Power Players features state lawmakers rising through the ranks or making a notable mark on the 87th Texas legislative session. Each week, Capital Tonight will feature an elected official to give you a chance to get to know the person behind the powerful position.
SAN ANTONIO — A trip to the mall may include a bit of browsing, shopping, eating, but in San Antonio, you can add “a meeting with your State Senator” to the list. State Sen. Jose Menendez has his District 26 offices at the Wonderland of the Americas in Balcones Heights.
“It’s in the center of the city. You got two major highways, you're on a big bus stop. It's like the perfectly central location for people to get to,” Menendez said.
While it is humble Wonderland is not your typical commercial center.
“You have a (Veterans Affairs) clinic down here, you have medical clinics, you have dental clinics,” he noted.
There is also a movie theater, which reminds him of a film he will watch over and over again.
“My 13-year-old son and I are kind of sports nuts,” Menendez said. “An old Disney movie [is] Glory Road, the story the first national championship at what is now [the University of Texas at El Paso] when the first coach put an all African American team on the court to start a national championship against the University of Kentucky, when they were waving Confederate flags at the game. It was very emotional, heartwarming, great stories of courage, doing the right thing.”
Menendez believes Wonderland’s central location brings him closer to the district’s hidden gem.
“I’m not sure it's hidden anymore, but I will tell you the best part of San Antonio is its people. The people of San Antonio make us a unique place,” he said.
It is a place he has never really left. The son of immigrants, Menendez grew up working at his family’s businesses on San Antonio’s West Side. His career in public service began at the age of 26, when he was sworn into City Council.
“When I first got started a long time ago, I was so disappointed with the level of inequity,” Menendez said. “I just see how some parts of the city were new and bright and clean, and others were just covered with graffiti and missing the important drainage projects. They needed someone that would, you know, fight for and demand for equality for all parts of the community.”
He has served in the state legislature just over 20 years, with the first 15 at the Texas House. When asked if there was anything about him that he thinks will surprise his longtime constituents Menendez said, “Eight and a half months ago our oldest son had a baby girl and so we're, my wife and I, are grandparents, and that was a wonderful surprise blessing and here we are, and we couldn't be happier.”
This year’s legislative session is unlikely any other with the coronavirus pandemic weighing on lawmakers’ minds. The State Senator admires how the University Health System is handling distribution at Wonderland and wants to replicate it across Texas.
He is also looking at medical cannabis expansion and requiring courses to help teens with coping mechanisms.
“This session would be a failure if we don't realize that we have the highest percentage of uninsured Texans, so we had it before the pandemic,” Menendez said. “This legislative session will be a success, if we continue our commitment to education. We not only don't cut back funding on public education, higher education and our medical schools, but we choose to make an investment in our future as a state.”
As for his office being located in a shopping mall, Menendez said it all about connection with constituents.
"At the end of the day, it's all about being accessible to your community,” he said. “This is close to the people. This is my district.”
And it is a diverse South Texas district Menendez hopes to keep serving.