Progressive Candidate Teri Castillo Clenches District 5 Runoff Election

June 6, 2021 - Westside

By Valeria Torrealba, Senior Reporter | San Antonio Sentinel

Teri Castillo won the District 5 race against Rudy Lopez, capturing 57.6% of the coveted votes. Lopez obtained 42.4%, with 4,330 ballots cast total in District 5.

Castillo’s win comes after a heated campaign trail, securing 30.7% of the vote during May’s election night, making her the largest recipient of votes out of the 11 other candidates. Additionally, the new progressive representative openly endorsed Proposition B — a measure to combat local police bargaining powers — marking her as the sole candidate in the race to do so.

A lifelong member of San Antonio’s westside, Castillo describes herself as a “housing organizer” and “historian of urban policy,” citing her experiences in the west side community as a motivation for her campaign efforts. 

Much of Castillo’s campaign centered around healthcare and housing affordability on the west side, a focus she highlighted during the runoff debate against Lopez in late May. 

“We need to be sure we're shifting that infrastructure funding into our neighborhoods, because we see, throughout history, that when you pour a whole bunch of our money near newer, luxury development, it comes up the cost of us, the established communities,” Castillo said during a recent debate hosted by local Westside community groups.

Lopez, in contrast, opposed Proposition B. His campaign efforts advocated for the aiding of small businesses and infrastructure spending. Lopez served as the Thompson Neighborhood Association President, and he was a member of the San Antonio Police Department for 25 years.

With a goal to closely work with the west side community, Castillo did not pursue a Ph.D. at UCLA in order to stay and serve the San Antonio community, focusing her campaign efforts into protecting local businesses and “produce market-rate housing.” Castillo also called for more investments in community centers, including the implementation of basketball courts and senior centers.

Castillo's campaign efforts include plans to tackle middle housing — when an individual’s income disqualifies them from affordable housing but are unable to afford a market-rate residence —  and an expansion of public transit to ensure that San Antonio residents are able to move efficiently. 

Valeria Torrealba is an opinions columnist and public relations assistant at the University Star, a student publication of Texas State University. Email her at reporter@sasentinel.com