Gustavo L. "Gus" García (January 23, 1934 – December 17, 2018) was an American politician who served as the second Hispanic mayor of Austin, Texas.
[1][2] García was born in 1934 in Zapata, Texas, a poor border town, where his father ran a small grocery store.
[4] The commission's work included housing and employment discrimination, as well as education, police-community relations, ambulance service, and the Economy Furniture strike.
[4] After leaving the commission, García continued to be involved in politics and the ongoing civil rights struggle.
[2] The practice of desegregation busing had begun, but the Austin school district resisted, fighting a federal discrimination order in court.
For example, he successfully helped start an anti-graffiti program that also provides family counseling to counter poverty and patterns of alienation.
His efforts yielded numerous East Austin facilities, like the Cepeda Branch Library, the Zavala recreation center, Plaza Saltillo, the Mexican American Cultural Center and Tillery Square, an affordable housing development.
[2] After being put on the ballot by a petition, Austin voters overwhelmingly passed the SOS (Save Our Springs) ordinance on August 8, 1992.
In December 1994, a jury in Hays County overturned SOS and the city council was evenly divided over whether to appeal the decision.
Mayor Kirk Watson had stepped down to run for state office and García ran in a special election.
[6][7] García faced many challenges, including tough budget conditions and a development agreement with Stratus Properties.