About Justin
Born and raised in San Antonio, Justin is a proud lifelong resident of San Antonio’s west side. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of the Incarnate Word and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Justin began his career in public service as a juvenile prosecutor for the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office where he worked diligently to assist young offenders in their rehabilitative efforts. Elected to the Board of Trustees of the San Antonio Independent School District in 2004, Justin served in that role for three years before being elected to the San Antonio City Council and representing District 7 for two terms from 2007-2011. Improving the quality of life for residents by enhancing educational outcomes and creating economic opportunities for hardworking families has always been his focus.
In 2012, Justin was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. Serving three full terms as State Representative for House District 125, he was re-elected for a fourth term in 2018. During his time in the Legislature, Justin advocated for increased access to and affordability of higher education, voting rights, and accessible and affordable healthcare for all Texans. A strong advocate for San Antonio and Bexar County on the House Appropriations Committee, he sought and secured several leadership roles during his tenure including Deputy Whip for the House Democratic Caucus and was part of the leadership team of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
On January 4, 2019, Justin was appointed to serve as Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 2 and was then elected in November 2020 to fulfill the remaining two years of the unexpired term of long-time Commissioner Paul Elizondo.
For his service, Justin has been recognized as a “40 Under 40” Rising Star by the San Antonio Business Journal and was named one of the “20 Latino Democrats to Watch Over the Next 20 Years” by the Houston Chronicle. Justin and his wife Victoria are raising their three children near the campus of St. Mary’s University in the heart of San Antonio’s west side.
Social Media
- Elections & Voting Rights
- Criminal Justice Reform
- Education & Workforce Development
- Mental & Behavioral Health
- Effective & Representative Government
- Community Well-being & Quality of Life
Elections & Voting Rights
Elections provide us the opportunity stand up for what matters most to us and have an impact on the issues that affect us, our community, and our future. Ensuring that every resident of Bexar County can participate in our democracy and that the security of elections is maintained is essential for the issues that affect us, our community, and our future.
- Increase voter registration for eligible first-time voters and youth, new citizens, communities of color, and low-income individuals
- Educate voters with resources and information
- Increase Accessibility and Awareness of Voting Locations
Criminal Justice Reform
We need a justice system that is efficient, effective, equitable, and that protects our public safety while addressing the needs of people involved in the system. This includes intervention programs, community-based pretrial solutions, improving specialty courts, and support for those incarcerated or who are re-entering the community.
- Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system
- Increase transparency and ethics in criminal and family courts
- Support diversion and alternatives to incarceration for low-level, first-time nonviolent offenders and people with mental illness and substance use disorders
- Offer trauma-informed support for victims of crime, including domestic violence and sexual assault
Education & Workforce Development
Bexar County is committed to growing opportunities for its residents and growing its reputation of being a great place to start, grow, and move business to. The County must cultivate a robust, inclusive local economy with a diverse workforce and pipelines to jobs and education for all.
- Build a pipeline of skilled workers to meet business demand and maximize the skill levels and confidence of our youth.
- Align business, workforce, education, human service and economic development policies and programs to grow and sustain a healthy local economy
- Build the capacity of the workforce development system to respond to local needs, even in the face of shrinking resources
- lower the cost of college education and expand opportunities for other training and higher education
Mental & Behavioral Health
Bexar County should have a comprehensive system of prevention, service, and support options for adults and children with mental illness or emotional disturbance, substance use, and/or intellectual or developmental disabilities. Services and supports should be offered so that people and their families have access to the appropriate level of services that are affordable, accessible, and will truly meet their needs.
- Enhance partnerships and build relationships with the community and service providers to prioritize community health needs, services and accountability metrics
- Focus on law enforcement approaches informed by best practices for serving people impacted by mental illness, addiction, homelessness, poverty and trauma.
- Support and develop evidenced-based services and support
- Support community-based service options that are affordable and easily accessible
Effective & Representative County Government
The work we do should be informed by the community, citizens should be made aware of the decision being made on their behalf, and the elected officials should be held accountable to delivering results. Local governments have a responsibility to ensure the delivery of services to residents that are cost-effective, efficient, and truly deliver value.
- Enhance Communications and Community Outreach
- Provide an accessible and response County Government
- Promote Intergovernmental Collaboration and Coordination
- Increase transparency through by clearly outlining goals, objectives and performance measures
Community Well-being & Quality of Life
Provide opportunities to increase success for individuals, families, and the greater community in education, employment and personal and family development. This means increasing the standard of living for families through access to critical social and community programs. And it means inspiring communities to strive for improved living conditions, health and economic circumstances.
- Invest in and promote parks, libraries, and arts & cultural facilities
- Promote Historical and cultural preservation
- Invest in in quality multimodal transit options to decrease congestion, improve safety, and mitigate negative environmental impacts
- Provide and promote support services and programs that increase the well-being of our residents
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Commissioner Precinct 2
Physical Address
101 W. Nueva, 10th Floor
San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: 210-335-2612
Precinct 2 Community Office
1410 Guadalupe St. Suite 120
San Antonio, TX 78207
210-335-1600