Delia Garza

 

Delia Garza speaks during a forum on Hispanic families in Central Texas at the Seton Administration Office in 2018.
Credit Gabriel C. Pérez / KUT

Delia Garza was elected to represent District 2 as the first Latina City Council member in November 2014 and re-elected in November 2016. She became mayor pro tem in January 2019.

Raised by a firefighter and a stay-at-home mom who were both active in the community, Garza said she was inspired to work in public service. Like her father, she became a firefighter with the Austin Fire Department. Garza served South Austin as one of the first Mexican-American female firefighters in the early 2000s and was elected to leadership positions as part of the Austin Firefighter Association.

In 2007, Garza left the AFD to go to law school. She got her law degree from Gonzaga University and began serving as Texas assistant attorney general in the Child Support Division.

Garza has been the chair of the Regional Affordability Committee, the vice chair for the Health and Human Services Committee, and on the board of several city committees that deal with infrastructure, education and equality.

 

Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza, Austin's First Latina Council Member, Won't Seek Reelection

By • Nov 12, 2019
Austin City Council Member Delia Garza
Gabriel C. Pérez / KUT

Austin Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza announced Tuesday she will not seek reelection next fall, leaving the Southeast Austin seat open and setting the stage for a possible run for Travis County attorney.

Finding Affordable Child Care In Austin Is Hard. This Mom Drove 60 Miles Roundtrip To Make It Work.

By • Mar 7, 2019
Gabriel C. Pérez / KUT

Bri Rodriguez buckled her son Rocky into his car seat. “Little grumps,” she said, teasing the 1-year-old as he scrunched up his face, unhappy at having to be in the car.

Council Members Call For Manley To Be Made Permanent Police Chief After Austin Bombings

By • Mar 22, 2018
Gabriel C. Pérez / KUT

Members of the Austin City Council want to formally appoint interim Police Chief Brian Manley as the city's permanent chief. If a resolution is approved, City Manager Spencer Cronk would need to make the final hiring decision.

Shortly after the announcement yesterday of the death of Austin's serial bomber, City Council Member Delia Garza made the call to hire Manley permanently.

Report Finds Gaps In Economic Opportunities For Hispanic Families In Central Texas

By Syeda Hasan • Feb 14, 2018
Gabriel C. Pérez / KUT

Hispanic families in Central Texas don’t have the same opportunities to access health care, employment and early childhood education, according to a new report from the Austin Community Foundation.

What the TNC Discussion May Say About Adler’s Leadership

By • Feb 11, 2016
Miguel Gutierrez Jr. for KUT

Given that it’s in a government building, the painting that hangs outside Mayor Steve Adler’s office is a bizarre choice. It’s a portrait of a cat – its head crowned in what looks like a steel headdress, with an ornate keyhole at its center. Behind the cat’s head, canoes full of sushi float atop a body of water. Chopsticks stand in for paddles. If nothing else is clear – and little is – the cat wields enormous power over these pieces of sushi. The canoes carrying them appear to be rowing toward it in an act of obedience.