Vote NO on Prop A & B
(Rodeo District & Project Marvel/Sports District)
What Prop A and Prop B Do
Prop A – Rodeo District
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$191.8 million for the Eastside Stock Show & Rodeo District
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Includes expensive repairs and new exposition halls
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If the Spurs move downtown, existing Eastside venues will lose major revenue
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Risk of taxpayer money wasted if the Freeman Coliseum and Frost Bank Center are abandoned
Prop B – Project Marvel / Sports District
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Forces taxpayers to cover over $1.1 billion for a new downtown Spurs arena
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Contributions include:
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$489M from the City
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$311M from the County
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$60M in land
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$200–$250M in infrastructure
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Spurs ownership contributes less than half, while keeping control of naming rights, concessions, and profits
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A billionaire giveaway San Antonio families simply cannot afford
1. Lack of Transparency
City Council approved these projects without giving San Antonians the full picture of how much it would cost taxpayers. Calls for an independent economic analysis were ignored. We deserve honest numbers, not half-truths.
2. False Claims
Spurs owners and players have never said they will leave San Antonio. Economists and sports experts confirm this is a scare tactic. Meanwhile, by law, these venue tax dollars could be used for parks, aquifer protection, youth sports, arts, and historic preservation—not just arenas.
3. Hidden Costs
If arena revenues fall short, it’s property taxpayers and the City’s General Fund that will cover the gap. That means less money for essential services like drainage, roads, and public safety.
4. Neighborhood Needs Come First
San Antonio already faces a projected $152 million deficit by 2027. Committing over $1.3 billion to luxury sports and rodeo venues means less money for:
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Streets and drainage
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Affordable housing and public safety
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Parks, libraries, and culture
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Water protection and aquifer recharge
5. We’ve Paid Enough
San Antonio taxpayers already paid for the Alamodome and the AT&T Center. Now, billionaire investors are asking us to pay again. We cannot afford to keep bailing out private profits with public dollars.
Bottom line
Together, Prop A + Prop B = Over $1.3 BILLION in taxpayer giveaways.
That’s money that should fix our streets, improve drainage, strengthen public safety, expand libraries and parks, and protect our water. Instead, it would subsidize rodeo halls and a luxury arena.
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Pledge to VOTE NO on Props A & B
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Sign our online petition
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Share with friends and neighbors
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Election Day: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Early Voting: October 20–31, 2025
Check registration status and polling place: My Voter Portal on the Texas Secretary of State's website.
Why Vote NO
Take Action
FAQ / Learn the facts
1. “Aren’t the Spurs putting up $500 million...?”
Spurs claim $500M, but public money still covers the majority: the City commits ~$489M, Bexar County up to $311M—Spurs cover the rest and any overruns.
Sources:
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City Council term sheet: Spurs cover $500M + overruns; City pays up to $489M, County up to $311M KSAT+15TPR+15San Antonio Report+15.
- WILL THE SPURS LEAVE IF WE DON'T BUILD A NEW ARENA?
This is a scare tactic. Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt has said publicly that the team is not leaving. Other cities, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, required the Lakers and Warriors to build their own arenas without relocation threats. San Antonio should not mortgage its future under fear.
- WON'T THE NEW ARENA GENERATE
$318 MILLION A YEAR IN ECONOMIC IMPACT?
That number comes from CSL International, a consulting firm owned by Legends, which is partly owned by a Spurs investor. As the Houston Chronicle’s Chris Tomlinson reported, this is a conflict of interest: “Predictably, CSL says Project Marvel is a marvelous idea.” Independent economists say such studies are almost always exaggerated and unreliable. San Antonio deserves an independent, transparent study before committing billions.
- DOESN'T PROJECT MARVEL BRING $2 BILLION IN TOTAL INVESTMENT WITHOUT TAXING RESIDENTS?
The headline number hides risk. Without binding guarantees for local hiring, affordable housing, and small business inclusion, most of that $1.4 billion in development will benefit developers, not working families.
- IF THE MONEY COMES FROM HOTEL AND RENTAL CAR TAXES, WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue is still public money. Cities issue bonds backed by that revenue, and if the revenue falls short, taxpayers are still on the hook. Once committed to an arena, that money cannot be used for other cultural, historic, or community projects.
- WON'T A NEW DOWNTOWN DISTRICT REVITALIZE SAN ANTONIO??
Historical evidence suggests that these types of “revitalization” projects often accelerate gentrification and displacement. Tomlinson noted that rushing billion-dollar projects with limited information is “the hallmark of the traveling roadshow that exploits cities’ insecurities to convince taxpayers to spend billions on potential white elephants.”
- ISN'T THIS A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS SINCE VOTERS WILL DECIDE?
A rushed vote without independent numbers undermines democracy. Even Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones called for a delay until a real study could be done, saying, “Due diligence is not anti-progress. It’s anti-poverty.”
- WHO WOULD CONTROL THE LAND IF THE NEW DISTRICT GOES AHEAD?
That’s unclear, and that’s the problem. There is no transparency about who would own, lease, or profit from the land tied to Project Marvel. Valuable public land could end up under the control of private developers for little cost, locking San Antonio residents out of decisions and benefits for generations. Until these terms are clear and public, the community cannot make an informed choice.
- AREN'T THE NUMBERS SOLID?
The numbers are inconsistent and not independently verified. Until a truly independent study is conducted, these figures should be treated as marketing, not facts.
- AREN'T IMPROVEMENTS FUNDED BY VISITOR TAXES, NOT LOCAL RESIDENTS?
Hotel and rental car taxes are public money. Every dollar spent on an arena is a dollar not spent on cultural centers, historic preservation, or festivals that sustain San Antonio’s unique identity.
- ISN'T THIS JUST A REALLOCATION OF EXISTING TAXES, NOT A NEW TAX?
That’s the problem. Reallocation locks our visitor tax into one mega-project for decades instead of spreading support across the city’s diverse cultural ecosystem.
- WHY NOT SPEND THIS MONEY ON OTHER COMMUNITY NEEDS?
Visitor taxes are restricted to venues, but venues don’t have to mean billion-dollar arenas. They can mean museums, cultural centers, and community festivals that genuinely enrich San Antonians’ lives.
- WON'T UPGRADES CREATE MORE EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES YEAR-ROUND?
San Antonio already has multiple underused venues, including Freeman, Frost Bank Center, and the Alamodome. A new arena will mostly shift events around rather than create new ones.
- WILL THE PUBLIC GET TO GIVE FEEDBACK?
Offering input after billions are already committed is not real transparency. Residents should have been involved from the beginning, not after deals were rushed forward.
BOTTOM LINE
Our community deserves honest numbers, transparency about land use, and investments that prioritize people, not corporations. Project Marvel is a rushed, high-risk deal that mortgages our future while everyday families struggle with rising costs.
