Antonio politics said she may be eyeing a mayoral run herself in 2029.

This also isn’t the first time Jones has gone after alleged leakers.

In August, Jones ordered Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai to “investigate leaked footage of District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez’s magistration hearing following her DWI arrest.​”

“As I understand, such a leak is unprecedented,” she told Sakai at the time.

Sakai responded by informing the mayor that all magistrate hearings are livestreamed and available for public viewing, per Texas state law.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...