San Antonio City Council unanimously confirmed Leo Castillo-Anguiano’s interim appointment last week. He’ll temporarily sit on the dais starting Aug. 1.
SAN ANTONIO — A new face will shortly – and briefly – represent District 2 on San Antonio City Council when Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez takes parental leave later this summer.
In a unanimous vote, council confirmed the appointment of Leo Castillo-Anguiano to sit on the dais in McKee-Rodriguez’s stead beginning Aug. 1. Twelve others had applied for the position after McKee-Rodriguez announced his pending leave in May.
A native of the west side, Castillo-Anguiano works as a social media and marketing manager for Thrive, a San Antonio nonprofit that works to empower and provide resources to LGBTQ+ youth in the community. He attended UTSA, which is where he says he started to accrue experience in community organizing and political advocacy.
In applying for the position, he pointed to his work supporting homeless youth as having given him “firsthand insight into the gaps in our housing systems.”
He reiterated that experience last Thursday in front of City Council, where he answered a final round of questions before being confirmed. He also echoed McKee-Rodriguez’s priorities of infrastructure, safeguarding community spaces, supporting Animal Care Services and taking a prevention approach to public safety.
Much of the discussion revolved around upcoming annual budget conversations, which Castillo-Anguiano will participate in from the front row.
“I understand that this budget is going to be challenging as we navigate a $30 million budget deficit,” Castillo-Anguiano said. “We have a responsibility to ensure that we center equity and that it doesn’t fall on our most vulnerable residents.”
He acknowledged that while a City of San Antonio budget “is significantly larger than those I’ve managed,” before adding his experience working with smaller budgets and meeting “metric goals” made him the right applicant for the job. Asked by District 9 City Councilman John Courage if he’d be impeded by any work or personal obligations, Castillo-Anguiano said Thrive would allow him to take leave, ensuring he has the runway to be fully involved as a City Council member during a pivotal time.
Castillo-Anguiano also advocated on behalf of “putting District 2 in the best possible position” during Project Marvel deliberations and painted himself as an advocate of immigrants amid a federal ICE crackdown, saying that “it’s our job to make sure we’re supporting them as best as possible.”
After some additional formalities, City Council voted 10-0 to confirm Castillo-Anguiano’s appointment. (District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur was absent.)
According to McKee-Rodriguez, when Castillo-Anguiano takes the District 2 seat in August, he’ll be the first transgender man to hold office in the State of Texas. The third-term councilman called the appointment “historic,” adding Castillo-Anguiano will bring invaluable experience as someone who has worked to address homelessness in the city.
“We learned about Leo’s experience as an organizer for public safety reform, for voter rights, the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, we learned about his work with young adults experiencing homelessness and navigating tight budgets, just as many of our non-profits are concerned about,” McKee-Rodriguez said in a statement. “One of the biggest issues we will address this budget cycle will be our housing crisis and he will provide experience and expertise as someone who has been on the ground doing this work.”
Castillo-Anguiano could serve as long as two months, depending on when McKee-Rodriguez returns.