MUNICIPAL NEWS

San Antonio moves city elections from May to November

City elections will now be held in November on odd-number years.

Photo by Element5 Digital/ Unsplash

San Antonio is officially moving its city municipal elections to November. In a tight 6-5 vote, the City Council approved the measure, moving the vote from May to December in odd-numbered years.

The proposal passed after hours of public comment on Thursday, December 18. Proponents, including Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, hope that the move will increase voter turnout and engagement in local politics.

“Texas, like other states, has not fulfilled its potential,” said Huerta during the meeting. “Voting in Texas is far less than other states, and especially when it comes to voting of the Latino community. So somewhere we must make voting a habit in Texas. The challenge for political leaders is to make voting a positive habit to feed democracy, like eating is a habit to nourish our physical bodies.”

Those in support also noted that the change has economic advantages and could save the city between $800,000 and $1 million in off-election years by aligning races with higher turnout state and federal elections.

Those against the election maneuver argued that the change would leave school trustee and bond votes alone on the May ballot. Marina Alderete Gavito and Marc Whyte were among the councilmembers voting against the measure, saying the voting was rushed and made without adequate public input.

“What voters say should be the final word. If this council were to move forward on this today, we would all be without any voter participation, giving ourselves six more months in office," said Whyte.

The election move was made possible by the Texas Legislature passing the little-noticed Senate Bill 1494. The bill required local governments to make the change by the end of 2025. Dallas approved November city elections earlier in the year.

San Antonio's new election dates now put the city in line with other major Texas metros. Houston holds November city elections in odd-numbered years, and Austin holds them in even-numbered years.

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BRIGHT IDEAS

Innovative San Antonio startup rethinks childcare for working parents

CoPlay Cove/ Facebook

Deepika Agrawal Mittal is the driving force behind CoPlay Cove, a new concept that combines childcare with coworking.

With San Antonio childcare costs and hassles ever increasing, an innovative new company is looking to be a one-stop resource for working parents. CoPlay Cove will open at 2106 E Sonterra Blvd #L104 in summer 2026, bringing daycare and coworking services under one roof.

The concept comes from local couple Deepika Agrawal Mittal and Akash Mittal, both of whom have plenty on their plates. Akash is a family medicine physician and US Army officer, while Deepika has a background in healthcare IT and product management. Together, they are raising a family.

“We were inspired by something similar that was being launched in Dallas,” Deepika explains. “Our son was about eight months old [and we thought] this sounds like the best of both worlds.”

Unable to find a comparable daycare with a coworking space, the Mittals took matters into their own hands.“

My husband and I just looked at each other and said, ‘let’s build it,’” shares Deepika.

For parents, the concept provides flexible workspace solutions like private desks, networking areas, offices, and meeting rooms— all supported by HighSpeed WiFi, a community kitchen, lockers, and printing equipment. Entrepreneurs can also opt for virtual office services like business addresses, mail handling, and occasional access to the coworking spaces for physical interactions.

Kids, however, won’t be aware that so much adulting is going on. CoPlay has dedicated programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and grade schoolers that encourage both play and learning.

Deepika says the curriculum is shaped by an early childhood education professional with decades of experience and is not boxed into one methodology. It takes the “goodness” from Montessori and Reggio Emilia philosophies while encouraging STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and STEAM (integrating Arts) literacy.

Of course, there is also some comfort for both children and parents in being in the same building. Nursing mothers can join their infants anytime they want. Older youngsters will have a more structured day, but the whole family can gather at an in-house café.

Deepika says the passion project is especially needed for working and military parents, saying San Antonio is a city that has always put family first.

“People are not close to the village,” she says. “That makes it important to have those community services.”

Deepika says that CoPlay Cove is not quite ready to release pricing info, but early bird memberships will be opened in the coming year. Locals can follow along with the concept’s progress on Instagram and other social media platforms.

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